The Kingdom of Tairius

A grown dragon finds an abandoned child in the forest...

That's troubling....

It wasn't an uncommon practice for those who worshiped the demon Ashkos (Ash-cos); to leave their children as offerings to be used for his biding. They were molded and grew into something terrible. They grew as sorcerers and dark warriors able to wheeled perverse powers. They were abominable beings called Fi-enon or in translation "the children of Ashkos." Other dark acts such as sacrifice were practiced upon the innocent by the blinded and misguided servants of such an evil during early ancient age. They would discard those unable to endure the cruel experiments pressed on them. History, unfortunately, records these accounts and are canon In the book, "The Foundations." In the book, it tells much of the history of the planet Threa (Th-ray). As many of the temples that did these practices, they were burned and laid waste by the armies of Tairius (Tar- ree-us); the kingdom that still holds to serve only true Great king and creator, Noil (No-eel). Those who survived were rescued by my lord General Jarinain (Jar-ree-nay- in), a renown warrior. I, Lieutenant Emile, write to you as record, the account of one of his exploits. But first, you must understand the whole picture.

In the early ancient age; during the reign of Cabaum (Ca- bay- um) IV, king of Tairius, General Jairinain was ordered, to led, a fifteen year campaign to purge out; all the temples that practice the worship of Ashkos, any other demon, or false deity, and were hence forth sanctioned. Now, In the present day, these things are seen as far-fetched fables or lunacy by the deranged as commoners word say. It's been well over a thousand years... yes... I say a thousand years. I was not yet born in those days. My grandfather wasn't even born for that matter. Yet, my lord general appears the same as and glorious as statues commemorating him. Since then, there's hasn't been any account of dragons or any related creatures.

That was until recent...

The first reports of creatures appearing, was at the North outpost. But the report of dragons and any other four foot beast lost its validity and were dismissed as hoaxes. It is understandable if you never experience battling a demon and anything deemed mythological. Soldiers didn't even attempt to search it out. It was only until reports began to grow; people pressing and urging every outpost throughout Threa. Outpost from all over were bombarded with people panicking over the claims of what they saw. This provoked soldiers from every outpost to send scouts to investigate the matter.

Scouts scoured their assigned region of their outpost. At first, the soldiers thought nothing of it. The scouts were sent out merely to put the people at ease. It was only until scouts were not returning. Depending on the designated region, it takes about 4 to 7 days to cover the territory. It was over 10 days and no scouts from any of the outpost had reported back. The outpost's sent out a second wave. After that, a third wave when the second wave did not return. After the third wave did not return concerns grew into fear and began to permeate through the outposts. It was at that point, reports reached Tairius of the matter. The lord general decided immediately to set off with a thousand men, but in the capital, "The Council of Judges" thought it was excessive to bring so many men to deal with, what they deemed, "a small matter." They thought he was warmongering and looking to find conflict where there was none. The reports set off an alarm in him. Reminding him of past patterns... patterns that he had underestimated. He sought to end whatever threat before history repeated itself. He always told us,"Stay vigilant. Even if you have victory, your enemies is always lurking." In the past, his reputation proceeded him enough to have the kings of old grant him authority to do, by any means, seek out and bring down any possible threat to the kingdom. Yet, in the present, since the dissolving of the kings, we our governed by the Council of Judges. They allowed him to only deploy thirty men.

The worshipers of Ashkos may have a small remnant of those who survived the "War of the Ancients." In the early ancient age was a war of nations who sought the destruction of Tairius. Nations from every corner of Thrae battled among each other until they were tired of fighting each other and united against the kingdom. The nations surrounded Tairius. Yet, the kingdom was blessed enough survive the onslaught and was able to reestablish itself but at great cost. After the war, outposts were set up in every region to ensure another war of such magnitude never took place again. My lord general always saw the world as spiritual battle as much as a physical one. To him, the War of the Ancients was fought by men but provoked by principalities unseen. And even though we have thrived since, and made ways to safe guard such events from ever happening again, he feared prosperity and peace has long made us complacent.

It was Mid winter when we reach the Northern region. It's the worse time to head north. I would have preferred going to the Southern outpost where they have beaches. The north mountain winds can be brutal. Nevertheless, we made it. My lord general figured we should start at the place where the reports first arose. Also, The Foundations write of Ashkos lair... a prison also for him, resided in the mountains. The Foundations, tells the story of Ashkos, "the eagle" turn "dragon," an E-anon (or a god of the four corners). He was king over the other gods. He was punished along with his brothers and sisters for leading a rebellion against Noil the great king. He was chained to his throne and his domain was buried deep into the mountains. It was only until man's corruption broke the seal that held him and released him to reign havoc on the world. No one has ever seen him except one... my lord general.

