Family History
Mr. Rhade
Lived in Era 22, got 1 heir(s) (Rhade) and was a member of Brotherhood of the Wolf
Armageddon was drawing near. After many trials and battles, everything was coming down to this. The brave and foolish would stay above ground and finish out their lives as normal, letting their petty battles come before their lives. Those who wished to survive had already begun preperations to draw underground, and Rhade and Kaslan were among those. Their father had yet to name a successor, though, and the kingdom was growing anxious. Both brothers had devout followers, and the kingdom was divided nearly in the middle as to who should rule. Many thought that Kaslan, older and with more military experience, was the obvious choise. Rhade, however, spent much of his time with the people, and was very well liked.
Kaslan had always excelled in the art of war, taking full advantage of his half-dwarf half-human lineage. Rhade, on the other hand, excelled instead in shamanism and magic, a fact that had disappointed his father.
One evening, taking a few last trips around the castle, Rhade overheard a messenger tell Kaslan that his father wished to meet with him. Taking advantage of an invisibility spell, Rhade slipped into his father's chambers behind Kaslan.
"Ah, my son! Welcome."
Kaslan bowed, "You wished to speak with me?"
"Yes, I do. It's a matter of great importance. As you well know, I have decided to remain above to fight off the Legacy Empire for as long as it is possible. This means that my people will be without a leader, and naturally they will look to either you or Rhade."
Kaslan nodded in understanding.
"A problem arises, however, when they must choose who will lead them. You have a great deal of support within the kingdom, but much of the younger generation would challenge you for Rhade. One of my last wishes is for my people to remain together into this new world, and a civil war between you and your brother's factions would destroy any hope either of you would have for building a real kingdom."
"After thinking long and hard about this, I have come to a decision. You are more fully qualified with military expertise and domestic knowledge, and therefore you must lead the kingdom, Kaslan. I fear your brother would not accept this news quietly, though."
"I am honored, father. I know as well as you that Rhade could not lead a kingdom to victory," Kaslan stepped closer. "What do you plan to do about him, though?"
"At the last banquet our kingdom is to have together, I am going to offer him a drink of my wine. It shall be poisoned, and when he dies it shall be seen as a Legacy attempt on my life."
Kaslan grinned. "That is very good, no questions will arise from that."
"Yes, and it will serve to further unite the kingdom. I do hope I am making the right decision, though. Killing my son is not an action I take lightly."
Kaslan put an arm on his father's shoulder. "It cannot be helped. He would destroy everything you worked so hard to build! You cannot allow that to happen."
"I suppose you are right. It shall be so. The banquet is tomorrow night, arrive early."
Sir Rhade
Lived in Era 23, got 1 heir(s) (Rhade) and was a member of Brotherhood of the Wolf
Rhade's life was full of turmoil and trouble, the least of which included once again serving the Brotherhood of the Wolf and being forced to ally Vendetta.
Holy and Phi made strides against BoW initially, but were pushed back until all was at a standstill. Vendetta refused to send aid and as a result, a few members of BoW launched an attack against them. The Brotherhood quickly fell apart, followed by the disbanding of V, leaving Rhade to flee to IE and an old friend, Arzun.
After IE was destroyed by the forces of Legacy and Rhade's empire was dust, he decided to take the great kingdom up on their offer. The Iscariot line would once again become a member of Legacy.
Sir Rhade
Lived in Era 24, got 1 heir(s) (Rhade) and was a member of Brotherhood of the Wolf
Compilation of historical works concerning the Iscariot lineage.
As a child, Rhade had explored all through his father's castle, including the library. He loved to peruse the ancient books and documents, just to catch glimpses of the past. One day, he came across a very dusty old text, bound in leather and hidden away on a high shelf. After dusting it thoroughly, he unwrapped the book, and was shocked by the title. It read, “History, diaries and biographies of the Iscariot lineage”.
He had often questioned his father about his ancestors, but every question was met with a quick change of subject. His past had often been a sore subject, though Rhade knew not why. Now he had all the information he had ever dreamed of in his hands. He quickly opened it and began reading.
"Family Tree: Iscariot Geneology
Era 9:.....Riashin Iscariot Sandra Iscariot
Era 9:.................../............../
Era 10:...........Rlaidhael Iscariot Katara Iscariot
Era 10:......................../.............../
Era 11: Julie Iscariot.....Riashin Iscariot
Era 11:........../............/
Era 12:....Rlaidhael Iscariot....Kaslan Iscariot (A’tar) Joy
Era 12:......................................................../......./
Era 13:...................................Shiela A’tar.........Raidel A’tar
Era 13:............................................/............../
Era 14:.................Katara A’tar.........Riashin A’tar
:
: (pages missing)
:
Era 17:.....Desiree Iscariot........Rhade A’tar...........Kaslan A’tar
Era 17:......................../........./........./
Era 18:...Sara Iscariot..King Raidel.....Rhade Iscariot
Era 18:................/........../
Era 19:............Riashin Iscariot........Dune Iscariot
Era 19:.............................../........../
Era 20:..........Aria Iscariot.....Kaslan Iscariot
Era 20:......................../........./
Era 21:..Sara Nauli.......Rhade Iscariot.........Brandi Iscariot
Era 21:............../........./............./........../
Era 22:.........Rhade Iscariot........Kaslan Iscariot
:
:
The Second Era of Rambo- Era 9 Riashin
Many legends abound about the true origins of the bloodline of the Iscariots. From gods to aliens, many have attempted to guess the truth. The truth was not quite so grandiose, however.
The first Iscariot to reach the worlds of Visual Utopia was Riashin. He had fled from a tribe of warriors known as the mujuon, half-bird, half-human creatures gifted with wings and great agility. His entire race had been struck with a plague, and being single and without family Riashin had simply left to avoid death. His travels took him all over the lands. Cool islands, beautiful mountains and scorching deserts, he had seen it all. Most everywhere he went, though, he was greeted with anger and violence.
It was years before he finally reached the lands of Visual Utopia, but once he arrived he was greeted as a god. People began to follow him, and wait on his every wish and command. Around the world he had seen other people in his position, and so he took advantage of it like all the others before him. He instructed his people to begin building cities, filling them with farms, mines and lumbermills. After he was strong enough economically, he began to look for armies. It was then, though, that he was informed of the coming Armageddon.
In these realms a great storm would rip through the world when the people had deemed it time. It was a tradition that was hard to understand for Riashin, why would anyone want to destroy everything they had worked so hard to build? As he researched it more, he learned that often many valiant attempts were made to stop the Armageddon, but even if it was stopped continuously, the great deity of these lands would step in and Armageddon would come forth anyway.
