First Darkness

## The Rise of Llovar and the Uthuk Y'llan

After the capture of the Dread Prince, the Humans of Talindon enjoyed some years of peace. That peace ended when the Penacor Kings faced a far greater adversary. This was the terrible Uthuk Y’llan, whose origin is found among the nomadic Loth K’har. The Loth K'har may have been one of the oldest of Human civilizations, but they certainly became the most horrific.

### The Wandering Loth K'har and Their Methods of Divination

During good times, the Loth K’har roved the plains, searching for fresh grazing grounds for their animals and trading with the many settlements that ringed the wastes. In leaner times, they would turn into vicious raiders, falling on those same settlements for loot. Their shamans learned of a realm known as T’mara T’rusheen, and from it, they gleaned prophetic advice. The most skillful among these shamans formed a caste known as the nightseers. They were said to have been close to members of a distant Elven tribe who were so impressed by their talents that they called them the Loth Caara, Elven for “dream walkers.” From this term, the Loth K’har derive their name.

### The Evil That Slept in the Sands

By the best reckoning, Llovar Rutonu Lokander was born in the year 412. The people of his parents’ tribe were noted among the Loth K’har for their ability to survive even in the far-eastern wastes, where little grows and deep volcanic vents usher poisonous fumes from the world’s depths. Llovar’s family was noted in the tribe for producing many renowned nightseers and chiefs, and Llovar’s elder brother, Llander, had shown quality as a raider and forager despite his tender years.

Much was expected of the young Llovar, but even so, he defied expectations. Scholars called to account for his prodigy suspect that one of the Daewyl rents between our mortal realm and the Ynfernael can be found within the eastern wastes, and that Llovar was sensitive to the influence of the Ynfernael from infancy. An interesting theory, if perhaps one forever to be unproven given the quite deadly reaction that region has towards visitors.

### Llovar Ascendant

Llovar quickly became recognized for his prodigious dreamwalking abilities, earning the title of nightseer by his eleventh birthday. He grew increasingly reckless, though, and during a lengthy sojourn in the T’mara T’rusheen, Llovar is said to have met with an aspect of the Ynfernael and to have fallen into irrevocable corruption.

Within the harsh but otherwise peaceful society of the Loth K’har, Llovar’s prowess and wayward genius was celebrated despite the clear signs of malign influence. The young seer was hailed by the chieftains of his tribe as a holy figure, brought to them in order to exalt their tribe above all others. Soon they made him their peer, then their leader. Those who opposed Llovar’s increasing power and influence were shunned or executed, though it is said that Llander remained a close confidant of Llovar despite having voiced misgivings about his brother’s rule.

### The Night of Summons

Llovar sprung his carefully laid scheme during the Night of Summons. Promising great rewards and using forbidden bindings, he led his tribe’s greatest warriors into the T’mara T’rusheen. They emerged physically transformed, shaped by Ynfernael influence. Their wiry muscles became supernaturally powerful, and their very bones became weapons that pushed through their skin to form great spikes and blades.

With these warriors at his side, Llovar began to form a confederation of tribes, conquering those who refused to form alliances willingly. Even the chiefs of the Scal and L'Jan tribes, which were many times larger than the Loth K’har, bent their knee to Llovar. Soon his campaign bloomed into full-scale civil war between the tribes of the plains. The Loth K’har and their allies took on a new title, the Uthuk Y’llan, which means “locust swarm” in the language of the plains people, as they conquered more and more of the Ru.

## The Rise of Timmorran

On the Night of Summons, Llander’s wife, Rala, gave birth to a son. Nightseers hailed the child, prophesying that he would grow into a man of great import. Fearful of his brother’s increasing depravity, Llander and his family fled from the wastes to start life anew before they too became fresh victims of Llovar's blood-soaked predations.

### Llander's Flight to Lorimor

The fugitives made for Lorimor, which was by now a burgeoning coastal empire with a reputation for cosmopolitan culture and schools of learning. Llovar regarded his brother’s abandonment as a dreadful betrayal, and he called for Ynfernael forces to curse the runaways. The effectiveness of such curses is not known, though Rala died of a lingering sickness on the road and Llander mysteriously vanished shortly before Timmorran, by now a boy of five, reached the gates of Lorimor far to the west.

