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 LX ]

On the night of his marriage to Reyam, Torquis appeared before Eptih when he was alone and she seemed determined to seduce Eptih asking him to go away with her but Eptih was confounded. He wanted to know where she had gone, he wanted to know if she was a part of his imprisonment on the island of the Three Beauties but Torquis deflected his questions with gestures of profound seduction and although he was tempted he knew she was wicked. He asked her to leave but she refused and then she mentioned his marriage to Reyam and he knew she had come to ruin his new marriage that had yet to be consummated, and again he asked her to leave which provoked her to laugh. This incensed Eptih and he struck her across the face causing her to whirl about from the force. As her back was to him he pushed her down to the ground and considered ending her life but relented when he heard the sound of Reyams wife. (Flee! Wicked creature).

Just as Reyam entered Eptih turned to look at her and when he turned back Torquis was gone. Reyam noticed was sweaty, uneasy and red in the face but when she asked why Eptih was silent. 

Later that night Eptih consummated his marriage to Reyam.

While Eptih was in bed with Reyam, Torquis reappeared awaking Eptih but not Reyam. Eptih was furious that Torquis would violate the sanctity of his marriage bedroom but could do little as he did not want to wake Reyam. Torquis noticed Eptih’s discomfort and made it clear that she did not wish to disturb him on such a night, she did however make it clear that Eptih, by striking her, was now her enemy. For his part, if he was not confined he would have murdered her right then and there. Torquis put her hand on Eptih’s forehead and with her other hand slowly scratched her nails deep into his chest from his clavicle to his belly button. Eptih took the pain in order to not awaken Reyam. After that Torquis left, leaving Eptih in pain and with the task of hiding his wounds from Reyam.

The next morning when they awoke Reyam was amorous but Eptih, needing to hide his wounds, told her he must return to the Hetharcyp at once and began preparing to leave. This saddened Reyam as she had expected him to stay with her for a few days at least. 

As Eptih was preparing to leave a messenger boy came with a message that Nolopan a local leader wanted to meet with him. Eptih told the boy he accepted the invitation and was then led to Nolopan’s house. Upon arrival Eptih was met with the great enthusiasm due a hero. Nolopan showed Eptih great respect for his Hetharcyp and their activities. Eventually Nolopan spoke of building an army to which Eptih laughed, knowing that there was no army other then his Hetharcyp. Nolopan further explained himself relating to Eptih that many local leaders where in agreement that the time was right to create an army and that it could be based off of the work the Hetharcyp had done. This pleased Eptih and he was enamored with the concept. Nolopan Asked Eptih if he would attend another meeting at a secret location where many of the other leaders would attend and Eptih agreed. Eptih also added that with so much that was important to him in Nolopan town he would hold him personally responsible for their safety. Nolopan assured Eptih he would do everything possible to guarantee their safety.  The two parted a short time later planning on meeting again soon.

Eptih was ecstatic at his current great fortune. A beautiful new wife, his Hetharcyp active in the field having just repulsed a Soniman advance and the proposition of creating a great army to challenge the Velidians, possibly freeing the Mortal populace from the Velidan yoke once and for all. Not only all that but those who were most important to him were safe. 

Eptih returned home to Reyam and said his good-byes then collected his men and began his journey to return to the Hetharcyp. As he rode away Reyam watched until she could see him no more.

[ 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.

[ 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 XLV ]

As Orendun spoke to Eptih the spiritform of Orenduns wife appeared. Orendun called out to her to come and see her son but she seemed to be uninterested and eventually went off without the slightest recognition of Eptih and as a result Orendun’s belief that Eptih was his son began to fade. After a few strategic questions it became obvious to Orendun that the visiting stranger was not his son. Orendun was disappointed and asked Eptih if he had purposefully tricked him. Eptih responded that he had not had the intent of tricking him in mind but that being Norstilam and unaware of his genealogy had become interested as Orendun talked and so in hoping to gain knowledge of himself had not stopped Orendun from believing he was his son. Orendun felt anger toward Eptih but had grown fond of him in the short time they had spent together and did not want to harm him.

