Saturday Book of the Day
stargrace 
(( Every Saturday I try to post one of the books from my collection in the Norrathian Museum I have on the Antonia Bayle server. If you’re interested in donating a book to my library please feel free to mail Ellithia in game (I’ll even send you a blank book if you’re creating from another server) and if you’d like to visit the museum yourself, please feel free. It’s located in North Freeport, at the magical housing in the mage tower. There are over 100 player written books in my collection so far, and I plan on adding as many as I can. ))
Sarek the Betrayer: Vol. 1 by Rezikai
It was some time after Rallos Zek and his sons had been defeated during the second invasion of the Plane of Earth. After executing one of the Raethe council that our story begins, it is with the remaining Rallosian forces on old Tunaria. The Ankexfen had became ravenous goblins, and scattered quickly as their curse hit, as did the Giants. The Orcs stayed as vicious as they could, but started to loose their knowledge of history and such lost future ways to obtain better tactics, theirs was a race doomed to slow decay of their cultures history.
The last of Rallos’ children to suffer were the Ogres, cursed with stupidity their mighty empire slowly crumbled, but they fought to retain much. Learning what they could of the new arcane art of necromancy. Trying to ensure their older generations held strong in their minds, and the old ways.
The Council of War in Oggok, horded their remaining forces on Tunaria, they knew that eventually all of the old generations would die and their knowledge of tactics and war with them. They had precious little time to conquer all that they could before these generations fell to the curse.
They put their faith in the greatest of their field generals, Sarek. They entrusted him to become the great warrior of Oggok that K’Ven had been for the Teir`Dal of the Rallosian mercenaries.
Sarek was a formidable warrior, one of the few remaining generals who had survived the invasion of earth and returned. But his lust for power was so great he was willing to forsake his people for it. He called out to the gods, asking their favor in secret.
He wished power that was beyond the mortal realm. His call was answered when many of the good gods agreed to raise him to a semi-deity if he agreed to stop the remeaining Rallosian armies from destroying the rest of their creations.
He agreed, and set in motion his plan of treachery. He went before the Council of War in Oggok, and made his case for the invasion of the unknown lands to the far southwestern reaches of Tunaria, and the northern mountains of Raethe where the many maddened mages resided deep past the northern pass into the Geomancer’s Citadel.
The Council of War foolishly agreed, too worried of their time left to conquer for mortal kingdoms while Sarek had his sights set much higher. His grand plan laid before him, as he ordered three quarters of the Tunarian legions of the empire to Oggok to set forth a mighty campaign. The War Council were cautious at so many warriors assmebled, but their blind faith in Sarek, and his assurances that so many were needed to complete more campaigns before the final years of the curse fully engulfed their race let their better judgement slip aside for their own lust for power.
Sarek ordered the massive force into two main columns. The first would head North into the Geomancers Pass, on until it seiged the citadel. Taking the knowledge the crazed mages had back to Oggok to learn from and help slow the god’s curse on their race. The second column were destined south deep into the land of the Dead Hills, where the fabled Tal`Thex secrety rested with its secrets of the Elddar’s most powerfull mages, that could be exploited for the Rallosian empire.
The plan of attack was for Sarek to lead the second column of legions to search for the pagoda of Tal`Thex. While the first started the great trek north to seige the citadel and overtake any resistance of the geomancers.
If so needed forces from the second column could reinforce the first. The Pagoda wasnt expect to have much resistance aside from some old living golems and perhaps some ancient Elddar soldiers, it was expected to be a quick victory. The two massive armies set out from Oggok, marching towards what they thought was the saving of their race.The route of the first coulmn lead through geomancers pass, the legions encountered the crazed mages, free roaming animations, summoned elementals, golems, and unliving amalgamations. They encountered light resistance at first slaughtering the maddened wizards and enchanters they encountered who defied them.
The Ogres pressed on, fighting through more and more heavier resistance passing massive golems and larger enchanted animations. The assualt of the animations and golems were relentless they needed no sleep they needed no food, they just kept coming. The Ogre commanders searched for the mages summoning them but rarely did they ever find a mage or enchanter in control of these pets, as if they lived on their own.
The tide of battle seemed to turn when they finally reach the base of the geomancers citadel. A massive set of arcane towers created from ages past resting atop sheer cliffs of a ashen covered mountain, now inhabited by the most powerfull of animations and mages created their own dark rituals of elemental magics.
It was here the true number of defenders of geomancers citadel were shown, thousands of animations and golems, elementals and amalgamations stood assembled as they readied to defend their pinnacle of power. The Ogres had taken losses but would not be turned away and launched their armies at mountain fortress.
The Legions of Oggok took heavy losses but to die in battle was honor in the eyes of Rallos! Days into the seige the animations and elementals withdrew shortly, which bewildered the Ogre commanders, they saw this as a chance to gain more ground up the massive cliffs, they pushed their remaining forces foward into the wrah of the amalgamations and golems.
It was here the few powerfull elven and human mages that dwelled within the citadel unleashed their trap. massive waves of water elementals came from the beaches on the western shore of the mountain cutting a swathe deep into the Rallosian lines. Those cut off turned to battle in front and behind while the commanders held stubborn unwilling to withdraw. “For Rallos! For Sarek!” they cried.
Their cries of war would be their last, as many were slaughtered. The Ogre commanders realized the dire situation but tried to hold ranks to retreat and reassemble, the true nature of the mages and wizards trap very quickly became far to obvious. The dead soldiers cut off, from the rest were being pounded and burned into lumps of flesh, reformed with elements to create more amalgamations, golem, summoned pets, and now the geomancers force had grown two fold.
The Ogre commanders in less then a day were now in peril of loosing more then the battle, their soldiers were being slain and risen against them too fast, and they needed no rest of battle. They dispatched messengers to Oggok and to the second column to call for reinforcments immediately, mere days before they would soon meet their end. Few fled battle in the Rallosian ranks most stayed until their death, all but a handfull of the messengers were slain trying to make it through geomancers pass back to Oggok.Those very few that survived the travel back through geomancers pass reach Oggok to tell the tail of failure, they were thrown in chains as failures, traitors to the
empire. The Council of War sent messengers to contact Sarek’s column.No word was ever recieved from Sarek’s column of Rallosians.