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 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 LXVI ]

Eptih, having returned recently, wasted no time organizing the army into five major divisions choosing five of his best men to command each of them. The commanders were Maelimh commanding Frist Division, Atpref commanding Second Division, Eonan commanding Third Division, Zimahnil commanding Fourth Division and Fayareg commanding Fifth Division. As for Eptih himself he would be the overall commander and therefore would dictate orders for the entire army. Each of these groups consisted of approximately five thousand men. Eptih tasked his commanders with choosing their own lieutenants and aides.  

After Eptih’s organization of the army the training continued. Although the Pan Mortal was ready to enter the field Eptih was somewhat hesitant, its success or failure rested on his shoulder alone. If he moved too quickly and directed the army into a slaughter all his efforts would be for nothing along with the hopes of ever lifting the Velidian yoke off the Mortals shoulders. 

Eptih was planning a major attack against the Velidians, an opening move that might render them incapable of mounting a defense and thus defeating them from the onset. Eptih knew this was not likely but at the very least he wanted to make the attempt and he knew he had surprise on his side. Eptih’s problem then became what to do first. If Eptih took the army into the field to see them fight smaller fights their exestince would become known and the element of surprise would be lost, however if Eptih went to battle with an untested force he could lead them into a trial by fire they might not survive. 

Eptih considered what to do, not consulting with his generals and as he remained stagnant with the army constantly training the Mortal leaders became worried, wondering if they had made the right decision. What Eptih most wanted was to take the army and exact retribution on the various traitor mortals, like the Siradyt. Eptih by now had come to the conclusion that this idea although personally appealing would remove surprise which was the one factor that seemed to be in their favor. So by now Eptih had decided to attack the Velidians, hopefully destroying their power center near the Great Chasm. It was bold but Eptih felt it was necessary.

At almost the same moment Eptih resolved himself to attack the Velidians in a massive attack it was discovered through their network of informers that the Velidians had recently discovered the existence of the pan Mortal Army. Somehow they had spy’s that had discovered the army. Eptih was glad in one sense that the Velidians had discover the army so late in its formation but also disappointed that he had lost the surprise factor.

Now Eptih had to completely alter his plans. One thing was certain however, he had to move the army as soon as possible. Their location was compromised and Eptih did not want his army to be under siege and to be slowly destroyed before it ever had a chance to face the enemy and fight. Therefore Eptih ordered the army to set fire their training grounds and move out. The army proceeded to do as ordered and as they marched away the umbilical cord was cut, they where no longer in training but in the field of battle, they would now either be victorious or perish, there was no other possible outcome.

[ Eptian LXII ]

It was not long after the loss of Eptih’s home town that some Hetharcypian scouts found a contingent of Velidian soldiers lead by someone who was not familiar to them. Consisting of approximately one thousand Queid and fifty Siradyt Fayareg was informed and decided it was the perfect opportunity for his redemption. Fayareg Detached two thousand Hetharcyp, leaving the remainder in control of Eonan. With this detachment Fayareg went off to destroy the Velidian contingent. Fayareg felt he had sufficient resources to destroy the force he was going up against. 

Fayareg’s scouts led him directly to the Velidian force and while reconnoitering Fayareg was pleased to see his opponents, figuring them no match. They were also able to witness the commander of this force and although he was massive in size he was soaking in a tub of water and as such Fayareg and his scouts felt this man was effeminate. They were however unable to see the man from the front. After watching them for a short time Fayareg and his force began their attack. 

It so happened that this force was under the command of Rhosrc and when the attack began he calmly arose from his bath and suited his armor. 

Fayaregs attack managed to catch the Velidians off guard but quickly they were able to adjust and provide a stiff resistance, so stiff in fact that Fayareg was surprised when Hetharcyp began to die around him. Quickly Fayareg realized that he had attacked no regular band of Velidians but he was intent on achieving victory and therefore pressed his men hard. 

By this time Rhosrc had joined the battle and began to slay Hetharcyp with ease all the while directing his forces movements, movements that were achieved with a deadly precision. Fayareg now realized he was in over his head and had walked his force straight into a death trap, he was now resolved to save as many of his men as possible. As Fayareg began pulling his men back the Velidian force proceeded to encircle them, Fayareg’s command began to break down and discipline was lost as the noose tightened. With only seconds to spare Fayareg and fifteen of his man slipped through the reaming gap. As they ran they could hear the screams of the other men being cut to pieces.

