Category:Bregandian War: Difference between revisions

The Bregandian War is not viewed as a canon storyline and you won't find any in-game documentation of it outside of Spike the war rat.

Posted by Geijon 24 April 2011

Originally posted at http://www.gsgryphons.net

As part of the Order of Silver Gryphon Tales and Purpose Presentation, 4/24/2011

This tale begins several years before 5099 with the coming of Devestior Alasian. His story is a twisted one that I must condense for brevity, but records are available at the Gryphon Holding in the coming days for full disclosure. He originally came to assassinate Noonga then locate several keys on Teras. In this time he would come to know Blades exceptionally well and trusted him as a confidant. Over the years he would share the tale of his father's death, the King of Bregandia, and that he was a Baron and killed his own father unknowingly as a white and black wizard fought one another while he attempted to capture a lost wyvern. Lost and without a home he turned to work as an Assassin until he found a home in Wehnimers and his well known relationship with Spike the War Rat formed.

Devestior was the only Bregandian we had ever encountered for many years until on the 15th day of (may) in 5099 Ristasen Delangr appeared. He told a riddle that was cryptic and never really bore any fruit, but we assume it meant where we should find him. We eventually found him on the roof of Hearthstone where we saw his amulet give off a powerful flash of light and look off into the distance. In hindsight I assume it was a signal to his liege. Regardless, the next day Devestior and his apprentice Simone were seen engaging another bregandian by the name of Baron Traleon Delooker.

Devestior had managed to bind him and silence his magic after Devestior's Wyvern, Glotach, had subdued Traleon. This prevented Traleon from casting magic and he was effectively taken prisoner. It was explained by Devestior and his apprentice, Simone, that he was an enemy from Bregandia and that at one point Devestior had been his apprentice to give us a warning as to Traleon's power. Ristasen, the Battle Mage from the previous day, was Traleon's new apprentice.

Traleon had been attempting to open a portal for some time. The four keys and the master lock, which Devestior had the golden key for, remained beyond Traleon's reach so he had to open an alternate portal and march his army here from the east for Bregandia doesn't exist entirely in this realm, but beyond it. We hypothesized it much like one of the moons or another universe, yet Devestior said it was on this place, perhaps far far to the east, but it has never been verified. The simple truth that was imminent was that an army was marching to our doorstep and we had little time to prepare.

Devestior further warned of spies and scouts who would attempt to infilitrate our city. They would wear white or black and we should be able to spot them because they'd look slightly out of place being foreign to Wehnimer's. We were also warned not to use the amunet or speak openly in public for fear of being overheard. He also said we'd bear the brunt of Traleon's army immediatly. His tactics did not include holding back. Our first indication of their arrival was the discovery of two Wehnimer Guards corpses found in icemule. They had traveled north to enjoy the Winter Festival.

Sir Hyoko Fujimora gathered the Order the next day and took us to the colossus. We could see from its heights, far off in the distance, the dust storm covers a wide area of the land as its picked up and thrown into the breaze, leaving a trail in the wind for all to see. We decided the best course of action was to make the town ready. We sent word to the Wehnimer's Guard, the Northern Fury, and the Phoenix Protectors. Each group was assigned to city quadrants and had response priorities. The Gryphons ourselves would guard the crossroads west of the bridge leading to Voln and the Mine Road.

Traleon was captive in Blades Tower. We sensed him die repeatedly over the next few days. People grew concerned that Blades was torturing him or something similarily nefarious. Residents of the city, concerned, attempted to breach the tower. A halfling battering ram, locksmiths of reknown, and all sorts of magic failed. We'd later estimate that Traleon was killing himself and his amulet had a strange power to resurrect him by having the ground consume him. Eventually, through repeated attempts at this, he was able to escape the tower and rejoin his approaching armies. How exactly he escaped or what actually happened may only be known to Blades. [Writers Narration liberties]

On the 31st day of Ivastaen (May) a Bregandian Warlord came before the Gates of Wehnimers Landing and Proclaimed:

"I order that your town, by way of Bregandian rule, release your lands for the use of the Bregandian Armies, for the purpose of training to be used to wage war between my people..This will include forfeit of all banks, funds, homes, and properties shall be disposed of as Bregandian lands. If you do not adhere to this decree, then I shall but have to return your message to the Lord of Bregandia..."

We refused immediatly. We will be slaves to no one and many have tried. Our frontier town is free to all people who call it home.

On the 2nd day of Lumnea (June) Baron Traleon met with the Jantalarian ambassador, Holswort, Devestior, and the Baron of Vornavis, Baron Dunrith Malwind with Lady Arwen, Jafirnn, and Sir Cemb present. The west tower was chosen and the ladder was pulled up to prevent anyone from interrupting. The specifics of the meeting were to set perimeters of the Bregandian army, should they succeed in taking Wehnimer's Landing. Holswort was neutral beyond stating that Jantalar would be against any excursion into their lands by force and would crush such a move. Dunrith warned he'd fight for his allies in Wehnimer's anyway he could, but had to concede he could not spare troops due to the current blockade and hostilities between Vornavis and Jantalar. If the Bregandians would win they would gain the enmity of Vornavis.

After this the Wehnimer's Guard held a meeting on the 4th day of Lumnea that Devestior attended. He gave additional warnings that the Bregandians with their amulets were resistant to binding, calm, and magic that restricted action. If struck by them they would diminish and fade much faster than usual. On top of this he brought his apprentice Simone to distinguish some distinct features that Bregandians had. Primarily long bony fingers and he had her display her hands for the gathered officers, guard, and guests present. Other features included strange hollowed or bulging eyes and cracked, blackened, marked, and pestulant skin.