### Timmorran Studies Magic

Timmorran struggled for a while as a friendless orphan, begging for copper coins on the streets of Lorimor. His talents for magic were untrained, but already apparent, and he turned to street sorcery in order to obtain money. (There are those who suggest he used tricks to swindle and rob, though Greyhaven suggests they cleave to the accepted history that he performed miracles for the entertainment of astonished crowds.) A conclave of local wizards learned of Timmorran’s talents, and they swiftly inducted him into their order and taught him to apply magic in a more methodical fashion.

### Assassins of the Q'aro Fenn

As Timmorran’s powers grew, a nightseer warned Llovar about the threat his nephew posed, prophesying that one day Timmorran would strike down the Lord of the Uthuk Y’llan. Llovar publicly scorned such pessimism and had the nightseer’s brains struck from his skull.

While his public attitude was arrogant and dismissive, he must have been secretly concerned, for he dispatched three killers, feared mage-assassins known as the servants of Q’aro Fenn, to find and slay Timmorran. (Q’aro Fenn is thought not to be a name so much as a title that translates roughly as “demon-bone witch” in the language of Terrinoth. It certainly does seem appropriate, as she was one of Llovar’s lieutenants and chief of his assassins according to some of Timmorran’s writings.)

### The Mercurial Sal Meringyr

In Lorimor, Timmorran had become apprenticed to a celebrated wizard named Sal Meringyr. The impulsive Sal exercised great power and heroism, but he had an overweening ambition to pursue the possibility of crystallizing arcane energy. After all, were not the Tears of Latariana supposedly crystallized Empyrean energy? While he must be taken to task for planting this dangerous idea in his young apprentice’s head, the fact is that without Sal Meringyr, the tale of Timmorran would have ended here. The assassins of the Q’aro Fenn finally tracked Timmorran down and assailed him, but Sal fought to save his apprentice, killing two of the assassins and sending the third into flight. The wizard paid dearly for his bravery and died of the wounds he received that day.

Timmorran fled across the seas to the far-off continent of Ghom and made a new life for himself in Al-Kalim, also known as the Sunderlands. He offered his services to the tribe of Ashan the Elder and grew to become an ever more potent magician and adventurer, as well as a friend to one Waiqar Sumarion.

## The Darkness Begins

According to ancient records, Llovar had finished his consolidation of the tribes of the northern plains by the year 478. The armies of the Uthuk Y’llan brought about the time of the First Darkness as they marched to despoil the southern lands.

### Llovar Swarms into the West

The Uthuk Y’llan already comprised a fearsome host of warriors, fueled by Ynfernael energies and filled with a desire to pillage foreign lands and destroy any resistance. Yet, while these warriors were terrible, Llovar could not have brought war to Talindon without the help of allies who swore themselves to his cause. The Orcs of the Broken Plains were the first to pledge allegiance to the Locust Lord, their bellicose Chief Lukosh seeking any opportunity for violence. Later, they were joined by Warlord Hellspanth and his band of dragons from the far north. These forces combined into a great army, though the Uthuk Y’llan always formed the vanguard, and Llovar reserved final say on matters of strategy. He led the Uthuk atop his beloved steed Dire, a carnivorous beast he had personally summoned from the Ynfernael.

War came to Penacor lands, and the armies of Llovar scattered the uncoordinated forces they met across the region. Throughout 478, they burned the eastern groves of the Aymhelin and plundered Talindon. King Falladir Penacor mustered his soldiers to face the foe, but they were comprehensively bested in open battle. A chief of the Uthuk named Nashaia struck King Falladir from his steed and was poised to dispatch him, but a desperate counterattack by Prince Parren forced the foe back long enough to rescue the king and carry him from the field. While King Falladir nursed his wounds, the tattered remnants of his army became merely a fugitive band of vagabonds, able to do little more than harass wayward and straggling units from Llovar’s horde.

The following year, Llovar ordered his Orc allies to continue raiding throughout Talindon while he marched his Uthuk north through narrow defiles in the Dunwarr Mountains to the gates of the great fortress of Thelgrim. Llovar considered the Dwarven capital a particular prize, for it commanded a position from which an army could strike at strategically important locations throughout surrounding lands and opened up the entire northern border of Talindon. Thelgrim also straddled important supply routes through the mountains. As powerful as Llovar’s forces were, however, they did not have the equipment to storm Thelgrim; instead, they encircled the fortress, planning to starve the defenders into surrender.

### An Alliance Formed

Falladir Penacor worked tirelessly to restore law and order to his realm following the destruction wrought by the Uthuk, but he knew he was on borrowed time. If Llovar were to break Thelgrim, he would no doubt return to ravage Penacor lands. Falladir mustered a new army with which to confront the Locust Swarm, but those volunteers who answered the call were few in number, barely trained, and ill equipped.

