Eptian LXXIII

As the Sonimian Overlords returned to the Great Chasm Fortress they where confronted with a large entrenched Pan Mortal force that was waiting for them. Upon returning these Sonimian forces smashed against these battlements and broke apart like sparks fly off the anvil with each successive hammer blow. The Overlords, once defeated, would flee into the surrounding landscape with what remained of their forces, now powerless to turn the tide. The Sonimi themselves could not be captured but a majority of their forces were. It was assumed that the Sonimi wandered around looking for Velid but none of the Mortals knew for sure.

Ebrel was eventually brought before Eptih and he would not reveal much, he did however have a story to tell Eptih. He explained how Eptih was the son of Velid, the twin brother of Rhosrc and that his mother had been the wife of Velid and mother of the two boys. He told Eptih how his father had tried to kill both him and his brother and how his mother had gone into the Great Chasm, where he had been tossed, in order to retrieve him and that there she had perished or at least that was what was believed by everyone else. Eptih was astonished by the tale and yet it all fit all together that is except for one glaring thing which he asked Ebrel about. If he knew all of this why did it seem no one else did, why did he not direct Velid to capture him when he was a youth and thus avoid conflict altogether? And to this Ebrel replied that being the only one of  two who knew the truth he felt that holding the knowledge of the true events could save him from some future miserable fate, meaning he could persuade Velid with the info should he ever come into opposition with him. Eptih did not believe Ebrel’s reason for concealing the information and wondered if he knew his mother was in fact still alive. This caused Eptih to fear the repercussions of Ebrel continuing to live for he seemed to hold Derram’s fate in his hands. Discussing the intricacies of being of the Norstilam race which both Ebrel and Eptih where, Eptih realized that Ebrel was in fact the son of Orendun. Eptih though did not reveal this to Ebrel.

After listening to Ebrel, Eptih wanted to know if the story was true and so he decided to visit his mother and ask her. Eptih left the army in the hands of “____” and by himself went off to visit his mother who was quite far from the Great Chasm Fortress. When Eptih arrived Derram was happy to see her son but she could see that he was distressed and when she asked what was the matter he told her the story Ebrel had told him. Derram was disappointed and told Eptih that the story was true and with that Eptih questioned her as to why she had withheld so much important information from him. She explained how they where in danger of being found by Velid and that she did what she did to save him. Eptih asked her how she could leave Rhosrc behind with Velid and she told him she had though he was dead having seen him so mangled. Eptih was in a sense relived knowing the truth because for so long he had questioned his ancestry and had never been able to coalesce all of his thoughts about himself, his mother, Thiaraceph and Thmascuid into one logical account. Now all was revealed and all of his questions where answered. Although Eptih knew Derram had done what she had for his and her welfare he still had some animosity toward her for deceiving him and thus left without accepting her apology, leaving the situation with her unresolved.

Before departing back to the army Eptih went to Reyam, who was in the same town as his mother, and took her with him on his way. From there Eptih made his way back to the army at the Great Chasm Fortress slowly taking time to consider all that he had learned and spending time with Reyam. Although Eptih’s mind was at first occupied with all the new revelations he quickly became unburdened by the truth and was able to focus his attention on the celebration of his recent victory and his beautiful wife. Nevertheless after many days of travel as Eptih came closer to the Great Chasm Fortress he began to debate with himself what to do with Ebrel and what path to take now that his purpose of freeing the race of Mortals was fulfilled.

Eptian LXXII

Word quickly spread throughout most of Existence of the change in fortune for the Pan Mortal Army and upon confirmation of the rumors most of the Sonimian Overlords withdrew from their provinces in order to return to the Great Chasm Fortress. They hoped to fortify the Great Chasm and make a stand against the intensifying resistance.

The Mortal populations, in reaction to their newly acquired freedom, and on learning of what appeared to be the forthcoming collapse of Velidian rule began attacking any member of the Velidian government they could. Wherever they could they fell upon any Velidian tearing them to pieces, many also destroyed whatever monuments and icons of Velidian rule they could. Many buildings, once having been abandoned by the Velidians, were put to fire and ruined. This left the Mortals free but also without system of governing, all the old systems that had been established under the Vethrians had been swept away by the Velidians and before that the Mortal populations had never really governed over their own destiny. This was the first time since being placed within existence that they could rule over themselves without there being any outside influence. Initially however it was chaos.

Eventually Eptih, who had followed a large part of the army to the Great Chasm Fortress, was nearly at the gates of the city. At this point Velid, his retinue and Rhosrc, who had been released from confinement, fled the place leaving behind all those that had come there looking for salvation and even before many of the Sonimian Overlords had managed to make their way back.

