Captain Sebastian Claremont arrived in the port city of Oaken Meadow nearly two moon cycles past with aspirations of integrating her people into his army and using the city as a central base of operations for his future military exploits. His plans, laid out by his master Jemot, had been devastated by the quick thinking actions of the captain of Oaken Meadow’s Peacekeepers. Claremont and his men had become too overconfident by their many acts of plundering the towns and villages that they had already conquered, and had underestimated the leadership of the Oaken Meadow Peacekeepers.
He, with a small contingent of his troops, tried to take the city, like they had many others, and had lost the battle. They were forced to retreat and regroup with the main forces. By the following evening, the city’s captain had evacuated the city and had prepared several traps that cost Claremont many of the lives of his men. They weren’t intensively trained soldiers of war. They were mostly farm hands, miners, and the such that had been forced into service by Captain Claremont and Jemot. Many had wives and children that were being held so that they would comply.
Before the city’s captain left, he and his men burned the city. Claremont and his men had been working tirelessly in order to repair the walls of the city and several of the buildings before the rest of his forces arrived from their own engagements across the lands. Once the walls had been repaired, he and his men began work on rebuilding the store houses at the docks. They were to be used as barracks for the men. He took up residence in the captain’s quarters of the Peacekeepers headquarters. It had taken little damage in the fire and was easily repaired.
The reconstruction was coming along as swiftly as could be. There were no mills around for wood and the men had to cut and use the trees As best they could. As the other eleven regiments reported to Oaken Meadow, they too began to assist in the rebuilding of the city. Claremont had turned the once busy plaza that was filled with shops and other assorted merchants into a training ground for his unwilling army of conscripted men. They were becoming better prepared for the upcoming assault on the capital city of Tenroha.
Jemot had appeared to Claremont on several occasions since the arrival to the city in his mist form. He was furious with Claremont for failing to take the city whole and he had the Luna Stala punish him for his failure. In the dead of night, while the captain was sleeping, they clawed at his back leaving deep scrapes that were slow in healing. He also had them remove the small finger from his left hand.
Jemot’s plan was for everyone to regroup, after the attacks on the other cities and towns, at Oaken Meadow. They were to station there and train the new recruits and after a fortnight they were to take the army, that he estimated would be around fifteen thousand men, to the capital city and prepare for an attack. The failed attempt at Oaken Meadow cost him several hundred men as well as by not capturing the city, it cost them several thousand new recruits as well as several moons before they would be able to finish Jemot’s plans of conquering the capital city.
Claremont was in his quarters making adjustments to the attack plans for the forthcoming assault on the capital city. With the successful attacks on the other cities, his forces were close to twelve thousand. He was standing over a map of the city. He had his troops placed all around the city and was trying to discern which strategy of attack would be best suited.
He stood, perplexed, as he stared at the map. Even with his forces out numbering those of the capital city, he could not find a way for his forces to enter the city. The walls of the city were too high for his men to take with hooks and ladders. The gaits were too thick to use a ram. Every way he looked at it, he would lose many men and still not succeed in the assault. The palace and city were built to withstand an attack from dragons and Captain Claremont could see no way for men, alone, to prevail. Filled with frustration, he grabbed the top of the table and flipped it across the room, slamming it into the wall.
He sent for two of his lieutenants. When they arrived, he gave them orders for them to locate one of the prisoners to build three catapults. He left an incentive for him that would free the man and his family once they were complete. He hoped that the catapults would weaken the walls enough for his men to be able to take the city. He had hoped to begin his march on the capital city by the first day of autumn, but the delays in rebuilding Oaken Meadow made this impossible.
Several days passed and Captain Claremont sat in his study going over his new attack plans. He had sent his men to find a builder four days past and the man was showing the captain drawings that he had made of the catapults. They were discussing what materials he would need and how many men it would take to build them. "How long until they will be ready?" asked the captain. "It will be a moon cycle before we have made everything we need," replied the man.
