The Paragon Blade

*"We never knew what to think of him. On the one hand, his blade has brough the death of dozens, if not hundreds of our soldiers. On the other, he always allowed us to tend the wounded, trade some of their prisoners for some of ours. He was war, in all its horror and its glory"*

-Captain Ilariin, verteran of Fal'Kaboss-

"*Honourable yes, but not stupid*"

-General Telaviin-

## Physical description

### Height

Nearly seven feet tall

Terranal Mezedak, more commonly known as the **Paragon Blade,**was a Karthemas knight who fought for the Kingdom of Yadra during the invasion of Fal'Kaboss , earning a reputation not only as a fearsome opponent, but also a chivalrious one.

Born in the world of Yadrani, Terranal was the youngest of several sons of a low-ranking family of Karthemas nobles. While several of his brothers and sisters chose to leave the Kingdom of Yadra and seek safety in the Commonwealth  worlds, Terranal remained with his father and mother as they settled in Fal'Kaboss.

Little more is known about Terranal before the Commonwealth's invasion. As the son of a noble family, he served as the "squire" of a Karthemas knight. Some tales and rumors say that that knight was a member of the royal guard of the king's household, as a way to explain the skill with the blade Terranal showed during the invasion.

While poor in terms of wealth, lands and servants, the Mezedak family were the proud owners of an intricate and advanced set of armor and a long, two-handed blade made with steel of Yadrani's minds and with a miniature energy-field generator on the pommel. The two-handed broadsword, named "Ancalagon's Bane", would be the bane of many during the battles on the planet's surface.

A traditionalist who followed every rule of Yadrani chivalry, Terranal was quick to answer the call ofthe Scarlet Empress as she, alongside the Yaanari league and Zracon Union , declared war on the Commonwealth and its allies. Taking what few levies his household could rise, he marched to the capital of Fal'Kaboss and waited, alongside many other Banners for the chance to board a transport and retake the Kingdom's lost worlds. Instead, after weeks and then months of waiting, couriers came announcing that the warriors would need to travel to some designated positions and prepare the planet's defences. To the kingdom's shock, Task Force Manticore had bested all their foes and were now escorting an invasion army to the capital of the Yadrani kingdom. Terranal would have the battle he and so other younger nights had craved, just not where they expected it.

## Into the battle

Serving in the Banner of one of the empresse's most trusted courtiers, Count Rezinhad, Terranal waited, alongside many other thousands of warriors, in the hidden bunkers in the mountains of Fal'Kaboss as the Commonwealth's fleet began to unleash fire on their strongest positions. During that time, to keep morale high, the Count organized several tournaments where his knights trained and tried to out-match each-other.

Clad in his armor of the color of spent-gold and wearing his grim, dragon-like helmet, Terranal bested all the foes who stood in his way, including the personal champion of the Count himself. Impressed by this, Rezinhad gave Terranal the command of a small squadron of young, Karthemas knights. They would support the Count's main force and deal with any enemy soldiers who dare to try and surround them.

### Out of the Bunkers

During the first days of the battle of Fal'Kaboss, Terranal began to show his worth in the eyes of his men and superiors by taking out several heavy gun emplacements pinning down the Count's main forces. Knowing the terrain like the palm of his claw, Terranal sent scouts beforehand to seek those paths who would keep him and the other knights hidden from the Commonwealth's powerful weapons. Just as they came out of cover, letting out a mighty roar which was amplified by the speakers of his helmet, Terranal and his squad fell on the gunners, slaughtering dozens in a matter of seconds. The rest of the invader company, busy with fighting the Count's banner and pushing it back, turned as they heard the roars and screams, eyes wide at the pile of bodies which now adorned the heavy gun positions.

Instead of fleeing and giving his foe a chance to recover his wits, Terranal ordered another charge, the speed and audacity of it taking the Commonwealth forces so much by surprise, they could only fire two volleys before Terranal and his knights were upon them, slicing through armor, cloth, flesh and bone with each blow of their glowing, power blades. Yet, even suffering heavy losses, the Commonwealth troops managed to hold and even strike back, cutting down several knights under a rain of bayonet stabs. Surrounded by dozens of foes and with shot marks adorning the plates of his armor, Terranal kept fighting, his blade the only thing Count Rezinhand and his Karthemas could see as it rose and fell, severing heads and limbs with each sweep. By the end they managed to reach Terranal and push the Commonwealth soldiers back, only six out of Terranal's former twenty companions were still alive. Terranal himself stood over a large pile of corpses, panting and red from head to toe.

Impressed by his skill and fortitude, the Count named Terranal "Paragon Blade", a name which would soon be known across the whole warzone.

