Family History

Mr. The Fat

Lived in Era 24, got 1 heir(s) (Celendrum Cikayson) and was a member of North Empire
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Ezatius, Era 24~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Lord CK the Fat, as the name depicts, was a very fat and harsh ruler. He liked to keep his peasants working hard and his army scared out of their wits. In short, CK the Fat was what we may call an a**hole.

But that's being a bit harsh. CK the Fat was a huge patronage of the arts. Well... the elaborate art of cooking and food preparation, in which he spent %3 of his national budget on his daily dinner alone. Out of embarassment, the Council of Seven (which will be described later) decided to completely leave it out of the daily Productions records.

CK the Fat was known to be a bit of an idiot. He thought himself as general and master strategist (which was all to easy to believe behind thick, castle walls filled with many escape tunnels, leading not only out of Middle Core, but from Mantrax itself!) This is why he was surrounded by his seven main administrators (known as the Council of Seven,) who were the real masterminds of the nation. They usually prefered to leave CK out of all politics and economics entirely, allowing the fool of a king to think highly of himself without performing any actual work. In retrospect, this was indeed the best decision for the empire.

THE BETTER-KNOWN OF THE COUNCIL OF SEVEN:

Head Ambassador: Nobleman Valerius
Cheif General: Nobleman Kanskat

ON CK CITY, CAPITAL OF THE CK EMPIRE

Ethnically, CK had found the majority of his followers among the dwarven races. It came as no surprise when CK City was first created as a mining community, south of the Northern Mountain. Immediately, the dwarven peasants, among others of various races who had tagged along, began construction of mines as deep as in the Old World.

In the center of the city sat the Imperial Palace, where CK and his Council of Seven ruled. Beautiful gardens surrounded the palace. But beyond the gardens lay a jumbled series of stone buildings and narrow cobbleston streets poorly-planned. As the city grew, conditions only worsened. There are several accounts of merchants being lost within the city for days at a time, managing only by eating rats off the street and begging from those inside.

Ethnically, CK City was a very mixed culture, but it also had its sharp class distinctions. As CK and his loyal followers were dwarves, dwarves tended to emerge as the wealthiest class who owned and managed the mines. As humans from small villages and elves from tribes within the forest found a new home within the thriving metropolis, they emerged as the middle-class. Orcs and halflings, being the more rare visitors and inhabitants, found themselves bearing the grunt work in an eternal state of poverty. Many riots broke out over the years, but the Council of Seven preserved both order and the class system by putting them down by force.

Economically, CK City was almost completely driven by the mining industry. A good majority of the city's inhabitants found work in the privately-owned industries, though the labor was long and hard. Only several hundred farms were ever constructed in the city, which were incapable of feeding the quarter-million population of later years, which meant that the sister city Farmington had to produce in agriculture for what CK City lacked.

Militarily, CK City remained relatively inactive except for the early Dark Rider-Slovaknia wars. It relied upon its colonies to provide troops for the cause in later wars against the North Empire, The Legion, The Empire of Midgardur, and the Ever Victorious Army. The base of the army came from any type of species; dwarf, human, orc, elf, and halfling alike were used as the basic Swordman infantry unit. However, the higher ranks of soldiers, like Hammerthrowers and Axemen, were restricted to the upper classes--primarily, the dwarves.

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A CHRONOGICAL PROGRESSION OF THE CK EMPIRE:

The following section is a timeline of the CK Empire. Much of what happened is now lost to time, and surely a bit of legend has worked its way in as well. I have tried, with moderate success, to share the story of the ancient empire as close to reality as possible.

2-28-07: The dawn of a new age! King CK the Fat had just been ousted by other lands, and along with two thousands, loyal (and very, very foolish) peasants, set out onto the Realm of Mantrax. Construction of the capital city, named CK City, began immediately. Scouts soon discovered neighbors under the king Lord Marius. The Council of Seven sent Nobleman Valerius out, and he forged the CK-Sharoom (CKS) Kingdom between Lord CK and Marius. What a day of beginnings!

3-01-07: CK-Sharoom expanded north with the invitation of Mr. Kalkan, though the recent expansion of neighbors threatened future conflict. However, Mr. Kalkan remained a sketchy type of ruler at best--surrounded by lies and deceipt, which would be revealed in later events.

3-02-07: As CK City grew and colonized outwards, the demand for a more secure position in Mantrax became necessary. Thus, the dual monarchy of CK-Sharoom was ended by dual agreement. CK City joined the larger kingdom Dark Riders, making many new allies and friends. The good king Marius was short to follow. The Dark Riders would remain a friendly and powerful kingdom for many years to come.

3-04-07: CK City was tasked by the King of the Dark Riders to secure Middle Core, removing barbarian tribes from the land, as well as the traitor Mr. Kalkan. The Council of Seven declared war against the threatening and expanding kingdom of Slovaknia and began its march to protect allies north of the Great Mountain. The first blood was shed on this fateful day... but it was merely a prelude of what was to come later.

3-05-07: Capital city Zion was siezed from Slovaknia while allies besiged the remaining two cities. The war seemed nearly at an end... though a new one appeared to be growing. The North Empire began threatening Dark Rider interests in the Middle Core region, primarily to the east, but enemy strength and motive remained unknown. The culprit leader, Mr. Agurcas Son, seemed a powerful figure, and one to live up to threats.

3-06-07: The War with Slovaknia came to a temporary ceasefire as forces from the North Empire began appearing to the north, possibly aided by The Legion. The future of Middle Core began to look grim as enemies grew and allies remained undiscovered. Would this be the end of the CK Empire? Just as it was beginning to grow?

3-07-07: The Council of Seven recieved orders from the allied king Mr. Transporter to attack the northern empire known simply as The Legion. Troops began razing smaller villages in the border region, bringing the fight to enemy ground before the enemy could claim the first victory.

3-07-07: Talks of ceasefires temporarily halted military expansion and rapid militarism, providing the Council of Seven to look back at the empire's economy, building new homes for peasants and mines to extract gold. New farms were also ordered to be constructed to make up for the swiftly-growing population. The food problem would last many more years, sometimes at the brink of destruction.

3-08-07: An alliance was forged between The Legion and Dark Riders! Peasants and soldiers celebrated aloud as the promise of war diminished to the north, allowing them to attend their farms and forges. This also allowed the Council of Seven to focus on defeating the invading North Empire, who had captured the bridge-side city Bridgeton. The brigade called Defenders of Middle Core engaged in battle and emerged victorious, driving out the invader Mr. Monk from the North Empire out of Middle Core. Additionally, a ceasefire was formed with the Empire of Midgardur, allowing troops to travel to the eastern front for the upcoming war.

3-10-07: An effort was made to recapture the blocker city Bridgeton by a force of 11,500 troops (an amount as yet unprecedented in Middle Core). The siege was sucessful and the city was reclaimed. Astonishing news of the North Empires disbanding also came to the Council of Seven with much rejoice.

3-11-07: Former North Empire members Mr. Agurcas Son and Mr. Monk joined the kingdom of the Dark Riders! The seemingly dark man known as Mr. Agurcas came to light as a personal ally to Nobleman Valerius, who made frequent trips to see him. Troops breathed a sigh of relief; battle seemed distant once again, allowing the CK Empire to focus on its economy, as well as establish a colony in the South Core.

3-12-7: A breif and largely bloodless civil war ravaged through the Dark Rider kingdom as spies and other malcomitters disbanded the kingdom, effectively halfing the number of kings inside the alliance. However, the shock did not last long, and provided positive benefits--the Dark Riders could now discovered where their cities' loyalties lay. And, with great happiness, the kingdom retook its place as the strongest kingdom of Mantrax.

3-13-07: Midgardur Empire broke the non-aggression pact with Dark Riders by besiging a city with two armies of over ten thousand men each in the distant South Core region. Did this mean war? Additionally, the Dark Riders deemed the Ever Victorious Army a hostile kingdom with lands available for the taking. Would the prospect of war on two fronts bring about the CK Empire's demise? The outcome remained unknown by even the wisest of prophets, but one matter was certain--the road to the future lay drowned in blood.

3-14-07: The two Midgardur armies broke off the siege; however, the prospect of war did not look fully diminished. Tensions remained high, and both the Empire of Midgardur and the Dark Riders were competing for supremacy in the South and Middle Core.

3-16-06: War indeed was not gone... it had simply moved. The Empire of Midgardur deployed an astonishing military Corp. Over 50 thousand fresh troops roamed across the western pass to Middle Core, constructing new cities as they progressed along. The future of Middle Core once more looked grim, especially as news of a possible ceasefire between The Legion and Midgardur moved across the land. Additionally, the war with the Ever Victorious could begin to unwind the delicate seam that held Middle Core together. To make matters worse, Mr. Agurcas Son left the allied kingdom of The Legion, his course of action uncertain. Would he join with the Ever Victorious Army? Rejoin the Dark Riders? Or exert his force upon all his will his strength allowed him to? King and peasant alike did rejoice, however, upon learning that the CK Empire took its place as the tenth strongest empire of Mantrax, even if only for a short time.

3-17-07: Bloodshed only continued. The CK Empire dealt with great success attacking Ever Victorious Army colonies out to the east, but the Empire of Midgardur only grew in the west with the creation of several news cities upon Middle Core grounds. A small raid destroyed a lone Midgardur city, but the troops did not survive an additional battle than left no survivers. Additionally, new armies were spotted approaching. However, the Council of Seven remained confident that the invading scourge could be driven away.

3-18-0: The Legion and the Empire of Midgardur called a ceasefire, ending the bloodshed in the area. However, all the kings in the region knew that Midgardur was not a trustworthy kingdom, and doubts were confirmed when the enemy kingdoms launched several sieges against The Legion despite ceasefires.

3-19-07: The CK Empire rejoiced as Legion I, an army among the strongest of Mantrax, crushed an entire enemy Corp and several divisions, suffering only a small portion of casualties compared to the mass bloodshed of the enemy. The legion marched past the river an onto the outskirts of Muspelheim, the Midgardur city just west of the bridge to Middle Core, ready to assault the walls and capture the governor inside.

3-20-07: Although utter domination of the Empire of Midgardur seemed distant, worries shifted in the CK Empire not from any human foe, nor from sickness, or drought, or famine. A mysterious black cloud emerged far to the North, encompassing the lands across the Great Mountain in shadow. A great fear began to grow. What was this monstrous phenomenon, devouring the kingdoms to the north?

3-21-07: The cloud kept on approaching. The north was filled with darkness as if a giant wall of evil had devoured all the land beyond it. No one knew what was happening, but one thing was certain--the end was near. King CK and the Council of Seven tried to flee the shadow, abandoning the kingdom, leaving it to perish on its own. Many viewed this act as cowardly--and with good reason, too.

However, CK and his Council were never seen again alive nor dead. Myths surround the mysterious dissapearance. Some claimed that the guards fleeing with the king and council killed them. Others say that they were later caught by the shadow and dissapeared from the face on Mantrax like everything else had. Still others claim that they survived, but remained hidden for the rest of their lives.

Only one matter was certain. The CK Empire had ended.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of the CK Empire. These days are now long past, and the names I have mentioned would have been forgotten had it not been for the scraps of parchment my monostary posseses.

But this is not the end of my stories. Rather, it is only the beginning. King CK secretly had a bastard son, an ambitious young man and soldier eager to fill the footsteps of his father...

Mr. Celendrum Cikayson

Lived in Era 25, got 1 heir(s) (Tantulii) and was a member of Zeon
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Republic~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Virgin, Era 25~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Celendrum Cikayson, bastard child to his father and the former king CK the Fat, managed to survive the sudden and tragic destruction of Mantrax. He was born in CK City to one of the concubines Lord CK had kept. However, his name was hidden. He was not named prince. Nor was he even acknowledged into the royal family.

Celendrum grew up in the streets of CK City with a kind and loving troll family. Due to their race, the trolls were constantly in poverty and struggling to survive in the unfair city. Even other trolls and orc minorities ridiculed the family's decision. What kind of troll family adopted a human?

But Celendrum lived on anyway, ignoring the racism and poverty, the many hungry nights and hours tending to wounds inflicted by a hate-driven human or dwarf. He grew to sixteen years old with this family, and it was then when disaster struck. The Great Plague struck the city, kiling many of the inhabitants inside. The poor, unemployed peasants suffered the worst. Celendrum's trollish family caught the disease quickly and died.

What would Celendrum do? He had no family, was too young for either a job or to enlist, and had no money to support himself. He thought of something that his adopted father had whispered to him upon his deathbed--who he really was. A prince. The son of the great king CK the Fat.

Anger consumed the man's heart. His birth parents had rejected him, and his adopted parents were now gone. He fled the city, injuring two guards by the gate while escaping with nothing but a wooden staff. Outside the city walls he wandered, south past Farmington where a kind couple fed him, and then west to the river. He constructed a raft and floated down the stream aimlessly, not knowing where he was going. The lands were completely uncharted.

After a week of survivng on the farmers' bread and whatever fish he managed to catch, the river came to a bay. There he could see giant ships the likes no one had ever seen before! He saw towering walls and titanic towers. The city was filled with noise and laughter, with the scent of foreign foods. Celendrum floated right by to one of the piers, where several men in foreign clothes and an unknown accent helped him up and gave him some strange fruits and an entire sack full of coins. He had come to a city far greater than any ever known, with far more men, with far more industry, with far more intellect. And he loved this town and the people within it, which he later found out was named Blue Harbor.

The ancient manuscripts are vague from here. What I have recovered is that Celendrum became a favorite to the city's patrician, head of the republican government established there. Celendrum learned the local language and went to the city's university for the following six years, learning all means of sciences and mathematics. He learned how to build ships and how to design great palaces, as well as many arts unseen in most other lands.

At some point, Celendrum left again. The manuscripts are unclear as to why, precisely--perhaps it was news of the destroyed CK Empire that brought him back north, or perhaps it was because his royal blood began to boil and he longed to sieze power in the northern worlds of "a thousand kingdoms". Either way, he departed from his beloved city and returned to post-destruction Mantrax, and saw the heaps of rubble and charred bodies and barren wastelands. Mantrax held no future, so he set off for another world--Fantasia.

Celendrum wandered alone many miles into Fantasia. There, he met someone he least expected to--one of his father's old friends, Agurcas. Agurcas was a kind king, unlike Lord CK. He lent Celendrum 900 peasants and set them off to build a humble town of their own with the reincarnated North Empire.

Once the city, named Blue Harbor (despite the complete lack of a harbor--it was named after the city Celendrum had been educated in), was constructed, Celendrum immediately sat down in his humble chamber and began to wonder. How would he run his empire? He had no passion for what his ignorant, fat father had ruled, nor did he intend to hand over affairs to a council of noblemen more concerned for the empire than for the people within it. But he also admired the Republican form of government, and struggled in his mind what to do in a new world such as this.

Eventually he decided upon this: each species within the city who numbered %10 or more of the total population would be given representation in the government who would serve for five years. If a species had less than %10, they would be grouped with the second-smallest race and the votes combined. Celendrum himself would be the patrician and would serve for life. Thus he had estabished the CK Republic, where no peasant would live in poverty or be the victim of specieism, a better world for all.

Celendrum took up a modified form of his birthname, Cikayson, and began his dangerous reign. Smart but proud, kind but ambitious, idealistic but hard-pressing, Celedrum would lead his empire as long as the fates allowed. However, Fantasia wasn't the peaceful, simple world that Mantrax had been. It was full of bloodshed and cunning opponents. Celendrum's reign would prove far more difficult than his father's. But he managed to survive and live up to his father's reputation as a king, if not a military leader.

ON BLUE HARBOR, CAPITAL OF THE CK REPUBLIC:

Blue Harbor, though built next to the mountains and among the smaller cities of the empire, was highly reminiscent of the Blue Harbor many miles away. The gray rocks that formed the city walls were painted, the towers built taller than any others in the North Empire, and the streets as organized and gridlike as a quilt.

The senate building and imperial palace did not lie in the center of the city as the former empire had done, but were constructed near the back by the mountains. The buildings overlooked the city and all the lands west of it to the river. Both buildings were made quite grand, filled with marble columns and artwork for the finest artisans in the lands. Celendrum's personal chambers rose highest of all. His round chamber loomed over twenty stories in the air. His bed sat in the middle, surrounded by his furniture. Windows, made from real glass (a luxery yet indiscovered in most kingdoms), were placed around the walls so that light poured in any hour of the day.

In the center of Blue Harbor lay the Agora, where tradesmen sold their goods from all over the region. Celendrum hosted public games every weekend in the Agora, ranging from jousting, sword battles, storytelling, racings, and public lectures.

To the far east lay the mines, which provided a majority of the labor for the city's inhabitants. Celendrum made sure that each mine was safe and efficient, and limited work hours to eight a day for all species alike. The government controlled all the mines. Private ownership of the vital industries (mining and woodcutting) were strictly maintained by the Republic, so that no unfairness could work its way into the system.

Ethnically, the city was primarily orcish, becuase Agurcas had lent mostly orcish peasants. However, a number of humans and elves had also made their way into the mix.

Militarily, the city had little function. Most of its troops were trained elsewhere.

A CHRONOGICAL PROGRESSION OF THE CK EMPIRE:

3-26-07: Celendrum set out with his peasants and 50 swordsmen soldiers in the middle of the city Tokyo owned by Elon Tatsu. The company headed north just a little distance where they established the capital city Blue Harbor. Later two more towns were built nearby, Remville and Riverton. The kingdom The One and Only neighbored the North Empire to the east with many cities and armies. Whether or not the kingdoms would work with one another or against remained unknown.

3-27-07: Celendrum ordered for many more houses, mines, and farms to be built. He knew that the basis of every empire was its infrastructure. However, he also ordered for the training of a decent number of soldiers for possible future conflict and for imminent war with The One and Only

3-28-07: Difficult times fell upon Celendrum. Should he stay loyal to the North Empire and die? Or should he try and live and join The One and Only? After much pondering, he rode to the gates of Mr. Morgan's new city Darzs and asked to be admitted into the kingdom. Mr. Morgan kindly accepted Celendrum and his people into the kingdom, and the people of the CK Republic raised new flags. Sadly, those original peasants and troops loyal to Agurcas were slain by civil dispute or exiled from the land and quickly replaced by new troops. Agurkas siezed Riverton and captured many vital food supplies, and the people of the CK Republic went hungry.

3-29-07: The neighboring kingdom MAD showed no mercy as army upon army began pouring into The One and Only Lands from the north. No plan had been formed yet for countering such a massive force, but Celendrum would not betray his new allies who he now held so dear. Once enough farms were constructed to adequately feed the population, he began training soldiers like none other, to show the invaders that he would fight for his ideals.

3-31-07: Constant training occupied most of Celendrum's time. He didn't want to have to march to war. He just wanted to rule over his two cities peacefully. But his allies were being attacked to the east, and he had an obligation to help, so over the course of time he assembled a powerful army of strong dwarven axemen and had them sent to the front. He knew that the war could not be won. The enemies exceeded his kingdom's strength by more than threefold. It would not be long before enormous armies came to raze the land. Celendrum slept very little. However, it was also during this time that he met a fair elven woman, one of Mr. Elfwine's beautiful daughters named Sansulii. He loved her greatly, and brought her gifts of love and compassion... his only escape from war.

4-1-07: The CK Republic rejoiced as progress was made offensively against the kingdom MAD. The One and Only armies forced the invaders to withdraw to behind walls. However, everyone knew, whether or not they said it aloud, that is was simply a matter of time now... The North Empire had resettled to the south, and armies were starting to march again. The Ever Victorious Army also appeared allied to Agurkas' forces, though they were continually weakened as MAD devoured their cities and stole across the corders. War was not the only passing, however. Celendrum also established a new city, Boulton, across the river into largely unknown territories. Remville also grew to new sizes, becoming one of the largest cities in the kingdom. Additionally, Celendrum also continued to meet with Sansulii, each meeting becoming more intimate than the last...

4-3-07: After more fighting, an accord was finally met between MAD and The One and Only. MAD armies withdrew to the north and east, leaving the kindom's cities at peace. Every peasant and nobleman, rejoiced at the news. No more war, at least not for now. Unfortunately, some skirmishes in the south threatened to break the peace, but for now the Republic was safe.

4-4-07: War had returned. Luckily, it was still on distant fronts. The kingdom Checkmate, which lay many miles to the south, had attacked some lesser The One and Only towns some time back. The most powerful kings of the kingdom sent many troops into the enemy's homeland and siezed their cities. Celendrum formed a legion of 1600 freshly-trained axemen, the first Legion I. The action was unpopular with the common people, however. They did not wish to fight. Celendrum, out of loyalty to his kingdom, overruled the protests and sent the legion south. Disconent began to grow.

4-5-07: Massacre! An enemy army under Mr. Killer attacked Legion I in a bloody and decisive siege of Didziojo Gamyba, a recently-captured enemy city. None survived the battle; all sixteen hundred troops were slain. Rumers stated that there had been half a thousand nazgul warriors, legendary men of such strength Celendrum had thought to be fiction. The utter defeat of the Legion made the people of the CK Republic's four cities protest more strongly to military actions. The common peasants and republicans alike spoke against it. However, Celendrum refused to his allies be slain and ordered for more troops to prepare for battle. Sansulii seemed the only one who understood the confused king's difficult choices. She was a fine elf; quite, but very intelligent and compassionate. Every day he loved her more and more until her being away was nearly unbearable.

4-6-07: The Republic was shocked when another kingdom entered the fray, Carnage, by attacking MAD to the east. Celendrum still disliked the old enemies, but knew that MAD acted as a buffer zone to incoming enemies. Carnage, a reputably vicious kingdom, would likely move on to The One and Only next.

4-7-07: The Legacy kingdom was, with much dismay, discovered not far to the north. Additionally, the Illuminati Empire threatened a CK Republic scout to move or be killed, which the scout complied to. Caught between three of the largest kingdoms in all of Fantasia, the future looked grim indeed... Now it was only a matter of time before the enemy came in force.

4-8-07: An NAP was signed with Carnage, allowing the CK Republic and The One and Only to focus on defeating the last Checkmate cities. The kingdom was officially established as the sixth strongest kingdom of the era. Celendrum celebrated the day by announcing his intentions of marrying Sansulii. However, he was called away to tend to his troops when several Legacy armies marched south before the ceremony could be arranged.

4-10-07: Legacy, while advancing, approached slowly. The NAP with the Ever Victorious Army was ended, allowing the kingdom to invade. Celendrum doubted the wisdom of this plan, however. When Legacy came full force from the north, could the kingdom survive a two front war? Did the Ever Victorious Army pack a devastating hidden punch yet unforseen? Perhaps this was merely another false alarm--or perhaps it was the beginning of the end.