The situation grew increasingly grim, and even as he struggled to muster an army, King Falladir was forced to hang a number of blackguards for their talk of surrender. Then, from the Aymhelin marched a force of Latari Elves led by King Triamlavar. They pledged to fight alongside the Penacor forces, and so began a great tradition of alliance between Humans and Elves against Ynfernael threats. An elite force was hastily assembled, combining the best of the fast and hard-hitting troops that they could muster. They force-marched through mountain passes and fell upon the rear of Llovar’s forces in a devastating surprise attack.

The Humans and Elves threw the Uthuk into disarray and forced Llovar to retreat and regroup. Falladir and Triamlavar were able to relieve the Dwarven fortress and entreated the Dwarves to join the war, but the Dunwarr Deeplords were unwilling to commit to military action. While they did promise the use of Thelgrim to the new alliance, they stubbornly refused to allow their own troops to be risked in battle, claiming they would fight only in self-defense. A Dwarven Deeplord named Halgir Son of Grom argued that the Dwarves should accept their share of responsibilities on the battlefield, but the other Deeplords ignored his pleas.

In the meantime, Uthuk raiders preyed upon Penacor freeholds, and an old enemy reemerged. From the sullen Misty Hills to the northeast marched a column of skeletal warriors with Farrenghast riding at their head. Some, especially those far from Nerekhall, had forgotten his evil, but he was a deathless curse on the land. The vile wight had no hesitation, of course, in pledging his assistance to the Ynfernael cause.

### The Heroes of Old and their Great Deeds

In the year 481, Timmorran persuaded his friend Ashan the Elder to send forces to the defense of Talindon, reasoning that if Llovar could not be stopped there, he would bring war to Ghom in time. They arranged for an army of Sundermen to be assembled and struck a deal with the fleet of Lorimor to sail them from Ghom to Lorimor and then up the Flametail River to join Falladir’s forces. The plan took a full year to come to fruition, and in 482, Timmorran reinforced the alliance. His army began to mop up bands of raiders that were harrowing the farmlands of southeastern Talindon.

In 483, Timmorran’s campaign began in earnest. With the consent of Falladir and Triamlavar, he ordered the allied army to split into two contingents, one commanded by himself and the other by the famed Sunderland general Waiqar Sumarion.

Timmorran sent Waiqar to relieve Thelgrim, which was once again besieged, and the task proved simple enough for the Sunderman (who was a proficient wizard as well as skilled military leader). By autumn, he had even grown bored with his duty and devised his own campaign against the forces of Farrenghast. This campaign proved a great success, and Waiqar’s forces banished the undead horde.

In the meantime, Timmorran’s enchanted army, now joined by Falladir and Triamlavar, sought out the Uthuk and their allies. At the Battle of the Burning Hills, they baited an army of Orcs into attacking their strong, elevated position, leading to a conclusive victory in which Timmorran struck down Chief Lukosh with his magic. Timmorran considered Orcs violent brutes, but he sensed that they had little love for the Ynfernael. He reckoned that the only reason Llovar could rely on his Orc allies was because of Lukosh’s bloodthirsty brand of personal loyalty. Sure enough, the Orcs soon began to desert the Ynfernael cause and by 486 Llovar would no longer be able to call upon a single Orcish regiment.

Waiqar was keen to press the advantage, though Timmorran was more circumspect, advising that the allies consolidate their victories and concentrate on defeating Uthuk forces in southern Talindon. Regrettably, Waiqar would not heed this advice. He gathered a warhost and led them into the wastes of the Charg’r, directly to where Llovar was said to have raised a great Black Citadel from which he was directing his campaign.

Throughout 485, Timmorran continued to oversee the reconquest of Penacor lands, and his armies scattered the Uthuk before them. Timmorran found it hard to celebrate, however, for there was no news of what had become of Waiqar and his army. To all appearances, they had simply vanished into the Charg’r Wastes.

### The Host of Thorns

In the distant Ru Darklands, Llovar gathered his reserves. With the undead of Farrenghast eliminated and the Orcs of Lukosh routed to the Broken Plains, though, he could now only rely upon the dragons of Warlord Hellspanth as powerful allies. Still, the army of Llovar was so great that it was said to blacken the face of the world, and it was despairingly called the Host of Thorns. Llovar had split the forces into several contingents, each led by a trusted lieutenant. The names of these captains soon became bywords for wickedness and treachery: the dreaded bone-witch Q’aro Fenn; Melinesh the Cruel and Terrible; Nashaia King’s Bane; and Kul the Serpent, otherwise known as the Viper, the greatest archer of the Uthuk. Even today, these names draw shudders when historians in Greyhaven discuss the events.

