Backstory
Four-hundred and fifty years have passed since the
events that secured the six major crystals, each crystal a focus for amplifying magical power. During that time, the Mother Goddess of the world, Sareesa Tavis, the first known mortal to ascend to the heights of the heavens, fell silent. Now, many of her worshippers are darker, seeking an end to this mortal world. The worship of the Pantheon has revived, a God for nearly every situation.
The Ancient Demon Gate, which for so long has been the source of much misery throughout the world has fallen silent for the first time in history. No longer do the demons pour forth from it, some say they have given up and gone on to take other worlds. Still others say that they are biding their time, waiting for their dark demonic god to join them.
Across the world, there are whispers, whispers of a prophecy even older than Sareesa, whispers of the end times. During the day, everything appears to be orderly, but at night, all sorts of atrocities are committed by one mortal against another in the name of these end times. You have been born into this world. You will stand up against the night, and restore order, restore peace, and in the process save it from certain doom.
Timeline
Eras as reckoned by Sareesa, Goddess of Magic from the World of Draunt
Before the Birth of the Pantheon, abbreviated BBP
Golden Age of the Gods, abbreviated GA (often simply referred to as the Golden Age)
Dark Age of the Physical World, abbreviated DA (often simply referred to the Dark Age)
Sareesa's Ascension, abbreviated SA (not recognized by all as an era change but recognized as an important event on Draunt)
BBP0 BBP, Creation of the Universe, thought to be the first miracle of magic as the universe is vast and unchanging except through magical intervention.
10,000 BBP, The first sentient beings are born, the Dragons.
12,000 BBP, Dragons discover how to use magic.
15,000 BBP, The Dragons expand from their home world across the entire universe.
15,500 BBP, The Dragons, having enslaved all other sentients across the universe begin to trade them across the universe. These slaves were primarily Elves, Humans, and Draconians.
16,000 BBP, The Draconians are created from another race of sentients to serve as warriors and protectors for their dragon overlords.
18,000 BBP, A brief uprising across the universe as Elves and Humans bad together to attempt to overthrow their dragon overlords. Nearly half of the Dragon population dies, but ultimately the uprising is put down.
19,000 BBP, A series of permanent portals begin construction connecting the so called mana worlds. Draunt is one of these worlds.
19,700 BBP, The portals are finished, an estimated 1,000,000 of 50,000,000 sentients dying in their construction. That same year an Elf named Morragh Longspear is born.
20,000 BBP, The Draconians, Elves, and Humans band together, overthrowing the Dragons and forcing them from the Mana Worlds. Dragon sightings drop across the universe steadily until finally no sightings are reported after 100 DA. Morragh Longspear is the tactical general behind the most successful battles against the Dragons and loyalist Draconians.
20,005 BBP, Morragh Longspear attempts to hold the races together and create his own empire but ultimately all three races decide it is best not to integrate.
20,020 BBP, A human named Phineas Bellowrage, becomes the first non-dragon to wield magic.
20,023 BBP, Phineas Bellowrage begins releasing a series of books known as Magika Obscura.
20,035 BBP, The series Magika Obscura is completed, several other mages from the Phinean school of magic begin to steadily appear, mostly on the Mana Worlds.
20,070 BBP, Phineas Bellowrage dies in a duel against one of his students.
20,083 BBP, Morragh Longspear marries his life-partner Lillia Softstep.
20,090 BBP, Morragh's first child is born. The number of sentients across all worlds now numbers 70,000,000. Approximately 5 worlds have communities in which more than one race is integrated. Across much of the universe, Draconians, Elves, and Humans fight for the best land.
20,142 BBP, Morragh peacefully ascends after fully connecting with his own strong spirit. He is the first God. He is widely considered by most mortals to be the Patron God of Elves.
20,148 BBP, Elves become a dominant force across most of the universe, the number of sentients remains stable around 70,000,000 due to constant war. Only three planets now have at least one fully integrated community of more than one race.
20,150 BBP, Corla Vel is born
20,170 BBP, In her human slums Corla begins an uprising in Draunt against the ruling elves. Across the world humans begin to fight the Elven oppressors.
20,172 BBP, The first of the Human Kingdoms is formed on Draunt. Under the leadership of Corla as it's queen, it takes the simple name of Vel. They begin a peaceful trading relationship with the Draconians of the nearby mountains.