4-11-07: The war with the Ever Victorious Army, assisted by the Carnage, progressed well. The CK Republic had not yet been able to capture an enemy cities, but constructed an fort, Elision, closer to the battle. Another matter occured that greatly lifted the young king's heart. Celendrum married Sansulii one warm summer evening, making their marriage official. (Some history states that the Sansulii had already been his mistress for some time.) He was called off to perform foreign business not longer after, however, and left the kingdom in the hands of its senators.

4-16-07: The patrician returned, pouring the accumulated tax money into construction like none other, as well as the recruitment of thousands of new soldier to fight against a new foe, Legacy.

4-19-07: Celendrum found opposition towards him increasing... his people did not want to engage in war with Legacy, the world's largest kingdom. However, Celendrum overrulled their actions, much to their discontent, and ordered the recruitmen of thousands of troops to engage Legacy in the east. He was assigned into a side-assault team to capture Legacy cities in the east.

4-20-07: Horrendous news from the front severely demoralized the CK Republic. Legion III had lost a battle, taking over 18,000 casualties and over 20,000 more injured. The battered army was able to retreat, but war looked grim. Where were the fellow kings supposed to assist Celendrum? War on the western front seemed to be progressing well, but none at all was made to the east.

4-21-07: Celendrum issued another thirty thousand troops to be trained. However, there were not 30,000 willing volunteers in Remville, so he was forced to override the Senate's anti-draft legislation and started a new conscription program for all males between 18 and 38. When senators protested, Celendrum had them jailed, which only caused more clamor. He tried to explain to his people that desperate measures had to be taken...

4-22-07: Treachery! A Legacy army was able to slip by the northern block, and marched unimpeded south toward the enormous cities of Darzas. Blue Harbor, the CK Republic's capital city itself, lay in the possible path of destruction. Celendrum did not want the enemy to capture the city. He didn't want it to fall into barbarian hands.

4-23-07: Panic spread among the Republic. Powerful Legacy armies approached swiftly and stealithly; already they had siezed several cities in the middle of The One and Only core, and now many more were coming. Carnage armies rode to the north and to the east, either to sieze cities or to liberate them. Hope and fear lay with them. But in this dark hour came good news as well--Sansulii was expecting a child, Celendrum's first heir.

4-24-07: Fighting continued within the core, a series of capture and counter-captures. Many thanks were owed to Carnage, who played a crucial role in stopping Legacy troops. Corposes littered the fields and city walls by the hundreds of thousands, and more were still to come. Meanwhile, more Legacy troops approached from the North. The future looked bleak once more. Especially so when reports of blackening skies began to reach the cities... the end of the world Fantasia?

4-28-07: Many lives were lost, but Legacy was, for the most part, driven away. Hundreds of thousands of troops continued to approach, but by now Celendrum and the rest of the kingdom had millions of troops to counter the threat. Sansulii also gave birth to Celendrum's first child, a crossbreed human-elf named Tantulii, which meant Fire in the elven tounge. (Sansulii meant water.)

4-29-07: Peasants rioted against the conscripition acts. They were backed by the senators, encouraged to protest against the war efforts. So Celendrum officially disbanded the Senate, and in effect, ending the CK Republic. War had taken such an effect on him that memories of Blue Harbor lingered hidden in the back of his mind. No longer was he a patrician. He had become the king.

5-01-07: The skies to the north churned with black, ominous clouds. Lightning illuminated the distant mountains. Rain and wind battered the land. The end was near when the inhabitants of Fantasia would flee or perish in the all-consuming void. Celendrum knew the end of his reign was near. And all in all, it hadn't been to bad of one--he'd nearly matched his father's economic strength, and exceeded that of his military. But something seemed lacking. What would make him stand out in the history books? What would future generations think of him, an idealist fool or an intelligent lord? It was this pondering that made Celendrum realize that since his childhood in the foreign city Blue Harbor, he'd been corrupted by everything he'd disliked about the realms of chaos. So in a final act, he restored the senate and resigned his short-lived reign and told his people to prepare for evacuation. In 40 more weeks all would be lost...

5-02-07: Sansulii gave birth again, this time to a pair of twins, a son and a daughter. Both were mixed human-elf. Meanwhile, Celendrum worked on evactuating the populace of his kingdom, setting them south down the rivers. Perhaps there they'd find better worlds. Perhaps not. Celendrum knew that his story was coming to a close. It was just a matter of time.

5-03-07: The dark clouds consumed each abandoned town, one by one. Most of the people had been evacuated already, but some of the elderly or proud had insisted on staying, and dying. Celendrum made sure every last peasant who wanted to flee had done so, the very last man in the long line of boats. He'd already sent his wife Sansuliin and three children a week ago, down the river past many worlds, where they would be protected from the end of Fantasia.

Though it was a close call for the patrician, Celendrum survived the affair and lived the remainder of his life in Blue Harbor, the city he'd loved and lived in as a young man, writing books on scientific contraptions and the realities of Fantasia. He lived many years longer before dying of natural causes. For so long he'd struggled to survive as a hero. Now he could sleep, forever, as one, while his children carried on the legacy CK the Fat had begun.

The CK Republic ended.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of the CK Republic. While much more artifacts exist from this time period, none of Celendrum's direct books exist today, and details are sketchy. Naturally, my monostary has added in its own bit, which I have tried, with moderate success, to remove.

The CK Empire would continue on with Celendrum's elvish daughter Tantulii. Her reign would contrast her father's in many ways. Her reign would be of blood, magic, and terror...

Lady Tantulii

Lived in Era 26, got 1 heir(s) (Ironpick) and was a member of Zeon
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Crissxcross, Era 26~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Tantulii, the daughter of Celendrum and Sansulii, was born and raised in Blue Harbor during the last two decades before the world ended, when Only U troops fought Legacy continually. War was part of her life. It filled every day, every week, every year. In fact, Tantulii's first memory was seeing the funny-dressed dwarven troops, armed with wicked axes and gleaming armor, parading through the city, singing loud songs of glorious battle, bravery, and, above all, honor.

One day, when she was barely five years old, she wandered up to the high towers of Blue Harbor and rummaged around Celendrum's desk, looking at the maps and papers inside. She would see Celendrum's journals and documents and blueprints. And, as expected of a young child, she was not particularly interested in them. But she did take a keen fascination in the pictures of old battle strategies showing the tactical movements of some of Blue Harbor's most famous victories.

As she grew up and received her education, Tantulii tended to ignore subjects lie math, science, and economics in favor of magic and military history. She spent her days reading about old heroes and battles, and her evenings either at the military arcane instructors or in the training grounds. She became experienced with the sword, bow, and a vast array of protective wards and offensive spells.

As a teenager, the military consumed her life. She ordered the city's finest smiths to create her a set of armor. It was a very different, very new task for the dwarves to suit an elf, and beyond that, a female elf, with armor. But, after some trial and error, they produced a set made out of the finest ore, and enchanted to provide extra durability and resistance to arcane power. Tantulii wore her armor in all manners of ceremonies, so much that Celendrum grew worried about her behavior.

Due to her preferance of war studies, Tantulii neglected her civil studies and learned nothing of being a ruler. Celendrum would plea with her to abandon her silly pasttime, or at least take into moderation, and become an educated queen. But his fire-willed daughter would not listen, which left Celendrum to appoint her twin siblings to take over the other aspects of the empire, like construction, taxes, law, and other forms of management.

One day as a young woman, Tantulii finally satisfied her thirst to see and be involved in the military directly. Posing as a low-level officer, she traveled with the third Imperial Legion among the tens of thousands of axemen and runemasters. She observed how the dwarves marched, how they ate, how much distance they could cover in a day's march. Still, this did not satisfy her. The troops all spoke of glorious battle, but she had yet to even see it with her own eyes.

The opportunity came in only a few weeks time. The legion, which was marching to lay siege to a Legacy city, was intercepted by the Legacy troops and forced into combat. Tantulii watched as the runemasters summoned protective wards to protect against fire in the sky, fireballs, and other arcane projectiles. Meanwhile, the axemen quickly and chaotically moved into formation, attempting to form a strong front line. However, the army was ill-prepared, and the veteran Legacy troops descended upon the army without mercy.

Eventually the line broke, and all hell broke loose. Initially, the shouts and screaming of the dying or wounded stirred Tanutlii's heart and made her courage waver. But she summoned her strength, lifted her sword, and charged into the fray.

She slayed many of the enemy Legacy dwarves with her magic, incinerating many of her opponents before they drew near. When she felt her arcane ability tiring, she drew her sword, and began to fight hand-to-hand against the relentless enemy. She found this more difficult, as her mere feminine, dwarven muscles were barely a match to the powerhouse dwarves. But with the right combination of speed, precision, swiftness--and good, strong armor--she cut down the enemy.

However, it was too late for a victory. Already the legion was beginning to route, fleeing from the blood-soaked field back toward allied territory to rest and heal up. Tantulii, dissapointed, mounted an horse and galloping off, firing arrows at the dwarven warriors pursuing her. Thus, Tantulii had witnessed her first battle.

When Celendrum was able to find her, his made his mind, and sent both Tantulii and Sansulii away to escape the armageddon clouds creeping from the north. For a year, the masses of peasants traveled south, always south, out of the world of Fantasia to where it was safer.

But Tantulii would not follow them. She selected fifty loyal troops and a thousand willing peasants to split off and return to the blackened world. This time Celendrum did not oppose her actions. Another year later, Tantulii and her lifeguards found a suitable land occupied by the descendants of her father's peer kings, this time under the banner Zeon. She then ordered a small city to be constructed near the mountains to the north, and established the beginnings of her ill-fated empire.

ON HONOR, CAPITAL OF THE CK EMPIRE

Not much has been recorded on this subject. Tantulii's kingdom remained extremely small compared to her ancestors, possessing far much less land and hundreds of thousands less troops. Honor was a mainly a military-based city, though it did not serve the task of recruiting more than several hundred "ghost" warriors. In the center sat a stone palace lined with iron, though it was a home to Tantulii's generals more than Tantulii herself.

Ethnically, Honor had an even mix of dwarves, humans, and elves, with the occasional troll, orc, or halfling. However, as Tantulii was mostly an elf, the leading class of the city tended to be the elves. Humans were second-class citizens, dwarves third, and the other races even worse. Tantulii did not worry much about internal affairs; she left such matters in the hands of her siblings while she focused on pursuit of glory.

A CHRONOGICAL PROGRESSION OF THE CK EMPIRE:

5-07-07: After two years of wandering, surviving off of wild game and arcane food. Tantulii and her lifeguards found a suitable region to construct the first city of the empire, Honor, named after the one strongest virtue. Many other cities owned by Zeon lay nearby, ready to offer assistance in battle.

5-08-07: The neighboring kingdom Lietuvos Didzioji Kunigaikstyste established their kingdom core extremely close to the east, bordering Honor by only a few miles. Tantulii ordered the construction of homes, mines, and lumber camps. Additionally, she trained a number of "ghosts" to defend them and prepare for future conflict, should the two kingdoms go to war.

5-09-07: Indeed, the two kingdoms marched to war, Zeon as the agressors. The enemy cities, largely undefended, fell quickly and easily to the armies of Zeon. Tantulii scorned the enemy. Had they not prepared for battle in the slightest? Much to her dissapointment, however, she was not able to take any part in the conquering.

5-10-07: With the war dying down, Tantulii permitted her sibling rulers to invest funds to the economy. A lack of wood brought a breif depression, preventing more buildings from being constructed, but a lucky trade solved this problem.

5-11-07: A new threat, Dark Blood, began to rise in the west. Enemy strength was unknown, but Tantulii began gearing up for the worst.

5-12-07: Tantulii herself rode to the blocker city Next with thousands of archers to defend it against the Dark Blood invaders. It seemed as though invasion was imminent, as she didn't want to miss the battle.

5-16-07: Lacking the ability to go on the offensive, Tantulii ordered her troops to stay within the Zeon core. There had been a few ill-fated attempts at a counterattack into the Dark Blood lands which Tantulii had participated in, but left her own troops back to defend. It seemed as though neither DB nor Carnage had the ability to assault the kingdom, just yet. However, the enemy was expanding to engulf cities and march along alternative routes. It was a matter of time and lives now.

5-20-07: Virtually no development in the war. Music crumbled to the kingdom Mirror and Carnage tried a new strategy approaching from the south through the remnants of Music towns, but still there had been no direct assaults. Tantulii itched for battle, no matter how bad the odds. Luckily for her, but not for the rest of the kingdom, the gears of war had started to turn. Dark Blood marched from the north, Carnage from the south. Already forts along the great walls were crumbling to the foe. Soon the hour would be at hand to decide the kingdom's fate.

5-21-07: The barbarian invaders marched ever onward. The north and south were falling into enemy hands, and Dark Blood massed forces much greater to the west. What would become of Zeon?

5-22-07: Indeed, this was the end. Dark Blood armies broke through the blocker city Next and began rampaging through the Zeon core lands. City after city fell to the invaders like an unstoppable tidal wave. In one final act, Tantulii ordered her cities burned and retreated with a small division of riders. She would not leave her capital city to the enemy, only ashes.

5-23-07: Tantulii, in one final battle, attempted an ambush on a Dark Blood army passing by. At first it went well and many of the enemy died, but the enemy was too large. Her elite bodyguards fell one by one or fled from the suicidal battle. Tantulii's magic could only protect for so long. Her energy began to wane, and she was pierced through with many arrows. Dying on the bloody field, the enemy general beheaded her and stuck it on a high pike. Such was the inglorious death of Tantulii--but at least it was a warrior's death.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of the second stage of the CK Empire . Tantulii remains largely in myth, as little physical artifacts or evidence remains of her reign. In fact, she might have been forgotten if her twin siblings had not recorded her short reign.

Although legend may leave this small vital piece of information, Tantulii bore several children. It is rumored she took no pleasure in men, and used a rather, to quote one certain account "archaic spell, thus the man in her emerge from the mother as longeth as so desireth." It is likely this is ficticious and that Tantulii merely remained isolated during her pregnancies. Or perhaps her descendant bore no blood connection whatsoever; the truth remain is uncertain.

At any rate, from the demoralized and disheartened peasants and lifeguards from the failed empire emerged a new leader to, or at least try to, bring the empire back into honor.

Sir Ironpick

Lived in Era 26, got 1 heir(s) (Ironpick II) and was a member of Music
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Crissxcross, Era 26~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

After the collapse of the CK Empire in Fantasia and the death of Tantulii, only a handful of survivors remained under the flag of the CK Empire. A majority of these survivors were officers who had deserted Tantulii in her final, suicidal ambush. Sir Ironpick was a cavalry officer in her army, a mid-level general and politician. He had no direct ties to the throne, but was in fact a descendant of one of the original Council of Seven in The Fat's time.

Sir Ironpick was a very moderate man. He was decently good at arguementation and persuasion, and a competant military officer as well as ruler. He was not bloodthirsty like Tantulii and recognized the importance of not only the soldier but the farmer who bakes the bread for them both. Though uneducated at first and illiterate for the first thirty years of his life, Ironpick returned to his studies during Tantulii's reign. However, his wisdom came from his experience, not from dusty old books and scrolls.

Sir Ironpick's leadership did not come painlessly. Several others were looking to take up the crown and lead the survivors back into glory. They were willing to take drastic measures to fulfill their greedy desires, and several of them never woke up one morning due to a red streak across their throats and a red puddle. Ironpick was not immune to this. One night he heard someone come to his tent, and very silently open the flap... A very quiet ringing of metal from a sheat... Prepared, Ironpick, lurched to the side, and the assassin's knife planted in the ground. Soon another knife was planted--Ironpick's knife straight into the middle of the assasin's chest.

Ironpick took advantage of the situation. The next morning, he rounded up the camp of survivors and publicly spoke of what had passed. He gave a short but moving speech (the words themselves have been lost, I am afraid) on how the empire needed to move along, not act like the cutthroat barbarians in which Tantulii's head now served as ornamentation. While this did not eliminate competition, it won Ironpick support from the people and his rivals alike.

With his governmental position stabilized, Ironpick led the camp south out of Fantasia, and back to the lands of Mantrax where the CK Empire itself had begun under The Fat and begun another segment in the empire's history.

A CHRONOGICAL PROGRESSION OF THE CK EMPIRE:

5-26-07: Ironpick located Tantulii's descendants from the collapsed empire of Zeon and begun anew, settling in a small valley. Unfortunately, his predicted much bloodshed in the future. Mantrax was an old world and already full of powerful enemies. Even an idiot of a general could potentially beat out the small and skilled armies of Zeon. Knowing this, Ironpick swore no oath to restore the CK empire to glory. He simply wanted his people to live and flourish once again.

5-27-07: A bit of exploring by fellow kingdom mates revealed several nearby empires. The Wild Boys sat to the south and east, while Solaris lay to the west. Ironpick did not let war occupy his mind, however, and oversaw the construction of two new cities, many new homes, and hundreds of new mine chambers to provide his citizens work.

5-30-07: Over time, Zeon built up its cities and began to make a somewhat decent impact in Mantrax. However, it was also at this time that Solaris sent a few small armies to the Zeon homelands... perhaps this was a small army looking for easy gain, or perhaps it was merely a prelude of bloodshed to come.

6-1-07: With both Solaris and Wild Boy armies marching from two fronts, Zeon had little hope. However, Ironpick did his best to assemble his men and prepare for battle.

6-2-07: Efforts were for nothing. Simply outnumbered, Zeon cities fell to the supposed "liberators." Ironpick gathered up his largest force of over 5000 axemen and runemasters and fought an evenly-matched battle against Solaris. However, despite his troops' valiant efforts, they were forced to withdraw and returned to the castle Dultwai. Ironpick, who attended the battle, was also severely wounded by a stray arrow midway through the fight. His wounded body was rushed all the way back to Ironpick Castle to be treated, but he did not survive. A little past the city Silvermoon Ironpick drew his last breath. Disheartened, his remaining officers ordered his cities to be burned so they would not benefit the enemy and waited for the rest of the kingdom to fall.

6-4-07: With Sir Ironpick buried in the ground, the citizens of the CK Empire sat and waited as invaders took Zeon cities and as a few small, brave armies reclaimed the cities, only to fall to the enemy later. The remaining soldiers and peasants looked forward to a new life on another realm.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of the fourth stage of the CK Empire . Sir Ironpick was buried in secret in a tomb in the mountains, safe from armaggedon and capable of lasting millenia. Sir Ironpick's one and only son would be the one to take up where the empire had left of, attempting once again the restore some of the empire's former glory.

Sir Ironpick II

Lived in Era 26, got 1 heir(s) (Bruto Cikayson) and was a member of ZEON
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Crissxcross, Era 26~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Ironpick II took after his father in Mantrax and led the survivors to Nirvana, where they followed him without great question. Surrounded by the honorable allied kingdom Music, Ironpick II commanded only a handful of cities. The capital was a small city known as Stone Glade, a mining town as much as anything else. As time passed more cities were built until Sir Ironpick II's kingdom grew as great as Celendrum's had.

Ironpick II did not engage in many wars. Zeon and Music dominated the world of Nirvana, creating a peace across the lands. Although Ironpick II trained several thousand axemen and a good number of runemasters, he only captured one enemy town, constructing the rest with his own funds.

Due to the lack of costs, the CK Empire became a commercial empire extremely abundant in wealth. Between taxes, mines, and alchemist projects, the empire raised tens of millions of dollars--so much it did not know what to do with it all.

Due to Ironpick II's short reign and lack of foreign wars, not much else is recorded about him. I personally suspect that Ironpick II may not have been a strong ruler. Rather, he let his empire fall into the hands of his associates. Nonetheless, the empire ran efficiently and effectiveley, and is considered one of the best eras for the standard peasant by the CK Empire's standards.

Sir Bruto Cikayson

Lived in Era 27, got 1 heir(s) (Hephaestus) and was a member of ZEON
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Crissxcross, Era 26~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Bruto Cikayson outperformed all of his ancestor's actions, save The Fat himself. As years passed he would engage in several major wars and be far more active, militarily, than the rulers before him.

Although Ironpick II had several children, none of his sons showed that they were capable, or even willing, to assume their father's position. The remaining lords and generals of the CK Empire decided to return the throne to its original bloodline, so they traced the family lenage back a distance. Celendrum had three children in all. Tantulii had died, but his other two children--a son and a daughter, twins--lived on and had families of their own.

It was Celendrum's younger daughter, Lanlulii, that the people decided to look at. Although unmarried, Lanluii bore several children. She had fallen in love with a low-class, crudg city dwarf when she was barely 13 years old. By 17 years of age she had given birth to her first child, Bruto. It was Bruto who would be been chosen to lead the empire.

Because Lanlulii was a human-elf bybrid and Bruto's father was a dwarf, the end result was a very multiracial child. Bruto was a very tall child, but he stopped growing much sooner than his peers around him. He was a bit taller than a regular dwarf, but shorter than a human. He had long ears and crystal-blue eyes like an elf, but a great red beard like a dwarf.

However, Bruto decided to adapt the dwarven style of life. Lanlulii was a good mother, but a rather uninteresting one in Bruto's eyes. Instead, he took after his father and learned how to wield an axe and a pickhammer, as well as how to hold his ale.

But as time passed and Bruto grew older, he became more aware of his surroundings in Stone Glade. When Lanlulii forced him to study his family history he truly realized that he had "superior" blood in him. He was above the crudeness of the city dwarves--including his father. So as the years crept by and Bruto passed in adulthood, he began to disrespect his father and the way of life of the city dwarves. By age 20 he would have nothing to do with his father or the ways of the dwarvish ghettoes, and began to claim he'd never truly felt at home among such a peasant squabble.

Bruto had always enjoyed a fistfight or wrestle with his dwarven peers or with his father as a child, but as he aged he decided to outdo them and enlisted in Ironpick II's army. Due to his nobility status he was given a command position and was taught by Ironpick's best generals. Here he learned how to shout and give orders and how to think the strategy of a battle.

Bruto was present at Ironpick II's one and only battle as the leading commander. The battle was as much for practice as anything else; Bruto's men outnumbered the enemy's garrison by many times. But it was here where Bruto killed his first enemy soldier and led his troops to victory.

