Aftermath of the Second Voidwar

Aftermath of the Second Voidwar is a part of Tales of Arkain.

## Synopsis

Gardon Bloodclaw ponders what happened at the aftermath of the Second Voidwar, up until a letter arrived.

## Story

Gardon sat in his chair, leaning back while studying the map lying on the desk in front of him. It had been ten months since the end of the Second Voidwar. There were still conflicts, smaller fights with remaining demon forces that had been left stranded on this side of the Void. Their days were numbered, however. Each day, reports of more slain Demons reached his throne. Thanok reported that Herdon, Tormin and Varan were doing an excellent job hunting them down. There was no place left for them to hide. Gardon's orders were clear: Hunt to kill. No survivors. No prisoners. Undead, Demon Slaves and their demonic masters alike. They were all doomed. The Undead.... Gardon clenched his fist. They had cost him a great chance. He could have destroyed all of Demonkind but they had to ruin it! If he ever got his hands on this damn ranger, he'd tear her apart with his bare hands and impale her with a thousand pikes. But they could not locate her - in fact, they could hardly locate ANY Undead. They had all disappeared. Gardon did not like it, but he had to face the facts: He would not be able to find them. A massive amount of Undead had just vanished and would probably come back at some point. And if it wasn't them, it'd be the Demons or the Dwarves. Or that weakling Dorten. Or... Salria. Gardon did not know if he could trust Amari's people - or Amari herself. Orcs were unpredictable, they could decide to go on a great raid at any point. Brian assured Gardon that they wouldn't cause him any harm, he would personally make sure of it. Also, after the meeting with Amari... Brian had made Gardon a very specific offer to turn the non-aggression pact with the Dominion into an alliance - a secret one of course but still an alliance. The terms had not been not to Gardon's liking so he had declined. It would certainly have its benefits, but... it would also further complicate an already complicated situation that Gardon found himself in. It was one of the few things he wouldn't tell even Vail about. Vail... it was... unexpected how... close they had become. They were very similar to each other. It was a... weird feeling. Gardon did not know how else to describe it.
Someone knocked on the door. Gardon looked up. "Come in." he ordered. The door opened and a person with a black beard, wearing a dark robe, entered. Birram. "What is it Birram?" Gardon asked. Birram bowed before his Ca'laer. This man had served Gardon for a long time faithfully. The forbidden knowledge that Birram had studied prior to joining Gardon had proven to be very useful - vital even. It was only thanks to Birram's knowledge that Gardon had been able to seek out the Black Dragons. Birram had been an important part of Gardon's operations - and he was to be rewarded accordingly for it. "My Ca'laer. I bring news from the west. Dorten's emissaries have returned from Rengar and they seemed to have good news for their king upon their return. Our agents have been able to find out that Rengar is also going to cancel all trade relations with us, just like Kerrel did. The Order of the Flame is also supporting this decision. Harmos acted exactly as we expected him to." Birram reported. Gardon looked back at the map. "Just as we thought then. Let them do what they want. We control Toran, Pyrru, Lor and Isalmur. While the latter two are in a bad shape, especially Isalmur, Toran and Pyrru are not. In fact, Pyrru is the one kingdom that is in the best shape after the war. We will use their resources to rebuild Isalmur and Lor. However, it means that we have another enemy in the west." Gardon pondered. Birram also looked at the map. "Enemies from the west, the east and the south... The good news is that we are too strong for them to take on directly. The war has weakened them all and many among them still remember who it was who ended the invasion of the Demons. They are unlikely to attack us anytime soon. Only the Tribal Dominion in the south is hard to predict. The two remaining Kingdoms could only pose a threat if they combined their forces with the Dwarves. And the Dwarves will not suddenly change their mind. They are too stubborn." Birram explained. Gardon rubbed his chin. "Zarin is too proud to back on his word now. Still, I would have prefered it if he had joined us..." he said. Silence filled the room for a while. Gardon finally asked. "How is Vail?" he wanted to know. "She is in good shape, mylord. She is tough but needs to rest. You... did not see her today yet, my Ca'laer?" Birram asked. Gardon just looked at him. Birram bowed again. "Forgive me, my liege. I know that you are a busy man. Still, I wish to remind you that-" "I know Birram. you may leave now." Gardon said. Birram bowed. "Of course, my Ca'laer. Just one last thing." he said and put something on the table. "This was found in front of your chambers on the floor. I did not open it." he said and left. Gardon looked at the table. It was a letter. The paper was completely black. Gardon opened the letter. As he did so and took its content, the letter began to glow. The writing appeared shortly afterwards. The letter turned white, the text was the only black that remained. This letter was written in a way that only Gardon could read it.