Rhosrc berated his father for their situation, and was not in agreement that leaving was the proper course. He wanted to stay and fight, he believed that the situation could be rectified if they could survive the initial coming assault and reorganize all the survivors.  Velid was more concerned with maintaining his power and feared being a captive of the Mortals and thus felt that if they could escape the situation and reach safety he may be able to heal his wounds and eventually return to his former glory.

Eptih laid siege to the Great Chasm Fortress but once the Velidians inside learned that Velid and Rhosrc had fled they relented and used the opportunity to flee into the surrounding landscape. Most of these however where killed by the Mortals that pursued them. Eptih entered the city victorious and took possession of it. Once inside Eptih was dumfounded, this was the place from where so much pain had emanated, a place that so many had feared and now it was desolate and impotent, just a geographical location and empty infrastructure. It was as if Eptih and many others thought the place itself had been the cause of their pain and now that they stood there they realized it was Velid and his army of slaves not the place itself. Nevertheless, to take the place from Velid was a victory and as such Eptih savored the moment.

Attempts where made to try and find Velid but to no avail, and this fact caused Eptih great consternation. He knew that to capture Velid was the ultimate prize and that with him in custody he could be assured that Velid would never reign over mankind again. Until he was captured the Mortals would never be truly safe nor would they be able to fully enjoy their victory.

Eptih’s forces moved in and occupied the capital taking over the buildings and finding the foodstuffs. Soon after, word was brought to Eptih that Ebrel had been captured by his forces that had pursued the other half of the Velidian army to the east. Eptih immediately sent word back to bring Ebrel to the Great Chasm Fortress so that he could interrogate him. Eptih was sure Ebrel would be able to tell him where Velid was likely to be hiding and he wanted the information as soon as possible.

Eptian LXXI

As the single combats were going on and the Pan Mortal army was secretly withdrawing and positioning exactly as Eptih had ordered. Every possible measure was taken to ensure the secrecy of these movements, various Velidian wanderers were killed so that they might not find out the actual situation and reveal the information to Ebrel.

After nine days had passed and nine single combats had been fought the Pan Mortal Army was in position awaiting the final contest before commencing the attack. This was a tough time for the army, it was extremely cold and they could not light event the smallest fire to stay warm in fear of revealing their position. Many Mortals who did not take care froze to death and every man prayed for the final single combat to be decided so that they might attack and relieve themselves from the horrific cold.

The Last contest was fought and the Pan Mortal soldier was victorious, killing his opponent and the moment the victim’s body hit the ground the attack began. The Velidians dejected from the loss where completely caught off guard, they had no idea that so many soldiers had flanked them and being disorganized where easy prey especially for Mortals who were so intent on escaping the cold and finding any warmth, even the warmth brought on by battle.

With that full hostilities resumed only now the Pan Mortal Army and Eptih had the upper hand. Whatever advantage the Velidians had in number was now working against them creating more confusion and disorder then could be managed. Although pockets of resistence where everywhere there was no way the Velidians could rally enough of an unified effort to face the Pan Mortal Army.

Ebrel managed to get word to Velid of the turn of events and requesting he send an additional force but there was no force to send, only a steady flow of new Queid could be sent, there was no way to gather a force of Queid quickly. Velid did however do two things with the hopes of changing the fortunes of his faltering army. One was to increase the search that he had begun earlier to find the Spiritform of Queid General who Rhosrc had destroyed. The other was to send word to the Siradyt that they gather a force as quickly as possible. The Siradyt however where unable to gather a sizable force, most of their men being integrated into the Velidian Army already. The unwillingness to send what men remained angered Velid and he promised them he would make them regret their decision. For their part the Siradyt wanted to use the few men they had to protect their homeland from a possible invasion.

Rhosrc requested that he be allowed to return to the army and take control but Velid denied him his request believing that Ebrel would be capable of handling the command. Rhosrc could not believe his father’s overabundance of faith in Ebrel and wondered if it was more a lack of faith in him rather then his faith in Ebrel. Rhosrc knew that he was a more capable and experienced commander then Ebrel. Rhosrc told Velid that his decision would destroy the army and this caused Velid to denounce Rhosrc and as such he ordered him imprisoned.

Velid’s faith in Ebrel may have been justified but it no longer mattered, the Velidian army was no longer a unified armed force, it was beyond the grasp of any leader now being dragged in every directino by its leadership on the ground. Being attacked from the rear and the front at nearly the exact same spot by the Pan Mortal soldiers that had remained there as cover for the withdrawing majority caused the Velidian army to be cut in half and of those two halves each was fleeing. Eptih, ordered that two divisions of the Pan Mortal Army pursue the Velidians fleeing East and the other three divisions pursue the half that was headed South. Eptih remained with the part of the Army that was headed South, he had the belief which turned out to be correct that the Velidian’s fleeing South would turn and try to fly West back to the Great Chasm Fortress.

