THE BATTLE OF HEAVEN
And so it came to pass that on the twentieth turning of the Wheel in the Year of the Void the machine of Creation became re-ignited, and the Eirth trembled and grew silent. For as it was written, before the sun rose on the third day and threw its light upon Eirth's shores for the last time our fate would be decided, as it always was, so shall it ever be.
Aelisti Earfalas rode forth from Silverbane, in the once-province of Gunyah, and upon his shoulders sat the Mantle of Light, and slowly the families of the Unfirth and Elvorfindir, bound by Fate to the once-king, joined his side. Through the Pass of Gunyah they came, unto the Field of Blood, and there they met the demon horde beneath the new moon, and fell upon them in battle. The cries of the maddened creatures rent the sky and shook the pillars of Heaven, and all mortals who heard wept and hid beneath their beds, praying for a morning that might never come, or for a quick and merciful end to their lives.
For hours the battle stood at a standstill, but when the clock struck midnight the Constructs of Heaven strode forth into battle, no longer under the command of Winnick the Treasonous, and brought Hellfire with them to burn those that would oppose them. And when he saw this, the Dark Prince screamed in pain at the betrayal, but Deceit who had whispered for countless nights in the Prince's ear laughed, for the betrayal was as nectar to him, though the Constructs opposed him.
And the hearts of the Armies of Light were filled with Hope, and they attacked mercilessly and without quarter, for they knew that all depended upon their efforts. But Deceit, with a gesture, called forth Malice, Perversion, and Blight, and they fell upon the host and drove them back to the Pass of Gunyah, and all seemed lost.
It was at the Pass of Gunyah that Capt. Helmut Wilkins, known to some as the Mayor, once Governor of the once province of Gunyah, finally met his end. For Capt. Wilkins came to battle at the side of his friend, Gorion Archonkiller, for the two had sworn a blood oath deeper than any known before or since, and they were as a whirlwind upon the battlefield. And Perversion, who can see into the hearts of men, saw Gorion upon the battlefield and saw that Blesti, on His high holy day, hovered above Gorion and gave him great strength, and She knew that Gorion must be smote or all would be lost. And She raised above her head the Spear of Agonies, the Spear of a Thousand Barbs, and threw it true at the heart of Gorion.
But Capt. Wilkins, as if he knew the spear were bound for his ally, stepped before it and was gutted by it, his screams of agony filling the night's sky as his mind was overcome with the images of Her most unholy thoughts and the barbs dug deep into his body and broke him in twain. And at this moment, Gorion Archonkiller grew blind with rage, and the god Blesti entered into him, and Gorion fell upon Perversion and struck Her down, his sword-stroke rending the Eirth and setting the ground aflame. And Gorion fell upon the ground in despair, for his blood friend was dead, and he wept in agony for his comrade. And Kailaz, in Her mercy, transformed him into a tree to end his suffering, the Tree of Tears that sits before the Canyon of Victory and weeps blood in the summer of each passing year.
It was at this time that Honor and Mercy entered the fray, and they were as the sun rending the clouds, and the fell upon the Archons of Hell and drove them back, the sounds of their fighting as thunder and lightning on a summer's day. And Truth stood beside Aelisti and he drove forth against the fray, and at his side he met his twin brother Deceit who stood beside his heir, Prince Aelisti Earfalas, name-son of the King. And Truth drew aside Deceit's mantle and the Prince understood he had been long tricked, but his heart was filled with hate and he fell upon his father, much to the delight of Deceit. And after long fighting, the True King impaled his son upon the sword of his fathers, and he knew nothing but pain to destroy his offspring, and the knowledge would haunt him to the end of his days, for he would never again bring forth sons from his concubines. And thus it was that the Throne of Earfalas would die and never rise again.
The sun rose steadily upon the battlefield and the soldiers looked to the skies, for they knew the end was nigh. But at the hour of 6, just as the sun would crest the horizon, a wave of light passed through the fields of death and the Dark Archons fled screaming in pain, for the light of Heaven was upon them, for which there was no escape. And the Kings of old - Earfalas, Unfirth, and Elvorfindr - joined together on the silent field and bent knee together to pray, and to counsel one another, and it is said that the Elvorfindr and Unfirth entered into the Mantle of Light that the Kings of Eirth have worn upon their shoulders until the end of their reign. And we entered into the Peace of One-thousand Years, and watched as magic slowly left our world, and the lands were given over to Man, united under one ruler until the Sundering and the end of the Eleventh Age...
THE CHAMPIONS OF HEAVEN
Though the battle proper was held in the Field of Blood, the true battle was in the old town of Silverbane, at the edge of the Swamp, in the once province of Gunyah. It was there that the Thirteen lived and died in their attempts, and where they met Strife on the field of battle after they had lost their Champion, Righteousness of the Halls of Fire.