Rhosrc told his force to give no quarter and as such all the trapped Hetharcyp were killed. Once all the Hetharcyp were dead Rhosrc sent a small detachment to chase those who had managed to escape. This chase lasted late into the night and Fayareg and his men were not able to rest nor, in their flight, were they aware of where they were headed. Scatterbrained they ran chased closely but eventually the pursuers turned and Fayareg and his men were able to reacquaint themselves with their surroundings. The whole event had been a disaster, nearly two thousand men killed and Fayareg’s reputation damaged beyond repair. Fayareg had taken the fall of Eptihs home village, a thing that Eptih himself had expected, and by overreacting created a horrendous disaster. Fayareg wondered what Eptih might do to him and he considered running away but alas he deemed that particular fate no more advantageous then that which Eptih would bring down on him. Fayareg and his men proceeded to find their way back to the Hetharcyp.

[ 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 LVI ]

By this time the Velidians had become well aware of the Hetharcyp and Velid himself had taken notice and called for their destruction. The Velidians were financing just about anyone who was willing to fight the Hetharcy and it was at this point that the Velidians decided to retake the town that Thiaiaceph was holding.

Thiaraceph  makes overtures to the Velidians and lets it be known he is willing to give up the Hetharcyp and Eptih for control of the town. This deal is taken by the Velidians and as such they sent a small band of Siradyt with Queid support to secretly enter the town, coordinate with Thiaraceph and assassinate Eptih. By sheer coincidence the very day this small force came to the town to do their work Eptih had gone out with the majority of the Hetharcyp to reconnoiter the approaches to the town. As a result only about twenty-five percent of the Hetharcyp were in the town. The Siradyt assassins believed Eptih was still in the town and they made their move against the Hetharcyp that were present planning on killing their way to Eptih. When the action began the Hetharcyp were surprised and thus caught off guard and many were killed. Some were able to flee the town and inform Eptih of what had happened although they had no idea that Thiaraceph was involved nor did they recognize it was specifically an attempt to assassinate Eptih.

Eptih fearing a large attack called for the withdrawl of the Hetharcyp from the town, at least the people would not be held responsible for quartering combatants and might not be held account for the damage the Hetharcyp had inflicted on the Velidians.

Eptih decided to take a small band and reenter the town and try to convince Thiaraceph to take the people back to the caves, but mainly he wanted to get his mother and Reyam and her family out of the town. Thiaraceph refused to move and as much as Eptih tried he remained obstinate leaving Eptih no choice but to go to the people directly. Eptih presented the situation to the people and told them he could take them back to the caves where the would be safe. Then Thiaraeph presented his case that they should stay and without the Hetharcyp would be free from rebuke and the majority of the people choose to follow Thiaraeph. Eptih could not believe the outcome and made preparations to take away those who wished to follow. To Eptih’s further surprise Derram told him she was staying with Thiaraceph. When Eptih questioned her she related her commitment to Thiaraceph and that Eptih was now his own man capable of fending for himself no longer in need of a mother’s protection. When Eptih questioned her further she cut him short and asked him to respect her decision, which he did with a disappointed demeanor. Reyam and her family were decided upon going with Eptih and the Hetharcyp.

When Eptih saw all those gathered to follow him back to the caves the number was so few that there was no way they would be able to survive and so Eptih told them that he would take them to friendly town throughout the area deposition families in the various towns. With this news still more fell off to stay with Thiaraceph.

With that Eptih, his small band, Reyam, her family and a small group of other Mortals headed out to rejoin the rest of the Hetharcyp.

As he promised, Eptih deposited the people in various friendly towns and he kept Reyam by his side until the last possible moment when she and her family were the last to be taken in. It had become obvious to all close to the situation that they favored each other. This was a shock to some of the people, their relationship being taboo, although less so in the company of his warriors. In their culture a warrior like Eptih was to win a bride or have her given to him by a father. Some felt Eptih was taking advantage of the situation, a fatherless girl whose entire adult male family was dead. It was not the way things were done but they were not married so it was overlooked.

[ Eptian LIII ]

The Velidian force quickly moved on the town and creating a ruckus woke the inhabitants who became confused, agitated and frightened. It was at this point that the Velidians began to demand the whereabouts of Thmascuid while smashing property and setting dwellings on fire.

