Eptian LXXIV

Once Eptih returned to the Great Chasm Fortress with Reyam he had already made up his mind to have Ebrel executed. Ebrel was too knowledgeable about Eptih’s lineage and too involved with the Velidian Empire, he was culpable for many horrors forced on the Mortal population and if Eptih was to spare him, especially since he was familiar with Eptih’s family, it would look as though Eptih was protecting him. Additionally, Eptih did not want it known that he was the Son of Velid and the brother of Rhosrc.

Once Ebrel knew Eptih was back in the camp he requested he be allowed to speak with him again. Eptih met with him again and in a bid to assuage Eptih’s anger and hopefully have his life spared Ebrel told Eptih where he could find the head of Thmascuid. He also revealed the mysterious general who had come on the scene as a powerful force and disappeared just as quickly was Queid Thmascuid. This information sparked a rage within Eptih, having the head of Thmascuid offered to him like it was some kind of paltry peace offering, and he soon after ordered Ebrel to be executed. The deed was done and Ebrel’s body and spiritform where locked up in a rather common sarcoph, a sarcoph that was not associated with a family much like an unknown orphan would be. This act by Eptih, pleased the Mortals who wanted revenge above all else. It was however disturbing in its lack of respect especially since Eptih knew Ebrel was the son of Orendun. 

Soon after the execution of Ebrel a large group of Mortal leaders came to the encampment. They wished to speak with Eptih about dispersing the army. Each leader wanted the men he had sent to join the army back so that they could rebuild their own towns and kill off as many Narcirogen as possible. By this point Eptih wanted nothing more then to be released as general and so he was in agreement with the Mortal leaders.

The question was put forth what should be done about Mortal sects that had cooperated with the Velidians, the Siradyt in particular. Eptih put forth the proposition that in the new order that was developing they would be shunned and that this would be punishment enough, he made it clear that he did not think it wise to attack them, that enough blood had been spilled. Many others however wanted retribution and when consensus was reached it was clear that a part of the army would be assembled and used to punish all those traitor Mortal Sects. Out of respect, the generalship of this force was offered to Eptih but he quickly refused stating that he wished now only to find some land, start a farm and live with his wife and future children. Eptih also advised that the course the Mortal leaders where setting upon could lead to civil war among the Mortal race and that this would be a disaster.

Consequently, Eptih was relieved of duty, the army was disbanded and a new small army composed of volunteers, typically younger unmarried men, was formed and command of it was given to ____. The various Mortal leaders now asserted themselves and amidst debate and argument begin making plans to re-organize all of existence. Eptih wanted no part of all of this, he could see that the squabbling was just beginning and was only a precursor of things to come. Eptih therefore addressed his army one last time and when he was done many of the original Hetharcyp wanted to follow him but he made it clear to them that he wanted no part of the what was coming and offered them advice to go home and find their own peace. When Eptih had finished he took his spoils which included treasure and slaves that he had claimed in the war and with his wife rode away.

Eptih went to where Ebrel had said the head of Thmascuid was and there he found it. Eptih next came back to the town of his youth and dug up the body of Thmascuid which he had burried before and reintroduced head to body. Eptih left with his caravan which now included the body of Thmascuid to find a new land in which to settle.

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 LXVII ]

Eptih who was on the move with the entire Pan Mortal Army knew the Velidians would be searching them out with the plan to destroy them completely and therefore he sent orders to each of the five divisions to split off into a specified direction. 1st, 2nd and 4th turning back around and heading toward the training ground they had just destroyed. 3rd and 5th continuing on their path to attack a town of the Orabrey. Eptih himself took command of the Fifth Division supplanting Fayareg.

The Velidians were quite confident that they would be able to suppress this rebellion quickly. They saw this as an opportunity to destroy the Hetharcyp once and for all and in turn break what little spirit the Mortlas had remaining and thus cementing their position permanently. What the Velidians did not know was the exact size of the army nor how well organized it was. They had no idea that the Pan Mortal Army was now five smaller armies, they were focused on one group of rebels and one group of rebels alone.

The Velidians where not so confident as to be blind to reality however, they did something that was ingenious and two fold building upon a plan they had begun long ago. One, they began to produce Narcirogen at a much faster rate and two, they sent messengers to all the Narciogen currently living within Mortal societies to start a terror campaign against the Mortals, hurting them however possible whether physically or economically. This masterstroke caused mass confusion among the Mortals and caused the support for the Pan Mortal Army to dry up quickly.

Eptih besieged the town of the Orabrey with the 3rd and 5th Divisions. He felt complete justification for the brutality of the siege due to the sins the Orabrey had committed in the past. Eptih’s only fear was that the Velidians would relieve the Orabrey and break the siege but he had the 1st, 2nd and the 4th that would block any advance of where the Velidian army would likely come from being as uncreative tactically as they were.