### Battle near Falan'Daross

*"Please, tell me again how one Karthemas with a sword managed to stop your whole column"*

*-*Colonel Draness, during the hearing of Captain Carla-

Using subterranean trenches and hidden paths to stay away from Manticore's guns and bombers, Terranal, now in command of a mixed force of knights and levies, was sent to reinforce one of the planet's famous waterfall cities. Known as Falan'Daross, it was famous for its white towers and the sculptures which decorated its bridges. Three of these bridges still stood, making them an important asset the Commonwealth's forces would be more than eager to take. It would be Terranal's task to hold the bridges until reinforcements came, or they found a way to blow them up.

Leaving his troops to guard the bridge closest to the city, Terranal, alongside one of his squires, went to explore those bridges farthest away from Falan'Daross. While reports assured him about the distance between the cosest Commonwealth forces and the bridges, Terrenal still wanted to be certain that they had still not been claimed.With no enemies to be seen near the secondone, the knight moved to the last one, the smallest and oldest of the trio. Seeing no foes at first, Terrenal was ready to turn around and leave but paused as his squire pointed at the clouds of smoke coming from the horizon. Just a few seconds later they saw them, a column of Commonwealth troops, nearly one-hundred men strong, with six combat mechs at the head. Carried by light vehicles, they were making good time and it was obvious they would reach the bridge far sooner than any reinforcements Terranal could call.

Unwilling to give up the positions he had sworn to protect, Terrenal told his squire to run back to the city and tell his second in command of what he had seen to prepare a counter attack. In the meantime, Terrenal readied his armor and waited hidden between some of the few trees on his side of the bridge while the Commonwealth troopers came closer and reached the bridge.

This column, made out of human and Kithri clones, was commanded by a young officer by the name of Carla Danoviz. Eager to take the position as Terrenal was about defending it, she took what troops she could and were not engaged with Yadrani banners to rush the bridge. Such was the speed of this advance, Carla did not even send scouts ahead, leaving her as stunned as the rest of her group when, wielding "Ancalagon's Bane", the Paragon Blade charged at them just as the head of the column reached the middle of the bridge.

Only thanks to survivor reports and pics taken by mech units during the battle separate this battle from a tall tale. Moving quickly thanks to the small thrusters in his armour, Terrenal managed to reach the first mech before Carla could even give the order to fire. One swift thrust through the walker's cabin ended the life of the pilot. Not waiting for the mech to drop, Terrenal jumped once again, this time towards the surprised soldiers who began to fire at him. Once he got between them however, that fire became friendly, forcing the terrified soldiers to face the giant, armor-clad drake with only their bayonets. Trained since birth to wield his sword, Terrenal slew an enemy with each blow, always moving, never stopping once as his enemies tried to surround him and bring him down.

Had the mechs of Carla's column been prepared for close combat operations, maybe the legend of the Paragon Blade would have ended there, with Terrenal ending up as a puddle of blood and broken steel under a mech's, iron fist. Instead, the mechs of the vanguard force were equiped with long-range weapons, perfect for defence operations and taking heavy armor, but useless in close combat. Worse still, the size and height of the mechs actually helped Terrenal out during the battle, as his thrusters helped him climb over mechs and use them as cover or high positions from which to prevent a deadly encirclement.

By the time the Yadrani force arrived from the second bridge and surrounded Carla's vanguard force, nearly thirty clone troopers were dead, with four mechs making a makeshift barrier over the bridge, each one showing a similar cut in the armor over the cabin. Rather than kill the surrounded troopers however, the Paragon Blade took them as prisoners of war, to be taken and cared for in one of the hospitals of Falan'Daross. Being a traditionalist and firm believer in the system of castes, Terrenal could not blade the soldiers the same way he could not blame a serf for following the orders of his king.

Carla and his survivors would, later that day, be returned to advancing Commonwealth forces in exchange of some Karthemas prisoners. As they reached friendly lines, they spoke of what had happened and so the legend of the Paragon Blade also grew strong amongst the ranks of the invaders.

### Raid on the fields

Following his victory, Count Rezinhand, at the hend of a strong Banner of reinforcements, oredered a counter-attack to stop the Commonwealth forces from even reaching the river. Already, Task Force Manticore and Commonwealth bomber pilots were unleashing their cargo on Yadrani positions, taking out many warriors before they could lift a blade or fire a shot of defiance.

   Knowing that there was little cover to be used before the attack, Terrenal proposed using the crop fields to the South as a path to attack the enemy forces from the side. At the head of his Banner, the Paragon Blade recieved the Count's blessing and began the journey across the sea of golden crops. Taller than two, full grown humans one on top of the other, the Karthemas did not need to crouch to move undetected.

Then again, neither did the foes they had right in front of them.

