The Sword of Sidona

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Part 1: The Conquest of Keltia

Severus of Ceptaloria

In the very early days of Keltia, when the continent was mostly dominated by the Atteran Empire, the northeast was a wild region dominated by warring tribes and no cohesive government. The Atterans had conquered the entirety of central Keltia, from Los Bananos to the Skerries. But they were halted in the west by the Treesians at Lake Tulsa, and could expand no further in that direction. So they turned their attention back east and found their progress checked by the unruly natives and the seafaring raiders of Akerbjorn.

Around the same time, the Kingdom of Delvenus ruled over the Brettish Isles, which was experiencing a period of relative stability as the feudal lords coveted their respective fiefdoms. The Solomirathius of Delvenus, god-king of the country, Fax Celestis, ruled with a benevolent yet iron fist over his country. While Delvenus expressed its complete neutrality, maintaining an otherwise isolationist policy, it was not adverse to making arrangements that would bolster the kingdom's coffers.

Thus in 1379 AN, Ras Makonnen of Attera sent an envoy to Urbia Delvenus beseeching the Solomirathius to loan him an army of mercenaries in exchange for a sizable sum of gold. Unable to resist such a lucrative offer, King Celestis sent out a call for soldiers of fortune to heed the call. The untamed eastern banks of Keltia would be theirs for plundering, and the funds from Attera would be icing on the cake. Many noble knights responded to the call and came forth with their personal armies, hoping that their service would result in a return home with untold riches.

But Celestis didn't stop there. He knew an opportunity when he saw one. The prisons and poor houses were emptied and the men given basic weapons training, some meager clothes and provisions, and kept in line by harsh overlords. Assembling a vast fleet in 1382, the mercenaries set sail for Keltia in two large armadas. Among them was the Lord of Ceptaloria, Baltazar Severus, leading an army of a two-thousand soldiers from the far north of Delvenus.

In the late spring months of 1384, the two armadas landed on the shores of Keltia. The Northern Fleet, led by Prince Halcyon, landed near modern-day West Grinstead. The Southern Fleet, led by Lord Severus, landed near the city of Newhaven. Between the two fleets, over thirty-thousand soldiers landed on the shores of Keltia that spring in what the locals would later call the Tide of Blood.

Pinched between the Atteran armies in the west and the mercenaries in the east, the native population crumbled under the onslaught. Severus' army moved southwest, coming into conflict with Chief Lockgar of Akerbjorn. But Severus, sensing an opportunity, bribed Lockgar into siding with the invaders. By promising to leave Akerbjorn alone and hiring a battalion of berserkers to aid his army, Severus managed to keep Lockgar and his armies at bay. Severus' affinity with the magical arts may also have helped to convince Lockgar, whose dim-witted mind was easily wooed by spectacle.

With his army and berserkers, Severus began the conquest of eastern Keltia in earnest. As Halcyon decimated the north, Severus moved to secure his own territory for plundering. Among his accoutrements, Severus carried with him the fabled Ice Sword, a magical sword from the lords of Ceptaloria that bestowed its owner with near invincible prowess in combat. None dared contest his power so long as he carried the sword, which resulted in a near-fanatical following by his generals.

Severus' plan was simple: divide and conquer. To this end he appointed three of his most-trusted generals to lead his armies. Sir Julian d'Alenjon, Kemal Hazrabizan, and Artur Dorian, were each entrusted with an army while Severus himself led a vanguard with his berserkers.

As the conquest progressed, Severus and Halcyon exchanged messages via courier and both noted their respective victories. It came as a revelation to both that the Solomrathius held little power with the armies so far from home, and that Attera, who had already overextended itself, could not conquer the area either. Thus they both quickly realized the opportunity was ripe to conquer the lands for themselves. Halcyon was the first to rebel against Celestis, and declared the Kingdom of Syrah in the north, occupying most of modern-day Mercury. Severus, on the other hand, marched west and established a stronghold that he called Crestfalia. From here he declared the Kingdom of Sidona during the summer months of 1400.

