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Book Asgard During the Great War

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Wolf Rawrrr

Wolf-Knight
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Asgard During the Great War



War never changes. No matter who or what fights on which side, in what field or gulf, or for which purpose - blood is spilled, lives are lost, and the world left scarred. In the end there is an aftermath written by the victor and a temporary calm before the next storm. Such is the fate of mortal beings in their folly. What is known today as the Great War might have been unique in its scale but remains all the same by the other criteria. It tore the kingdom apart, ended the rule of an uninterrupted bloodline, and left behind nations in fear over an uncertain future.

It began in the year 3318, by the appearance of a powerful human sorceress who commanded a vast demonic legion and invaded the kingdom without warning or declaration of war. The exact origin of the Sorceress, Ilhirel, remains unknown just like mostly everything else about her. What is clear is that the demonic invasion begun in the Northeast of the continent. Given how sparsely populated and far from proper civilization that region is, it took days before the first news even reached the kingdom. Meanwhile Ilhirel's legions were on constant move, relentlessly marching towards central Asgard and mercilessly destroying all in their path. It took them about two weeks to reach Western Asgard at the foothills of the Fangír Mountains - twice as fast than would be expected from a standard army unit. This is attributed to the otherworldly abilities of demonkind and the fact that their progress was essentially unhindered. By the time Ilhirel's troops reached this point, of course, the Royal Army was already alerted and rallied, and defensive positions were established near the eastern slopes of the Fangír, north of Thornwood. This is where the detailed recounting of the Great War's flow and impact will take place in this book.



Part 1: The First Contact Battle

The aforementioned location, east of the Fangír Mountains and north of Thornwood Forest, was where the first clash between Asgardians and demons took place. Unsure of the exact numbers of the enemy and with only the limited military intelligence to rely on, mostly speculations and confirmed sighting reports, King Anglimar Tenárus sent roughly a third of the Royal Army, some ten thousand mixed infantry and cavalry, into the general area to meet the enemy. Of this number, seven thousand fought while the remaining troops were divided to guard the far flanks as a precaution. The battle took place on 17th August 3318, in the afternoon, and turned out to be the first but also last significant victory achieved by Asgard in the Great War. As it was later revealed, the demonic legions had scattered before they reached the site so only a part actually participated in the fray. It was a relatively easy victory with minimal losses and though it bolstered the Asgardians' morale it also lulled their commanders into a sense of false supremacy. They underestimated the enemy and paid the price for it in the very next skirmish.


Part 2: The Fall of Darkvale

One branch of the demonic legion had gone around the Fangír Mountains and then down following the river Dunnaev. It was on the east bank of the river, some five miles south of the city of Dunn, that their incursion was interrupted by the allied forces in the area on 20th August 3318. These forces were composed of Dunn's city watch, some 500 men at best, and the division of the Royal Army that split from the main group sent to meet the bulk of the enemy horde. Together they totaled just over 2000 including the fighters and hunters of the armed groups operating in the region. Unfortunately, what were supposed to be roving demonic bands turned out to be an overwhelming enemy force that completely annihilated the defenders. Supposedly a mere 200 or less survived the encounter and made it back across the river to request reinforcements from Eldshaw. The Shadow Elves did respond fairly quickly due to already being alarmed and thus having troops in the general area but it took them too long to reach Dunn and the city had already fallen by the time they arrived. One desperate attempt was made to drive the demons out, but it failed due to constant flow of enemy reinforcements from the north. The elves were ultimately forced to withdraw their surviving regiments from Darkvale and once that happened the region officially fell into enemy hands. Overwhelming demonic numbers made the situation beyond hopeless for any offensive and presented a grave danger for all allied forces stationed on the plains of Fangír nearby.


Part 3: The Betrayal of Knalga and the Great Defeat

Threatened by the events in Darkvale and the sudden arrival of the real bulk of the demonic horde, the entire Royal Army force stationed in the eastern Fangír plains had to quickly retreat or otherwise risk being overrun. This move enabled Ilhirel's forces to follow the line of the mountains and approach the dwarven capital of Darkreach to which they laid siege on the 23rd of August. By King Anglimar's orders the Royal Army was to wait for reinforcements so the dwarves were left to fend for themselves - a move criticized by some but generally seen as sadly necessary because the demons had already been confirmed to exceed a staggering twenty thousand, completely outnumbering what allied troops were stationed on the plains at the time. The siege of Darkreach lasted for days and resulted in complete destruction of the outer parts of the city as well as the outskirts, but the inner city still held strong thanks to dwarven resilience and cleverly used choke points that nullified the enemy's advantage of numbers. Unable to penetrate it so far and unable to leave until the city was taken, Ilhirel sent messengers to the dwarven leaders with promises of riches, power and even independence once she secured the throne. In the end, her diplomacy was what defeated the dwarves. Faced with a choice between a long and bloody struggle that would likely result in their defeat and a privileged position in Ilhirel's new order, the dwarven high society was split and eventually drawn into a short but violent civil war.