[ Eptian LXX ]

[ Eptian LXX ] 70

The Pan Mortal Army’s assault on the Velidians was soon resisted and then began to be pushed back and as such the growing strength of the Velidians became evident. As the Velidians slowly closed in on the Pan mortal Army and once again Eptih’s fortunes looked bleak a furious storm arose that brought with it a deep snow which was a precursor to a tremendous cold that froze everything and stopped the fighting dead. The two armies entrenched themselves where they were and tried to cope with the cold and snow.

As the cold continued more recently created Queid divisions arrived to reinforce those already there and as such the Velidian army grew more and more massive making it possible for them to wrap their lines around the Pan Mortal position. Although there was no fighting Eptih could see how the situation was deteriorating for his cause. He knew that as more Queid arrived if the cold miraculously subsided his forces would be quickly surrounded and defeated. The Pan Mortal Army began to have other pressing problems as well, the men started to get sick as they had not been prepared for the cold and where now suffering from its affects.

Eptih could see that his army was withering away, each new day brought some new disaster and as they froze there their situation began to look hopeless. At this moment Eptih struck upon a brilliant idea, that of single combats. With single combats Eptih could hope to exhibit the strength of his army to the Velidians and also give his forces something to put their faith in. But Eptih had other reasons behind the single combats as well. Eptih hoped that as all where occupied with the spectacle he would be able to extricate his army from its situation, the only problem was Eptih had no idea how he would do this and he had even less time to come up with one.

Eptih immediately sent messengers to many of the surrounding Mortal towns asking to send as many conscripts as possible. These messengers did not find the various townspeople very willing to comply. However when they displayed a willingness to use force and made many threats many families relented and decided to send some of their available young men, boys actually who were typically fourteen to eighteen. These where brought to Eptih and integrated into the army.

As this was taking place the Pan Mortal Army sent a messenger to the Velidians challenging them to single combats, ten men from each side fighting one fight per day, and the challenge was accepted. Eptih had “____” choose the ten men and as this was going on Eptih met with his Generals to decide on a plan to save the army.

Within two days The single combats began, both sides having selected their best fighters and just as Eptih had figured the Velidians where wholly engrossed in seeing their best win and thus took their eyes off the force facing them. Eptih now had ten days to save his army and he initially planned on withdrawing a large portion of his army to safety but as he was pulling his men out he changed his mind and commanded them to be flung far around the Velidian lines. There they would set themselves up and ready in a position behind and to the side of the Velidian force. Eptih kept a large contingent up on the line facing the Velidians so that they would not be aware that so many troops had moved out.

The single combats continued for ten days and all the while Eptih was setting his trap. <The Story of the single combats will be a side story told elsewhere>

Miraculously, as the single combats began Rhosrc was called back by Velid to be punished for killing the Queid General. Rhosrc had served his purpose of reinforcing the Velidians, who where now under the command of Ebrel, and therefore Velid felt he was not needed at the front and wanted to set an example by punishing Rhosrc for his past insurrection. Velid wanted to show his other Generals how serious he was, so much so that he would punish his own son, the man all knew was most skilled to lead an army. Whether or not Eptih’s plan would have worked if Rhosrc had remained can not be known, but what is known is that Eptih’s odds of success increased dramatically once Rhosrc was gone.

The Pan Mortal Army’s assault on the Velidians was soon resisted and then began to be pushed back and as such the growing strength of the Velidians became evident. As the Velidians slowly closed in on the Pan mortal Army and once again Eptih’s fortunes looked bleak a furious storm arose that brought with it a deep snow which was a precursor to a tremendous cold that froze everything and stopped the fighting dead. The two armies entrenched themselves where they were and tried to cope with the cold and snow.

As the cold continued more recently created Queid divisions arrived to reinforce those already there and as such the Velidian army grew more and more massive making it possible for them to wrap their lines around the Pan Mortal position. Although there was no fighting Eptih could see how the situation was deteriorating for his cause. He knew that as more Queid arrived if the cold miraculously subsided his forces would be quickly surrounded and defeated. The Pan Mortal Army began to have other pressing problems as well, the men started to get sick as they had not been prepared for the cold and where now suffering from its affects.

Eptih could see that his army was withering away, each new day brought some new disaster and as they froze there their situation began to look hopeless. At this moment Eptih struck upon a brilliant idea, that of single combats. With single combats Eptih could hope to exhibit the strength of his army to the Velidians and also give his forces something to put their faith in. But Eptih had other reasons behind the single combats as well. Eptih hoped that as all where occupied with the spectacle he would be able to extricate his army from its situation, the only problem was Eptih had no idea how he would do this and he had even less time to come up with one.

Eptih immediately sent messengers to many of the surrounding Mortal towns asking to send as many conscripts as possible. These messengers did not find the various townspeople very willing to comply. However when they displayed a willingness to use force and made many threats many families relented and decided to send some of their available young men, boys actually who were typically fourteen to eighteen. These where brought to Eptih and integrated into the army.