Orenduns home, however, had been violated by Eptih and that fact alone demanded a reckoning which would traditionally be settled by single combat, he however opted to let Eptih leave but refused to provide any guidance. In doing this Orendun was actually condemning Eptih to death just not directly with his own hand. It would have been an insult to his honor to let Eptih invade his home, kill his guard beast and then seek no retribution whatsoever. He wished him well on his journey but knew that Eptih was almost sure to die in the maze that was his construction, filled with his various deadly beasts.

Eptih was not as aware of the dangers ahead and therefore was only disappointed that he would not be able to learn more about himself through Orendun. So the two parted amicably, Eptih facing a dangerous journey and Orendun hoping he could make his way out safely.

As Eptih proceeded along his way he tried to wrap his mind around all that he had just learned and to apply that knowledge to what he already knew. Eptih walked in Orenduns realm for a time and eventually started to notice that he was making no real headway. To him everything looked the same. At one point as he was resting with his mind on other matters, namely returning home, a multitude of creatures similar to the one he killed approached. From what Eptih was led to believe by the apparition of the old man there was only one beast. Eptih had barley escaped his battle with the last beast and was fearful of the outcome with many of them. In an instance the beasts attacked him from all angles and Eptih found himself struggling to stay alive but unable to fend off so many beasts at once. This was the first time Eptih had ever experienced the possibility of a catastrophic failure. When things were at their worst and the beasts seemed to have the upper hand, tearing the flesh off his bones they suddenly scattered and retreated. Eptih found himself severely wounded more so then his last encounter. He knew he would need to rest and allow his body to heal but he was fearful of the beasts return, in his current state he was drained of energy and would make for an easy target.

Eptih lifted himself up staggered along looking for some safe location but few could be found. As he continued along his healing slowed and began to regress because he was using up to much of his limited energy to walk. This caused his wounds to open up and bleed profusely and he realized he would perish if he could not rest. With his vision fading he saw a bright light and with the last bit of energy he could muster he walked into it and collapsed.

[ Eptian XXXVII ]

As Rhosrc grew he, like his brother, set himself apart from the other children on account of his larger size and his vastly superior abilities in all aspects. And just as Thmascuid had recognized Eptih’s exceptional abilities so to did Velid recognized them in Rhosrc.

Rhosrc had been trained from birth to make war and to bring death and so at the time of the Heroes Rebellion he assisted in the effort to destroy said rebellion, seeing war up close and applying his learned knowledge in order to gain practical experience. And Rhosrc found in war and destruction his purpose.  Although he began as a mere aide to the Sonimi, near the end of the conflict he had taken command of a small mixed unit of Queid and Siradyt which he managed to use well beyond its possibilities to achieve more success then could be expected from his meager troop. These actions and his sucesses garnered him more favor with Velid and as such his responsibility grew rapidly.

Rhosrc, from the time he could remember, had always had a desire to go down into the Great Chasm and bring up the body of his mother and so as a youth he would have this fantasy often. His plan was to bring her up from this horrible pit and give her a place of honor where she could rest in peace. This was a nagging thought of his and through time became less and less of a fantasy and a requirement that he placed on himself. He would have nightmares fearing his mother’s spirit was tormented by the Great Chasm so, when still young and compelled by his a deep passion to fulfill his fantasy, Rhosrc descended down into the Great Chasm to find the body of his mother.

It was a horrible experience and he was nearly killed, he never found his mother’s body and made it back to the surface with his life but his life alone. Rhosrc saw this instance as one of his great failures especially knowing he had barely escaped and could never go back to that place. Many of the people who heard of this however saw this instance as a great feat, the fact that he had gone into the Great chasm and survived was in their eyes amazing and therefore this moment was seen by others as one of his great accomplishments and increased his fame greatly. For his part Rhosrc thought himself a failure in this instance, the mention of it would cause he to become angry and the praise he received left him feeling cold.

Rhosrc had taken one of the Siradyt youths who was a few years older then himself and who was known for his ingenuity as an aide, something the Sonimi would never do because of their contempt for the Mortals.This Siradyt was named “____” and assisted Rhosrc in accomplishing all many of his military achievements. “____” was integral but in no way was he Rhosrc’s equal and in fact he was more slave then counterpart.

