The Goblin King of Avarentia

I once believed I understood the war that took my kingdom.

I was wrong.

What I mistook for conquest was something far deeper. Something far more patient. Now, as I sit in the silence left behind, I see it clearly.

It began with handshakes and smiles.

I am Adair Delphicai, the Last King of the Kaels.

In the elder days, long before my kin and I drew breath, there were Gods that lived in Avarentia, the Empyrean Lords. They were beings of immense power, and the architects of the world. From their forges came the first Kaelian, born of mud and fire, and given the breath of life by Lord Tristian himself.

The Empyrean Lords fell from grace when the New Age arrived, bringing with it new Gods…the ones of the Exhaled Palisades. In the Empyrean’s absence, the knowledge they left behind became both relic and temptation. Some sought to preserve the old ways, believing that power itself was their inheritance.

One such group was known as the Varantians. They were not a race, but a creed. A gathering of sorcerers, soldiers and warlords who believed in the Empyrean way, that power was not given, but taken. They studied the old arts in secret, delving into forbidden knowledge, residing in the hidden places of the world.

The leader of the Empire, Seth Varanth, came to power not by conquest, but by promise...safety, prosperity, peace. He appeared as a wolf in sheep's clothing, performing magical favors for the peoples of Avarentia, using his mastery of sorcery and arcane knowledge to make their crops thrive, their cattle grow strong, and their young prosper. He traveled the length and breadth of the world, gaining in notoriety and word of mouth.

The king at the time, King Killian, had heard of Seth's exploits and requested an audience with him. The Magician told Killian of his travels, and all he had learned of the arcane arts along the way. He claimed he could teach the king about the greater world, and advise him on the ways of kingdoms beyond Kaelian borders.

Seth hailed from Roth, a northern city of the Forbidden Lands. It is a place so far removed from Kael that it might as well have been another world. Ages before I was born, a great blight fell from the sky, scouring the land. Where other cities fell and the desert swallowed the earth, Roth weathered the storm. No Kaelian had set foot in Roth since before the blight. What we knew of them came from fragmented, equivocal stories.

Seth arrived one day, a stranger in strange clothing, his cloaks rimmed with furs. No one in Kael had ever seen someone quite like him before. His silky black hair fell below his shoulders, and his eyes were silver and luminous, like the moon. His pale features were angular and almost delicate, each finger adorned with rings set with stones and crystals of unfamiliar craft.

The Magician had heard rumblings of war between the three kingdoms, Kaelian, Elven and Dwarven. Indeed, it was during the later part of Killian's reign that trouble came to the lands. The three kingdoms were at odds with each other over resources and land, and war seemed inevitable.

It took several years, but Seth came up with a plan of peace that benefited each of the three kingdoms. A treaty would be drawn up, and the land divided in the most equitable way possible, as dictated by Seth. A bartering system would be implemented as well, and goods and other wares would travel unhindered throughout the lands. The other kings were pleased with Seth's proposition, and peace reigned once again.

The people prospered under Killian's rule, and the land thrived through the use of Seth's magic. He served Killian faithfully for many decades. As the king grew older with each passing year, Seth did not. It seemed quite the opposite, Seth retained the sharp mind and appearance of a much younger man, becoming seemingly more youthful with each new decade.

When Killian passed into the Exalted Palisades, Seth pledged his allegiance to his son, Gwaen. When Gwaen died several generations later, he became advisor to Gwaen's son, Keegan.

Seth took a liking to the young Keegan, often taking him upon his knee, enchanting him with tales of distant lands and magic. Keegan was enraptured with these stories, and Seth would laugh with delight at the boy's wonder. He would ruffle Keegan's dark hair, and tell him how much he resembled his own son, Trent, when he was the young prince's age.

The Magician took Keegan under his wing, both as a young boy, and as an adult sovereign. The two had formed a bond that was seemingly unbreakable. Keegan grew up to be a well rounded, well traveled man. He became one of the most revered rulers in all of Kael's history, and was able to rule with much wisdom, all due to Seth and his personal favor of the boy.

But as close as Keegan was to his friend and advisor, Seth had kept his own secrets. It wasn't unusual for Seth to travel, and he began disappearing for months at a time. There was peace in the land, and only Keegan was concerned about his friend's comings and goings. Seth would leave without warning, being in his chambers one evening and gone the next. He stayed within the Forbidden Lands for many moons.

Keegan had begun worrying about Seth, the Magician had always kept to his own company, but would talk to Keegan as if he were a brother, not King. Something had been bothering Seth, a thing that he kept secret behind those ageless eyes. He left in a hurry one evening, flying from the castle without even a word, and this time, Keegan wasn't sure if he would ever see his friend again.

But return Seth did. When the Magician came back from his most recent jaunt across the lands, he seemed a different man, aloof and distant. There was a callousness about him now, and patience was no longer a virtue he possessed. Seth had always been quick to smile, his silvery eyes radiating warmth. But the man that now stood before Keegan was grim and careworn. Something fundamental had changed in Seth, and it took a toll on his wellbeing. Indeed, his once jet black hair was now peppered with silvery strands, and there were lines of concern on his pale face.

He came bearing news of an uprising in Channelbrey, a territory within the Kael. He said there was an army hiding out, dissidents displeased with the treaty set upon the land. They felt, Seth said, they deserved more than their forebears had got, and told Keegan they had to be dealt with swiftly, before the dissidents had a chance to gain more followers and resources.

There was little time for council, and even less time for doubt.