As this was taking place the Pan Mortal Army sent a messenger to the Velidians challenging them to single combats, ten men from each side fighting one fight per day, and the challenge was accepted. Eptih had “____” choose the ten men and as this was going on Eptih met with his Generals to decide on a plan to save the army.

Within two days The single combats began, both sides having selected their best fighters and just as Eptih had figured the Velidians where wholly engrossed in seeing their best win and thus took their eyes off the force facing them. Eptih now had ten days to save his army and he initially planned on withdrawing a large portion of his army to safety but as he was pulling his men out he changed his mind and commanded them to be flung far around the Velidian lines. There they would set themselves up and ready in a position behind and to the side of the Velidian force. Eptih kept a large contingent up on the line facing the Velidians so that they would not be aware that so many troops had moved out.

The single combats continued for ten days and all the while Eptih was setting his trap. <The Story of the single combats will be a side story told elsewhere>

Miraculously, as the single combats began Rhosrc was called back by Velid to be punished for killing the Queid General. Rhosrc had served his purpose of reinforcing the Velidians, who where now under the command of Ebrel, and therefore Velid felt he was not needed at the front and wanted to set an example by punishing Rhosrc for his past insurrection. Velid wanted to show his other Generals how serious he was, so much so that he would punish his own son, the man all knew was most skilled to lead an army. Whether or not Eptih’s plan would have worked if Rhosrc had remained can not be known, but what is known is that Eptih’s odds of success increased dramatically once Rhosrc was gone.

[ Eptian LXIX ]

[ Eptian LXIX ] 69

Meanwhile as the battle was being waged, Velid’s plan of unleashing the embedded Narcirogen against the Mortal population had reaped great success. The Narciogen where by this point numerous and within nearly every strategically important town. As the Mortal populations dealt with the Narcirogen threat that grew daily they had little time to consider the fate of Pan Mortal Army, they just wanted to be free from the Narcirogen menace and as a result support for the Pan Mortal dwindled. Many of the Mortal sects throughout existence had never supported the Hetharcyp in the first place and where equally unsupportive of the Pan Mortal Army now believing that only because of the Pan Mortal Army were they suffering the Narcirogen.

On the battlefield the attack from the front continued even though the Queid General was dead, Eptih however could sense the attack was not coordinated and considered taking advantage of this seeming weakness. He did however fear it was a trap, the Velidians hoping to draw his forces into the center then using the opportunity to envelop and cut his forces down. As the battle continued the opportunity seemed too perfect to ignore and Eptih prepared a plan of attack but giving himself more of an opportunity to asses the situation.   

By this time Rhosrc had managed to withdrawal his surviving forces and proceeded to make his way back to the Great Chasm Fortress. He initially planned to return and subdue Velid, taking power of the Velidian Empire himself but as he approached the city he realized what a flawed and unrealistic plan he had concocted. When he arrived he told Velid that the Fortress must be prepared to survive a siege and that he could take what Queid remained into the field and meet the coming Pan Mortal Army. Velid was outraged and demanded to know what had happened to his army and Rhosrc told him that his own forces had been led into a death trap by the Queid General and that he had only recognized this situation at the last possible minute. Upon seeing this act as an attempt to destroy the army he told Velid that he had destroyed the Queid General. Velid admonished Rhosrc for destroying his Queid General and leaving the army leaderless. Velid next called Ebrel to prepare himself to proceed to the front in order to take control of the Army if it had not yet been annihilated. Velid ordered Rhosrc to smash all the Sarcoph remaining that he could find and thereby release more spiritforms in order to create reserve forces. 

Ebrel made his way to join the army and take command while Rhosrc and his troops went throughout existence smashing sarcoph and releasing every spiritform they possibly could, and although the Mortals where outraged by these acts they could do nothing.

Ebrel made it to the army in time to take command just as Eptih was beginning his attack on the center of the Velidian lines. The battle was between a diminished Velidian force and a reorganized Pan Mortal Army force and as such the Velidian force was in danger of being completely destroyed. Ebrel’s brilliant command however managed to hold the center. Eptih kept his men advancing in hopes of breaking the Velidian lines as it seemed at every moment as if he was about to break through but he was never able to do so.

Eventually Rhosrc arrived with the newly completed divisions of Queid, a new kind of Queid, that where a hybrid between organic material and machinery. These hybrid Queid had come about due to lack of corpses and what Rhosrc brought with him was only a small part because as more Queid where being created at the Great Chasm Fortress they where being sent up to the front to fight. 

Meanwhile as the battle was being waged, Velid’s plan of unleashing the embedded Narcirogen against the Mortal population had reaped great success. The Narciogen where by this point numerous and within nearly every strategically important town. As the Mortal populations dealt with the Narcirogen threat that grew daily they had little time to consider the fate of Pan Mortal Army, they just wanted to be free from the Narcirogen menace and as a result support for the Pan Mortal dwindled. Many of the Mortal sects throughout existence had never supported the Hetharcyp in the first place and where equally unsupportive of the Pan Mortal Army now believing that only because of the Pan Mortal Army were they suffering the Narcirogen.

