Doom of Man

The **Doom of Man** is a seven-book story arc, made up of three smaller miniseries: the Gathering Storm, the Dark God, and the Second Cataclysm.

## The Gathering Storm

### **Book One: The Rising Darkness**

In the prologue, an emaciated, bearded man is chained by his hands and feet to the roof of a pitch black room. He's weeping and babbling in an unknown language at something standing before him. It steps into a shaft of light, and he shrieks as it grins with its two mouths at him as his flesh begins to disintegrate, bubbling from his skeleton and vanishing, his skull gaping wide in a frozen moment of horror.

Boreran Ojasu flees the destruction of Mak Zenirya, which has been ransacked by the Keth. As he wanders slowly south, he enters the Great Forest and encounters a few Keth before killing them and moving onwards.

Valdamir Ikeurium, a prince of the Empire, leads his men against the warrior Scalindians in the concluding battle of a war that's raged for sixty years straight. They eventually prevail and return to Calamir, back to Valdamir's grandfather, Vortigern, and his twin brother Nyorvanor. A great feast is held, and Lord Tybalt expresses his concern of the growing Kyonsi threat that could destroy the entirety of the Old World. Once the feast has ended, Nyorvanor and Valdamir talk about their grandfather's inability to rule, and how the Empire has grown weak under his hold. Their overweight alcoholic father, John Ikeurium, is next in line to the throne, and after him is his younger sibling, William.

Alutun Nolcastu is a warlock, living in seclusion in the wilderness. He's spent 20 years obsessing over the Scripture of Vaulguesh, an Eldar artefact said to foretell the return of the Dark God. He finally decides that the best way to find it would be to go with a group, so he heads to the small village a mile from his stone tower, aiming to recruit people. There, he meets Boreran for the first time, along with Ûran, Atasunsen, Relitos and a few others.

News reaches Valdamir of Kyonsi horseman massing on the northern borders of the City-States in their thousands. As he and his brother decide on what to do, soldiers rush in with news: Vortigern is dead at age 99, with John succeeding him. John's coronation is lavish, and he proves himself a reasonable leader. He makes the decision to send an army north to retake Mak Zenirya: however, Valdamir reminds him of the Kyonsi threat. John ignores him, sending the army with Nyorvanor leading it.

Alutun finally collects enough people to constitute enough for a trek. He promises them all wealth beyond that which they can imagine. But, secretly, he fears that the Scripture is already lost. Alutun says that they will set off in a month.

Sultenoma, a mysterious figure from parts unknown, comes to Kysilius, an old ally of the now-deceased Grey King. It's revealed that Sultenoma is practiced well in dark sorcery, and it was he who kept the Grey King alive. Kysilius and Sultenoma discuss John, the new King, and ways in which to manipulate him, or others around him.

As the weeks pass, Valdamir grows impatient as to his father's rule. However, he has no idea that John's attack on Mak Zenirya is actually part of a larger plan to destroy the growing Keth threat before it becomes an issue. John, meanwhile, hears news that Nyorvanor and the entirety of the army marching north has been obliterated by a Kyonsi attack, and that the warrior people have taken it as a reason to go to war, slowly uniting under another Tribe-King. John, knowing there are more immediate concerns at hand, orders that the watches on the fortresses be secured and heavily manned, as he broods about the threat of the Keth while sitting on his throne. Valdamir, short sighted and arrogant, sees this as a stupid move. He confronts his father in the throne room: John says there are too many things he doesn't understand. He also tells him that he's making William the heir to the throne, because Valdamir isn't ready. This only aggravates the situation, and Valdamir storms off. John observes him as he goes.

Valdamir, infuriated by what seems to him like his father's weakness and idiocy in the face of the Kyonsi threat, plots to murder him. His emotions are being in part manipulated and strengthened by the sorcerer Sultenoma. John, meanwhile, meets with William and discusses inheritance of the throne with him. He says how he's managed to keep the realm safe, but adds that once the Kyonsi are dealt with, they have to both destroy the Keth, which are by far the more pressing issue. Neither of them bring up anything about the Dark God: they seem to scared to. John rides back to Calamir. During the night, he wakes and strolls around the silent citadel, leaving his wife in his chambers. He goes into the throne room and sits on the throne, only to find Valdamir standing behind him with a knife. He begs his son to stop, but Valdamir slices his throat and flees. He looks for William, but can't find him.