The Velidian army eventually reached the training grounds of the Pan Mortal Army and found it in ruins and so proceeded onward. A short time later they came face to face with the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions of the Pan Mortal Army and a major battle commenced. Word was sent to Eptih that a battle with the full Velidian force was under way. Meanwhile the battle raged and the Pan Mortal Army fought well initially but being outnumbered the relentless losses began to wear them down. Luckily the Velidians army was doing no better and as a result both sides fell back and entrenched their positions.

Word eventually reached Eptih of the battle that was underway and Eptih wanted to stop the siege and assist the other Divisions but felt he was close to achieving his objective. Every moment that he wasted on the siege was a moment the other divisions were suffering. The Orabrey held out hoping for salvation but it never came and at the last possible minute they opened their gates to negotiate with Eptih. Seeing his moment, Eptih forced his way in and all the Orabrey where slaughtered.

Now Eptih could rush to help the other divisions. When Eptih arrived with the 3rd and 5th Divisions he was surprised to see the two sides in a standoff but he was equally surprised to see how many men the 1st, 2nd and 4th had lost. Immediately Eptih consulted with his generals to formulate their next move. The Velidians upon seeing the arriving Pan Mortal divisions were frightened and as a result sent word back to Velid that they were stalled out after receiving massive casualties and that the enemy had been reinforced with fresh troops. They requested Velid send reinforcements quickly or they might be destroyed.

Velid was angered by the Mortals arrogance and demanded the little rebellion be put down quickly and brutally. He specified that no quarter was to be given and that anyone or any town supporting the rebellion in any way be destroyed. With that a large Velidian army was assembled near the Great Chasm Fortess which was composed mostly of Queid. This force was commanded by _____.

Eptih who was on the move with the entire Pan Mortal Army knew the Velidians would be searching them out with the plan to destroy them completely and therefore he sent orders to each of the five divisions to split off into a specified direction. 1st, 2nd and 4th turning back around and heading toward the training ground they had just destroyed. 3rd and 5th continuing on their path to attack a town of the Orabrey. Eptih himself took command of the Fifth Division supplanting Fayareg.

The Velidians were quite confident that they would be able to suppress this rebellion quickly. They saw this as an opportunity to destroy the Hetharcyp once and for all and in turn break what little spirit the Mortlas had remaining and thus cementing their position permanently. What the Velidians did not know was the exact size of the army nor how well organized it was. They had no idea that the Pan Mortal Army was now five smaller armies, they were focused on one group of rebels and one group of rebels alone.

The Velidians where not so confident as to be blind to reality however, they did something that was ingenious and two fold building upon a plan they had begun long ago. One, they began to produce Narcirogen at a much faster rate and two, they sent messengers to all the Narciogen currently living within Mortal societies to start a terror campaign against the Mortals, hurting them however possible whether physically or economically. This masterstroke caused mass confusion among the Mortals and caused the support for the Pan Mortal Army to dry up quickly.

Eptih besieged the town of the Orabrey with the 3rd and 5th Divisions. He felt complete justification for the brutality of the siege due to the sins the Orabrey had committed in the past. Eptih’s only fear was that the Velidians would relieve the Orabrey and break the siege but he had the 1st, 2nd and the 4th that would block any advance of where the Velidian army would likely come from being as uncreative tactically as they were.

The Velidian army eventually reached the training grounds of the Pan Mortal Army and found it in ruins and so proceeded onward. A short time later they came face to face with the 1st, 2nd and 4th Divisions of the Pan Mortal Army and a major battle commenced. Word was sent to Eptih that a battle with the full Velidian force was under way. Meanwhile the battle raged and the Pan Mortal Army fought well initially but being outnumbered the relentless losses began to wear them down. Luckily the Velidians army was doing no better and as a result both sides fell back and entrenched their positions.

Word eventually reached Eptih of the battle that was underway and Eptih wanted to stop the siege and assist the other Divisions but felt he was close to achieving his objective. Every moment that he wasted on the siege was a moment the other divisions were suffering. The Orabrey held out hoping for salvation but it never came and at the last possible minute they opened their gates to negotiate with Eptih. Seeing his moment, Eptih forced his way in and all the Orabrey where slaughtered.

Now Eptih could rush to help the other divisions. When Eptih arrived with the 3rd and 5th Divisions he was surprised to see the two sides in a standoff but he was equally surprised to see how many men the 1st, 2nd and 4th had lost. Immediately Eptih consulted with his generals to formulate their next move. The Velidians upon seeing the arriving Pan Mortal divisions were frightened and as a result sent word back to Velid that they were stalled out after receiving massive casualties and that the enemy had been reinforced with fresh troops. They requested Velid send reinforcements quickly or they might be destroyed.