When it was obvious no enemies existed for miles, Bruto returned to Stone Glade to discover his mother Lanlulii hearbroken. Her husband had ran away, back into the the slums of the city. Perhaps he too had come to abhor the lifestyle of the wealthy and the supposed divine right of the nobility. When Bruto heard this, he gathered some men and marched into his father's favorite taverne. The sight of fifteen imperial troops upset many of the city dwarves; as usual a deal of tension existed between the guard and the poor. But Bruto and his men managed to track his father down and returned him to the palace by force.

He gave his father two options. One was to stay by Lanlulii's side and never to return to the slums again, living the life of nobility. The second was to enlist in the army and make a "true man" out of him. His father decided to stay in the palace, and stayed by Lanlulii's side for the rest of their time in Nirvana.

Sir Ironpick II saw Bruto's ability to lead and made him governor his empire's largest city. There Bruto acted as judge, defense, and lord of the city, reserving ultimate power to himself. He learned how to wield a pen just as he knew how to wield a sword.

But Bruto grew proud of himself and his accomplishments and began to challenge Ironpick II's authority over the city by adjusting city tax rates to build himself a larger manor. Ironpick marched 5000 troops into the city to reassert his authority. Although Bruto, with a garrison of 3500 men, might have been able to defeat the army, he swallowed his pride and let the imperial troops in without disturbance.

Ironpick II relieved Bruto of his garrison and limited his infleunce over the city. He also created a council to keep Bruto's power in check; if enough of the council were dissatisfied, Bruto would be forced to resign. In essence, he became a figurehead governor, which dissatisfied him greatly.

For years he itched for a second chance. After fleeing Nirvana from Armageddon, Ironpick II died of old age, and the throne became open. Burto was not the only candidate for the position. He was not the best governor, nor the best general. But he had shown potential and bore a bloodline to The Fat, and as good of a choice as any other.

Finally, Bruto and forty-nine of his imperial soldiers, along with a thousand refugees, settled in Fantasia to endure another era.

His reign began fairly smoothly. To the east was the kingdom Abydos while Music lay to the West. Predators and Jesters began to the south. However, it did not take long for hostilities to break out. Almost immediately Predators was attacked in full force by Jesters. Bruto took part in the battle by leading his men to capture an armory city, which he later converted into a thriving metropolis as war located to more distant lands.

It did not take many years to discover that Legacy lay to the east. Scouts had reported fairly large Legacy armies approaching... but... they were not attacking. Why? Soon it was discovered that Legacy itself, the most powerful and feared empire of Fantasia, was under attack by a myriad of enemies, including the Phi Empire. Abydos joined in the fight, as well as a few Zeon armies. Together the triple forces drove the Legacians farther and farther east until the empire was crippled, holding together in a narrow region protected by one last powerful city. Phi continued the assault, but they could not break the swords and spirits of the Legacy defenders, and any army sent to siege the town was destroyed or forced to retreat.

Meanwhile, Abydos and Jester destroyed Music, only to meet with a new threat. Carnage, a massive and strong empire to the north, began an assault into the Jester core, and thus jeapardizing Abydos and Zeon cities. Carnage broke in and caused great damage, but eventually were driven back and the war turned into a stalemate along the western front. However, a sneak attack across the river endangered many Zeon cities, an army consisting largely of Nazgul and veteran warriors. In time, it too was crushed.

Now began a new stage of the war--the offensive. While Abydos occupied Carnage to the west, Zeon began massing large armies to the north along exposed Carnage cities. For several years each king within Zeon trained great armies and set a date and time for the attack.

At first the assault was a success. Surprised and stunned at the attack, city after city fell to Zeon armies. Bruto himself took up the sword and commanded a corp known as the mighty Legion I. But as time progressed, Zeon kings began to discover they themselves had been the ones to make the grave mistake. The mighty army that had marched out to assault Carnage broke up into smaller ones to capture more cities. But Carnage had its own massive armies heading to defend and reclaim lost lands, and one by one intercepted and mercilessly slaughtered each Zeon force within the vicinity.

Bruto was little exception. Legion I, the pride of his kingdom, was attacked and destroyed. The Carnage numbers were too great and too fierce, and there were no cities nearby to retreat to. Every single soldier and commander alike fell to the sword, axe, bow, and spell cast by the enemy, and none survived. Luckily, Bruto had brought several of his best mages along, mages skilled in teleportation. But the distance they needed to send him took an incredible amount of energy, more than they were capable of using and living through. So the mages, in honor of their king, came together and cast the spell to save Bruto, to collapse in exhaustion and fall to the enemy themselves.

All of Zeon formed a retreat and hastily scrambled back to defend. Carnage won back all their lands, their casualties small compared to those of Zeon. Militarily, the assault was a complete failure. Not only that, but the lack of troops opened the doors for a possible Carnage invasion, and all the rulers of Zeon hastily scrambled together a defending army, which was capable of keeping Carnage armies from breaking into the Zeon core.

Some time later when the fields had settled down and the stalemate between Abydos and Carnage continued, the kings of Zeon gathered troops and began a new offensive. Instead of attacking Carnage, Zeon armies traveled north to assault Carnage's ally, Peacekeepers. Peacekeepers, a smaller and weaker kingdom, gradually fell to the invading Zeon forces, but were able to push back and reclaim many vital urban centers in counteroffensives. When Carnage armies entered the scene, the Zeon armies gave way to stronger forces, and after many battles and sieges, the Zeon offensive ended in failure. However, the damage had been dealt to Peacekeepers, leaving them to rebuilding, and thus less of a threat. Bruto took no part in the invasion, due to another concern, this time far to the east...

The largest threat to the kingdom was yet to come. Legacy, which had been caged up for many years far to the east, broke out in a daring and stunning counteroffensive. Hidden armies of millions of elite troops stormed out and captured Phi, Zeon, MAD, and Abydos towns in the area. Bruto had ordered the construction of two major mining cities south of the region, which proved to be a mistake. Although each of the cities was defended by thousands of hammerthrowers, they were lightly defended compared to the Legacian forces marching south, bent on veangance.

One city, named Sediment, was captured after a hopeless battle. But the other city, Igneous, suffered no fate. Defended by three times the men of the first city, Legacian armies that began siegeing the city lacked the power to penetrate the walls, and were unable to capture it. Eventually MAD forces pushed Legacy out of the region, putting the front back up north.

Bruto's also set up three more cities closer to the front. One was an armory. The other ones were a city full of magic towers, and the other a supply depot where alchemists could practice their art and turn worthless material into gold. Crust trained several hundred thousand axemen, hammerthrowers, and runemasters. As Legacian forces swarmed and claimed all other cities nearby, Crust's defenses held strong, able to sally forth and crush any invading troops. The other two colonies were lost, however.

In time Zeon, Phi, and MAD armies pushed Legacy back, but not into their old caged-in lands. Troops from Crust participated in several battles, some victorious, some embarassingly failed.

In these late years, the skies began to darken, a familiar and dreaded sign. Armageddon would soon be upon the world... but strangely enough, not by man's doing. None had ever even attempted casting the sinister spell. Rather, the angry gods of the skies and earth took the action, and began spreading the black clouds of death.

Bruto decided to do what many of his ancestors had done and evacuated his cities, displacing his hundreds of thousands of citizens. They marched south until they were safe, and lives out their lives in peace and quiet.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Bruto Cikayson. Bruto, in his middle years, married a particularly interesting woman, a troll to be precise. Despite his peers and his subjects dissings, he loved her and together they had several children who would live on... but in blood.

Sir Hephaestus

Lived in Era 28, got 1 heir(s) (Lacewing) and was a member of Carnage
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Dark Orion, Era 28~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Bruto Cikayson had several children, but fate would not be kind to his family. The oldest child was a strong son, but he died from disease at age seven. The next child was also a son, but he died several months before his brother after falling from a horse and breaking his neck. Bruto's third child was a daughter, born a year after his first son's death. However, she was an unhealthy child, and contracted an illness that left her scarred. Worse, it damaged her brain. For fear of his citizens seeing her, he kept her out of public sight.

Bruto despaire. If he did not have a son who lived to inherit the throne, his bloodline would end.

But fate was kinder to his last child, a young boy born four years after his oldest son's death. And just in time, too--several months after his third son' birth his wife grew past the childbearing age. This son was named original called Grakel.

Bruto took every precaution to keep Grakel safe. He forbid him to ride horses or participate in battle, and hired the finest doctors to tend to him should he fall sick. However, he feared he would raise a "soft" son, one unfit for ruling a kingdom. In secret he began to visit concubines, in hope of fathering more children should he, if utterly necessary, renounce his son's heir status.

But luckily it never came to that. Although Grakel did not grow tall and muscular, his mind was keen, and his fingers nimble. When he was nine years old he traveled down to the royal armory where weapons and armor were quickly being produced in the efforts against Carnage and Legacy. Hephaestus watched the smiths work and began to practice the craft on his own, beginning with simple swords and daggers. But as he grew older his skill improved and he became a master smith.

In addition to practicing the craft, Grakel also sought books and smiths from foreign lands to teach him new ways, and learned how to better heat the metal to remove impurities and mix charcoal to form stronger steel. Although this was not the type of son Bruto had originally hoped for, he was proud of him and gave him the nickname Hephaestus after an old god of the forge.

When Fantasia was destroyed, Hephaestus fled to the south with the rest of his subjects. There he took temporary shelter until he could return to begin his kingdom anew.

Bruto died of old age when Hephaestus was twenty-seven, leaving him as the heir to the throne of the CK Empire. Much happened in the years followng his death. Since Celendrum Cikayson had begged for admittance to The One and Only the CK Empire had stayed faithful to Zeon. But Hephaestus had befriended the sons of his old enemies and grew close to them, so when the fires of Fantasia cooled and settlers returned, he would fight in Carnage's name instead.

In this time, Hephaestus also began to see something in his sister that his mother had not. His scarred sister, named Selyica, had a talent with magic. While Selyica made little sense when she spoke, she could perform spells and rituals flawlessly.

One day he heard her muttering strange omens about ice raining down upon the sky, although it was a sweltering day in summer. At first he paid no attention, but later in the afternoon it began to hail. Only then did he begin to suspect his poor sister possessed the gift of foresight.

Feeling ashamed for his father's treatment of her, as well as his own, Hephaestus was determined to bring her out of the shadows. He publicly announced her existance to his people, but still he feared if his subjects saw her bodily state they would give no respect, so he began to forge a mask for her to wear out of gleaming blue silver. Once he finished with the mask, however, his head was running full of ideas and his fingers itching for more, so he proceeded to forge an entire suit of armor for her to wear, made of solid silver and embedded with arcane gems to attract the essence of magic.

When the armor was finished, he had Selyica wear it and ride on a carriage through the encampment. Stories say that the armor shined like the moon as if she were a goddess, and legends began to grow that she was not a mere mortal but a goddess, or some automaton of immense beauty. Such was Hephaestus's skill with metal.

Eventually the world of Fantasia settled and the trees grew back, and Hephaestus and his remaining followers traveled with other Carnage kings and lords. However, when Selyica fell sick, he waited several weeks to nurse her back, and thus settled late compard to his companions.

Hephaestus' peasants were of mixed ethnic origins, but the predominant race were the trolls. Hephaesus selected several trollish noblemen to be his advisors and began his kingdom with the city Ul'Gargrhub, meaning "valley" in orcish.

Almost immediately the kings of Carnage began to discover their neighbors... and the scouts' reports were not good. The powerful Legacian Empire and its close ally Dark Blood lay just to the north, and almost immediately war began when small armies began marauding bordering towns and farmlands. Only Peacekeepers came to Carnage's assistance, but the young kingdom quickly crumbled to its Dark Blood invaders.

Hephaestus played only a small part in this war due to his belated start, but still he mustered up several thousand hobgoblinds and some warlords to fight. His men assisted other Carnage kings inside cities and in combined armies to prevent the Legacians from making any progress.

The war did not fare well for either Carnage nor Legacy and her ally. While troops died by the dozens, no land could be gained on either side. As other kingdoms to the north were quicky building up their own cities, the warring kingdoms to the south could not expand due to the constant face of war. It seemed that in time, Legacy would prevail, but good news arrived for Hephaestus and his peers. At long last, the leaders of Carnage and Legacy came together and agreed to settle their disputes, in order to have any hopes of surviving against the great kingdoms to the north, just as the strongest kingdom, Nemesis, began to launch an invasion against Legacy.

Throughout the conflict Hephaestus only lost one small city-fort, which was given back, as the original boundaries of the kingdoms were restored.

With the dust settled and the blood seeped away into the earth, Hephaestus and the Carnagian Empire began to rebuild. A small convoy that had been sent to build new Carnagian cities far to the southeast sprung up many new homes and mines, and prosperity was grea. But peace did not last long.

Carnage launched an offensive campaign against its neighbors to the north. Small kingdoms were quickly swept aside, such as the Lunar Wolves, and the empire expanded as city after city was captured and added in.

But not all kingdoms were as weak or as foolish as the Lunar Wolves. In time Carnage's conquests brought troops to the gates of the mighty kingdoms of Music and the Brotherhood of Wolves, and unlike the lesser kingdoms, cities were not captured easily.

Hephaestus captured one small city, The City of Pas, and quickly converted it into a military fort, training thousands of fierce warlords and mystical mages, as well as incredibly vicious and uncontrollable berserkers, crazed trolls with no other thoughts than to shed the enemy's blood. Hephaestus sent is men north to aid his allies, but he was unable to capture land for his own personal kingdom.

Initially, the Brotherhood and Music slowly fell, slowly but surely. But when the enemy kingdoms brought together there troops, they were nearly able to withstand the might of the Carnagian generals and troops. Only with hundreds of thousands of men working together in a single battle could any progress be made on either side. It seemed stalemate was imminent.

During these wars Hephaestus engaged in an adventure like none other in his family. Due to his deformed shape, he found love hard to come by, until he met a woman at a great ball. However, he did now know her name, and traveled to Prince Corothius's palace to find her. Upon discovering his love was the daughter of one of his servants, he set off again to find the lord who had bought her.

Once make on the throne, Hephaestus returned to his affairs. Due to the stalemate, Carnage's conquests were not faring well. To make matters worse, news began to spread that the powerful sourcerer Mcikan from the Zeonic Empire was casting the great spell of death... the spell that would end the world. And then came reports of massive Zeon armies arching to Carnage's eastern core in full force. After suffering civil war, the Zeonic Empire was invading with a veangance.

In time the Brotherhood of Wolves and Music crumbled and fell under Carnage's continuous onslaught, but new problems were marching to Carnage's door. Zeon, who had prepared for a full-scale invasion for years, finally burst through Carnage forts and swept down into the homelands. But the armies of Love and Onuris seemed hesitant to hold any particular city, dodging about, capturing only one city at a time and leaving but a small garrison behind. Hephaestus lost one major city in the invasions, but a good ally liberated it back.

When Legacy and Dark Blood seemed all but destroyed, Nemesis finally broke it's ceasefire with Zeon and began its own invasion. Zeon fell quickly, but there was no time for utter defeat, for the clouds of armageddon rolled again.

Hephaestus evacuate his armies and peasants out of Fantasia with his wife and sister. What happened next remains ambiguous as the texts tell the story in passing, but it seems Hephaestus died of cancer a few short years after fleeing from armageddon. But he bore a daughter with his wife by the name Lacewing, who would continue on the legacy of the CK Empire.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Hephaestus Cikayson. After his passing, his daughter, raised by the widow left behind, learned of one of the most feared and dangerous people of the CK Empire, a certain Lady Tantulii from eras back, and began a campaign to be the strongest ruler of the CK dynasty yet.

Duchess Lacewing

Lived in Era 29, got 1 heir(s) (Luta Mor) and was a member of Carnage
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Asystole, Era 29~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Hephaestus and his newfound wife bore a child in their later years of life. To Hephaestus's relief, the young girl was not plagued by disformity or scars as he had always been. Instead, she was young and pure, and neither Hephaestus nor his wife could have wished for any greater luck. She even crawled and walked at an age extraordinary for a child her age and could never seem to stay still, so the parents named her Lacewing.

Sir Hephaestus took Lacewing outside the palace to explore frequently. The young girl quickly took notice to the wonders of nature and the animals that inhabited it. She loved to watch the butterflies and bees in the gardens or the deer tread quietly in the forests. Before she could even speak her first words, she could imitate animal calls nearly flawlessly.

But the king also took her to the libraries and showed his daughter the tapestries and illustrations in the volumes of books within his libraries. He told her all the stories he knew and shared with her the family history from the original The Fat to his bastard son Celendrum and beyond. Lacewing quickly learned how to speak, and almost immediately afterward how to read.

Hephaestus had experienced no joy or love greater than that which he gave and recieved from his young daughter. But we all know just as well today as then that life doesn't last forever. Hephaestus's tough years caught up with him, and he began to steadily decline in health. Lacewing did not leave the palace without him, attending to her beloved father every minute. At times it seemed as though Hephaestus would recover, and the two would take short journeys away, but it did not last.

He tried to explain to her what death was. He tried to tell her that everything must come to an end, that swords dull over time and people die. But Lacewing did not understand at first, not until the unspeakable happened to her father. On one summer evening Hephaestus drew his last breath and died.

After Hephaestus's death, his precious wife withdrew into mourning. Lacewing was lost without her father, and she had no mother to back her up. She too stayed in the dark chambers of the palace and hid in the shadows. She asked the eternal question, Why?, but never heard an answer. To he, her father's death was also her own, and every hour of every day her mind was dark and empty, and ever so alone. She lived on her memories of her young years, replaying them in her head. But all they ever brought her was pain.

She grew thin and pale, and no one would see her for days. Hephaestus's advisors ran the kingdom the best they could, but it was apparent an heir was needed, and soon.
So they came up with a plan to coax Lacewing out into the sunlight and back into the world. The guards captured a butterfly and let it fly free through the palace.

Lacewing would never have noticed the butterfly if it hadn't landed on the back of her neck, her head tucked between her legs. She slowly looked up and saw the small glimmer of happy memories, flying ever so happily... And though the butterfly was a bitter mockery of her loss, she couldn't help but follow it as it fluttered outside.

The butterfly led her to the palace gates and rested on the door handle as if waiting for her to open it and let the insect free. Lacewing reached out her hand and was ready to pull, and let the world outside back into her life. Inchs away, seconds away from that which would change her life forever.

But she did not free the butterfly. At the needlepoint of her mind, on the very tip of the balance of fate, something compelled her to commit another action instead. Some bitter memory, some pent-up frustration, some tear running down her cheek. She snatched the butterfly in her hand and pressed her fingers down upon her palm, crushing the gentle omen of hope and recovery, and let the juices rub against her hand. This is how history is made, the smallest things at the most crucial times.

Still, the advisors' plan did not fail. The butterfly's insides smeared across her hand, she open the door and slowly slipped outside to meet the world once more.

Sadly, the ancient texts do not speak much of Lacewing's later childhood, but I have compiled a version of her story based on various legends in other texts.

Lacewing slipped quietly onto the city streets. None recognized her dirty form, taking her as just another child wandering the streets. Keeping descrete, she traveled around the city through streets and alleys, sleeping in dark corners. She stole food from tavernes when the bermen and barmaids were not looking.

In one intance she stole several pint of ale and drank them quickly, as she saw the men do. But after waking up the next morning with her head throbbing, Lacewing learned to abhor the stuff and drank no more alcohol.

In another instance in the city she witnessed a man being dragged into an alley and beaten. Hidden, she watched as as five strong men beat him to death and stole his money. When the five strong men scattered, she crept over to the body and gazed at its bruised, scarred, lifeless state. She did not cry or weep. She was not anguished or afraid. Instead, she bent down and let her hand run over the man's wounds, feeling the warm blood on her fingers. When Hephaestus's royal guards arrived, she ran away from them, escaping from their pursuit.

At some point in time she left the city and began to explore outside. The knowledge that she had kept hidden since her father's death began to re-emerge, the stories of the wilderness and how to find food and shelter. She learned how to track wild animals and kill them and to forage for wild vegetables and berries.

But she also began to track humans. She noticed how bands of rouges would wander the countryside, usually food and bags of treasure at their side. She tracked these bandits and stole their loot, not because she wanted it, but to prove she could as some form of dominance.

In one encounter, Lacewing was caught by a bandit. He tried to force her to the ground and began to undress her, but Lacewing stoically drew a hunting knife into the man's heart and watched him bleed to death. When the other bandits found the body, she hid in a tree and shot them down with arrows.

The stories do not tell how long Lacewing spent away from the city, or exactly what happend during her absence. But sometime in her late teen years, she returned to palace and daringly claimed her rightful place. At first the palace guards did not admit inside the palace, assuming her to be another impoverished street girl. It wasn't until Hephaestus's closest friends came and saw who Lacewing was, despite her changes in age and body.

Within days memories came flooding back into Lacewing's mind. Everything Hephaestus taught he came back to her, all the history, strategy, mathematics, and science. Within a week she had promoted a vast series of kingdom-wide reforms, including a mandatory draft for both men and women. She increased the number of guards in the capital and ever outlying providence tenfold. She replaced local governments with appointed governors, figures she knew would obeyher every order. She raised taxes to an unprecedented amount, using threat of force to prevent rebellion.

Ruling with an iron first, Lacewing began a new age for the kingdom. Her reforms increased employment and economically helped the CK Empire, but for all the suffering and hardships her subjects endured many thought it did not matter. She quickly became a despised ruler... despised enough for a few bold souls to take action.

On one scheduled patrol around the city streets, several young men decided to try and become heroes. Over the course of a month they plotted an assassinatin to abruptly end her reign. They hid in the dark windows lining the streets, waiting for the queen's coach to pass by. As soon as they saw the queen, all the young men brought out crossbows and simultaneously fired at her.

Pierced by many arrows, the woman riding on the coach fell to the ground, quickly dying. But Lacewing was not the woman riding on the coach. Her spies had relayed Lacewing the details of the operation since the would-be-assasins first came together, and on this day Lacewing had ordered a decoy to ride the coach. She had crept into one of the towers hours ago in wait for the assassins, and after they shot the decoy she emerged from the shadows and sunk daggers into their necks. She then picked up a crossbow and fired at one of the assassins across the street, slaying him as well.

Lacewing then met up at a field hospital where the decoy's body was laid out. She stripped the corpse of its bloodstained clothes and put them on herself. After half an hour she re-emerged from the field hospital and back into public view. Many citizens feared she was immortal or protected by a strong magic, which was her plan all along, a plan that had let the innocent decoy die for her own benefit and deceptions.

