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UPDATE TWENTY TWO
The Might of Mictlan
In T'ien Ch'i, after one year, the sun has stopped shining. The province is enshrouded in darkness, as a rakshasa named Vibhishana climbs up the highest tower of the province regularly, and laughs looking eastwards as the sun dares not show itself.
Arshnoc wizards and soldiers kept guard around the province, waiting for the light to finally show and the province to return to their country. Arshnoc soldiers still occupy the province, and food has been brought from Caelum in the form of enormous magical cauldrons of broth in order to feed this important army.
In Patala, faithful
Lanka followers took up arms to chase the nagas, who retreated into Bandar Log.
Some
Mictlan veterans in Kitajima boarded ships to settle in the province of Man, whose population had been dwindling for a long while. Despite the financial measures to help them, most of the veterans offered lands in Man preferred to stay in Kitajima.
In Kitajima, Mictlan priests looked for sacrifical victims as they do in other parts of the kingdom. Most followers of Shizen were outraged by this barbaric custom and dissent increases.
Tir na n'Og citizens on the other hand, voluntarily offered several of their children to the Mantis, so that their blood could be used to further augment the reach of their religion.
Despite the priests' actions to limit them, rampant diseases in Jaguars Jungle continue to spread and kill. The extraordinary health bestowed by the Mantis upon her followers alleviates the damages, but many deaths are reported nonetheless.
Many
Shinuyama citizens of Bogarus converted to the worship of Shizen, as they find the peace brought by the bakemono lords more worthy of worship than the cult of Magni.
In
Ermor, buildings and forts start crumbling as the earth shakes and buildings collapse upon themselves. Walls surrounding the ancient city of Eldergate crumble and fall, as if struck down by hostile magicks. Several zombies were crushed when old houses aand crypts collapsed.
In the north of the empire, undeads in Ulm started killing the inhabitants, in order to bring them with them in eternal undeath. Although some inhabitants accepted their fate happily, most of the population refused to be killed and tried to flee the province, mostly to Dacia. Refugees also walked or sailed into the Jotunheim province of Agartha and the Mictlanese Kymriu. As Ermor refugees spread into Dacia, the
Pythium province had trouble integrating all these newcomers. Although many were worshippers of Celes, Dacians still saw them as foreigners and mistrust grew steadily. The newcomers weren't numerous, but resentment grew extraordinarily fast as they arrived to "take the lands" of Dacians. The situation in the province is still under control, but there's a lot of resentment as Dacians accused Ulm refugees to steal their crops and defile their shrines.
On the borders of
Jotunheim, in Utgard, giants organised the industry of timber, increasing productivity in the province.
In Polgard, extremely cold winters and snowfalls blocked trade and hurt the human population who doesn't delight in eternal winter as the Jötnar do.
In the
Arshnoc province of Seul, gold mines collapsed, hurting the income of the province. Other bad events happened in Dark woods: A sect of fanatics, mourning the death of brother Kyzarc, decided that every third boy should be sacrificed in order to share the mourning of Stheran and Kathnezjac and started committing sacrifices. Most of the population of the province was outraged and the fanatics were chased and hunted down, but they took shelter in the forest, where they stay in hiding, avoiding the militia and authorities.
In the Arshnoc capital, wizards and priests managed to bring some life back into fields that had become barren when the gates of death had been opened.
In the
Pythium province of Arcoscephale, a wizard bought an old book from a market. It was old and dusty, and the wizard got it for cheap. But when he read the book, he found this was in fact an invaluable source of knowledge. The wizard asked the merchant where this book came from and if there were others like it, but the merchant answered that it was the last thing owned by a madman who had been executed a few years ago for killing his best friend. The wizard thanked the merchant and went back with his newfound treasure.
In Pangaea, a patrol of soldiers found a camp in the forest. Only bits of flesh and bones remained of the men who had built that camp. Where they came from, where they were going, noone knew. Everybody in the nearby villages knew this place was dangerous. Noone ever went there, not even the most foolhardy of children. The patrol chief, an old hunter said to have some satyr blood in his veins, looked at the signs and explained what had happend: Land wyrms had been disturbed by the campers, and attacked. Those monsters are rare and seldom seen, but the men in the camp were unlucky enough to camp near one of their nests. The wyrms ate all the bodies, but left their gold. Lots of gold, which the Pythian soldiers happily brought back home.