So he sent his newfound human family away with the rest of the refugees, and once again he left for parts unknown.
The Third Era of Rambo- Era 10 Riashin II
Still young and inexperienced in leading an empire, Riashin II gathered all who would come to his cities. In the beginning, all races joined his empire. Soon, however, humans, elves, dwarves and halfling began to get fed up with the actions of the orcs and trolls. The majority of what remained were the orcs, who quickly drove the trolls away from Riashin’s empire.
Slightly saddened by the loss of diversity, Riashin decided to make use of the orc’s strengths. He had been peaceful, but another orc leader nearby had settled a colony right beside one of his cities. One of his scouts had been sent to investigate the city, and he was distraught to learn that it was an armory, instead of a farm. Riashin quickly built armies and repelled an attack by the orc, then moved to take the city.
The leader himself came to visit Riashin and negotiate a deal of peace.
“I am the direct descendant of the great Sir Floppy Tankmage, and I am knowledgeable in all the arts of war and empire building. You seem inexperienced, so let us simply make peace.”
Riashin chortled loudly, “Your fear tactics might work better if I knew who you were talking about. You attacked me, and now that you’re in a position to lose something you come to me asking for peace? I may be inexperienced in leading an empire, but think on this: I’m going to defeat you anyway.”
His enemy left angrily, but despite that first encounter they kept a dialogue throughout their whole war, eventually becoming friends.
Riashin did just as he had promised, and quickly defeated the man who claimed to be so powerful. He continued building his empire in peace until one day, his adversary was back on his doorstep with new armies. Riashin did not realize his mistake until it was too late—he hadn’t finished him off. As it turned out the descendant of Sir Floppy Tankmage had continued building with a few cities that were out of Riashin’s sight, and had now returned looking for revenge.
The orc leader approached him again, this time with a new deal. “You defeated me easily in our last battle, I had underestimated you a great deal. This time, however, I am prepared. I have come with an offer. Recently I joined the great kingdom of Mirror, led by the powerful sorcerer Sezymon. If you can defeat me a second time, I will yield to you forever. If I can defeat you, however, you will become my ally. How does this sound?”
Since throughout their war Riashin and the orc had become friends, he accepted the little game. Neither side could gain any real ground after the initial push from his opponent, but finally Riashin got a foothold and gained momentum. Things were going great and he was prepared to secure all of his territory again, until he was struck with a great sickness. Right around the time he began to fall ill, a ceasefire for around a half a month’s time was offered by his enemy. Riashin accepted, knowing that his empire could be in trouble when he was not at the helm.
For nearly a month Riashin was out of control of his empire, and the advisor he had left in charge turned out to be incompetent. Riashin had lost three cities in that time, and the armies of his enemy were still advancing. In anger, he built the largest armies he had yet amassed with the money his advisor had failed to use. This army gained his momentum back, but even it was defeated eventually. Knowing that he would fail to defeat this adversary, Riashin yielded, left his kingdom and joined Mirror.
Quickly his old allies turned on him for his betrayal, but his new allies came to his aid and with his help, his old kingdom was crushed. Another turn for the worse came about when the leader of his kingdom and all of his empire simply disappeared. Apparently he had been using his magic to accomplish forbidden tasks, and a deity had stepped in and destroyed him. Constant attacks from the south had weakened him, and a new enemy threatened to destroy what he had worked for: Mafia. The Mafia was a group of elite fighters, and even though both Sir Floppy Tankmage and a southern friend, Sir Trynton were friendly toward the group, he did not want to fall to their swords. In response to the impeding invasion, Riashin destroyed his own towns and relocated.
Once again he had to start from scratch, but this time Riashin avoided the orcs. He settled with a group of dwarves and began conquering nearby cities. Seeing his power, King Firestorm of Shadow Warriors offered him a spot among his ranks, which Riashin accepted. Soon Riashin’s empire grew past what he had achieved in his last attempt, and it continued to grow. After some time he sent a scout to the north, where he discovered an interesting opportunity. In the north there were many Mafia cities, and this offered a perfect chance to prove his newfound strength.
After talking with many Mafia players as he fought with them, and conquering a good portion of their southern empire Riashin made up his mind to join them. He opened talks with many senior members, and recruited the help of Sir Trynton and Sir Floppy Tankmage, both of whom were current members. By the time Armageddon came around, his efforts had paid off. Riashin had been accepted into the most elite group of warriors in the lands.
The Fourth Era of Rambo- Era 11 Riashin III
The son of Riashin II began life well off, for his father had been made a part of an ancient kingdom, and the strongest of the lands. Originally named Rlaidhael by his father, the caretaker decided to rename the son after his father, marking the beginnings of Riashin III. As a child Riashin was often teased about his appearance, being half human-half bird, and he found his comfort among the hideous trolls. After spending many years with them, Riashin began to see past their foul apperance to what they were truly capable of, and he embraced them. Before long he became a leader of a group of trolls, and even settled his own city. A part of the great Paramount Warring Nobles of Time, Riashin had many strong allies, and he began to become aggressive.
Soon the armies of trolls marched forth from his cities, and quickly the surrounding cities fell. Riashin founded another city, one which he deemed to be the greatest of his empire, and where he wanted his capital to be. One night as he was going over his battle plans, however, he heard a knock at his door.
Riashin stood and opened the door, ready to welcome the visitory in. Instead, he was met by three armed humans who had apparently snuck in past the guards. They entered and fanned out across the room as Riashin drew his sword. He engaged them in combat, easily defeating the first to attack him with a quick blow to the head. As he was preoccupied with the second, however, the last human circled around him and with one sweep of his great axe cleaved his legs off below the knees.
Riashin howled in pain and tried to stand but, of course, couldn't. It was then that a fourth human entered, this one a mage. He lifted Riashin off the ground with sorcery, and hung the wounded man in front of him, legs still dripping blood.
"I have a proposition for you, young man. Give me your kingdom, and I will return to you what has been taken. You can walk again if you will simply beseech me your throne!"
Riashin glared at him, then spat at his face. "Even with my dying breath I would never give you my kingdom. These people deserve a leader far greater than you, kill me if you will."
The mage shook his head, "That's sad to hear, your people will simply be persecuted by your enemies, then, as your cities fall one by one, for you will be powerless to stop it. For months you shall be struck down, paralyzed and barely breathing, but you shall know all of what happens within your kingdom. Every loss, every casualty your decision has caused, you will feel. Goodnight brave warrior, you will come to regret your choice."
