--- PAGE 1 --- The following is published only after much deliberation with Lord Artano, notable High Elven scholar and historian of Feanorion. Artano would not allow the following footnote to be publish independently without at least explaining “in no uncertain terms!” that the footnote is in no way complete and is a gross generalization not suitable for publication in any well standing historical journal. Never-the-less we assured Lord Artano that our readers are well aware of the historical standards and will not begrudge him his brevity. An excerpt from a footnote in Lord Artandur Artano’s Handbook of Notable Magical Objects For those who are not familiar with the origin of Elder Sorcery and the making of the world, the relative importance of each of the above mentioned items may be lost. While our specialty is, of course, in the history of the many magical works that have been created through time and not in the philosophy of geohistory we hope that the tolerant reader will allow us to say a word or two on the subject. --- PAGE 2 --- It is theorized by the great philosophers of prehistory that Roekron and the worlds beyond (for one does not create merely one continent in and of itself, but the creation of a world is a complete and thorough process encompassing all lands, known and unknown- even, as some of our esteemed colleagues have theorized, perhaps involving the creation of the universe as well, though this has not been confirmed as yet) was created by Wurlangedemes, the Ur-Dragonon. There are some who postulate that Wurlangedemes did not create the world so much as it dreamed it, and that we are merely the dreams of the Ur- Dragonon, but as this has no basis in philosophical fact, we will not waste the readers precious time with debates about the nature of reality and perception as some, so called scholars are like to do, and though it is worth noting that Lord Neelue has clearly and formidably disproved all but the most ludicrous of theorizing on the subject, we will pass on, without mentioning it. With the --- PAGE 3 --- creation of the world, or universe, as it will, Wurlangedemes, the Ur-Dragonon spoke into the world, and that which it said was. Do not mistake our representation of this occurrence as a religious homage to the Ur-Dragonon, great and powerful as it may be, such a devout remark holds no place in a historical footnote such as this and will be avoided out of respect for our numerous readers, but rather, is a statement of philosophical fact. As the words came into the world, that which was named became. It is said that the first word spoken was Dragon, and all others followed and that this is naturally why Dragon’s speak the language of the making. Other scholars such as Greives and Wittle have asserted in their fifth volume on the first word of creation, that the first word could not have been dragon for it must have been world as the Dragon’s would have had no world to be created in. We apologize to Greives and Wittle for such a paltry explanation of their work, but as we do not wish to spend --- PAGE 4 --- any more time on the subject then is absolutely necessary for a footnote, the situation demands such brevity. Regardless of Greives and Wittles theory’s, apt as they may be, one must eventually turn to the Dragons themselves for the answer, as they are the ones in question, and as was done in the first age by Feanor, Astengred and Svod in the legendary Riddling on the Mountain, or Wizaste’s Answering as it is sometimes referred to. Onon, the Dragon Matriarch at the time, answered the three with the affirmative that indeed Dragon was the first world and that she personally viewed the making of the world. Now, one cannot put too much faith in the word of a Dragon, even a matriarch and while we in no way mean to imply any untruth in Onon’s statement, as it is said she spoke in Elder Sorcery, a language which, due to it’s nature cannot contain lies, it is still theorized by some that she spoke what, in her arrogance, she believed to be true, not what truly was. Such a discussion does not belong in a --- PAGE 5 --- footnote of this nature and so we will simply take Onon at her word and move on to the origin of species. Onon spoke of the origin of species at the Riddling on the Mountain and the results have since created a great controversy in the schools of Nature Mages. Onon said that Wurlangedems created The People and dispersed them across the lands. When Svod pressed the question of who The People were, Onon said “The first beings. The ones all life has come from.” This came as a shock to the Feanor, Svod and Astengrad who until this time had assumed that each species had been created separately. Contrary to the reining theory of the day, Onon clarified that all life on Roekron began with these first being, which looked nothing like anything we know of now. These first beings changed and mutated rapidly it is said, being fresh and full of Elder Sorcery, and each generation created a new life form. Thus, Onon, explained “all of you are related; bird, fish, elf and dwarf. All --- PAGE 6 --- but the Dragons, who have no claim to this world.” There are still those like the afore mentioned Grieves and Wittle who protest Onon’s, so called perception of the creation of the world and still hold that Wurlangedems created each species separately and that Onon was wrong. I commend these notable scholars for their courageous opposition to a Dragon Matriarch’s word spoken in Elder Sorcery, though there assertion is made somewhat less courageous when one considers that Grieves and Wittle only published their works after the death of Onon, and the passing of the one being who might contest them. Furhtermore, there are those of the Storm Mage Guild in Temnor who believe that their Drakes are in fact a recreation of these original first beings. While Drakes certainly posses a certain propensity for spawning many and varied life forms, one must assume that the Temnorian Storm Mages are engaging in the most extravagant from of self flattery to purport to have recreated the first beings; had the first --- PAGE 7 --- being been such vulgar destroyers of life we should very likely never have developed to our current state of varied life forms, but I do not wish to waste any more of the reader precious time on topics that are best reserved for the school or Nature Mages. We invite the Storm Mages of Temnor to take up the issue with the Dragons personally. Returning to the spawning of life upon the world, during the formation of life, these new creatures spread rapidly across the world and after only a few thousand years lost their ability to create and change; each species and life form settling on one form to procreate. At this point, several of the more familiar species had already settled in various lands, the Hobbits on a continent to the south, the Dwarves to the north, the Centaurs to the east in what is now Teriock, we elves on the continent to the west and the Humans, contrary to many opinions, are those who have a true claim to Roekron, having originally settled in these very --- PAGE 8 --- lands. In this early time of prehistory, life for many was primarily a nomadic and simplistic endeavor to outwit and out live the various other creatures spawned by the first beings. Thus it may have stayed if it were not for Wurlangedemes choice to allow the passage of the gods. Onon explained at Mount Wizaste that Wurlangedemes the Ur-Dragonon was not interested in the world that had been created but that many other forces in the universe were, forces known to Onon as Celestials. These beings existed on many varying levels of existence and all wanted control of Wurlangedemes new creation. The Ur-Dragonon agreed to allow a “Passage” for these beings into the world but required they leave the choice of which Celestial the mortals would follow to remain in the hands of the mortals themselves who, Onon said, Wurlangedemes found interesting. Thus followed the “folding” as Onon said, of the Passage of the Gods, or Celestials as Onon was like to call them, and the --- PAGE 9 --- beginning of the creation of prehistory only five thousand years after its initial creation. It is unfortunate for the