Thread: Fall of Elen'thalas (Krimson & HeavenSundered)

His name was Seth von Irion , third and youngest son of Federyc von Irion, King of Arcadia, the largest human kingdom in the North. Arcadia, a land rich in mineral resources, fertile farm fields, and vast pine forests. It borders the Black Sea to the north, the human kingdom of Rhaye and Zaria to the east, the Plains of Eon to the west, and the elven kingdom of Elen'thalas to the South. For much of its history, Arcadia has been embroiled in an endless conflict - barbarians, raiders assaulting its vaunted walls from the Plains of Eon. The Great Wall of Gerath, named for King Gerath, the fifth King of Arcadia, has traditionally held off such attacks. But in the recent years, the barbarians have become more organized, supposed led by a great Khan who had emerged and unified their ranks. Worse, they attacked not from the west, but from the south, a border much less fortified on account of the unwarlike elves. But the elves were precisely the problem. Many feared the elves...with their long lifespans and an affinity for magic and knowledge coursing in their blood. Others hated the elves...a kingdom that never traded, never offered aid or alliances, completely shut in itself even as the worst of droughts assaulted its neighbors. And yet others admired the elves, desired the elves...a race known as much for beauty as much as knowledge even a common elf fetched five times the price of a human on the slave markets. Personally, Seth despised them. It was not uncommon knowledge that Arcadia and Elen'thalas were on poor terms. The bards sang fondly of the tale of Prince Arnaldus von Irion and the elven Princess Ahelissa. A love story against all odds, a union unblessed by either royal family, but particularly by the elves. Bloody racists, if you asked Seth. Nobody but an elf was good enough for an elf. Or at least, that's apparently how it worked. Ahelissa, smitten by the charming Arnaldus, eloped with him and was never seen again. And ever since then, Elen'thalas held a grudge against Arcadia. But the elves were not a warlike people they grumbled, they cursed, and they turned their pointy ears to the other direction, but they did not wage war upon Arcadia. But in the recent years, that changed. The new elven king, Ralith Silverdawn...Seth has not even one nice thing to say about the man. Not that he'd ever met him, considering how reclusive the elves were. But from what he's heard in the war council and the grumbling of his father, this man...was dangerous. More than that, he was a coward, a scheming snake that employed others to do his battles for him. He knew, much as all the higher commanders of Arcadia knew, that it was Ralith that was arming the barbarians. Allowing them to cross the elven border and assault Arcadia from the south. The first offensive began ten years ago, when Seth was only sixteen. A gruesome battle that caught Arcadia by surprise. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost, among them, Prince Thrior, Seth's eldest brother. Worse, the human kingdom of Zaria, deciding to prey on Arcadia's vulnerability, engaged it in a two-front war. Had it not been for the help of the kingdom of Rhaye, a most loyal ally, Arcadia might not stand today. The two-front war has continued since then. Both Seth and his second-oldest brother, Hadrian, fought. Once he finally reached eighteen, Seth fought under Hadrian's banner. Then, after two years on the field, he was given his own legion to command and transferred to the Eastern Front. A war that went on...and on...and on. The Zarian knights were like ants. Never ending, vicious, always ready to sink their little pinchers into where they don't belong. The next six years of his life was spent at the border, battling the Zarian forces, culling their ranks one by one. He commanded he fought. Unlike his brothers, Seth was not trained as a Paladin, but rather a Swordmaster. An unusual choice for a general, but it suited the young man. He ever distained plate-armor, after all. He chose instead cloth of crimson and leathers dyed black - each garment well-made, embroidered with golden threads. No jewels too pretentious for his tastes. But his gauntlets and belt buckle were intricately carved, embellished no doubt by the greatest smith in the land. He didn't hide his status, nor did he flaunt it, thus was how Seth carried himself always. Speed and agility, those were the guiding principles he followed. A blur upon the battlefield, his obsidian hair fluttering in the wind, and his eyes, blood-reds signaling his royal blood, were the very last thing his enemies saw before he cut them down. It was rumored that his beloved dual blades claimed not hundreds of lives, but thousands. Among the denizens of Arcadia, he was reverently regarded as the God of War, and, among his enemies, the Crimson-Eyed Devil. That conflict ended only months ago, the King of Zaria having been forced to sign a humiliating treaty giving great concessions to Arcadia. A triumphant victory for Prince Seth, a most celebratory occasion had it not been for the chilling news that reached the castle at the same time - Prince Hadrian, slain, not at the hands of the barbarians, but the elves. Seth couldn't hate those knife-eared bastards any more than he already did. And that explained his current location, scaling the cliffs of Mount Hale. He rode, not with a legion, but only a small contingent of private guards, and even that, he left behind at the base of the mountain. They protested, of course, but who really dared to defy His Royal Highness, first and only Heir? He didn't explain himself, but the reason was obvious. He was already intruding - bringing a whole contingent of men with him would have destroyed any possibility at diplomacy. No, he had to make the journey himself. She was somewhere on the mountain - he didn't know where, only that he would probably know it when he arrived. The so called Demon Witch in the Mountains... But he knew better. He knew who she was. The sorceress that betrayed the King of Zaria in the last war, for reasons unknown. He'd thought she would attempt to join Arcadia, but she had...simply disappeared. But being a Prince had its advantages, and lo and behold, he had came himself to track her down. To his great regret, they'd never met on the battlefield, but he had heard of her, of the way she laid waste to a whole legion... And he shall have her - she shall serve the Arcadian army, she shall share her knowledge of the arcane and the ancient, and she will aid him in conquering those bastard elves. At least, that was his goal. But the tricky thing with sorceresses was just that, they were as unpredictable as the magic they wielded. Speaking of magic -- BOOM, ...Phew. The Prince wearing an expression seldom seen on his usually calm and charismatic demeanor, one of complete and utter shock. Flame erupting from nowhere upon the rock he stood but a second ago, the very tip of his hair singed. Had he reacted a second later...well, he preferred not to think about that. Seth licked his lips. This means...he was close. He drank what was left of the water from his waterskin, and continued his search with renewed vigor. More traps - evaded better this time as he was prepared, tossing rocks and sticks ahead of him even as he walked. A cave, in the distance...he approached.