S02 – The Antinium Wars (Pt.3) (1/2)

(This book, The Second Antinium Wars, a History, was widely sold across Izril in the years after the Second Antinium War ended. It has been widely criticized and subsequent editions included the Introduction section as well as substantive revisions to the text. The accuracy of the following narrative is not guaranteed.)

Introduction –

The tale of the Second Antinium War may not need writing in this moment. The scars of that great conflict still loom large in the public consciousness, and history may yet reveal details that shed new light on the events during and preceding the war. It is also true that history requires the remove of years to be viewed in an objective light.

However, I, Krsysl Wordsmith, do not wish to wait for the dust to have metaphorically settled. I began writing this book six months after the Second Antinium Wars had ended. I consider this historical narrative a first step towards a full record of the war as a whole. No other history has been written as of yet and one must be made now, before the details of the conflict fade from living memory.

Does it have inaccuracies? Yes! Bias? Perhaps! But my word stands on its own and I will be remembered by history as the first [Writer] willing to collate the scattered viewpoints and accounts of the war into a single, understandable story that future generations can use!

I will not bow to lesser writers or indignant critics who decry my work! I have worked tirelessly in creating a truthful account that is only colored by my love of people and continent. Regardless of the slanderous attacks on my reputation, I can assure you good readers that the following narrative is as true to fact as any history written. I remain humbly and accurately,

—Krsysl Wordsmith

The Second Antinium Wars –

Our tale, dear readers, begins with as it always must, with the species that has become the bane of the civilized world, the nightmare that haunts Izril to this day. The Antinium. Once a distant threat, a mysterious bogeyman race in Rhir used to frighten hatchlings at night. No longer. The previous Antinium War of only eight years ago had seen the upset of power in Izril and the dramatic emergence of a new national power in the appearance of the Antinium.

Their six Hives and foothold in southern Izril remained a threat to all Drakes, Gnolls, and Humans on the continent. Only the hard-won peace kept any sort of balance between the races, and tensions between Antinium and Drakes remained at a boiling point as both sides prepared for what would surely be a second conflict.

Drakes do not forgive. And the Antinium had demonstrated their ceaseless appetite to anyone with eyes. The peace they had agreed to was only a reprieve. Now the world waited with bated breath for one side to loose the opening shot.

The year is 3 A.F. and Izril remains tentatively at peace. The Drake cities, humbled by the Antinium, have rebuilt and strengthened their garrisons. Meanwhile, the Humans to the north have waxed arrogant, untroubled in large from the last war. Those pompous, tailless fools neglected to watch their borders, which is how the Second Antinium War grew into the mess it did. But I suppose not all the blame can be assigned to Humans. Some must rest on the Drakes who began the war as a whole. But I get ahead of myself. Some background is essential first.

Before the Second Antinium War began, the world as a whole was not at peace. It never is. And while recording the machinations of each individual nation would interfere with the narrative, it is important to note several events in the world which would directly impact the Second Antinium War in the future.

To begin with, of the five continents in the world, only Izril and Chandrar could be considered calm by any stretch of the word. Chandrar was still recovering from the collapse of the King of Destruction’s empire and nations were rebuilding. Or in the case of the emerging Empire of Sands, slowly growing their borders and absorbing smaller nations. However, such conflicts were small and thus Chandrar could be considered peaceful.

Similarly, Izril was at peace, although it was hard-won. The six Antinium Hives and the foothills around their proximity were designated as forbidden zones. The Drake cities sent regular patrols near the borders of the Hives, but for a few incidents where Drakes patrols crossed over the lines and disappeared there was no military action. Any Antinium found crossing the border were swiftly executed and while each incident raised tensions, no wider breach of the peace treaties had yet to occur in the eight years since. The continent was peaceful, even if that peace was a façade.

As for Rhir, conflict is a way of life in that continent, and the Blighted King’s forces occupied themselves battling the Demons as usual. No, it was Terandria and Baleros where momentous events were occurring.