20,175 BBP, Corla dies heirless to disease. An unassuming merchant known as Orilo Vel assumes the throne.
20,178 BBP, Orlio normalizes relations with the elves and begins trading with them.
20,180 BBP, Orlio sends the first "Portal Caravan" through the old Dragon Portal. They return with riches. Many more follow.
20,200 BBP, Orlio Vel dies, upon his death he ascends becoming a God of Merchants.
20,250 BBP, After three more people ascend, Drina Bellowrage, Goddess of Learning, Raeph D'Orleans, Patron God of Draconians, and Tol Raethion, God of Wilderness, the Pantheon is officially formed to prevent infighting and setup rules of engagement if the Gods ever find their differences irreconcilable. The Golden Age of the Gods begins.
GA20 GA, Raeph and Morragh have their first of many duels. Though both agree not to fight to the death in the heavens created by the Pantheon, their respective priesthoods are not so limited.
28 GA, A young priest by the name of Selv Silversmith discovers that it is possible to create magical effects not based around elemental magics as the Phineans do, but based around the god of their choosing. They call this method the Silver method.
30 GA, Despite the efforts of many of the best mages and priests, it is found that learning more than one method of casting magic is incredibly difficult given the intricacies of both forms. People begin to differentiate between the two forms by calling them Elemental and Holy magic.
50 GA, For the first time a second god of the same aspect (in this case, learning) is born. The two gods fight to the death in a duel known among the gods now as Sanctum Sicarius. Drina Bellowrage retains her position and the other god is killed, his name never being recorded.
80 GA, The rite of Sanctum Sicarius is codified, it is once again used as Tol Raethion defends his aspect from a challenger. The number of Gods in the Pantheon now numbers twenty.
200 GA, Universal population is now 1,000,000,000 as more and more gods focus on shaping the physical universe into one more easily livable.
1,000 GA, Though these years are lived in relative peace across the universe with many new gods being added to the Pantheon and others dying in the rite of Sanctum Sicarius, eventually it was all to come to an end. Around this time, a god by the name of Umbra became the patron god of humanity. He started the first of a thousand years of near continuous war between the three major people groups, Draconians, Humans, and Elves.
1,800 GA, Despite being in the middle of a war that spans all of creation, the population of the universe breaks 2,000,000,000 sentients.
1,964 GA, on an unassuming mundane world an insectoid sentient with no known name is born.
1,982 GA, The insectoid unites his world under his detested race. All other races are purged from the planet. He goes by the title of Emperor.
1,985 GA, Discontent with just conquering his home planet he opens up a portal using the souls of his own people to another planet. The gods are so consumed in their own wars that they do not notice the growing threat posed by this "Emperor"
1,992 GA, This second planet is now completely purged and part of this insectoid empire.
1,998 GA, While attempting to open yet another portal to another planet, the Emperor is struck down by his second-in-command. Upon his rebirth as a god, all of his race are twisted and turned into a variety of other creatures... all known as demons but as of yet unrecognized by the gods as being a threat.
2,000 GA, Using his magical power as a god this Emperor elevated his worlds into a different plane known only as the Warp. There it is as though all the land were lifted from the planets he controls and placed patchwork around the realm in order to make up his new vast empire. The god see that this has happened and immediately stop their wars, for a new threat has emerged. The number of gods by this
point number 1,093. The number of non-demon sentients in the universe number approximately 2,175,000,000.
DA1 DA, Several gods challenge this Emperor in the rite of Sanctum Sicarius. None of them live through the challenge, though this god seemingly never appeared in the dueling arena. In truth he corrupted them all and turned them into his lieutenants. Little is known about the structure of the demon hierarchy, but at it's head is this Demon god, then the Demon Princes, followed by the Demon Lords. The Demon Princes are gods that have been corrupted into serving the Demon god, the Demon Lords are Demons that have been raised up through deeds.
3 DA, No more gods at this point challenge this Demon god to Sanctum Sicarius as it becomes revealed that he is only converting those who oppose him into powerful lieutenants. Instead the gods lock all of his demons and himself in his own realm using their combined magical powers. It is hoped that he will never escape and threaten the physical world or the heavens.
5 DA, Raging inside the Warp, the Demon god begins creating birthing pits everywhere trying to concoct the most vile and dangerous army that could and will ever be.
