Prologue:
Since the beginning of Selenus, the land of Eostia was once considered a place of peace and prosperity. In the beginning, Eostia was once home to the six races: Human, High Elf, Dark Elf, Halflings, Beast-kin, and demon. From that beginning, the High Elves were once the master of the land until their population began to shrink due to their low birth and their long lifespan. In these centuries, the High Elves gave Eostia to Men thanks to the House of Arcturus. Men were good as they rose out of the dust and forge a great kingdom.
The only enemies of the time were the demons for they favor chaos and suffering over order and unity. Orcs, imps, goblins, and many of their kin took pleasure in pillaging and raping to their hearts' contends. They would burn down farmlands as they slaughter the animals for the meat. They loved killing the men and children as means of sports and entertainment. However, their greatest entertainment … their greatest pride is taking the women of various races as their sex slaves or breeding stocks. They would constantly rape the women until the latter accept their fates as the demon's toys and bears their offspring.
It is often said that corruption is the demons as they defiled the women and slay anyone who gets in their way. Sad to say that it was proven false as men have their fair share of doing the same to the dark elves as they, too, suffer the same fate as those who are captured by the demons. These elves plead to their cousins for help, but the High Elves sided with the humans because they believe that they are good as well. Soon, a great rebellion came and all surviving dark elves fled to the north; to the land of Garan while they avoided the other races who pursued them for self-righteous or sick desire.
Then one day, a large fortress had sprouted up from Garan over a single day and night. The "Black Citadel" as it would be known as the magic of the citadel sucked the life of its very surroundings to protect the inhabitants. The land of Garan (with some exceptions) became black and barren, the water became toxic like poison, and even the air was not spared for it became so cloudy and red that it was nearly impossible for the races of Eostia to settle in the lands. All of this energy was collected by the fortress and fed to the dark elves for their rebellion is only getting started. Soon, their leader, the Queen of the Dark Elves, Origa Discordia uses her magic to enslave the demons and uses them to extract her revenge against the humans for all the wrongs they have committed against her kin and the High Elves for siding with them over her people.
Since then, this "Queen of Darkness" had used this army of demons to support her war. She would have won the war if it were not for Celestine Lucross, a descendant of the Goddess herself, who leads the races of Eostia against Origa. As someone once said, as one power of darkness grows, so does the power of light grow as well. Both Origa and Celestine fought against each other with neither side gaining an edge in the war as it always ended in a stalemate.
As the war rages on, Celestine had built seven City-Fortresses as means of defending against the North and containing the dark forces of Garan. She took command over one City-Fortress and she recruited six other individuals to command the rest of the City-Fortresses. Such individuals like Claudia Levantine, leader of the knights and Celestine's right hand, Ruu-Ruu, leader of the Halflings, Kaguya, the Shrine Maiden, Maia, so called Queen of the mercenaries, and the sister-cousins; Alicia Arcturus and Prim Fiorire, the Princess Knights. Together with Celestine, they became known as the Seven Princess Knights from the Seven Shield Alliance.
In a world like Selenus, the Princess Knights are not the only ones fighting against the Dark Queen's forces. Many mercenaries were hired to help bolster the army's numbers. As the war went on, it became commonplace to have mercenaries fight alongside soldiers and knights. One group especially had made an impact, the Kuroinu or the Black Dogs for translation. Led by their mighty leader Vult, the Kuroinu had pushed back the demons as best as they could.
However before the Alliance could secure a major victory against the Queen of Darkness, they were betrayed, taking a turn for the worse for the Alliance. The betrayal was in the form of Cadogan grew sick of being treated like animals by the Eostian nobles and tired of being treated as cannon fodder, as well as wrathful for the deal between his people and the Goddess Reborn went unfulfilled.
His first act of Rebellion against the Alliance was the assassination of the King of Ansur in the middle of a battle and the massacre that follows. Then, the sacking of Ansur and several warcamps belonged to the Demon Army before roaming North to escape being struck in the middle of the two forces. His victories boosted the morale of his people as well as earned him; Cadogan the Death's Wrath. A name that puts fear into the hearts of all who aren't Gokturks, even the mighty Volt and his Black Dogs wished to never face them in battle.
Eventually, the Death's Wrath seized the ruins of Ammar and rebuilded it entirely as Sargon, the capital of the Crimson Claw Empire. The newly crowned King Cadogan of the Gokturks declared war on Eostia whom lands are now located South of the Indomitable Fortress and the Kingdom of Garan whom located west of Sargon.
King Cadogen instructs his army to slew all humans and Demons who take the side of the Elves, but capture any or all Elves and bring them to Sargon. For his hatred towards Elves was so great, the Elven prisoners' suffering had grown to an unimaginable height beyond what the sufferings that lust created. The armies of the Alliance sent to rescue Eostian Citizens from the Crimson Claw never came back while Delva Celebrian, sent by Origa Discordia to capture Sargon as a strategic point against the Seven Shield Alliance, had made minor efforts against them.
So long as the Gokturks had a kingdom, the Seven Shield Alliance would have not just faced the breaking point, but would have fallen, leaving the Crimson Claw Empire to focus its attention onto the Kingdom of Guran. The downfall of King Cadogen would have started with the belief that the Gokturks and the Dark Elves were the only ones that dominated the Northern lands of Selenus.
The sudden downfall of the Gokturks and its effects of the Eostian-Guran War and beyond plays just like this…
Since the comment leaves a bad taste in my mouth and my difficulties of writing out the other chapters, I have decided to reset the prequel in order to set things right. That's all I have to said at this point except for this: I check on my forums from time-to-time and adds a few things every once in a while. So, if you have questions about anything relating to this one. Please check on War Verse Forum on my proflie page and click on the questions on Casas Bellum section. Hope to enjoyed this and future chapters from now on.
