The Great Shadow War(Part One) Ambition

Nothing has so defined the early beginnings of the New Age as that terrible military campaign known as the Great Shadow War. A ruinous affair that split a continent and decimated two burgeoning civilizations. The effects of the Shadow War resonated for centuries afterward, creating strife between two distinct cultures where could have existed unity. It all began with the ambition of one man, Toth-Gadal. His desire for conquest burned not just for his home continent of Bordelon. He one day envisioned uniting all of Aeonith under his protective arm. But it would start with his own people, the new Arcanian Empire. Toth-Gadal came to power in year 351 of the New Age(N.A.), acquiring the title of Sorcerer-King at the young age of twenty-five. Already the Empire had begun to fracture as various lords and ladies vied for the Imperial throne. Toth-Gadal quickly rose above the others, gaining the respect of the kings of the southern nations. With their support, Toth-Gadal consolidated his power and almost immediately began his strategy for uniting all of Bordelon. The first thing the new Sorcerer-King would need was an army, a standing army loyal to him, personally. Until his reign, the southern nations had merely sent their own men to fight for the Sorcerer-King when he commanded it, but the soldiers were still loyal first and foremost to the kings of their birth-nations. Toth-Gadal saw the need to create an Imperial loyalty, and the first step would be to create an Imperial Army. And so in late 351 N.A. the first Arcanian Defense Force was born. The logistics and formation of this new army Toth left to his most faithful lieutenant, a man who’d served with him since their youth. Zeal was his name, a name destined to become as ingrained in southern history as Toth-Gadal’s. By all accounts Zeal was personable and charismatic, yet bold and decisive. He was one of those, it was said, who could get people to do what he wanted, even if they themselves didn’t really want to do it, and without using the slightest bit of force. As time went by and the new army came together, Zeal’s reputation as a tough, but fair commander grew, ultimately gaining the attention of his ruler. Toth began to grow jealous of his lieutenant’s popularity, and fearful as well. In the end, Zeal’s personality, and Toth-Gadal’s jealousy, became their mutual downfall. With the army nearly assembled, it was time to for Toth-Gadal to launch his strategy. The Sorcerer-King’s plan was two-fold. First, he sent his deadliest assassins north, to seek out the kings of the northern nations. Once these men were dead, and chaos ran rampant in the north, his army would march easily over the land, conquering all in the name of the Arcanian Empire. It was a good plan, if somewhat ruthless. But like many designs of such grand ambition, it didn’t work out quite the way the Sorcerer-King envisioned. The assassins did in fact make it to the north, and the king of the nation of Thrice fell to their blades in early 352 N.A. His other killers were less successful, however. King Melnus of Telengard survived his attack. Toth-‘s other assassins, sent east to Sivilar and Mylkar were never heard from again. Whether they were caught, executed, got lost or simply abandoned their mission was never known. With his first hand played, the Sorcerer-King was ready to begin his unification of the continent of Bordelon. He had just one last thing to do. Zeal’s popularity among the men and women of the army reached a zenith the Sorcerer-King could no longer stand. So before leaving on his campaign, Toth-Gadal sent Zeal on one last assignment. Toth ordered his second to travel to the mountain range in southern Bordelon known as the Stand. There he was to find the body of the great dragon lord, Virex, and use his necromantic powers to raise the dragon form the dead and force it to fight for the Arcanian Empire. Toth hoped this would be a suicide mission, knowing full-well that if Zeal did in fact succeed in raising the dragon, its first order of business would be to slaughter everyone in its path. No human could ever hope to have the power to control a dragon’s will, whether live or undead. Debate has raged ever since that fateful decision. Some believe that Zeal must have known the Sorcerer-King was sending him to die. Others think Zeal went believing he could actually control the dragon. But go Zeal did, following his emperor’s orders to the last. With Zeal out of the way and the north shaken by assassinations, Toth-Gadal was ready to march his new army to victory.

Next Week Part Two-Northward to Victory