historian that the Passage of the Gods was permitted by Wurlangedemes, not to imply that any religious or spiritual belief is, in and of itself an unfortunate event; many great creations and improvements of people would not have come to pass were it not for the convictions of a particularly pious individual of one faith or another. Rather, it is unfortunate in that with the presence of numerous faiths or Pantheons, if one will allow such a word, that history invariably gets misrepresented as it is interpreted by one faithful scholar or another. Thus, the prehistory of the world is muddied and smeared to such a horrendous degree that, as I have explained in previous chapters, entire years of prehistory cannot be accounted for. This has led to the creative, if not well informed theorizing of certain philosopher of Temporal Placement and Mapping that time did not exist for periods of time, a ludicrous --- PAGE 10 --- and self depreciating argument that holds up to serious investigation no more than a the Dark Guards held up against Kajiro Minimoto at Nacrowaith. As any, good student of history can surmise, the loss of entire years of prehistory, while unthinkable now, is understandable under the circumstances. It was a time of great upheaval and entire continents were unknown at the time. One cannot fault our faithful pre- scholars too much if in the midst of their painstaking work, whose book we now stand upon, a year or two of the first thousand got lost or was misplaced. It was a time of great romance and has since become the stuff of legends and fables. Most notable events of prehistory, here, merely as a reminder, are, in chronological order, the Battle of the Four Powers, the Sun Fever Epidemic, and the Age of Ice and Fire. Early in prehistory Roekron was fraught with initial tribal battles across what was then simply called, The Land. The battle of the Four Powers is of --- PAGE 11 --- course the most notable event of prehistory one is likely to think of, and while it has been discussed in detail in chapter five, we hope the reader will allow us to make a brief statement about the battle itself. The Land, as it was called, was ruled by barbarian hordes, humans of course, who seemed set on conquering as much land as possible in their constant quest for wealth and power, as lesser beings are like to do. Beset by hordes of orks, ogres and goblins, these human tribes had little use for civilization and spent their time in a constant battle for food and shelter. The battle of Four Powers was the first battle of prehistory in which the humans began to think beyond simple survival and took an interest in the creations of the Celestials. Three tribes the Gabrie, the Cri, and the Willia, converged in what is now Andionion, seeking to find what prehistory records as “a black sword, a chalice, a shield and a scroll.” As I have covered each in great detail in the afore mentioned chapter, I will spend no more time --- PAGE 12 --- on them then to assure the uneasy reader that, as discussed, the black sword was not the first Morganti weapon, as some impetuous dabblers in historical literature have purported, but rather a sword forged of darkness and shadow by several of the Celestial’s of Death and nothing more, the latter honor of course going to the famous Dwarven smith Hragnor who “discovered” the art and passed it on to the infamous smith Merigrad, for whom our dedicated reader has already read about in chapters eight, ten, fifteen and eighteen. The battle of the Four Powers is significant in that it marks the beginning of the steady march out of prehistory and into the first age but it alone was not enough to complete this shift. The Sun Fever epidemic which no Elf can speak of without a shadow crossing their continence was the second pivotal catalyst. In the lands to the west of Roekron, the Elven homeland, we of eternal life and grace were beset by the greatest threat to a species --- PAGE 13 --- existence any have had to endure. At the time, King Leand had created what can only be describe as a perfect and beautiful society. While the rest of life had barely begun to think beyond its next meal, we Elves had already created high society and organization out of chaos. But, alas, perfection never seems to last in an imperfect world. No sooner had Leand completed the capital city when the first signs of the Sun Fever began to be seen on the west shore. It spread rapidly, and while we do not wish to insult our readers intelligence by deigning to so much as suggest that they would not have studied the most destructive epidemic this world has ever seen, we will include a brief description herein for the sake of completeness. The Sun Fever was passed by thought, burning the minds of those who became aware of it within a few days. The Elves of old, as is well known, possessed the skill of mind to mind communication or what is sometime referred to as psionic ability. Thus, the Sun Fever was spread as --- PAGE 14 --- each Elf reached out for help with their mind from one to the next, destroying those most present in the infected persons mind first and then spreading to whoever they happened to send thought to. In the later stages of the disease the infected person lost their ability to control where their thoughts were sent and was reduced to sending out their thoughts to everyone within range. For obvious reasons the sun Fever was of no threat to the lesser species, but to we of greater development it was our doom. Fortunately, there were those among us who, through the last remaining mutations left from the first ones, had developed a skill to block or keep out the thoughts of others. It was these few immune Elves that held the chance, the survival of our species, and Leand recognized this immediately. Having already learned about the Sun Fever, he was of course infected. He quickly sent for all those who could be seen to have this immunity and “sent us to our destiny” as Feanor was like to say. The five ships that --- PAGE 15 --- set sail for new lands contained all of our ancestors, those with the ability to survive the Sun Fever through keeping out rather than sending out thoughts. Leand could not risk that the Sun Fever would change, that it had some of the Elder Sorcery left within it, and that it might pass on to the rest of the species and so he sent us forth from the lands of the west to settle far from the afflicted lands. On the day of his death he named Feanor his successor, though, as it is well recorded in history, Feanor was not his son. Still, one cannot fault Leand his choice of leader, as history undoubtedly attests to. The final event that would trigger the shift into what is now commonly know as the first age was the Age of Ice and Fire. It is theorized by certain geohistorians that the world goes through periods of massive changes to weather and climate. Whether these changes are the result of some unseen force acting upon the world or are a completely natural event is once again a question best --- PAGE 16 --- left to the Nature Mages and cannot possibly be answer in a footnote as brief as this one. However, one can speculate that were these events the result of Elder Sorcery, or other such artificial source, the skill to do so would have been used to destroy life as we know it already. Whatever the cause of the Age of Ice and Fire, the results had a critical influence on the development of Roekron and its culture. Shortly after the Sun Fever Epidemic, the climate began to shift. The lands in which, until this time had been inhabited by the Dwarves to the north began to freeze over completely, turning into an icy waste incapable of supporting life. At the same time the lands to the south began to heat up and the Hobbits who, up until this time had lived quite contentedly, as Hobbits are like to do, began dieing of dehydration and heat related illness. To the east, the great plains that had, until this time supported the many Centaur tribes also began to change with the climate, drying up and loosing most of their --- PAGE 17 --- nutrients. The centaur that survived this sudden change in climate migrated west into Roekron, remaining a nomadic people to this day. Thus, a great migration