In Terandria, the Necromancer had appeared once again. This elusive specter of death, the infamous outcast of Wistram, the fallen Archmage, had plagued the continent for over a century, leading armies of death against the living. He would destroy and despoil kingdoms, his undead armies beaten back only after much effort and then disappear before he could be slain, returning after years or sometimes decades. Each time stronger.

Now he had returned leading a massive army against the port-Kingdom of Desonis. He quickly overwhelmed the kingdom’s army but did not approach the capital. Rather, he seized a local port and vanished.

Speculation would run rife about the Necromancer’s whereabouts and Wistram, fearing an attack, would prepare for a conflict with the Necromancer’s army. However, incredibly, news of the Necromancer was only a backdrop to the larger event occurring in Baleros. And that was the emergence of the Goblin King.

The Goblin King. To preface speaking about him, I will note the facts that have been observed about such individuals, few though they may be. Goblin Kings emerge every few centuries at most and each time herald destruction and death without fail. They appear to be a naturally occurring phenomenon, a rare individual born out of the Goblin population that has immeasurable talent, much like Goblin Chieftains and Goblin Lords.

However, while those lesser leaders of Goblins can lead small armies and be reasoned with, Goblin Kings are different. Each one is incredibly difficult to kill and lays waste to every civilization they encounter. They lead massive armies formed from Goblins that emerge from every part of the world and flock to the Goblin King’s banner.

Only the combined efforts of nations can stop Goblin Kings, which is why almost every nation in the world has signed a treaty which requires their aid in destroying a Goblin King, should one appear. Such is their threat that Goblin Lords are actively hunted down to prevent them from becoming Goblin Kings.

The race of Goblins itself is a threat, but one widely accepted as a reoccurring nuisance given the perceived impossibility of eradicating their kind permanently. Yet efforts have been historically made to coexist in peace with their kind. This humble writer trusts that the rise of the last Goblin King, known as Velan the Kind, will prove how futile that endeavor is.

In the year of 14 A.F, the Goblin Lord known as Velan the Kind had existed in a peaceful and even harmonious relationship with the nations of Baleros. While his autonomous tribe of Goblins was not recognized as a formal power by most nations in the world his company of Goblins was regarded as one of the strongest on the continent. It was rumored to be the fifth Great Company of Baleros and Velan’s own commitment to peace and trade had earned him the grudging respect of other species. It was hoped his example could be spread to Goblins worldwide, putting an end to Goblin raids and their threat as a species.

Unfortunately, in the waning months of spring, Velan the Kind fulfilled an unknown criteria and ascended or otherwise transformed into a Goblin King. Not much is known about the actual event—only that shortly afterwards Velan the Kind appeared with his entire tribe in the Balerosian city of Zexil and razed it in a single day. In doing so Velan broke eighteen separate treaties of nonaggression.

His army destroyed the city utterly and left no survivors. He then proceeded to execute every messenger sent to him and began razing city after city, his army growing with every battle. His only message to the confused leaders of Baleros was a single word, conveyed by a half-dead Courier.

“Vengeance.”

Thus began the war with the Goblin King, as every company on the continent agreed to a truce to deal with Velan’s threat. However, the Goblin King was joined by many Goblin Lords and their tribes, creating an unassailable force. He seized and leveled the port cities on the eastern side of Baleros and proceeded to construct thousands of ships. He sailed from the continent in the beginning of summer, leaving only destruction in his wake.

That is the setting of the conflict, dear reader. Both the Goblin King and Necromancer occupied the public consciousness at the time. Yet it was the Clash on the Jessal Highlands that would begin things in earnest.

Five days after the start of summer, a Drake army marched past the Antinium’s border and laid siege to one of their Hives, catching them by surprise. The army had been formed by three of the Walled Cities and a number of lesser city-states for the sole purpose of exterminating the Antinium once and for all.

On that warm, humid summer’s day, the Antinium must have been desperate as a mighty Drake army appeared and proceeded to lay waste to one of their Hives, exterminating the Workers and Soldiers and using the rain-based tactics to flood the tunnels of the Hive.