[ Eptian LXI ]

Some time later Eptih linked up with the Hetharcyp and he found that Fayareg had managed to renew them after their heavy losses battling with the Sonimian overlord. Eptih took command and set about to immediately reinitiate their insurgent campaign. Although they had been weakened numerically they had learned many lessons and therefore had become more hardened and capable. 

The time came for the meeting Eptih had agreed to attend with the leaders of some mortal cities and so once again Eptih put Fayareg in charge of the Hetharcyp with instructions to continue their work but to avoid major confrontations at all costs. Eptih took a small cohort with him and proceeded to the agreed upon meeting place. 

Upon arriving at the meeting Eptih was at fist greeted by Nolopan and subsequently introduced to nine other town leaders. Eptih was baffled by the cast before him and accused Nolopan of wasting his time but Nolopan assured Eptih that all in attendance were serious and capable of providing adequate amounts of manpower. Some of the leaders took acceptation to Eptih’s comments and arguments broke out among the attendees some of which defended Eptih wile others attacked him. Nolopan soon gained control of the floor and managed to redirect the agenda to what the original purpose of the meeting had been. From this point on the discussion revolved around the formation of a pan-Mortal army. Each of the leaders agreeing to supply a continuous supply of men to be trained by Hetharcyp. Much debate raged between Eptih and the leaders all of which began to bore Eptih greatly but eventually it was agreed that Eptih would commit to sending one hundred Hetharcyp to train waves of Mortals for the formation of an army, all of which would be done in complete secrecy. 

In addition to training this new army the Hetharcyp would provide protection to the developing army so that it could grow and strengthen in safety furthermore the Hetharcyp would continually send their portion of their numbers to join the army but only if the various leaders delivered their required recruits. Eptih having agreed to this believing an army was a good idea felt it was unlikely that the leaders could supply the necessary recruits but his was willing to try. The meeting ended and an agreement had been ratified to create a pan-Mortal army aimed at destroying the Velidians and freeing the Mortals from servitude. 

Eptih left the meeting with much to think about. If the leaders did provide the recruits needed he would have to do the same and thus weaken his forces that were currently in the field, fighting and hunted by every element of Velidian civilization. How could he weaken his force and not allow the Velidians to recognize this. Eptih realized that to buy time and appear larger then he was he would have to split his force into two thus appearing to be growing so rapidly that two separate divisions could be fielded, but in reality each of the two divisions would be very weak. It would be a dangerous gamble but if there were any hope of creating a pan Mortal army risk would need to be taken.  

While Eptih was away from the Hetharcyp meeting with the several Mortal leaders Fayareg had continued the campaign against Velidian Elements. Fayareg had gained Eptih’s confidence and this was the first time he was commanding the Hetharcyp with orders to continue regular operations. In the past when Eptih had left the Hetharcyp in Fayareg control they would recede from their regular strategy avoiding all conflict. Fayareg at first was doing well and had attacked many Velidian installations and managed to kill many Narcirogen. 

The word soon came that the Velidians had come back to Eptih’s hometown and had taken it establishing a capital for the New Sonimian overlord. Fayareg wondered if Eptih had been in command of the Hetarcyp at the time would have worked to prevent it. And with that Fayareg lost some of his confidence and was now looking to do something glorious to shore up his honor.

[ Eptian LIX ]

After the reassurance of their fidelity, Eptih and his commanders moved their forces into position to ambush the coming Velidian army. They waited for some time and eventually scouts were sent out to see if they could find the Velidian army and they returned with news that the Velidians were proceeding directly into the trap. Only a short while later the Velidians indeed walked directly into the trap and when Eptih called out the order the ambushed commenced catching the Velidians off guard. The Queid put up a fight but were routed. Eptih himself wanted to get to the Sonimian Overlord but the fray between them blocked his path. The Sonimian Overlord who found himself without his guard began a slaughter of his own killing all the Hetharcyp who were unlucky enough to come within his sphere. Eptih saw this and for the first time realized the power the Sonimi wielded.  

During the battle Eptih, who was commanding his army and scanning every possible view, saw a Velidian force that had come up after the battle began. This force was made up of Mortals, most likely Siradyt, and commanded by a General that Eptih thought seemed like Thmascuid even though he had been dismembered. Having seen this situation develop quickly Eptih had no time to study the face of the General for confirmation of identity but had to reposition a detachment of his own forces in order to counter this oncoming force. Whenever opportunity permitted he would try to make out the face more clearly to prove to himself that it was not Thmascuid but he was never able to see him clearly. 

As Eptih realigned his forces the Sonimian Overlord called for a retreat and the mysterious general turned his troops around and left the field immediately followed by the his forces and then the remnants of the Velidian army. The Hetharcyp did not pursue as their injuries were great and they were in need of rest. Although the ambush had been successful the Hetharcyp had been severely wounded. Eptih realized that had the mysterious general been able to attack things might have turned out quite differently. It was a stroke of luck. 

