Gathering allies

Even though not the most powerful enemy, Therodos still looked like a dangerous opponent. Indeed, their mages had so far managed to master much more complex magic than Helheim and that could be a challenge on the battlefield. Furthermore, the Archmage had assisted the previous Pantokrator to quench some revolt and his experience in warfare was something to be accounted for.

Therodos had only 2 real neighbouring nations beyond Helheim. The Empire of Atlantis and the barbarians of Ulm. Helheim had had no diplomatic relationship with Atlantis so far. They were there beneath the oceans and that was it. Their god was a huge black monolith known as “The Unseen”. So there was not much known about it or the Atlanteans, but one thing was sure : they wanted to control the Oceans, all the Oceans, and no one would stop them. And as it stands, Therodos was occupying some large chunks of it, including the very strategic Throne of Water. And this, for Atlantis, was an insult they would not stand for long.

So, Helheim’s diplomatic embassy met a rather positive response : Atlantis had been waiting to take Therodos out for some time and they would be happy to join the crusade against the heretics.

Ulm on the other hand only had a small border with Therodos. Some rich provinces, with a lot of population … but that was all. However, the diplomatic situation with Helheim was rather positive as they had often thought about an alliance against Niefelheim. So, even though Helheim’s proposal was not the one expected, they accepted to join the forecoming war.

And with these two alliances, it was like killing 2 birds with one stone. Not only Therodos would have to disperse its military might against several opponents, but these opponents would be focused on Therodos and thus not thinking on starting a war against Helheim. So far, so good …

It is interesting to note though that Therodos had started a campaign to destroy the small principalty of Rus on the far east. That was also some good news as he had to mobilize some forces to handle it …

Mind hunting the Telkhine

During the war against Machaka, Helheim had made a pact with Therodos. Indeed, the Outer throne that was still neutral at the time would be Therodos’s prize for destroying the heathen. And by the time the council gathered to decide to attack Therodos, the throne was still known to be neutral.

But when the decision had been taken to break the pact and destroy the spectral legions, some dire news had come. The scouts that were keeping watch on the throne had witnessed how Therodos had finally claimed its prize and destroyed the guardians of the Outer throne.

What they described was rather shocking, and spread fear amongst the war leaders. Indeed, the army that had routed the numerous defenders of the throne consisted of only one single creature. About 3 meters tall, human like but with a dog’s head and flippers instead of arms . A really weird sight … but in this time of magic strange things were common and so, why not. No, the scary thing was what that creature was doing. Indeed, a toxic fume surrounded it and was spreading for several hundred meters around it. Every living being that breathed these poisonous fumes started to die slowly and a long exposition to it meant certain death … this was enough to destroy entire armies !

This was already quite a challenge, but the creature had also shown a strong knowledge of elemental magic. Fire, Water, Air, Earth and even Death, no element seemed to have secret for it, and he could use every trick of these powers to be almost invicible. It mastered the ancient and powerful Phoenix Pyre spell which meant that even if killed, it would come back to life, again and again, until exhaustion would prevent it from resurrecting. And killing it once looked already rather difficult as it was equipped with some of the strongest magical items.

Looking into the ancient tomes of knowledge, the scholars discovered what was this beast. A Telkhine, an ancient Titan that had discovered its powerful poison by mixing stygian water and sulfur. The previous Pantokrator had deemed that creation an abomination and had banished him and his kin into the Tartarus for eternity. And it looked that the powerful mages of Therodos had managed a way to call them back …

So, decisions had to be made. That beast could not be left alive, and fighting the spectral legions with a Telkhine on their side was not something anyone wanted. And Lord Kall had the means to kill it. As a powerful master of Astral Magic, he knew how to hunt the mind of his enemies and slay their souls on the spot.

However, that kind of magic had two drawbacks. The first was that an astral mage in the vicinity of the attack could detect the attacker before he could strike and severely damage his mind. That meant that it was very important to ensure no astral users would be wandering around the target of the spell. The second drawback was that when several powerful enemies were in the same region, it was difficult to identify them precisely and the target had to be chosen randomly. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case : the Telkhine was alone, all alone, and didn’t know a thing about astral magic. This was the perfect opportunity to take it down and it was most probable that such a perfect situation would not arise again before long.

The decision for war had just been taken, absolutely nothing was ready for it, but yet it was time to start it. Lord Kall sent his mind into the astral planes and started to look for his target. The hunt was fast and soon he met his soul, a beautiful multi-color one though with some stains of corruption. Finding it was easy, but to slay it he had to be careful. Thanks to the help of a Rune Smasher , he could find the weakspot, and get through it. And there it was, the thin cord that linked the Telkhine’s soul to its body. So thin … so fragile … without hesitation he cut it down. And in the following second the beast fell off to the ground … lifeless …

When the Archmage heard about it he was furious. His rage could be felt into every magical realms … especially given he did not have the slightest idea about who did this ! But the message was clear : “Whoever did this, I will make him pay !”. A few days later the ambassador of Helheim transmitted a formal declaration of war to Therodos, accounting for the death of the Telkhine. The Archmage felt even more betrayed and sent his answer : Yes … we are at war … to the death !

Taking the Outer Throne and pushing south

The first month of war was rather … dull … as nothing happened. Nothing was ready and the dispersed troops had to be gathered to form a sensible army. The formula that had worked against Agartha was renewed and a strong force of 60 Jotun wolves and 120 Valkyries was gathered, supported by enchanters and newly summoned flame spirit commanders .

Soon the Outer Throne was taken. The enemy too had to gather its armies and had thus decided to give it up. Pushing further south Helheim’s army had to take down the enemy fortress of Mireni, and by the end of winter, the citadel was breached. The commanders were quite confident and everyone expected that they would celebrate the new year, the beginning of the 5th year of the Ascension war, in a new stronghold … Mireni would be the future beachhead leading right to the Iron Throne and Machaka.

Therodos grows in power

While the troops were marching on Mireni, the enemy had been preparing himself for a longhaul conflict. The main military commander was fired by the Archmage and replaced by a more experienced one (player was subbed). Previous campaigns had been an easy cake but that coming war was another thing altogether and required the best of the best.

Also, their deep knowledge in advanced magic had allowed them to master a powerful undersea spell. And so they had opened the jaws of Charybdis, the great Maelstrom. And from its jaws it started to suck the riches of the Oceans and give them to the masters of Therodos. Huge quantities of magical gems were now coming in to help the Archmage to defend its realm … a promise for a war even more difficult than expected.