was beginning. For some due to intolerant living conditions and for others due to disease, and all would eventually converge in what was, at the time, a land still caught in it’s nomadic past. After the battle of the Four Powers, as the barbarian tribes of humans in Roekron began to organize and settle into their newfound roles as makers of civilization rather than creators of chaos and war, we mark as the dawn of the first age, approximately twelve thousand, two hundred and seventy three years, one hundred and twenty-three days from the creation of the world, roughly. At this time the Gabrie tribe had settled in Dsesnor and was rules by none other than King Dsesn himself who still possessed the afore mentioned “Black Sword of Night and Shadow of Divine Origin” as it came to be known and who, --- PAGE 18 --- having won the quest for the Four Powers claimed dominion over the rest of Roekron. The Willia tribe had settled beyond the Wet Mountains in what is now Temnor and was under the rule of Lord Temn, a puppet, it is well know, of the true ruler of the Willia tribe at the dawn of the first age, Arch-Mage Stormwatcher. The Cri tribe had moved north and populated the high plains of what is now Illionass, and was ruled by Lord Criolle. It is because of this that some historians will assert that the First Age does not begin until some twenty five years later when Criolle dies, depicted in the well known and often badly acted play by Pedion, “House of Ghosts” which still sells out in theaters across Roekron, a phenomenon that is lost on this historian, as any play in which a lord dies of poison in his shoe and goes on to haunt his castle, no matter how historically accurate, cannot be much more than mere thaumaturgical philandering and fantastical glamour. But as this is not the subject of this short footnote, we will not --- PAGE 19 --- spend time critiquing such historical romances and pass on to the dawn of the first age and the formation of the major nations. It is certain that this would have been the end of any growth towards civilization, as humans are incapable of any lasting development beyond a mere two or so thousand years, had it not been for our esteemed forbearer Feanor, and his Voyage Across the Eastern Sea to Whence The Sun Does Rise Each Day. While some historian feel the need to point out that this is also precisely the time that the Mountain Dwarves appeared in what is now Svodlun, being the first Dwarves to begin migrating due to the Age of Ice and Fire, and that the presence of Dwarves might in some way effect history, in the humble opinion of this historian, beyond the occasional appearance in one or more battles or the creation of one of more notable items of a magical nature, the appearance of the Mountain Dwarves had no real decisive effect on the birth of the First Age any more than the landing and --- PAGE 20 --- populating of Hostor by some small number of Hobbits, also displace due to the Age of Ice and Fire, would have some three hundred years later. Thus, to return to the point at hand, Feanor landed at the mouth of the Celeroth River a mere five hundred and sixty four years after the battle of the Four Powers, a testament to his auspicious and precise sense of timing. It was there, in the unexplored depths of the Suthan Forest, that he discovered the Sacred Grove of Peace and Love, the well know magical ancient stand of tree’s said to be Celestials themselves. Feanor took this to be a sign that his people were to settle in this new land and he began exploring at a voracious pace, sending his brothers people, the Wood Elves of Mienor south, his sisters people, Wood Elves of Orinor east up the Dungarion and taking his own people, the High Elves of Feanor all the way up the Celeroth and into Cri territory in a matter of years. The Cri had been busy and had pushed out first into the surrounding lands and cleared the --- PAGE 21 --- way for real civilization. Feanor found them on the verge of disaster, struggling to overcome the invasion of new dark force from the north, a tribe called the Daged. The destroying of the Dark Wizard Orgoth and his guard could not have been completed without the aide of Feanor’s Wood Elf brethren and as such clearly depicts how Feanor’s Voyage began civilization in Roekron. The slaying of Orgoth and his Doom Guards by the Cri, along with Feanor’s elven archers and the aide of Mira on the Mountain, the well known oracle and arch-sage of the first age, was a major step in the creation of an empire and fostered a greater sense of security for the Cri. Unfortunately it also caused the death of their Lord as one of Daged’s spies repaid Lord Criolle and ushered in the true Golden Age of Roekron. With the death of Criolle, his young son Illi was forced to take the thrown at the age of twelve. Fortunately for the Cri, henceforth know as the Illionass, Orgoth had few remaining minions and the battles that --- PAGE 22 --- followed, (most notably, the Battle of the Two-Headed Giant and the Amulets of Geomancy, the Siege at North Gate in which both the Dragon Tongue Broadsword and Phoenix Dagger, forged by the afore mentioned now present Mountain Dwarves- were used for the first time) were relatively minor and Illi handled himself masterfully, growing up into a handsome and dignified young man, forging long-lasting allies among the Druid tribes of what is now called Andionion. This is then the beginning of the First Age, or First Golden Age of Roekron. The growth that followed was truly prolific, a testament to the advances that the elves brought to the barbaric human tribes and the shaping of true empires became a reality. For the first five hundred years of the Golden Age, Roekron saw peace like it has not since. Trade and commerce were at a great high and magic began to be developed as never before. The first prefabricated spells and rituals were created, at first limit only to --- PAGE 23 --- Fireball and then branching out into Iceball, Lightning Bolt and others. It was Astengred, the young pupil of Storwatcher, who formalized the five schools of magic and organized the guilds in those middle years of the Golden Age. One may wonder how it is that mere humans can have lived long enough to have had much impact on an age at all. As is still the case, being Wizards of high power, the ability to extend ones life, if not indefinitely, was already quite a common use of elder sorcery at the time and thus would allow human mages great breadth to carve out empires they would never have lived to see completed otherwise. It is here, in the first age, that our devoted reader will recognize many of the aforementioned magical works begin to make their first appearance and begin to influence the battles in a much more profound way. The Mountain Dwarves, it is true, had mastered the art of creating magic works at the time and taught the elven smiths of the time much of their basic skills. While this seems --- PAGE 24 --- hard to believe now, this was before the Infamous Elven/Dwarf wars and such trading of skills and knowledge was commonplace. This exchange of skills and magic made possible many of the great early magical works, as discussed in length in previous chapters. Soon, even the humans had mastered the rudimentary arts of magic device making and items such as Dandwin, the Iron Clad Armor and such, were staples of the Illionass armies. Temnor, under the guidance of Arch-Mage Stormwatcher, began to create new and unique magical works, most notably Stormwatches own Rods of the Chamelion. Lord Dsesn’s line in Dsesnor was precived as the legitimate heir to the throne of Roekron in what was then the capital City of Estorock and so their was little in the way or rebellion for a few hundred years, allowing for substantial gains, both in exploration and infrastructure. Many of the smaller tribes of humans began to build their own nations and expand. Sorikonia, Geb, and The Grey Isles all came into their own during --- PAGE 25 --- the Golden Age. Under the guidance of the Grisodemdal, Arch Mage of Shimmermist, the Grey Isle would quickly experience a renaissance, reaching its pinnacle with the embarking of its leader on the creation of one of the most controversial