The kingdom of Knalga had long sought to regain its former independence and the radicals finally managed to convince the majority that this was the chance they were waiting for. Thus the dream of a free dwarven kingdom was realized by dwarves spilling the blood of dwarves while the enemy was battering their front gates - the ruling hierarchy was cast down and Knalga surrendered to Ilhirel who eventually lived up to her promise and left the dwarves alone after she crowned herself Queen... Mostly, for though the dwarves would come to enjoy a much greater degree of freedom under the Sorceress than under the Tenárus bloodline, she never granted them true independence and maintained that they still answered to her. The dwarven betrayal, though understood by some, remains a reason for resentment even today.

During the week that passed to bring these events to life, the Royal Army had received the reinforcements from Hyerald but not Daskárd which was cut off by a third branch of Ilhirel's legions, and found itself at the peak of its glory with thirty thousand soldiers strong when they finally clashed with the enemy on the 1st of September 3318 in what would become known as the Great Defeat. Because even though the enemy numbers were significantly reduced during the siege, somewhere in the middle of the battle on the plains they received sudden reinforcements from both the northeast as well as from Darkvale and became equal to the allied forces. What finally unbalanced the odds was Ilhirel taking to the field herself and finally demonstrating her powers for all to see. It was a shocking surprise for even the greatest mages among the army to realize that they were nowhere near to be a match for Ilhirel when she split the earth itself and called down waves upon waves of fire and brimstone from the sky. Some of her own troops were destroyed in the process but apparently it was a readily paid price for ultimate victory.

Ilhirel's full array of powers was never determined, because among the survivors there were few of those who were close enough to witness what else she did besides the globally obvious. Her actions led to the Plains of Fangír being renamed the Wasteland of Fangír, for there was nothing left once she and her legions passed through. In the aftermath, the Royal Army was annihilated and only a sad few thousand survived to retreat back to the capital to report their defeat. After this point, besides a couple successful standoffs elsewhere in the country, the beginning of the end of Asgard unfolded.


Part 4: The Sacrifice of the Kossar


Almost the entirety of the army of the Kossariat League fought in what history would remember as the Great Defeat but despite the incredible bravery and skill of the Kossar, the Sorceress still claimed victory in the end. This did not only spell doom for Alicante, but also for the Seven Cities of the Kossar that lay on the other side of the Thornwood. The enemy may have been heading for the kingdom's capital with the bulk of what was left of the demonic legion, but a small yet substantial number separated and marched against the Kossar - still an overwhelming force compared to the couple thousand surviving warriors plus what was left in the cities themselves. So it was that the Kossar Exodus took place. Seeing what was coming, the nation decided to altogether leave their homes behind and flee further to the East. But they were too proud to let the enemy simply walk in and claim what was once theirs. The Kossar did the unimaginable and burned down each of their seven cities themselves as they abandoned them, refusing to give any satisfaction to Ilhirel's hounds. Unfortunately, the suffering of these proud people did not end there. Their westernmost cities barely evacuated on time and many more died at the hands of their demonic pursuers before they finally regrouped in the safety of the eastern forests that were outside of Ilhirel's reach, or at least interest. Since then the Kossar have been waging non-stop guerrilla warfare against Ilhirel in cooperation with the Resistance that was later formed, hoping to someday reclaim their land.