On the battlefield the attack from the front continued even though the Queid General was dead, Eptih however could sense the attack was not coordinated and considered taking advantage of this seeming weakness. He did however fear it was a trap, the Velidians hoping to draw his forces into the center then using the opportunity to envelop and cut his forces down. As the battle continued the opportunity seemed too perfect to ignore and Eptih prepared a plan of attack but giving himself more of an opportunity to asses the situation.

By this time Rhosrc had managed to withdrawal his surviving forces and proceeded to make his way back to the Great Chasm Fortress. He initially planned to return and subdue Velid, taking power of the Velidian Empire himself but as he approached the city he realized what a flawed and unrealistic plan he had concocted. When he arrived he told Velid that the Fortress must be prepared to survive a siege and that he could take what Queid remained into the field and meet the coming Pan Mortal Army. Velid was outraged and demanded to know what had happened to his army and Rhosrc told him that his own forces had been led into a death trap by the Queid General and that he had only recognized this situation at the last possible minute. Upon seeing this act as an attempt to destroy the army he told Velid that he had destroyed the Queid General. Velid admonished Rhosrc for destroying his Queid General and leaving the army leaderless. Velid next called Ebrel to prepare himself to proceed to the front in order to take control of the Army if it had not yet been annihilated. Velid ordered Rhosrc to smash all the Sarcoph remaining that he could find and thereby release more spiritforms in order to create reserve forces. 

Ebrel made his way to join the army and take command while Rhosrc and his troops went throughout existence smashing sarcoph and releasing every spiritform they possibly could, and although the Mortals where outraged by these acts they could do nothing.

Ebrel made it to the army in time to take command just as Eptih was beginning his attack on the center of the Velidian lines. The battle was between a diminished Velidian force and a reorganized Pan Mortal Army force and as such the Velidian force was in danger of being completely destroyed. Ebrel’s brilliant command however managed to hold the center. Eptih kept his men advancing in hopes of breaking the Velidian lines as it seemed at every moment as if he was about to break through but he was never able to do so.

Eventually Rhosrc arrived with the newly completed divisions of Queid, a new kind of Queid, that where a hybrid between organic material and machinery. These hybrid Queid had come about due to lack of corpses and what Rhosrc brought with him was only a small part because as more Queid where being created at the Great Chasm Fortress they where being sent up to the front to fight.

[ Eptian LXVIII ]

Velid was outraged that his army had been checked by the rebels, he was expected to be receiving word of his armies victory and the slaughter of the enemy not that they had been bested in their confrontation and where on the verge of destruction. Velid as a result of the news directed his secret weapon the Queid general, the same one Eptih had briefly seen before, and his son Rhosrc as an auxiliary force to bring their forces to bear on the Pan Mortal Army. He further instructed them to destroy every last vestige of the Mortal rebellion and to not leave a single living being behind alive.

Rhosrc, for his part, was not happy that the Queid general has been chosen to lead this assault on the Mortal rebellion after all he has done to prove himself as the most capable second to Velid. Rhosrc at this instance was done trying to prove his validity and now decided to take power with his own hand, he just needed the opportunity to neutralize his opposition. Rhosrc’s hunger for power was a good harbinger for the Pan Mortal Army, although they did not know it Rhosrc was more concerned with establishing himself in power then defeating the mortal rebellion.

The Queid general that Velid directed to attack Eptih and his army and who Eptih had seen before was in fact Thmascuid, his head having been placed upon the body of another in the Velidian’s belief that the war knowledge Thmascuid had in life might be retained in death. This shadow of the living Thmascuid was not the same man who was the greatest of the Mortal heroes but he was a cunning leader still, even as a lowly Queid. Having been not far from the action Queid Thmascuid and his army arrived in time to reinforce the Velidian army before the Pan Mortal Army could attack and destroy it in its weakened state.

Eptih was disappointed that his army had not been able to neutralize the Velidians before they could be reinforced. He knew that now the Velidians would be enlivened and as a result the fighing would be much harder and especially violent as the Pan Mortal Army had recently been reinforced and was invigorated as well. Both sides confident of their victory.

The Velidians, now under command of Queid Thmascuid, commenced the attack and the fighting was viscous. Soon after the main attack began Rhosrc arrived with his army and he was upset to see that the battle had begun, he expected Queid Thmascuid would wait for his arrival if at all possible before commencing. With his army still out of view of the Mortals Rhosrc sent a messenger to Queid Thmascuid and the messenger returned with orders for Rhosrc to direct his force to the rear of the Mortals and attack. Rhosrc did not like this idea and hesitated to consider his options but eventually saw no clear move other then to follow the orders and therefore he proceeded to march his army toward the rear of the Mortals and once there began the attack.