The Hetharcyp proceeded back to the town on Eptih’s orders and there they nursed their injured. Once Eptih had secured his camp he took a small force and began searching for Thmascuid. Eptih wanted to settle the score with Thmascuid once and for all. Eventually Thmascuid was found and immediately Eptih engaged him and without the least bit of compassion and no words, Eptih quickly killed Thmascuid and decapitated him putting the head up on a tall pike to rot. Additionally Eptih had Thmascuid’s spiritform and body encased in a nondescript Sarcoph that was burried deep on the outskirts of the town among the trees by his men. Derram later saw the head of Thmascuid on the pike and pleaded with Eptih to take it down but he ignored her request and that was the end of that. 

Eptih realized that the Velidians would not suffer so great a defeat in silence. He knew they were reorganizing their forces, preparing an attack and with that in mind he took his mother and some of the few reaming Mortals with him and with his army broke camp and proceeded out of the town.

Once clear from the town by a large distance he put his army under command of Fayareg and sent them to a predetermined point. He would take his mother, the remaining townspeople and a small detachment of Hetharcyp on a side trip. Eptih and companions proceeded to the town where he had left Reyam before. This is where he planned to deposit his mother and the townspeople in what he considered to be relative safety. 

Upon arriving, Reyam was very happy to see Eptih and he was equally happy to see her. It was if the two had grown closer together while they had been apart and on the first night after he got his mother situated he asked Reyam if she would marry him and she agreed. A day later in a small ceremony with Derram present Eptih married Reyam and the bride and groom were happy. Eptih knew however that his time with Reyam would be short-lived as the situation demanded he be elsewhere and not burdened with paltry romantic feelings when such huge events were swirling around them.

[ Eptian LVIII ]

Eptih disregarded all those that disagreed with him and moved quickly to amass the assets of the Hetharcyp and move on the town. Those that disagreed with his leadership now held their tongues seeing that Eptih could not be swayed and in his current mindset, dedicated to the cause of the town, to confront him now would be calamitous for the one who dared speak. Where Eptih was usually open to advice from his inner circle when committed to a project nothing could sway him and he did not suffer dissension lightly.

And accordingly Eptih moved the Hetarcyp back to the town with a forced march at furious speed. It was however one of Eptih’s closest advisers, Fayareg, who gathered the courage to speak to Eptih and try to convince him that although his cause was just he should not risk the entire Hetharcyp force on the endeavor. Eptih, although not punishing Fayareg, nonetheless did not acknowledged him and Fayareg went away not knowing if his words had even been heard. Not long after this however and once they were some short distance from the town Eptih stopped the march and had them set up camp. In the midst of this Eptih assembled a small detachment of hand picked men, around 50, and went away leaving the encamped force in the hands of Fayareg. Fayareg wondered if this was Eptih’s way of admitting the relevance of the advice he had given and was proof that it had been heeded but was unable to ponder such thoughts as his obligations demanded his full attention.

Eptih and his detachment left the main force behind and proceeded to the town clandestinely and in the dark of night, capturing and dispatching anyone who came in contact with them.

Having reached the town Eptih stationed 40 of his men hidden at the tree line
that marked the edge of the town. With the 10 remaining men he entered the town avoiding any of the few remaining inhabitants looking for Derram and Thmascuid. After some time crawling through the ruins of the town he came to an occupied house and inside he saw Derram alone. Eptih entered the house and confronted his mother and questioned her regarding her betrayal. Derram was not shocked by the accusations but assured Eptih that she had been an unknowing participant in Thiaracephs conspiracy. At length she explained what had happened and thereby caused Eptih to know the truth of the situation, which included her being relegated to a mere servant in the house of Thiaraceph and he being now married to another forgoing the agreement that was made when she escaped from Velid.

Eptih was furious at Thiaraceph for the treatment of his mother and all his underhanded dealings and now wished to destroy the man personally, but Derram told Eptih of an approaching Sonimian Overlord and a vast Queid army that was en route to take the town and make it into a capital of a new Velidian province. Eptih being separated from the bulk of his force and having only 50 men at arms nearby could do nothing but withdrawal. He asked Derram to join him but she indicated to him that if she went missing a plot would be assumed and so Eptih parted leaving his mother in the hands of the mans who’s blood he hoped to spill. This caused Eptih great anxiety and he knew once again his mother was making a sacrifice. He only hoped she would survive and that he could keep her from ever having to sacrifice again but also he hoped to encounter Thiaraceph face to face one last time.

Eptih withdrew with his 50 men and proceeded back to the main Hetharcyp force. Immediately upon his arrival he consulted with his generals and they debated what action to take next but there was absolutely no way Eptih would leave his mother in that situation even if it meant leaving the Hetharcyp and going it alone. Upon hearing this however the generals were surprised that Eptih did not know he had their backing and reassured him of their fidelity to him.