When Lacewing returned to the world of Fantasia, she quickly began to build an empire to match the size of her fathers'. She studied and practiced the art of war with her fierce nazgul riders, all her warriors raised to be killers from birth. When Carnage first marched against Zeon, Lacewing herself led the first army and fought with her troops, riding the largest and most ferocious nazgul in her royal stables. In battle she was ruthless, and ordered that no prisoners should be taken. If a soldier fell, it was his or her own fault for being too slow. This applied to the enemy as well.

But when victories began to pile up and Zeon began to crumble, Lacewing returned from the battlefield to her capital city, Lacewing City. Whether or not victory on the field had grown old is unknown, but at some point she decided to give up her warrior lifestyle and become a politician. She learned how to be a proper lady and began attending councils instead of sending diplomats. It was not long before her ability to conquer through words became as great as her ability to conquer through battle.

She also learned how to incorporate the two. Quite frequently one of her more poweful advisors mysteriously vanished, or happened to fall out of tall towers. Others, quite plainly, ended up with a dagger in their throats, delivered by the Lady herself and in full public view.

When Zeon fell, Lacewing and her Carnage peers ordered armies north to the kingdom known as Predators. Lacewing returned to the battlefield to lead armies of several thousand nazguls, quickly marching to enemy towns and capturing or razing them. Any enemy peasant became a slave of the state, forced to work in mines or lumbermills until their deaths.

But no matter how many victories Lacewing celebrated, she was never content. She always tried to train her troops better, hold more power over her kingdom, and keep her empire running quicky and efficiently. Her kingdom grew just as large as her father's had been, and many times stronger in sheer military strength. But never was it enough.

She could not understand. She had everything her father had and much which her father only dreamed of. Yet still she felt empty, as if some vital piece of her were missing. Ever feat only seemed to make the emptiness greater and more painful.

Eventually Predators fell and Lacewing returned to her capital, preparing for another invasion. The years had passed; she was no longer a young woman. Wrinkles began to appear on her face, her years of war taking their toll on her body. It was only when she returned in a time of peace did she understand what it was she did not possess yet craved so deeply: love. No feat, victory, or accomplishment would ever earn her love. Respect, power, yes. But not love.

And her years were slipping away. She was not a virgin; she had laid with many men over her lifetime, but she had never even pondered the idea of marriage or a lasting love. It was now when she began to ease up her iron command on her empire and tried to make amends to those she had caused harm to.

At last she found a husband, a younger prince from a distant empire. They married quickly and in secret. Within twelve months Lacewing bore twins, and just in time.

When armageddon drew near, Lacewing ordered the evacuation of her cities. From then on, she lived in relative obscurity with her husband and two sons. Whether Lacewing ever truly found happiness still remains unknown, but regardless she grew up to forge an iron empire worthy of her predecessors.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Lady Lacewing. It would be her twins who would carry on the throne, this time in a manner the empire had not seen since the days of Celendrum Cikayson: a republic one again. But this time Fantasia would prove particularly harsh and be one of the most bitter struggles in the kingdom's history.

Duke Luta Mor

Lived in Era 30, got 1 heir(s) (Ulgrin The Bastard) and was a member of Carnage
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Lenard, Era 30~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE RULERS AND THEIR MEN:

Lacewing and her husband dissapeared into obscurity. Once she bore her twins, she gave them away, perhaps in fear that her lifestyle would only make them evil, bitter children. It seems most likely that she just wanted them to be happy, to live a life free from the pain and suffering she had endured as a child. Therefore, right before her departer she found a young halfling couple who lived in a remote hill-town miles away from war and bloodshed.

Halflings, in legends at least, were commonly known to be the happiest race. They were not strong like orcs or trolls, not wise and magical like the elves, or cunning like humans and dwarves. But they were a strong and spirited people who did not let the toils of war destroy their minds... only their bodies. Halflings could be trusted. Halflings could take you away from your troubles and plant a smile on your face, no matter how grim and depressing life seemed.

The halfling couple were rejoiced, for the halfling woman was barren, yet both she and her husband still loved each other very much. Lacewing had not even named them yet, so the adopted parents gave the twins names of a Halfling origin--Luta Mor for the male child and Lusa Mor for the female.

They raised Luta and Lusa in a traditional halfling fashion, living in a small house under a hill. But Luta and Lusa quickly grew as tall as their parents and continued to shoot up, until navigating through the home because a difficult and head-bumpingly-pain experience. Because of this, a committee of friendly halflings constructed a full-size house for the two human children to live in by the time the two were nine years old.

The twins became more than just citizens. The humans fascinated the halflings. Halfling parents thought them to be intelligent and wise, and halfling children loved playing with the two seemingly giants. Not a soul in the gossipy town did not know their name.

Luta and Lusa lived their childhood peacefully. As per Lacewing's requested, their parents urged them to venture into politics, beginning with the town's very own Elder Council. The Elder Council was a meeting of twenty-five local halflings, each member chosen by the general population in a democratic manner. Although Luta and Lusa were many years younger than most other members, they were elected to the council as soon as they applied.

Luta was smart and crafty and Lusa was kind and compassionate, but despite their differences their voices were always one. Luta and Lusa were extremely like in mind. They always sat next to each other and shared their ideas before publicly announcing them.

The two remained in the town until they reached the age of twenty-five when another message was delivered from their mother. Up until now, Luta and Lusa had not been told who their mother was or that they had noble blood running through their veins. Shocked, the two read the letter as it explained who they were.

But more shocking was what the letter said next. Lacewing told the two to return to the survivors of the CK Empire and claim Luta's spot as king and Lusa's position as queen. At first Luta was resistant. Why travel to a strange world with strange people for the sake of a person they had never met before? But Lusa, the more sympathetic of the two, convinced him that it was their responsibility, not just a gift.

The last part of the letter spoke of an orc named Jul Karoth who had been one of Lacewing's youngest and best generals. Jul Karoth was to meet Lacewing's twins halfway to the blackened world of Fantasia in a historic city: Blue Harbor, the city where Celendrum Cikayson, the second ruler of the CK Empire, had been taught nearly two hundred years ago.

The halflings of the town erected a statue of the two before the twins began their long journey. Made out of solid marble, it quickly became the town's central landmark and attracted other artists. (The statues were actually uncovered twenty years ago in the ruins of an old halfling town, although scholars debate whether it is genuine or a replica, or perhaps completely unrelated to the CK Empire's past.

They halflings, in their long and dangerous journey, traveled across a thousand miles of forests and mountains, through hostile war-torn lands. Tribes raided tribes, cities marched against cities, and empires clashed with empires. Luta and Lusa saw the aftermath of war for the first time and realized it was nothing like what the halflings thought it as. What glory was there to men, women, children, and beasts lying in a field, ravens picking apart their bodies? Or of the hundreds of the thousands of peasants whose homes had been razed to the ground? And all for what? For one side's greed.

In these solemn days, Luta and Lusa swore to never become like the cruel lords who invaded their neighbors, let them rebuild, only to return a decade later. They vowed to never cause more war than what was needed.

At long last, Lacewing's twins reached Blue Harbor. The city had changed little since centuries ago when Celendrum Cikayson had visited its libraries and learned of the knowledge within. A bustling commercial port, the city remained a symbol of cultural mix. They discovered the city’s streets just as Celendrum had, through its sights, smells, tastes. But most importantly through its people, a mixture of all the races.

Luta and Lusa did not spend as long as they would have liked, however. They were quickly summoned to the consul, the area where the patrician met with the city’s senators. There they met Jul Karoth. **Author’s note: I feel obligated to mention that the name of Lacewing’s favorite general varies between stories. Some account describe him as being a timid orc, but a quick thinker. More commonly, however, he is portrayed as a large, strong orc like the warriors of old. But for the sake of interpretation I have decided to go with the lesser-known account, as orcish history is often littered with fable.**

Jul Karoth welcomed the twins inside the palace where official matters took place. He showed how the city’s republic worked, how each portion of the city, each race and class, elected a senator to speak for them, but when it came to military affairs power was left up to the patrician. Luta and Lusa watched as business was conducted. Undoubtedly the two were already forming ideas in their heads. But Jul Karoth did not want the twins to become “idealistic fools.”

The next day he showed them a different ordeal, a debate between merchants and peasantry regarding taxes. Here the city was evenly divided on the issue, and for all the civilized actions of the senators, the meeting was little more than a squabble, wasting a full day of time. And in the end there came no resolution, no progress. This, Jul Karoth explained, was the down side to a republic.

Jul Karoth was careful to explain one more aspect of city ordinance to Luta and Lusa. Originally, the two believed that only a small standing army was needed for any city’s protection. Buta Jul Karoth explained differently. Blue Harbor had nearly been sacked twice since Celendrum had visited. Both times the invaders were repelled by the city’s Imperial Legions, an army of two hundred thousand elite soldiers. Only with a sharp sword could a republic survive. A city always needed more troops that what was required to man the walls. A city must be able to return with vengeance. Peace was won only through fear.

There seems to be a large gap in the story. I believe Luta and Lusa would have stayed in the city for a number of years and learn how to run a government, or how to set one up so it ran itself. But the ancient manuscripts have no mention of this time. Instead, the stories advance five years into the future.

Luta and Lusa, at long last, returned to the world of Fantasia to claim their rightful positions as heirs of the CK Empire. With a band of one thousand workers and fifty farmer militia, the two ordered the first city of their regime to be built, named Luta Lusa City. They immediately drew up a set of documents outlining how the government was to be run: a republic, just as in the days of old.

Soon the twins met with diplomats from the Carnagian Empire. As their mother before them, the twins devoted their support for the kingdom of Carnage. In the first few years of the CK Empire’s rebirth, Luta and Lusa focused on keeping their citizens happy and constantly expanding with farms and mines. But it did not take long for the lords of Carnage to meet a familiar foe, the religiously zealous kingdom of Zeon. Luta immediately dispatched thousands of pony riders to defend key cities, but watched in dismay when Carnage attempted to move on the offensive. Three times was one of Carnage’s main merges repelled. In Luta’s eyes, thousands had died to no avail whatsoever.

But he recognized the threat of supporting his kingdom with troops. Lusa reluctantly agreed, and together the two ordered the construction of two forts. Together the barracks within the cities armed and trained adventurers and illusionists by the hundreds of thousands, eager young men and women Halflings to march out and defend with honor. And if necessary, to die with honor.

This is how it went for decades. The threat of war was always looming to the east, and the potential of invasion from the kingdoms of Phi and Abydos from the north. Hundreds of thousands of troops marched to key castles and forts, only to sit in idle service for years upon years, when they could clearly see the enemy’s banners across the valley. No war, no glory, save the occasional battle. No adventure.

It is commonly said great times make great leaders. It is incorrect to state Luta and Lusa did not face any challenges or difficulties in running their empire. But year after year, little ever changed in the common folks’ eyes. What Luta and Lusa did or even how they felt was never recorded. Halflings loved great stories, and to them their lives were simply stale and unexciting, so they simply did not write down or tell stories of the twins’ reign.

Luta and Lusa may have been great rulers, or perhaps negligent. Perhaps they were wise, or too optimistic to see life as it truly was. Though it is almost certain they did not do anything evil or cruel, or such actions would have been remembered. So as the years passed, the two simply began to grow old.

In time, Luta and Lusa both married. Luta bore four children with his wife, two sons and two daughters. Lusa gave birth to one son, and then many years later she gave birth to identical triplets girls. Only then did Luta and Lusa begin to seperate, living in different chambers of the imperial palace and meeting only when business calld for it and the occasional summer retreat.

Near the end of their reign came one final noteable event. As the clouds of Armageddn approached from the north, Zeon launched its final counterattack against the Carnage empire, sending over five million troops to attack a crucial fort. With this hour of fate upon them, the citizens and soldiers of Luta and Lusa's kingdom came together to drive off the enemy's millions of invaders preparing to lay siege.

Led by Mr. Architect, the Carnage empires arched against the invaders. The battle took several days with inconclusive results, but finally the battle was won. Over fifty thousand halfling adventurers, illusionists, and pony riders perished and another fifty thousand more injured or dying--shallow compared to the two million bodies left on the field after the epic clash.

The halflings were quick to immortalize the battle in legend, commemorating the fallen with poems and songs. Feasts raged on for days, for soon the populaton would need to abandon Fantasia or perish in the clouds of doom. The two now-old twins ordered for their populations to abandon their homes, for not it was time to leave Fantasia once more.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Luta and Lusa Mor. Both died peacefully in old age. It would be Luta's firstborn son who would take up the empire many years later, a decision that would prove to become a grave mistake when internal issues, as well as external, would gnaw the once-peaceful CK Empire away from the inside.

Duke Ulgrin The Bastard

Lived in Era 31, got 1 heir(s) (Jerall The Shortbeard) and was a member of Carnage
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Lenard, Era 30~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Ulgrin is a most notable figure in the CK Empire, a man of contrasting ideals. He was commonly known as The Bastard, (though by technical terms, this is not true: he was known by both his mother and father) but the title held also a significant level of informal respect and even an unrealized show of love. Though a shadowy man, he was renowned for his insights on life in his poetry and books.

The CK Empire had traditionally been a rather small one with only a few children per generation. However, the dual rule of both Luta and Lusa, and the factor each bore a number of children, which would later cause significant turmoil.

Luta's oldest son was named Jerall, the firstborn child of the new generation. He was a kind lad and eager to learn about his parents, including their ideas of justice and reigning over a Republic. Even at a young age, his keen insight surprised his caretakers and Luta's advisors. But perhaps caught most people's attention was the radiance of kindness, fairness, and morality Jerall seemed to project. Some legends even speculat Luta had taken Jerall to be blessed by a wizard, for Jerall seemed the perfect son and the perfect heir. Even his body was strong and fair, practically the image of a holy crusading knight.

Ulgrin was born next, five years behind Jerall. Ulgrin seemed the complete opposite. He was extremely pale, an albino. His eyes were a colorless, and as some described, seemingly lifless gray. He did not care for books or manuscripts, or the tutors who desperately tried to teach him. Ulgrin acted rude and selfish in his youth, calling his parents, palace guards, teachers, and caretakers nasty names. He quickly learned how to threaten, blackmail, and frame others. The more respected the person, the more Ulgrin tried to tear them down. Not only in private, but in public, attempting to spread rumors among the palace staff.

But of all those who Ulgrin tried to pester, he was always envious of his older brother whom everyone seemed to think some sort of hero. Yet for all this, Ulgrin never approached his brother or spoke negatvely about him.

Ulgrin was nine when Luta's two sisters were born, born just a year apart from each other. Ulgrin surprised the kingdom by immediately "taking his family under his wings," or so he announced. Whenever he and his sisters went out in public, Ulgrin took it upon himself to silence the crowd--never a difficult task, primarily because his ghostly appearance and commanding voice captivated his audiance--and inform them anyone who spoke negatively of his sister would be "significantly punished."

When his sisters aged, Ulgrin became practically a second father to them. He never missed one of their birthdays or failed to congratulate them for a task well done. But why would Ulgrin do this? the people wondered. Luta, though he tried to be a good father, was far too busy and failed to notice.

Meanwhile, Lusa was rearing children of her own. She gave birth to her son when Ulgrin was two. The son's name was Malrich, a short but energetic boy with fiery red hair and freckled skin. He was always eager to learn, just like his cousin Jerall, though he had considerable difficult when trying to learn math and science. Instead, he enjoyed history, especally the stories of old adventures and heroes. Malrich was a charmer; people thought of him as a noble lord in times past.

Malrich was always eager to travel to his cousins and play. But Jerall was always too busy with work. At first Ulgrin rejected him as another stranger, but Malrich was too dense, or perhaps too perserverant, to notice and returned repeatedly. Then one day Ulgrin changed his mind. He was willing to play certain games, especially those with heroes and monsters. Malrich would play the knight or magician, while Ulgrin took the role of the dragon or other kind of beast. He must have related to the monsters in emotion. perhaps due to his own irregular appearance.

Unlike typical child's games, however, Ulgrin did not grant Malrich the ever-so-traditional happy ending all too common in fairy tales. Ulgrin always made sure the hero's destiny was that of sorrow in their games. No cheering kingdoms for the knight to return to, no beautiful princesses to marry or mountain of gold to claim. Sometimes the hero did not even live past the encounter. Years later Malrich gathered the courage to ask why. This wasn't how the stories went, he told his cousin.

Ulgrin replied with a grim smile and spoke the famous words, "Men's lives are like candles. The brighter we burn or the more heat we release, the faster we burn away. In the end we always end up a puddle of cold melted wax. One may choose to throw this truthaway and pretend to believe in heroic immortaliy, but it is our very flame that will always be our undoing."

Years passed. Jerall quickly rose to a position in the republic's senate, a favored son by a favoring people. Malrich grew up, and though his problems continued with his education, he discovered a talent with economics and began his own series of armories and workshops, as well as a trading convoy to distant lands. Lusa gave birth to her triplet twins, one who studied medicine and healing, another who studied teaching, and the last who studied poetry and art. And Ulgrin's sisters grew up as well and began to part from Ulgrin's constantly watchful eye.

As for Ulgrin himself, he actually seemed to lose the qualities that made others think lowly of him. He grew quiet and reclusive, keeping his activities a mystery to the populace. In time he was nearly forgotten. People assumed Luta had sent him away to a foreign university or had fallen terminally sick. Ulgrin was anything but sick, however. In these teenage years he wrote a majority of his dark poetry and began to take his own education seriously, though selecting knowledge from his own sources.

But then life changed when the clouds of Armageddon began to destroy the world of Fantasia. Soon after leaving Fantasia, Luta died and Lusa contracted an illness that kept her in bed. Though it had never been officially declared, Jerall, the respected son took up his father's position as the patrician of the CK Empire.

But Ulgrin surprised the population. When Luta died, he came to his father's funeral dressed in a black cloak. Few payed attention to him, considering him just another well-wisher for the deceased patrician's soul. But after Jerall spoke a noble speech in tribute to his father, Ulgrin slipped up to the funeral pyre and turned to face the people. The crowd murmured and asked amongst themselves who the strange pale-skinned man was.

At last Ulgrin spoke cryptically, leaning over his father's funeral pyre. "This soul burned brightly, and so it has been consumed. Now let the body follow." With this he lit the funeral pyre. "Goodbye, father."

Shocked and awe-struck, the crowd began to stir. This wasn't the traditional ceremony for the death of a leader. There were no priests to conduct a sacred and lengthy ritual, no chanting to free the soul from the body, no last offerings of jewelry and gold thrown atop the body. Jerall, wide-eyed, stood and watched his brother.

"A new evening approaches," Ulgrin said. "With my hand the moon shall rise and the stars chime." Then he departed from the funeral.

In silence, Jerall, the priests, and the crowd began to remember who the stranger might have been, the strange and forgotten younger brother. Several priests came up to Jerall and whispered in his ear, but Jerall simply stood wide-eyed and dazed. Had his younger brother actually been so brave as dare such a feat?

Life resumed as usual, but the story of how the younger brother bypassed the expected king. Some believed Ulrgin should have been cast into exile. Others viewed Jerall as being weak and unresponsive for letting his brother emerge so unexpectedly. Yet others whispered their quiet admiration. Who would be the new king? Jerall or Ulgrin?

Lusa, who had not been able to attend her brother's funeral due to her own illnesses, died several years after. Jerall remained the favored leader in the scarlet robes, and authority fell upon him when dealing with foreign affairs. But he was not alone. Ulgrin's sisters and Lusa's daughters, after many years, were educated as advisors and took up command of various aspects of the republic. Their individual domains were not directly stated, but time seemed to categorize their influence based on their apparent skills. Only Ulgrin seemed absent from the ruling family. However, this was anything but the case.

Jerall, though a smart and wise ruler, didn't quite have the ability to lead the kingdom when the conflict stemmed not from an invading army but domestic issues, such as famine, plague, and taxes. As troubles began to arise, his confidence in his education began to falter. Over time he began to visit his younger brother Ulgrin for advice. Ulgrin's advice usually led to quick and efficient solutions, though not always the most popular in the common eye.

At some point or other, Jerall began to do very little for the kingdom other than act as the figurehead. In secret, it was Ulgrin who was the ruling mastermind of the empire. Though the official records show Jerall never faltered as king, through long-lost evidence can it be proven Ulgrin was the true king of the CK Empire.

In Fantasia, Ulgrin led his people alongside the trusty kingdom of Carnage. Over the course of the years Carnage fought Abydos, Phi, and the once-trusted kingdom of Dark Blood. Although no official relations were ever forged with Legacy, the kingdoms remained at peace.

Carnage had declared Dark Blood as a neutral kingdom. However, tensions began to mount--Dark Blood sought an alliance but Carnage would not grant such. Information leaked that Dark Blood may be Carnage's next target, so the kings of Dark Blood assaulted Carnage cities without an official declaration of war. One of Ulgrin's were among the first cities to fall, but in time it was liberated. Split between two enemy kingdoms, Carnage fought both Abydos and Dark Blood on two fronts as Legacy swiftly killed Phi and an old kingdom known as LDK.

Progress war slow; Carnage was outnumbered on both fronts. Abydos successfully reclaimed lost territories, and Dark Blood seemed capable of marching in a southern onslaught. However, due to Abydos and Dark Blood's distractions, Carnage was able to maintain a stalemate--and even turn the tides of war against Dark Blood with the help of long-time allied Peacekeepers.

Throughout these campaigns both Jerall and Ulgrin married. Jerall married a dwarvish woman and had a son and daughter with her. Ulgrin, on the other hand, married a troll, a species largely disliked by the "civilized" races. Legend claims they bore several children, though their names were never recorded.

Jerall died just before the storm clouds of Armageddon ravaged Fantasia. He and his wife were buried in the mountains in the dwarvish tradition. Ulgrin, however, seems to fall out of history. His death was never recorded. Some stories claim he still hides in the ruins of the final years of the CK Empire, immortally waiting for a new such empire to arise.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Jerall and Ulgrin the Bastard. It would be Jerall's oldest child, Jerall the Shortbeard, who would rise to command the CK Empire in another tough generation on Fantasia.

Duke Jerall The Shortbeard

Lived in Era 32, got 1 heir(s) (Jenine The Nobeard) and was a member of Carnage
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of White Widow, Era 32~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Jerall and his wife gave birth to a young dwarven child only a short year after their marriage. Their son seemed to bear more characteristics of the dwarven race and seemed to prefer to play with dwarven children, so it was assumed he'd be considered such as well. They directly named the child after Jerall, and old traditions that knights had once done hundreds of years ago.