On feastday around the 12th day of that month the army set upon us. Our first warning was the rustling of small creatures and birds taking flight, then a storm arose over darkstone bay until the first sounds of battle could be heard by the clash of metal and the popping sounds of unleashed magic.

Familiar gating battle mages and stealthed seekers came at us accompanied by huge wages of Bregandian mercenaries, soldiers, adepts, conjurers, warlords, and disruptors. They struck at the Graveyard, the Mine Road, Danjirland, and overran our defenses. The infiltrators had done their job, not entirely undetected, but they had come in numbers we didn't expect. For the army was massive. The chaos grew and the rain began to fall as blood red rivulets that stained the ground and both sides life blood seeped into the ground.

As Devestior had warned our amunet communication was compromised. The Bregandian infiltrators used it to their advantage and later to taunt us as the battle raged. Nearly all of the defenders died a handful or more of times. These events are made famous by Juspera's "Ten Deaths" recollection. Baron Traleon also was taking captives that his warlords would drag away to a ship located in Darkstone Bay.

Titaniia, the Field Marshall for the Wehnimer's Guard at the time, along with Simone, Devestiors Apprentice, with myself, Cryheart, and many others were taken captive and held on a ship in Darkstone Bay. The Bregandians underestimated the amount of prisoners being taken in to be used as slaves perhaps, and the ships hull overflowed. Either they couldn't contain us with the amount of guards on board or a lucky few were able to fight our way out and overpower them, or their focus was on certain captives a large contingent of us were able to get free and help the others to escape.

We managed to repel them with incredibly high casulties. Our triage points were constantly compromised, but Tsalin, Avantos, Krisenfest and others were able to rally the empaths and clerics consistantly, push back the infiltrators, or dynamically move triage as needed to combat this.

By the second night we had identified the majority of the infiltrators. There was about thirty of them, plus Baron Traleon and his apprentice Ristasen. Notables included Estutio, Amadan, Frenion, Garenon, Gorshan, Janess, Mhorana, Pander, Nishon, Spidereyes, Syvassar, and Uriean.

The battle resumed when several flaming meteors lite up the sky, we then heard battlecries and the screams of the dying as dozens of peoples deaths were heard. One harrowing witness would later tell us that high above town square a small speck began to grow, and then after several moments a large object was hurtling down and one of the meteors struck the town's center. This led to panic by the residents, townspeople were seen running, yelling, "THE SKY IS FALLING!" corpses were everywhere, the heat from the meteors so intense corpses burst and sprayed survivors with blood and organs. Explosions rocked the city for several minutes followed by blasts of major that shook the ground.

The armies were in our midst again. Taunts resumed over the amunet and were constant. The seekers and battle mages could open familiar gates, come through invisible, kill their intended target, then disappear with literally the snap of their fingers. They were an incredible challenge, matching or well beyond the strongest of our defenders. When we did manage to kill them through spike thorns, a lucky spell, or sheer numbers the ground would swallow them up and they would laugh only to reappear again to begin the carnage anew.

The taunts were numerous. Each Bregandian seemed to delight in the massacre. Pander, Traleon's High Priestess, called us low life forms unfit to breath. Estuitio often remarked that we were fine slaves, to wash his feet, feed his gaks, and clean their pens while he relished the hunt of us. Gorasus was heard calling us weaklings and that he was there to feast on our corpses. Uirean became famous for his oft said quote, "Fools!", which the defenders would ridicule him for. We also killed each of them as many times as they felled our defenders so it became a battle of attrition.

We held for three days. On that day the War Masters, High Warriors and Warlocks, and the Chieftains hit. More numerous than any previous engagement with them. They were as strong as the infiltrators and battle mages and the chaos was maddening, but our defense forces fought on, regrouping, forming, and counterattacking with ferocity.

Towards the end of that night Spike the War rat appeared at the North Gate to aid us. The battle din grew loud and the combat raged as our defense mounted a counterattack. For reason unknown Baron Traleon became disgusted. He toppled his own siege towers. Slew several of his own soldiers and infiltrators and abandoned his army. With the lose of their Baron the glowing amulets that the Bregandian's wore failed and with their deaths they now seemed mortal.

The last we saw were bright clouds of magic rise above town then fade, leaving a barren feeling we could all sense. Rishon was the first to fall in battle after this with fighting everywhere in the city, his soul lost to the demonic. Followed by Jasarn, Janess, Mhorana, and most of the rest. A few managed to escape or we could not confirm their deaths, but this ended the Bregandian War and solidified the defense response of Wehnimer's Landing in all future engagements since then.

Behind the Scenes

Breganda may have been derived as a name from the Bregan D'aerthe from the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dragons. This was an elite dark elven mercenary and mercantile group. Other words from that time period in the game history that were taken from that setting include Despana, Tormtor, Dharthiir, and Shar. Glatoph was supposedly the name of the most powerful spellcaster in Breganda.

There was also a plot point of using colored keys to open a gateway to Breganda, and that Spike the War Rat was a huge familiar of Devestior's. These were likely based on H.P. Lovecraft's "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", which is relevant to the crystal dome and portal in Broken Lands, and "The Dreams in the Witch House" which may be as well and possibly also for Castle Anwyn.