And the mage's prophecy came true. For nearly seven months Riashin could do nothing but lay in bed, his servants caring for him all the while. The day he recovered was the day he lost his last city, freeing him from the mage's spell. The spell had had an unforseen consequence, however, as Riashin was now greatly in touch with nature and everyone around him. For the months that he had been omniscient, he had gathered mental strength, and could now practice telepathy and many forms of magic. He healed himself through sheer willpower and left the city to live in another's kingdom. There he met a young woman, who convinced him to try and build a new empire. With the help of his old allies Riashin again settled his cities, and again his armies marched out. After defeating a nearby troll, the troll's allies appeared and beat Riashin back to his first city. Nearly beleiving that all was lost once again, Riashin made one final push against the enemies sieging his city, and defeated them.
That heroic effort narrowly saved the empire, and soon Riashin's allies appeared and helped finish off the enemies in the area. Riashin built up his empire once more, this time constructing great walls and castle cities to defend his area. In time though, his enemies grew stronger and they once more stormed his cities. In response, Riashin called upon the old powers he had been gifted with. Calling with every bit of his strength, Riashin hid all of his cities, and those of his allies in shadow. To anyone from outside the city, it didn't even exist, such was Riashin's power. These tactics allowed Riashin and his allies to prepare stronger armies and fight back their enemies. Just as the tide was turning, however, the great storm of metal and fire once again swept across the world, purging it of nearly everyone.
Second Era of Sezymon- Round 12 Kaslan
When Riashin's wife bore a son, he was named Rlaidhael. Within a few months, however, Riashin could tell something was wrong. His son had been born without the trademark wings of the Iscariot family."
At that Rhade stopped reading, a little perplexed. He was an Iscariot, and once a week he was forced to visit a shaman, who would perform some sort of magic on his back. Ever since he was a child Rhade had small lumps on his shoulderblades, and he had before seen the scars on his father's back, right on the shoulderblades as well. Right where wings would be...
While finger the little lumps on his back, Rhade returned to the book.
"Riashin was horribly disappointed, and even for all his power he could not alter another's body in that way. During some of his travels, however, he had met a powerful shaman, skilled in all magic. He especially excelled in the art of shapeshifting.
In weeks Riashin had found the old friend and asked him the favor, to raise his son in the arts of magic. The shaman agreed, and took Rlaidhael to raise alongside his own son, Kaslan.
The two became great friends very quickly, and each excelled in the use of magic. Kaslan had natural talent for shapeshifting, and helped tutor Rlaidhael in the arts. And so the years went by, Kaslan and Rlaidhael growing into their teens together, mastering the elements as they went.
One day, however, things took a tragic turn. They had spent the day in a cave, learning about the mastery of fire. Kaslan's father had instructed them not to attempt any fire magic yet, but of course they ignored his advice. Kaslan played around, taunting Rlaidhael who had not yet been able to produce fire. As Rlaidhael's anger grew, however, his attempts became less fire and more sparks, and eventually, he lost control.
Kaslan was blown from the cave during the initial explosion, and his father rushed in after Rlaidhael. It was then that the mountain crumbled down on top of them, leaving only Kaslan.
For months he grieved, not knowing where to go or what to do with his life. After nearly a year had passed a letter arrived for Rlaidhael, and Kaslan took his shape to receive it. It read:
"Dearest Rlaidhael,
I am writing because my health has waned in these past years, and I had a horrible vision of you and an explosion in a cave, but your mother has assured me it was just a dream. You are my only heir, and when I pass on I need you here to take the reigns of my empire. It is not a huge empire, but it is a powerful one. Please return to me as quickly as you can.
Your father,
Riashin"
Kaslan burst into tears, but quickly came to his senses. He caught up with the carrier and asked for directions to where he had come from.
Facing many hardships, it was months before Kaslan could arrive at the city the carrier had given him directions to, and at first he thought it had been a trick. There was nothing here but the dusty foundations of what used to be a city, though people were still huddled around the artifacts of what used to be.
After spending some time with the crowds, however, Kaslan soon learned the truth. A great and horrible spell had been cast, killing all rulers and destroying their empires. He also learned that they were waiting on the return of their leader's heir, Rlaidhael.
This of course gave Kaslan an idea. He had already assumed Rlaidhael's shape once, and it had been years since any of these people had seen the boy. It just might work...
He absconded from the camp in cover of darkness, and spent the night in the woods. When morning broke he took Rlaidhael's form, and returned. He immediately walked into the tent of advisors that had once served his father, and now led the remains of his empire.
The guards reacted quickly and tried to remove him, but one of the advisors waved them off.
"What is your business here, boy?"
Kaslan smirked at them, "What, you don't recognize Riashin's son?"
From that day forth Kaslan became a ruler. It was a pain that he had to pretend to be someone else to do it, but the end effect was the same. The people revered Kaslan as something like a god, for both his magical and military might. He took advantage of this trust and begin increasing his territory, soon the liege king of a large plateau.
With all the stress of ruling multiple towns, Kaslan often liked to take walks in the evening. He did this in his true body, and would more often than not spend the night with some woman from the town. One night, however, he made the mistake of laying with a witch.
In the morning he awoke, placed in heavy steel bonds and surrounded by guards. He was roughly snatched from the bed and thrown in the dungeon of his own castle, where he was shackled to the wall. Multiple times Kaslan tried to simply shapeshift out of the bindings, but his powers appeared to have abandoned him.
It was not long until the witch projected her image before him.
"What you have done to the people of this kingdom is unforgiveable. I'm a telepath so I examined your mind as you slept, and don't worry, those shackles on your arms and legs effectively block off any of your magical abilities. I had plenty of time throughout the night to enchant them to stop each and every one, so it's useless for you to try. Your only choice now is to simply abdicate your throne, naming myself as your heir. Sure it would be rocky at first, but I'm sure the kingdom would come around. What do you say?"
Kaslan simply spit at the image.
"Alright, well, I'll give you some time to think about it. Bye!"
And with that the witch disappeared, leaving Kaslan to his own thoughts. If the witch had simply examined the powers that he practiced, then there might be a chance. For years he had locked away the memories of that day when both his father and Rlaidhael had died, and that was the day he had mastered fire.
It was worth a try, at least. Kaslan focused all his strength into a corner of his cell, where some dry bedding lay. In seconds the entire pile had ignited, and smoke billowed out of his cell. This quickly drew the guards attention, and they ran in and released him from the shackles so they could move him to safety. As a guard began to escort him outside, however, Kaslan hit him with a blast of mental energy, frying his brain. He then took the guard's form and helped evacuate the building.
After all the prisoners and guards were out, Kaslan left for the witch's house. When the woman opened her door he informed her that the prisoner she had helped to capture had escaped, and they were all worried that he might return to come after her.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid? I told you once that I'm a telepath, and now I guess you'll get to see the full scope of my abilities."
