Myth Journals

• Journal • Codex •

Through The Ermine

Sunday November 30, The Ermine

After the Great War, the armies of the Dark collapsed and the Fallen Lords were swallowed up by history. We believed we had entered a golden age, a new era of peace, and our armies laid down their weapons to begin the long task of rebuilding the world. For sixty years we worked our fields and tended our cattle and did all the things that we had fought to defend, until the war became something that fathers told their sons and grandfathers their grandchildren.

But sixty years is nothing to the likes of a Fallen Lord. And while King Alric was restoring the Province to its former glory, Soulblighter was plotting its infinite ruin.

The King has decided to fight fire with fire. He seeks Myrdred, an avatara of the Wolf Age whom Balor renamed “The Deceiver” after bending him to his will. Although The Deceiver fought alongside Balor during the last war, he held no great love for the rest of The Fallen, nearly being killed by The Watcher in a legendary battle at Seven Gates.

King Alric believes The Deceiver still lives and is counting on this old rivalry to lure him into joining our efforts to destroy Soulblighter and the Myrkridia.

The King has sent word to Twelve Motion Jeweled Skull, a Journeyman who served under him during his campaigns east of the Cloudspine, in hopes that he has some knowledge of what became of The Deceiver after Balor’s destruction. A select group of men from the Legion, myself included, has been sent to rendezvous with Twelve Motion at the Stair of Grief.

We have decided to go through the Ermine, the homeland of our fir’Bolg allies. Though the forest seems to be a continuous thicket, we have made good time.

Night has fallen and we have pitched our camp. Time to pick the brambles out of my bootlaces and then to sleep. At dawn we begin our march anew.

  1. [1] Fallen Lords: Six sorcerer-generals of dark and fearsome power, led by Balor during the Great War. Numbered among their ranks were The Watcher, The Deceiver, Shiver, and Soulblighter. It was thought by the Nine that their powers were derived from Balor himself, but plainly this was not the case. ↩
  2. [2] Alric: An Avatara of years past, Alric is the only surviving member of the Nine sorcerers who opposed the Fallen Lords during the Great War. Alric reclaimed his throne after defeating Balor. He has spent the last sixty years rebuilding the Province. ↩
  3. [3] Soulblighter: Balor's second in command during the Great War. Arguably the most dangerous of the Fallen Lords, his cruelty and ambition knew no bounds. Many think that he was once Damas, one of Connacht's lieutenants. ↩
  4. [4] The Deceiver: One of the Fallen Lords who served Balor during the Great War. His rivalry with the other Fallen Lords led to his downfall. He disappeared after the Watcher decimated his army at Seven Gates. ↩
  5. [5] Balor: Once known as Connacht, great hero of the Wind Age, Balor returned wearing the mantle of the Leveler to lead the armies of the Dark during the Great War. Chief among the Fallen Lords, he fell in battle with Alric at his fortress in Rhi'anon, and his head was cast into the Great Devoid to ensure that he would never return. ↩
  6. [6] The Watcher: One of the Fallen. ↩
  7. [7] Seven Gates: One of the three passes across the Cloudspine, named for its seven choke-points, and overshadowed by an ancient volcano. Here, in the last year of the Great War, the Legion fought their way through the forces of The Watcher and The Deceiver and entered the Barrier. ↩
  8. [8] Myrkridia: A terrible race of flesh-eaters with a limitless capacity for evil. During the Wind Age, the Myrkridia were trapped in the Tain by Connacht and thought destroyed. ↩
  9. [9] Journeyman: (Heron Guard) These men are all that remains of the Empire of the Cath Bruig. Formerly the guards of the Emperor, they disbanded and wandered the earth in self-imposed exile after the Fallen destroyed Muirthemne and everyone in it. In a further show of penance, they developed the ability to heal other people, though they are by nature loners and do not actively seek out company. ↩
  10. [10] Cloudspine Mountains: A mountain range spanning the continent,running north to south across its center. An almost impassable barrier, the Cloudspine has only three passes—Bagrada, Seven Gates, and The Stair of Grief. Even these are only passable during the summer months. ↩
  11. [11] Stair of Grief: The northernmost passage through the Cloudspine. ↩
  12. [12] fir’Bolg: Formerly enemies of humans and their nations, the fir’Bolg changed their minds when they realized they didn't stand a chance against the Fallen Lords by themselves. After the war against Balor ended, the fir'Bolg returned to their own land. The truce remained intact, but they swore that they would never fight outside of their borders again.  ↩

Journey

Victory ...

Click to play music

& Defeat!