Alutun and the group make their way south across the heaths until they reach Ventinya, the northernmost city-state. There they spend one night, and continue on the next morning, encountering a rouge collection of Keth who've wandered surprisingly far south. One of the twenty men dies. Among the group is Saraeh, a warrior woman originally from the southern City-States. As they sit around the campfire, they recount old stories and Atasunsen attempts to scare the men by saying there's a dragon hiding in Nyan Marmu. Alutun dismisses it as myth, explaining how all of their kind died after the First Cataclysm. He says that he's one of only a few hundred souls still possessing the Gift, and one of the very few who know of the Dark God. As he sleeps, Alutun has a nightmare of him standing on a corpse-piled battlefield, a swirling storm ahead of him, urging a faceless person to wield 'the Weapon'. The world around him swarms with millions of Keth, as he and the person beside him are engulfed by the raging winds.

A distraught but watchful William is coronated, and his first wish is to summon the Empire's power and create the first parts of the Salvation War. From all parts of the nation, soldiers march. Valdamir is more accepting of this move, but his anger is suddenly overtaken by a deep *longing* to be ruler. One of his closest friends and advisors, Sir Ulric of Gatteroth, is the only person save Nyorvanor that knows that John was killed. Ulric is an old friend of Sir Brom, a well-respected warrior from the Scalindian Wars. William is introduced to Hadrian the Monstrous, who becomes his new bodyguard.

Boreran continues to travel with Alutun. He seeks to escape his past, and the loss of his family (although his daughter has in fact survived). As the group make their way steadily south, they're attacked by a far larger swarm of Keth, numbering in the hundreds. They are forced to flee into the mountains, with many of their number dying. They take the mountain pass to ensure such attacks do not continue, and come to the abandoned mountain fortress of Nyan Telthusi. They are forced to go through.

Meeting at Aqualada, William is joined by almost every one of his generals, lords and thanes (including Valdamir) and is told by Sir Brom that the Empire has managed to muster 40,000 men overall, a huge, impressive force of heavily-armoured knights. William passes down control of the Empire temporarily to Kysilius, who stands with Sultenoma at his side as the great host prepares to march.

As they trek through the pitch-black passages of Nyan Telthusi, lit only by Alutun's sorcerous lamp, the group finds the ancient, skeletal bodies of Eldar lying by the walls, dead for centuries. As they wonder over this, they hear Keth screaming and hooting down the black passages ahead of them. The men ready their weapons and are swarmed by hundreds of the albino figures, many cut down instantly. Some plough forwards, but the rest are ultimately killed. Alutun blasts them away with Shields, incinerating them instantly. He leads the men behind him as they flee from the Keth, leading them towards an upcoming cast-iron door: the entrance to the fortresses' keep.

The army marches south, through the vale of Ayubis, moving as quick as possible, able to see distant Kyonsi horsemen massing on the horizon and cities burning in the distance. William is told by a number of scouts skirting the fringes of Kyonsi territory that the tribes are massing for a battle, presumably soon.

Back in the Empire, Kysilius and Sultenoma begin to expand their power base, gathering collections of followers. Mron-Klan, an advisor to the King and old friend of Valdamir's, starts to suspect foul play and goes to investigate, but is stopped by Sultenoma and presumably killed.

Alutun and the men barricade themselves in the cavernous room. The Keth smash at the barricades and knock down the door, but Alutun clears the way with another spell, allowing the others to follow. They run through the passages, defending their rearguard, eventually coming out of the entrance on the other side. They realise that they've lost Atasunsen and five others, reducing their numbers to less than 10. They are forced to move on despite the loss, descending from the mountains once more.

The Empire's army reaches Maktosa and William converses with its King, Dredfort Kathnax . Dredfort explains the situation, and that countless Kyonsi have been seen marching southwards to the cities. The combined armies, now 80,000 strong, move north of the major cities and prepare for battle on the plains ten miles from the nearest settlement. As he moves about the camp, Valdamir hears horns blowing. He looks to the distant ridges and spots Kyonsi horsemen in their thousands pouring into the valley. He grabs his sword and armour and runs to the battle.

### **Book Two: The Salvation War**

We return to the narrative as Alutun's diminished group makes its way across the wilderness, closing in on Nyan Marmu. They're down to 9 members, those few left demoralised, wounded and exhausted, but they're not far from their goal now. Alutun knows that all he's planned rests on whether the Scripture is in the mansion, or already stolen.

We come back to the first battle of the Salvation War. The field is in chaos, men dying or clashing everywhere, horses smashing the armoured ranks. Valdamir is alone, swinging his longsword (one of the three Swords of the Archangels), splashed in blood. He has no idea how many of his men remain alive, or if he's been abandoned. The horsemen seem to keep coming. Valdamir is knocked by a javelin from a horse and he falls down, but finds Sir Ulric defending over him, who's been hit by an arrow in the arm. Valdamir attempts to rise, and is picked up by Ulric, who guides him across the battlefield, both men climbing over piles of bodies. Many of those dead Valdamir recognises, and he finally realises the stakes of the conflict at hand. He can feel pain from what seems like a hundred different wounds. Then, from behind the two men comes a wave of backing horsemen from their own side, driving the already routing Kyonsi back across the bodies, hacking them down one by one.