creations of magic ever. With what was now being called Dagdeoth being held at bay by the descendants of Lord Illi, young explorers took to the far reaches of Roekron producing some of the first reliable maps (see chapter 15). Halem, as our astute reader no doubt remembers, being by far the most prolific of these explorers, having commissioned some of the best magical works of this time (see Halems Torch and Halems Rope). It was during this brief period of calm that the first of the Great Legendary Weapons were forged. The small group of elves that had settled to the north under Lord Lagmen worked hand in hand with Mountain Dwarves to create Korikon, the Ninja-to Sword of White Fire, later featuring prominently in many battles in the third age. Illi’s descendent --- PAGE 26 --- Lord Illi Menon, having forged an alliance with the Human tribe of Druids then living in Andionion alongside the elves, forged Oakenthen, the Defender of Life, Shield of the Illionass Paladins. A time of discovery, it is during this period that the afore mentioned Riddling on the Mountain with the Dragon Matriarch Onon takes place and a greater level of understanding for all is reached. It was a time of great joy for the artisans of the world and as history so often repeats itself, so each Golden Age necessarily must have an end. Most will not dispute that the Golden Age of the First age gave way to the late first age with the invasion of the Polar Dwarves. While the Mountain Dwarves had worked closely with we of the Elven species, and great artisans such as Hragnor and Krodo rediscovered arts thought only achievable by Celestials, the Polar Dwarves had a very different disposition. To understand this difference in temperament one must consider that the Polar --- PAGE 27 --- Dwarves are those Dwarves who decided to remain in the north lands when it froze over due to the age of Ice and Fire. While the Mountain Dwarves moved to a warmer climate, the Polar Dwarves roughed it out, digging in and holding fast for almost a thousand years as the temperature continually dropped. Thus, these Dwarves who finally invade at the end of the First Golden Age were a cold and cruel people, hardened by generations of frozen death and survival. The Mountain Dwarves welcomed their long lost brethren but the feeling was not mutual. The Polar Dwarves first learned what they could of the art of magic crafting, a skill they excelled at, and then, having learned all they could, turned on their teachers, almost completely decimating an entire species in an incredibly horrid and detestable act of genocide. The Polar Dwarves then turned their newfound skills in the magic arts to making more weapons to wage a war on their age old foes from the north, the giants. This --- PAGE 28 --- set the stage for the Giant Wars of the late first age in which the Polar Dwarves attempted to do the same to the Giants as they had done to their Mountain Brothers. If one is inclined to belittle the Dwarves for their cruel and unfair ways, this historian would like to say a word, if we may be permitted, on war within ones own species. Need we remind our dedicated reader of the War of the Grove, which soon followed the end of the First Golden Age and was, largely, a war completely within the species of Elves alone. Should one like to think that elves are above such acts of genocide, we would like to remind such personages that the War of the Grove, set off by the Amulets of Returning Life, gifted by the High Elves, was nearly a genocidal event as well and were it not for the creative diplomacy of Feanor and the designation of the southern and eastern land of Roekron as sovereign to the Wood Elves, their would likely be no Wood Elves left in Roekron. One need not be reminded that up until the --- PAGE 29 --- fall of Celindil and the Rise of the Dark City, Feanorion has been the site of ongoing battles between the High Elves and the Wood Elves, and has caused the deaths of far more over time then all the Mountain Dwarves that were slaughtered at the end of the First Golden Age. Thus, with the Dwarves obsessed with their own war on the Giants, and we Elves occupied with our own internal feud for the Sacred Grove of Love and Peace, Dagdeoth reawakened, as did Blackspire and the great battles of the first age began. Those of our readers who recall the chapter on “Transportable Weapons” will know what is to come next. Dagdeoth invaded Illionass with its Necromancers and Undead walked the lands of Roekron for the first time. It is commonly held by most historians that it was at this time that the Dark Council of Dagdeoth was officially formed and succeeded in summoning the Essen-Rauko, Sorrowveil, Dagdameon and Crucept. Whether this is just an exaggeration --- PAGE 30 --- due to the legends of the time has not been confirmed though there are many sources which would suggest that Astengrad was correct in ascertaining what the gating had accomplished and exactly what the beings poor Hragnon saw that drove him mad and later tore his soul from his flesh. It was a time of fear, but also, of great bravery. As the invasions grew more and more frequent and strong and Blackspire began threatening to invade all it’s surrounding territories, the ruling King at the time, Dsen Icash realized that the human kingdoms could not survive for long isolated as they were from each-other. He drafted the first alliance of nations in defense of more than one nation. It became known as the Andionion Alliance and was partially responsible for quelling the unrest between Wood and High Elves for a time as both moved to assist in the defense of their newfound homeland against a common foe. The battles that followed have been covered in numerous other works of history and no mere student of --- PAGE 31 --- magical artifacts could accurately depict the grandeur of actually seeing the March of the Masterblades, the Battle of Thunderwall, or the Duel at Mithil Ulienen. Still, one can imagine what it must have been like to have Samurai from as far south as Sorikonia traveling by foot to the front lines of Illionass to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Illionass Knights, or to see the sea of Urukai Archers completely filling the Wet Pass and being turned back by a single division of Tempest Veterans. Of course, every child has been told the story of Kijoro Minimoto, then only sixteen, defeating the entire Gor Clan of Urukai at Mithil Uliene and then pinning them in their stronghold with his Kumi Bow of Thunder in what is now commonly know as the Siege of One. The House of the Griffin, a group of High Elves committed to the defense of Roekron beyond all else was instrumental in keeping the Alliance alive and was an instrumental force in the --- PAGE 32 --- great battles of the last first age. Had the Dread Eye Warriors not emerged within the ranks of the Dagdeoth Armies, things may have been very different. For those unfamiliar with the Dread Eye Weapons, please refer back to chapter 21 on “Transportable Weapons” and the section on the use of transformable blades in the ethereal world. The Dread Eye weapons and their ability to be so easily concealed (a marble can fit almost anywhere) together with their ability to be taken into the Ethereal world made for a combination that cost the lives of almost all of the House of the Griffin as well as Lord Illi Menon himself. We can only be grateful to the Sorikonian Martial Masters for discovering the secret of the creation of these weapons and turning them against Dagdeoth. One wishes the battle of Kijiro in the Ethereal world could have been visible for it is certainly described as a battle that will stand the test of time. Such was the force of Kijiro’s thunderous strikes and bowshots it is said that haunted --- PAGE 33 --- places for miles were suddenly vacated by the spirits of the departed and their curses lifted. It is important to note that though most of the mainland of Roekron was involved in the battles to the north, many of the island nations, most notable the Grey Isles were left to their own developments. Grisodemdal, Arch Mage of the new Mage School at Greymagus had discovered an intriguing new material for working with Elder Sorcery. The