8 DA, Mortal servants of the now corrupted gods begin to display signs of corruption. The Pantheon votes to destroy any traces of those gods existence, starting by killing and scattering the essence of every single worshipper they had.
10 DA, The purging is complete, more than 100,000,000 people were killed during the wars started to destroy the corrupted worshippers. Having seen many they trusted have their souls scattered or outright destroyed, the gods are worshipped significantly less at this period and many that had taken vows to serve the gods involved in the purging renounce said vows.
13 DA, A human by the name of Mallus Morningstar discovers a new source of power... what would come to be known as Demon Magic. Knowledge of it quickly spreads across the universe.
15 DA, As small lesser demons are brought into the worlds, many orders of those still remaining faithful to the uncorrupted gods begin to appear, attempting to destroy the demons and the cults that brought them into the physical world. The losses per demon are high, but for a time it appears as though the demons will not be able to engineer their escape through these new worshippers alone.
20 DA, In the face of these mounting casualties, many mages realize they need to help their brothers who physically fight against the demons. Unsure of how to do this however the mages turn to Drina, who reveals the secrets of enchanting for the first time.
22 DA, With their new enchanted arms and armor the scales are much more evenly weighed between the cultists and the holy orders out to destroy them. Knowing that their numbers are too few, the cultists begin to practice in private, seeking to slowly twist and corrupt all in their way.
25 DA, On the smaller worlds some of these holy orders disband with no apparent enemies to fight.
30 DA, A small ocean world known as Iccidor becomes the first world in which a Demon Lord is successfully summoned. With no holy orders to protect this world, it is quickly consumed by the Demon Lord, cultists, and lesser demons brought to bear against it. It is absorbed into the Warp only three months after the Demon Lord was first summoned.
100 DA, All of the smaller worlds without any holy orders remaining are absorbed into the Warp. It is reckoned that the demons killed 500,000,000 sentient non-demons in their conquest. The number of worlds remaining is reckoned to be at three-quarters of what once was. The population of the universe is reckoned to be 987 gods, 100,000,000 demons, and 2,000,000,000 sentients, the rate of birth unable to keep pace with the demons appetite for destruction.
120 DA, Umbra, Morragh, and Raeph work together and close the portals opened by dragons long ago in order to prevent the demons from massing on one of the connected mana worlds and taking over them all. The Demon god rages as the gods guessed his next move and countered it perfectly.
135 DA, The population of Demon cultists hits an all time low as the holy orders begin enforcing the worship of either their chosen god or the Pantheon as a whole. Resentment from this forced worship grows in some places but it is seen by many as necessary to counteract the threat of the demons.
140 DA, Seeking new avenues of corruption the first Succubi is born. If brute force won't win every world, perhaps seduction and subtlety will go further.
170 DA, Though the pace of growth is greatly slowed, the first world conquered by a Succubi is added to the warp. Many of the holy order are informed not so subtly by the Gods and told of the danger these new Succubi represent.
200 DA, Unsatisfied with the pace of growth the Demon god begins forming six powerful crystals from the distilled essence of six powerful demon gods under his control, with which he will be able to open a portal through the fields created by the combined forces of the gods.
213 DA, A priest on a mana world transcribes a new way of casting known as the Sigmund-style of casting. It is noted for it's ability to destroy souls as well as bodies. It begins seeing mass use against demons and anomalies such as ghosts in order to permanently destroy the threat.
220 DA, The crystals are completed, signaling the beginning of a prophesy known as "The End Times" delivered by a god of fate known as Lydia of Sorrowvale. As a response, the gods officially disallow fights to the death under Sanctum Sicarius as an answer to the prophecy is searched for that doesn't spell the doom of the physical world.
222 DA, Lydia of Sorrowvale, attempting to unravel her own prophecy creates an artifact known as The Skein of Fate. Upon viewing it, you can see the myriad ends possible, and hopefully choose the path that leads to the best possible end.
240 DA, The first mana world is invaded by the demons after a gateway from the Warp is opened. After holding for 5 years with all the strength the gods could muster to aid it.
245 DA, Lydia of Sorrowvale finished studying the Skein of Fate. She says only by the thinnest edge of a razor is survival possible. She claims the best course of action would be to start taking female mortal champions across all the remaining mana worlds, that one of them would eventually be blessed with the ability to use both elemental and holy energy and that she would be the key to destroying the Warp forever. With the Warp destroyed, it is largely thought the demons would fall to infighting, and that the demon god would lose his ability to corrupt the gods and turn them into his servants.