Severus' generals began to carve out dominions of their own. D'Alenjon, a knight of mixed Brettish and Alexandrian heritage, carved out his own duchy. Dorian, another Brettish knight, established a small mountaintop earldom. Meanwhile, Hazrabizan, a Babkhan mercenary who had been hired by Severus and was well-known for his callousness in battle, carved out the largest amount of territory, surrounding the two smaller dominions. Severus kept the three in line through the sheer brute power of the sword and his berserkers. And so the mercenary kingdoms of Syrah and Sidona were born.

Part 2: The Sundering

As Severus and Halcyon consolidated power over their lands, their grip tightened on northeast Keltia. Delvenus was essentially powerless to counter the rebellion of their mercenary armies, and Celestis consoled himself with the fact that he had rid his shores of traitors and lined his coffers with Atteran gold. The Atterans, for their part, were also powerless to confront the mercenary kingdoms. But the sly Ras Diga Makonnen was not so easily turned away, and conspired to seize the lands one way or another.

Playing the benevolent friend who forgives and forgets, Makonnen offered a truce to Syrah and Sidona, even going so far as to offer tribute. Halcyon was easily swayed by the offer and immediately allied himself with the Atterans on promise of more riches. But Severus was not so easily convinced, and rebutted the offer, much to Makonnen's anger. Diga began to develop a vendetta against Severus and sought ways to undermine the power of Crestfalia.

Makonnen found an ally in the greedy Hazrabizan. Kemal had been born in on Eura in Babkha but had been captured by pirates at a young age. Subjected to the harsh life at an early age, he killed his first man at the age of seven, earning the respect of the pirate crew who had abducted him. By sixteen he was commanding his own ship and crew. Plying the waters of Micras his fleet ended up pirating off the coast of Delvenus when a local warlord offered him a contract as a mercenary. Soon he was a warlord himself, trading his ship for a castle, and eventually becoming employed by Severus. But his greed could not be sated, and Makonnen played into this by offering him the throne of Crestfalia.

Hazrabizan had accumulated the most land of the three generals, and soon began to covet complete power over Sidona. Attera secretly promised him riches and power, easily swaying his loyalty. Kemal's main opponent was Severus himself, who still held the Ice Sword.

Hazrabizan

The Ice Sword itself was a mysterious weapon imbued with magical properties. Its touch was said to cause those touched with immediate and severe freezing. In battle, Severus merely needed to brush an opponent with the sword and that person would instantly freeze as if petrified. He would often follow up with a swift jab that would shatter the frozen body into a million shards. He could also strike the ground with it, sending shockwaves of ice shooting towards enemy troops. Needless to say, the sight of this sent fear into his enemies and was, in good part, why he was able to conquer so much territory.

Makonnen and Hazrabizan began conspiring how to separate Severus from his sword. Attera also began secretly building up Hazrabizan's domain, funneling weapons and more mercenaries into his lands, eventually dwarfing the power of the other generals. By 1415 Hazrabizan's power was supreme and only the threat of the sword held him in check. Under the guise of being requested to attend a ceremony in Argaath Perez, Kemal was invited west to confer with Makonnen in the Atteran capital.

Once in Argaath Perez, the Ras took Hazrabizan to the Red Mountain of Qeyterara, a holy shrine of the Atterans. Here he was given training as an assassin and master archer, becoming an Immortal; the term used for only the most elite of the death-dealers. His sword was also imbued with the fires of the mountain. This, of course, was kept secret from all except the innermost circle of the conspirators. Within a year Hazrabizan was sent back to his castle with what the Ras hoped was power enough to oppose the might of Severus and his sword.

So in 1418 Hazrabizan made his first move against the power of Crestfalia by launching an unprovoked invasion of the Earldom of Dorian. The small mountain dominion was easy prey, but served as a good test of Kemal's power. Dorian fell from his horse with an arrow through his heart, and Hazrabizan claimed the earldom for his own. Severus' objections fell on deaf ears as Hazrabizan set his sights on d'Alenjon's duchy to the west.