details of his experiments are lost to history due to the magnitude of the catastrophe that was to follow. It is not clear how Grisodemdal managed to channel so much power or direct it, though there are those who believe he was involved in the creation of a great alter or “wheel” of power that stored or generated an incredible amount of raw mana. This humble historian will not postulate on the exact means of Gristodemdals ability to create the catastrophe that followed, but will suffice to state that the fact that he was known to have --- PAGE 34 --- traded his right hand in a bargain with a Dragon (for the Dragon’s own right hand!), he was a mysterious and crafty mage the likes of which Roekron had not seen since Stormwatcher himself. It is not know exactly what went wrong with Grisodemdals great experiment, but it is noted in this brief footnote as it is commonly held as the marker for the event which signaled the end of the first age and the quick decent into the Darkness of the Second Age. Grisodemdal’s Accident completely wiped out all of the Grey Isles in one instant, leaving nothing but rubble and floating specters. The shockwave of the event is said to still cause random problems in the magic fields. It is also widely held that the event would have become a chain reaction, perhaps destroying all life in the world had not certain mages countered it from various locations. The amount of mana required to do this cannot be speculated on by a mere historical scholar but it is widely held that this draining of the magical resources turned the --- PAGE 35 --- tables of the battles in Illionass and across Roekron. Not more than ten years after the event, Kijro Minimoto battled the first of Dark Guards at Nacrowaith and though they were decimated in short order, it was apparent that they were only the first of their kind. In the next hundred years most of what had been gained would be lost. Kijiro died shortly after the battle at Necrowaith, holding off the entire Dagdeoth army while Nacrowaith was evacuated. Astengrad finally died of old age, though Feanor, our first and greatest King, would see his end trying to intercede in the Giant Wars of Svodlun and getting caught between the two 0pposing forces. This sparked the Elf/Dwarf War to come and thus ends the first age and begins the Dark Wars of the Second. Many religious wars erupted across Roekron in a very short amount of time. Many of the churches, temples, and shrines in Illionass began to vie for authority and fight amongst each other. --- PAGE 36 --- Similar political wars began in Temnor which would eventually lead to the major battles of the Redwash and the attack on Dsesnor. While the first hundred years of the Second Age still saw some great works of the magic nature as I have mentioned in previous chapters on the Magic Orbs and Swords, as well as the epic creations of the Arch-Mage Merigrad, son of Astengrad, and the stories of his dark forge under Mt. Wizaste. It is true that had Merigrad taken more of a leadership role at this time, rather than retreating into his dark labyrinth, the second age may have been very different. Certainly he would not have discovered the art of Morganti weapon crafting, passed on to him by Hragnor, and the second age would have been far less lethal. Why Merigrad needed to test out his creations so often and pass them on to various warlords in search of some sort of perfect type of Morganti is a mystery, though perhaps related to his creation of the famed five legendary items later carried by the Waning Moon Warriors in --- PAGE 37 --- the late second age could have something to do with it. Whatever his reason, Merigrad disappeared for most of the first half of the second age, working on mysterious works at his forge. Without the guidance of the Wizards School many of the nations floundered. With Feanor dead many of the Elf’s sought revenge and rallied to attack Svodlun, something the Dwarves longed for, as most of the Giants were dead or driven out and the sought new wars to wage. The new queen of Andionion (and most of Roekron for the Second Age, as the House of Dsesn produced no leader of worth during this time, though some would argue that Dsen Serpente in the mid to late second age had the potential had he not died to young in the battles in the Redwash, but that is not the subject of this short footnote), was the beautiful and often terrifying Lady Neanorn, Daughter of Feanor and Neana, Heir to the Thrown of Celindil and the Sacred Grove. Neanorn, it is rumored, had been studying to be a smith when her father died --- PAGE 38 --- and changed her plans, taking up the command of her people in their time of crisis. She succeeded in quelling the rage of her people for a century while she made, what is, in the humble opinion of this historian one of the great works of the second age. Neanorn’s Crowns of Justice were a spectacular work of artistry and Elder Sorcery, and were designed to unify her people by connecting the three major elven provinces, Eines Mien, Oriri and Andionion into a focused group, which she succeeded in doing, though perhaps not for her purposes. Neanorn was trying to focus the nations into a force for good and organization and instead she found she could not contain Lord Mien’s passion and Lady Orir’s spirit. In the end, the war on Svodlun was agreed upon and Neanorn went along, mostly, it is believed, because her people would have been destroyed, either by themselves or by the Dwarves had she not. What followed is an eight-hundred year war that did not quell until the dawn of the third age, the loss of --- PAGE 39 --- many fine lines of both elves and dwarves and the formation of a chasm that will never be filled between those of Feanor’s people and those of Svod’s. Preying on the internal weakness of the nations, Blackspire began the first of its many attacks on Andionion, Amir, Temnor, Dsesnor, Oriri and Odilathen. The hordes of Ogres during these attacks is written about in Lord Amirit’s journals. “The mountains appeared to be flowing like waves, thick with the huge beasts pouring out!” Unlike the battles with Dagdeoth in which the armies were organized and focused, the battles of Blackspire were characteristically haphazard and random. Often attacking and then suddenly shifting direction, Amerities description was very apt as the Ogre, Ork and Goblin hordes swarmed in all directions. Some attribute this to the powerful influence of Icitic the Insane, Warlord of the Slatefalls, the legendary Amazon Goblin who led his people in such odd fashion, --- PAGE 40 --- careening through the sky in loops and arches of the most comical nature. Many who laughed died in those battles, as Icitic is well know to have used the afore mentioned Mirathulous, a deadly weapon for those with the sense of humor to use it. Thus, many of the warriors of the second age were hardened out of necessity, merely out of fear for their lives should they smile or laugh! One can only image the effect this had on days of battle, truly a horrible fate one would not wish even on their worst enemy. The Battle of Watch Peak is the most famous of these battles, being the first, and accounts for more than half the lives lost during the Blackspire Raids. Amirit himself barely survived. Shortly after Blackspire began its attacks Dagdeoth moved into Illionass with new forces, the notorious Dark Guards who brought with them the gruesome Lion Maw shields. These Undead and Death Ogre warriors were a powerful new force that decimated the few Illionass troops left to oppose them. With no --- PAGE 41 --- great heroes left, the Litches had no trouble building up new armies and used the “Litch King” Swords (see chapter 19) to allow for wider control of their armies. In a mere hundred years Illionass was under the control of Dagdeoth but for Menonass which held the line for a few hundred more years with the aide of Odilathen and Amir. While war raged in the north, Temnor’s new leader Rysic, Arch-Mage of Dradui-Nuir, the Stormwatcher Tower made to take the thrown of Dsesn. Dsesnor and Temnor were both involved in wars at the time, Temor with the Ents, having slain migrating ancients and triggering the Ent Wars, and Dsesnor