Alutun leads the group into view of Nyan Marmu, which is revealed to be ruined. His hope diminishes, but he leads those few still following through the shattered front gate and into the ransacked halls beyond. Although it seems empty, he can sense that there are hundreds of Keth crawling deeper within. He advises that those behind be wary of attack.

In the aftermath of the slaughter, men gather the weapons from the dead, the carrion birds feasting on flesh. Valdamir meets with some generals in his tent and they discuss the outcome of the battle. It is revealed that William was seriously injured during the fight, delaying the advance of the army. Valdamir's younger cousin, Emma Ikeurium, is present. It's revealed that the Kyonsi attack was merely a distraction: an attempt to allow their far larger force to advance on the City-States. It is concluded that the combined army will march as soon as possible to prevent any further incursions into the Old World by the barbarian Kyonsi. Valdamir's wounds (which are only bruises and minor cuts) are treated.

As they progress deeper into the caverns, the men hear Keth hissing and screeching from all directions. Alutun leads them into a passage, where he illuminates the darkness ahead. Ûran calls out and the others look back to see hordes of Keth running at them. The men create a shield wall, with others standing behind to back them up, as the Keth hit. The wall holds for just seconds before it's knocked down, the men forced to slash and stab at the darkness and writhing figures ahead of them. Alutun knows that the Chamber, the place of the Scripture, lies not far ahead. But the Keth numbers begin to swell, engulfing the men one-by-one. Then, a Troll appears from the darkness, killing Relitos and three others, reducing the team to Alutun, Boreran, Ûran, Saraeh, and another man. Ûran beheads the Troll before sweeping wave after wave of Keth away. The person standing behind him is shot in the eye by an arrow, the head poking out of the other side of his skull. Ûran is stabbed in the chest by a Keth, but he throws it off, then speared through the gut by another. Blood bubbling from his mouth, he attacks again, but a Keth jumps on his shoulders and spears him through his back. He grabs the Keth and brings it falling down with him. Those three still alive flee down the final passage, realising that the Keth refuse to follow them for some reason. Alutun is repulsed by a horrible, and terrifying, smell: sulphur.

As it marches through Maktosa, the Salvation War adds more men to replenish its ranks. The Kyonsi are ahead of them, having ransacked towns, leaving the dead in the roads. Small garrisons are stationed at every settlement the host passes. Valdamir speaks with Emma, and admits that it was he who killed his grandfather. Emma supports him, saying that it was the right decision. But, manipulated by Sultenoma, Valdamir begins to feel a purely selfish longing to be King. Knowing that killing William would be too risky, he plans to accuse William of killing his brother, so that he could get the throne. Scouts rendezvous and say that the city of Veltitroth is the Kyonsi horde's next target. The army is forced to take the direct route, which means travelling through the boiling Plethota Desert, which reportedly hasn't seen rain in a generation.

Alutun's worst fears don't begin to compare to what lies beyond the threshold: a *Dragon*, a serpent of old, thought extinct for millennia. He can smell rot and decay. He orders the other two to stay behind as he creeps into the chamber. The ancient beast awakens, so Alutun can glimpse its colossal, unimaginable size. It calls itself Zulaxa, the first of all Dragons, cursed to live forever, its soul sustained as its body rots. Alutun attempts to bargain for the Scripture but it sees through him, raising its decaying head and preparing to battle. A titanic fight occurs as the dragon attacks with molten metal spewing from its mouth, destroying Alutun's hastily constructed shields. As the battle wears on, the dragon launches itself at Alutun and collapses the entire amphitheatre. As he rises, Alutun is hit by the lava again, this time going on the attack and pummelling the creature with blow after blow. It is forced to flee, breaking out and flying away in a smoking ruin.

Sultenoma sits in the Imperial Palace, chanting. Kysilius is standing back. Sultenoma is summoning a Kasijak, a demonic being, to kill William if neccessary. The spirit writhes and shrieks under Sultenoma's control, guided towards a black suit of armour and trapped within. Now totally under Sultenoma's power, it rises up and stands at six foot five, wielding a longsword made of energy. Sultenoma bids it to leave and creates a Door so that it can kill the King as he marches towards Veltitroth.

The host marches through the desert, men dying of heatstroke or exhaustion. Coming out on the other side, they are forced to continue their gruelling march. Two days later, the host comes into view of Veltitroth, able to see a mass of black figures on the horizon. They hastily man the picket defences around the city walls, then wait for the enemy to come as the sky grows dark and it begins to rain, turning the field into a mud pit. William has recovered from his wounds. Of the 80,000 or so men comprising the host, 40,000 are stationed beyond the outer defences, 20,000 below the walls, and 20,000 within the city itself. Estimates put the Kyonsi at around the same strength, but with the ability to charge through the armoured ranks. Valdamir is behind the picket defence, in a trench running the length of the city.

