Mythic Vistas: SpirosBlaak - Property Is Theft!

10
Between the months of siege and the arcane explosion, most of
Vas had been destroyed, including the region’s greatest cathedral,
the See of Spiros. In a bout of zealous rage, the Pontiff of Spiros
declared all arcane magic blasphemy. To be caught wielding,
teaching, or studying arcane magic within 50 miles of the city
was to be branded a criminal of the worst caliber. The Duke of
Vas, unwilling to risk excommunication or a theocratic coup,
acquiesced to the Pontiff’s declarations and demands, seing in
motion a trend of subservience to the Church that survives to the
present.
Meanwhile, Sallous Yar and his swarm joined the aack on
SpirosBlaak. With such might arrayed outside the city’s walls,
it appeared as though the great city would fall. Only the timely
Following the Witch Lords’ defeat, the Saviors of the Twisted Fang,
a group of highly organized kav insurgents, used the confusion
to further their own revenge against the Archduchy. Multitudes
of kavraen swooped down upon the weakened cities of Vas and
SpirosBlaak, following with aacks against Hiltaenos, Dreij, and
Meleatan. Behind this sudden rash of aacks was the Splintered God,
who saw an advantage in Spiros’ disappearance.
In response, the Pontiff of Spiros granted the Sentinels of the
Homeguard a rule of holy authority, granting them the right to mete
justice with the Church of Spiros’ full backing. As befiing their
new status as a holy order, the Sentinels set to work erecting great
fortresses and outposts to protect humanity against the rampaging
kav and other threats.
Meanwhile, the bloodthirsty god Shivanos, the Haed Doom,
appeared upon the Roaming Plains. Having come to the Wildlands
to partake of the carnage, the god of war raised a great army of
orcs and goblinoids to carry out his desire for chaos, sending his
forces out in all direction with orders to destroy everything, be it
kav or human, crossing their paths. The Splintered God did not
take this indiscriminate killing of his people well, and so the Horde
immediately declared war on their fellow god.
Beset upon from all sides, Duke Nadyass of SpirosBlaak and the
Pontiff of Spiros in Vas used all their diplomatic wile to convince the
duke of Hiltaenos, the duchess of Askalan, and the king of newly
arisen Nolmedron, the hold where a third of the dwarven refugees
from ruined Mundaes seled at the mouth of the River of Fire, to
sign a treaty pledging their support in returning the Wildlands to
peace. This treaty, called the Alliance of Silver Swords, placed each
duchy’s legions under the command of a single general, chosen by
a majority vote, who would then lead their united armies against
the orc masses and kav insurrections. The Pontiff instructed
Forgemaster Drynne, a master swordsmith, to begin work on five
mystical blades, one for each alliance member’s champion to take
into bale against their common foes.
As Drynne’s craing of the swords neared completion, some
twenty years later, kavbroed raiders uncovered an ancient ruin
deep within Pharran Vode. Thought to be the lost Merithian city
of Athetica, the ruins yielded great treasures, including the deadly
Axe of Defiant Thunder. With this axe, Tellian the Tormentor, the
raiders’ warlord, forced his rule upon the other kav clans, usurping
the influence of the Saviors of the Twisted Fang, and organized his
people into a cohesive army. Tellian’s messengers next approached
the cities of the Alliance of the Silver Swords, demanding they
evacuate the Wildlands—lest they face his wrath. The alliance
members refused.
Chapter Two: The Archduchy’s History
The Era of Blood
(505 BF to 340 BF)
arrival of Spiros himself, leading an army of Sentinels, iguanalons
(lizard folk), loyal kav, humans from the other duchies, and
lavayne skyships saved the city, as the Shining Cavalier’s army
aacked the invaders from behind.
A terrible bale ensued as the armies of light struggled against
the daunting might of the Witch Lords’ horde. At the center of
this epic fight, the two gods clashed. Eventually, despite drawing
strength from the dying warriors around him, Sallous Yar fell to
the Shining Cavalier’s righteous blade. However, the defeated
deity’s hordes spirited him away before Spiros could capture
him. In a parting aack, the Magus of Bones cast a spell on the
weakened god of justice, spliing Spiros’ broad chest open.
Centuries of war followed, and throughout the years, nearly
ever city fell under siege. When Kirvos fell to Tellian’s warriors, the
unexplainably long-lived warlord claimed it as his new capital, which
angered the Pontiff of Spiros so greatly he called for a crusade to
liberate the northern city from the Horde’s soldiers. Only the cities of
the south answered the call, however, for even SpirosBlaak refused
roust the new leadership of its northern neighbor, earning the duke of
SpirosBlaak an excommunication from the Pontiff.
Then, in a bold move, Shivanos’ forces aacked Vas and Askalan
in the vacuum le by the departing crusaders. Only the inspiring
leadership and considerable martial talents of the fallen gods
Antigonos and Gasperos, along with unexpected assistance from the