During the Heroes Rebellion the name of Rhosrc became synonymous with brutality throughout Existence. Everywhere tales were spread illustrating Rhosrc’s harshness and as a result the name Rhosrc instilled fear in the people whenever it was uttered.

It wasn’t long before the name Rhosrc made its way to Othamars (Derrams) ears and when she heard it she knew it was her son and that he had been completely corrupted by Velid. This secret knowledge or fear realized made her feel guilty for having left the baby with so horrible a father as Velid. No one else was aware that this information and it was only rumor that Rhosrc was the son of Velid among the Mortals.

Velid was pleased with what his son had been able to accomplish via his military exploits, so much so that he was assured with his plan to bring him in to participate in the governing of Existence and as such Rhosrc’s responsibilities increased and Rhosrc was still quite young. There was some tension between Ebrel and Rhosrc during this time, both of them however where of the Norstilam race and so very evenly matched and therefore avoided direct confrontation. After some time this tension settled but mostly due to the Fact that Veild gave the two separate duties which kept them apart.

With Rhosrc and Ebrel under Velids control Velid was unstoppable and his control over them strengthened his control over the Sonimi. For whatever troubles Velid had lived through in the past, for all the missteps and seeming quirks of fate that denied him power along his climb, all was now aligned in his favor. There were however still many problems to face, most pressing being the punishment of the Mortals for their insolence but Velid was in no rush and wished to savor his recent victory.

[ Eptian XXXII ]

Thmascuid and Thiaraceph, after the defeat of the Vethrian army, had escorted a small band of the surviving soldiers back from the Great Chasm Fortress to what was at that time still Mortal controlled Existence. After this both of them helped prepare their towns defenses but by the time the Velidian forces got close to their town most of Mortal Existence had already surrendered and because of this the decision was made to not waste the town in a hopeless attempt. Eventually the Velidian onslaught came to them and they could do little but try and survive. They made sure that Othamar (Derram) and Eptih were kept safe. Once the Velidians had taken over Existence Thiaraceph and Thmascuid were rounded up like all the other Mortals and forced to labor building Velids new civilization. Othamar (Derram) being so deformed was not required to work and so she was available to take care of Eptih.

Like all Mortals who were under the yoke of Velid and who’s very life depended upon the whim of the Queid, Thmascuid and Thiaraceph were angry. Velid at this point had a tight control over Existence and made his will felt throughout. He had many allies, the Sreoth, the Siradyt and other Mortal groups and as such held sway over more territory with a stronger fist then anyone ever had and therefore was undefeatable. Many Mortals spoke of how the yoke of Velid might be thrown off but no one was able to do anything about it. Occasionally a Mortal might become fed up with his situation and cause trouble for the Queid but he would be killed before he could become any real problem. Mortals during these time found little joy in their lives. They were forced to labor for a majority of their waking hours and were not aloud to participate in anything that could be construed as military training. All sports, miscellaneous competitions and any gatherings of adult males were banned.

Velid took great joy in forcing the Mortal heroes to labor for long hours and continually pushed them to see what their breaking point would be. Many of the heroes died of exhaustion due to this. This disrespect further angered the Mortals but at the same time it caused them to loose what little faith they had remaining. As the years went on the spirit of the Mortals was nearly broken.

Thiaraceph, who was one of the Mortals Velid took joy in disrespecting, became very bitter. After many hours of laboring and being a spectacle used for the pleasure of the Velidians, he came home to a woman who he had once loved but no long had feelings for and a child who was not his but who he was forced to be responsible for. Thiaraceph felt consumed by burden and therefore withdrew from everyone including his friend Thmascuid. Because of this withdrawal which in actuality had begun long before the defeat of the Vethrian army, Thmascuid took Eptih as his son and so spent his free time with the boy teaching him as much of his own knowledge and skills as he could.

As Eptih grew many incidences occurred that reaffirmed Thmascuid’s suspicion that Eptih was no normal boy. Although less than five years of age Eptih’s exploits were becoming known to all the Mortals of the surrounding areas. Later on, because Mortal adults were not aloud to practice combat, the Mortals would have their kids compete in a type of combat fighting which was a combination of wrestling and boxing. They did this for entertainment but also to harden their children into future soldiers that might save the Mortal race.