with it’s own political intrigues. While Dsesnor attempted to focus its people on an attack against the invading Blackspire armies, Rysic realized that the time was ripe for a move against Temnor’s long hated neighbor. The war that follows has been very accurately portrayed in the five volumes of the abbreviated --- PAGE 42 --- works of Lady Echoana “Redwash Wars” and so we see no need to tire our reader with lengthy descriptions of the massive number of Storm Mages and Samurai who battled across the plateau, or the intriguing use of the Ring of Storms and the role of the legendary weapon Li Tesashi, forged by the Sorikonian Martial Masters to end the war, which, ironically only caused Temnor to attack Sorikonia directly, and so we will omit any discussion of it herein. However, it is worth noting that had Temnor not attacked Sorikonia, and stolen the works of Ra Agen Mache, the Revolution of the Guilds would not have happened and it is likely the Waning Moon Warriors would never have met. While the Waning Moon Warriors are not the subject of this short footnote, we hope that the reader will allow us to point out one small fact about their existence, without becoming over burdensome. The Revolution of the Guilds brought about by the theft and distribution and later copying of Ra Agen Mach’s --- PAGE 43 --- famous Book of Many Things, and Ring of Many Things caused many notable personages from across the lands too seek out more of these books, as the Guilds were almost torn apart by the self direction the books allowed and undermined everything the Guilds had taught. Thus it was that the famous Waning Moon Warriors met in Amir in the late second age, each looking for the Ring of Many Things, which became the subject of Lady Miri’s famous poem “Seekers of Many Things” which plays upon the later nature of the Waning Moon Warriors, the fact that they were each of a different race, and their later disappearance. But as this is not the focus of this short clarification, and we wish to be absolutely focused in our explanations, we will not dwell on the heroes of the second age and how they traveled to Menonas and rescued Lady Illiona and her teenage son Illion from the Dark Guards, but will suggest the reader pick up a copy of the complete works of Lady Miri’s poems, or, if one is more inclined to prose, --- PAGE 44 --- “Waning Moon: A brief examination of Penelope, Tordil, Hefas, Lorik, and Vojan.” By Lord Amirities. Ironically, or some might say, appropriately, it is because of the chaos of the second age that we now have the system of governance that so facilitates our world today. With Merigrad gone, the school of Astengrad sought new leaders and selected five new Arch-Mages who formed what was then called the Order of Wizards but would later become our Wizards Trade Order of 50th level Arch-Mages, Hamil Lighthand, Celani Newform, Dvod Firefist, Eleana Starlight, and Hox Neverdream, our esteemed and most auspicious empire builders. While Hox, Celani and Hamil were not members at the time of creation of the Order of Wizards, Dvod and Eleana were two of the founders and shouldered the responsibility of reuniting Roekron in its darkest hour. The creation of the Order of Wizards is the event that most historians hold as the end of the second age, as the influence the --- PAGE 45 --- Order would have over Roekron truly reshaped it and brought it out of its Dark Age. The Order began by crushing the Temnorian invasion of Dsesnor, securing the use of numerous Sorikonian weapons to do so and to use against Blackspire and Dagdeoth. The Order also put a stop to the Dwarf/Elf War by offering Svodlun the opportunity to make a great deal of profit in the production of weapons for their war on Dagdeoth and Blackspire as well as a new market for mithril plated boots, which would become quite popular all throughout Roekron, worn by all the great gladiators. Illionass did succeed in pushing out the Dagdeoth troops with the aide of Svodlun in what is now commonly called the Battle of the Sleeping Wastes. The following four hundred years saw a return to a level of civilization not seen since the first age. By the end of it the Wizards Trade Order was fully functional, sanctioning all of Roekron and each nation represented by the Order. --- PAGE 46 --- The mid-thirds age brought peace to Roekron for a short time and great developments in magic and skills, the formalization of Guild Law and a plethora of cheap Dwarven weaponry. As the war drew to a close the Order looked for ways to increase the quality of life for the people of Roekron and turned its research towards new Elder Sorcery and left the defense of Roekron in the capable hands of Illionass. As there is a great deal of literature on the subject of the reconstruction era, we will not belittle our reader’s patience with this footnote by describing the developments in geophilosophy and weapon craft any more than is absolutely necessary. However, as no brief remark on the reconstruction era would be complete without some reference to the Wild Ents of Dungwaith, we find it necessary to at least mention the writings of Master Allios Shepton in the mid third age and while it is likely some will find his writings to been inappropriate for a Sorikonian Master his observations were none --- PAGE 47 --- the less accurate for the time and accurately foresaw the build up of the Dwarven Slave Trade and Goritock Itack’s Urukai army. As, Allios Shepton noticed, in order to meet the demand for so many weapons Svodlun raided Hostor for Hobbit slaves and began what some would call one of the most grievous violation of species rights in the history of Roekron. Forced to work in the mithril mines making mithril plated boots for sale abroad, the lifespan of these slaves was sometime less than two years, forcing the Dwarves to develop their slave trade even more. Hostor appealed to the Order to stop the raids but as it produced such good results and the items were needed for the Order to win their war with Dsesnor and push the evil armies out of Illionass, the discussion was tabled for a later date. Furthermore, as Hostor has never been a member of the Wizards Trade Order they had no standing among the Guilds of Roekron and thus no representation. To this date --- PAGE 48 --- (15,820 4A), Hobbits still work the mithril mines, now under the control of Dagdeoth of course and one can only imagine how much worse the conditions are. Had the attack on Svodlun at the middle of the fourth age succeeded as Hostor had planned instead of backfiring those poor souls may have finally felt sunlight again. Alas, it was not to be, but we are once again, getting ahead of ourselves. The mid to late third age saw many controversies erupting across Roekron. Dsesnor’s use of Urukhai mercenaries, the development of Sorcery Modified Plants and the escalation of feuds between the high elves and wood elves in Feanorion are but a few of these events. We of the house of Feanor will not soon forget the suicide attacks of the wood elves who destroyed themselves with self-destructive infernos to protest the high elf position of the Sacred Grove of Love and Peace, the irony of which was not lost on the above mentioned Master Allios Shepton. If --- PAGE 49 --- there is anything good to have come out of the fall of Celindil at the end of the third age is the unity and camaraderie to be found amongst elves today. For those unfamiliar with the fall of Celindil and the rise of the Dark City, Celindil et Necrenef we will direct our patient reader to the works of Lord Wakefield and his “Tale of the Dark Morning and the Fall of the Third Elf King, Feandrin.” While a notable and accurate text, it fails to point out the precursor to the Dark Morning and the build up of Gorotock Itacks armies at Mithil Ulienen in the years before. Most importantly it omits the critical part played by the band of heroes who, in an effort to attack Gorotock and take Li Tesashi managed to get themselves killed and left him with not only Minimoto’s Naginata, but Dagamedies, the Urukai dagger forged in the Blackspire Mountains to lead Urukai armies, as well as the Flag of Victory, an item that bestowed powerful armor defenses to all allied