Part 5: The Treason of the Drakkar


Most if not all of the royal troops were ordered to move out of Daskárd and march north to Fangír in order to join the main army that was gathering there. These troops were intercepted by the third branch of Ilhirel's legions somewhere halfway and never made it to their destination, but even if they did, what happened in Darran next would still take place. The drakkar authorities, realizing that Asgard will either fall or be seriously crippled in victory, used the opportunity to proclaim independence from the rest of the kingdom. And since the Royal Army moved out of the area, there was no one to dispute the decision. This didn't come as a surprise. After all, the drakkar were forced into submission as the newest addition to Asgard and have been looking for a way out since. Ilhirel eventually swayed the drakkar over with her power and promises of sharing it, and Daskárd became an independent state though officially they had to acknowledge the Sorceress as their ruler - similar to what happened with the dwarves. This didn't sit well with some drakkar leaders but it was voted as the better alternative to going to war with someone who just destroyed a kingdom mightier than theirs. And as power-hungry as most drakkar are, they were eager to accept whatever she was willing to give them, especially since she did not meddle too deep into their affairs anyway.


Part 6: The Battle for Alicante

On 8th September 3318 the Sorceress and her hellish army finally reached the capital of Asgard and besieged it with all they had. King Anglimar refused to leave the city and flee across the sea, instead choosing to make his stand with his people. There were still many souls defending Alicante, the last bastion of hope for the kingdom, despite the tragic losses in the Great Defeat. Here gathered the last forces of men and shadow elves, which altogether counted over twenty thousand soldiers and knights. An impressive number considering the circumstances, but that meant that there was nothing left if they lost. As for the enemy, most reports agree that they outnumbered the defenders two to one which were still good odds when one took into account that Alicante was the best fortified city in Asgard which offered a significant advantage to the garrison. Unfortunately, this did little to stop the demons when they were being led by Ilhirel herself. It was the sorceress that made the difference that day with her powerful magic that swept away all in her path. It took nearly the whole day, but section by section the city fell and its defenders either died or fell back. Eventually, the Sorceress made it to the throne room where she faced King Anglimar Tenárus himself who challenged her to a duel, but Ilhirel laughed and simply killed him using magic where he stood, ending the Tenárus bloodline. And then it was done. The king, dead. The army, defeated. The city, broken, though the Sorceress took care not to cause any unnecessary damage to the capital, because she intended to rule from it. Those that did not escape Alicante were either butchered or forced to surrender and swear loyalty to their new Queen. With this, the Great War was officially over though fighting would continue indefinitely with the rise of the Resistance in a few months' time.


Part 7: Fate of the Shadow Elves and the Rose of Eldshaw

In the days and weeks following the fall of Alicante, there was great tension between the shadow elves and the usurper, though officially they did acknowledge Ilhirel's victory. Envoys were sent from Reindir to Alicante with elven nobility that was forced to swear loyalty before the new Queen, but to Ilhirel it was clear that the elves were not like the dwarves and the drakkar. They stood with the humans willingly and clearly only cooperated with her out of necessity, which meant that they would be plotting behind her back. This was proven true when the Resistance was formed in Eldshaw with the help of shadow elf nobility and information began leaking from Alicante. Thus a delicate game of cat and mice began. Yet no matter her efforts, Ilhirel couldn't seem to put an end to the conspirators. One day, Ilhirel's eyes were drawn to a beautiful young elven woman, one of the nobles that frequently visited Alicante to maintain diplomatic relations. This woman was Niara Shadowleaf, the Rose of Eldshaw - a shadow elf princess that would have been the queen of her people if they hadn't been under Asgard's rule. Ilhirel decided to keep Niara at court, and keep her close. It is unknown what exactly Ilhirel said and did to the princess, but as time went by the two became inseparable. People even whispered that they were in love, which would explain why Niara eventually betrayed her people's secrets to Ilhirel, which resulted in the deaths of the conspirators and a heavy blow for the Resistance that was forced to escape from Eldshaw and set up another base of operations in another location, without the backing of the shadow elves this time. With this, Ilhirel's victory was finally complete and the obedience of her subjects guaranteed.


Part 8: Conclusion


It only took two months to bring down the mighty kingdom of Asgard that was on the peak of its power. It has been three years since the Great War. Many have simply come to accept things as they are, not caring about who is in charge for as long as life goes on. And life did go on. Despite her ruthless reputation, the Sorceress did actually bother to run the kingdom for the most part, even if not always fairly. She managed to win the favor of different groups and organizations by changing the laws, such as lifting the ban on necromancy, which only served to secure her position further. Now only the Resistance still fights a lost war in an attempt to restore Asgard to its former glory, but it is likely only a matter of time before Ilhirel and her loyal general Niara put an end to that. Dark days are behind us and dark days await us still. War never changes.
 
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