Eptih now being attacked from two sides called in the 3rd Division he had placed in reserve and the 3rd moved quick and managed to sandwich in Rhosrcs forces. This enraged Rhosrc all the more as he felt he and his army had been used as a distraction. But what angered him most of all was that he expected that the Queid Thmascuid would have let him know if there was a Mortal reserve force and so he wondered if Queid Thmascuid was trying to get him killed. In his rage Rhosrc left his army in their tenuous position and made his way around the entire battlefield and reached the Queid general and his forces in secret. Upon confronting the Queid Thmascuid, who was surprised to see him, Rhosrc removed his sword from its sheath and cut the Queid general down. The Queid general’s troops tried to restrain Rhosrc but where unable to do so. With the Queid general dead and his spiritform released Rhosrc rejoined his army and began a withdrawal as best he could. He lost many of his soldiers but eventually managed to pull his forces out with a large remaining contingent.

[ Eptian LV ]

Thmascuid, after Eptih’s disappearance, had taken to secretly training the youth of the local area in the war arts similar to the way he had been training Eptih. At first he had a few students but eventually the project grew into an entire school with students of varying ages from all the surrounding areas. Thmascuid had turned these students into a force of highly trained warriors all without the Velidians becoming aware. His goal was to reestablish the heroes who had been nearly annihilated in the past conflicts.

These warriors being without a leader decided that they would follow Eptih away from the caves and ask him to lead them, they did this because they were committed to Thmascuid and Eptih had been his first student and a blood relative and thereby the second Hetharcyp, Thmascuid being number one. The warriors took their offer to Eptih and he accepted and thus became the head of an established order of didicated warriors trained to kill. In all at this point the Hetharcy numbered under one hunder warriors however their training made them as fierce as five hundred. Eptih accepted because he did not want what Thmascuid had been building to wither on the vine, he wanted Thmascuid’s legacy to be remembered.

This is where the major split between Thiaraceph and Eptih occured, Thiaraceph leading the people of the town and Eptih leading the Hetharcy. Although Reyam wanted to go with Eptih she could not leave what remained of her family and therefore stayed at the caves. Eptih had convinced her to do so knowing the path he was on was a danerous one and not proper for women.

Eptih left with his Hetharcyp and immediately they began using their skills to harm the Velidians as much as possible. This plan took many forms but initially the Hetharcyp terrorized the Narcirogen killing them whenever possible, killing Siradyt, attacking and dismembering Queid soldiers and evading capture as they roamed the countryside. The Hetharcyp took great pride in attacking the Narciogen at their old town and when they did no quarter was shown and as a result the cruelty of the Hetharcyp became known to all the Narciogen.

Although at first the work of the Hetharcyp went mostly unnoticed by the Velidian ruling class eventually and Velid himself, when enough had been killed and large swathes of land were left in ruin they started to take notice and with each new act of rebellion their discomfort and anger grew. With this notoriety came fame among the Mortals and thus a flock of men wishing to join in arose wherever they went. At this point the Hetharcyp were the only Mortals fighting against their Velidian overlords, the rest had long since been subjugated.

As the Hetharcyp grew so to did Eptih’s power and it became his focus to clear the town of his youth that had been lost. Therefore the Hetharcyp managed to retake the town and slaughter all the Narcirogen inhabitants, upon hearing of this news Thiaraceph decided to leave the caves and return with the people so as to reestablish the town.

One night when the Hetharcyp were camped out in the town they had retaken Thiaraceph and all the townspeople returned. Eptih could not believe the stupidity of Thiaraceph, bringing the people back to the town when the Velidians were sure to try and recapture it. Eptih let his feelings be known to Thiaraceph and the two nearly came to blows. Eptih was however happy to see his mother and Reyam and that night he spent talking with them as the Hetharcyp planned to take the people back to the caves in the morning. When morning came Thiaraceph refused to move the people again and demanded they stay in their town. This put an extreme burden on Eptih in that now his forces would be required to protect the town from the coming onslaught. Eptih tried to convince Thiaraceph to take the people back to the caves but to no avail and it became obvious to Eptih that Thiaraceph was trying to establish his authority over him.

Among the various other sects of mortals elsewhere in Existence the Hetharcyp were either loved or hated. Some felt the Hetharcyp were causing unnecessary trouble, a trouble that would only be turned around and used to cause them further harm. Others however praised the Hetharcy and wished them Success, sending supplies and men and making offers to the Hetharcyp to come and cause havoc against the Velidians in their area, some even offering additional goods for these services.

