Thread: Clash of Two Kingdoms [rskde & nightsoceress]

In the land of Eadirene there lay two kingdoms, one of peace and prosperity, the kingdom that celebrates the differences between the many races that inhabit the land. This kingdom is known as the Union of Four, to represent the four different realms that it contains. First, the realm of the Elves, where High King Troslg resides and rules over the kingdom. Second, the realm of Orcs, a darker corner of the kingdom but one that raises many strong warriors to fight for the Union. Third, the realm of Giants, a kingdom built entirely to make room for the Conquerors of the Old World, who stopped their war against the Elves and Orcs when too much blood had been shed. The final is the realm of Dwarves, a kingdom completely underground built and inhabited by the great blacksmiths that the land had ever provided for. These kingdoms formed a powerful alliance long ago, when the first Humans migrated from their homeland of Austrios which had encountered an apocalyptic volcanic eruption, causing the land to become inhabitable. The first humans in the land, much like the Giants, were also Conquerors, they paved the way for their race, hoping to find a new home in this foreign land. The first humans had been thrown off of Eadirene, the Union of Elves and Orcs had seen it fit that Humans would never inhabit the land. But the Humans returned with force, causing the Union of Four to form, but even the four combined races of Giants, Dwarves, Orcs, and Elves were not enough to throw the humans off of the land again. This caused an uneasy balance to form, for hundreds of years the Humans and the Union lived side by side in a sort of peace, though racial fighting had broken out in the form of border wars occasionally. The new kingdom that the Humans formed, filled with hatred and jealousy towards other races put in power a King who sits atop his throne in a constant state of eternal rage. A king who has gone as far as to steal relics from the grave of the Old Ones, a sacred tomb that had been marked by the Goddess Juniper as a place to be untouched by man as revenge for the many sins that mankind had committed against Juniper and her people before she became a Goddess. But the Humans did not care for the warnings that the Tomb bore them, they paved a path forward towards a brighter future for Humanity. Once the relic was announced to Humanity, there was a rebellion that tore through the kingdom. This started the War of Seven Kingdoms. The rebellion started the day Justinious III beheaded the King, and crowned himself King of the Relic with a crown forged from the very Relic that he named himself after. He swore to bring back the power of Humanity, to lead better than the Fallen King and rule fairly. With the combined metals of the former King's sword and armor, Justinious inherited the power of the Relic and has become immortal. Very soon, the rebellion was crushed under the iron fist of Justinious, who by wearing the Relic became as cruel and jealous, if not more, than the former king. A few human realms turned to the Union of Four in order to gain protection, refusing the benefits of the Relic that turned their beloved king into the monster that he had sworn to destroy and root out from the Kingdom. This new Human kingdom dedicated themselves to the Relic that caused their corruption and hatred, naming themselves the High Order of Old, seeking to restore the great kingdoms that Humanity once held in Austrios. The religion of the land was not fiction, but history. The Gods and Goddesses hated the Humans, as they had risen from Giants and Elves, from the wars of Orcs and from the flames of the Dwarven forges. In retaliation of the Humans inhabiting a part of Eadirene, the Gods and Goddesses of Old came together and granted the Union of Four a boon, the ability to live for hundreds of years, to never feel famine or poverty and to allow their rulers to be immortal. Even now, High King Troslg lives at the ripe age of four hundred and fifty years old. But this power of immortality was given to many Humans who have sworn their lives to the King of the Relic. A new era of war erupted when Justinious III publicly executed one of the Keepers of Old, an Elven Librarian who Justinious assumed would have more knowledge of the Relic that sat upon his head. When the Librarian refused to give the King of the Relic what he wanted, Justinious saw it fit to behead him in the square of Humanity's capital city, Praven. The Union of Four reacted viciously, launching a campaign to secure the many burial sites that the Humans had begun excavating for more clues on how to further their immortality. The initial fighting was brutal, many casualties on both sides that only ended in a stalemate. The Armies of Man were called, a counteroffensive was launched, specifically aimed at the kingdoms that had seceded from the Order. One of the humans whom had sought refuge from the high king bore the name of Venarus, the man was only twenty two years of age, his youth was evident on his handsome but scarred face, which he kept clean shaven. He only had a single scar that was more like a wound as he had received it just a day before, a reminder of his disloyalty to King Justinious who had struck him with a metal gauntlet when Venarus declared his secession, this wound ran from the top left corner of his lip to the bottom of his left ear. He has a pair of hazel eyes that contain green flecks. He had full eyebrows and his black hair was kept short and well trimmed, as if he knew that he would need to wear a protective helmet. His armor was not decorative, and covered all the way up to his neck, all metal and well polished. He marched with his vanguard, a small group of ten or so men towards the Union territory which would be his safe haven. Justinious was a good enough king to respect Venarus wish to leave, only to give him a small head start to escape. Now Venarus could imagine the horsemen riding hard towards the direction that they had left the kingdom, they didnt have much time to become safe. He had communicated with the High King beforehand, with this fresh bloody mark on his face he was not the man that the King had seen, and he hoped that he could explain himself. Nor did Ven wear any sort of indication that he was a Lord, if anything he and his vanguard looked like a group of mercenaries or well equipped bandits moving into Union territory. They cross the border quickly, heading towards the Unions capital city, Grales gra-lace. The men that the humans had sent after the small group of traitors had yet to arrive, Venarus just hoped that they would come across friendly forces before that happened. My lord, your wound is bleeding again. His steward, Tontus reminds him while offering him a rag. Ven takes it and pressed it against the bleeding wound on his face. Thank you. Ven says quietly, continuing their march deeper into the heart of the Union. The men have been run ragged mlord, when shall we rest? The steward asks. When were dead, Tontus. The lord breathes. We have no time to waste, if Justinious and his men catch us we will die, and the Union will not even blink an eye. It was the unfortunate truth that Ven had yet to prove himself not only a worthy commander, but as a loyal subject to Troslg. Keep moving. He nods to one of his men, the march continues.