There was still no word of the missing scouts when we arrived... no word from any outpost for that matter. It was until it came close to dusk when one of watchtower guards saw a young man pulling himself together through the snow. He approached the gate, clothes tattered, and scarred with heavy lacerations. Lupaian (Lou-pay-an) was his name. He was soldier who went out with the second wave. He also had burns on his body when our medic examined him. We allowed him to rest though he twitch and winced much of the time. Once Lupaian recovered a bit and was able to place food in his belly, he was able to explain what happened; "Me and twenty of my other companions struck out after the scouts did not return," He said. He continued, "We found nothing for days, It seemed the trail had gone cold. We searched a small village in the Sonoma forest. It was dead and shut in as we rode through. We sought to ask questions from the people but the towns were deserted. We pressed on two miles outside of the village until we reached the lake of Ammon. We rested our horses and made camp. There was eerie weight to the forest. A restlessness came upon all of us even the horses through the night. We all stayed awake and kept watch. We tried to stay incognito in the night and decided not to set a fire. During the witching hour we heard something moving in the forest. Me and the men went to see what it was, while two, Vico and Yurinan, stayed with the horses. With prudence, we moved. We saw a person cloaked carrying a basket and a child walking next to them. The cloaked person set the basket on the ground and left while the child stayed. Due to harsh night cold, our first thoughts were to rescue the child, until we saw... A large shadow covered us, a overwhelming wind rush through the forest. We looked up and saw it's marble scales and ruby red eyes... A dragon. As it landed, it's wings set off another propelling wind and a snarl. We ducked down- digging are heads into the dirt like ostriches. Such paralyzing fear came over us. The dragon landed a fifty yards from the child. It began to approach. The earth shaking steps began to soften. It was at that point the astonishing fear gripped even tighter... The dragon began to transform, forming itself into a man. But me and others knew it was no man... Without even speaking, we looked among each other and our spirit bore witness... It was him... The banished one... The prince of rebellion... The darkness incarnate... Ashkos. His skin was as smoked ash. His eyes still as ruby red as the dragon. His hair like fire; knotted and braided but carried on like a flame. He approached the child. The child gave him the basket. He looked at the child with a smirk and carried him in his arm. He transformed back into the dragon and flew into the air. We, with our legs lost with fear, attempted to get back to camp, when we notice the dragon did not fly away... it hovered over the forest and a deep barreling voice came from the sky commanding, "TAKE THEM!" Immediately, men in cloaks were among us. We fought them off enough to get back to Vico and Yurinan, but when we got there, they were all gone, along with the horses. We were surrounded... outnumber we were... and taken. We were tortured and experimented on constantly." "Where is the his lair?" My lord general asked him. "I don't know." Lupaian answered. "I blacked out when I was captured. I don't even know how I was able to escape." Lupaian winces as if something was stinging his brain. "Everything is like a fog and smoke, he continued. "I see flashes." "You saw nothing?" The general reiterated. He shook his head no. Captain Arillion and 1st commander Sanu went outside the room to consult with my lord general. As a mere 1st lieutenant I am usually not giving access to these thing but they granted me privilege. As they consulted, the captain and commander were skeptical, debating their reason and rationale. The thought of someone transforming into dragon goes beyond the imagination. My lord general stood quiet. He stood staring at the door. I could see him calculating his thoughts. Without warning he drew his sword and walked back in to the room. He went up to Lupaian's bed. "You will tell me how you escaped or I kill without hesitation." We were all baffled as my lord general stood over Lupaian with his sword at his throat. Lupaian, aghast, says nothing. "I will ask you again, whoever you are," my lord general commanded; "Tell me how you escaped or I sever your head, place it on a pike outside the outpost, so Ashkos or whatever abominable creatures can see. I know you are not Lupaian."

A sinister laugh came from Lupaian. His voice altered and skin changed into burnt scale-like appearance. "Who said I escaped immortal? We knew we had to draw you out some how." Lupaian jumps up onto the wall, and then the ceiling. He attack at my lord general. My lord general cuts him down by his throat. Lupaian's body disintegrated and went up into a large red ash of smoke. It filled the room so heavy with fumes that it pressed us out of the room. The smoke Permeated heavy into the sky and dissipated. "Seal the walls! Now!" My lord general commanded. "Have every man report to the gate prepared to defend the outpost." The enemy brought Lupaian in as a scout to confirm if my lord general would be at the outpost to set there ambush. Body possession is a practice Ashkos worshipers learned and even submitted themselves to. The essence of Lupaian was set out as pawn while whatever spirit laid dormant in him waited for the right moment. The red mist went up as signal to set us up. Lupaian was never in control. They controlled what they wanted him to see. It was the reason why he couldn't tell us where the Ashkos lair was or how he escaped... because he didn't.