And perhaps they might have succeeded in removing the Hive! I urge you to imagine it, dear readers. If they had succeeded in this first punitive strike then history might recall this as the day the Antinium downfall began. Alas, it was not to be.

“Wow. I thought this was supposed to be a happy story. Hey Klbkch, didn’t you say you were reading an appropriate bedtime story?”

Everyone looked up. The Antinium sitting in the barracks of the Painted Soldiers all stared at Erin as she crunched down on some popcorn. Klbkch, who had been chosen to read the book out loud, clicked his mandibles together gently.

“I was under the impression that this ‘bedtime story time’ event was to be undertaken without commentary, Erin.”

He looked around the room at the rows of silent Workers and Soldiers. They sat on the floor, each one cocooned in layers of blankets and pillows. Most of the Antinium had mugs of hot milk and honey in their hands, or bowls of popcorn. Some had roast bees, others fish congee—Erin had outdone herself in preparing for tonight. She had received special permission to come into the Hive itself and participate in the bedtime event.

She just hadn’t realized that this was the story Klbkch would choose to read out loud. Erin blamed herself. She should have offered to tell everyone the story of Winnie the Pooh, or Alice in Wonderland. Instead, they were reading about the history of a war.

“I’m just saying that it’s dark, Klbkch! Really dark!”

“I can request more light if you want.”

Pawn turned to Erin, solicitously offering her one of the lanterns scattered around the room. They gave the large barracks a comfortable glow. She sighed.

“Never mind. But are you all really enjoying yourselves?”

She looked around. Belgrade, Anand, Garry, Pawn, and Bird all nodded happily. Bird was playing with his pillow, pulling out feathers and identifying them under his breath.

“Goose. Goose. Goose. Oh. A duck’s feather. I am very content.”

“So are we. I feel warm and comfortable. It is a unique experience to have while resting.”

Anand nodded. He was swaddled in a blanket and crunching on some buttery popcorn. Erin turned to her right.

“How about you?”

She addressed a huge Soldier who was nearly engulfed by three blankets and six pillows. The Soldier’s head poked out of his cocoon of blankets, staring at Erin. It was horrifyingly cute or just…horrifying if you couldn’t see past their exoskeletons. Still, Erin thought the Soldier looked comfortable. He was certainly clutching his pillow tightly with all four arms. She smiled at him.

“Aw, okay. You’re good. But I still think this is really violent stuff!”

“Wars usually are. But as I was reading—this writer has a very objectionable description of our species. I was present at the battle and I do not believe the Antinium ‘trembled like the insects we are’ or ‘barely mounted an effective counterattack’. As I recall, myself and Xrn were the only two Prognugators close enough to respond. We marched on the attacking Drake army and found them dug into the area. They had created a kill zone with [Mages] and [Archers] and a wall of [Spearmen]. We could only assault them head on, which is what they desired. It was…unpleasant.”

“You were there, Revalantor Klbkch? Will you tell us the story from your perspective?”

Belgrade sat up eagerly, holding a warm mug of milk. Klbkch hesitated.

“There is not much to say. We charged. They held. We charged again. Still they held. And then we charged a third time and they broke. That was all there was to it.”

Klbkch shrugged awkwardly, almost embarrassed by the question. Belgrade looked disappointed.

“Surely there must have been more to it than that. The Drakes were ready for you, were they not? It seems incredible that they would be defeated so easily.”

His observation made Klbkch look down at the book. He casually reached down and tore out a page and crumpled it up into a fist.

“‘Cowardly attack? A victory of deceptions?’ This book is more inaccurate than I had assumed. No. That is not how we won. Yes, they were ready. Very well, I will relate the story as best I can. The Drakes had provoked our armies into attacking them by striking at our Hive. They had lured us into a trap with no good solution.”

Klbkch’s mandibles clicked together and he shook his head as he stared into the distance. His Antinium audience watched him, spellbound.