Young Jerall grew up like any other child. With Ulgrin becoming more and more dominant in politics and leading the empire, the elder Jerall and his wife spent a lot of time with their child, encouraging him to read, play, and explore. Jerall thought it might be a good idea to have him trained in the art of war, how to handle a sword and how to maneuver in heavy armor. But the younger Jerall had little patience actually learning combat and only went through a few months of training before Jerall the elder and his wife saw the child's disinterest. They reasoned that perhaps he would never need to see combat in his reign.

As young Jerall matured, he grew to five feet--tall for a dwarf, but not extremely uncommon. When he tried to grow his beard out in the traditional dwarven fashion, his face grew fuzzy but never seemed to produce a full, thick beard. For this he was nicknamed "Jerall the Shortbeard."

In time Shortbeard's father, Jerall the elder, died. Due to the mysterious circumstances regarding Ulgrin's children, or whether or not he truly had any, Shortbeard was titled king at age twenty-three and ruled alongside his mother.

When the storm clouds of Armageddon fell upon the world of Fantasia once more, Shorbeard traveled with his mother and survivng subjects into distant lands. These years are vague, but stories tell that he was decently wise and intelligent, though a bit short-tempered. Also notable were his several attempts of wearing a fake beard, especially when it fell off during a ceremony. In time Shortbeard accepted his unlucky fate and nickname for good.

Sadly, Shortbeard did not live to be a very old man. He married a dwarven woman and bore three children just before arriving in Fantasia. However, less than a short year after establishing his capital in Fantasia, he sent her away to safety. The familiar kingdom of Dark Blood, allied with a more foreign one known as Dark Trio, immediately invaded Carnage from the north. The Carnage lords had little room to build their mines and establish their cities. Shortbeard's capital was constructed far from any major natural resource and could not compete with cities with over twice the productivity.

Shortbeard did celebrate one small victory, which was to capture a lone city owned by another foreign kingdom known as Army of Darkness. However, the garrison was stretched thin as the few brave recruits could not hold off against vastly superior forces and fell with little to no harm upon the enemy. Desperately, Shortbeard attempted to evacuate his people, but a Dark Trio army interrupted and executed all ten thousand peasants. Soon only Shortbeard a few loyal bodyguards remained.

But even Shortbeard's refugee city to the south in Peacekeepers lands was defeated. Shortbeard fell to Dark Blood swords and became the first ruler in many years to fall to an enemy. Thus Shortbeard's short and tragic reign came to a premature end.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Jerall the Shorbeard. Wisely, Shortbeard had his wife and children sent away to safety off of Fantasia. It would be his wife who would resume the ill-fated CK Empire in the lands of Nirvana with an old Carnagian friend, the son of the legendary Sir Survivor.

Duchess Jenine The Nobeard

Lived in Era 32, got 1 heir(s) (Krasksagon) and was a member of Havoc
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of White Widow, Era 32~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume.--Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Jerall sent his wife Jenine and three children south to flee Fantasia, and wisely. He was slain by his enemies in Fantasia, his kingdom brought to ruin.

After the fall of Carnage, the Dark Blood and Dark Trio armies continued to ravage allied Peacekeepers. Some children of Carnage lords restablished cities elsewhere in the lands, but a handful of other Carnage rulers decided that their fates did not lie in Fantasia anymore.

Jenine learned of her husband's death not long after fleeing to the uncivilized wildlands. Struck with sorrow, she alienated herself from her children and remaining subjects for a month to mourn the passing of her husband. When she returned, she cast no projection of sorrow, nor of anger, nor of pity. She did not speak her feelings to anyone anymore. Perhaps during her isolation she realized that she had come to inherit the throne,
and needed to lead the CK Empire just like her ancestors. Her husband had not been the first to fall to the enemy. The empire had not collapsed then, and evidently she decided with an iron resolve it would not start now. Even when her second-born child died from illness, she did not give in to greif.

Jenine first became known as the "Nobeard" when it was apparent she would stop at nothing to resume the kingdom that had been passed down to her. Although it was quite common for dwarven women to grow beards, Jenine always shaved hers to pass as more humanlike. Strangely enough, when it came
time to choose a dominant race for her warriors, Jenine did not use dwarven troops as expected, but rather converted to some of the most infamous armies known in the worlds--the orcs.

Jenine found a handful of other surviving Carnage lords and children of slain Carnage warriors, among them Sir Survivor, Mr Whoops, and Prince Corothius. The group of lords and their subjects traveled to Nirvana and settled next to several cities owned by a kingdom known as Highlands Honors and south of a small alliance known as Double Trouble. While Survivor and most of the others settled north of a river, Jenine decided to distance herself and settled south, away from the immediate assistance of her peers.

In time several local lords switched their alleigance to a now-growing kingdom known as Havoc, among them Mr. Spike and Mr. Tidus. Soon a war was sparked among the already established kingdom of Highlands Honor as Jenine sent troops to invade cities to the south as the lords retaliated. Many
times enemy armies could be seen from the city walls, but Jenine always kept a strong military prescence. Countless enemy armies were turned back or entirely slaughtered by the defensive troops. An independant, strong lord known as Duke Loren Sloth also threatened the lands many times, capturing cities and raising armies very quickly right in the borders of the CK Empire. However, Havoc was simply outnumbered and could gain no ground on the offensive.

Additionally, Double Trouble threatened to invade with powerful armies. This was where one of Jenine's children first became of significance. Her firstborn son was born a natural philsopher, teacher, and diplomat. He braved a journey to the northlands and began negotiations with Double Trouble, offering a kingdom merge which was refused. He then suggest a non aggresion pact, but it was just before a treaty was signed when he recieved word from Jenine that Havoc now clearly had the upper hand and to break off all negotiations.

The son was slightly sorrowed when he heard this news. He felt Havoc's actions had been mislead, casting the illusion of desiring peace when preparing for war. Additionally, he had made friends from the kingdom's palaces and cities. With regret, he honestly told the king of Double Trouble that Carnage intended an invasion and apologized for his part in it. Though he put his life in danger by this kind gesture, the king released him without incident just as armies owned by Mr. Whoops lay siege to the kingdom's outer defenses.

Slowly, tides began to turn. A neutral kingdom known as Jugantorial, consisting of several ex-Abydonian lords, attacked Highlands Honors and their allies from the east, and slowly the Highland Honors armies were stretched too thin to defend. At last, Havoc was able to expand until it dominated a majority of the northwest. In addition, another kingdom merged into Havoc from the east, increasing Havoc's power greatly. Mr. Whoops made significant victories to the north against Double Trouble, and though it took countless lives, the kingdom fell.

Highlands Honor crumbled until the broken lords disbanded and fled. Soon only three kingdoms remained, Havoc, Jugantorial, and a weak kingdom known as Black Chain. Black Chain would have died if it were not for switching sides to the kingdom of Havoc.

Throughout this time Jenine's second son, in sharp contrast to his brother, trained as a military tactician and became a high level officer in Jenine's armies. Although he was too young during the majority of the fight against Highlands Honors, he saw action and led troops against the last of the kingdom's armies. Although he returned home victorious, he was unsatisfied.

Until this time there existed a fragile peace between Havoc and Jugantorial, largely on the basis of a common enemy kingdom with over two dozens lords. But with this threat gone, several Carnage rulers decided to turn their attentions on undefended Juganitorial cities and captured them, breaching the unspoken truce. Immediately the five-lord enemy kingdom responded with retaliation, declaring war, thus beginning the second stage of Havoc's great struggle. It was this time when Jenine's younger son was promoted to the rank of general, sent to the fort Rbs to defend against invaders and plan future assaults.

Juganitorial was old kingdom with very intelligent generals and owned the entire south end of the world. Four out of its five members were considered the strongest of the world. Though Havoc had numbers in terms of Lords, Juganitorial had seemingly unstoppable armies. Immediately skirmishes broke out over the border and cities frequently changed ownership. It seemed a stalemate would last for some time, ending in Juganitorial's ultimate victory. The fort where Jenine's younger son commanded was attacked and laid siege to it for nearly a year, but Jenine's defenders would not budge despite low food and morale. In time, the defenders outgrow the attackers, and the Juganitorial army was forced to flee--but not without slaughtering an army of reinforcements full of fierce nazgul warriors. Jenine's younger son led his troops to give chase, despite the fact his army was by far much weaker than the enemy and in great peril outside city walls. It took the combination of many Havoc armies to match and defeat the enemy army, but this was accomplished and the enemy was forced to withdraw after a great battle. This was Jenine's first major victory, and the battle which would grant her son his fame.

Then a miracle happened. The Jugantorial generals suddenly stopped responding. Perhaps this was due to civil strife or disloyalty, or perhaps they dared not advance without their lord's advice. But Jenine was able to march a thousand devoted troops straight into the heart of an undefended Juganitorial region, capturing city after city and building an armory directly on enemy lands. Many of the cities were captured from Mr. Seth, each victory a resounding triumph amongst the CK Empire's regrowing population. Juganitorial did not respond until it was nearly defeated, leaving behind only a handful of cities with large garrisons. Jenine only faced resistance from a handful of independant lords, but even they fell to her massive armies.

But then whatever caused the generals to pause vanished. Juganitorial armies marched out of their garrisons and began reclaiming cities. But it was too late; Havoc was now fully geared for war and far superior in strength from the captured cities. Slowly the remaining Juganitorial troops were eliminated until only one city remained.

Unfortunately, this was still not the end. A massive army marched back to Rbs, the city that had been sieged by the same ruler years ago. But now its defenders were outnumbered by five times, and if it were not immediately reinforced the city would fall, allowing Juganitorial a strategic fort to resume its desperate offensive.

But a miracle struck again. Although the attackers worked quickly to assemble siege towers, rams, and ladders, they did not have enough time. Another great army joined the garrison, and the attacker was forced to flee once again, this time without so much as a scratch against the city walls.

Jeninie's combined defensive forces pursued the army, catching up when the enemy attempted to stop and lay siege to an undefended city. Miraculously, they did not claim the city in time, and when Jenine's forces flanked them by behind the army routed for the last time.

Before the storms clouds of armageddon arrived Juganitorial owned just one city where the remainder of its once proud armies defiantely held out against the ineviteable. However, Havoc was denied total victory as armageddon arrived, and fled from the lands just in time.

The years of turmoil had been taxing for Jenine. Though she hid it, worry gnawed her away at the inside. Her hair was white by age forty, and by seventy she looked over a hundred years in age. She grew sick in the uncivilized wildlands, and despite all the efforts to nurse her back to health, she died in the company of her two accomplished sons.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Jenine the Nobeard. After her passing, her two sons would continue on the empire--though which son would be the one to do it had never been declared. The two brother's personalities differed vastly, causing mutual dislike and distrust, each believing themselves the superior ruler. These problems would resurface later, causing only further turmoil to an already weakened CK Empire.

Duke Krasksagon

Lived in Era 33, got 1 heir(s) (Lessissora) and was a member of Havoc
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Dark Blood, Era 33~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume.--Monk Devontiun

THE KING AS HIS MEN:

Jenine never directly stated which of her sons she wanted to rule the empire. Her firstborn son, the dipomatic Motull, had assumed it was his as he was the oldest, and thought that Kraskagon's hand was only brutish enough to fight and not delicate to deal with words and writing. But her militaristic secondborn viewed himself as the stronger of the two, and thought that Motull would surely lead the kingdom into the ground when war inevitably arrived.

Even on her deathbed when boths sons and her one daughter sat beside her, niether of them asked who would inherit the throne. Perhaps Jenine had not given considerable thought to it and assumed the siblings would rule jointly like Luta and Lusa Mor, or perhaps she did not want to play favorites over her children. But she passed away without announcing her direct heir.

Out in the uncivilized wilds, there was little need for a well-established ruler. The population was small and generally obedient, and so long as no citizen broke the law there was little need for a king to settle disputes. Motull and Kraskagon never spoke to each other, even when both married and had children of their own. The children only knew of the other brother as "your foolish uncle."

But when the clouds of Armageddon began to clear, leaving a fertile world behind, conflict could no longer be avoided. Their subjects longed to reestablish the CK Empire on the world of Zetamania among Havoc lords. The two brothers were forced to meet and come to a consensus, where they both agreed to move their peasants out to the world. But beyond that, they still did not speak with each other.

Finally, the great kind Whoops chose a place for the people to settle. But both Kraskagon and Motull had a different idea on where to lay down the foundations of the empire, and for the first time the siblings came in direct conflict. Kraskagon demanded they settle by a mountain where the gold mines would be plentiful, but Motull demanded that they lay down the city between both water and mountains so the peasants would never starve. Their subjects heard the spat from outside the tent, listening as the two brothers cursed each other and called the other a fool.

After nearly a dozen days of verbal fighting, Kraskagon decided he'd had enough with words, and lay a fist into Motull's face, demanding a duel to settle it "in the way of men." But when Kraskagon pulled a shortsword from a chest, tossed it down at Motull's feet, and retrieved a mere dagger for himself, Motull grew worried. He knew he could never survive a fight with his brother and did not know if it was to the death or first injury, which itself could lead to a prolonged death. And Kraskagon would not listen to any more words. Motull, in frustration, threw down his sword and ran out of the tent.

Motull was not seen for several days, so the people listened to Kraskagon's orders and built the city by the mountains, naming it after him. Motull, on the other hand, traveled a week to the east where he and his family built a town of their own. Local farmers and natives gathered to populate the city, but without access to the royal treasury the city remained poor and disorganized.

After this Kraskagon became known among his subjects as the one and only king who would lead the armies of the CK Empire to victory. Not long after constructing the capital city, he ordered the construction of a fort and began training an army to invade the neighboring kingdom Eternity. But halfway through this the cities ran out of food and his people began to starve. Kraskagon sent his merchants to purchase food from neighbors, but it was costly and slow.

Hearing of his brother's misfortune, Motull sent a convoy of wagons filled with grain to the capital city, hoping Kraskagon would leave his folly and at least agree to a joint rule. Kraskagon, surprised his brother would do such a thing, accepted the gift and returned the favor with thousands of gold coins, but still sent no message or any indication he would share the throne.

Motull was furious. He knew his younger brother would run the empire into the ground with such carelessness and ingratitude. Obviously, he would not respond to peaceful discussions. It would take something more. Assassination. Motull began to gather the most devious, heartless, skilled assassins from all throughout the worlds, a plot scheming in his mind to end his brother's dominance once and for all.

Meanwhile, Kraskagon and the other Havoc lords defeated Eternity and began to move further north. It did not take long before the kingdom came into conflict with an order of knights known as the Royal Order of Claidhmore, religiously zealous fighters determined to destroy Havoc's legacy. Despite negotiation attempts, Royal Order armies began to capture Havoc cities. Though the aggressors gained much ground, Havoc troops slowly recovered the cities from them and another kingdom known as Dark Fires who had joined the fight. The war then drew to a stalemate as Havoc armies gathered to lay siege to a key city while the Royal Order armies desperately scrambled to reinforce the besieged city. The hundred thousand Havoc troops failed to capture the city upon first assault, though dealing more casualties to the enemy.

For many years Havoc fought with her allies against RoC. Armies began to amass in the millions of troops. And yet neither side could find a clear advantage over the other and refused to move their troops against the enemy.

During this stalemate Motull sent three assassins to kill his brother Kraksagon. One assassin was an archer, the next a silent-walking knife wielder, the last a man wearing diplomat's robes to kill Kraksagon while dealing with business matters. The archer waited in a tall tower and took a shot at Kraksagon, but the arrow missed. The assassin was shortly caught and killed. The second assassin attempted to creep into Kraksagon's palace at night and slit his throat, except the warrior king was a light sleeper and slit the throat of the assassin instead. And the third assassin, hearing of the fate of his two predecessors, backed away from his mission and fled a thousand miles.

The war with the Royal Order of Claidhmore was suddenly interrupted when news came that the kingdoms to the west had formed into an alliance, their eyes set upon the lands to the east. Havoc and the Royal Knights quickly drew up a treaty to end the war, which would destroy them both if they continued to fight each other. So instead both kingdoms settled their differences and moved their armies to the west to counter the sudden new threat.

And the wars against this new foe were sudden indeed. Motull, having heard that none of his assassins completed their missions, went to an enemy kingdom to recruit an elite band of soldiers who would attack Kraksagon's bodyguard unit in battle. When Kraksagon led his troops to the first battle against the eastern enemies, a group of wizards and warriors suddenly descended upon his tactical position. Kraksagon's elite troops fought bravely against equal skill and courage. Both attackers and Krasksagon's defenders rode tall steeds and carried swords and lances, so battle was sudden and fierce.

By the time Krasksagon's troops had sent reinforcements to protect their dear general and king, the battle was nearly over. Corpses and dying men, and several women, lay upon the ground. In the end, only a few survived the encounter, Krasksagon among them. But he received a stab through his gut, an excruciatingly painful wound, and had to withdraw from the battlefield.

The doctors rushed to their king's aid, but the wound became infected and Kraksagon grew delirious and began hallucinating so that the doctor strapped him down to avoid injuring his healers. Though the battle was a victory, losses were heavy, and none wanted to proceed with the war until Krasksagon was fully healed and ready to lead his troops once more. Unfortunately, the recovery process took multiple years so that the war in the east had been settled before he had recovered.

Krasksagon's trusted advisors withdrew nearly all of the empire's troops and managed affairs quietly. Motull, thinking that this was the opportunity he needed to win the empire's loyalty, attempted to claim his divine birthright as the legitimate successor to the throne. But despite all his words, Krasksagon's advisors knew of his brother's trickery and suspected Motull had provided information to the enemy on where to ambush Krasksagon, so they slandered his reputation amongst the citizenry until Motull's very own name became like a curse word, except in Motull's very own city.

With the war concluded to the east, both Havoc and the Royal Knights had conquered all other enemy nations and resumed the old war. And now the knights had numbers and extra power on their side, and Havoc lost ground against their longtime rivals. In addition, the storm clouds of Armageddon were approaching, and soldiers were desperate for loot and bloodshed before having to flee. Krasksagon's advisors formed a council and decided to stay out of the war as best as possible, and to encourage Krasksagon's wife to try and bear children quickly, even in her husband's vagabond state. Once she was pregnant, they rushed her away, and in good time too. Royal Knight armies captured both major forts and laid siege to the capital not long afterward.

Motull met his own fate when Royal Knight armies overran his cities. Despite his attempts at negotiations, the enemies simply wanted to attack, not talk about why they should not attack. Motull was worthless as a general and it took less than an hour for the invaders to capture his city. Motull was found on the top of the higher tower of the city's palace and was slain by the enemy infantry troops, his voice silenced forever.

It is widely regarded as a shame that Motull should have let his envy and greed lead him to take drastic measures against his brother. Though it should not be forgotten that Krasksagon had been the first to initiate violence. Would he have killed his brother in the duel, had he accepted? Such is unknown. But perhaps if the brothers had worked together, they would both have reached a far more fortune ending.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Krasksagon. Krasksagon did recover from his wounds but never fully regained his mind, waking up many nights to nightmares and chills, causing heightened paranoia. His wife bore a daughter who saw him only on rare occasions, and thus would follow more in her mother's ideologies to the next age in the CK Empire's history.

Duchess Lessissora

Lived in Era 34, got 1 heir(s) (Lorelisi) and was a member of Havoc
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Dark Blood, Era 34~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume.--Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Lessissora is perhaps one of the most poorly remembered and documented rulers of the CK Empire due to her short reign.

She was raised by her mother since Kraksagon had lost much of his mind. She taught her daughter to be less militaristic and more economical. When Lessissora returned with her fellow lords from Havoc, a last-moment decision caused them to head toward Fantasia instead of the lands of Manrax as originally planned.

It took many weeks for Lessissora to find an appropriate place to settle which put her at a major disadvantage; other kingdoms already had armies patrolling around before her city had been established.

Havoc was able to secure an alliance with the powerful kingdom of Legacy. However, the Sheolic Empire, a kingdom to the north, immediately launched an invasion and captured Havoc's cities to the east. Lessisora ordered the construction of a fort, but it was too late for any serious chance of defending herself. Armies led by Sir Elliot and Sir Zerocool immediately lay siege to both her main city and fort. Lessissora surrendered both cities without a fight.

The Sheolic Empire was kind, however. Lessissora was permitted to remain governor of her city, paying taxes to the Sheolic Empire and allowing them to recruit from her citizenry.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Lessissora. During her reign Lessissora gave birth to a daughter. She sent her away to be educated in Blue Harbor, the city where Celendrum Cikayson had received his own education centuries ago. Lessissora planned for her daughter to rule her own kingdom in Mantrax, but died herself in obscurity. The year of her death, let alone decade, was never recorded.

Duchess Lorelisi

Lived in Era 34, got 1 heir(s) (Nog) and was a member of Predators
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Dark Blood, Era 34~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume.--Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Lessissora's daughter Lorelisi went to Blue Harbor for her education, but although she spent a good number of years there, it seemed as though she were more interested in the men than in her studies. At a young age of 18, she married a young scholar only two years older than her.

When Lorelisi recieved the call to go to the world of Mantrax and begin the empire anew, she traveled back to the lands of her birth and sent emissaries to try and find an empire to join. She settled with the kingdom Predators, a once enemy of Carnage. However, she joined the ranks of rulers much later than her peers, and for many years she simply focuses on economics.

When the empire called for war, Lorelisi ordered the training of many knights and artillary for the cause. However, having never studied any military tactics herself, she simply let other rules command her armies, or had them stationed in defensive positions until battle came to them.

Predators invaded the kingdom The Three Musketeers, or Trio. The war was going very well, but fate would reverse as a kingdom to the west, Elements, defeated Predator's allies and marched on the mother empire itself. Frantically the Predator rulers moved armies to defend against this new threat, but the empire could not sustain a two-front war. The campaign against the Musketeers grew from a slow victory to a stalemate.

The Elements generals were very skilled in their tasks and, despite a smaller overall empire, produced many troops and won many battles. Slowly the Predators empire began to crumble, losing land after land, to the invaders. Lorelisi's armies died off one by one in epic sieges, and soon her cities began to be captured as the enemy marched further into the mainland.

In time, Lorelisi had just one city left, their capital city. Although it was defended by 30,000 valiant knights, the enemy armies were simply too large to hold off, so the city fell like any other. Lorelisi and her husband were captured and exiled. They returned to Blue Harbor and lived the remainder of their lives in obscurity.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Lorelisi. It seemed as though the CK dynasty had fallen from the days of old, the days of Zeon and Carnage when the rulers commanded millions of citizens and whose realms extended hundreds of thousands of miles. Perhaps, though, this fateful trend could end with Lorelisi's son and daughter.