There were those who turned their backs on us, and must be put down so that we remember their names, so that none may betray us again. Khaggun Shadowhand and Calian Deathdealer both turned themselves to the Dark Lord, and became mighty warriors for Hell, and struck down and killed many during the first consecration of the Temple of Light. It was there that Calian disrupted the ritual for his master, and soon thereafter Khaggun betrayed Kayla Twinbearer at the Temple of the Thorn, though he fell from the blades of Cage and the spells of Coltrictus Daywalker, and would return again to test the mettle of the remaining champions. And Strife, in His promised words of power and strength, brought angels to him, for they had fallen to the Darkness in the hopes of breaking the chains that confined them to the Wars of Heaven, though that way lies madness and, in the end, the Void consumes them.
Before the sun would set, Righteousness raised up LorLi of the Thousand Arrows, Galen Thornblade, Laric the Spider, Mylar Wealhand, and Hector Hopebringer to be servants of the Lord and Laws of Heaven, and they so armed would go forth in battle unafraid (for fear is the domain of mortals), and before him Hector Hopebringer would wield the Spear of Hope to bring evil down and dash his foes upon the stones of Eirth. It was also at this time that Righteousness offered unto the Chosen One, Lleandra Stitch, the choice of Redemption, as it always was, so shall it ever be. And she held in herself the opportunity to give strength unto the Light and obliterate herself in the Void, and she held her own counsel in this and bided her time. It was here, also, that Balthazar the Traveler came to us in our time of need, a traveler from another realm, to fight against Hell as he was destined to do, though he is not counted among the Thirteen as he was not of this world.
As the battle became imminent, the time of the Third Choice came at hand, and Xavier Greywalker destroyed the sleeping god Kreas and obtained the 13th shard, and forged for himself the Weapon, and became It as was his destiny, forever to walk the grey paths between Twilight and Dawn. And as he would march into battle he would see Righteousness sacrifice himself and choose, and he chose for Heaven and slew many foes in the War of the Swamps, where many lives were lost in the evil muck and slime.
Slowly Strife pushed forth, for he seemed indefatigable in the vaults of the mire, at the height of the Darkness, until his hurts surprised him and he fled the field to lick his wounds in the Halls of Hell. The Champions moved off toward the Fey Tree, now known as Victor's Tree, where the spirit of Victor Fireblade haunts the grounds on the High Holy Day of Blesti, bestowing the favor of his immortal power upon those who wish to become warriors and shepherding the Honored Dead to the halls of his Fathers, where they live again under the watchful eyes of Blesti, forever ready to do battle. Beneath the Tree battle joined again, until again Strife was beaten back as the sun slowly rose in the eastern sky.
Before the Temple of Progradi the Servants of Heaven tracked their prey, and they fell upon Strife and his children again, and lost LorLi of the Thousand Arrows and Galen Thornblade and Amare Eaglewing to injuries that would have killed mortals such as ourselves. Again they were pushed back, but again the Champions fought forth, and felled Calian Deathdealer, and Strife retreated again to the East and toward the rising sun.
And before the battle on the Field of Salvation, the Chosen One made her choice, and was redeemed, for her sacrifice gifted the remaining warriors with Godsends with which to fight the final battle. And she was ripped from the world and travelled to the Void, where she spent many eons in an oubliette of Nothingness, until Hope snatched her from the maw of the Void and bade her bear witness to the final battle for her world, and she joined him upon the Field and looked with him toward the rising sun.
And on the Field of Salvation, before the sun herself, the remaining warriors joined the battle - Victor Fireblade, Kayla Twinbearer, Cage Wolfmane, Xavier Greywalker, Laric the Spider, Mylar Wealhand, Hector Hopebringer, and Balthazar the Traveler - and Strife prayed to the Lord of the Dark for solace and salvation before the coming flood. And it was here that Khaggun Shadowhand sundered the Grey Weapon, Xavier Greywalker, before meeting his end at the hands of the Champions. It was here, also, that Victor Fireblade met his end, fighting Strife in hand-to-hand combat while the angels regrouped and pushed forth as Cage Wolfmane stalked the battlefield, destroying any who would intervene on their master's behalf and the remaining three angels - Mylar Wealhands, Laric the Spider, and Hector Hopebringer - fought unceasingly against Strife and their fallen brethren. And Balthazar was banished to his home world by Strife, for the fate of our realm must be decided upon those who are of it, as it has been, so shall it always be.
As the sun's rays touched the Field of Salvation, it is said it struck the shining tip of the Spear of Hope, and Hector Hopebringer struck deep into the heart of Strife and sundered his connection to Eirth, and his screams rang the bells of Heaven, for victory, however fleeting, was theirs. And Hope was there, and allowed the three remaining peoples - Cage Wolfmane, Kayla Twinbearer, and Amare Eaglewing - to bid goodbye to their friends, and shepherded the dead to their resting place, and brought the angels with Him to fight another day in another world.
And the Three Pillars remained, and upon them was built a realm of peace, and King Earfalas (so it is said) bent knee to them in ceremony, and presented to them the Mantle of the Realm, which they refused. And they returned to Gunyah, and slowly the people returned, and the Three Pillars ruled with kind hearts and open arms, and the people were rejoined to the Eirth as they were meant to be. And for ages they ruled with the Eyes of the Eagle, the Heart of the Wolf, and the Spirit of the Land, and their offspring ruled true and greatly until the end of the Eleventh Age, when Man brought forth the Sundering and laid waste to His domain...
But that, children, is another story.