“Either we attempted to overwhelm their positions, which was not a given even if we threw all available forces into the battle—or we lost one of our remaining Queens. Naturally, we chose to fight. But the casualties were high. With every wave we sent in, Soldiers were cut down by the thousands by magic and arrow, unable to penetrate the Drake lines.”

He paused, and his mandibles lowered as his voice grew low. Every Soldier and Worker leaned forwards, hanging on his words.

“Xrn and I were desperate, waiting for reinforcements that were too far away, knowing the Queen’s chamber was being flooded, that we had less than an hour before her demise at best. At that moment, I—”

“Popcorn! Get your popcorn here!”

A low voice interrupted Klbkch. Every head turned as Erin marched down the rows of Soldiers, passing out large bowls of popcorn.

“I have hot milk and honey! Lots of it! And snacks! Would anyone like a hot fish or roast Ashfire Bee? Speak up! Or—wave your hands! You sir, you look like you need food! Don’t be shy!”

Erin offered a bowl full of fish congee to a Soldier and looked around.

“What? Am I being too loud? Sorry! I’ll keep it down.”

Klbkch cleared his throat with a dull clicking sound meaningfully. He looked around as Erin tiptoed about, ladling soup into bowls and passing around supplemental pillows. Soldiers gently held the pillows, feeling the softness against their chitin—an alien sensation. And they could keep the pillows? They didn’t disappear after you slept? Wonders never ceased.

At the head of the room, seated in the one chair, Klbkch folded the book and looked around. The Free Antinium watched him, waiting for him to continue. He nodded slowly.

“It was desperate. We had not expected this assault, and there were but seven Queens left. Seven out of what had been hundreds. You were all created far too late, but once the Antinium had more Queens than Hives. Once we were mighty. Now, we feared losing a single Queen and so we fought desperately. To save her. To save our kind. Xrn and I led this desperate army against the Drakes. If we had had time we could have rallied a larger force. If we had time, we would have destroyed them easily. But we were out of time. So we paid the cost in the lives of the fallen.”

His voice sharpened. Klbkch gestured, and the Antinium saw the twin swords at his hip shine as he unsheathed them. Klbkch stared at the silvery glow of his sword blades as he spoke.

“Antinium. Listen well. This is the tale of the first battle of the Antinium Wars. This is the tale…of how I met your Queen.”

He paused and looked around the room.

“Obviously I had met her before. But this was our first significant meeting which preceded the creation of Liscor’s Hive. I felt the need to clarify that statement.”

He looked around, shrugged, and began to speak.

—-

Fire from the sky. Death below and above. Lightning blew apart a group of Soldiers as they charged towards the Drake lines; the earth exploded in front of a unit of frantically digging Workers and arrows cut down the rest. Klbkch and Xrn stood on the bluff overlooking the Fourth Hive and the Drake army. Klbkch shook his head as the tide of Soldiers broke against the line of Drake speakers.

“We cannot break their formation with a piecemeal attack, Xrn. And they are prepared for our tunneling; they have flooded every tunnel our Workers have dug.”

“And their [Mages] are too powerful. Too many. I cannot fight them at this range. If I focus on one, the others shield with spells and counterattack.”

Xrn agreed, clutching her staff in one slim hand. She conjured lightning and hurled it towards the Drake army. It vanished halfway towards her target and a flurry of arrows and spells shot towards both Centenium. The two Prognugators took cover behind a rock, and Klbkch’s mandibles clashed together angrily.

“Oath breakers! They violated the peace treaty! And they are about to flood the Queen out. Xrn, we must launch a full-scale attack.”

“What?”

The azure Antinium turned to Klbkch. She shook her head.

“Impossible. We cannot order the Soldiers into that slaughter! They will break and run, Klbkch! They have their limits.”

“Then I will lead them myself.”

Klbkch grimly raised both his silvery swords with two of his four arms. The other two held daggers awkwardly. Xrn stared at him and grabbed his shoulder.