She bowed her head and chanted a spell, igniting her entire body in flames. When she looked up again, however, Kaslan was gone. In response, she opened her mind to the fullest extent, searching for his thoughts. Kaslan had anticipated this, and when he felt her reach out, he struck with all the mental power he could muster.
With the witch reeling Kaslan raised his hands and gathered moisture out of the air, firing a large pillar of water at the sorceress. The force blew her through the wall of her house, and Kaslan decided to finish it. He took the form of a werewolf, sprouting silvery hair and long, sharp claws. Kaslan leapt through the hole and glimpsed a woman lying on the ground in the witch's clothes. Without hesitating he jumped high into the air, and came down on the woman, striking his claws through her and into the earth.
Kaslan howled in victory, but his glee did not last long. A huge boulder struck him from the side, and flung him through the wall of a nearby tavern, the witch following close behind.
"Tsk, tsk. First the guard and now this woman, who will you kill next?"
Kaslan glared at the witch, then turned to face her, drawing up to his full height.
"Just you."
Then Kaslan started to transform again. His claws extended further, and his body grew taller. The werewolf's muscles toned up even more, and soon his entire body burst into flames.
The witch chuckled, "Stealing my tricks? You should be ashamed! I suppose I can take one of yours, then."
She fired the pillar of water that Kaslan had earlier used on her, and it hit him directly. It did not have the intended effect, however, for when the water hit Kaslan he lost control, and the hellhound took over.
Kaslan exploded into a ball of flames, reforming directly behind the witch. He immediately kicked her legs out from under her, then slammed her into the ground with one great paw. Without allowing her time to recover, Kaslan grabbed her by a foot and tossed her into the air, as easily as if she were a doll. He leapt into the air after her, paw extended, and impaled her on his claws. Kaslan landed again, but did not rest. Immediately he breathed a beam of fire in a large circle around him, decimating the tavern, and then moved on.
Hours later he awoke in the midst of bodies and rubble, all that remained of a city that had once been the greatest of his empire.
By this time a majority of Riashin's old advisors had been informed of the deceit and had employed various people with mystical abilities to track down and destroy Kaslan. He was forced to live a life on the run, up until he was cornered in a small village outside his capital. Three mages and a witch entered battle with him, destroying the village entirely during the fight. Survivors and the royal army began sifting through the rubble, but could find no evidence of any of the five combatants.
Era of Jeker- Round 13
One of the many women that Kaslan had lain with in his true form went by the name of Joy. Nine months after their night together, she bore a child which she named Raidel and gave his father's family name, A'tar.
Raidel grew up among the humans and began to become an accomplished businessman. Soon after the Armageddon took place and the world became leaderless, Raidel set out and founded his own city. Using his hoarded wealth he led it to prosperity, and soon began to settle other cities. Just as he was beginning to travel the path to greatness, however, a plague struck him down. In his absence his empire dwindled and those he had considered loyal to him attempted to seize the reins of power.
This split allowed his kingdom to fall, and he was forced to start again, this time with nothing. Raidel's ancestors had been with the powerful kingdom of Legacy for some time, and this alliegance allowed him a place to rebuild in safety. This time, Raidel used his business intelligence to produce a very large and powerful army, using the troops to aid Legacy in any fight where they were needed. Over time Raidel became a very powerful member of the kingdom, and by the end of the era was among the top ten.
A rather uneventful era, Armageddon came once again and destroyed everything Raidel had worked for.
Round 14- Era of Adelbert
Riashin was born to a very strict father, and became very rebellious as a result. Raidel had been very narrowminded, and would explode every time he found Riashin making friends of orcs or trolls. Riashin had studied his family's history, however, and knew that to become a truly great leader he should follow one of those routes, rather than leading the easily satiated humans.
As a result, after Armageddon and his father's death, Riashin began finding trolls as followers. The first city he founded welcomed all races, but the majority of its residents were of trollish descent.
Another thing Riashin had learned by studying his family's history is that magic was a very powerful tool, and so he began to study it. Working with the Archmage Sezymon, Riashin became one of Legacy's greatest mages as well as an astute military force. Utilizing great spells such as ownage and ghost warriors, he established dominion without forcing his people to fight. This made him a very respected leader, but would eventually lead to his downfall.
Many of his closest advisors beleived that his kingdom would be better served if he was more militarily aggressive, and so they plotted. Riashin discovered one of these schemes and had them executed, but in return one of their sons hired a band of assassins and had Riashin killed. Shortly after the storm of Armageddon reoccured, and Riashin's accomplishments mattered little anyway.
Note from the Author: Near the end of the era of Adelbert, a falling out occured between Riashin's descendant and the kingdom of Legacy. In response Riashin's son fled the worlds of Visual Utopia to seek fortune in other lands. It would be two eras before another of Riashin's line would step foot back in the known world.
Round 17- Era of Saint Paul
Rhade stood in sorrow, watching his father's last city burn to the ground. The armies of Legacy had overrun and destroyed the small kingdom, and now Rhade was forced to set out and rebuild without his family. It had only been a few months since his father had decided to return to these lands, based off of stories that he had heard from his father, who had never seen the lands himself. So far their welcome had not been kind, as the Lithuanian Ordin had abandoned them in their moment of need and Legacy had destroyed them.
So Rhade set out to the new lands, called Mantrax. They marched for weeks, until one of his soldiers came to him.
"Sir, the people are tiring, we must stop this march soon or you will begin to lose followers."
Rhade stared back across the river, then towards the mountains in the east. "Very well, we will settle under the shadow of those mountains. The only entrance to our kingdom will be that little bridge on the river, we must guard it carefully. For now though, let's settle."
The city of Drain grew quickly as people flocked to its freedom and prosperity. Rhade knew that there was no peace without preparedness though, and decided to settle a colony on the bridge. Draw was the name, and after seeing the mobilization of troops west of the river, Rhade quickly began the construction of many armories within it. Another small town was settled in the bend of the river, and Confederacy began supplying the rest of Rhade's empire with food.
Confederacy grew steadily, as well as Drain, but the peace was soon threatened. A man named Hilario from west of the river sent his armies out and began the seige of both Confederacy and Drain. In the man's ignorance, however, he simply passed Draw and left Rhade to build up his troops for a counterattack. After training an army, Rhade went personally to visit the man.
Rhade entered Hilario's court and confronted the king, hoping to make peace as he had with Sikwayi and Toke in the east.
"Why have you sent your armies against my cities? We should not fight while our cities have barely begun to grow!"
Hilario giggled girlishly, then began drooling and stared at Rhade, saying, "Are you provoking me?"