The support or lack of it for the Hetharcyp divided the Mortals and factions developed that were either pro or anti-Hetharcyp. Some groups that despised the Hetharcyp set up parties to hunt them down and so as the Hetharcyp grew so did their enemies. All of this did not deter Eptih, he was building a military force and could see that just maybe he would be able to throw the Velidian yoke from the necks of the Mortals. There were still many hurdles to cross though and at the moment the biggest one was Thiaraceph and the fate of the townspeople.

[ EPTIH XLIX ]

Once Eptih stopped paddling he found himself on a great open sea, free from the island prison but lost with no supplies. With every moment that Eptih was away from the island he felt more of his strength return, it was if the three beauties had hoped to drain him completely but for what purpose he could only wonder.

Eptih floated at sea for only a few days when he came upon land. As he floated just offshore he could make out small fires along the beach and so he slowly swam ashore to see if he could get food from the people and directions to his homeland. As he came ashore he was greeted by Mortal men and women and taken into their care. Eptih was given food and new clothing. When asked he told the people that his name was Eptih and the people had heard the name before and knew him as a young hero from [withheld] but they did not believe he was that child because they believed he had died many years back. Eptih was stunned that he had been gone for so long and that he was assumed dead. After some questioning it became obvious to Eptih that he was the same boy who these people had heard of only he was no longer a boy.

These people told Eptih that he was on an island that was very close to the mainland and that once having reached the mainland he could be home in just a few weeks.

What struck Eptih most was the story the people told of how they had become slaves under the Velidians and that their island was ruled by a contingent of Queid. Eptih looked closely at the bodies of the people and could see the marks of slavery. Eptih asked the people if the mainland was suffering the same plight but the people replied that the coast was in Velidian control but that they could not speak for areas inland. One man however that sailed transport ships back and forth said he had heard that there were no areas beyond the shore the Velidians did not control.

When Eptih asked the people what the Velidians had them doing they told him a strange story about the breeding of a race of beings and continuous shipments of these beings to the mainland. The people of the island being responsible for farming enough sundries to feed these beings and for transporting them across. Most of the breeding being done by Queid.

They told Eptih how much of their island was off limits to them and that many of their own people had been taken away into the restricted part. The people having only survived by agreeing to work the land continuously and to make the shipments across to the mainland at the same rate.

Eptih asked them what type of beings they were transporting and they told him the beings were smaller then the typical mortal and lacking any beauty whatsoever. The described the creatures as being fit for very little and lacking all noble characteristics. To what end they had been created they did not know but they did know that they were being created at an inexorable rate. Some of the islanders spoke of a plan by the Velidians to build an army of these lowly creatures but for what purpose they disagreed.

Eptih asked the people if they could get him to the mainland and they told him it would not be easy but that they would try.

In the morning Eptih was awaken abruptly by the sounds of the Queid soldiers rousing the Mortals to work. Many people being whipped and beaten by them, a few even having portions of their body cleaved off and nailed to structures and what remained of them dying in the street. Eptih was shocked at the brutality and decided that to ask these people to risk their lives to help him to the mainland was too much. So Eptih made his way to the harbor and looked to steal a small craft but while doing so came upon an old man who at first horrified Eptih. It was the old man he had killed before and whose apparition had haunted him for so long. The old man though seemed to know nothing of all that and asked Eptih if he was planning on stealing his livelihood. When Eptih told him he needed to get to the mainland the old man told him he would take him, having planned to go across for supplies anyway. And so the two set out, Eptih hidden at first so as to not be seen but once out to sea revealed.

[ Eptian XLII ]

As Eptih walked he came upon another grouping of Lycevoin relics. Upon looking at them, having stopped to rest there, he came to the belief that the Vethrians must be in seclusion within the immediate area. It occurred to him then that their rule, having initially been fair and ordered, might be the best way of freeing Mortals from the current Velidian slavery. If he could find the Vethrians he might persuade them to return, defeat the Velidians and retake control of Existence and thereby restore freedom to the Mortals. If he could accomplish all of this he would be a hero and virtual savior to is people and so he diverged from his path with the hope of finding the Vethrians.

And so Eptih broke from his plan yet again and set off to look for the Vethrians. He had no knowledge of their whereabouts and no reason to believe he could find them but he began to feel again as if he was being guided by some otherworldly force. In this new plan he found a purpose to pursue with all of his effort and with purpose his head cleared, leaving behind all of the cranial chatter he had recently been occupied with.

Although Eptih’s actions were now deliberate and occupied his mind he began to be haunted by ephemeral apparitions of the old man he had destroyed and the blood of that act reappeared on his hands forcing him to stop and wash them many times. This specter was always fleeting, appearing to Eptih in the corner of his minds eye almost like a trick being played on him but as time went on these apparitions became more and more pronounced and unavoidable. The old man soon became clear as day to Eptih and spoke to him in riddles seemingly providing guidance in his journey to find the Vethrians. Whether this appiration was real or in his head Eptih did not know, nor did he know if it was helping his cause or harming it and therefore Eptih took cautious heed.