“Unacceptable. You are still not used to your new body. Don’t throw your life away, Klbkch! IF you perish—”

“If I do, enact the Rite of Anastates.”

“You have died too many times! I will not lose you like Rehab or Mellika! One Queen is not worth it, Klbkch! Wait for Wrymvr! When he arrives we will crush the Drakes. But we cannot lose you! You are Centenium!”

Klbkch was silent as the two stood together. He shook his head slowly as he stared down into the Hive, where a storm was raining down into the entrance tunnels, flooding the Antinium Hive.

“I was Centenium, Xrn. I lost my form, my levels—we have seven Queens left.”

“And we have but three Centenium. Don’t go.”

Xrn pleaded with him, but Klbkch simply raised his swords. He looked sideways at her.

“Take out as many [Mages] as you can. Stop the rainfall. I will break their lines.”

He strode forwards, towards the head of the Antinium army. Xrn let her arm fall helplessly. She heard Klbkch shouting as the ranks of Soldiers and Workers turned to follow him.

“Antinium! The enemy is attempting to slay a Queen! They are destroying the Hive! They must be stopped! Follow me! Give no ground to our foe! Charge!”

He charged down the slope and the Soldiers charged after him in a silent wave. Xrn stood on the cliff, frantically shooting down the wave of spells that came from the Drake army, trying to protect the lone Antinium in the front. She saw Klbkch charging across the muddy ground, running into the wall of Drake spears. Then there was a flash of silver—frenzied fighting—falling Soldiers and Workers—

Chaos. The Drakes had not been prepared for a suicidal charge and their front line wavered as their [Mages] and [Archers] enacted a terrible vengeance upon the Antinium. Xrn raised her staff and tried to destroy the enemy Drake [Mages].

“[Venomous Snow]! [Thunderstrike Volley]! [Chaos Flamewheel]!”

Her spells blasted apart Drakes in robes, lightning and jets of fire arcing through Drake lines. But they didn’t break. And an arrow struck Xrn in her chest. She stumbled backwards.

“Not yet.”

She snapped the shaft off, ignoring the blood. The Antinium were wavering. She looked around in desperation and saw thousands of Workers standing around helplessly. Their crude bows did not have the range needed to strike the Drake army from this distance and it would be death to advance any further into the kill zone.

“If it is slaughter, then it must be. Workers! Prepare for a second charge! [Glorious Radiance]!”

Xrn’s spell made the Antinium shine like beacons. She pointed her staff towards the Drake army. She could not see the flash of silver among their ranks. Where was Klbkch?

“Charge!”

A second wave of Antinium charged down the slopes, some of the Workers tripping and falling in the mud. Xrn raced down the slippery incline, hearing thumps as spells blasted the ground around her, hearing only the roar in her mind. Black arrows streaked down towards her forces—she waved her staff and they broke on a shield in the air. The Drakes were ahead of her now.

“Break their ranks!”

Xrn ran past a struggling knot of Soldiers being held at bay by Drakes with spears and swords and planted her staff in the ground. She concentrated and then thrust her fingers forwards.

“[Repulsion Wave].”

The Drakes in front of her—and Soldiers—were blasted into the air. Xrn pointed towards the gap in the lines and the Antinium flooded through. Now the Drakes lines were collapsing, but there were still so many! Xrn struggled, fighting other [Mages] hand-to-hand, burning them with spells, until she heard a sound above the noise of battle.

It was a voice, a roar, a screeching that no animal or person could ever make. The piercing cry echoed and made the Drakes look up. Xrn did too, staring towards the north. And then she saw him. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“At last. Wrymvr.”

A dark shadow flew across the sky. A tiny shape—but growing larger with each passing second. The Drakes turned, their [Archers] sighting at this new threat. But then the singular shadow multiplied, and grew, spreading across the horizon.

“The Flying Antinium!”