We attempted with all speed to seal the walls and doors as best we could using the few materials we had. As we approached the walls we saw "Shadow-men" as we called them, appearing. They circled all the sides of the outpost. There appearance was as Lupaian describe Ashkos; with ash like exterior. There face were covered in black mask and cloaked. There numbers increased as they approached the wall. Tens became hundreds. Hundreds became thousands. On the regular, the outpost consisted of about 100 hundred men, which is still a small number for an regional outpost. Why the council only ordered so few men is beyond me. I hope its not the case at other outpost throughout Thrae. After the vanishing, it now, only consist of fifteen men. And with the thirty men we brought from Tairius, we only have forty five in all. We spread ourselves around the walls. The archers we had, we placed at the high parts of each section. My lord general gave command to the captain; Take charge of the men. My lord general turned the 1st commander and asked, "Do all the men have Azure steel in their arrows and their swords?" Yes, lord general." the 1st commander answered. "Good." said my lord general. Azure steel was said to be used in the war of the ancients. Steel used to kill natural and unnatural beings. He headed towards the wall as he drew his sword. "Steady yourself!" He shouts.

A haunting voice came from the other side of the wall. A shadow- man spoke, " Soldiers of the northern outpost! My master only desire the immortal! If you surrender him to us we will leave you in peace. Refuse... and we will slaughter everyone." This was outer world to all of us except my lord general. It was as if hell had came to earth. Our minds were trying catch up to all this. We were somewhat at ease by the fact we were handpick by my lord general. It was an honor, but, we had very little experience in a actual battle. Most of us dealt with only skirmishes in the streets of Tairius. We knew we were in the middle of something beyond us, but we were resolved. There was no way any us was going to give up my lord general, (We didn't have the stomach or the skill to do it anyway). The reality set in all of us. There was no cavalry coming. No reinforcements. We were alone; surrounded by thousand of supernatural creature ready to slaughter us all.

The one thing we had working for us was the terrain and the structure of the outpost. The outpost has two outer-walls; the first is eighty feet of stone with a fifty foot slope behind it. The next is a second fifty foot stone wall followed by another fifty foot slope. This made it easier for the archers. We also had some of the old catapults. Only two were still functional as we had to make quick repairs.

Edginess was creeping in us as we saw our overwhelming enemy, fearing this would be our last night. The enemy received our reply from my lord general... "Show yourself!" he demanded. The Shadow-men took off there mask... It revealed the men of the outpost who were taken, along with many of the people in the surrounding villages and towns. After he observed them he shouts down to them, "I will surrender!" Our men were taken back by it. I was perplexed as well. I went to approach him, but before I could speak he calmly addressed me; "Steady lieutenant, whatever happens to me, do not attack. Only attack if they advance on the outpost."

We open the gates. My lord general, stepped out and stood before the shadow-men. He approaches them; "I know what you're looking for..." My lord general says to them. He grips his sword and ready's himself. All of sudden he takes his sword and drives it through his own chest. We were all paralyzed with shock as we saw our lord general fall into the snow. We held our position and observed. The Shadow-men surround his body. One the shadow-men goes up with a sharp instrument and sticks in the back of my lord general. His body began to lose vitality. The rapidness of the drawing was disturbing as my lord general body went bare as a skeleton. When they finished, they left the body and crept back into night.

For fear of an ambush the captain order us to wait to open the gates and retrieve his body. We were eager to grab him but we tried to be patient. After an hour, as prudent as we could, were able to get to his body. It was me and the captain and another soldier who went. When we approached my lord general body, we noticed his body did not appear to be drained, but rejuvenated as if never touched. We each grabbed a side to carrying him back inside until a large gasp burst out of him. We all jumped back. He sat up to catch his breath. "Are you alright?" I asked. "Yes." he answered. "What happened?" the captain asked "They drain me of my blood... all of it. It was the reason for disappearances; they wanted to draw me out of Tairius. For centuries they're has always been a desire for an immortals blood. Ashkos has always desired it. He is powerful but he is limited. He not at full strength. If he was, he would have came himself. He has always tried to find ways to sustain himself; mainly taking the life source from man and in turn, enslaving those he absorbs. But it still takes some strength. "He like a vampire." the captain said. "Yes... sort of." My lord general concurred. "It's the only theory I have for him not appearing. He's been trying to manufacture his strength since he's been released. He believes my blood will give him the strength he needs to sustain him forever. And now, my theory of him being alive are true." "Can he do it with your blood?" I asked. And with a smirk he answered "No." "My immortality is sustained by the power Noil. I'm giving long life to serve his purpose. It's by his will. Until my purpose is complete, I live. It can't be manufactured or stolen by drawing my blood. I did it with the hope of drawing them off. I'm thankful it worked. We were going to be in for a long night if it didn't." "We must leave now." He commanded. "We must abandon the outpost.... Everyone in it must come with us. I'm sure when he figures out my blood will do nothing for him, he will be furious and send the shadow-men to hunt us down. I hope by then, we should be close to the border of Tairius. The capital is still protected by the deep power. But be on your guard. The journey is not going to be easy. We ride hard."