Like two blind men going for the same door, Yadrani and Commonwealth groups found each-other amongst the crops. Chaos ensued as whole regiments were surprised and forced to fall back or divide into smaller squadrons while enemies appeared from all directions. More or less knowing of his troops dispositions, Terrenal ordered his Karthemas to use the sun as a guide and use only close combat weapons to avoid friendly fire.

The battle lasted nearly 3 hours, with none of the two side knowing of their casualties. Driven by Terrenal, the Yadrani managed to push the Commonwealth out of the fields and hutn some stragglers down before they recieved reports of the Count's defeat. Knowing that he could not hope to best the Karthemas in close combat in the fields and unwilling to send artillery volleys blindly to positions his troops might be in, General Telaviin told his troops there to slowly pull back as best as they could while he directed his own forces in a swift offensive against the Count's unprepared forces. Count Rezinhand, alongside nearly twenty thousand Karthemas knights and levies now littered the battlefield, with Telaviin and his victorious troops already turning to face Terrenal's forces.

Forming his forces into a wedge, the Paragon Blade managed to break through Telaviin's soldiers and go back to Falan'Daross, but only with half the soldiers he had had less than four hours ago. Still, for the remainder of the day, Terrenal and his Karthemas refused to give up the bridges, the Paragon Blade personally pushing back many attacks. During these, he recieved many wounds, the worst being a shot through the neck which nearly ended his life. Still, he managed to push back the attack and was brough to the hospitals where he was patched up just enough so he could recover enough to keep fighting.

While brutal, combat in the three bridges was not nearly as brutal and heartless as it was in other zones of Fal'Kaboss. After every assault, soldiers from both sides were allowed to recover their wounded and dead, exchange prisoners and even sometimes trade foods and some drugs (the latter always away from the gazes of their superiors). General Telaviin met Terrenal a few times during these brief encounters. The Paragon Blade was impressed by Telaviin's skill and how he always seemed to have a new tactic under his sleeve. The Kithri general, on the other hand, was surprised about his foe's style of leadership, blade in hand and at the front like the heroes of legend. Several times Telaviin asked the Paragon Blade to surrender, offering very good terms to both the knight and his dwindling Banner. Each time however, Terrenal thanked Telaviin for his generosity but refused. As long as the Empress commanded him to fight, he would continue to fight.

True to his word, when High Command told all Karthemas forces to retreat to secondary positions several miles back from the main rivers, Terrenal obeyed and, under the cover of the night, retreated with his forces. Knowing that taking prisoners would be to risky and slow, he left them in the hospital, drunk and completely asleep so they could not alert Telaviin of his retreat.

## The war grows even bloodier

Growing in renown, the Paragon Blade was given command of a full Banner once he reached secondary positions across the planet's mountain ranges. This Banner however was made of remains of several others, the soldiers and knights fighting in it all feeling like strangers, with some still shell-shocked and unwilling to fight after the rest of his brothers and arms died at the hands of the Commonwealth forces and their superior firepower.

The Paragon Blade changed that. Through training and following the example of the seemingly-immortal knight, Terrenal's banner soon became a model of discipline, high morale and battlefield effectiveness. Fighting across the mountains, they followed their commander's instruction to the letter. Many of the knights in this banner eagerly followed the example of the Paragon Blade, all wanting to become part of his growing legend.

During the defence of one of the mountain villages which could be found amongst the mountains, it is said Terrenal met and fell in love with a lowborn Karthemas girl. That the Paragon Blade, a knight known for always followng the strict rules of Yadrani society, would choose someone below his station as a mate makes this a story many still question. In love or not however, he carried on with the defence even under heavy artillery fire, his blade taking the lives of many, including four captains during the Commonwealth assaults. By the time Karthemas reinforcements pushed the invaders back, the mountain was almost gone, with most of it turned into rubble.

Several times, General Telaviin took personal command of Commonwealth forces assaulting those positions defended by the Paragon Blade. Several times, Terrenal nearly managed to reach the Kithri  general, while others it was Telaviin who had to fight his way out of an ambush or clever ruse prepared by the always-cunning Commonwealth commander.

   As it happened during the battle of the three bridges, Telaviin and the Paragon Blade were careful to always follow the rules of war. Cease fires were agreed to recover casualties, with the Karthemas knight and the invading commander using those times to talk and try to make the other give up the fight. The Paragon Blade even came to admit to Telaviin that he truly respected him as a warrior and did not wish to cut hum down. Again, Telaviin tried to convince Terrenal to surrender. Even if he did not want to become a citizen of the Commonwealth, he could be just taken as a prisoner and kept that way until the Kingdom of Yadra signed a peace deal. Even then, the knight refused.

