Chapter 1 The Lay of the Lost
There are many tales and lays of heroes and heroine, of courage and valor, though few can surpass The Third Era of Dyrnwyn, known commonly as Redemption of the Lost. It is a tale of Good verses Evil, a tale of love and friendship, a tale of great happiness and utter sorrow. Though, beyond all, it is a story of forgiveness and redemption.
Our story began nearly two thousand years ago when two Roman brothers by the names of Mavok and Marech, Mavok being the elder. They were fast in companionship and haughty of heart. Though they were not arrogant as their deeds are renowned in many songs of both praise and anger. Soldiers they were of Rome, and as soldiers they had been instructed to hunt down the Christian groups that had been spreading throughout the Empire. There are no records to prove if this event occurred, but both Mavok and Marech were given a vision telling them to create a device that would contain all of the sin committed in the world. Though, more modern philosophers question the purpose of this as it was not necessary. Many in fact believe that their vision was of a demon or even Lucifer himself commanding them to this, for it would take the lives of thousands through wars that it would cause. However, both Mavok and Marech believe that their vision was of the Christ, commanding them to save the world before it was destroyed in its sin once again. This is also possible as through the deeds of the brothers, three entire races were converted to Christianity, though one was a people who had already died. This event is still debated my many throughout the worlds it affected.
Despite these conflicts, the brothers created the Northank Stone, a glass orb that would contain the evil of the world. Using the powers that were granted to them, they created a land in which to safeguard the stone, calling it Northank. It was a world between worlds that possessed gateways to every inhabited dimension in the known universe. This way, it was able to contain the evil of a thousand worlds in one realm. However, the Northank Stone was unable to completely hold so much evil and Northank itself fell victim to its corruption, becoming a place where fell spirits lurked and inhabited bodies, taking the forms of human corpses. During this time, Mavok, was undergoing serious issues within his family. His daughter had been killed by a disease and his wife had left, blaming him for being unable to save her. Unbeknownst to Marech, his brother began to delve into these dark arts of necromancy and sorcery which has often been blamed for his downfall. Mavok studied ways to cheat death in hopes to return his daughter to life, though it only furthered the corruption within his own heart.
It came to pass that in those days, a hedgehog from Mobius discovered Northank and entered therein as every world had its own gateway into Northank. Agumar was the name of this hedgehog and he was a renowned scholar to his people. Now Mavok began to devise a wicked plan within his heart for he had grown to hate the world and all that dwelled within it, believing that God had deserted him, allowing his daughter to die. He had written many books concerning the black arts of necromancy and other foul powers. All of these he kept within the Black Tower, the structure in Northank that housed the Northank Stone. Agumar took a great interest in these books and within the Stone itself. Many days did he spend observing its power and though Mavok knew what would happen to his mind he allowed it, wishing to make Agumar into a weapon to be used against the world that he despised. View can withstand the allure of the Northank Stone and Agumar was not counted among those few. The evil of the Stone entered his heart and using the sorceries that Mavok had developed, Agumar killed Marech and reanimated his body out of mockery. Mavok then abandoned his responsibilities and took to his own path for many centuries, allowing Agumar to have dominion over Northank.
In the centuries that followed, others on Mobius heard news of the disappearance of Agumar and eventually discovered Northank's existence. Many Mobians and even Chao who sought either adventure or a second chance in life, made the journey through Northank and took up abode on a southern continent known as the Lost Region. Despite the mountains that shielded it from Northank's corruption, the Chao set up a guard in the forests outside of Northank to defend against any corruption that entered their lands. The Mobians who were predominately hedgehogs settled far in the south on the shores of the sea that they called the Amroth. Their first king was a proud warrior by the name of Hesbeor and his people took the name of Hesbeorn. They were a tall and hard people who had developed much strength through seafaring and valued honor above all. Hesbeor built his grand city upon a cliff that overlooked the Amroth Sea. Dauntless he named the city, for he knew that his people would never perish from lack of courage. The Chao established a much larger empire that skirted along the river that began in the mountains that they called the Bulwark Heights for they were a natural barrier from Northank. They named this river the Taleth. The river stretched all across the Lost Region and emptied into the Amroth. On the west side of the river was the Chao's dominant empire for the eastern lands were barren and inhospitable. Using the mountains as a defense, the Chao built their first capital at Ost Cyrn, a fortress that would stand every war to come and never would it fall to any foe. The Chao and the Hesbeorn formed a strong alliance. From the Hesbeorn, the Chao learned speech and were able to communicate in the common tongue. War did not come to the Lost Region for many centuries and there was an age of prosperity amongst the Chao and the Hesbeorn. However, Mavok noticed their joy and loathed it. He then took a small part of Northank and set it in the Amroth Sea as an island. Balar it was called and ever was it a thorn to the Hesbeorn as the island spread its corruption into their land.
Now, during these centuries, Agumar was not unoccupied. He began to raise an army of undead warriors. Empty were their minds and they possessed no free will of their own, only serving that of Agumar like slaves. Wights he called them as they were nothing but bodies that served him. They labored unceasingly upon the Necromancer's projects, as he had now taken to calling himself. They dug a great chasm around the Black Tower so that only a single bridge connected it to the main land. The Wights piled the earth of the chasm to form a valley outside of the tower, and they built a large gate at the head of the valley. The Kenorath it was named, and never has there been a hall filled more evil and wretchedness than that of the Black Tower of Northank.