248 DA, Although thousands of champions have been born, none bore the sign Lydia spoke of. Though she remains confident, the other gods lose faith and assign the lesser gods to the task while they continue trying to hold off the demons in a traditional way.
500 DA, It is clear that the gods are losing the demons, half of the known worlds have been absorbed into the demon empire. The number of gods has exploded as the blessed champions ascend, but numbers don't seem to be able to stop the demons as the gods cannot fight them directly without risking corruption. Gods: 5,287. Demons: 10,000,000,000 Sentients: 1,500,000,000
1,000 DA, Draunt is now the only mana world left unconquered. Demons soon start pouring in, but the Zealots, led by the gods have built fortifications all around the crater that contains newly activated Dragon Gateway. For five years the demons never escape the crater. The fortifications are renamed Bastion and it is commonly viewed as the most fortified place in the entire galaxy. Only one fourth of the known planets are free of demonic rule.
1,005 DA, A surge of demons enters and finally a hole is made in Bastion's defenses. Though it is quickly repaired several demons managed to get through. They promptly begin gathering cultist recruits.
1,007 DA, Draunt is now officially the longest standing obstacle to the demons total victory.
1,015 DA, Angered by his inability to gather a large number of cultists or achieve victory at Bastion, the demons begin to destabilize the mana present throughout the planet, this results in the incredibly dangerous phenomena known as wild magic. The demons caught within these zones often die to the creatures that live there.
1,025 DA, The first sightings of both Trolls and Naga occur within the same year. Although relations between them and the other races are quite strained, the greater threat of both wild magic and demons keeps any real hostilities from breaking out.
1,030 DA, The Trolls take up residence in the Great Midlands Forest. The Elves enter negotiations to pass through their lands. These negotiations are met with success after a display of magic which the Trolls don't seem to recognize as being controlled. It is theorized at this point that they were born from the Wild Magic. Naga are suspected to have been birthed the same way, but no word had been heard from the Dishu Deserts, where the Naga have taken up residence. Occasionally a brave adventurer will come back from those lands claiming he saw a great naga dynasty born of the sand with a river at it's center, but seeing as how there are no mapped rivers in the Dishu Desert, these stories are dismissed as the gibbering of men driven mad by thirst.
1,053 DA, A child on Draunt is conceived and receives the blessing of an unusual god, Lydia of Sorrowvale, the first the goddess has ever given out.
1,054 DA, The blessed champion is born. She is given the name Sareesa. It would later be discovered that she contains within her a wellspring of mana which never runs dry, as well as the vast intellect needed to use it, along with a certain amorality required to fight the demons with any hope of causing permanent damage.
1,056 DA, Sareesa, trying to fight off the demons invading her mind, incinerates a fellow villager. She is locked in a Cathedral to await the Zealots arrival. Lydia ensures that a particular Troll sees her being locked up. Afraid of what would happen to the child, he sneaks in during the night and takes her away with him. The Troll's name is Juplup of the Brokentusk Tribe.
1,059 DA, Sareesa and Juplup's natural son, Sen'tin go out fishing. While out Sen'tin falls into the river. Sareesa, despite being untrained is able to use her boundless mana to rescue him by having her mana literally throw him back on land. Though both are scared, they agree not to tell anyone.
1,061 DA, Some injured hunters come back from a journey into the wild magic injured. Sareesa feels as though she is being called to them to help. As she approaches a bright light shines from the cloudy sky and heals the injured Trolls. While they treat her with a certain amount of fear after this, all the villagers respect Sareesa for her ability to heal the injured as well. She tried to force this to happen later, but finds that she doesn't have the control necessary to make this healing light appear on command.
1,064 DA, Sareesa gains enough control to stop the random outbursts of magic that occur around her from the excessive mana that flows around her. She also has learned the basics of Elemental Magic, making her the first who has been able to learn both Elemental and Holy Magic. It is suspected to be a part of her blessing, and also the magic outbursts showing her the way to use both as the outbursts occur under different circumstances.
1,067 DA, Sareesa is scheduled to become a full member of the tribe, however a Giant Crystal Spider interrupts the ceremony and threatens the entire village. Sareesa, using more mana than she can handle manages to form lightning and destroy the spider, unfortunately the feed back injures her hands severely. She can't use them for the next six months, during which time she tries to focus on gaining mastery over her emotions so she won't overuse magic like that again.