### Duel with the dark knight

One of the clashes in the mountains saw Terrenal and his bodyguard being ambushed by a special ops team of Commonwealth forces. Wounded in several spots and with his knights falling left and right, the Paragon Blade still refused to surrender and managed to cut down nearly all of the enemies around him. To his surprise however, as he beheaded the last human to stand on his way, a Karthemas clad in a dark suit of dark armor appeared, a long spear held in one of his hands. Alone and tired, Terrenal began to lower his own blade, only to rise it again as the knight came at him, ready to slay him.

The fight lasted nearly an hour, each knight giving his all as they slowly advanced and retreated through the irregular, dark paths in the mountains. While his foe scored several wounds, Terrenal was still the better knight that night, his blade sinking into his foe's stomach after parrying a desperate blow to the head. His foe staggered down, trembling as his life's blood ozzed from his wound. Confused as to why a Karthemas knight would attack him, Terrenal crouched next to him and took of the helmet covering his face.

Several hours later, a patrol of Commonwealth soldiers was surprised by the Paragon Blade as they returned to base after an uneventful night. Terrified out of their wits, they did not react at first as, instead of attacking them, Terrenal calmly advanced to their position, carrying a wounded, armored Karthemas on his arms. Invoking the rules of chivalrious conduct, he asked the soldiers to help him carry the wounded warrior to their hospital, as she was one of their own. Confused, but knowing that, if he had wanted to kill them, they would already be dead, the soldiers agreed and took Terragan there after taking off his weapons.

Much was the surprise in the Commonwealth camp as they saw their most feared foe stride between their tents, unarmed and carrying a wounded member of his kind on his huge arms. He would remain there, silent and unwilling to speak to anyone until he could be certain about the chances of survival of the dark knight. Only years after the war was it discovered that this mysterious knight was, in fact, one of the Terrenal's sister, the one's who had fled to the Commonwealth all those years ago.

Disgusted with himself for nearly killing a member of his own blood, even if she had been sent to slay him in turn, the knight remained still and quiet as a statue, ingoring any questiosn and demands made by the officers surrounding him. It was not until General Telaviin personally assured him that the dark knight would live that he agreed to answer the questions.

By that moment, the forces under the Paragon Blade were some of the last standing in Fal'Kaboss. The empress had left and, aside from those fighting in the mountains, all Yadrani Banners were now gone. Knowing that the general spoke the truth, and still disgusted about his actions, Terrenal agreed to surrender his forces if they were given the same treatement the Paragon Blade had given to captured Commonwealth men. He would not surrender his blade however, not yet. He vowed no more would die under his blade, but still refused to surrender alongside his Banners. He had become a monster so vile even his own blood were willing to risk their lives to see him destroyed. In Fal'Kaboss he had made his legend and it would be here too where it would end.

Despite the reservations of several members of his command staff, Telaviin allowed Terrenal to go. Next morning, tens of thousands of battered, dust-covered Karthemas left in good order the mountain bunkers which had been their homes for so long. None revealed where the Paragon Blade had gone to, nor they need to as, a few days after the banners surrendered, he was found in the ruins of the "New Palace" in Fal'Kaboss.

## A vow kept

Princess Linassa , last member of the royal family in Fal'Kaboss, still stood with a few hundred of the Karthemas royal guard when a single Yaanari ship without any mark or banner was sighted landing several miles away from the remains of the remains of her home. Yaanari agents, the same who had previously helped her sister to reach the throne now begged her to follow them and stop the mad Scarlet Empress from sending her whole people into oblvious. Untrusting as it was of the treacherous Yaanari, she still agreed to join them. Sadly, the Commonwealth's forces were making one final push to the palace. Their chances to reach the ship and get out were low to say the least.

Nevertheless, they sallied out, only to find out the Commonwealth advance had stopped. Standing on the ruins of the palace's throne room, clad from head-to-toe in his armor and resting the tip of his blade on the ground, the Paragon Blade faced the confused and worried attacking force. Intimidated by his legend, and the knight's suspicious lack of action, they did not dare to advance, giving Linassa and her allies time to flee to the Yaanari ship.

As this happened, a Kithri officer demanded the knight's surrender, yet no answer came. Four more times he called and after each one, the knight continued to stare forwards. The sound of the engines of the Yaanari ship finally broke the spell and nearly a thousand guns fired at once, all aimed at the same, still target. Some shots bounced away, but most went through, covering the knight's armor with a hundreds of tiny holes. Still, to everyone's surprise, the knight kept standing, even as blood oozed from each of his many wounds. By the time a soldier dared to get close enough to realize Terrenal was dead, Princess Linassa was already out of reach of Commonwealth anti-air positions.

And so the Paragon Blade kept his word to the invader general, while never once betraying the royal family he had sworn to protect.