Rhade's breath caught in disbelief. "Am I provoking you? Even now your armies prepare to attack my cities and you ask if I'm provoking you?"
Hilario became obsessed with a nearby fly, and began drooling again.
Shaking his head in anger, Rhade mumbled, "You'll regret this."
Weeks later, Rhade struck the troops outside his cities. Hilario's armies fell before Rhades onslaught, and soon he was driven back west of the river. Not content to simply ravage his armies, Rhade marched his own army through Draw and towards Hilarion, his enemy's main city. Since all his troops were out in his armory after their defeat, the city was weakly defended, and Rhade prepared to strike. Hilario noticed the army, and rallied his armies to march in defense. Due to all his tactician's calculations, there was no way reinforcements would arrive in time, so Rhade relaxed. However, as Rhade prepared to strike, he noticed that he could no longer locate Hilario's reinforcements, and that the garrisons in the city had grown tenfold.
"What has happened? What is this!" Rhade shouted at his tacticians.
"My Leige, it appears that in the dead of night Hilario's armies snaked passed us, by use of some magicks we have not before seen," stated the humbled tactician.
"Out of my sight! Guard! Summon my generals." Rhade waited impatiently as they gathered. "Rally the army once again and march west, Hathoria will not be defended since he has pulled his army inward to defend Hilarion. Also, if he wants to play with magic, start training spellweavers and building towers in Draw. If he wants a duel, he shall have his magic and ours."
Almost a week passed with little action, until Rhade's armies arrived at Hathoria. After their victory there, they marched eastward again to Draw to gather reinforcements. Upon their arrival at Draw however, grave news was delivered.
"Leige, Hilario has joined the powerful alliance of Future. They have many skilled warriors, and may send aid."
Rhade thought for a moment, "Do not worry, they are both bound in battle elsewhere, and cannot focus here. Raise a small army from Hathoria and kill the scouts before they can settle. General, take your army north to Hilario's armory and take it before he can build up another force. After you have conquered it, burn it to the ground."
Rhade's advisors nodded and left him to his thoughts.
In the face of Hilario's allies, Rhade knew he had to find his own. An invitation from the kingdom of Zeon sealed his decision, and Rhade joined the cult. After some time, one of the scouts was found and executed. The other escaped and was able to settle an armory just south of Hilarion. Rhade's armies did manage to destroy Hilario's armory, but it cost many troops. He knew he had to strike quickly at King Azaruc and end his presence in the area, so he reinforced his army once again from Draw, and marched straight to Azaruc's city. Hilario sent his army out to intervene, but retreated in fear and left Azaruc to himself Without reinforcements, Azaruc's armory fell quickly and Rhade was able to turn north to Hilarion. He called a meeting of his advisors for an update.
"Sir, Hilarion has finally fallen! However, some of Azaruc's scouts escaped our assault and have settled other armories, but we will destroy them easily as well. Hilario has only one city remaining, but it borders the lands of the Illuminati Empire, and should we attempt to destroy it I fear that it could mean trouble with that kingdom.
Rhade nodded, "That's good then. Dispatch the main army to Azaruc's new city, and raise another army from Hathoria to deal with Hilarion's futile attempt at survival. Also, send a message to Sir Korian of the Empire that we wish peace with them, and have no intention of attacking them or becoming aggressive towards any other members of Azaruc's kingdom."
It was clear that Future did not intend to give up the area, due to the constant influx of scouts looking to settle. After the fall of Azaruc's last city in the area, Rhade ordered his armies to chase Hilarion's fleeing troops. On their journey south his army encountered a Sir Black, who was pursuaded to join Zeon with Rhade, but after the new ally was found, another problem rose. A nest of enemies was embedded in the south, which may have been where Hilario was planning to flee to. Regardless of their numbers, they all seemed weak, and Rhade saw a chance to cut a deal with Azaruc. Rhade immediately began colonizing every city he came across, messaging each ruler to apply pressure to their king to simply leave him alone.
After very few of such colonizations, Rhade received a message from Azaruc in which he ceded the territory to Rhade and agreed to pull Future back to the north of the mountains bordering Rhade's territory. Rhade had won a powerful victory, but tensions were beginning to rise within his own kingdom, leaving him with little time to simply expand his empire through peace. King Messiah and Viceroy Muhammed of Zeon ruled with tyranny, barking out orders without guidance. Due to the lack of real leadership, members began deserting. First Elfie II surrendered to the armies of Illuminati Empire and joined them, followed by Black who defected to Future. Soon after that Muerto joined Black, and the King of Zeon issued a price on all their heads.
"Call Sikwayi and Toke for a meeting, and send a messenger to Viceroy Korian of the Illuminati Empire, inquire about that kingdom, for we may need refuge with them soon."
Rhade looked between his two allies and nodded. "Mr. Sikwayi, Mr. Toke, I believe that it is time for us to examine our situation. Future is pressing in from the north, and though we have been able to repel their attacks so far, I fear that once they are no longer distracted we shall not be able to stand against them. Our kingdom is crumbling, our leaders take every desertion as a personal insult and call out for death as a matter of pride, instead of trying to find what made them leave in the first place. After some discussion with Viceroy Korian, I have decided that it is time for me to leave Zeon. I will be following in Elfie's footsteps, and do not ask you to follow me, only to look around and truly see what is happening. I wish peace between us whatever your decisions, though I know Messiah and Muhammed with call for my death as well. Good luck to you in days to come."
Rhade's speech was delivered to many rulers of the kingdom of Zeon before Messiah and Muhammed could squelch it, and many rulers were enlightened. Many rulers followed Rhade's example and ended their association with Zeon; Sikwayi, Toke and Elite to name a few. The loss of so many members so quickly crippled Zeon in its fight against Future, but that was no longer among Rhade's concerns. He was now in the folds of the Empire, and had made peace with both Future and Zeon members in his area. That left only Mirror and Lithuanian Ordin as opponents, and Rhade had no conflict with Mirror.
"My soldiers, my strategists, my peasents, I have gathered you here today to tell you of the events that are to come to pass. Many of you already know of the construction of Storm, our great magic tower near the city of Drain. Fewer of you know of Eastern, our armory on the frontier. I think all of you know of the armory of Helping Out, though, captured in our great battles against Azaruc and Hilario. I will use these three towns to fight the Lithuanian Ordin. My father, back on the continent of Fantasia, joined the banner of these dogs to find allies against Legacy. Instead they deserted him and left him to die. I hope they are ready to pay now, because I thirst for their blood! Horizon from Eastern prepares even now to take Chaos Temple. Transport from Helping Out is marching day and night to reach Saugoti, the entrance to the Ordin's main area. After Saugoti falls, we shall march a warpath to Unlimitedas, where the Ordin's greatest city shall fall to us! Throughout all this, Storm has been ripping our enemy to shreds. Walls have been crushed under the feet of our armies because of the great magics, fire has rained from the heavens upon their armies. Even now I can see into their towns because our mages allow me. Remember this, my people. We are powerful, and we shall be victorius!"
