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 LXXIII

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

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

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

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

Eptian LXXII

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eptian LXXI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[ Eptian 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 XXXIX ]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[ 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 XXXVI ]

Velid’s other son, Rhosrc, who was the only son Velid knew to be alive and which he had sliced up in a fit of rage at his birth managed to survive the attack but only after being close to death. The Siradyt healers had done what they could but Rhosrc was left deformed by the attack as the majority of his flesh was destroyed And had to be discarded leaving him in a precarious state. Velid once he ralized what he had done to his own son felt much guilt and therefore did all he could to make sure he received the best treatment possible. At one point when it appeared as though Rhosrc might not live he demanded that Ebrel take the baby to the Graelim and see if they could save the his sons life. Ebrel did this but upon reaching the Graelim was denied his request. Far from the Great Chasm with the dying baby Ebrel had few options remaining other then letting the baby die. It was at this time that a strange being came to him and offered him help. Ebrel figured this strange being was a guise used by the Graelim and so accepted the help. This strange being handled the baby and ten went away returning some time later with a previously unknown material that he sewed to the baby’s muscles replacing his skin. Along with the gift the stranger gave Ebrel a set of rules for the maintenance of the ne material and commanded him to meet at this very spot every year so as to recive new material fitted to the baby’s grown body. It was this synthetic flesh that saved Rhosrc’s life. When Ebrel returned to the Great Chasm Fortress he told  Velid that the Graelim had saved his baby by making him a synthetic flesh that had helped his son. Velid was pleased that the  Graelim were willing to help him and pleased more so that his son would live.

So Rhosrc was brought up and all the while during his rearing displayed many talents like Eptih did and among the Siradyt children which he played he was superior by far. Velid noticed early that Rhosrc was special and brought in as many tutors as possible to teach the boy as much as his mind could hold and Rhosrc’s mind soaked up knowledge with a great voraciousness that was ceaseless. Rhosrc had the best of everything and was denied little, probably a result of his fathers guilt for having caused him so much pain. He was however in pain constantly and as the strange being who made the flesh had stated, the synthetic flesh he wore could not be left in place for too long and as his musculature would attach to the material when it would be peeled off it was for him like being filleted. The synthetic skin was also sewn to body at a few strategic points. This was an excruciating pain that he had to endure over and over again. As a comfort to him and when he felt the least amount of pain was when the material was soaked with water as this caused it to be more pliable. This is why Rhosrc would take to soaking himself by sitting in tubs of water or in streams and rivers for a large portion of his days. This also kept him from being as productive as he could be as this soaking took up so much time, however it was not idleness but necessity and something he wished he did not have to contend with. This forced idleness caused Velid some anger, seeing his son always tending to his health problems, which he tried to temper by considering the fact that it was him who had caused the situation.

Rhosrc had also had the flesh of his face partially removed and so was a hideous site, this being the reason he kept his face covered. Women were afraid of him and could not look upon him without turning away in disgust. Rhosrc had much resentment in him. He resented his father for having done this to him in the first place, for his mother for being dead and thereby unavailable to him, not realizing of course that she was in fact alive. He also resented women because he wanted them so much and none showed him any affection whatsoever, at least not beyond what Velid forced the Siradyt women to endure. Rhosrc knew little of love and much more then any other about pain. He resented other men because they did not know pain like he did believing themselves tough and because they knew the love and touch of women. He resented them because they could look directly into a woman’s eyes and know that she truly loved him, he resented everyone and therefore was a solitary person. Even though Rhosrc suffer with these afflictions he was immensely skilled and was capable in everything he tried. He could not be defeated in battle and could destroy Mortal heroes as if they were the weakest old women, he was more intelligent then all others and in nearly all aspects superior to all Mortals. Rhosrc was in fact superior to Eptih, having been the first born, but his health problems limited him, had he been unmarred he would have been unstoppable, but such was his fate.

As Rhosrc grew he returned every year with Ebrel to the spot dictated by the maker of the synthetic flesh. Here the strange beinng would size him, leave for a time and return to fit the synthetic flesh to his body. Other then providing the rules for the synthetic flesh he never spoke a word. On their journey to the maker of the Synthetic flesh Rhosrc would question Ebrel about many things which included questions about his mother, his father and his brother and the night of their birth. Time and again Rhosrc would try to understand why his mother had gone down into the Great Chasm forsaking him for his brother, and time and again he could not conceive the reason why. All he would be left with after pondering this question was because of his condition she choose to risk death for the chance of having a dead unmarked baby rather then a living deformed baby.

[ Eptian XXX ]

The Vethrian army was in a state of deterioration before it had been completely formed and it was far from being battle ready, progress having been slowed due to the conduct of the Seven Families, but it was decided that a surprise attack would be the best hope for victory. If the Vethrians spent additional time building and strengthening the army, relying on the Seven Families for men and material, eventually the growing disorder would destroy the army before it ever entered action. It could either be used now in the state it was or allowed to die on the vine never having been used.

The decision to act at once having been made, vanguard Elements of the Vethrian army moved out in force toward the Great Chasm Fortress. The idea was to send the best trained soldiers first in order to scare Velid hopefully convincing him to prematurely yield. If he did not a siege of the Great Chasm Fortress would be raised by that time the bulk of the army would be brought up acting merely as a battering ram. Disciplined soldiering would be less important for this plan and brute force more befitting the demeanor of the majority of the army. This plan had to work, the quality of the army leaving no other possible option if the siege should go wrong.