Duchess Nog

Lived in Era 35, got 1 heir(s) (Maltorv) and was a member of Predators
x

Duke Maltorv

Lived in Era 36, got 1 heir(s) (Akenad) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Grumpy Old Star, Era 36~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume.--Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Duchess Nog lived and died in obscurity. It seems she made no major achievements in her lifetime, the few cities she commanded quickly falling to enemy armies. As such, her legend is completely forgotten, except for the son she bore.

Nog's son was sent away at birth to distant lands for an education with a few loyal bodyguards. The young Maltov caused a lot of trouble in the first schools he attended, however. He rarely interacted with other children his age, and the few times he did often ended up in a fistfight. Like others in the family's tradition, Maltov was at last sent to Blue Harbor, the thriving port city.

At first Maltov did the same at the university there as at the others. He was a decent pupil, a bit of a slow learner but very skilled when he had a concept mastered. Maltov always knew that he was royalty and never had to worry about financial matters. When any situations arose, the bodyguards dealt with them.

Although Maltov primarily studied politics, sciences, and economics, he had a passion for military history. After the week's classes were done, Maltov would leave the city without his bodyguards, heading for a monastery at the foot of the mountains. The monks were all skilled, legendary warriors who often protected travelers from bandit ambushes, asking for nothing in return.

When Maltov asked the monks to train him in the arts of the sword and staff, they answered that they would train him only if he first took the oath of purity and spent three months on the path of purification. Maltov quickly agreed, but when he returned to the university his bodyguards forbid him to pause his education. When Maltov resisted, they began to watch him carefully, leaving him no opportunity to leave the city.

For four years, Maltov continued his education, all the while begging his protectors to let him take the path of purification and begin training. But it was all in vain until one cool summer day when the bodyguards received a letter stating Nog was dead, and that any remnants of her subjects and wealth had been scattered.

Now there was no one to pay for Maltov's continued education, or salaries for the bodyguards escorting him. The bodyguards disbanded, leaving Maltov completely alone with only enough money to last several months.

This was it. Maltov left the university and promptly went to the monastery. But he was to face misfortune again when he saw that the building had been burned down and seemingly abandoned for at least a few years. Where had all the monks gone? Even if the monks had been attacked, and someone defeated, surely there would have been some survivors.

Maltov did not lose all hope. He decided that he'd begin the path of purification anyway and set out for the mountains where he was to survive for three months, learning how to warm his feet and body in the freezing snow with his willpower alone. But the young man was not prepared for the struggle, and after a week he was starving and freezing to death.

As luck would have it, the monostary's monks had not completely vanished. One of the younger monks named Ulpwaori, who had been living as a nomad since the fall of the brotherhood, found the young Maltov unconscious in the snow. He brought Maltov out from the harm of the elements and into a small cave, feeding the young man until he was strong enough to speak.

When Maltov woke to see the monk tending to his frostbite, he was astonished and began asking many questions. His first question was what had happened to the monastary, what could have possile scattered such an old, sacred band. Ulpwaori sadly recounted the story of how an alliance of bandit tribes had attempted to raid the monastary and slay the monks once and for all, revenging the loss of loot. The attack was repelled, but several monks were killed, including the grandmaster.

A power struggle began, as the grandmaster had never named a successor, never brought one of his pupils through the ancient wisdom required for the respected position. Several of the more aggressive monks demanded to be named the new grandmaster. Others thought a vote might be best, and yet others thought the eldest should be promoted. But the dispute turned deadly as several of the once-peaceful monks turned against each other, murdering one another with poison, daggers, and treachery.

Ulpwaori, along with many of the other monks shocked by the rapid deterioration of virtue, abandoned the monastary entirely and set out to their own fates. Ulpwaori, saddened by the loss of trust in humanity, became a hermit in the mountains, vowing to never return to civilization for the remainder of his life.

Maltov was intrigued by the story and could not help but shed a few tears in remembrance of the once-mighty monks. But his original goal had not been forgotten, and he asked Ulpwaori to provide the training in combat that made the monks of legend. Ulpwaori reluctantly agreed, and for several months the two trained together in the mountains, living off of wild game and berries.

When it seemed as though Ulpwaori could teach no more, Maltov asked that the monk return with him to Blue Harbor, and then on to Fantasia. At first Ulpwaori firmly rejected the proposition and threatened to abandon Maltov. But the young king had learned much from his classes and coaxed the monk to join him, saying that the best chance for the monks' redemption was to accompany him back to Fantasia and lead the CK Empire's religion in a way unprecedented before.

The two spent a couple more years in Blue Harbor. The news came that the storm clouds of Armageddon were now lifting in the worlds, and many young lords were rushing to join or create empires and alliances to inhabit the open lands.

Maltov went around the city, enlisting the services of settler peasants seeking to escape city hardships, as well as fifty loyal guards to escort him and his people. Within a few short days he had a decent following, people willing and eager to journey into the mystical lands of many legends.

Maltov knew well of his birthright, but unfortunately did not know much else of the history of the CK Empire. But one day when he was visiting the city's great library, he found a volume, sheerly by coincidence, written by a young Celendrum Cikayson many centuries ago. The volume recounted many of the philosophical and scientific ideas of the day, and listed a small portion of the CK Empire's history from its humble beginnings under CK the Fat. Another author had added in some of the empire's more recent history, permitting the young king to learn about his origins. Maltov asked for a copy of the book, but the administrators told him that none existed, and despite his heritage he could not take the book with him.

Maltov spent the last week before departing to Fantasia the old manuscripts and learned of the former kingdom of Carnage, to whom many of his ancestors had served. Unfortunately, the kingdom had deteriorated and collapsed over the past century or so, until it disbanded completely. Maltov hadn't thought of Carnage as anything superior to other kingdoms, and so set out to find an empire to join. But during his research, he discovered that the individual lineages of the kingdom of Carnage were very must alive and active, the sons and daughters of Carnage lords, who had re-united under the kingdom known as Foundation several generations ago. Maltov sent letters to the emperors and empresses of Foundation, also known as Fate, and asked to join the kingdom of his ancestors. The leaders accepted him and welcomed him back to the kingdom.



With his allies and people, Maltov sailed by boat to the world of Fantasia and settled his capital city, Lopasp, in the far north. Maltov did not find his role as king to be very difficult. Managing domestic affairs, especially to such a small population, did not prove to be a stressful challenge, so he spent much of his free time talking with the monk Ulpwaori. Ulpwaori, though silent on the matter, had not found any solace in this new world. Maltov told him that it was time for him to begin his reforms, and provided the monk with the funds to construct a dozen monasteries and employ five hundred scholars.

Ulpwaori had the first monastery constructed in the same fashion as the one back near Blue Harbor, but nearly triple in size. It would be a great and costly project, requiring millions of men-hours to build it, but Ulpwaori was satisfied. With remaining funds, he had poorhouses built to provide relief to the poor, medical houses to treat the sick, schools, libraries, and granaries.

It did not take long for wars to break out, however. Fate immediately fought several neighboring kingdoms, seizing cities and lands. One such kingdom that proved resilient was Cease to Exist, but ultimately army after army of invaders lifted the Foundation flag over every nearby city. Another such enemy was Royal Order of Claidmore, an old opponent faced by Maltov's ancestors. But the kingdom fell to the armies of only a few Foundation lords.

During the conflicts came not only enemies, but also friends. Fate allied with the kingdoms Peacekeepers, longtime friends of Carnage, as well as signing peace treaties with the kingdoms known as Heaven and Aurora.

Throughout this time, Maltov never engaged in any wars personally. Ulpwaori taught against violence in any form, but Maltov needed to disagree. Complete peace only opened up the cities to invaders, and a standing army was necessary, the young king argued. Instead, Maltov suggested, the armies should be made into religious men who knew it was their duty above all to protect the weak against the strong and not loot, rape, steal, or burn. He and his advisors focused on building up the capital city, securing economic stability, and constructing a fort to the south. By the time the fort was constructed, all nearby lands were victorious, and so Maltov's small armies marched south to find new fortunes, establishing several now forts along the way.

It did not take long for the armies to come into contact with the renowned kingdom of Legacy, as well as a relatively new yet powerful kingdom known as Retribution, formed out of the sons and daughters of the former kingdoms of Abydos and Dark Blood. Much had changed in Fantasia over the past few generations. At first there was little more than skirmishing, cities being captured and abandoned or razed. But as the months progressed, Fate slowly proved greatest in numbers and began to claim land from Legacy, despite fierce and tactically brilliant resistance.

Finally, the war had been fought to Legacy's doorsteps. Several cities blocked Fate's supply lines, so the kingdom's armies had no other choice than to attack the Legacy merged armies directly, and two vast armies faced off.

Legacy was not fortunate, however. Her armies attempted a surprise move, relocating massive numbers of troops to reinforce another army during the cover of night. But watchful eyes say this move and ambushed the moving soldiers, massacring nearly all with very few casualties. The following morning the Fate armies defeated the other half of Legacy's main army.

But despite not having a central army, Legacy had many smaller divisions able to move about on forced marches, harassing Foundation's scout parties and cutting of the army's supply lines. So a new tactic was developed: the armies would stay together and capture each city between the mountains and lakes, razing all the homes and mines along the way. Though progress was slow, the enemy simply had no counter to this--at first. A second great army was being assembled further to the south, and troops now threatened to attack Fate's forts to the north. Fate now needed to march back on the defensive and reinforce its main army with new men, replacing casualties and hungry troops with eager young men bearing high spirits, looking to earn a name and adventure.

Foundations' main army returned to a fort, the city extremely crowded with over half a million troops and more still arriving. Maltov never commanded the great army himself, though he ordered many nazgul and shamans to be trained and reinforce the kingdom's army.

Legacy attempted to siege Foundation's main army in the fort, but it took very little effort to sally out and drive the attackers away again. Over time, Legacy armies were worn down, and Foundation could afford to split off regiments to capture and hold enemy cities. Soon all the Legacy cities and armies had been defeated in the area--all except for one.

Binh the Destroyer, a lord in a long lines of viciously brutal and tactically supreme commanders, sent over two thousand heavily armored nazgul riders, along with many thousands of mages, directly through the battlefield and straight into Foundation's northern armories. With so few troops in the area, cities fell quickly, either to the overwhelming force of the main army, or to small raids of smaller detachments from the main force. Armies that came too close were slaughtered by the airborne assault force.

The lords of Foundation debated whether to turn the large army back around, but due to the slow movement it was agreed to keep troops on the offensive, and any troops that could be spared or quickly trained were to hold back the veteran conquerors. Finally, enough troops were able to make it to the safety of a well-defended city to form a significant army capable of countering the extremely deadly raiding army. Cities captured by Binh's raiding armies were recaptured and soon the bulk of his army was besieged in a single city. Unfortunately, the city walls were tall and strong, and it would take many more troops to eliminate the threat once and for all. But Fate had no equal in manpower, and eventually Binh's army was massacred with minimal loss of life to the allied armies.

Legacy, without any central power to oppose Fate and her allies, sent peasants to rebuild elsewhere, behind the lands controlled by Retribution. Fate now marched on Legacy's powerful allies on the western front, the vast, veteran army of half a million troops razing cities as they had done against Legacy. Retribution hadn't been nearly as weakened as Legacy and raised vast armies to slow down the invasion. But Retribution faced vastly uneven odds and could not hold out on every front.

Still, Retribution won a major victory that would moralize their troops like nothing else. Foundation's main army had been reinforcing a strategic city for many campaigns now and was growing restless. The commander ordered the army to move out against a heavily defended Retribution city. The city had been reinforced continually, but the exact numbers of troops defending it was unknown. When Fate's army attempted to siege the enemy in, however, the defenders sallied out and routed the invaders, causing the army to lost near a quarter of its troops. Fate had seriously misunderestimated the enemy, and now paid the price--Retribution now marched on the offensive. But Foundation was far from broken, and even though the enemy laid siege to the city the armies inhabited, they had insufficient strength to attack, especially as Fate's lords reinforced the army. The enemy withdrew and a stalemate began, leaving the war to be fought on other fronts.

Maltov ordered the construction of a new fort in the conquered territory. The original armies from the CK Empire had been worn down to just a third of their original size, but Maltov was did not see a need to reinforce them. Instead, he began to train a new, enormous army further to the east where pockets of Legacy and Retribution cities remained. With this army he captured a city of his own, the only personal gain from throughout the war.

In time the stalemate ended as Fate's troops now possessed the cities to the east and west of Retribution's final stronghold. With no reinforcements within miles or allies to call to their aid, it would not be long before it too was besieged and captured. The combined armies of Peacekeepers, Aurora, Fate, and Heaven had virtually crushed the proud empire of Legacy and arrogant ally Retribution, promising an interval of peace, no matter how short it may be.

During the final days of the war, however, a Foundation lord seized a city that a Heaven general had set his eyes upon. The arrogant Heaven general was known as Sir Gallyon, a hot-headed lord who threatened that if the city was not returned to him, he would attack with the full support of his kingdom. This was cause for quite an alarm, as Foundation and Heaven had agreed on a non-aggression pact many years ago.

It seemed uncertain whether the pugnacious lord would carry out his threat or not, but he and several other Heaven kings began to move armies into Foundation territory, camping armies near crucial cities. Many Foundation lords argued that they must strike first before the enemy could, seize control of the sitauation before the potential enemy could march armies deep into Foundation lands. However, the emperor of Fate refused to attack first. It would not be his kingdom who would break their word.

Maltov ruled over several cities that bordered--or were even surrounded by--Heaven territories. And the capital city, Lopasp, had a minimal garrison of just a few thousand dust-risen gaia defenders, no real city defenses. Maltov quickly sent an army of two thousand nazgul riders to protect the capital, perhaps not as its only defense, but to keep attackers away until reinforcements could arrive. During the march, however, the nazguls had no mages to intercept and deflect incoming spells--should Heaven act agressively against the army with arcane spells, the nazgul riders would be slaughtered down to just a few men.

As time went on, the threat diminished and Gallyon withdrew his forces. Not long afterward, Aurora declared war on Heaven--perhaps this had been the reason Heaven did not want to engage in a fight against two powerful kingdoms at once--or perhaps Gallyon had never truly bore the support he claimed and was acting as a rogue agent, attempting to instigate a war. But no violence would erupt, and for a time again there was peace.

But the lords of Foundation, restless without any battles, lay eyes upon their allies' cities in the kingdom Peacekeepers. Within a year war had been declared, and once-friendly armies marched to war against one another.

Yet this was still not the end. Two of Fate's lords had been branded traitors for their actions. The first was Hamish, who had left the kingdom to join Aurora in the fight against Heaven. This was not so major, however, as the next traitor: Sazunas the Great.

When the war with Peacekeepers had all been but won, the world of Fantasia recognized a lord from Aurora who had the strongest and wealthiest man. Even though Duke Vytautus Claus had been engaging the enemy steadily for many years, this new young lord was being praised whom many felt was not truly his. One of these lords was known as Sazunas the Great who threatened to send his armies against against Fate's larger wishes. The lord carried out the thread and official denounced his alleigance to Fate. Duke Maltorv himself won a battle against one of Sazunas's armies preparing to attack on one of Kobuskan's cities in an attempt to prove to the allied kingdom his intentions were still good.

Throughout these campaigns, Maltorv himself had changed. In contrast to his earlier beliefs about peace, he continually raised armies in blatant contradiction to Ulpwaori's monostary's teachings. Maltorv himself lead several small armies in their attacks against Legacy and Retribution, though relying on the advice of his more experienced generals. Later in the wars, Maltorv seized several forts and cities of his own from Peacekeepers and captured their citizens, binding to masters as slaves. Before the end of the warring, Maltorv controlled over a dozen cities, at least a third of which had originally belonged to a different lord. And nearly half of those cities were forts devoted to training troops for war.

In anger, the aging Ulpwaori began to communicate less and less with the king until the two did not speak altogether. Maltorv was busy with economic and military affairs, Ulpwaori busy with the monasteries. But then, fifteen years after Maltorv had been crowned king, he halved Ulpwaori's budget to allow more money to train troops.

Angrily, the old monk secretly began to tell his priests to teach against war, to encourage potential draftees to refuse to join the army and refuse to pay war taxes, donating to the monasteries instead. This was a direct contradiction to Maltorv and his reign, but the decree passed unnoticed for a year until some of Maltorv's agents tracked down the root of the resistance against the army.

Furious, Maltorv eliminated Ulpwaori's budget down to a minimum trickle barely large enough to support a mediocre, stating that as long as the church opposed the state, it would have to completely supply itself with donated money. In addition, he instituted a draft. Although his cities never had too few volunteer soldiers and never needed to pull a man into the army against his will, it was the crushing blow to a friendship that had formed many years ago in the mountains outside Blue Harbor.

Despite the earnest donations from loyal followers, Ulpwaori could not raise enough funds to maintain all the monasteries, poorhouses, and doctors throughout the empire. The buildings fell into disrepair, and rather than suffer from decreased wages, many priests and scholars left to find new employers.

As Maltorv's name and news of his victories spread across the CK Empire, Ulpwaori and his legacy of peace diminished to several small faithful congregations in dilapidated buildings. Just as Uplwaori's brotherhood had once been abandoned and burned, so was his new dream to resurrect the faith. As artificially as the religion had arose in the CK Empire, it fell. Ulpwaori spent the last of his years teaching his beliefs until he died an old and largely forgotten man.

I might mention here that Ulpwaori does not appear in many of the traditional stories, but merely as a footnote. It is through a rare tapestry, now housed here in my very own monastery, that the monk's story remains. Perhaps as a scholarly monk myself I write Ulpwaori's legend with a degree of awe and understanding, but I do not think it has swayed me to write anything but the true occurrences as I best understand it.

To finish Maltorv's story, the king took a wife and bore a son and three daughters, who ironically enough attended one of Ulpwaori's old schoolhouses that had been seized by the state and made fully secular. As the storm clouds of Armageddon approached, he showed one last sign of virtue--releasing all of the seventy-seven thousand slaves within the empire--and moved his subjects to safety into the neutral worlds and died himself at the age of seventy-one, having spent nearly 50 years as king.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Maltorv. Maltorv is traditionally looked at with both respect and disappointment--respect for his strength to lead the CK Empire to a fruitful generation, and a disappointment as he let the world steal his hope for a peaceful existence and to turn on all he'd once believed in, including his most loyal friend. But irregardless, he had ruled nearly a million subjects while his son and youngest daughter would carry on his legacy into another dangerous world.

Duke Akenad

Lived in Era 37, got 1 heir(s) (Kalokop) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Kobuskan, Era 37~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Akenad grew up in Maltorv's capital city within the royal palace. He was the youngest of Maltorv's four children, but since he was the only son Akenad made him the descendant to the throne.

Maltorv didn't prove to be nearly as great a father as he was a king. He always provided Akenad and his daughters with whatever they needed and found some of the finest and wisest teachers in the world of Fantasia to educate them, but he himself only saw Akenad on rare occasions and certain holidays.

Akenad was educated in mathematics, politics, history, and military tactics along with his three sisters. Although he learned quickly, Akenad never seemed particularly interested in any of them. Rather, he liked to leave the city with his sisters and go out into the countryside, to explore the mountains and forests, and to watch the farmers till their fields. But most of all, he liked to gaze up at the stars.

When Akenad was fourteen, he witnessed a tragedy in the family. He and his sisters had been riding horses when one of the his sisters' horse stumbled, causing its rider to fall off and land onto a rocky outcropping several feet down. It hadn't been a terrible fall, but she hit the back of her head against a rock and barely held onto consciousness, blood seeping slowly out of her fractured skull.

Akenad and his other two sisters dared not move her, so he stayed behind while his sisters ran to get help. He tried to comfort her, but her speech was like nothing he'd ever heard before. She seemed to be in a trance, staring at the sky above, trembling. She did not seem to even notice Akenad's presence until dusk, when she rolled her head slightly to the side up at Akenad, spoke something to him, and drew her last breath.

Akenad's sisters arrived with a field surgeon too late, and the royal family mournfully buried the daughter deep within the earth. Akenad mourned silently. Above all, he wanted to know why she had to die, why she had to pass away unmarried and in her youth. He wondered whether her spirit still lingered in this world or whether it had gone to a realm for the dead. And he wondered what she had spoken as she lay on the ground, dying.

He recalled her staring up into the sky and began to watch the stars all the more closely. Did they mean something? Had she been reading them somehow, in a way no living moral could?

The questions bore into his mind until he could focus on little else. He asked his father to find all the books on astrology in the kingdom, no matter how old. But Maltorv only scoffed at the idea, saying that the stars contained no hidden messages and that astrology was only the work of fools. But Akenad sent out for tomes on astrology all the same and began to study them intensively, searching for answers to his burning mysteries.

But hardly any two tomes agreed with each other. Each book claimed the motion of the heavens indicated a different future. Frustrated, Akenad began to lose hope in astrology and began to turn away from it again.

But three years later, the family suffered another terrible tragedy. A plague was passing through the city, but it was hardly ever lethal. Most of its victims recovered within a month with no permanent scars. Akenad's two sisters often went down to the doctors to treat the sick. Within a year the plague seemed to have passed. However, the plague was to have one final victim--Akenad's oldest sister, who contracted the plague herself. Her skin broke out worse than most of the peasants' skins had, and a fever passed through her body. Even with all the finest doctors treating her, her health would not return. She finally grew to such a state that the doctors deemed her hopeless, and left her to die in peace.

Akenad rushed to see her and sat down by her bed, holding her sweaty and trembling hand. She stammered his name inbetween sobs and began to speak deliriously, not so dissimilar from the frenzied speech of the other deceased sister. Akenad tried to hold her still, asking what she meant. Suddenly, her trembling stopped and she lay still. "I can feel the night now," she whispered faintly, and then died.

Akenad stormed away in a wail. He ran up to the tallest floors of the imperial palace and onto the roof, where he tilted his head up toward the sky and let out a shout that left him breathless. The twinkling stars, apathetic to his pleas, seemed to mock him, seemed to tease his mortal existance. It was at this time Akenad vowed that he would understand the heavens and to steal their mysteries.

Akenad's sole surviving sister, who was named Lissa, mourned deeply, but she did not turn to the stars. and tried to calm Akenad of what she believed was irrationality. Maltorv too felt the loss, but rather than console his son, he scourned him.

As Akenad returned to studying mysticism with a unmatched determination, Maltorv considered choosing Lissa as his heir. But he held off on the decision, perhaps due to his loyalty torn between his two heirs. But when Maltorv grew sick in his old age, he put off the decision no longer and decreed that Lissa was to be in charge of all economic decisions as Akenad could take charge of the monostaries, temples, social welfare, and other local issues. (Akenad did not entrust military decisions to either of them and left warfare to a general whose name seems to have been lost to history.)