Rhade rode out to his western front, spending time in Hilarion, the greatest city of his first enemy to fall, and meditated on the events in his life. His father had never achieved anything near as great as this, but the man's circumstances had not beenvery good. As he sat alone in Hilarion's throne room with his thoughts the door opened quietly. A black-hooded figure crept slowly across the room, knife drawn. The assassin raised a hand and brought the dagger down towards Rhade's neck, aiming for the jugular vein. To the assassin's suprise, the dagger caught only the metal of Rhade's sword, and was quickly flung away. Rhade twirled on the floor and kicked the knees out from under his assailant, then leapt onto the figure and brought his sword to the throat.
As the hood fell away, however, Rhade found himself staring into the eyes of a woman with fiery red hair, who was staring defiantly back at him with a look of hatred.
"Who are you!? Who sent you!"
"My name is Desiree Iscariot, and the rest doesn't matter. You turned your back on our Lord, I'd be doing you a favor by killing you."
Rhade threw his head back and laughed. "Iscariot, huh? I wouldn't guess....no. So Zeon has caught up to me, huh? I suppose that they are still spreading their lies and propoganda, do you all still worship Messiah, then?"
Desiree's expression grew cold, "How dare you blaspheme against our King and our Kingdom. Our Lord will strike you down for such words!"
Rhade stood slowly and sheathed his sword, tossing the woman her dagger. He shrugged and looked around. "I don't feel struck down, maybe it happens slowly? The point is that I was once like you, believing blindly in the words that someone whom I didn't know decided I needed to think. Have you ever considered that perhaps they are the ones blaspheming? What did they tell you to convince you that I needed killing, anyway?
Desiree, with some uncertainty now, "They said...they told us that you were an advocate of the devil. They said you provoked many wars, and refused to aid your allies in their times of need. Then that you disobeyed direct orders and allied with infidels, and blasphemed against the Lord."
Rhade nodded, "There is some truth to their words the, if only a little. I am no advocate of the devil, and I never plan to be. They speak of my war with Hilario and, consequently, Future. Hilario attacked me, before he was even a part of Future or I a part of Zeon. I repelled his assault and destroyed one his armory, then prepared to end the war by taking his last city. Before I could, though, Future came to his rescue and I was forced to fight. If defense is provocation, as Hilario, who was probably dropped on his head a couple times as a child, seems to believe, then I am guilty. Elfie requested my help, or rather, help from someone. At the time I was involved in my war with Hilaro and Azaruc with no reinforcements of my own, and I could not possibly have spared an army of any size to fight someone else's war. Elfie and I have worked this out, and he is once again my ally, because Zeon abandoned him. Enough of talking about the past, though, what will you do now?"
Desiree looked over at him, "What do you mean?"
"Well, where will you go? WIll you return to Zeon?"
"You're not going to kill me?"
Rhade snickered, "I'm not much into murder, especially against women. You may stay here for as long as you like, but if you want another shot at me you'll have to head west to our army, I've got troops over there trying to help overthrow a tyrant, it's another of my devilish jobs."
Desiree smiled softly, and nodded slowly. "I will stay here for a few days and think things over. You seem kind, and with a sense of humour, not at all like they described you."
"Good luck, Desiree."
"And you, Rhade."
And with that Desiree left, her faith shaken and her mind running wild.
A few days later, Rhade was riding towards Saugoti at full speed, after hearing the news that the teleport spell had been successful, but that there had been nowhere to move it. There was only a slim chance that his army could actually take the city in a real battle, but they would have to try anyway.
Upon his arrival to the seige, Rhade was greeted with some news, that another army was approaching to reinforce the city even more.
Rhade gathered his generals and his most trusted soldiers before him. "My men, we must make haste in this attack, and even though our chances for victory are slim, we must win this battle."
Rhade then deployed his generals, and rode out onto the field. With a roaring battlecry, his army charged. As they approached the cities, its walls fell away into dust, leaving the men inside without the first ring of defense, which helped to catch them off guard. It was not too long before they began fighting back, though, and it was clear that they were elite soldiers. Rhade rode over to a small battillion and gave them new orders, to set the entire city ablaze while the rest fought. Soon the city was engulfed in an inferno, and Rhade began pulling his troops back. The enemy troops were not so lucky, though, and Rhade's fighting withdrawel slowed them down long enough to get caught up in the fire.
From that point on, Viceroy Abra's cities fell like flies. From Saugoti, they took Amsterdam. From there, Kazkas. From Kazkas to Karo Reikmas. From Karo Reikmas fell Godland and Godville. The last city in the area to fall was Stonfield, which was the greatest victory yet, but Rhade's army was forced to hole up in Stonfield because of an enemy army's approach. The enemy was stronger than his army, with little better than a 15% chance in outright battle. So Rhade chose to build up walls around Stonfield, to let the seige take its course and see it to its outcome. He also had his mages bless the city, enhance their weapons and ignite the walls he had constructed. There was nothing to do now but wait.
Rhade lay in his chambers, a nobleman's room in Stonfield, and tried to come up with strategies to beat the army outside his gates. This army had more magic defense than he was used to, and his mages might not be able to break it enough to rain fire. What if he was able to lure the-- The doors to his room burst open and ten of his soldiers rushed in, surrounding him with their swords facing outward.
"Sir, people were seen scaling the walls of the city, we believe that they may be assassins. We don't know how many there are but it is definately more than one."
Rhade drew his sword and ordered his soldiers to be quiet. They waited, listening intently, until they heard a group of footsteps outside.
"Oh Rhade, I assume?" Asked a man who had just stepped into the room, followed by about ten of his own men, all with swords drawn. "My name is Kaslan, and I've got a rightful claim to your empire, so I plan on taking it."
Rhade spat at him. "What claim, and what makes you think my people will follow you?"
"You see, we share the same grandfather. Riashin bore more than one child, it appears, and the A'tar name lives on in both heirs. As Rhade looked, Kaslan's shape shifted right in front of his eyes, until he was looking at a mirror image of himself. "Your people will never even have to know the difference, shall we dance?"