troops. --- PAGE 50 --- It can be said, without too much doubt that it was this small band of well meaning but unsuccessful adventurers who set in motion the eventual attack of Gorotock Itack and thus the battle of the Dark Morning. When asked about the subject, the hero Voltan, who led the mission was quoted to have said, “We only needed a one-masted boat to cross the river. Who new there would be a storm trying to cross, and a giant vessel while we were adrift… everything sunk. We fought that battle practically naked.” We do not wish to question the heroics of such notable personages as the great paladin Voltan or the many other heroes that took on such a dangerous mission but will leave such judgments to those who have had to pull themselves from a river with nothing but one enchanted arm greave and face a fortress of Urukai led by a ronin wielding a Legendary Di Katana. It can just as easily be argued that had the disappearances of hobbits in western Celindil be investigated more thoroughly by --- PAGE 51 --- the Celindil officials that Broden may never have risen to power. While it is true that in situation remarkably similar to the battle at Mithil Ulinenen, several heroes are known to have investigated the disappearances of hobbits in western Celindil and did, it is rumored, meet up with Broden in a face to face confrontation before he rose to the control of the Carakwaith and the formation of the Shroud of the Dark City. It is rumored that these heroes battled the now notorious vampire and made off with his treasure without slaying him. While there are those aspiring heroes who would gladly give there soul to have that opportunity and have prevented the fall of Celindil, one cannot fault these heroes, having been abandoned by over half the original force that was to destroy the evil below Celindil and having no idea what they had encountered it is no wonder that they would flee from a vampire in full plate armor surrounded by apparitions, --- PAGE 52 --- and we challenge any hero of similar level as these three individuals to do anything else in the same situation. Lest we forget, there are those who believe that the Darkness In The West (a spreading force of Undead that arose just before the appearance of Broden in Celindil) was in fact Broden himself. We must forgive such foolish assumptions and attempted conjecture give the fact that the three notable figures to have destroyed the Darkness in the West, the centaur veteran Starwatcher, the mute hobbit thief, and the barbarian Xander, now one of the Carakwaith himself, specifically described the leader of the army as “A huge, dark skinned giant wielding a two handed sword of Dagdeoth make.” It is therefore obvious to anyone with any historical knowledge beyond the third age that this was indeed a Death Giant wielding a “Litch King” one of the weapons designed to control the great Dagdeoth Armies in the second age. Thankfully, the weapon was reportedly destroyed at --- PAGE 53 --- the scene of the battle by a local Green Dragon, whom, it is theorized features prominently in the Catastrophe of the Orb somewhat later. Of course many have theorized on the nature of the following attacks on Hostor by Dagdeoth ships and the unusual timing of such attacks coinciding with the rise of the Hobbits Abolitionist Movement, or HAM. There are certain extremists who assert that the attacks by Dagdeoth were an attempt to thwart attempts to free the hobbit slaves in Svodlun. Such ludicrous deduction is beyond the scope of this tiny article and while the Hostorian government did seek a redress of grievances with the Wizards Trade Order, believing them to be involved, as Hostor has no standing in the Order they have no representation and their case is still waiting to be heard, now at the beginning of the fifth age. For those of you unfamiliar with the invasions of Hostor and the destruction of Tradrador we recommend the collected works of --- PAGE 54 --- Belin Holiliocks and “The Story of Ent Island” as a good place to start. The fall of Celindil and the rise of the Dark City is held by historians of late as the dawn of the fourth age. The is hotly disputed by many contemporary scholars who believe that the invasion of Svodlun was the dawn of the fourth age not the dawn of the fifth and that we are just now beginning the fourth age. Such ludicrous semantics has no place in a footnote of this nature and thus we will simply state that the rise of Celindil and most notably the appearance of the Carakwaith, or Shadowfang as they are called in the human tongue marks the beginning of the fourth age, the age of vampires. Certainly the shortest of any age, the fourth age was marked by the many battles with Celindil and meetings with the Dark Heroes of Celindil which have been written about in at least forty eight different poems and songs, not to mention the many --- PAGE 55 --- books that have been written on the subject. It is important to note that Svodlun used the initial fall of Celindil as an opportunity to invade Andionion and took possession of all the lands north of the Celeroth River. This is significant in that it features prominently in the later retaliation of Andionion during the later invasion of Svodlun as we shall see. The Battle for the Orb, in which the first Carakwaith was permanently slain is viewed as a historic or infamous moment, depending on whether one considers the events it set in motion and the careful and devious planning the Dark City orchestrated to achieve such a deadly plan. As we have already mentioned, the Orb would later be used by Lord Nelorian to attack the Dark City thereby revealing its curse, the destruction of all magical items used by members of the wielders party. Having been put into Nelorian’s hands, the champion of the elves, the wheels were set in motion for a most destructive trap. However, as many of the heroes who --- PAGE 56 --- fought at the Catastrophe of the Orb still draw breath, we do not wish to waste any more time with stories the reader could just as easily hear at the local inn, as from our witty pen. Thus we will return to the brief yet pivotal fourth age in which the Dark City cast’s its shadow across the land and undead creatures began to become more and more fearsome. Many theories have been put forth concerning exactly how this took place. Most theorize it to be an area effect brought about by some powerful Elder Sorcery in the Dark City and then spreading across the land. Why Astengrad School did not counter such a powerful spell has been a burning question in the minds of many concerned citizens and baffles many students of history. While none are quite certain of the exact reason, it is most likely due to that fact that countering such a spell would require all the guilds approval, and likely the Necromancers Guild was apposed to countering a spell that would add so much power to their spells. --- PAGE 57 --- While we would love to continue a discussion on the nature of the ethics of mages and wizard policy, as it is not the subject of this footnote we will pass on instead to the subject of the many events that lead up to the invasion of Svodlun and the subsequent loss of the northern territories to Dagdeoth. Many small battles were fought throughout the Fourth age and while they did not appear to have a significant effect on the coming war, each was significant in some way. Dsesnor attacked a group of Ogres in the Peaks of Odilathen, utilizing Dragon’s to fly over and cast elder sorcery from above with devastating effects for all. While this may not seem like a significant event, the war cost Dsesnor a great deal of resources and its people, and all the people of Roekron, were taxed heavily. Furthermore, this attack caused a great deal of outrage in Dagdeoth and stirred up the forces there who began to speak openly of war once again. Dagdeoth troops began to appear across Reokron, sailing in and --- PAGE 58 --- building up strongholds in the swamps and scrublands or deep in the forests. In Temnor and Illionass such strongholds became instant targets for destruction as these nations viewed the appearance of such troops as an unwarranted invasion whereas the Dagdeoth viewed it as retaliation for