*My apprentice,*

*your success is without a doubt most impressive. I never had any doubt in your skills and still you managed to amaze me with your prowess. You truly are the true ruler of these lands. You have accomplished much. More than most great rulers of mankind have ever accomplished in a lifetime. And still, you are not satisfied. You won't stop until all of mankind is united and all your enemies lie dead before you. I cannot blame you, it is your very determination and your willingness to do whatever needs to be done that made you the man you are today. You are truly a champion of mankind, a champion, not a hero. You are what this world needs. Others may not see this, but you and I know the truth. You are the one who saved this continent. I do not dare take credit for what you did but you will excuse me for feeling proud, I am sure. I also know that your wife is pregnant, expecting your first child. Whether male or female, I am sure this child will be a worthy heir. There is also other things that I know, but... I do not think I should mention them in a letter. But send your allies in the Elven Court my regards the next time you visit them. But... I am afraid that I have to ask something of you. I have supported your cause for many years, already when I first started to train you long before you ever set foot on the shores of Arkain. I was your mentor for many years, taught you many of my secrets. I have assisted your forces in freeing you, summoned my shadows to serve your cause, supported you with both knowledge, advice and skill. I was always there for you, never asking for anything in return. I am afraid that I am now forced to ask you to do a favor for me. You know what it is that I want from you. We already talked about it and you declined. I respect your choice, but I still have to ask you to reconsider. Even when you are currently in the progress of building the most powerful nation of man on this continent, I predict it will become more powerful than even Old Zyainor, you will need reliable allies. Old Zyainor fell when it lost its allies. The Black Dragons are a huge part of Zyainor and you owe them much. But I want you to remember something: Their Queen is... unpredictable. An old and stubborn creature whose arrogance is responsible for the fall of Old Zyainor. The nobles of the Kingdoms may claim that their ancestors did most of the work, but they were little more than opportunists, traitors and thieves. Without the betrayal of the Black Dragons, who knows? Zyainor may never have fallen. You cannot count on the dragons, even if your most loyal subject is one of them. He would oppose any decision to leave you, but the rest of them? I suggested that you get rid of her. I could have even used her to increase the lifespan of you and your wife! What is an ancient, stubborn dragon queen in exchange for the gift of immortality? Her shadow could have served me better than she would ever serve you in life and her life essence could have been used to make her immortality empower you rather than her with the help of my own magic. Especially when her replacement, Thanok, already is your most loyal servant and would lead the dragons in your name even if he knew what had occured? His loyalty lies with you, not with her. You can still consider this option, however, it is not too late. Of course, there are alternatives... Dark paths await those who want to gain what others dare not to dream of. But this is not what I wanted to talk about with you. You know what I am suggesting to you once more. I will visit you in three days at midnight. You have until then to make your decision.*

As Gardon had assumed. Brian. He wanted to renew his offer. Gardon still did not like it, but... perhaps he should at least consider it. One less possible enemy could serve him well and the price would be relatively low in comparison... But... should he really consider such a thing? It was below him. He stood up. She should pay Vail a visit. He'd leave these thoughts for later. For now. As he left the room, the letter turned black again.