Many princes would have felt insulted by Maltorv's decision. Although the ruling powers were supposed to have been divided evenly, it was really Lissa who bore sole influence in the empire's greatest decisions. Akenad, however, did not seem to care, saying that he could not change destiny of he did not yet understand it.

Maltorv eventually died of unknown causes, and Akenad and his sister returned with the other Fate lords to the world known as Fantasia. But this generation would be different. A new road network had been completed, closing the gaps through the mountains separating the lands of Fantasia, Mantrax, Zetamania, Nirvana, and the other worlds, allowing amibitous lords to march on the most distant enemies.

Not much is remembered about Akenad's reign. It was not a very glorious time for the CK Empire, as enemies surrounded the kingdom on all fronts and there was virtually no months without a war. Fate immediately engaged the kingdom known as MAD, slowly pushing the enemy back to the far south. Fate allied with another known as Vengeance. Before long, the old and familiar enemy, Retribution, was discovered in the south-west.

Retribution did not crumble like in previous generations. Fate amassed great armies, but none were ever strong enough to penetrate into Retribution's homelands, creating a long stalemate. Fate was able to make several large pushes with merged armies, but had to retreat again to closer lands where reinforcements could bolster the army. Meanwhile, Vengeance fought Retribution to the north. Despite several breaches, Retribution was able to defeat the Vengeance armies and eventually sweep through Vengeance's homelands with a decisive victory.

Several powerful lords from Mantrax also threatened invasion numberous times. One lord from the Dorian Empire sent many armies to attack Fate's lightly defended northern front, creating much destruction before being hunted down individually. When one army was defeated, a large one appeared. Faced with a three-front war, the Fate lords could not take the initiative and merely attempt to repel the attacks as they came.

As the storm clouds of Armageddon began to creep upon the world, Fate had won or lost little ground, but it was clear that its enemies were gaining the upper hand, slowly defeating outskirt forts and towns and flanking the entire northern and eastern fronts.

For most of his reign, Akenad ruled no more than 350,000 peasants across five cities, none of which had been conquered. He had been able to capture just one, but it had been demolished by invaders from the north, razed and forgotten. Another fort was lost to Retribution in the south early on that would serve as home to hundreds of thousands of Fate troops, but eventually abandoned and claimed by the enemy.

As usual, Akenad and Lissa ordered the evacuation of the kingdom as the storm clouds of Armageddon appeared in sky, abandoning all their cities to preserve the lives of its citizens.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Akenad. He is not remembered as one of the empire's greatest rulers, but despite this he and his sister led the empire through another difficult generation of hardships. Akenad did not leave Fantasia with his sister and subjects. He felt convinced the answers to the mysteries of the stars lay behind the dark cloud, in the fearful unknown where no men or women could survive within. As such, his exact demise is unknown. Perhaps he found what he was searching for, in a realm long forgotten by the rest of the world. Or maybe he died, a mortal man in search of an imaginary question. Either way, his legacy would remain with Lissa into future generations of the CK Empire.

Duke Kalokop

Lived in Era 38, got 1 heir(s) (Pokolak) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Ezatius, Era 38~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Lissa, unlike her brother, chose to leave with the remnants of her kingdom with her husband and newly born children. She lived among the remnants of her people and ruled over them for many years. She bore two sons, the eldest whose name was Kalokop.

Kalokop was educated, though the old manuscripts do not specify where or what he studied. What the manuscripts do tell is that he returned to Fantasia with his brother and almost immediately married a servant girl who had taken his fancy.

Immediately after establishing his capital, however, Foundation was thrust into a war. Kalokop ordered his troops to march out, but made the critical mistake of leaving a negligible garrison inside his own city. An small army, hardly any more than a scout division under the command of Greybeard of the kingdom Rebirth, slaughtered the minimal garrison.

Greybeard's forces placed Kalokop under house arrest, but not before Kalokop sent orders to withdraw his troops from the front to recapture the city. However, it was too late. Many young men had been captured by Graybeard's soldiers' daring feat and turned against Kalokop and Foundation, joining the scouting party until it was a sizeable force.

Kalokop's troops eventually returned and recaptured the city, but it was too late. With his populace disloyal, economy bankrupt, and deserting armies, he was cast into exile--one of the most dishonorable fates for any king of the CK Empire.

Kalokop's younger brother was permitted to stay, however. The younger brother married and had children, but was not content to live the life of an ordinary nobleman. He resigned all his authority and left the city with the few remaining loyal troops and bodyguards to seek a new opportunity.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Kalokop. Although not the most disliked of all the rulers of the CK Empire, he certainly suffered one of the most horrible fates and is only mentioned in the manuscripts with a reluctant admittance of existence to further the timeline.

Duke Pokolak

Lived in Era 38, got 1 heir(s) (Sessa) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Messiah, Era 38~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

With the exile of Kalokop, the CK Empire formed itself into a Republic. However, the armies of Revelation broke through Foundation's defenses in the north and captured the city, forcing the city to assimilate to their culture and might.

It was have seemed that the CK Empire's lineage had finally come to an end, but this was not the case. Kalokop's brother had married and born several children. Although he never returned to Fantasia himself, one of his sons heard of his family legacy and, at the mere age of fourteen, decided to leave his father and family to return to Fantasia.

Pokolak, though very young and inexperienced, was an immensely intelligent boy. Where he felt lacking in his abilities, he summoned his great tutors, teachers, and friends to help him. As such, he learned very quickly how to maintain his empire. Remembering his peasant's loyalty in following him back into Fantasia, Pokolak governed very justly, lowered tax rates and removing class barriers that had been forming since Maltorv's reign.

This son's name was Pololak. His birth name had been different, but by popular request he was known as Pololak in tribute to his exiled uncle. Despite the uprising, many peasants still felt loyal to the CK empire and grieved Kalopok's forced absence. For this reason, fifty troops and a thousand peasants followed the child-emperor back to Fantasia, re-establishing their presence in the north with a lumber-producing village. But Foundation's defenses could not hold off the Revelation troops in the north for much longer, despite several initial strategic victories, and Pololak was forced to flee with some of his peasants and warriors through Retribution's homeland to escape capture. Luckily, he had planned ahead for this, and sent his empire's wealth south to a temporary home city, Squeeze, to avoid capture and to rebuild.

For a short time, there was an era of peace and prosperity as Pokolak settled new cities and began to rebuild the empire's power, wealth, and population. Not many of Pokolak's followers had escaped capture, yet a huge stockpile of wealth remained to be distributed among his people. With these resources, all of Pokolak's followers settled homes and business with the wealth of noblemen, quickly attracting thousands of new followers seeking a percentage of this population's surplus supplies.

Unfortunately, peace was not about to last for much longer. Several lords from the kingdom Shadow Assassins, located to the south in the land of Zetamania, sent armies into Foundation's new homeland, threatening to destroy the weak empire.

Just as soon as the first conflict had been resolved, another began. Rebirth, the kingdom who Foundation had defeated several years back, had settled in the south and rebuilt. Now they began to march armies against Foundation once more, threatening the weak Foundation empire. Pokolak prepared for war, sending out small armies to slay enemy scouting parties. His troops killed a spy outside the city Squeeze and a small task force of nazgul warriors outside a nearby fort, but neither of the cities had enough defenses to truly hold out. Luckily, Foundation negotiated a peace toward the aggressors--all except for one lord who descended from the former ally Vytatus Claus, who refused to acknowledge the ceasefire.

Vytatus never posed a great threat, but several of his armies did penetrate into Foundation's southern lands. Pokolak sent an army of his own against one particularly strong won and defeated it after a close and costly battle. Pokolak's wounded troops rested as allied force besieged and slaughtered the enemy.

Not long after that, the kingdom known as Heaven threatened Foundation's existance once more, capturing several Foundation cities and converting them into castles and forts. Luckily, Foundation was no longer quite as weak and vulnerable, and all the capture cities, in addition to several newly built warcamps, were captured, temporarily suspending threat from Heaven. Before long, both Retribution and Foundation armies were fighting back.

Rumors of a mass alliance to the west in the land of Starta began to prove true as invaders began crossing the vast distances, attacking exposed cities to the west. Their aim was to defeat the strongest kingdom at the time, Retribution, and to kill her allies. One such kingdom was known as Sphagetti, another as Lunar Wolves. Though the enemy troops held little training or tactically-intelligent generals, the sheer number of soldiers posed a great threat. But despite initial success, Foundation armies began to reverse the war and began seizing enemy cities in their own world.

But soon diplomacy proved to be a very difficult, as many kingdoms held alliances with conflicting interests. Predators, a familiar kingdom, was originally allied to Foundation, but the kingdom had also sworn an oath to other allies to march against the Fantasia kingdoms. As a result, the kingdom split into civil war. Some joined with Foundation, others stayed and fought with the Starta alliance.

Pokolak remained absent from many of the battles, largely due to right-of-passage conflicts. Foundation's allies held crucial chokepoints, but not all of the cities were willing to let a foreign army pass through. But this did not stop Pokolak form continually expanding his military. He itched to forge his own legacy, to fight for honor, fame, glory, and a seat secured in history.

Victory came hard-earned for the Foundation troops fighting against her many enemies. Predators lost ground, as did her ally Brotherhood of Wolves. Foundation held an inferior economy, but fought alongside a mighty ally and with superior generals. When a northern kingdom declared war on Retribution, Foundation honored the alliance and declared war on the northern kingdom, fighting against it until it too not only lost its initial troops, but had been pushed back even further north.

By the first sightings of the storm clouds of armageddon, Foundation had risen from the ashes of its defeat at the hands of revelation to the second mightiest empire in all the worlds.

Pokolak was always busy with affairs of state, even though he ruled a relatively small population of 425,000 peasants and a little over a hundred thousand troops. Pokolak, while not being a particularly strong or interesting sovereign, did write many ancient works on poetry, medicine, and science--even tried his hand at several tragedies, some say. Many of these works have since been lost (but are occasionally mentioned in the texts by other authors whose manuscripts have survived.) What is of most interest to me, however, is his chronicling of some of his own ancestors--some of the rare the manuscripts I myself now study and use to compile this very own volume.

The young emperor never officially married. He received few wedding proposals from other lords' daughters, for in public view he was not particularly cared for. But he did have several children among several different women, and named his oldest daughter as his successor when she proved to be the most motivated and bright.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Pokolak. Pokolak evacuated his cities before the storms of armageddon dealt disaster to the land and continued to write in his old age, surviving long enough to write to his oldest daughter during the early years of her reign.

Duchess Sessa

Lived in Era 39, got 1 heir(s) (Deulatov) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Agent Smith, Era 39~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Sessa, Pokolak's eldest daughter, is another one of the less-remembered members of the CK Empire. She grew up with some of her daughters very motivated by her professors, with a keen eye for nature and an early comprehension of justice. She enjoyed reading very much, but mainly books of myths and fairy tales.

As she grew older, she began to lose the potential others saw in her. She married at the age of seventeen, but her husband died of illness only a few months after the wedding. At first she mourned, but not for long--within three months she'd found another suitor and married him.

By all accounts, Sessa was not a very faithful wife. She was highly proud and strong-willed, and her affairs were no secret to her family, children, and subjects. Many men from many nations took their hand at seducing her. Many succeeded, as well--men who were not so much interested in her, but to influence her policies and gain a small piece of her wealth. As such, her reign quickly became a storm of short-lived policies: a lift of tax on farmers changed into a heavy tax (this suitor owned many thousands of acres of farms), a large investment in military affairs but never any orders to order her troops out (she spent quite a few nights with military men,) and many other decisions.

She was not unpopular. She often threw banquets and state holidays for the rich and poor alike. Her subjects tolerated her--others simply disobeyed her policies, since Sessa rarely tried to keep up on state affairs and few were effectively enforced.

Sessa grew sick at an early age. Some suspected an enemy poisoned her, but most of her doctors disagreed. She'd been with many men and had contracted a number of diseases from them. She lost her sense of touch in her feet first and no longer cared to walk. Then she began to grow delirious, speaking to servants that did not exist, or asking questions of scenarios that had never come to pass.

A council formed out of her top advisors. Together, they agreed to strip the ill queen of her power and rule jointly until one of her children became of age.

Early on in her reign, Foundation warred its neighbor directly to the north, an empire known as Chocolate. The war remained a stalemate for several years, but it was clear that Foundation had the upper hand. But fate would deny the kingdom her victory as a great threat was growing to the west: the rebirth of the Revelation empire. Fate and Chocolate quickly drew up a ceasefire and marched against other foes.

Foundation's lands stretched many miles to the north and east. A great war erupted in the north, which Foundation would emerge from triumphantly.

But Foundation had overstretched, and its prestige and power made it a target. A mass alliance formed against them, forcing Foundation to fight on several fronts at once. Revelation, MAD, Juicy, and other lessesr kingdoms marched into Foundation lands and conquering cities. Foundation did not fight alone--the ancient kingdom of Abydos, the now-allied Chocolate, and a southern empire known as Fruits and Vegetables fought alongside Foundation to hold back the lower-world invaders.

Sessa's council had ordered the construction of a great fort on the western front, a small city of itself with thousands of barracks and forges. Over fifty thousand troops were raised and trained in there. But when the enemy began to march close, not even this force could hold off the hundreds of thousands of troops in one of Revelation's massive armies. The council ordered the troops south to reinforce one of Foundation's own sizeable forces, burning the fort behind them.

The capital city of the empire was at risk as well. The capital, named Sessa City, held nearly half of the CK Empire's population and industry. But it could not be defended, and its wealth could not fall into the enemy's war efforts. So the council made a fateful decision: burn the city as well. Hundreds of thousands of citizens were now homeless, unemployed, and starving. In one night, Sessa's lands had suffered a major blow.

But Revelation did not manage to capture the city for a while. Foundation's armies held them at bay, forcing them to organize and gather. This bought the kingdom time, but the tides of war seemed too far unbalanced to change. At last, Revelation broke through and slaughtered any remaining troops in the area. Suffering heavy casualties while inflicting few, the last remnants of Sessa City (which had been converted into a warcamp) fell into enemy hands.

As the years dragged by in increasing hopelessness, fortune changed at last. The war with Juicy ended, allowing Foundation's armies to defend against the last major foe, the powerful Revelation. Although still vastly outnumbered in troops and supplies, the kingdom managed to defend its remaining lands until the storm clouds of Armageddon.

Duchess Sessa, powerless, fell into obscurity. Her citizens could see her palace--which was actually more the size of a noble's summer manor--but knew nothing of her and her ways. She did have a good number of children amongst her many suitors, and nine sons, along with four daughters, now all sought to impress the council to see who would be named the next ruler of the CK Empire.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Sessa. As her children grew to adulthood, all of them highly educated by the demanding council, the eldest four were chosen: two sons and two daughters. It would be they who would lead the disintegrated CK Empire to fame or failure.

Duke Deulatov

Lived in Era 40, got 1 heir(s) (Volgorath) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Dvsmasta, Era 40~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Regrettably, little is known about Deulatov, either for the good or bad. He largely defended his kingdom's key cities and did little else in the struggle against Juicy and Abydos, Foundation's two largest enemies.

Deulatov had only one son who would take the throne after him. Otherwise, there is nothing recorded in the ancient manuscripts about Deulatov's life or those of his subjects--or else the ones that existed have been lost or destroyed.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my very brief account of Deulatov. His son would carry on the legacy of the empire into future generations.

Duke Volgorath

Lived in Era 41, got 1 heir(s) (Orioles) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Magneto, Era 41~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Volgorath, regrettably, is mentioned only in passing by the ancient texts. Virtually nothing is remembered about him.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my very brief account of Volgorath.

Duchess Orioles

Lived in Era 42, got 1 heir(s) (Jictelious) and was a member of Foundation
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Chipotle Snack Wrap, Era 42~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

From the beginning, Fate enjoyed initial success and conquered much land mass in all directions. However, as the kingdom grew to dominate most of Fantasia, jealous enemy kingdoms began launching attacks at Fate's frontiers, namely Revelation, Rebirth, and No Pulse, among other lesser kingdoms. Vastly outnumbered, Fate slowly withdrew back to more defensible positions, controlling crucial mountain forts and river crossings.

It seemed as though a stalemate would persist when a saboteur from Revelation undermined the walls of a crucial fort. Amidst the chaos, Revelation quickly swept aside the defenders and penetrated deep in Fate's lands. In order to keep the enemy from enjoying the spoils of war, Orioles burned several of her cities before they could be captured.

As the storm clouds of Armageddon began to roll in, Fate held only a small pocket of land, though it was very well defended. Unfortunately for Orioles, all her cities were lost, and for many years she wandered with no home and no subjects but a few loyal bodybuards. She bore a son during this time who would return to try and take revenge in future generations.

Duke Jictelious

Lived in Era 43, got 1 heir(s) (Jictelious The Younger) and was a member of Fate
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Chavez Era 43~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Jictelious was the second oldest of Oriole's sons. For many years, his older brother was heir to the throne, but when he was nineteen he was thrown from his horse and broke his neck, crippling him, and eventually killing him. Thus Jictelious came to inherit the kingdom by surprise, a task which he was not yet prepared to do.

When word came that the storm clouds of armageddon had cleared once again, Orioles began to lead her subjects back with other Fate lords to the world of Valhalla. She was in her late forties when the move began, but did not survive the journey. So when the few thousand subjects faithful to the CK Empire settled, Jictelious, only twelve years old, became the empire's leader.

Immediately the Fate lords allied with an old friend, MAD, and began to fight against a lesser, yet older and powerful, kingdom known as Guild of the Fallen. Fate lords proved victorious and repelled the enemy until the kings of the Guild of the Fallen surrendered and agreed to relocate their empire.

With the immediate area surrounded, Fate launched a major invasion against the worlds to the east, including Revelation and Phi. Unlike a generation ago, Fate made progress and pushed back the enemies' borders greatly until the kingdoms had been a small fragment of what the used to be.

However, trouble began brewing to the south as the kingdom No Pulse threatened an invasion into lands held by Fate in Starta by armies of half a million troops. With skill and luck, the warlords of Fate held them back.

By the time the storm clouds of Armageddon appeared in the sky, Fate was the undisputed victor, having captured large segments of the worlds and destroying entire kingdoms. But despite this, no man or army could stop the cycle of Armageddon, and all had to be abandoned.

Throughout the decades, Jictelious had but one son with one wife, an intelligent young boy with a fondness of history and science.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Jictelious.

Duke Jictelious The Younger

Lived in Era 44, got 1 heir(s) (Laeroi) and was a member of Fate
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Muzzy, Era 44~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

When Jictelious's son was first born, he contracted a serious illness that threatened the infant's life. Already he had lost several children who died before birth, so by the time Jictelious's surviving son was born, he had still not yet been named. In fact, Jictelious did not name his son until the lad was four years old. The child had simply been called "The Younger," so it came naturally enough that Jictelious's son was known by the same name.

Jictelious the Younger excelled very quickly in his studies while living between the worlds, waiting for the storm clouds of Armageddon to lift once more. Jictelious the Younger became a great writer. Before he reached his teenage years, he had compiled his own (abbreviated) volume of his family's history stretching back twenty generations. (Though in compiling my own volumes regarding the CK Empire, I have often disregarded elements of Jictelious's the Younger's details. Jictelious the Younger seems to have had a passion for fabricating details, names, and battles. In attempting to maintain my own volumes within the realm of feasibility, the only details I take from Jictelious the Younger are those whose earlier documents agree upon.)

Jictelious the Younger, as he grew into young adulthood, became a poet. Regrettably, despite his pride, it is only a handful of short poems that are remembered. His longer epics have been lost.

When Jictelious the Elder died, Jictelious the Younger quickly found himself thrust into a position he was not yet ready for. For several years, he relied heavily on a council to guide him, but when he began to understand how various councilmen were playing off of his fears and emotions, he abolished the council in its entirety and crowned himself as absolute sovereign.

When it finally came time to move back into the reborn worlds, Jictelious the Younger and his Foundation allies settled in the world of Mantrax. Almost immediately, war broke out between Fate and neighboring kingdoms, including the Royal Order of Claidmore and LDK. For the first time in generations, Jictelious the Younger, fueled by his lingering adolescent fascination of epic poetry, was quick to personally lead armies. The first several battles were easy victories, but then disaster struck.

An elite army of 50,000 troops strong, archmages as the legend goes, attempted to lay siege to an enemy stronghold. However, Jictelious the Younger had not properly gathered intelligence. When the enemy sallied out to meet him, he underestimated their numbers. Within hours, his army was stretched thin and being hit by flank attacks by the enemy's superior force. The army held for nearly a day, but Jictelious the Younger's exhausted troops routed when night fell. What began as a tactical withdrawel under the cover of darkness ended up as a massacre. Out of 65,000 troops that had been mustered to fight, only 30,000 lived. Jictelious the Younger, disillusioned by the crushing defeat, shed the last of his childish fantasies that day. The thousands of bodies of his dead warriors stretched over miles of open grasslands remained in his mind for the rest of his life, and his poetry suddenly shifted from glorifying battle to writing of its harsh, miserable realities.

Ultimately, reinforcements arrived and Jictelious the Younger's march east continued. His troops enjoyed an unbroken string of victories with almost no casualties. LDK and RoC withdrew from Mantrax. Feeling satisfied, many Fate lords turned their attentions elsewhere to fighting kingdoms to the west and south. Jictelious led a new campaign against Music to the east, capturing several minor cities. When Music was largely conquered, a new threat began to stir right in the heartland of Foundation's lands.

The Brotherhood of Wolves warred a new empire known simply as "The Federation." The Federation took the upper hand and pushed many BoW lords from Mantrax. Fate remained entirely neutral in the conflict, but with no official relations, Federation agents began to sabotage Fate fortresses. No longer would Foundation tolerate these acts, and suddenly Fate's lords sent armies to purge Federation from Mantrax. Acting quickly, and in most scenarios decisively, Fate destroyed any enemy opposition. Jictelious the Younger gained several new, though small, cities in the conquests.

However, the political backlash against the invasion was rather surprising. Some kingdoms agreed with the Fate lords, stating that the Federation had committed hostile actions and brought themselves to war by refusing to hand over the lord responsible for beginning the conflict. Other kingdoms, however, interpreted this as Fate taking advantage of a younger, weaker neighbor. This sentiment carried through for many years after the war had been won.