Furthermore, Pangaean schools are undergoing a reform, and actions are taken by the government to reduce fanaticism. The cult of Celes is obviously the official religion, but citizens are encouraged to ignore other faiths rather than actively fight them. This tolerance has limits, however, as heathens are not allowed positions in the administration, and important businesses are required to be owned by a Celes follower too. This policy has considerably calmed down fanatics, along with police operations by emerald guards who arrested several followers of the Mantis who tried to raise armed militia.
In Pythium proper, three horrors attacked the province. Those monsters appeared suddenly, terrifying the population. Celes sent his legions and his etheral allies to strike the monsters and dispatch them.
After the battle, Celes asked Dain, who knew about these beings since his unfortunatte meeting with one of these years ago, what those monsters were exactly.
Dain started a lecture, as usual:
Celes: - Dain. Tell me what those horrors are, and where they come from?
Dain: - Horrors are astral beings that feed on the emotions of suffering, lamentation and fear. They have strangely distorted perceptions and will primarily attack creatures previously marked by astral magic. Horrors sometimes appear in highly magical countries to attack people who have been marked by evil astral mages.
Celes: - What exactly do you mean by "evil"?
Dain: - Well, those who use the magic which was first forbidden by the Pantocrator.
Celes: - The Pantocrator forbade use of all magics.
Dain: - Yes, but the first one to be forbidden was blood magic.
Celes: - I thought the fire lanterns you use for research could sometimes call the attention of horrors. And these were forged with fire magic. How do you explain that? Do you think this is the cause of this attack?
Dain: - Well, the horrors need beacons to strike people. Some have been marked, and it appears that some magical lights such as that used in the lanterns can draw their attention, even though it's neither astral nor evil in itself. As for the lanterns being the cause, it is a definite possibility, but...
Celes: - But?
Dain: - But when they attack the bearer of a lantern, they usually appear near him. They're ethereal, you see, and will reach the beacon from, well, wherever they come from. I havee a few theories about that if you're interested...
Celes: - Please focus.
Dain: - Oh. Sorry. Later then? Mmmhhh. Well, they usually attack directly near the lantern. This attack was different. They looked like they didn't focus on someone special. Maybe there are too many lanterns and they couldn't focus on a single one? Or maybe they were attracted by something else? I've read that they thrive upon fear and suffering. Maybe there's more of it in Pythium than we guessed?
Near
Abysia, from the inverted pyramids of C'tis, the mummies of long-dead kings marched out towards the city. There, the abysian administrator was panicked, and called forth the militia, fearing the undead would ravage the town. But he feared in vain. The mummies croaked and talked, and explained they had heard a call, a call to war, and decided to join the armies of Abysia wherever they would require them to go.
The northern Abysian province of Marignon was granted autonomy by Sagra. Right now, the province is the place of an electoral campaign between several candidates, the most prominent ones being Inquisitor General Tomaso de Monteforadda, a former Inquisitor General during the reign of the Great Inquisitor, freed from his imprisonment due to the radical studies of the Abysian Bishop stationed in Marignon that confirmed his Theological views about the godhood and purpose of the Great Inquisitor, and Angélique d'Armant, a former peasant girl become brigand leader and later Knight of the Church of Marignon, who had been offered amnesty in exchange that she leave the military and return to the countryside.
Inquisitor de Monteforadda's discourse at the council of Catalonia, where the few surviving inquisitors were to talk with the abysian bishops, made a lasting impression on both Marignon and Abysian citizens. The Inquisitor General convinced many marignonese that their old faith was indeed correct, and they had been misled by a false god who almost destroyed them all with his mistakes. Angélique didn't have the theological background of the Inquisitor, but she too participated in the council, where her pure faith granted her lots of positive opinions.
Mictlan launched a large-scale attack against
Ermor. By sea and by land, Mictlanese attacked every province of Ermor.
In the north atlantean sea, Mictlan galleons attacked the harbours of Ulm, trying to hurl catapults at Ermor ghost ships. The galleons shot at ghost ships from afar and refused combat, retreating. When galleons come back to harass them, ghost ships try to follow, but galleons retreat. Then in a cloudy night, as galleons stood still, ghost ships used darkness to their advantage and managed to close in and force combat with the galleons in close quarters. Some of the galleons were sunk, but they outnumbered the Ermor ghost ships, and managed to defeat them. Soon afterwards, other Mictlan ships arrived near Ulm, and these galleons and Mictlanese ghost ships landed a huge army on the coasts of Ulm.