1,068 DA, Sareesa goes with Sen'tin on a hunting trip as part of being part of the Brokentusk Tribe. While out they see Zealots under the leadership of Lieutenant Saxon hunting for the tribe, though they are unsure of the purpose, Sareesa senses ill intentions. Heading back to the village they attempt to convince the elders to uproot the tribe and move somewhere else, the elders however refuse. Sareesa and Sen'tin head back out alone. Sareesa prays for the ability to see the truth of their intentions. The gods reveal that Lieutenant Saxon is a demon disguised as a Zealot. Seeing only one path formed from hatred of what she had seen the demons do to her friends in the Tribe she convinces Sen'tin that it is right to dispose of the demon. Ultimately the two prevail in separating the Lieutenant and using her magic, Sareesa undoes the illusion surrounding the demon and then with his soul in her mystical grasp crushes it removing from him the promised rebirth "due" to all demons. The remaining Zealots look on partly with revulsion and partly with awe as this young child managed to fight a demon despite being disadvantaged and win, because of her cruel tactics. The Zealots speak with the Elders of the Village and ask to take Sareesa to a place where she can learn more of the magic she wields. In exchange, they agree to train several of the younger hunters in the ways of Crusaders. The Elders agree believe Sareesa will return once she has learned all she wants to.
1,070 DA, Sareesa stumbles upon a lost mana crystal, commonly used to amplify the abilities of the caster. With her touch it glows brightly. The teachers believe this is a sign that Sareesa is construct made out of this worlds mana, as such overwhelming mana has never been seen before in any species. Sen'Tin, having adopted the more human name of Sentinel who was learning in the same school, though a different part, attempts to comfort her.
1,073 DA, Sareesa is discharged from the school as she accepts the call from certain, 'fanatical' Zealots to root out hidden demons and demon lords in order to make the world safer. Sareesa performs admirably and picks up the spear and staff as her primary weapons due to their similar construction and ability to keep the enemy farther away so her magic can finish the fight for her. Sareesa is assigned a bodyguard unit of 4 Crusaders, there to both keep an eye on her to make sure she remains uncorrupted and also to protect her from the demons.
1,074 DA, After helping the Elves in the Northern Cities dispose of a cult and their demon lord Sareesa begins a short affair with a young elf named Thellion. He joins her Zealot bodyguards for the next year while the two carry out their affair.
1,075 DA, Sareesa conceives a Half-Elven child, upon informing Thellion, he is shocked to learn she has no desire to settle down and would
instead prefer to continue her war against the Demons. He agrees to take the child with him back to The Silver City after it is born. Sareesa spends the last six months of her pregnancy and some time afterward in a priory again trying to expunge herself of the emotions she views as her greatest weakness in fighting the demons. She names the child Mith.
1,076 DA, After her leave of absence Sareesa resumes where she left off. With renewed zeal and conviction she begins purging the cultists and demons at a faster rate. For her skill and dedication she is promoted from 'Priestess' to Sister-Sergeant. After selecting a squad of Crusaders, Priest(ess)s, and Mages with both skill and dedication she sets off for the Broken Isles, resolving to clear the land of both the Wild Magic infesting it and the demons who make their home there. She sets down in the one human settlement there known as Misery Port. Her and her soldiers, 50 strong build a Monastery for themselves on an island in the middle of the port from which they will purge the twisted and tainted land.
1,077 DA, Throughout the year, the cultists and demons hiding in the wilderness are hunted down by Sareesa and her soldiers, sometimes broken into squads of ten each in order to comb the smaller islands in the chain. By the end of the year, the demonic corruption and demons have been cleansed, but the wild magic threat still looms large. Upon question, Sareesa smiles and instructs her soldiers to wait until the next full moon, then to gather the townsfolk and watch the sky. During the full moon with all the townsfolk assembled in the square Sareesa taps into the ley lines of the Draunt, drawing power away from the wild magic and to their monastery which shone brightly as the ley lines became visible and lifted the island, monastery and all into the air. By the time Sareesa has finished weaving the complex enchantment all the energy has been drained from the wild magic. Sareesa seems disturbed by something, though she never says what and sends her soldiers ahead of her back to the mainland. She rejoins them a week later claiming she had left something undone and it had to be fixed. Upon arriving at Bastion again, Sareesa relays the events to the Grand Master. He promptly sends a team to investigate her claims, not believing such powerful enchantments and the modification of wild magic to be possible. Once the teams come back and confirm what has been done, he promotes Sareesa to Sister-Knight.