Kaslan's men charged, and met Rhade's with a clash of metal. Rhade drew his sword and watched Kaslan, waiting for him to move. Instead of approaching him, the shapeshifter lowered his head and chanted something, blasting Rhade with a burst of concentrated air that flung him backwards. Rhade leapt up and charged at the mage, who began flinging fireballs from his hands. Deflecting these with his sword, Rhade dove and kicked the legs out from under the man, bringing his sword towards the mage's neck. His sword met steel, however, and Kaslan attacked him with a flurry of slashes and jabs. This drove Rhade backwards, and as he was focused on deflecting the sword, Kaslan hit him with a fireball in the stomach. As Rhade doubled over, his sword was flung to the side by another gust of air, and he stood defenseless before the mage.
Kaslan formed fireballs in both hands, and flung the first at Rhade's left shoulder, where it singed through his clothes and burnt into the flesh. He did the same with his other fireball into Rhade's right shoulder, then kicked him in the chest, forcing him to the ground. Kaslan raised his sword and prepared to end Rhade's life.
"Goodbye Rhade, I promise I'll take good care of your empire."
Kaslan began the blow that would have decapitated Rhade, had he not dropped the sword mid-swing. Kaslan stumbled backwards and grabbed a table for support as Rhade looked on in confusion. Finally he fell forward and Rhade could see the arrow that was embedded in his back. Looking up, Rhade saw a woman with fiery red hair holding an unstrung bow.
"Desiree!?" Rhade asked as he got slowly to his feet. His soldiers were out chasing down the assassins that had fled when their leader was killed, so they were alone now.
Desiree nodded at him and smiled. "I thought about everything you said, and with your permission I'd like to stay with you instead of returning to Zeon. I hope you don't mind about that man, but it looked like you needed some help."
Rhade reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, "Desiree, you are welcome with me anytime you'd like. I'm afraid, though, that it won't be safe here much longer. I assume that you noticed the army outside our gates, and they are too strong for us to defeat in battle, with too many mages for mine to cast anything on them."
"Oh, I noticed the army on my way in, I took the liberty of assassinating a few of their leading mages, so if you want to try now you would probably have a much better chance," said Desiree, smiling.
Rhade grinned, and called to his mage to contact Storm. Within minutes fire was raining down outside the city, easily breaking through the army's barrier.
"What better time than now to attack? I'd be honored if you would join us in battle Desiree."
Desiree smiled and drew her sword, "The honor is mine."
Rhade walked out and gathered his generals. "Let us ride!"
Riding through the raining fire unharmed, Rhade's army struck the bewildered soldiers. It did not take them long to regroup, however, and the battle shifted quickly against Rhade. The generals of his enemy were adept, and began pushing Rhade's army back into Stonfield. Watching the direction the battle was going, he sounded the horn for retreat and rode back into Stonfield. Sounds of celebration were heard behind them as they closed the gates, Pncl's army thinking that Rhade was defeated. Following the plan laid out before the battle, however, Rhade's army rode through the city, exiting out the sides and charged the flanks of their enemies. The ghosts and riders cut through the army of humans and trolls like butter, having caught them completely off guard. The generals, in a panic, called a full retreat and lost much of their army.
In victory, Rhade resumed his march across the lands of the Ordin. The next city to fall was named Quetzaltenango, but another army from the Ordin was already marching forward, and Rhade knew he could not defeat that one with the little force he had. Instead he retreated from the city, taking all the resources they had with him. Back in Stonfield, news of his new conquest falling to the enemy reached Rhade, and he mourned. He had lost his momentum, and it would take time to gain it back. Another army stood outside Stonfield's gates now, but this time with less power. Rhade's mages poured fire out of the sky upon it, and then he marched into battle and easily won. His three opponents began to amass their armies into one, however, and marched at Stonfield with the biggest army he had to face yet.
Rhade awoke in the morning, fearing what sort of army he would see when he looked outside his city. Instead he was greeted by a messenger with a few letters.
"Sir Rhade, my lord Shadow Phoenix wishes to inform you that he has defected from the Lithuanian Ordin and now prepares to take Unlimitedas."
Rhade nodded, it had been expected, then opened the next letter.
"Sir Rhade, this is Pncl and I would like to tell you that Librudder and I have deserted the Ordin for Mirror, and we would like peace with you."
Shaking his head, Rhade instructed his messenger to send a negative reply, for the Empire was at war with Mirror. He then laid back down in his bed and rolled to Desiree, gently shaking her awake and placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
"It seems that we are at peace once again."
Desiree smiled through her sleep, "I'm glad to hear it. What will you be doing now, then?"
Rhade stretched and sighed. "I don't know, I'll secure some sort of peace with Pncl and send some scouts out to see where to go next. I've got my eye on that Neiveikiamas to the north, she has a large city but she doesn't seem much of a ruler, and she attempted to aid in the battle against me. There's something I wanted to talk to you about, though, about our ancestors."
Desiree yawned and propped herself up on one elbow, "what's that?"
"Our histories have been intertwined for some time, the A'tar and Iscariot names were almost the same at one point. Apparently one of my great-great-great-grandfather took the form of an Iscariot, as he was a shapeshifter, and ruled the empire as his own. The true ruler had been a friend of his, but had died when using a magic he could not yet control. Much later he was found out and killed, and so my ancestors abandoned the Iscariot name for A'tar, his true family name. Up until now I never knew that a true Iscariot bloodline still carried on." Rhade put a hand on Desiree's stomach, "Now the two bloodlines have converged again, and our son will be true nobility. My mages have informed me that you are pregnant, and will bear us twins. According to an old, old prophecy, one of our sons will be a king."
The next morning Rhade again awoke to messages. Pncl and Librudder had left Mirror to join the Empire, after agreeing to let Rhade have control of Quetz back. Kamasutra, the ruler of Neiveikiamas also defected from Lithuanian Ordin to the Illuminati Empire.
Rhade chuckled to himself. "Everywhere I turn my armies, my enemies wilt and join us, how will I ever expand this way?"
Peace persisted for a while, and it left Rhade to wonder why, for Korian had never been a peaceful leader. Then, one day as the ignorant Kamasutra continued to attack the Empire's allies, Korian's true intentions were shown. He had been planning a secret assault on Future territories across the map, and from the look of it had a lot of support for this dishonourable move.
Rhade moved quickly to talk with Sikwayi, his kingdommate, and Viceroy Gorilla of Future. After he let Korian's plan be known, he made arrangments to defect and set his armies strategically to cripple the Illuminati. He left in the dead of the night and launched a full assault on Sir Pncl and Lady Kamasutra, since their mistakes and ideas had begun the whole ordeal. Quickly Korian's plan failed as Future swarmed upon the defenseless northern holdings of the Empire, and obliterated the southern defenses, leaving Rhade to rip out the middle. The core area began to fight back though, and Rhade began to lose ground. It did not take long for the north to be secured and both Rhade's main armies and those of Gorilla to move into the core and attack, forcing Pncl to defect, forcing Shadow Phoenix to hole up in one last city, and totally relieving Korian of any and all cities. Rhade watched as victory after bitter victory took place against his former allies, whose dishonourable choice had caused all of this.