At the same time, another Mictlanese fleet in Adrian sea landed in Slavia, and troops attacked from Marverni and Man to invade Bavaria and Ermor.
The battle of Ulm
On the shores of Ulm, Mictlan ships landed a host of wisard priests, blood slaves and demons to face Ermor undead. Mictlan priests and demons cast strong enchantments and alterations to turn their soldiers into misty beings protected from fire and cold.
As Ermor troops charged, several Mictlanese wizards, including some dwarves originally from Vanheim, created earthquakes, damaging the undead while their own troops were protected by their defensive spells.
The battle of Slavia
On the shores of Slavia, Mictlanese ships unloaded devils, human, atlantean and couatl wizards and a lot of slaves. They were soon met by defenders trying to push them back to the sea, but the Mictlanese called forth ice elementals and great magics to fight the undead. They shrouded themselves in mist, and forced the sun to shine brighter, its light blinding mortals and harming the undead even more than it harmed the demons.
The battle of Bavaria
As Mictlanese armies marched into Bavaria, they came across a great chasm. On the other side of the chasm was stood a dark fortress which they had to take if they wanted to take over the province.
There were terrible winds over this gorge, and even those demons able to fly were unable to cross it. The army looked for a place where they could pass and they arrived to a long and gloomy bridge. The army started crossing when suddenly, out of nowhere, a withered figure appeared in a poof of smoke.
"STOP! He who would cross the Bridge of Death, Must answer me These questions three, Ere the other side he see "
To these words, the Mictlanese army stopped. A wizard priest approached the gate keeper and ordered him to let them pass, in the name of the Most Holy Mantis.
"What... is your name?"
"Lankelotozca."
"What is you quest?"
"Listen, old fool, I'm here in the name of Mantis and you will let our army go or...AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHH!!!!!!! "
An unseen force sent the wizard plummetting down the gorge of eternal peril. His comrades tried to banish the gatekeeper, but suffered the same fate. Then one of the bug demons that flew over the army tried to catch one of the falling priests, but he too was cast down the bridge and crashed in the gorge hundreds of feet below.
The army stopped. It appeared that the only way through was to answer the gate-keeper questions.
So the leader of the army started answering the questions, and, thanks to his great wisdom, managed to fool the old gate keeper and let his army cross the bridge:
However, Ermor troops were waiting for the Mictlanese army on the other side of the chasm, and Mictlanese had to fight before all of their troops had crossed, and at the same time, several zombies and skeletons attacked Mictlan's rearguard. Although this rear attack was easily repelled, it effectively cut the army in two.
Mictlan armies were killed, but their strongest devils, in particular the ice devils who loved the cold climate, managed to resist the onslaught of Ermor undead, and in time the rest of Mictlan army joined the battlefield, and Ermor troops withdrew. However, the ice devil Bune and the bug demon Anfar the bug demon had been corrupted by Ermorian priests, and joined the undead troops, becoming apostates by the strength of Ermor priestly magics.
After this side switching, Mictlan troops were seriously weakened. They fought to the last devil and were finally eradicated by the undead and their devil armies.
The battle of Ermor
Etimmu the Wraith Lord met with the emperor Tiberius Drusus Nero Claudius, warning him of news of impending doom brought to him by his shade agents: Mictlanese troops were invading Ermor itself. The emperor ordered Etimmu to launch an ambush upon the enemy forces in order to estimate their strength and to cause as much mayhem as he could before they met in battle.
Etimmu led his shades and some wailing ladies sneak upon the Mictlanese, to find out they summoned ice elementals and devils, and protected their warriors with mighty alteration spells. Etimmu and his soldiers retreated towards the crumbling city of Eldergate, where he reported to the emperor:
"Mictlan's magic is extremely powerful. Not only do they summon monsters on the battlefield, they are able to protect them, turning their bodies into mist, which makes it almost impossible for us to harm them. Furthermore, they are led by powerful demons equipped with great magical gear. I am afraid that, even with our superior numbers, we won't be able to stand against their might, as our weapons won't harm even them.
Resigned to a perilous battle, the Emperor led his followers to the fateful battlefield.
Despite superior numbers, Ermor undead were banished and destroyed by Mictlan armies. They inflicted serious casualties, but the priests and devils were too strong for the undead, who lacked battlefield magic to support their own troops.
Etimmu made a last stand, protecting his Emperor. He feared not death, as he had died several times already and always came back.
As all of their chaff was destroyed, Ermor mages and retreated and fled north into Bavaria.
New map:
