NationStates Jolt Archive

The death cult of Ermor had everything in place. Agents in the midst of the followers of the Astral path, a careless Arch Censor set into his position by the cult and an insane Grand Censor ravaging the countryside. No one had cared when they had stolen ancient unholy magics from the lizardmen of C'tis and no one had cared when the C'tissians accused them of theft. They had built unholy places to Eldregate as told in the books they had taken.

The ones from the Eastern Continent, who by now called themselves Pythians, of the state of Pythium, had foreseen the fall, and left Eldregate and the western parts of the Empire to bolster the defenses of the Eastern Continent. The Ermorians did not care. The C'tissians followed them to the Eastern Continent, and set their home to the northern parts of the said continent. The Ermorians did not care. And the ones they had beaten before so easily, the ones who use black steel, those who now call themselves the people of Ulm, left for the same continent, to its southern parts. They had strip mined the Great Mines as well as they could. Yet again, the Ermorians did not care. It was almost as if all the other peoples could see something was coming that the Ermorians could not.

There was one other group of people who chose to stay in the massive Western Continent. The people of Marignon, fanatic in their beliefs, which is based on a One True God, who will come to their aid in their times of need. They would stop it all, although their Holy War against the people of Ulm had not been successful. They chose to stay in their place just a small bit to north of the Great Mines, as it would be easier to defend a bottleneck of that sort. They had been there for thousands of years, but they were, in a way, the youngest culture in the Empire.

The Empire is about to fall, but no one knows how.

--

The Pythians are much like those of Ermor, and have taken much from their culture. They are like Ermor before the days of the death cult, and their mages are called Theurgs, who act as both mages and priests, unlike in Ermor, where they have both a priest caste and a mage caste. They lack horses unlike Ermor and use lizards instead, and the most formidable beasts they have are the Hydrae.

The C'tissians themselves are herbivorous lizardmen, but they have a slave species of carnivorous lizardmen, and they have chosen now to settle in the Bile Marsh of Pythium, even if the Pythian lizards and Hydrae pose a threat to their existence. How or why they came to be is unknown, even if it is obvious that they have lived here for aeons. When the Ermorian death cult stole their magics, they knew it would be their time to move to somewhere else now, or it would spell doom to their very existence.

The people of Ulm do not believe in the use of magic. They have always disliked peoples who use it, as they have always relied on their own black steel, which can't be found anywhere else but in the Great Mines in the Empire. Their Black Knights are a force to be reckoned with. Their hatred towards magic has also made them easily affected by its effects, as they have never learned how to resist it. Only the smiths that make their weapons, armors and the like are even allowed to use magic. For some reason, they believed the Pythians when they told of a danger looming in the Empire.


(OOC: This post was the prologue. Might fix it a bit later, but have no time right now.)

They had built a complex set of pitch black, hollow structures, obelisks, during many nights into Eldregate and around the area that was Ermor before the conquest had begun. They had painted many complex symbols within them. No one else really knew what they were for other than those of the death cult. Anyone who had even touched one of them had lost his or her mind, so they were left alone. The Censors failed to see the danger. Three of them were within the very center of Eldregate, two being in the two Temples and one in the Sepulchre itself.

The books they had stolen said that when certain unholy chants are said in the three points where the central obelisks are, great powers over death itself would be given to the casters. Nothing of any downsides were within those books. Some of the apprentices were uncertain. Why had not the C'tissians used this themselves? They were swiftly silenced by their masters, the reasons were so obvious to them. The C'tissians are weak! Weak and fearful! That is why they have not used it, wielded the power!

--

Ermor used to be a small, diplomatically apt nation consisting of only a few of the provinces around its capital of Eldregate. The other nations had always fought against each other leaving Ermor out of those wars, weakening themselves during the years. When Ermor began its march for domination no one could even slow them down.

The Thaumaturgs of Eldregate got their first taste of death magic from the Sauromancers of C'tis that taught them their ways. But unlike the C'tissian Sauromancers, the Ermorian mages fell to the lure of undeath, and they could never sate their need to learn more about it, to gain more power. The C'tissians knew that not all spells of death are "safe" as they are, that they are more than just tools, but the Ermorians did not care.

During the darkness of the night, when they had finally begun their chanting, nothing seemed to be wrong at first. As hours passed during that cursed night, the black obelisks began to glow. The Grand Thaumaturgs casting the spell felt that all hope was lost, and attempted to stop what they had started. But it was impossible. They could not stop it anymore. They had lost control of their bodies, and they continued their chanting against their own wishes.

Black light blasted from the three obelisks and they formed a black triangle. Then that light bursted towards the first other layer of obelisks, forming a square. This continued until the very borders of Ermor were reached by the black light. No one knew what was happening, but soon they would learn the horrible truth behind it all.

The Holy Empire would fall.

The Grand Thaumaturgs had failed to realize that there were more books about the spell they had casted, more than ones they had read, more than one. Full of warnings and possible ways to fail. In one cataclysmic event, all of Ermor turned to ashes. Everything in it died in an instant, and were pulled into the Underworld that corrupted them.

It felt like aeons...

And a new Empire was born.

That is when Ermor embraced undeath. But this was not enough. A gate was opened to the planes of the Netherworld and the Shadowlands as well. All Ermorians, ever lived and died in their homeland came to unlife.

Holy priests of the Ermorian faith became unholy. They had failed to see what was coming. They were punished harshly for their failure. They should have realized it. They will spread the dominion of the Ashen Empire.

The Thaumaturgs of Ermor became Dusk Elders, undead spectres, and their knowledge of astral magic was corrupted in the Underworld. They now know the path of death very well, all of them, even the ones who followed the astral path. They lost their bodies, and became ethereal.

Censors were the ones hit worst, their minds rended beyond all recognition, their bodies almost destroyed. They failed in their duty. They would be the ones to command the undead armies that would take the lands back to the Ashen Empire. They would not be able to leave the Ashen Empire's sphere of control.

Others who had power in Ermor were not as much to blame for what happened to Ermor, but still they were taken by undeath. Many were separated from their bodies, causing armies of longdead legionnaires and soulless to rise from the ground and unholy spirits to roam the lands as well.

The legions of Ermor march once again, this time to destroy all the living.

There had been minor quarrels about power in the midst of the Dusk Elders and the several Liches that had been created before the fall. The Liches used the fact that they actually had seen the fall as one of the reasons why they should take control, and that they are obviously superior, having achieved immortality.

The Dusk Elders on the other hand had been the magic elite, the Thaumaturgs and the Grand Thaumaturgs of the living Ermor, and the Liches would be Dusk Elders now if they had not been changed. Plus their "immortality" can be ended quite easily, and their bodies can be destroyed, not to mention the change in their composition. They are not immortal outside the Ashen Empire's dominion's reach anymore. Within the Ashen Empire, yes, they had an upper hand, but not outside. Although, because of the change, even the Liches had lost much of their connection to the other paths of magic.

But in the end, the Dusk Elders did not care much about the Liches' apparent lack of vision as they continued their research in the magical path of death. No one entity truly controlled the chaotic forces that the legions of the Ashen Empire were made of. They marched on to destroy the living and the priests followed them, chanting their unholy prayers. Only on some rare occasions their advancing was slowed down for a while, for days, weeks or even months, but they never were stopped. And their legions grew ever stronger.

--

The southern tip of the Western Continent had already been conquered wholly by the undeads, and they were closing in on the ancient dwelling grounds of the C'tissian lizardmen. Their attempts to seize the southern path to the Eastern Continent had been thwarted by an army of religious zealots and there the battles had been left to a stalemate. In all other directions they advanced.

Sometimes the Dusk Elders found themselves searching for new sources of magic gems, finding many sites. Ancient battlefields, unholy temples, leper fens. Some holy temples obviously had not been affected by the change in their surroundings and still emitted a holy glow, destroying the undeads attempting to get close to them. Living beings often tried to find refuge in those places, but with no food, they starved to death and joined the ranks of the Ashen Empire.

--

Much of the Western Continent was already under the control of the new Empire when they finally acquired a leader. Gravechill, a Demilich who had much to do with the final stages of corrupting the Thaumaturgs of Eldregate beyond sanity, had attempted to seize the mantle of God-Emperor by entering the now Unholy Sepulchre, but had failed miserably when the Lich Queen emerged from her resting place in the Sepulchre and destroyed him and took her rightful place as the God-Empress of the Empire.

Her very being caused darkness to fall over the Ashen Empire and all that is alive within it would age rapidly and die out of old age.

(OOC: The map of Ermor (http://sensori.soldats.net/ermor/ermor.jpg), for anyone who has not seen it yet.)

It was already obvious for the people of Marignon that they could not win this war, this Holy War of theirs against the new Empire, that rose from the ashes of the elder one. They had been able to delay the inevitable, but that is all. The undeads were already at the gates of Marignon, no matter how many they had destroyed. Even the Holy Pyres had not burned enough of them. Nothing had been able to stop the advancing horde. At least they had been able to serve a damaging blow to the enemy before they would fall, and the most sacred temples within their home, their capital, would continue destroying undeads even without their presence.

--

The Pythians and the Ulmians offered help, but they declined. Marignon would stand alone as it always has, and fall if its time has come. They never listened to reason, but that also gave them strength. Even if their God would never come, they never would lose hope.

Many Paladins have fallen, many Inquisitors have died, but they will never lose faith. To the last living and breathing human body they would fight until death consumes all of them. Even if no one would remember them in the future, they would fight.

Their final fortress was finally run over by the longdead legions and so Marignon fell, although not before setting many an undead ablaze. They fought heroically, although in the end their dead corpses would only help to bolster the rule of the Ashen Empire.

It did not take long for the Empire's armies to reach the new border of Ulm which was too well defended for them to go through. The bridges were too narrow, and the armies of Ulm too well organized. The undeads could not survive the arbalests.

They did not have anyone to command their legions under the seas at the moment. The Dusk Elders and their minions continued their research, the priests were busy desecrating the very earth and the Censors could not go beneath the sea. So they built up defenses of their own to the very edge of the Western Continent. Millions upon millions of undeads built a black Ermorian Citadel on their side in record time. There was a rather small island between the two sides, and no one who entered it ever survived.

--

In the north the legions had reached the abandoned lands of C'tis, and the priests had started to desecrate their tombs, bringing many ancient C'tissian priests, mages and the like to their cause. The legions themselves had continued marching towards the northern path to the Eastern Continent. There were some legions slaughtering the living in the western parts of the Western Continent as well, but they could not match the legions.

The Ashen Empire became stronger every day.

When the knowledge of Marignon's fall reached the lizardmen of C'tis, they began to reinforce their defenses even further. They had built a mighty fortress to the northern way to the Eastern Continent to keep the Ashen Empire out, but they knew that the fortress alone would not be enough. They needed more priests, which is exactly what they put there.

Their slaves, the predatory lizardmen would stay outside of the fortress as well as their own undead armies, whilst priests would take the place of their poison slingers in the towers of the fortress. The Ashen Empire would take the Western Continent, but they would not be able to touch the Eastern one. With the need to only defend a single place, the C'tissians could relax their defenses around their nation.

Unless the undeads at some point come through the seas, the war will take years to end. The land routes are too well defended for them to get through. But nonetheless, it is obvious that the living cannot win. The undead legions grow larger every day, and despair is growing within the ranks of the remnants of the Holy Empire.

Pythium was the only one of the three remaining civilizations that did not have to take part in the defense of the southern and northern land routes to the Eastern Continent, so they had suggested to the others that they would do something else instead. They would build wooden ships, not just Pocket Ships they had built before, but ships that could sail in deeper waters with ease. If and when the time comes, at least some of them would survive. The ships would be distributed between the three equally, and what they would choose to do with them was for each one to decide.

They would not die from thirst or hunger whilst sailing the seas, the magics they knew would make sure of that. The C'tissians had the best knowledge of the path of nature, so it was decided that they would be the ones to supply everyone with the items needed.

But there was one problem. They had no place to go. It would mean that the ones who survive would have to explore the world for a new place to live in. This all is still in the distant future, so they do not worry much about it. Yet.

TAG

TAG

Etimmu the Wraith Lord had found his way to Eldregate from the depths of the Underworld. He was one of the very first Ermorian death mages, in a way, even well before the Death cult had become to being. He was an ancient self proclamed Priest King in a distant kingdom, and he might be even older than the Lich Queen herself. He was with the Sauromancers for many years, until he learned their secrets. He left and brought terror into some kingdom that was unable to defend itself, and he made them worship him as god. In the end, he was slain by a Lizard King and those Sauromancers whose secrets he had stolen. After his death, the Lord of the Underworld granted him even more power than he had during his life. Now he is immortal, ethereal and he rides a horrible flayed spectral horse.

The Grand Censor of Ermor had lost his sanity before even going to the Underworld, and his mind was rended beyond all repair, and all that was left of him was his sword that had been used in many injustices. The sword itself was just like any other sword, with that one exception, as so many innocent had been murdered with it. After it had found its way to the Underworld, it became a very potent artifact of death. What it was called now was the Sword of Injustice, and Etimmu would be the one to wield it. Tempered in the depths of the Underworld, it now boosts the unholy powers of any unholy priest, which Etimmu also happened to be.

--

Nothing much happened in their war against the living, other than that they had reached C'tis in the north and they had even found a Dracolich from the abandoned lands of C'tis.

They had finally taken over all of the Western Continent. Absolutely nothing lives there now.

(OOC about edits: Edited the description of Etimmu quite a bit.)

"Ermor will fall, milady," Túrelio reported solemnly. "It has already begun."

Sirithil nodded... she'd wanted to make contact with Ermor... but other things had always come up. Menelmacar had simply never gotten around to it. And now they had nothing they could send. She fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Are you all right, milady?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine... well... we've got to do what we can, Túrelio. Put the word out, however you can, however it will be heard there, that Menelmacar will accept Ermorian refugees. Surely there are some who have yet escaped the festering grasp of the undead plague."

~Siri

It was something the Pythians had hoped to hear. The search for a location they would flee to had ended when they had received a hand written letter from a nation called Menelmacar, stating that they would accept their people to their lands. They had not heard much about it, other than from some rumors brought by merchants and other travelers, but that did not matter much. They would go there anyway. Going anywhere is better than dying and serving the Ashen Empire to the end of time.

They sent messengers to both C'tis and Ulm to tell them about this possibility. The Ulmians agreed, but the C'tissians were silent. The ships were being built in schedule, but it would still take some time for them to be finished.

But it was also something the undeads would hear, but in rumors. The rumor was twisted during its passage to the Ashen Empire, and in the end, it said that the remnants of the living Ermor had found an ally. Apparently one which proclaims to be on the side of "good", which has always meant being on the side of the living. The living would be punished for their arrogance.

They knew that if there is something that proclaims to be "good", there is always bound to be something that proclaims to be "evil". So, they begun their search for this exact opposite of what the living in the Eastern Continent had found. Not out of true need, but out of lust to show them that all hope is lost for them. No living being shall tread the lands of Ermor.

The first batch of ships, six in total, had been ready for a small while now. They were built transporting people in mind, so they were massive wooden naval vessels, magically enhanced ones too. Two of them went to the C'tissians, two to the Pythians and two to the Ulmians, just as they had agreed. The C'tissians gave magical items to the others, items that would dramatically drop the need of food supplies on their journey.

The reason why the C'tissians did not reply when the Pythians sent their message was simple, as they had already found a place they would go to. They would slowly, in secrecy, move as many of their Sauromancers, priests and general population as possible to that place without causing any suspicion. Their slaves weren't of that high importance, so they would leave all of them to die when the Ashen Empire would finally come in to conquer their lands.

((I'm assuming we will be told what is happening very shortly so here goes.))

An Undead Empire had arisen on their very doorstep, and across the seas Undeath grew stronger King Githras could not let this occur without a response, and a state of emergency had been decleared within the Islands of Giltheran.

Under the simple powers of this state, Giltherans Power was absolute, even the semi independence of the wild and Sea elves bowed to the state of emergency, and so the generals and Admirals of the Elves had gathered.

'Ready the men we ride to war, in defence of the living, King Melthias, your people are to secure the seas, find and destroy the undead that lie below us, show them the teeth of the Seas.'
The Elf to which he spoke smiled as he recieved his orders, it would be a joy to hunt the rout the stench of undeath from his home, they would show these creatures to fear the seas.

'Cardinal Heveras, we look to the Seldarine for it's protection in these dark times, how many clergy members will fight by our side?'
'My King, all will fight against the undeath, but if you ask how many can I recommend Seven Hundred Clerics can be raised for the fight, without leaving these lands wanting for the love of the Seldarine.'

'Then let it be so, prepare our forces to depart, we march gentlemen to war. I do not know if we can win but know that the fields of Arvandor stand waiting for those that fall.'

The Legions of the Elves marched, the Moon elves and the Gold marched in strict formations Elven chain and longbows held high. In the skys above them circuled Eagles carrying Rangers and Druids. Ahead of them and behind them stalked Wood elves, in looser formations and deep scattered around the forces stalked Wilder elves, without chain or much armor at all they commanded the beasts of the forest. Within their numbers Shapeshifting druids, who where one moment a Hawk the next an Elf, before sliping into other forms. The most powerful became creatures of Nature itself, the elements of Earth and Fire, of Water and Air where theirs to command.

Elven Caverly rode behind the foot troops, Platemail standing out amongest the lighter armour of the other forces, like all Elven Armor it was lighter and more flexiable, but as strong as any armor.

remaining hidden within the infantry lay the Battlemages of the Elven forces, men as skilled in combat as they where in the Arcane arts, the Chainmail of the Elves not effecting their ability to cast magic, as other armour might.

At the head of this force rode the king himself, at his side was his closest Advisor, the Bealnorn Jervais, and guarding their king, the true Elite of the forces under his command, the Bladesingers. Nine Champions, nine warriors who combined the sword and the spell to a degree even the Battlemages could not compare to. Nine Men and women who where the living embodiment of the Elven spirit.

OOC Yes I know they can't win, but they can give the living a greater hope of escape. We too will accept at least temporary refugees, acting as a drop of point so that more can be evacuated in the time we have.

The Lich Queen's cold laughter echoed through the halls of her own Sepulchre. The Ashen Empire's power only grew. The Western Continent was already completely overrun. And even if they could enter the Ashen Empire, they would only be greeted by coldness and death. She had heard from the Dusk Elders of military movement within the southwestern isles of Ermor that they had left alone. A Censor was in the room, waiting for her command.

"They are to attack the Ashen Empire?! Mortal fools! Let us show them our power. You, Censor. You shall send the longdeads, the soulless and everything you see fit to 'welcome' them. Send the Archbishops and some of the Dusk Elders with them. Strike them all down. Slaughter them. We show no mercy to the living. And the Dusk Elders are to bring the creatures they have summoned to this fight as well. I wish to see how well they fare in combat."

And so was done. An army of at least a million longdead began to march. Thousands upon thousands of knights of the unholy sepulchre went with them.The Archbishops blessed them with their unholy blessings and chanted their unholy prayers. The Dusk Elders flew around them, summoning, casting and commanding the undead. They had many Behemoths with them, and they had even been able to bring the Dracolich of C'tis to this one upcoming battle.

They were not about to ignore this challenge, no. They would strike them down, and murder them to the last elf.

--

This had no effect to the citadels in the north and in the south. There were so many of them, so many... Millions upon millions of dead were marching around the Ashen Empire, tirelessly.

Tag

The Army waited at the coast as the Mages went to work the Spelljammers where the first vessels to be loaded, but other means of transporting troops where being created. various Spells where being cast soon all would be ready to begin to force the landing.

Under the waves the Sea Elves swam, and mustered, Dolphins came to answer their Call, as they had on Toril. The old alliances holding firm even so many Lightyears distant. They hunted Undead, and sweeped the seas clean of their taint.

'Jervais to you and the Circle I entrust the first wave, get our people into Ermor, Take what ever forces you will need for this role, I will follow with the rest of our forces.'

A Grim smile, the Circle was perhaps the five gmost powerful of the Elves in Giltheran. Five Bealnorns with Five different specialites. each was without equal in his field in Giltheran. They had an inkling of what they faced, but it did not matter.

((First wave when I post the landings coming up. When I decide what exact forces are chosen, I know it will have a high Cleric bias through))

But the seas close to the coasts of Ermor were extremely hostile. Sharks roamed in those places, twisted and evil, attacking anything that was alive, and the taint of undeath only became worse. Longdeads, soulless, shades, undeads of many kinds walked beneath the sea. It would be nearly impossible to attack Ermor underwater, or to remove their marine defenses.

On the ground, the armies were readying themselves all around the coasts of the Ashen Empire. Maybe the elves would not strike where it would be quickest for them. That was something the Censors had thought of, and that was also something that they took care of. No matter where they would come ashore, they would die.

Scryings had revealed the worst to the Elves, none lived in Ermor, all had fallen to the Ashen Empire. Resistence still remained on the Eastern Continent, a people desperatly seeking an escape. It was to them then that they would go.

To reinforce the Living's defenders while they searched for a way to escape, and to lend their aid in that hunt, they had made contact afterall with others already their Eagles knew ways to other lands that they could guide the ships of the survivors towards. Then they would have to look to their own defences, the Gaurdian project was now more urgent than when it had been first started.

The Circle would now lead the first wave of forces offering the aid of the Elves to the people of the Eastern landmass.

1500 Soldiers and Archers. 500 Warmages, 700 Knights, 250 Clerics and a wave 200 Strong of Eagles. Also would be of course the Spelljammers, the fleet set sail that very day, to the Northern Landbridge.

New reports concerning the elven "threat" came to the Lich Queen.

"So, they chose to go to help the living instead of attacking us openly? Doesn't matter. They will fall with the living men of the Eastern Continent, and then, then they shall see how futile it all is!"

Again she laughed her cold laugh. The Censor who had come to tell her of this left to command his legion.

But then a black servant came to her and whispered. It whispered that they had finally found the exact opposite of the ones whom they had heard would help the remnants of the living. The search had not been in vain.

--

The undead legions that had waited for the elves to attack began to disperse and go back to their earlier duties. Apparently they had chosen not to attack after all, and the undead would now continue as they had before, like nothing had happened.

Their defenses in the Ermorian Citadels had not been compromised by this show of force, but they chose to reinforce them anyway, just to make sure that the new arrivals would not choose to attack at all.

The remnants of the Empire accepted the help the elves offered them, although the people of Ulm were suspicious of them. They never trusted anyone inherently magical. But even with their help, they knew that they would only be able to slow the Ashen Empire down. Stopping them completely and destroying them was impossible, and they already knew that the undeads had their agents doing their dark work within the Eastern Continent as well.

--

More ships had been built, but still, not many left their homes. The C'tissians had become alarmingly silent, though, and not many of them were seen anymore. Their slave lizardmen were plentiful, but it seemed that Sauromancers had become rare.

Pythians had begun to leave the place, but the people who left were mostly civilians. Some Theurgs always went with them, but most of them came back. Only a few of them stayed in the refuge, in part because they were needed to bring the ships back.

More forces began to Land, various issues had to be dealt with.
At last King Githras himself lnded with the largest Contingment of soldiers, and he was furious, 'SLAVES! they are keeping Slaves outside the Citidel's.' His voice was a mix of rage and disgust, as he looked up a messenger had entered his tent. 'Find the advisors and Lords of these lands, send as many men out as you need, tell them that we expect, no demand, assurances that none shall be left behind. Also make it known to the Slaves that the Spelljammers shall take their familes to safty, to the Lands of Giltheran if the boats of these lands should be denied them. That when our forces withdraw, we shall take them to safty and freedom with us. NONE shall be slaves.'

The man bowed as he ran out, seeking others of his regiment scouts and rangers, who now served as Messenger's as the armies took shelter behind the walls of the Citidels.