the Dragon Raids. As their new stronghold were felled and new ones erected, the hatred intensified and the battles became more pronounced. This eventually led to a level of discontent in Dagdeoth that promoted a large scale attack on the rest of Reokron. All they needed was an excuse, and one such retired warlord from the Stonehammer Hills would give them just that, as we shall see. A certain famous hero, now retired warlord know only as Xander, masterminded an ingenious attack on Svodlun through the use of unknown caverns under Mt. Hragnor. His plan was to provide easy access into Svodlun territory for Dagdeoth and thus destroy the monopoly on cheap weaponry the Dwarves had created --- PAGE 59 --- that had cost him so much loss of profit in reselling of goods from slain enemies. In order to put this plan into action he needed to clear out the caverns which had been sealed since before the third age. To do this he hired a band of heroes, keeping his reasons for wanting the tunnel cleared out a secret from them, and rewarding them handsomely for the service, which they did, though not without some trepidation. It is unclear if this barbarian warlord Xander was always under the control of the Dark City or if that happened later, yet it is certainly clear now, for all know of him now as the Carakwaith he has become, and a terrifying one at that. How this plan was orchestrated so well and exactly what role he played in it is not common knowledge to history but it is known that he called a meeting of many nations, namely, Dagdeoth, Hostor, Temnor, Eines Mien and even The Dark City and offered them the chance to attack Svodlun, explaining the advantage Dagdeoth would have using --- PAGE 60 --- the tunnels he had cleared. It is unknown exactly what was agreed upon at this secret meeting but what is clear is that an agreement was reached for, as is well known, within the year the attack on Svodlun had been launched by all the attending parties, with devastating and tragic results. In order to put the attack into perspective, we must briefly visit the dungeons of Mithil Grisodedin and the Elder Sorcery labs therein. It was here, in the depths of the Storm Mages Guild that the now infamous Drakes of Temnor were created. These hideous half-dragons are vicious and bloodthirsty animals, bread for riding and violence. Retaining none of the majesty of true Dragons, these beast bred at a furious pace and only live for a few years. As such they are the perfect expendable weapon. It is not know who precisely mastered the art of their creation but it is theorized that the Storm and Nature mages would have had to collaborate, something that was, until this time, unheard of in --- PAGE 61 --- Temnor. With their new steeds Temnor attacked Svodlun along with Hostor who hoped to regain lost brethren who were being used as slaves in the mithril mines. Eines Mien and Andionion also attack, but only in order to reclaim the land Svodlun took from Andionion at the dawn of the fourth age. While the attack was successful in eventually overthrowing Svodlun, it was not, as we are all aware, successful in the way it was intended. Rather than being a liberation for the hobbits and a return to individually crafted items, the attack backfired with Temnor retreating to defend their homeland as Dsesnor invaded through the Redwash. Dadgeoth turned against Andionion and Hostor once the Dwarves were routed and claimed the mithril mines as spoils freeing none of the slaves. The battles for Krodigros dragged on into the fifth age but the territories of Svodlun had been won by Dagdeoth and are now know as Western Dagdeoth, as much as this historian detests the sound of such a thing. --- PAGE 62 --- Which brings us, of course, to the present day 15820, the fourth or some say fifth age depending on which school of philosophical record keeping one ascribes to. As we do not wish to confuse are weary reader any more then we already have, as much as we have attempted to be absolutely pure in our simple and direct statements of the facts, carefully shying away from frivolous ambiguities and careless expounding, we will stick with our previous ascribe article and claim, as many established scholars have, that this is indeed the fifth age (editor’s note- this was not the fifth age, history now records the fall of Celendil et Necrenef as the dawn of the fifth age, which happens some fifteen years later). While we in no way wish to act as an Oracle, as we have little experience with the workings of the Nature Mages Guild and the workings of their spells, we will go so far as to say that the this age is continually moving towards a Dark Age. One need not mention the Catastrophe of the Orb which crippled much --- PAGE 63 --- of the forces that would have destroyed the Dark City. The appearance of a new legendary weapon forged by the Sorikonian Martial Masters seemed to points towards hope, as did the attack on the Dark City by the mythic Elder Sorcerer Cronos who rode a flying ship into the heart of the Dark City where it erupted in a devastating blast that may have destroyed some of the Carakwaith forever. However, both events seemed to be in vain as an ancient evil was released in Eines Mien, completely removing any thoughts of attack on the Dark City from that quarter. While this evil was eventually put to rest on the day of the second largest attack on the Dark City, or the Battle of the Mirror Sky and we will not attempt to depict the events that transpired therein for reasons already sited, there was still no sizable loss to the Dark City other than the reclaiming of Shadowguard, which, may have been something had not the last twenty five years been so catastrophic for Andionion. As we are --- PAGE 64 --- all aware, the first ten years after the attack were very fruitful for Amir who pressed its advantage with Shadowguard to keep the Dark City on the defensive. This worked well for a time and reached its pinnacle at the historic capture and slaying of the Carakwaith Eclipse, in the ninth year of the attacks and Amir celebrated heartily. Until the now infamous Werek Broden-ie came into his own and devastated lord Redways best Rangers with the Morganti blade Ebonafter in what is now being called the Day of the Dark Lightning. Apparently having channeled some deeper powers within the legendary blade, he is said to have strode across the Shadowguard Bridge alone, an aura of fear causing all to flee in his path. It is said that a “dark lightning” coursed around him like a shield and none-could touch him. He however, had no trouble touching others, as will be attested by the twenty- eight families who lost children to the morganti blade he wielded and the fifty-six more who were killed and simply unrevivable. I --- PAGE 65 --- need not mention the recent loss of all of Illionass to Dagdeoth, the total destruction of the Dwarven Empire, the invasion of Dagdeoth into Andionion and, most recently the securing of the entire lands north of the Celeroth by Dagdeoth and the Dark City who appear to be working together for the time being. Despite the best efforts of such great heroes and heroines as the great paladin Hiro and the benevolent life mage Talys to keep the forces from taking over the Nerigoth groves and the putting down the rebel forces that arose some twenty five years ago, the Nerigoth has been lost, and with it some of the most well renowned warriors against undead. But as that is not the subject of this brief look at history, we will leave the speculation on the current political trends to the Lords and Ladies of the land and return, dutifully to our scholarly work and the subject at hand, history. --- PAGE 66 --- We hope that this footnote has helped to illuminate some of the more subtle details of the previous chapter on the Damasked Short Glaive of Sorikonia and trust that our patient reader will forgive the lack of detail and frank manner used herein, with the understanding that such techniques are sadly necessitated by the need for extreme brevity and straightforward explanations in a footnote such as this. --Artano (15820 4A, day 21, Secondmoon). (a map of the current condition of Roekron at the time of this writing- lines indicate wars)