1,078 DA, Sareesa starts the year heading to The Silver City as part of a diplomatic mission to unite the Elves under the Zealots banner. Secretly soon after she arrives she visits Thellion and Mith. Though she admits she still regrets her decision she must continue towards her goal, a united world has much less to worry about a demon threat so others won't have to make the same decision. In order to win the Elves support, they ask for a Miracle similar to the one performed at Misery Port. Sareesa, not wanting to be taken advantage of in this manner claims she can't do that without gathering some reagents first, and that the Elves would have to help. After negotiations, they decide to send their people out to gather the particular crystal she asked for while Sareesa and her soldiers build the Cathedral they talked about earlier. While in The Silver City she lives with Thellion and helps raise her still young child. Though they agree never to reveal that Sareesa herself was the mother, Sareesa cares for the child. After the completion of the Cathedral and the retrieval of the crystal which is more time-consuming than difficult, Sareesa agrees to magically warm the climate inside the cities, protecting them from the harshness of winter. She does this, clears the area of the few cultists and goes on her way after a short good-bye to Thellion.
1,078.5 DA, Once back in Bastion she reports her success to her superiors and requests permission to visit the Draconians. While they are hesitant, they acquiesce on the condition that she attempt to gain the support of the Draconians in settling the Broken Isles in the name of the Zealots. She quickly agrees. On the way to the mountains she makes a small detour and requests that no one follow her for the day. After a day is passed she returns and continues up the mountain. She arrives in a small city known as Durant. Despite much effort, she is unable to convince the Draconians to leave their mountain homes and begins an unauthorized trek through the mountains towards the human kingdoms on the other side. Upon arriving she finds the myriad of kingdoms are throwing themselves against one another and wasting manpower that might be used to destroy the demons. Using her magic she raises up earthen walls around each army and tells them all to disband and seek penance for the crimes they have committed against each other when so large a threat looms against them. Surprisingly, even to Sareesa, they are swayed and agree not to war until the demons have been defeated. Sareesa erects a chapel in each Capital, to remind them of the promise. She then seeks the help of the coastal cities to settle the Broken Isles, in which they acquiesce. After another short detour for a month they arrive at a cultist hideout and promptly purge it of all life. Sareesa retrieves a crystal from the hideout which she promptly hides away in a hidden cave under fields of bluebonnets.
1,079 DA, Sareesa returns to Bastion, though not given the welcome she expected for turning a failure into a success. Instead she finds the head inquisitor waiting to interrogate her about the crystals she's been collecting and hiding away. Despite being unconvinced by her answer, he remains unwilling to hang her and have her be viewed as a martyr by those loyal to her and in the cities where she performed her miracles, they instead strip from her all rank and privileges and send her to her old home, the Great Midlands Forest where she is to unite the Troll Tribes under the banner of the Zealots in order to restore her rank. She leaves Bastion, some of her most ardent followers, those with her from the Journey to Misery Port offer to follow her voluntarily but she refuses, insisting she will return to them with the Trolls behind her.
1,081 DA, After hearing nothing more from Sareesa for two years, the Zealots stop worrying about her until late in the year an army of Trolls approaches Bastion, at it's head a twenty-seven year-old woman. Sareesa is quickly reinstated, the army sent to train as crusaders and warriors, and priests to reside in the various chapels and cathedrals built by Sareesa throughout the Troll lands. The Wild Magic which used to be so prevalent in the area has also been drained away. Some suspect Sareesa of using it to control the Trolls in some way, though in truth she just funneled the energy to protect the now six hidden crystals. Sareesa reforms her warriors from earlier, replacing the dead with some of the newer additions to the Zealots. Many of those present in the squad have witnessed her miracles first hand, leading them to being fanatically devoted. The Grand Master worries that Sareesa might be trying to stage a coup and begins to plot some way to diminish the fervor of those underneath her. As Sareesa awaited her next assignment a Demon Prince came through the portal. Sareesa and her squad charged forward seeking to beat the demon back into the Warp. Many of the soldiers on the ramparts and fighting elsewhere in the crater witness the pitched battle. Ultimately, Sareesa makes use of a much more refined and deadly lightning similar to the one she used against the Crystal Spider. Knowing the Demon would be reborn if she allowed it, she approaches the corpse and then slams her palm down and draws the soul out. She then uses the energy resulting from the demons destruction to raise all the holy martyrs in the crater back to life. Sareesa is viewed as an unstoppable hero by the vast majority of the Zealots after this feat. She is given the title of Marshal as a result of her actions, placing under her authority ten-thousand soldiers and a county. She chooses the Broken Isles as her county.
1,081-1,084 DA, Sareesa spends these years turning the islands into an idyllic paradise using her skill at enchanting and ability to hunt down cultists, heretics and demons. The Capital City is renamed Sareesa's Mercy for her efforts. The population in the area grows rapidly and soon members of every race live in the islands, A reborn example of the races living and cooperating together.
1,085 DA, The demonic threat launches a full scale invasion of Sareesa's Mercy. During this time an Inquisitor known as Balderon takes over leading the Zealot's forces so that Sareesa can focus more fully on fighting the Lords and Princes that were secretly amassed. Sareesa's Mercy is demolished by demonic forces but a large part of the population and more than half of her army escapes to continue fighting the demons on the islands.
1,086 DA, Sareesa continues on a guerrilla campaign to dismantle the cultist and demonic leadership while Balderon focuses on keeping the army from falling into disrepair and even worse, despair. Eventually much of the demonic leadership is destroyed, when Sareesa returns to her army she begins to fall into a deep depression. Despite all her power, all of the people under her, she failed to protect so many, the slaughter and brutality of the demons finally taking it's toll on her.. Balderon takes his leave, promising to lead another army to the islands. Sareesa resumes control of the army, but finds herself second guessing her own skills and plans. Though the demons are fended off she is too cautious to retake the Broken Isles and purge the demons properly from the lands. Much of the wild magic that had been cleaned returns to the islands.
1,087 DA, Sareesa seeks the solace of the gods, whom she begged for divine intervention from. They refused her request, or even to speak to her as she was so clouded with self-doubt. Balderon sends word of his return in three months time and Sareesa is heartened, but he leads not the army he promised, only five-hundred soldiers who are mere novices, not the battle-hardened warriors Sareesa needs. Sareesa learns that the demons are pressing hard against Bastion at this time. She prays once more, with conviction, asking not for the army, but for wisdom. Morragh Longspear, tactical mastermind in the battles against Dragons, grants her request. Though the situation is grim, she stops questioning herself and her own abilities and leads her men back to Sareesa's Mercy. There a great battle is fought, and many die, bleeding on the streets from supernatural wounds. Sareesa and Balderon are successful in defeating the last remaining demons together. Sareesa leaves Balderon with her troops to rebuild the city, heading off with only a small compliment of soldiers to help Bastion stand against the demonic tide.
1,088 DA, Sareesa arrives in Bastion and is immediately confronted by the most difficult fight of her life, not against the demons directly, but struggling to keep the men there with enough supplies to keep fighting, cultists behind Bastion having cut many of the supply lines. Sareesa and her soldiers struggle to keep up with the cultists activities, eventually however they reopen the roads to the Great Midlands Forest and beyond that the Silver City and Elven Confederation of the North. Many soldiers march to help the zealots now that the way has been cleared. Sareesa sends word to Balderos to watch for cultist incursions in the coasts and to bring the inquisition along the coastal cities, that the supplies from them might once again flow. Word is never heard back from Balderon and Sareesa ultimately, in desperation opens and maintains three portals through which the coastal cities send their troops and supplies. Ultimately, Bastion is saved not by a great show of power from one person, but from everyone doing what they can to help. Sareesa, tired and mentally drained from keep the portals open, spends the rest of the year slowly traveling by wagon train through the mountains to the Coastal Cities, establishing roadside stops and a safe passage through the Mountains as she goes by eliminating the local orcish threat.
1,089 Sareesa notices a distinct lack of cultists or really, any threats as she continues to the cities. At last she arrives and is greeted by a group of soldiers wearing emblems of three interlinked rings. ((TBC))
1,098 DA, Sareesa dies to the assassin's blade as she prepares to lead her army through the portal. She is reborn on phoenix wings, signaling her divine ascension.
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Topic: Zealots and Demons, The Fall of a God, Turn 122: A Standoff (Read 129440 times)