In 487, the Host of Thorns invaded Talindon, sweeping all before them. On the Ashen Field, the Host fell upon an army led by King Falladir and his sons. They fought valiantly. A blow from King Falladir’s sword nearly cleaved the head from Melinesh, while Prince Parren drove a lance through the heart of Nashaia. But Llovar had numbers, magic, and malice on his side, and by the end of the day, the three Penacors lay dead upon the field together with the soldiers who had pledged to follow their banner. A small group of ragged survivors, led by the noble young Baron Daqan, escaped the slaughter. Only the fury of a great tempest prevented Llovar from running the shattered survivors down. They could only ride off through the pelting rain to warn Timmorran of Llovar’s renewed force.

### The Locust is Ended

Timmorran ordered his troops to regroup in the foothills of the Razor Crags. He chose a strategic location for a desperate stand, the flanks of his force protected on one side by the deep waters of Lake Clearstar and on the other by the sheer slopes of Mount Goltok.

While he waited for Llovar’s Host of Thorns, Timmorran was astonished to hear reports of an army approaching from the rear. He and his troops were relieved to find that it was a force of Dwarves from Thelgrim. Halgir Son of Grom had finally talked the Dunwarr Deeplords into committing Dwarven troops to the war. This is well remembered in Dwarven history.

Llovar’s troops arrived at dawn and threw themselves forward in waves, with frenzied Uthuk line-breakers and demonic beasts spearheading each blood-filled attack. The Battle of the Locusts had begun. The air was thick with arrows and bolts of magical power, and the Uthuk fell in droves, but still they came on. Kul led the third wave, concentrating on giving covering fire to his vanguard as they broke through to Timmorran’s position.

Scything bone blades slashed at Timmorran, but King Triamlavar leapt before the charging Uthuk. While Triamlavar was distracted, Kul punched an envenomed arrow through the Elf king’s belly. Enraged, Halgir Son of Grom challenged Kul to face his axe. For his bravery, the Deeplord’s brains were pierced with a bodkin. Ashan the Elder then stepped up. Kul sent a barrage of shafts that perforated the Sunderman’s lungs. These three sacrifices were not in vain, though, for Kul’s efforts had exhausted him, and Timmorran survived the onslaught.

On learning that Kul’s assault had been repulsed, Llovar called for Dire, his demonic steed whose harness was bedecked with the heads of freshly-fallen lords. The Locust Master called for Q’aro Fenn to join him with his remaining elite warriors. He acted quickly, trying to take advantage of the disorder around Timmorran’s position caused by Kul’s assault.

What Llovar had not anticipated was that Timmorran had been conserving his own magical energies for this very occasion. The two armies clashed once more, and the mountains themselves quailed as Timmorran and Llovar unleashed sorcerous energies of incredible potency. Llovar summoned forth Ynfernael monstrosities only for Timmorran to boil them away with blazing arcane light. Llovar’s blade swung, ensorcelled with green flames and dripping black venom, but Timmorran shrouded himself within a shield of pure force and withstood its blows. Then, Timmorran stretched forth his hand, and a lance of the wizard’s power pierced his uncle’s rotten heart.

So Llovar fell. Dire fell alongside him, the terrible beast’s body dissolving as its energies returned to the Ynfernael. Then, rank by rank, the forces of the Host of Thorns turned and fled from the Broken Crags. The Battle of the Locusts was over; the First Darkness had passed.

In the ensuing chaos, Timmorran and Baron Daqan sought to control their forces, but fueled by desire for loot and revenge, their soldiers lost all discipline. They ran down the fleeing Uthuk and plundered their baggage train. By the time order was restored, the body of the Locust Lord was lost, and the fate of his lieutenants was unknown.

Some say that Q’aro Fenn rescued Llovar’s corpse from the crags and took it to a secret place far beyond the Ru. If such a thing occurred, the resting place of the Locust Master must be a venerated monument to all who seek to curry the favor of Ynfernael forces. It is also said, though, that one may find Llovar’s tomb if one can locate and follow the trail of Q’aro Fenn’s bitter tears. The ultimate fates of Kul, Q’aro Fenn, and the Warlord Hellspanth are not known; it is a source of great regret that the allied soldiers did not keep better discipline, such that those villains would have faced final justice that day.