The Elven forces had grown, as more troops arrived from Islands of Giltheran it was understood that this war could not be won but they would fightto ensure none should be left behind. Clerics moved throughout the wounded, lending spells to the Healing of soldiers to ensure that they would soon be fighting on the walls again. The dead where Blessed and where time allowed would be sent back to Giltheran and buried in consecrated ground, when time was against them the Elves simply burnt the bodies after they where blessed. Long into the night could be heard the prayers of the Clerics of the Seldarine, as they healed the sick or prayed for more spells for the next day.

((Ermor Obviously if the Ctiss are missing it will be hard to contact them but any that can be contacted or any Slaves that can be found will eventually have those messages relayed to them.))

The people of Ulm and the Pythians were insulted by the accusations of slavery, and the C'tissians that still were left declined the "offer". Even the slaves themselves declined. The slave species of lizardmen they had were obviously inferior, at least to them, and the slave lizardmen were bound by an ancient oath. They would do what their Shamans whose ancestors made those oaths would say. No one had asked the elves to come and help them, and they had no authority over the remnants.

The northern fortress, that had been held by the C'tissians still stood as it had for so long, as did the one the Ulmians had built before the C'tissians had even thought of moving to the Eastern Continent. They had been holding their positions quite well even before the elves came, and still did, although the fresh troops did ease the burden.

The people of Ulm and the C'tissians did not let the elven priests even close to their dead as per of their own beliefs. The Ulmians have always been hostile towards magic users, and that has not changed. The C'tissians on the other hand... Although they do not dislike others as much the Ulmians do, they would never let an outsider see their religious ceremonies, unless they have proven themselves worthy.

(OOC: The situation isn't quite that gloomy as of yet. The fortresses hold, and the priests and mages have been keeping the undead away from the Eastern Continent, which is still mostly untouched.)

The time for their final victory was close. Now, instead of the Censors who were unable to go under the deep oceans, many Dusk Elders had begun to command their armies and taken them below the depths of the unforgiving sea. But instead of rushing in with one army at a time like mindless beasts, they would wait. They would wait close to the shores of the Eastern Continent, but still far enough to remain unseen. They would annihilate the living and take over the last refuge of the living within Ermorian soil with one swift stroke.

One glorious battle and it all would end. The dead would walk on the lands which have once again been conquered by the great Empire of Ermor. From their point of view, only one thing had changed, and that was that Ermor was no longer holy.. The living would have no place to hide, no place to flee. The dead would march on from all directions and their dominion would follow them, killing the ones lucky enough to survive the ever growing legions.

But for now they would wait.

The Pythians and those of Ulm knew the end of their time in Ermor was drawing closer, so they had begun to ship their people out of there to greater extent than ever before, but still many refused to leave their homes. They knew that they did not have much time. They just knew it. The Eastern Continent was about to fall.

They would go to Menelmacar, to the place that had offered them refuge. That place would be far enough from the Ashen Empire, so they would not have to fear them ever again. And they knew they had enough supplies for the long journey.

First left many of the Theurgs who took many of their items, gems and the like with them. They would create a structure to make it possible for the rest of the Pythian Theurgs to bring themselves and as many others as they could with them without the use of ships. An uneducated one would call it teleportation. That is not what the Gateway is.

When they had found their way to Menelmacar, they were guided to a port by the locals. That was when the first Theurgs walked upon those lands, and that was when the Ulmians and the Pythians at last began to flee from their homeland.

But for many, it was already too late.

And then came the time when the undead began to march onto the Eastern Continent. They overwhelmed the ones who had not left by sheer numbers. Millions upon millions of undead beings marched from the seas that surrounded the Continent. Those who were alive then knew that they should have left when they had the chance, for nothing will stop the undead from killing them. They could not flee to any direction.

It did not take long for the Ashen Empire to end the reign of the living completely in these lands. The unholy priests quickly turned the place into an extension of the dominion of the Ashen Empire, and the Dusk Elders searched for sites of magical value. And they found many of those.

The undead had finally won within Ermor. The Holy Empire is dead, long live the Ashen Empire!

(OOC: And from now on, Ermor shall be known as "The Ashen Empire of Ermor".)