At first Velid and his seemingly meager force of mixed Sreoth, Queid and Syradyt mortals retreated back into the Fortress putting up little resistance and it seemed that it would not be long before the siege would be effective. When the bulk of the Vethrian force arrived victory seemed all the more assured and in this aura of inevitable certainty it became harder to keep the army organized. Disipline being what it was soldiers would frequently wander off searching for food or other spoils leaving their posts unattended. The Vethrians became furious with the laziness of the army during the siege and began to doubt their original rationale for the siege and faith in victory long before others did.

Velid sent out some of his best soldiers to fight single combats and the Vethrians accepted. Thmascuid did particularly good during these matches. But as the single combats went on the Sonimi continued their work of creating new Queid battalions unbeknownst to the Vehtrinas.

As Velid peered out from the Great Chasm Fortress he laughed at how the Vethrian army had walked right into his trap. Not only that, it was now obvious that if given time the Vethrian army would destroy itself right where it stood. But eventually Velid became tired of waiting and called on Ebrel to advance, Ebrel having been set up for some time behind the Vethian army hidden from their view. Ebrels army which was much smaller then the Vethrian army but highly disciplined, pined the majority of the Vethrian army up against the Fortress and at that moment the forces from inside the Fortress were unleashed and carnage ensued. The Vethrian army was trapped in this spot and was destroyed. The Vethrians abandoned the dying army and fled into hiding only a small number having been killed in the battle. The Mortal heroes, including Thiaraceph and Thmascuid, did their best to stall the Queids efforts, breaking holes through the Queid lines allowing some of their own numbers to escape. Many of the Mortal heroes were killed during this time. Thiaraceph and Thmascuid however did survive and managed to lead a small element of soldiers back home. This bravery gaining them more fame, adding further luster to already stellar reputations.

The Velidian army had pursued the fleeing remnants of the Vethrian army at first but were eventually called back by Velid. He had come to the conclusion that the hardest part of his plan had been executed and that now he could establish control on his terms and when and how he saw fit. All the dead soldiers that were scattered around the Great Chasm Fortress were immediately converted into Queid by Velid and the Sonimi and thus the Velidian army grew larger and larger.

[ Eptian XXVIII ]

Velid sulked in a state of complete melancholy wishing there was someway to end his life, releasing his spirit so that he might be free from this life that seemed so laden with misfortune. It was at this moment when Velid was at his lowest that Ebrel came to him and presented to him a rare gift, the Firmornam. Ebrel told Velid that this object had been crafted by the Graelim out of the smashed bones of the first Mortal male- who was named Firmornam, reformed into a single small object. Velid initially rejected the gift disregarding it due to its unimpressive appearance. Ebrel however explained to Velid that this object possesed a certain quality that would fulfil the promises the Graelim had previously made to him and with that Velid took notice. Ebrel continued to divulge the power of the Firmornam to Velid, most important of which was its ability to control all the Spiritforms in Existence. This is why it is also known as the Spiritform Controller. Once Velid fully realized what Ebrel had given him his mood changed and he no longer was miserable.

Ebrel gave the rights to Velid and then the Firmornam was his. With it now in his possession, Velid decided to hide it and did so in a place no one would ever expect. He did this without Ebrels or any other beings knowledge. With that Velid now controlled the Spiritforms and made plans to seek revenge against the Mortals of Existence for what damages they had caused him. He would however need to remove the Vethrians as a threat and so made plans to do just that.

On the grounds that they were not helping Rhosrc and most likely could not save him, Velid had Ebrel kill all of the healers who had been attending to baby. Immediately after this incident Velid sent Ebrel to request the best healers from the Siradyt which were at once delivered.

The Vethrians, who were in a more disastrous position with each new day, could sense another disorder had occurred and this time they came to the conclusion that it must have involved Velid. This caused alarm among the Vethrians and so a party of their own number was sent out to attempt to gain information regarding the fate of Velid. Velid was informed of this parties actions and allowed the to find him rather easily. Velid received them with hospitality but when they looked upon him they were horrified. They had never seen a Vethrian who had become a Sonimi and were frightened. When Velid demonstrated his ability to control the Spiritforms and explained to them that he was now immortal, they submitted to his rule and were forced to become Somini like him. That is all but one who was sent back to the Vethrians in order to describe what he had seen and what fate was coming.

The Vehtrians that remained were given Mortal wives, taken from the Siradyt and eventually became Sonimi like Velid. Now Velid could wield the tremendous power he had more effectively knowing that the Sonimi were damned as he was and had no further options beyond serving him. And thus a ruling class was established.
Elsewhere, Thmascuid checked in on Othamar (Derram), Eptih and Thiaraceph often. It was during these visits that Thmascuid noticed that Eptih was no normal baby, being so large and seeming to be more cognizant then babies his same age. Thmascuid began to take an interest in Eptih and would notice small changes with each visit. With Thiaraceph seemingly unable to establish any kind of affection for Eptih and therefore having no paternal bond with him the relation between Thmascuid and Eptih became much more paternal in nature.