Just as it looked as if the Illuminati Empire would be destroyed completely, their real leader, King Arzun, returned and negotiated with Future to end the war. Korian was demoted and kicked from the kingdom, and everything settled down once again.
News spread quickly of an approaching storm, one prophesied long ago, that would destroy their world. Rhade sent his most powerful archmages with Desiree, who was now heavy with child, to live deep within the forests with a group of elder elves whose magic could resist the power of Armageddon. His wife and sons would be safe.
Round 18- Era of Sparker
Rhade's youngest son followed the kingdom of Future to the realms of Fantasia, where they were promptly decimated. Due to a lack of proper planning and relations, the kingdom was split apart and destroyed. Having been unhappy serving his younger brother, Rhade's eldest son, by the name of Raidel, left for Mantrax.
Once there he ran into many of his father's old allies, but decided to stay without an alliegance for a while. After all, it had been his brother's kingdom that had led to his downfall. Raidel started by making peace with many of those nearby, so he could be allowed to build up his forces without trouble. The strongest kingdom was by far The Empire, while many smaller kingdoms had barely become organized.
One night, soon after he had fallen asleep, Raidel had a dream. Walking the clouded hallways of an ancient mansion, Raidel noticed nothing different than any of his normal dreams, until a voice started to speak. The voice itself was pleasant to hear, and not at all unnatural. Something underlying the voice, however, drew up a strange feeling in Raidel. Though he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he knew something was terribly wrong.
"You, the one of the prophesy, now is your time to act. You will take the people of Bacardi's kingdom, and you will take the people of The Empire. Those who stand against you will fall, one by one, but there is a price for this. Years from now, I will return and collect my fee."
Raidel searched for the source of the voice, but could find nothing. "What if I don't want your deal? What if I don't want to pay whatever this price is!?"
"This decision was made long before your time, and the fee will be collected long after. This is not your choice to make. The bloodlines have converged again, you will be King."
Raidel pounded his fist against a wall, "How can you just force me to be a king!?" The mists began to pull back and as the dream began to fade, he was left with one short glance at the speaker. All Raidel could see were two burning eyes, and all he could feel was pure evil.
The next morning Raidel only awoke with a weird headache and veiled feeling of something that shouldn't have happened, but he blew it off. A few days later he received word that many members he had made peace with in Jonny Bacardi's kingdom were unhappy with their situation, and decided to look into it. At the same time, he was receiving little hints from his father's old allies that they would again want a kingdom to serve, aside from The Empire.
In response Raidel drew together a few of his closest allies and began discussing plans of something great. After a few days of debate, it would be decided that they would form a kingdom. Raidel Iscariot would be king, and they would be known as the Knights of Iscariot.
Due to the fact that the leadership of Bacardi's kingdom rarely interacted with its people, and that the leadership did not even reside on the same map, people from their kingdom defected like flies. Many of the Empire also defected, but not nearly enough to neutralize them as a threat. At the same time Chronos, an ally, became King of Dominion. After some negotiation, the two kingdoms allied themselves to present a united front against their only real threat, Empire.
The war went extremly well, and at some point Raidel realized that all was done. He and Chronos had achieved a domination of Mantrax that many had tried before, that Future had also achieved.
All was not over, however, as Raidel knew that with the little amount of fighting they had done, his people would not be ready for real battle on Fantasia. So he went to Chronos with a proposition, a mock war between the Knights of Iscariot, and Dominion. Chronos eventually agreed, and the rules were laid out. It would not be long before chaos turned the mock war into a true fight for survival.
Soon after the war had been announced, a visitor came to see Raidel. It was his brother, Riashin, from Fantasia.
"Ho, Riashin. What news from your world?"
Riashin was disheveled, and had a strange gleam in his eyes. "My brother, dark forces on Fantasia have driven my people from me, and reduced my empire to ruins! I have come so that your empire does not share the same fate. Father named me heir, and so I am entitled to your lands. Now obey me, I am King!"
Raidel leapt from his throne. "If you think for even a minute that I would put my people in your hands you are truly insane. I have had spies in your kingdom on Fantasia since I began my own, and I saw how you ruled. You were a ruthless tyrant, your people hated you and yet you want to take my people as your own? If you still had a kingdom you might could force my empire from me, but you are alone, without armies or allies. Now leave my court!"
Raidel assumed that would be the last he saw of his brother, that one malicious look back as he was dragged from the court. However, Raidel was painfully mistaken. A few weeks later just as he received news that one of his largest enemy's greatest cities had fallen, he awoke to grave news. Two of his kingdommates had defected and joined Dominion, and they were situated right in the midst of the kingdom's core. Already they had taken Raidel's greatest city, and immediately he ordered his army return.
It did not take him long to reclaim his city, especially since he worked out a deal with his former enemy to defect to his side. Traitor for traitor, it would seem. Sitting in the now tarnished throne room once again, Riashin returned.
"Raidel, it would appear you responded more quickly than expected to our attack! It is only a temporary win for you, however, as the rest of your kingdom's cities have begun to fall, you cannot hold off our hordes forever."
Riashin then went on to explain how he had convinced the two leaders to defect, and then even lead the army that had captured this city.
Raidel remained calm and collected throughout his whole speech, and at the end soot and approached him. Staring him in the eyes, Raidel prepared to speak, but then stopped. Instead he grasped his sword and in a quick maneuver cut Riashin's throat. He kicked the flailing man to the ground, and then with his foot on his chest, stabbed through Riashin's heart.
A few minutes later he was in the war room with his advisors and generals.
"With our new ally in the west, that area is secure, and the north has always been under our control. All that remains is to secure the centre and invade the west. Our army is one of the strongest in Mantrax, and only Chronos himself stands a chance at this point. Most of our allies have barricaded Chronos into his city, however, and this leaves us free to deal with our traitors. Let us ride!"
And so they did. The centre was quickly cleaned out, and as a result all forces could be focused on invading the east. With a great merged army the blocker was broken through and the east was overrun, securing a win for the Knights of Iscariot.
Sir Rhade
Lived in Era 25, got 1 heir(s) (Raidel) and was a member of Brotherhood of the Wolf
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Sir Raidel
Lived in Era 26, got 0 heir(s) and was a member of Legacy
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