Eptih roamed for a long time cutting back and forth across a swatch of land he felt held the key to his cause but eventually, when nothing was found, he began to retrace his steps and loose regard of his position. Had there been someone observing Eptih from afar it would have appeared he had lost his mind. Eptih finally realizing he was retracing his steps decided to expand his range proceeding further and further away. In time he came upon another grouping of Lycevoin relics which, in his mind, confirmed the properness of his mission and he also took it for a sign that the Vethrians were close.

Eptih ended up spending a large amount of time hunting the Vethrians, always finding some small thing just when he was loosing hope that would again stoke the fire inside and provide incentive to further the search. All evidence however provided endless clues and when he thought he had solved a piece of the Vethrian puzzle ten more questions needed to be resolved.

Alas he found himself disillusioned with the Vethrians feeling as though they were avoiding him, fleeing any chance at making a stand and putting themselves in danger always letting him get ever so close just to move when he was within distance. It seemed to him that they were trying to drive him crazy prolonging his futile effort needlessly.

At this point in his pursuit, so focused on the discovering the whereabouts of the Vethrians, he had become lost having forsaken his bearings for speed in the quest. Eptih found himself failed in his attempt to find the Vethrians and more lost then he had been previously if that was possible. He sulked for a short time finally deciding that he must return home having been gone for so long he knew he must help his mother to survive the Velidian rule. But where to go, the apparition that seemed to be shadowing him once again placed his opinion within a puzzle which by now had become tiresome for Eptih to unravel. If the old man was before him in the flesh he would take his life again without concern but the apparition grew bolder and spoke more often. Eptih grew angrier and took his rage out on the trees surrounding him snapping them with his bare hands and tossing them aside as if they were twigs, the sounds of the commotion awaking many sleeping entities within the dark ice forest. What was awakened in Eptih though was his understanding of a growing strength within him, it was at this moment that Eptih first truly understood that he was no mere Mortal but a hammer in a world replete with the easily shattered.

[ Eptian XXXIX ]

Eptih awoke in a strange place seemingly having been transported by unknown means from where he had collapsed in exhaustion. This place was a strange forest that was covered with ice and snow, all was white and it seemed that color had been exhiled long ago and in this place he found himself alone and bewildered.

Eptih was still exhausted but managed to pick himself up and trudge through the snow looking for any sign of life, he was freezing and hungry. Eptih continued to trudge around not knowing where he was or where he was going unable to find a framiliar landmark until he eventually came to footprints in the snow that gave him hope, that is until he realized that the footprints where his own. Day became night and night lasted long but eventually became day which was shorter then night and still he searched for any sign of life.

When Eptih was at his wits end he screamed out in frustration. His scream echoed and in the mist of the echo was cut off and everthing became silent. When Eptih started to turn his head to look about he became paralyzed and a force took over his body and he floated up slowly as if by the will of the very ether that surrounded him. He could not scream out as is voice was gone and at that moment the Graelim, which he was unframiliar with, appeared before him.

The Graelim surrounded Eptih in a circle and levitating there he was spun round slowly so that he could see each of them but not focus on any one. At this point a deep voice spoke up calling Eptih by his name as if they knew him well. The Graelim told Eptih many things including his father is Velid, they tell him that Velid controls the Spiritforms and that this is the true source of his power, they tell him Rhosrc is his brother and is another component of Velids increasing power. They tell him how his mother was a captive of Velid and that in this fashion he and his brother were conceived. Much is revealed to Eptih regarding the knowledge of Existence, he is also told of the true nature of the Vethrians, that of a race of slaves and that the Colossals are the most powerful beings who have created all. He is told that he himself and his brother are a hybrid race called “Norstilam” and that Ebrel, Velids main ADC is also Norstilam and that many more Norstilam have been created who will seek to destroy the Mortal way of life. He is told of the large numbers of Mortals that are working with the Velidians and how there is so much more going on in Existence then most Mortals realize. They tell him of epic struggles that are underway and how he will play a part in the coming conflagrations.

This and more knowledge was imparted to him and he had many questions, but was still unable to speak. Although the Graelim conveyed a lot of information many things were left out. Many key points that left Eptih with more questions then answers. The Graelim told Eptih to return home and use his new knowledge to attain symmetry, not saying exactly how symmetry might be attained or what symmetry might actually look like in a world that was becoming ever more complicated.

Velid awoke some time later and found himself face down in the snow. He wondered if what had just occurred was in fact a dream or a hallucination brought on by his exhaustion. He was however in the snow and unless he had been sleeping for months he had to have been moved by someone. This led him to believe what he had witnessed did happen.

Confused but feeling his strength returning he set out to return home. He had no idea where he was or which way home was so he decided on a direction which he would hold until he saw a familiar landmark or came upon someone who could tell him where he was. And with that Eptih headed off.