Eptih began fighting in these competitions earlier than normal boys, mainly because he was so much bigger, and never was close to losing a match, always wining with ease. When Eptih was nine he was banned from the competitions when during a match he killed the other boy with one blow to his face. This incident resulted in a still more unfortunate occurrence when a few days later the father of the boy who had been killed and who was still distraught, saw Eptih playing near his home with some other boys. In a rage the man grabbed Eptih and tried to strangle him. Eptih broke free from the man’s grasp and in a wild rage proceeded to tear the man apart like a wild animal would its prey. Eptih then ran away fearing the consequences for what he had done but as the incident had been witnessed by the other boys the incident was deemed self defense. Thmascuid later found Eptih hiding, blood covered and brought him back home.

[ Eptian XXXI ]

The remaining Mortal army retreated back to Mortal controlled Existence and tried to rally all available assets in order to defend the various cities and towns against the expected Velidian onslaught.

The Seven families now felt a deep fear and realized all to late that their salvation was only possible via the Vethrians, who were now no longer available to protect them. They also realized that to have manipulated the army as they did for there own welfare and in order to hurt the Vethrians chances of regaining power after their inevitable victory over existence was a shortsighted if not misguided strategy.

So purely based on self-preservation the Seven families worked closely with the returning remnants of the army to set up a home defense relying heavily on guerrilla tactics. They poured all of their wealth into the task at hand. Some key scorched earth policies were used along with numerous other defensive methods.

Velid, looking to conserve his armies energy allowed considerable time to pass. Mortal society was in a state of disorder, prepared for the coming fight and without the guidance of the Vethrians was doomed. Once Velid felt the Mortals were at their weakest he moved in for the final kill and with a vengeance that had not been seen in Existence for a long time.

The fighting at this time was very hard due to the fact that the Mortals were dug in and determined to save themselves. The Velidian army though was tenacious and eventually took over town after town crushing any resistance with a great ferocity, so much so that as time passed and stories were spread, more and more of the resistance gave in without a fight. In time the Velidians had subdued most of what had been Vethrian controlled Existence. An administrative system was set up by the Velidians that broke Existence up into various provinces, each of which was governed by a Sonimi territorial lord whose law was enforced by the ever-growing Queid forces.

The Queid forces were absolutely ruthless in carrying out the Sonimi lords’ wishes and as they were dead and controlled only by the possessor of the Firmornam could not be reasoned with. The Sonimi were unconcerned with the plight of the Mortlas and proved that on many occasions but the Queid were absolutely cruel. Some Siradyt Mortals acted as the eyes for Velid almost like a secret police force and so were hated most of all by the Mortals.

Once dominion had been established, and his hand was everywhere, Velid tasked his various provincial lords with eliminating the Seven families. The Velidian system being highly effective, the entire structure of the Seven families was destroyed and nearly all their numbers cleared away from Existence. Once this project had been completed the Mortals lost what little hope they had remaining, no longer was their a possibility of being rescued by some outside force that would set everything right.

With all previous power structures gone, Velid was free to remake Existence as he saw fit. Velid, copying the Vethrian system, established a Triad of Sonimi to handle the minor details by managing the provincial Lords. This Triad had three components much like the original Vethian Triumvirate and they were called the NuU, the XeuD and the RotiS. With this system Velid was able to enslave all the Mortals who had fought against him using them to build a new infrastructure within Existence. At this time, by way of Mortal slave labor Existence passed into a new area where the buildings went from having an ephemeral quality to a quality of permanence. Structures that had made from short-lived materials like wood were now made of stone and concrete. Many government buildings were built as well as a system of permanent roads in place of the dirt ones. The capital was moved from Avirenth to the Great Chasm. It was also at this time that the Sonimi created the Horse from the Beasts of Burden for the purpose of conveying orders, men and material around Existence quickly for the purpose of quelling any uprising that might come about. The horse quickly became popular. The Mortal groups that had not fought against Velid were treated better but not by much. The enslaved mortals developed a hatred for these Mortals as they had the Siradyt and they termed all of these trader Mortals , the “____” as an insult.