Shortly after Agumar had fortified his realm, fate would have it that two young Mobians wandered into Northank unintentionally. Brother and sister were they, the brother being eighteen and the sister being only ten. Arawn and Avari were their names. Arawn was an ambitious young man who craved above all else, power and dominion. Avari, being so young, could not comprehend his ways, but looked up to him as an example of bravery and strong will. Agumar took notice of these two wanderers and went to them personally. Arawn was impressed by the dominion he had established and inquired on how he had gained such power. Agumar then explained to him the ways of necromancy and of Northank. Now Arawn desired this power for himself, as he planned to build his own empire in the likeness of his. Agumar, foreseeing this as an way to regain control of the Lost Region gave Arawn a portion of his powers in agreement that Arawn would make him his successor. Arawn agreed to this with little thought or foresight. Arawn then created his own army of the dead, though he spent much more effort than Agumar did in creating his wights. No, Arawn gave each of these spirits the form of hedgehogs and even put a part of himself in them as well, seeing them as his own family. He created them to be perfect warriors with little control over themselves or their emotions. They lived to fight and die for honor and glory, making them even heartier warriors than the Hesbeorn. The women were especially violent.
Now, before Arawn had even yet given his kingdom a name, he passed over the Bulwark Heights and invaded the lands of the Chao. Arawn and his army passed like a shadow over the land traveled east of the river Taleth into the Wild Lands. There, he found a mountain range that would protect him both from the Hesbeorn in the South and the Chao in the West and North. He spent one hundred years creating his capital city there. He named it Nathelien and his stronghold was in the Tower of Mablung. From Nathelien, Arawn strengthened his army and continued his invasion upon the Chao. The Chao named his people the Lost as they had no purpose living their second life that was not intended and they called Arawn The Lost King and The Will Breaker because of his deeds during the war.
Now the Chao suffered greatly during the first years of Arawn's campaign, and many say that a divine mercy came upon. The Chao appointed no king, making it difficult to fight a war without leadership. However, A Chao by the name of Thadur witnessed a vision from God and was given Dyrnwyn, the blade of Heaven, forged by angels, as the tales tell. Thadur, claiming Dyrnwyn as a sign of divine right, became the first king of the Chao. He then assaulted Arawn, ambushing his force by flying down upon them from the skies as the was the Chao's custom way of battle. Thadur, with Dyrnwyn, drove Arawn back to the other side of the Taleth and upon that day did Arawn and the Lost first learn fear. Not a fear of the Chao for never did they fear any foe in battle, but a fear for Dyrnwyn and of God. For Arawn, being endowed with Northank's power, was invincible to all mortal weapons, and Dyrnwyn was all that could bring him to his end.
Despite Thadur's efforts, he was at last slain by Arawn himself at the siege of Ost Cyrn, though that fortress did not fall. Some say that if Thadur's family had been true that day then Arawn would have been slain, but Thadur's brother, Bregor, had stolen Dyrnwyn out of vengeance for Thadur had married the girl of his own love. The Chao then moved their empire closer to the Hesbeorn and built a new city, calling it Thrandyl. There they appointed a steward though Dyrnwyn was gone and would not return for another three hundred years. Arawn, seeing that his forces had been severely weakened during the siege of Ost Cyrn returned to Nathelien for respite. During this time, Agumar laid a curse upon the Chao that had fought at Ost Cyrn, making them mortal and weaker. This caused the Chao to split into the kingdom of Xeros, the south lands of the original Chaos Chao, and Rathadur, the north lands of the accursed.
After these three hundred years had passed, Arawn set out once again to war, this time against the Hesbeorn. Now Hesbeor was under the lordship of a young king named Galen. Due to his father's untimely death, he was given the throne during this time of war. It is said that one night after saying a prayer for guidance during this struggle, Dyrnwyn revealed itself once again to Galen. He then marshaled his armies and they rode out on horseback to cut off Arawn's host before it could reach Dauntless. The Lost, never seeing horses before, thought them to be some beasts of the Sea. Because of this and with the help of Dyrnwyn, Galen was able drive his force back into Nathelien even to where he began to siege the gates themselves.
However, Galen's spies reported that Arawn was not present in the city. Galen, fearing that he was building a force in secret, sent out on his lonesome to find Arawn and slay him. Thus began the long and perilous journey that Galen took of the Bulwark heights and into Nathelien. He stealthily made his way into the Black Tower where he found Arawn and Agumar. However, Arawn ran in fear of Dyrnwyn and Galen dueled with Agumar atop the tower itself. Though, at the last, when Galen had Agumar at his mercy, Mavok knocked Galen to the edge of the tower where Dyrnwyn left his grasp and fell into the chasm below. Though, he only did this because Galen had stolen his ring.
Then was committed what the Hesbeorn believe to be the evilest deed by Agumar. He cursed Galen, making it to where all who looked upon him would fear him and cower. The curse also made him immortal and very difficult to kill except through very painful methods. However, the curse also gave him immense strength and he was able to escape from the Northank, though he would never see his kingdom again. For during his imprisonment in the Black Tower, Arawn had broken the siege of Nathelien and marched upon Dauntless. Thus were the people of Hesbeor destroyed and those that survived joined Agumar and became his disciples. Galen, his spirit crushed, allowed himself to be captured again and taken to Nathelien. Though, out of pity, Arawn freed him and even gave him a position upon his personal council for reasons he would not share though later became apparent.
It was seven hundred years later when the third era of Dyrnwyn began and that is what is told within this story.