This time Severus could no longer sit idle and rallied his berserkers to aid d'Alenjon in battle. A mighty battle was joined as the two sides met just west of the duchy's boundaries. Severus and his white steed towered over the field as he charged forth followed by his army. D'Alenjon struck off into a charge and met Hazrabizan first. The two fought fiercely but Kemal had the upper hand with his assassin training and bested the Duke quickly, running him through with his sword.

As d'Alenjon went down Severus turned his attention to Hazrabizan and the two met with a clash of sword. Hazrabizan tried to fire off an arrow at close range but Severus sliced through his bow with the sword, freezing and shattering it in the process. His fingers feeling the icy fingers approaching, dropped the bow as it crumbled to the ground. Drawing his sword, the two exchanged glances. Severus was shocked when the Ice Sword rebounded against the counter power of the Fire Sword.

As the two continued to battle, Severus' forces noticed the immunity that Hazrabizan's sword held against the Ice Sword and began to fear his victory. Some fled the field, while others fought more fiercely, but all eyes were on the two lords. Severus took a stab to the left shoulder, the skin steaming as the fire magic burned him. But he would not be cowed and fought back unyieldingly, knowing that anything less would mean death.

Severus took two more serious wounds and it seemed as though the battle was lost as Hazrabizan gained the upper hand. Their steeds lost to wounds both men had dismounted and were fighting on foot. The battle around them had come to nearly a halt as both sides watched and waited to see the outcome. As Severus staggered back, he tripped on a root and fell backwards onto the ground. Kemal, gloating over him, raised his sword in a final stroke to end the battle. As he swept downward Severus raised the Ice Sword and muttered a spall as the two weapons came together in a thunderclap.

As the Fire Sword hit the Ice Sword the sound was of an avalanche coming off a mountain as if struck by lightning. The shockwave burst forth like a detonation and sent those nearby sprawling on the ground. As the dust cleared Hazrabizan held in his hands the shattered remains of the Fire Sword, gaping in disbelief at the loss of his weapon. It was a pause just long enough for Severus to jab his sword upward and run Hazrabizan through the heart. Kemal stiffened and froze, and with a sharp kick, Severus sent the warlord flying back into a rock where his body shattered.

Hazrabizan's men stood speechless, many dropping their weapons. Their leader killed, Hazrabizan's forces went into disarray and began to flee or surrender. Renewed by Severus' success, his and the remaining forces of d'Alenjon quickly swept the field as Hazrabizan's commanders surrendered and swore allegiance to Crestfalia.

But the victory was not without a cost. Severus had been struck several times by the fire sword, and magical wounds do not heal as easily as those of normal weapons. Although Severus was able to emerge victorious, sending the frozen head of Kemal back to Argaath Perez as a warning, he never fully healed from the battle. For his part, the Ras retreated from interfering further in Sidona and set his eyes on Syrah. Severus would rule as absolute lord of Sidona for the next thirty years.

By 1445, his wounds festering from the lapse of time and old age catching up, Severus knew his time left on Micras was short. Fearing an Atteran invasion and refusing to give up his power, he left Crestfalia with his berserkers and went forth into the wilderness with the Ice Sword. Here he hid it from all mortal eyes. When he returned to Crestfalia, he was borne forth upon a bier by his berserkers, dead and without his sword.

Without an heir and without the sword, Sidona collapsed into infighting as petty warlords vied to seize Crestfalia for their own. Within a few short years the kingdom had devolved into barbarism. Severus' berserkers fled back to Akerbjorn, which had been taken over by Shireroth. Halcyon, losing himself to greed, eventually lost his throne to the Atterans. Thus Sidona passed into the annals of history.

Rumor has it that the berserkers of Akerbjorn carried with them the secret of the Sword of Sidona, and that they hid it away before their civilization too left this world. But that secret too is lost to time.