Thmascuid was notified as to the intentions of the Velidians and in hopes of staving off further violence presented himself to them. He was quickly taken into their custody and taken away from the view of people. The Queid removed Thmascuid out of the city to where a group of Siradyt was awaiting his arrival. Thmascuid knew that their presence was not a good sign for his future as they hated the heroes and blamed them for inciting much of the troubles.

Thmascuid was tied up and interrogated by the Siradyt. They were curious as to who the stranger they had been tracking was (Eptih) and they wanted to know what they were planning. The Velidians figure they are developing a new uprising, hoping to assemble what remains of the heroes who had survived. They want names and locations of the heroes but Thmascuid refused to give any information. Up till this point Thmascuid had always been a thorn in the side of the Velidians and even though they wanted him dead they did not want to make a martyr of him and foment resistance again them. But things had changed in recent times, the Narcirogen acting as a cancer had reduced the cohesiveness of the Mortals and now the Velidians felt they could do away with the heroes once and for all. And this whole caper was based on Eptih, his alluding capture and returning to the town of Thmascuid gave them the exact cause the needed to finally deal with the Heroes.

Until they were ready to execute Thmascuid in a public showing they restrained him with energy horns. These energy horns were attached to the head and rendered mortals incapable, they made all who wore them seem a pathetic mess. A hero was rendered ineffective when the energy horns were placed a top his head and someone who was once proud and capable became a drooling babbling mess.

When word got back to the people of the town that Thmascuid had been incapacitated and was possibly being tortured their fear turned to rage and an uprising began to take shape, the Mortals fighting with the Queid and attempting to drive them away. Had the Mortals had a capable leader at this point he would have advised them otherwise but they did not and as such they gave the Velidians exactly what they wanted, an excuse to annihilate the town.

The Velidians force moved in on the rioters and began to slay them. The unorganized Mortals soon broke apart and fled in every direction. Followed by the Queid who pursued most to their demise. Within moments the town was completely destroyed and the Mortal population that had resided there for so long was gone.

Eptih who was still at Reyam’s family farm began to see people running by and they were terrorized by what they were running from. Eptih grabbed one of them and forced them to talk and he told him that the town had been destroyed. When Eptih released his grip the man ran away. Eptih could not believe what the man had said but proceeded to the town to look at what had happened.

As Eptih approached he could see the smoke rising and by the amount of smoke that had filed the air Eptih knew the man had not been lying. Eptih covertly entered the town and there was fire all around him and in the town square he saw the body. It was the body of Thmascuid and it had been placed atop a large spike so that it was ten or so feet up in the air and the body was headless. Eptih screamed with his hand over his mouth and yet enough sound escaped to alert the Queid who were guarding the town and Eptih was forced to run into the surrounding forest. He could not believe how events had completely turned his world upside down, and he fearfully wondered what the fate of his mother was. He blamed himself because he had brought the Velidians there, he was solely responsible for the devastation and a rage began to grow within him a rage a million times more powerful then anything he had felt before.

[ Eptian LII ]

It was assumed that if Eptih could not be found by the Velidians, violence would be avoided. And so Eptih stayed with (Reyam’s family) far on the outskirts of the town.

Thmascuid later returned to the town and directly went to see Derram to let her know that Eptih was alive. When Derram heard this news she was shocked, although she had kept faith that Eptih would return, her mind and the reality of the situation weighed heavy on her. Eptih had been gone for many years and Derram wondered if her own faith had become delusional.

Needless to say Derram wanted to see Eptih as soon as she heard the news, however Thmascuid told her the situation and that Eptih was still in great danger even though he had mad it home.

Eptih wanted to see his mother as much as she wanted to see him and in the darkest part of the night made his way covertly back into the town and went to see her. Eptih woke his mother and at first she thought she was dreaming but when she regained full consciousness she rejoiced at his homecoming and they embraced. They spoke for some time but as the light of day began to show over the horizon Eptih left to return to Reyam’s family farm, and he did so having never been noticed.

Thiaraceph was the least happy about the return of Eptih and once Eptih had left told Derram that the boy would only bring dread to the town, to which Derram was dismissive. Thiaraceph who had always felt Derram and her son where a burden to him had never been close to Eptih.

The Queid had been preparing for a major assault on the town and where now ready to move on the town with force. The size of the force they had assembled was enormous, it was obvious that they had a specific plan and that it was larger then finding Eptih. This force was not just Queid, but Siradyt as well.