Jictelious the Younger won several other victories in his elder years, but none of the battles were truly of any strategic significance. The enemy nations, LDK and the Royal Order of Claidmore, had been weakened greatly and put up very minimal resistance. In some scenarios, Jictelious's forces captured enemy cities without a fight. Some of his generals even refused to attack some of the weaker kings' cities, arguing that there was no need for extra loss of life. Although initially angered, Jictelious the Younger, in his own aging maturity, agreed.

By his late forties, Jictelious the Younger had married several times already (but misfortune struck frequently and all died of natural causes) and was known to have relations from his noblemens' daughters from time to time, but ultimately none of his children survived to inherit the throne. Jictelious grew fearful that without an heir, his legacy and long claim to the CK Empire would vanish. But on his forty-third birthday, he fell in love with one of the slave women from the conquered cities across the reaches of his empire. Unlike Jictelious's previous wives, she bore him not one but seven children, five girls and two sons.

In time the storm clouds of armageddon reappeared on the horizon. Jictelious the Younger knew that his time had ended and ordered the evacuation of all his cities, and together with hundreds of thousands of his homeless peasants, set out on the long and dangerous journey to the lands of exile where all could be safe.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Jictelious the Younger. Jictelious continued to live another forty years after evacuating the worlds, returning to his poetry. By now his poems were often bitter, fearful, dark, and moody. Many were cries of longing for years past, the years of his youth and strength. At the astonishing age of ninety-three, Jictelious the Younger died after a doctor misdiagnosed one of his many conditions, but none were angered by the fatal mistake. Jictelious the Younger had lived the final years of his life barely conscious, so when he passed away all felt his time would have ended anyway. And thus Jictelious the Younger, one of the greater kings in many generations, died.

Duchess Laeroi

Lived in Era 45, got 1 heir(s) (Solesta The Cruel) and was a member of Fate
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Bluelight, Era 45~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Jictelious the Younger's slave wife bore him fight daughters and two songs. The eldest child was a daughter named after a famous elven queen from legends, Laeroi. She was the oldest of all the other children by eight full years, so her position as sole heir to the throne was never challenged.

Even at a young age, Laeroi knew how to impress. She read her father's poetry and praised him about it (though records from her personal writings later in life admitted her true opinions, that most were rubbish.) Laeroi, though not the fastest learner in her studies, always left a good impression on her instructors so that what she failed to learn, she hid behind smiles and compliments.

During Laeroi's teenage years, many questioned whether she truly had the devotion to be queen. She was known to have many short-lived romances with young noblemen, falling deeply in love with one impressionable lad, only to find another love of of her live the following week. It was said that dozens of noblemen eyed her with broken hearts, all believing that perhaps they could catch her eye again, throwing gifts at her by the dozens to woo her.

Then, when Laeroi turned eighteen years of age, she became pregnant for the first time. Jictelious the Younger, who was still alive and relatively active, brought her into the palace and spoke to her. He told her that she would have to marry the one who impregnated her. She truthfully replied that there was no way of knowing which of the many nobles' sons was the father of the child, and argued that marrying the wrong man would be disastrous to her reputation. Angrily, Jictelious demanded she take a husband, whether or not that man was the father.

Reluctantly, the young Laeroi wed a nobleman's son by the name of Oliartson. Oliartson came from a rather minor noble family, but an ambitious family nonetheless. After the wedding, Oliartson quickly moved in to take control of the political duties Laeroi had neglected for so many years, firmly establishing himself as one of the most influential members of the government.

As Jictelious the Younger grew older and slept through most of his days, Oliartson assumed his father-in-law's position. When it was discovered that the storm clouds of Armageddon had cleared from the nine worlds, he led Laeroi and the rest of the empire to begin anew in Mantrax while his wife, the blood descendant to the throne, continued to privately lust for many other men.

However, Laeroi was just one of seven children. By the time she was thirty, her siblings were all in their teenage years and also began to emerge in positions of power. Jictelious the Younger's two sons detested Oliartson. They thought that Laeroi's husband sought to take complete control of the empire, so they began to scheme how to kill him. One evening the two boys, aged only sixteen and thirteen, attempted to poison Oliartson during a regular dinner meal. However, that night Laeroi's husband was working late and never came down for his meal. The palace servants gave the uneaten food to several beggars in the city, unknowingly poisoning and killing seven peasants.

The public outcry was swift. Peasants began to accuse Laeroi and Oliartson of being cruel and unjust, seeking to kill political enemies among the poor. The anger grew spread to encompass all of Laeroi's family and children, however, and angry mobs threatened to storm the imperial palace. Violence frequently burst out on the streets, armed peasants attacking patrolling soldiers and dying in greater number in the repercussion. On one unfortunate evening, Laeroi's two young brothers were traveling with a patrol to oversee the violence, hoping to gain the first experiences needed to become great generals later in life. But in one skirmish, both royal brothers were slain riding upon their horses in an ambush. Ultimately, it was the two scheming brothers' actions that caused their deaths.

The death of her two brothers shook Laeroi. She had already stopped leaving the palace to secretly meet with other men; the risk of being affiliated with her had already scared most suitors off already, but now she became loyal to her husband and a mother to her own daughter. It is said that this was the night Laeroi finally became queen. Being idle in the palace began to take its toll on Laeroi, so she entertained herself by taking over her duties as queen. Although Oliartson remained an enormous influence, the empire listened to Laeroi's as the supreme sovereign.

All this had happened during the first years after moving to Mantrax. As problems stabilized in the capital city, Fate became in two major wars with neighboring kingdoms. One opponent was the former ally MAD. The other kingdom was known as Army of Anubis. At first the war seemed a standstill. Laeroi's capital city stood directly on the front lines, but the city itself was never targeted or saw any conflict, simply maintaining its garrison of militia troops to ward off potential invasions. Slowly, Fate lords conquered its opponents on other flanks, pushing the enemy back and capturing their cities.

However, as the war dragged on, the tides began to turn as Fate's momentum faltered. There were simply too many enemies to hold off; every kingdom wanted to claim a victory against the great empire of Fate. Eventually, the Fate armies were forced to withdraw to several crucial forts and wait for the enemy to try and breach the defenses.

For some time, Fate's lords dreaded to look out over the horizon. More enemy armies gathered every day, and although most of the troops were recent recruits with inexperienced generals, the vast amount of raw power was immense.

Fate did manage to make a short-lived counterattack. Taking advantage of the enemy's overconfidence and disorganization, Fate armies did the unexpected--marched against the invaders in field battles. MAD and Havok armies scrambled in retreat, but some fell victim to Fate's angry troops and were utterly slaughtered.

But the success did not last long. MAD, Havok, and Xclan armies came back from routing and formed large coherent bodies, and even then fresh troops were marching to join the war in the hundreds of thousands. Once more, Fate retreated to its defensive forts, praying for a turn in fortunes.

Just as Fate's lands seemed safe, at least for the moment, it was discovered that a small portion of wall had recently collapsed. One massive army of half a million troops streamed in unopposed. No Fate lord could match this power of this army, but neither were they willing to let the enemy invade and use the cities' resources against them. In several tragic weeks, many large cities were razed to the ground, displacing millions of peasants, many of whom were driven to the brink of starvation.

As the enemy armies swarmed Fate's homelands, Laeroi had no choice but to raze her own personal capital, Laeroi City, before it fell into the hands of the enemy. She retreat south with her most loyal advisors and began to rebuild on Fantasia in relative safety due to the proximity of FEAR cities, a kingdom neutral to Fate and willing to permit fugitives to settle in its lands.

Laeroi could do little but listen to the news as her garrisons of troops were slaughtered under the enemy armies. Soon every city on the world of Mantrax was possessed by the enemy, though many were only smoldering ruins by Fate's scorced-earth policy. There was one exception, however. Tens of thousands of troops gathered in one key city that kept MAD and her allies from marching south unopposed. The city was a massive fort with very few civilians. The enemy armies besieged the cities and attempted to assault it twice, but Laeroi's faithful troops repelled both invasions. Although Laeroi's armies suffered tens of thousands of casualties defending the walls, both enemy armies were routed with casualties greater than two hundred and fifty thousand killed. It was a glorious victory for the CK Empire, though a shallow one as all the defense had accomplished was forcing the enemy to take slightly longer routes. In addition, Laeroi's husband, Oliartson, died of a battle wound during the battle. And without a steady income, the thousands of soldiers defending the camp began to desert to look after their own families.

Although Laeroi never suffered another loss, there was little time to celebrate. The storm clouds of armageddon began rolling in unexpectedly early, and Laeroi's handful of remaining subjects fled to the outerworlds to avoid certain death.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Laeroi. Laeroi did not survive to see the lands of exile herself; she died of disease at the young age of forty nine, leaving behind her daughter and five remaining siblings, her sisters. Although many scholars and historians do not compare Laeroi to her predecessor Jictelious, Laeroi lived in a tough time and it cannot be said she was not a woman well acquainted with war. Living on the defense day after day may not be as glorious as tearing through enemy lands as the aggressor, but it is just as vital. And thus Laeroi passed away, leaving the empire to deal with another generation of struggle, victory, defeat, life, and death.

Duchess Solesta The Cruel

Lived in Era 46, got 1 heir(s) (Rensmauth The Meek) and was a member of Fate
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Bogdan, Era 46~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE QUEEN AND HER MEN:

Laeroi gave birth to only one child, a daughter. Some chronicals speak of Laeroi as being a poor mother, often leaving her daughter to the care of servants for weeks at a time. Thus Laeroi's daughter, Solesta, grew up with little influence from her direct parents.

Solesta grew attached to one figure in particular, a retired general who had served in Laeroi's wars earlier on when the war seemed to be going in Fate's favor. He also developed a fondness for her, telling her stories of her ancestors and their glorious wars, back to the very day of CK the Fat himself. He also told her about dragons and mythical beasts, and of the heroes who slayed them. Solesta spent almost two hours a day with him, often late in the night when Laeroi ordered her to sleep.

One day when Solesta was twelve, the retired general told her he could not return to see her as he had a mass execution to look after. The uprising against Laeroi and Oliartson had already been quelled, but peasants were still being hunted down years later for their crimes of treason. Solesta begged the retired general to be able to come with him. Hesitantly, the general agreed. For the next seven days, Solesta watched as hundreds of prisoners were hanged in a long strip of gallows. It is said she shied away at first, but by the end of the week she began to taunt the prisoners as they strangled to death. She even threw rocks and whipped them with reeds, screaming that they were all traitors and deserved a more horrible fate. The general grew worried and forced her to go back to the palace early.

While the general was gone, overseeing the final executions, Solesta ordered the town blacksmith to make her a pair of armor. When the blacksmith told her to come back with permission from her mother, Solesta threatened to tell the palace guards that he had hurt her, a crime that was on par with treason. The blacksmith had no choice but to obey, and within a week he had created a fancy, ceremonial breastplate that fit her pre-teenage figure. But this did not satisfy Solesta; she screamed at forced him to make another one, not ceremonial armor but true war armor.

When Laeroi caught sight of her daughter playing in armor, she asked Solesta who had made it. Solesta answered it was the blacksmith. In turn, Laeroi ordered the man to be exiled. She questioned her daughter further and learned about the retired general. Horrified, she ordered the retired general to return to her wars, far away from Solesta.

Solesta was furious and tried running away from the palace, aiming to meet up with the general and fight with him and his army. She stole a horse from the stables, put on her armor, and galloped from the city gates to the east where the general was stationed. However, the palace guards intercepted her within a few miles. She fought against them with a sword, wounding two guards before she was apprehended. Solesta had no military training, so she rode back to the palace with her hands bounds together in shame.

Laeroi tried to keep Solesta inside the palace, paying more attention to her daughter than ever before. She ordered tutors to train Solesta in the arts of politics, mathematics, and science, but the young girl refused to learn. She screamed at her tutors, scratching them with her nails, and once even stabbing one with a kitchen knife. This continued through Solesta's teenage years and her early womanhood, until Laeroi died. Without her mother, Solesta enjoyed her freedom and abandoned her schooling in favor of military training.

Solesta had affairs with many of the young soldiers she trained alongside, but ultimately each time Solesta grew fond of a man, he was sent out to fight the hopeless defense of the kingdom. Most of the soldiers that returned home were those missing limbs. Others that came home with minor wounds fared little better; Solesta made a point to call them cowards for not fighting until death and tried to have them exiled, but the council, still controlled by her aunts, overruled her. Some accounts state that some of these soldiers died mysterious deaths. It is rumored that Solesta poisoned them in their sleep, though it is impossible to verify this.

When the storm clouds of armageddon forced Solesta and her aunts to flee to the lands of exile, Solesta found herself the empire's sole heir to the throne. When she returned with her Fate companion lords to the world of Fantasia, she quickly focused on building up her military, leaving economic and diplomatic matters to her council. But Solesta was not content with her council's decisions and exiled no fewer than thirty, stating suddenly that their actions displeased her. Two she ordered to be executed for what she called treason. It was these days when Solesta became known as Solesta the Cruel.

With bitter memories of the past generation's struggles, the Fate lords engaged in a war with old enemies, Army of Anubis, Havok, and MAD. This time the Fate lords fared much better in their wars, conquering enemy cities and expanding its frontiers. Solesta found herself tasked with the defense of a fort to the far south. She moved her council to this fort, saying that the military atmosphere was where every true king or queen should command from. An enemy army approached the fort and laid siege to it, but Solesta had ample supplies of food and labor in the fort and built up the fort's walls to be impregnable. As reinforcements arrived, the enemy army withdrew. Solesta scrambled to raise an army to go on the offensive.

Solesta made two major excursions into History Matters territory. The first excursion was a small army with only several thousand soldiers. Too weak to engage in major battles, Solesta personally led her armies to capture several cities owned by a lord named News Network. Most of the cities captured were empty of troops, protected by guard towers and walls or simply nothing at all. However, she did manage to capture one city of value that was defended only by the occupants of the city's numerous guard towers. She took over a hundred thousand of its inhabitants as slaves, but knowing that it would not be long before armies marched against her, she ordered the city to be burned and attempted to move to different cities.

Unfortunately, Solesta's rampage ended when she made the mistake of splitting her army into several small divisions to capture nearby cities. Some of these cities had professional soldiers in them that were able to completely slaughter Solesta's forces. Solesta's main army was forced into en engagement and lost due to her underwhelming numbers and troop quality. The remanants of the army took refuge in a burnt city, but it was not long before they too were slaughtered. Solesta narrowly escaped with her life, riding a horse north back to friendly territory with a deep injury.

By this time, however, Solesta's new armies were marching south to join in on the offensive. With superior troops and superior numbers, she commanded her new army and was more successful in her battles. Capturing a new city, she converted it into a fort closer to the frontlines and attempted to seize more cities with her constant stream of reinforcements. She engaged in several battles with the enemy, some taking a heavy toll on her forces, others a quick a decisive victory. However, the enemy History Matters lords were now responding to the threat in full force, having reached a ceasefire with their other enemies. Neither side was able to make progress, so there was little to do than train more forces and wait for an opportunity to strike.

With History Matters able to concentrate on their wars to the north, enemy generals began to return with large armies filled with veterans and fresh recruits alike. Solesta and her troops found themselves besieged in a city just south of Markeli, surrounded by an army of experienced troops bitter with revenge. Morale dropped; there seemed to be no escape as the enemy siege towers and catapults were finished outside. There was an allied army marching to relieve the starving city, but it was still weeks away and would arrive too late.

At last the big assault came, thousands upon thousands of enemy shoulders attempting to completely eliminate Solesta and her allies' armies. The battle lasted for days, but the defenders held strong. Although Solesta suffered thousands of casualties in the prolonged conflict, the enemy attack was repelled and the enemy troops were forced to regroup. But the massive Fate army now approached the bloody field, causing the enemy army to retreat to safety. Unfortunately for the enemy soldiers, the retreat was disorganized and the army was chased down and slaughtered. At once the war bounced back in favor of Fate as History Matters armies prepared to make a last stand at the city further south known as Ovech.

Several Fate lords were able infiltrate past enemy defenses and began skirmishing, capturing cities that had not seen war i before. Undefended, city after city fell to Fate lords, namely Freddy. But although many of her peers were able to move armies south and capture the lightly-defended cities, capturing millions of slaves and plunder, Solesta restlessly was forced to keep her army Ovech where the enemy maintained a dangerous presence. Ovech was surrounded by two great armies, but still the defense inside the city was too great for the attackers to defeat. Solesta and her troops grew irritated at remaining stationary for many months; the troops all desired to seek revenge on the enemy and share in on the pillaging.

Too weak to capture the city Ovech, Solesta and several other armies surrounded the city, hoping to starve the enemy troops or force them to surrender when they heard news of their home cities' demise. Months turned into years as Solesta and her troops grew bored and lazy, waiting for a chance to strike against History Matters. That chance would ultimately come to Solesta by surprise. The troops in the city attempted to escape, slipping out through underground tunnels. When Solesta heard that the enemy army was miles to the north, heading straight for undefended Fate home cities, she panicked and ordered her army to pursue, but it was deemed that due to the enemy's superior strength it would be better for her to join the conflict to the south.

But this wasn't to say Solesta did nothing. The History Matters army traveled north week after week of forced march, hoping to march directly into Fate's home lands and wreck havok on millions of peasants and troops. Even if History Matters could no longer win the war, this last army could cause millions of deaths. But there was one barrier between the enemy army and Fate's homelands, a fortress wedged inside a valley, the only way to pass through. And this city was anything but undefended--sixty thousand young men, mostly poorly-trained militia, defended the pass. The fortress could not defend against a prepared attack, but the fortress would not be taken without weeks of preparation--weeks the pursued enemy army did not have. Not knowing the true strength of the fortress, the enemy army began to prepare for what they thought would be a quick battle, but when spies revealed the city's true raw strength, the army found itself trapped between impenetrable walls and hundreds of thousands of angry Fate soldiers.

Exhausted, the History Matters could not escape the following massacre. Few survivors manage to slip back to their homelands, but even then they found only smoldering ruins or their home towns occupied by Fate soldiers. The war was over. Fate had won. There was no one else to fight.

Solesta, herself a tired woman with battle scars, retired to her capital where she resumed civilian life. The records are vague on what Solesta did in these later years of her life as most accounts are of her military experiences. She had left the city in the hands of advisers for so many years that it practically ran itself. Aged thirty-nine, Solesta became pregnant by a young commander that had served with her during her campaigns. It was a strange match, a brave twenty-two year old soldier with a woman nearly twice his age. It is said their marriage was a loveless one, that Solesta desired only a strong son by a strong father. She had no other children.

As fate would have it, the cycle of armageddon returned. Solesta ordered her cities to be evacuated to escape certain death by the toxic clouds and falling ash.

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Solesta. Although not known as the CK Empire's greatest ruler, military historians do seem to have a special affinity for preserving her memory and primarily defensive campaigns. She is recorded as being responsible for training over 350,000 troops and credited with over 140,000 enemy dead--small numbers compared to the heroes of the kingdom of Fate, but a contribution to the overall efforts nonetheless and potentially responsible for saving millions of civilian lives. Solesta perished only seven years after her son was born at the age of forty-six, leaving the empire in his young hands.

Duke Rensmauth The Meek

Lived in Era 47, got 1 heir(s) (Nazariena) and was a member of Fate
~~~~~~~~~Chronicals of the CK Empires~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Era of Fire Lord Nova, Era 47~~~~~~~~~~~
````````Compiled by Monk Devontiun`````````

PREFACE: This old journal chronicals the history of the CK Empire. It is said much can be learned about the future by looking into the past, and thus I have devoted my scholarly and religious studies looking into years gone by. I hope you enjoy reading my tale of these times long past as much as I enjoyed studying the ancient manuscripts and composing such a volume. --Monk Devontiun

THE KING AND HIS MEN:

Rensmauth, the only son of Solesta, lived with his protective mother for the first seven years of his young life, but when his mother perished, he was left alone and confused. Immediately, many lords and advisors tried to surround him and influence his opinions, but Rensmauth, in mourning for his mother, refused to choose any for three more years. Some on Solesta's surviving advisors thought that this was the sign of great wisdom in such a young boy, but others believed he was indecisive and powerless. Among the peasants he was known as Rensmauth the Meek for his supposed timidness, even though as Rensmauth entered his teenage years he was anything but timid.

Rensmauth took a peculiar interest in stories of his mother's armies and the battles they fought in, but despite this interest his tutors generally agreed that the tactics he devised in his mind were generally bad ideas. Many advisors spent day after day trying to drill more realistic expectations into the young king's mind, but in training war games Rensmauth never emerged victorious over his opponents, whether they be his advisors or simple friends with minimal military training. His strategies were poor; at times Rensmauth played aggressively but sustained too many casualties attempting bold maneuvers.

Eventually even Rensmauth came to accept that he was no great general. Luckily, he said, he had found this out before he'd been sent out to lead an army. Instead, Rensmauth focused his studies on the economic and law side of a ruling monarch, finding that he had a talent for numbers and management. While his economic and social reforms greatly assisted his people's welfare, many people thought of him as the "absent" king as Rensmauth was not much of one for parades or festivals.

When Rensmauth and his people came to the world of Fantasia, much had changed. New routes through mountains and valleys had been discovered, expanding the inhabitable lands by several times. As a result, more ambitious kingdoms came to fight for their right to rule. Fate found itself surrounded by enemies to the north by the kingdom known as Holy and to the south by an alliance of lesser kingdoms including Ravage Regime and Kingdom Hearts. Due to a lack of communication and divided focuses, Fate suffered several defeats. But as so many times before, several Fate lords returned to the offensive, breaking the enemy's front line armies and seizing city after city in minor skirmishes. Rensmauth, not much of a general himself, did muster tens of thousands of troops for defensive purposes and towards the final days before the storm clouds of Armageddon captured several MAD and DOA cities with his large, formerly defensive armies. Despite years of struggle, Fate emerged as the second greatest power in Fantasia. Over the course of his reign, Rensmauth killed over a hundred thousand enemy soldiers and trained over five hundred thousand of his own.

Rensmauth married to a woman of power, the daughter of an allied Fate lord. But the woman he loved--and bore children with--was a simple servant who quickly became part of his circle of advisors. It is not known how well his subjects knew that his children were not from his wife, but accounts record that "those who knew sealed their voices out of general respect for their king--and upon hearing his wife, who would not agree his love was given to a fairer woman?"

CLOSURE: Thus ends my account of Rensmauth. Though not known as a warrior, many records exist of his excellence in logistical management and economic theories. He would lead his people into exile and raise his two sons and daughter to rule in future generations of warfare and strife.