And so, to Channelbrey we rode through the night, Keegan, my younger brother, Anlon, and myself. I was head of the prestigious Order of the Kaels, which were the king's own personal knights.

Seth said we should lie in wait just outside the city of Channelbrey, on the outskirts of the bogs for which the city was famous for. There, we would wait for our enemy.

No one had any reason to doubt the sorcerer. He had met with my knights and I in the local tavern many a time. He was always gregarious, and praised our hard work in keeping harmony in the land, buying us drinks or telling tales of the wider world. Seth, once an outsider, had become a treasured member of Kaelian society.

But by dawn, we were beginning to see the error of our ways.

There was a bloody sun that day, and an impenetrable fog that seemed supernatural in its making. Seth had promised the weather would be on our side, he had foretold it. He was never wrong in these matters.

By the time we realized we had been surrounded, it was far too late. A battle ensued, but the unnatural fog made it hard for the knights to find the enemy. Keegan was calling out for Seth, asking for his aid.

Seth suddenly strode through the fog, sword drawn, and a full regiment of men behind him. His smile was full of malice. Keegan called to his knights to retreat, but they backed right into more of Seth's supporters.

It was there, on the battlefield of Channelbrey, that Seth loudly proclaimed himself to be of the Empyrean Lord's lineage, and ordered Keegan and his knights to lay down their weapons. Keegan refused, dumbfounded by this new turn of events, and Seth came rushing at him, sword drawn high.

My brother saw what was about to transpire and jumped to aid the king. But he mistimed his steps, and was instead struck down by the blow meant for Keegan.

I was powerless to stop it, being held at bay by blade point. I witnessed my brother being struck down, and was filled with a murderous rage. I began lashing out viciously at the enemy around me. The Order followed suit, and for a brief moment we had gained the upper hand. Because of the fog, though, we became mired within the bogs, and found ourselves easy targets for the Varanthians, as Seth's army called themselves, taking his last name.

King Keegan had retreated, but was stymied by the bogs. Seth Varanth strode through the fog towards him, the mists parting to make way for him as he walked. He and Keegan soon came face to face, and a battle between the two developed.

Both men fell into the muck and mire, the fighting brutal. Keegan had Seth pinned, but the sorcerer lashed out and managed to free himself. Seth rose to his feet and kicked Keegan's sword into the bog. The king drew a small blade he had kept on him, and stuck it into Seth's calf. The Magician howled in pain, and lashed out at the king, who had managed to get back on his feet. Keegan blocked the blows with his gauntleted arms, being forced deeper and deeper into the mire. We were unable to come to his aid, as the Varanthians had decimated our ranks. Keegan grabbed hold of Seth's blade and pushed it to the side, headbutting the sorcerer. Seth took but a step back before beginning his assault anew.

Finally, Keegan fell to his knees, too beaten down to defend himself. He knelt there in the muck, looking up at his once friend, hatred burning in his eyes. Not a word was spoken between them. Before Keegan got the chance to ask why, Seth raised his sword up and brought it down with a mighty thrust. It struck Keegan's breastplate, splitting the iron armor and burying itself deep into his chest. The Varanthian leader stepped back, away from Keegan's reaching hand. The king fell to his side into the bog, eyes wide and glassy, and stirred no more.

After much confusion and hardship, I rallied together the rest of the knights who were left standing, and we fought our way out of the bogs. We retreated back to Tremain, the Kaelian capital city, passing on word of the king's murder and betrayal by none other than Seth Varanth himself.

We fortified our cities as best as we could, but soon the Varanthians marched upon them. The Empire used arcane knowledge and magical warfare to poison the very land itself. Fresh water swiftly became foul, squalid cesspools, and any plants whose roots drank from those tainted waters quickly browned then blackened. Livestock began to perish. People fell ill with strange maladies, the likes of which had never been seen before. Some were granted a quick death, while others would linger for weeks, even months, in terrible pain.Supplies began to run low, the old lines of travel having been cut off by the Empire. By this time, the Empire's reach had extended into all three of the Kingdoms, Kaelian, Dwarven and Elven. Each kingdom powerless against the Empire's magical warfare. The Varanthians did not spare the Elven or Dwarven folk, unleashing an all out assault on their lands. Seth Varanth wanted all peoples of Avarentia to acknowledge him as their rightful ruler as, he claimed, he was descended from the elder Gods. Each kingdom stood alone against the onslaught of Varanthian hordes.

King Keegan had no heir to take over the throne. There was much squabbling and infighting amongst the Elders, but eventually the village elders decided that I was to rule in Keegan's stead, being the lead knight in the King's Order. I knew how to manage troops, but a whole kingdom was a different matter altogether. It was with great reluctance that I accepted the crown when it was presented to me.

It has been ten long years since Keegan and Anlon's deaths, and since I had been crowned king. And still the assault continues. The Dwarves had been amongst the first of the three kingdoms to fall. They put up a great fight, but were no match for the magical warfare brought to them by the Varanthians. The Elves had held their own for several more years before finally becoming overrun with the Empire. The Goblins, who were not a part of the three kingdoms, were among the last peoples to fall, leaving only my people to stand alone.

I felt the whole weight of the world upon my shoulders, the people looked to me to end this war. They trusted me to do right by them. So why do I feel as if I had betrayed that trust? I had not been able to keep Kael safe from the Varanthians. We are a lone candle burning in the darkness, resolute, but fragile. One breath of wind is all it would take to extinguish that light forever. And Seth was about to unleash a gale.