Eptih having been out till dawn seeing his mother arrived back at the farm and could sense something strange out in the forest and so went to reconnoiter the woods. Quickly Eptih realized what was coming and he returned to the farm to wake the family there and send them away. Eptih was still under the impression that what was coming was focused on one thing, his capture and he did not plan on being taken without a fight.

When told to flee Reyam’s male relatives wanted to stay and protect their farm but Eptih told them the sheer size of the force coming would be unstoppable and thereby convinced them that any resistance would be a trivial burden to such a great force. To this Reayam asked Eptih what he planned to do and when he told her he would stay she demanded to stay with him. Eptih, running out of time, had Reayms father and brothers take her away with them by force.

Once Reyam and her family had gone Eptih hid himself in a high area where he could see nearly everything and there waited for the inevitable. In this confined spot Eptih had time to think and it occurred to him that the force that had been sent to capture him was larger then necessary and wondered if the Velidians did not have some other purpose in mind. Why would such effort be put to capturing him, most likely the Velidians new very little about him.

Eventually a Velidian vanguard came through the area followed by the main force a short time later. To Eptih’s surprise this force quickly made its way past the farm toward the town proper. It was at that moment Eptih realized that something much larger then what he had imagined was taking place.

[ Eptian LI ]

Eptih managed to evade the pursuing search party staying just ahead of them, but as he got closer to his town he began to realize that he was leading this band of henchmen to his very doorstep and thereby bringing with him a great danger.

As he approached his town he made the decision to lead the Queid following him into less inhabited parts nearby and there lose them. What Eptih did not know is that the band following him also contained Siradyt and so was more capable then Eptih had expected, not just the typical Queid drones. As Eptih doubled back and forth trying to confuse and disorient the Queid they surrounded him and unexpectedly attacked him, forcing him to fight. Eptih easily killed all those that challenged him but a few, realizing they were defeated retreated back to the Velidian stronghold near the coast.

This was a disaster for Eptih, he knew he had doomed his town and that the Velidians would be back in force. Eptih returned to the edge of his town not sure whether or not it would be wise to enter, he figured there might be spies within that would offer information to the Velidians, and he was right in this line of thinking as a large element of Narcirogen had been planted in the city, as it was with most cities, by the Velidians. When Eptih approached the outskirts of the town he recognized a young woman as a childhood acquaintance named Reyam and he figured he could trust her or at least he hoped he could. Eptih approached the farm with caution trying to avoid the rest of the family but get Reyams attention. Eventually Reyam noticed Eptih off in the distance and Eptih waved for her to come to him. She was reluctant and Eptih could tell she was about to announce his presence to her family so Eptih began walking toward her. Reyam recognized Eptih as he came closer and her apprehension subsided. Reyam was stunned to see Eptih alive as it had been assumed he was dead and so she was happy to see him alive. Eptih told Reyam he did not yet want to be recognized so to meet him out in the Forest secretly and with that he withdrew back into hiding. Later when it was convenient Reaym went out to meet Eptih.

Eptih was shocked at how beautiful Reyam had become in the years he had been gone but he had little time for those considerations now and instead enlisted her to bring Thmascuid to see him. He was putting much faith in the girl not knowing whether or not he could trust her but it was a gamble he was willing to make.

That night Reyam snuck away and went to Thmascuid’s house and related the message Eptih had given her. Thmascuid was dismayed to learn Eptih was alive and had suspicions as to Reyams intention figuring she might be a tool of the Velidians, but he had to know if Eptih was alive or not so went to where Eptih was supposed to be.

Upon arriving he did not find Eptih and feared he might be in the midst of a trap, just them he saw figures approaching him. It was a small group of Narcirogen and Thmascuid attempted to flee but they had already seen him and a fight ensued. As the fight played out Eptih came and joined in and the Narcirogen were slaughtered.

At first Thmascuid did not recognize Eptih as he was no longer a child but upon further inspection he realized it was in fact Eptih and as such he embraced him, welcoming him home. After they had reestablished their familiarity Eptih told Thmascuid what the situation was and how he was sure a large band of Velidians were sure to be coming. The two planned what they would do agreeing that limiting the destruction of the town would be the best action.

It was decided that for the time being Eptih should remain outside the city hidden away and so Thmascuid went to (Reyam’s family) to seek asylum for Eptih which (Reyams’ family) granted.