In the aftermath of the battle with the dragon, Alutun, Boreran and Sarah search the ruins for the Scripture. Alutun sweeps away the mounds of rusting gold and heaps of swords or shields, spotting a door in the wall. He blasts it down, walking through with Shields up, only to see the scroll itself in perfect condition. He advances unwarily, and suddenly feels a stabbing pain in his head. He collapses and visions attack his mind. He sees men fall around him, gutted and dying. He sees flame engulfing a battlefield, watches men's flesh melt from their bodies. Then he sees a figure walking on a tornado towards hims saying nothing, throwing the skies and land into madness. It stares at him with a pair of red eyes, reaching out with a shadowed hand. But he breaks out of the control, knowing it to be a defence mechanism of the Scripture. That had been the reason it had been left alone by the dragon, he thought. He crawled back up to his feet, then levitated the rolled script. It had been made so that it would stay in state for millennia, and so decade all time up to then. He begins to read, his eyes widening. He stumbles backwards, shocked beyond belief, and closes up the script, protecting it in shields.

The battle begins. The knights clash with the horsemen, blood and chaos suddenly engulfing all view, Valdamir watching from behind the barricades. The men at the front are struck down, those on the walls finally able to see the scale of the assault: around 100,000 Kyonsi horses are piling towards the defences at terrifying speed. Archers loose arrows into their own men, striking hundreds down simultaneously. In an attempt to stop the horses, men light oil pyres and set fire to the wooden barricades, lighting them up in a line of orange and yellow flames. The rain falls harder, many men drowned in the sinking mud or under piles of bodies. The flames that set the barricades alight start to go out as the rain intensifies, and the Kyonsi warriors dismount, running into the trenches or the pikemen on the other side. Valdamir draws his longsword and cuts down the first warrior he meets, but is swarmed by more. His weapon eventually shatters that of his enemies, and he alone stems the tide as the last people beyond the barricades perish or topple into the javelin barricades. As he does, however, he's hit in the side by a mace, thrown across the mud. Ulric saves him, however. Knowing the defences to be falling, they fight for longer, but eventually retreat. He and Ulric enter the gates just as they slam shut, trapping any remaining defenders outside and beginning the siege.

Sultenoma continues to control Valdamir. Kysilius proposes that Sultenoma himself go to kill William, instead of using puppets that inevitably fail. He returns that everything and anything he does cannot risk his death.

Sultenoma arrives in an unnamed forest, standing opposite a figure in a golden mask. This being is one of the Dark God's very first followers, a human damned into being immortal during the First Age. It explains that Valdamir himself will play a key role in the 'game' to come, and it says that Sultenoma must return him alive. Sultenoma vanishes again in search of him.

The Kyonsi surround the fortress city and prepare to starve their enemies. With the obliteration of most ground forces outside of the walls, the host is just over 20,000 strong. They have nowhere near enough food to last them a long siege, and already disputes are breaking out over distribution of supplies. The Maktosan/Imperial armies know they're outnumbered, and that a breakout attempt would be risky, if not a death wish. But William discusses the issue with his collected generals, lords, thanes and captains, weighing in the statistics for attacking, rather than defending. One proposes that a supporting army could draw the attention of the Kyonsi while the main force broke out from the city, but with no mode of communications with the outside, the host seems to have only two options: survive a long, gruelling siege, or break out while they still have the strength. Outside, more Kyonsi reserves arrive until their numbers swell to more than 5 times the size of the besieged.

Alutun, Boreran and Saraeh trek slowly south, aiming to eventually reach Calamir and tell the world of the threat that dwarfs the Kyonsi, who are like insects compared to it. As they walk through the forests for days on end, they spot a man sitting on a tree stump, head on the hilt of a bloody longsword, wearing a shattered suit of armour. Alutun immediately recognises it to be a prince of the Empire: Nyorvanor Ikeurium.

As situations rapidly degrade and relations turn sour in the city, Valdamir shows himself in the square and announces that William killed his brother in a desperate attempt to become King. William says that he can't possibly be telling the truth, but Valdamir claims that he saw him do it. His cousin, Emma, supports his decision. The Judges, with no way to properly decide whether he is truly guilty, decide to do a trial by combat: Hadrian the Monstrous against William's bodyguard: Sir Rowan Eastwood.

The duel begins quickly, with the Judges certain that the Kyonsi could attack at any time. Eastwood has the upper hand at first, being quicker than the enormous Hadrian, but Hadrian manages to eventually knock him off his feet and stab his opponent through the chest. William, terrified, is sentenced to death. Set before the Judges and a victorious Valdamir, William goes to his knees and sets his head on the chopping block. Valdamir grins as his head falls down onto the floor.