Mighty warriors have long shaped Chantra's history.

1.8. Dulan 516--Dikain Goes to Northernland

When Cyripus' men didn't find the Archons in Gracia's village, Cyripus supposed she must have left them elsewhere for safekeeping. The safest place she would have known was the main temple in Serend, so that is where he turned his attention next. Dikain, a monk of the highest level, guarded the temple. He was a formidable force all on his own, but since he was surrounded by his people, he was invincible. Cyripus knew he had to destroy Dikain from the inside if he had any hope of gaining any Archons that he guarded.

The army of Dulan arrived at the temple one day and displayed for all the people a remnant of a robe worn by Dikain. They said they had retrieved it from a band of orcs that had been captured on their way back to rejoin the larger orc army. They also carried with them a detailed map of the defences at Serend. Dikain, they said, had betrayed his people to the orcs for a large sum of money. And there was the proof.

Dikain came out and protested that he was innocent, but the tension in Serend was too high. The people turned on Dikain and together with the army from Dulan, they drove him from the city to a bluff over the river. He cast himself over the ledge, and his body was never found.

To Cyripus' dismay, his men reported Dikain had taken the Archon of Wind with him from the temple when he fled. Serend had lost their most powerful protector and the soldiers of Dulan destroyed the city in their search for more Archons, but none were to be found.

This event was a turning point for Prince Cerion. He knew his father would never lie about evidence and bring down a respectable monk, so therefore he must no longer truly be in command of the army of Dulan. The prince took the forces loyal to him and struck out into the countryside to oppose the Dulan soldiers. Prince Cerion's men became known as the Knight Corps and were spoken of as heroes of the people.

Magical power, as well as that of cold steel, needs to be mastered to maintain control.

What no one knew was that Dikain survived his fall into the river, and was slowly making his way to the Northernland, with the Archon of Wind tucked safely in his cloak.

1.9. Dulan 517--Zian and Ugdrasil Find out About the Archons

By now, Zian and Ugdrasil had begun to make names for themselves. Zian was known as an excellent young warrior. Ugdrasil was never quite accepted among orcs or humans, since he was half-blood, but his skill with magic could not be denied.

The two friends would get together once a year to go adventuring together for a month or so. They always met in Kuskut near the home of an old mystic skilled in prophecy. But this year they arrived at the usual place and found chaos. Cyripus, with his Dulan soldiers, and Prince Cerion, with his Knights Corps, had both come to consult with the famous mystic at the same time. Bloodshed was the inevitable result of the encounter, and the old man was trapped in the middle. His home soon caught fire from all the spellcasting, and when Zian and Ugdrasil arrived they found the mystic desperately trying to save a few of his prophetic scrolls while swords and magic clashed around him.

Zian and Ugdrasil waded into the fray. Ugdrasil used his magic to douse the flames, and Zian protected the old man from the battle. But it was too late--most of the scrolls of prophecy were destroyed. When Cerion and Cyripus realized this, they ordered their men to fall back. They thought the mystic couldn't provide prophetic guidance without the scrolls. There was nothing left to fight over, so the soldiers dispersed.

Zian and Ugdrasil remained to help the old man, but there was not much they could do. The mystic sat down in the middle of his ruined house and looked around. He told them the story of the Archons and the magic of the Elementals. Then he looked closely at the young men. "You have both shown great honour this day," he said. "And you will both grow to have mighty power. But one of you...one of you will tread a dark path." He shook his head gravely.

The time had come for Zian and Ugdrasil to return home, and they went away wondering about what the mystic had said. When Ugdrasil arrived, he found Kaliur looking very somber. Something was not right, he said, and he planned to go away on a long spirit quest. He intended to leave Ugdrasil as his successor. The half-breed orc would become the lord of Gaiahon--Walcure's magical staff.

1.10. Dulan 518--Ugdrasil's Rise to Power

Ugdrasil did not hesitate to use the power he inherited from Kaliur. He set out to unite the warring orc clans into one nation--and he intended to make it a peaceful nation. It did not come easily. Ugdrasil began by building a city he named Trilgad. It grew strong and Ugdrasil used it as his power base. Abandoning the old ways, he used persuasion and influence to unite his people. He faced strong opposition from the five chiefs of the main orc clans. They didn't want to follow a half-blood.

But the younger generation was tired of the constant battles and saw in Ugdrasil a great leader. One in particular was a great friend and supporter of Ugdrasil as he fought to overturn the old ways. His name was Lamunesil. He was also a student of Kaliur, and the two of them had grown up like brothers. Lamunesil helped shift the political tide in favour of Ugdrasil's massive changes, and by the year's end Ugdrasil had succeeded. He was head of a single orc nation, and declared peaceful relations with all other races. It was such a momentous event that from that day on, orc history began to be reckoned according to the Trilgad calendar, just as humans used the Dulan calendar.

It did not occur to Ugdrasil that perhaps he had already started down that dark path he was warned of by the prophet.

The moon elves have often held the balance of power in their delicate hands.

1.11. Dulan 519--Gracia and Cyripus

Cyripus knew Gracia was still alive. He knew she would come after him, and now he knew she still had one Archon in her possession--almost certainly in her bow Evangarda. So instead of chasing her down and fighting on her territory, he laid a trap that would bring the moon elf to him.

When Gracia saw the tracks and evidence of where she could find Cyripus, she weighed her options. It was too easy. She knew it was a trap, but decided to go ahead. She wasn't afraid to face her enemy. Cyripus' men captured Gracia when she walked into their ambush in a dark, forbidding forest. She let them take her bow from her, and they imprisoned her in the underground city of the vampires. The ruler there was an ancient woman named Ignatia, known as the Queen of the Dead. She had been Cyripus' ally from the beginning.

Cyripus would not face Gracia directly. He still feared the Elemental power at her command. So he communicated with her through a magical mirror, asking her questions, trying to find out what she knew about the other Archons. Gracia used this opportunity to learn as much as she could about him and about what had happened to the Archons. She knew the world could change a lot in the 500 years she had been away.