Xrn shouted, knowing the Drakes had no idea what was happening. They were trying to form a second line to deal with this new threat, but the Antinium were closing in too fast. The dark shapes became visible now, and it was apparent that the Antinium weren’t actually flying—they were gliding down, hopping forwards like grasshoppers and propelling themselves forwards with their wings incredibly quickly. Only one figure, larger than the rest, truly flew, and he screeched again, a wordless scream of vengeance.

The Flying Antinium crashed into the Drakes from the side and Xrn raised her staff. The light from her eyes shone bright red, the color of battles and Drake blood. She shouted.

“Charge! Forwards, all Antinium!”

She ran forwards as the Soldiers and Workers crashed into the Drakes like the tide. This time the Drakes could not stop them. Xrn ran forwards as Drakes died, searching, hunting for any color in the black mass. And then she saw it. A flash of silver.

Klbkch.

On that day the Antinium liberated the besieged Hive and the youngest of the Antinium Queens. Klbkch personally rescued her from drowning and she would later go on to lead the hive in Liscor. The Queen of the Free Antinium lived that day, and the Drakes learned to their cost what war with the Antinium was. It was sacrifice. The Antinium could not be broken so easily. And their retaliation for this treachery would soon engulf the continent in flames.

—-

“Did it really happen like that? Truly, Prognugator Xrn?”

Xrn opened her eyes. She looked around the campfire at the other Antinium watching her. Tersk, Pivr, her Prognugator-Guardians and the other Antinium assigned to her escort were all staring at her. Slowly, the Small Queen looked around and then remembered the book she was holding. She nodded.

“That was what the battle was truly like. We triumphed, but barely. Were it not for Wrymvr’s arrival, we might have been too late to save the Queen.”

“And yet, it appears that Revalantor Klbkch took a great risk in attempting to save her. Did you not say that it would be more prudent to avoid risking his life—and by extension, yours—to save a single Queen?”

Pivr observed as he fanned his own wings at the fire, looking smug about the role the Flying Antinium had played in the battle. Xrn gave him a long look, which deflated Pivr quite nicely.

“Perhaps. But that would not have been Klbkch’s nature. It was a risk, true. But he has fought for the Antinium longer than your Queen has existed, Pivr. He understands sacrifice.”

“And yet, he disregards his worth. The Centenium are a unique group of Antinium that can no longer be reproduced, are they not? Surely Revalantor Klbkch should take his safety into account.”

Tersk spoke up quietly, polishing his armor. Xrn nodded. She played with her staff, twirling it and making the fire change colors as she stared around the night sky.

“Perhaps he should. But again, that is not his nature, Tersk. Klbkch, Wrymvr and I all served during the Second Antinium War. And while it is true Klbkch lost much of his strength and his original form, we three still defined the war. Each one of us led the armies of the Antinium. Wrymvr and I were unstoppable in battle. As we had been created to be. Klbkch was forced to lead through strategy rather than personally most of the time. But each of us claimed many victories through our strength.”

Tersk nodded.

“So I understand. But I have never met Prognugator Wrymvr. Is he similar to you or Revalantor Klbkch, Prognugator Xrn?”

The Small Queen hesitated.

“…No. Wrymvr is different. He and Klbkch and I were all created to serve different roles. Klbkch was a warrior, meant to assassinate the Antinium’s enemies and fight on the front. I was meant to cast magic. And Wrymvr was meant to defend the Grand Queen. He was created to be undefeatable.”

“He must be the most powerful of the Centenium, then!”

Pivr looked up, his eyes shining. Xrn’s own eyes flashed purple with annoyance.

“He is a fool. But yes, he is strong. Perhaps that is the only thing this book gets correct. Wrymvr the Deathless was a threat. And in this war the Grand Queen released him from his role as protector. We unleashed him against the Drakes, as well as the Flying and Silent Antinium. It was enough to win a few battles. But unfortunately not enough. If we had more variants, more Centenium then perhaps we might have won the entire war. But we did not.”

The other Antinium were silent as Xrn opened the book again. Only Tersk dared ask the question hanging in the air.

