War of Shadow
Previous: Shadow's Arrival
The Avonlaer, Rjuven, Brecht, Basarji, and Masetian nations found no option other than to unite; kings set aside their now petty differences to face the threat of the Shadow. The priests of these lands ceased their squabbles and raised their voices not in heated argument, but in supplication to their gods. Rogues and merchants brought their resources to the war, setting aside personal rivalries to combat the evil of Dyrosh. Even the dwarves came into the war, for though they did not care about the human presence on the continent, they most certainly cared about the power the humanoids stood to gain.
The armies of the Shadow, made up of the Vos, the humanoids, and the elves, pushed into Cerilia, dominating and destroying everything they encountered. The armies of the human Kalurans were hard-pressed by the forces marching under the serpent banner, and it seemed certain that the Kalurans would be crushed beneath the heel of the Shadow.
Traederic Dosiere, my ancestor, fought throughout the war at the side of Azimir and Roele, the two brothers who led the Anuireans. Despite their heroic efforts, the combined forces of Aduria, Vosgaard, and the evil humanoids overwhelmed them.
The gods knew that Dyrosh's final victory was at hand. In a desperate attempt to prevent him from annihilating the Kalurans and enslaving the deities forever, the gods gathered their peoples' armies at the land bridge to Kalura, near the foot of Mount Deismaar. Each god chose a champion or two from among his or her tribes—a champion who exemplified whatever the god loved best in humanity. Traederic had the honor of carrying Roele's standard as Roele and Azimir prepared for the battle on the slopes of Mount Deismaar. Dyrosh himself led his champions, including Raesene (Azimir and Roele's half-brother), and the armies of the Shadow to the mount.
The clash on the slopes of Deismaar was an epic battle—man and monster struggled against each other in a vain attempt to triumph. Despite the bravery and skill of the Kaluran warriors, it seemed certain that sunset would find the forces of good dead on the slopes of Deismaar.
Then, without warning, the elves crossed to the human side of the battlefield, slaughtering the Vos and the southern warriors as they swept across the mountain. The elf generals had discovered Dyrosh for what he was, and realized they had been deceived. (A handful of elves didn't care about Dyrosh's evil—they sought only to rid their land of the humans. These few remained with the Shadow. Of them, Rhuobhe Manslayer is the most famous, of course.) All but a few of the elves cast aside the blindness of hatred, and they helped even the odds in the war considerably.
It was then that Azimir, champion of Anduiras and the Anuireans, stepped forward to battle the most powerful of Dyrosh's champions—Raesene the Black Prince, who had sold himself to the god of evil. All across the Mount, the gods' champions squared off against Dyrosh's minions.
Higher up on the slopes of Deismaar, the gods them- selves took physical form to try to defeat Dyrosh once and for all. They poured every energy into the effort to destroy the shadow that had fallen across Cerilia. The heavens shook; the earth rumbled. All was chaos; then an ensuing explosion destroyed the landscape, leveling Deismaar and the lands for miles around the mighty mountain (and creating what we now call the Straits of Aerele). Yet despite the force of the explosion, a few survived. Most were scat- tered to the four winds, including nearly all the Masetians and good-aligned Vos.
In a final bid for freedom from Dyrosh, the deities had given their very existences. Their essences dissipated, and the remains of the old gods lay in the smoking crater that was the mountain.
Next: Birth of the New Gods
The Avonlaer, Rjuven, Brecht, Basarji, and Masetian nations found no option other than to unite; kings set aside their now petty differences to face the threat of the Shadow. The priests of these lands ceased their squabbles and raised their voices not in heated argument, but in supplication to their gods. Rogues and merchants brought their resources to the war, setting aside personal rivalries to combat the evil of Dyrosh. Even the dwarves came into the war, for though they did not care about the human presence on the continent, they most certainly cared about the power the humanoids stood to gain.
The armies of the Shadow, made up of the Vos, the humanoids, and the elves, pushed into Cerilia, dominating and destroying everything they encountered. The armies of the human Kalurans were hard-pressed by the forces marching under the serpent banner, and it seemed certain that the Kalurans would be crushed beneath the heel of the Shadow.
Traederic Dosiere, my ancestor, fought throughout the war at the side of Azimir and Roele, the two brothers who led the Anuireans. Despite their heroic efforts, the combined forces of Aduria, Vosgaard, and the evil humanoids overwhelmed them.
The gods knew that Dyrosh's final victory was at hand. In a desperate attempt to prevent him from annihilating the Kalurans and enslaving the deities forever, the gods gathered their peoples' armies at the land bridge to Kalura, near the foot of Mount Deismaar. Each god chose a champion or two from among his or her tribes—a champion who exemplified whatever the god loved best in humanity. Traederic had the honor of carrying Roele's standard as Roele and Azimir prepared for the battle on the slopes of Mount Deismaar. Dyrosh himself led his champions, including Raesene (Azimir and Roele's half-brother), and the armies of the Shadow to the mount.
The clash on the slopes of Deismaar was an epic battle—man and monster struggled against each other in a vain attempt to triumph. Despite the bravery and skill of the Kaluran warriors, it seemed certain that sunset would find the forces of good dead on the slopes of Deismaar.
Then, without warning, the elves crossed to the human side of the battlefield, slaughtering the Vos and the southern warriors as they swept across the mountain. The elf generals had discovered Dyrosh for what he was, and realized they had been deceived. (A handful of elves didn't care about Dyrosh's evil—they sought only to rid their land of the humans. These few remained with the Shadow. Of them, Rhuobhe Manslayer is the most famous, of course.) All but a few of the elves cast aside the blindness of hatred, and they helped even the odds in the war considerably.
It was then that Azimir, champion of Anduiras and the Anuireans, stepped forward to battle the most powerful of Dyrosh's champions—Raesene the Black Prince, who had sold himself to the god of evil. All across the Mount, the gods' champions squared off against Dyrosh's minions.
Higher up on the slopes of Deismaar, the gods them- selves took physical form to try to defeat Dyrosh once and for all. They poured every energy into the effort to destroy the shadow that had fallen across Cerilia. The heavens shook; the earth rumbled. All was chaos; then an ensuing explosion destroyed the landscape, leveling Deismaar and the lands for miles around the mighty mountain (and creating what we now call the Straits of Aerele). Yet despite the force of the explosion, a few survived. Most were scat- tered to the four winds, including nearly all the Masetians and good-aligned Vos.
In a final bid for freedom from Dyrosh, the deities had given their very existences. Their essences dissipated, and the remains of the old gods lay in the smoking crater that was the mountain.
Next: Birth of the New Gods
