Dirge of the Wizard-Lord
The Death of Chaos
"... Unnoticed by the Empire, the brigands who had been forced away from its territory had not forgotten their shame, and the indignity would be remembered by future generations born on the Archipelago, each of which grew more bitter and angry as they were confined to their islands for their ancestors' crimes. Among them, one man sought dominion: Indra, the Shidtenzen. His origins remain unknown, but his cause was clear: The total subjugation of the frail, cowardly, and pious Zamzians."
"Indra's Prana was feared by the faithless to be as potent and overflowing as The Tennōjin Himself, and many subjects were drawn to both his personal and political power, hoping to earn a place at his side, or a sliver of his magical knowledge. As he quickly united the quibbling factions of The Burning Archipelago, he also taught his many warriors to recklessly unite blade and spell in order to slaughter the Zamzians who stood in their way. In a bloody war, the Shidtai, as they were known, ravaged the coasts of western Zamzara with the full fury of The Elements at their disposal, laying waste to foe and friend alike."
"The Elemental Wars ravaged much of the Empire's spirit, as the sheer brutality of their barbaric enemies terrified most men. For five years they would rage, and Indra's forces struck and retreated with the speed of a monsoon, devastating the countryside and rendering it unusable, leaving a sea of bodies in their wake. The ferocity of their assaults was unsustainable, and the invaders could not replace their warriors as quickly as they fell. The Zamzian Army pushed them back and fell onto them at The Burning Archipelago, nearly slaughtering them to the man. The Wizard-Lord himself was made an example of, for all the world to see and know; It would be his tale that would discourage future invaders. Despite all of Indra's power, even he could not stand before the unending might of the Empire..."
- The Chronicles of Zamzara, Vol. 2
Summary
History
Indra was not the first Wizard-Lord to plague the Bhujaban Coast, but he was the last. The Shidtai placed more value on oral tradition and iconography than record-keeping, and almost no manuscripts dated earlier than 839 AC have been found, including census reports. Due to this, no one is certain how Indra rose to power, but a few murals depicting the man indicate that he was born in The Burning Archipelago among the other Shidtai. According to them, he was "crowned in blood." The exact meaning of this phrase is unclear, as the many islands have different tales as to Indra's ascent. Simple conquest is featured in many, but others suggest that his power was gained through ritualistic human sacrifice, while others still claim that the Wizard-Lord married the daughters of every tribal leader that lent him their acclaim. None can be proven for sure. Among the Zamzian Empire, he is known as the man who signed a false peace treaty in order to recoup his forces and attack as their backs were turned, barely giving them time to breathe before beginning another war.
Death
Having been pushed back into the islands he tried so hard to leave, the Wizard-Lord marshaled his remaining forces and split them in two, hoping to pin the Empire's army in between his elemental warriors. Foolishly, he moved into position too soon and was found out by the Empire's scouts, but could not form a retreat in time. His army was devastated and Indra was captured. However, death did not come in the way he had expected. He was cast into chains and brought before the public of Zamhita, but he was not brought to the Cliffs of Severance to be cut in half, as befitting the worst criminals of society. Instead, he found himself at a strange platform with Atmanudra engraved into it. What followed was one of the most horrific executions in Zamzian history - Indra's potent Prana was used against him, as his vital energy was shunted from his body into the cosmos beyond. His body shriveled away and he howled curses towards his captors until, at last, the Wizard-Lord collapsed, a husk that was barely human. He could neither move nor speak, and his eyes rolled around in his head, lazy and empty. A final indignity, Indra was thrown into the crowd of angry Zamzians whose families and lives were destroyed by the once mighty Wizard-Lord, and his frail body was easily ripped to shreds.
Legend
A bitter and ferocious man, the Wizard-Lord's name would be associated with the Elemental Wars for the rest of history. Thanks to his actions, the Shidtai were no longer ignored, but instead assimilated by the Empire and forced into slavery. Among his people's descendants, the name Indra is uttered with equal parts reverence and revulsion, and among the Empire, he is used as a reminder of what rebellion meant. The brutality inflicted upon him would prove to last longer in the consciousness of man than his failed invasion: Never again would an army as cohesive as his elemental warriors challenge the Zamzian Empire.
Rememberance
The scars left by the Elemental Wars would be remembered for generations to come, and many stories were written about the conflict, even centuries later. While some of the descendants of the Shidtai sung of his tales for centuries, one in particular would survive past The Kalyugi: The Dirge of the Wizard-Lord. A mournful song, it became popular across the Empire because of its romantic tone - that of an powerful man raging against the forces arrayed against him, doomed to repeat his failures in every incarnation. Now, Indra is regarded as a figure that is sometimes righteous, sometimes contemptible, but always tragic.
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Great job! Really enjoyed reading this article! Indra sounds like a fascinating character, love the lore behind it. Lots of people are writing about heroic legends so it's really refreshing to read a more villainous legend instead.
Thank you! I already had this sort of outlined, so I thought it would be a good idea to flesh it out some for the contest. I generally like to write about villains more than heroes, I think. There's a less to hold you back.