“Prognugator Xrn?”

“Yes?”

“What are the Centenium? Why were they created?”

Xrn stopped with her finger on the next line of the book. She looked around, at the other Antinium. They were so close to home, to their Hives. And yet, these poor copies of true Antinium would never know home, would they? They would never know the grandeur of the true Hives, the might of what the Antinium had been. She looked at Tersk, the finest warrior of his Hive. An ill-made clone of Galuc with armor. She shook her head and her voice was kind as she spoke to him, an adult to a child.

“The Centenium were made long ago, Tersk. Long ago, on another continent. For one purpose. The Grand Queen made many Antinium in many shapes to serve every role imaginable, but one hundred of us she labored upon, gave individuality to, gave names and strength beyond the rest. We were not made to be spent and replaced like the other Antinium. We were made to be one thing and one thing alone.”

“And what was that, Prognugator Xr—”

“Heroes, Tersk. We were made to be heroes.”

—-

The battle on the Jessal Highlands ended in disaster. The surprise attack on the Antinium had failed, leaving only regrets and recriminations from the other Drake city states that had not been aware of the surprise attack. A request to end hostilities was made immediately, but the traitorous Grand Queen of the Antinium, no doubt sensing an opportunity, ignored the pleas of the Drakes and launched a vicious counterattack at once.

Within a day of the battle at Jessal, the Antinium armies were on the march again. The Black Tide rolled forth, but the defenders of the greatest continent in the world had not been idle in their preparations. Drake armies marched against the Antinium, armed with the knowledge of their inability to swim and weakness against high-level magics and warriors.

However, the Antinium had not been idle either. The second battle against the Antinium took place between an army led by Wrymvr the Deathless and an army from Pallass. It was assumed that boxing in the Antinium and flooding their position would decimate their army, but the Drake high command received the shock of a lifetime as new Antinium warriors overran their formations in minutes, slaying the [Mages] and throwing the army into disarray.

The Antinium fielded two new variants of their species in the Second Antinium War. Whether they always had such creatures or had somehow altered their own warriors with magic or alchemy is unknown and the subject of much speculation. However, the facts are clear: the Antinium had created a flying warrior capable of leaping across vast distances known as the Flying Antinium, and a stealthy infiltrator capable of camouflage and deadly surprise attacks known as the Silent Antinium.

These two new variants bridged the gap in the Antinium’s formations, allowing them to swiftly flank their enemies and mount surprise attacks on vulnerable targets. The Drake armies which had relied on [Mages] for superiority fell backwards as the Antinium willingly sacrificed hundreds or thousands of their flying warriors to take out [Mages]. Meanwhile, the Silent Antinium infiltrated army camps and cities, slaying high-profile targets in the night.

The news of the new Antinium was devastating for morale across the Drake cities. And indeed, the fear the Silent Antinium created was such that many cities locked down their gates, refusing to open them for fear of infiltration. And yet the Silent Antinium crept behind their walls, locked gates or not, creating a wave of terror across the continent.

What ended up stopping the Silent Antinium in main was not any one military action, but rather, the existence of another, opposing force on the Drake side. The Assassin’s Guild in the south of Izril took the existence of the Silent Antinium as a direct threat to their own way of life and put out a universal contract on every one of the Antinium’s assassination insects. Thus, a quiet war began where [Assassin] dueled assassin-bug in the shadows.

This hidden conflict would become known as the War of Sighs, kept mainly out of the public view. The only evidence of the battles in shadow and darkness would be the corpses of the Silent Antinium and Drake [Assassins] appearing on doorsteps or in buildings, slain where they had fallen. In Drake cities, inhabitants would wake up and discover dead Antinium gutted in the middle of a street or an [Assassin]’s head placed next to the bedsides of slaughtered Drake officials.

The most notable such event occurred at a meeting of Drake nobility in a private meeting room in the Walled City of Oteslia. The Lords and Ladies of the Wall conducted their meeting for ten minutes before an unpleasant odor led to them investigating the tables they were sitting at. They discovered the bodies of six Silent Antinium and four [Assassins] hidden under the tablecloths.

It is impossible to tell how many [Assassins] or Silent Antinium died in the conflict due to the elusive nature of both forces, and this writer has refrained from questioning the Assassin’s Guild on the subject out of personal concern for his own safety. However, it is safe to say that the costs were tremendously high on both sides, such that the Assassin’s Guild in the south of Liscor has yet to recover, unlike the flourishing Human guilds to the north.

It is simply another example of Drake integrity one supposes, that fewer Drakes have the inclination to stab enemies in the back. An honest Drake stabs from the front. But I digress…

The war between the Drakes and Antinium had taken a turn for the worse. While the Silent Antinium’s assaults had been blunted, the armies led by Klbkch the Slayer, Xrn the Small Queen, and Wrymvr the Deathless seemed undefeatable by all but the most famous of the Drake [Generals].

Zel Shivertail managed to rout the Slayer’s army in a pitched battle and the Small Queen’s army found itself attacked by multiple armies, stalling her advance, but Wrymvr the Deathless rampaged unchecked behind Drake lines. This monstrous Prognugator of the Hives truly deserved the title of ‘Deathless’, because despite concerted efforts by multiple armies, the Prognugator refused to be slain and actively hunted down Drake commanders during battle.

The Antinium pushed forwards, again relentlessly overtaking city after city. It was as if the first Antinium War had returned with a vengeance as the Drakes found themselves on the back foot once more. And this time their Human allies were too preoccupied in the north to send assistance. For you see, the Necromancer had landed to the north, and his arrival had heralded a plague that swept the Human cities while his armies grew in number.

Az’kerash. The Necromancer. The bane of Terandria and now, Izril. His undead forces were never as numerous as the Antinium, but where his personal army went the Necromancer left only death in his wake. Where other [Necromancers] have raised armies of tens of thousands of zombies, ghouls, or skeletons, Az’kerash created far darker armies.

His forces consisted of Draugr, advanced and incredibly powerful zombies, wraiths, Crypt Lords, wights, and worst of all, Bone Giants. This foul horde of abominations moved ever southwards, heading towards Liscor and despoiling Human lands on the way.

And for what purpose? For what reason did he turn his gaze so suddenly to Izril? This befuddled writer has no notion dear readers. Perhaps the Necromancer sensed the confusion caused by the Antinium, or had grown bored of Terandria. Then again, what rational thought can be ascribed to such a horror? It is enough to say he went south, and his undead armies distracted the Humans in the Drake’s darkest hour.

“Dead gods, this [Writer] really does drone on a lot. Doesn’t he realize how biased he is? It’s not as if the Humans had a fun time fighting all those dead, you know.”

Ceria complained out loud and Pisces broke off from reading the very battered book in his hands. Pisces sniffed in annoyance as he looked up from reading and glanced about the inn.

“I personally find it incredible how dismissive he seems to be of the Necromancer’s true intentions. Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised; Krsysl Wordsmith’s works have never been—how shall I put it?—particularly innovative. The best he can do is parrot other authors’ analyses and commentary.”

He sniffed again, but his audience seemed disinclined to support his opinion. Mrsha scratched at one ear as Lyonette held her on her lap. Jelaqua looked up from her cup, eyebrows raised, and Moore and Seborn looked up from their game of cards.

The inn wasn’t that full this late at night. Drassi and Lyonette were manning the inn, but their own guests were the Horns of Hammerad, the Halfseekers, Mrsha, and the five Redfang Warriors who were sitting at a distant table, jabbering to themselves. They had been having a rather idle night with Erin gone, until Pisces had produced the book and begun reading from it.

Since he was a good reader no one had minded—until now. Ceria wondered if she’d made a mistake in interrupting. Pisces loved to poke holes in other people’s statements and he wouldn’t shut up if he thought someone was wrong.