"If we ran the forges day and night, we might be able to take a week off of that, as long as we have enough iron to get the job done," he explained. "Do whatever you must," ordered the captain. "They must be ready to move by the next full moon," said the captain, and he sent the man away. He then said to his lieutenants, "We must be within striking distance of the capital city before the winter solstice." He didn't mention to them that on the solstice, it would be a new moon and he planned on attacking that night. There would be no moonlight to interfere with his creatures and it is the longest night of the year.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
His lieutenants left the room to begin preparing their men to move out the day of the next full moon. Tonight was a full moon and they had one more cycle before they were to depart. They ran the men through drills and practiced scaling walls. The men would be ready when the time came, but would the catapults?
That night, the captain was alone in his room. The room was dark except for a little moonlight shining through his window. The captain awoke to the sounds of something moving across his floor. He began to watch as the four Luna Stala moved to the center of the room and sat in a circle. The light from the window began to fade as a smokey mist entered his room and gathered in front of the creatures and began to take shape.
The captain had seen this many times before, and he knew that it was Jemot, coming to check on his progress or to punish him for the delays. After a few moments, the mist formed the shape of a man and it began speaking. "Have you discovered a way through the walls?" asked the voice from the mist. "I believe so," replied the captain and he continued, "I have commissioned three catapults to be built and they will be ready to depart by the time the next full moon rises."
Before Jemot could speak, the captain began to explain his plan. He told Jemot that the catapults were to be a distraction for his primary plan of attack. He continued to explain that on the night of the solstice it would be a new moon. He would begin his assault before nightfall. If the catapults worked, the walls could be breached by the men and the city could easily be taken.
"But," he said, "if the walls proved to be too much, I will send in the beasts and have them lurk in the shadows. From there, they could deal a lot of damage to the people and the city, as well as the royal family." "If we capture their king or his family, they will be forced to surrender," he finished explaining. Jemot thought for a moment and replied, before he faded away, "Very well, but if the capital city is not taken by the end of the solstice, consider your life forfeit." The mist cleared and Jemot was gone.
*****
Jemot returned to his body on the opposite side of the mountains. He had taken up residence in the city of Acenes. It was the last city in Tenroha that he had seen when he was exiled and the first city he destroyed when he returned. He no longer controlled the people his lands west of the mountains. After the mountains were raised, he had his people rebuild the city and after they had completed it, he gave them back their free will.
In the thousand years since the continent was divided, his undead army had rotted away and turned to dust and his people began to thrive under his rule. He had assigned men to govern over certain areas of his lands to make them prosper. The citizens in his lands had long forgotten how he had come to rule them, but they still lived in fear of his wrath.
He mostly just stayed in his palace and let the affairs of his kingdom run their course. If one or more of his lords would overstep their station, he would steal away their life force and assign someone else to the task. This happened once in every generation when the young lords would disbelieve the elders and go out on their own. This allowed his kingdom to live, relatively, at peace and allowed him to live longer than any man should.
He stood over a table with an old map containing all of Tenroha. He was comparing it to a new one that he had made by studying the one that Claremont used. There were many cities that no longer existed and many more that had been added, but the same could be said about his side as well. The capital city of H?fue-staer was no longer the seat of power in the land and appeared to have been lost to time. There appeared to be a new capital city far to the east.
It laid at the mouth of the Quoe, nestled into the shores of the Gulf of Newtonia. The city’s name was not listed on Claremont’s map and Jemot did not know it. He stared at a spot on the map that was once his home. The map had a name inscribed above the area that read, Aynran.
It was a small village that had appeared to be lost to time. Jemot’s happiest memories were there, as well as his saddest. He grew up in a house made of sod and at the age of thirteen he had discovered that he had magical powers. He had no family history of magic and it came as a surprise to his farmer parents. He left his home and family and went to the Sanctum of the Magi to learn about his new abilities and powers.
He trained and studied there for many years and then returned to Aynran to begin a new chapter of his life. He reunited with his childhood sweetheart. They fell in love and started a family together after a few years. His wife was heavy with child. It was to be the first of many that they wished to have. When his son finally came into the world, he took one breath and it was as he took it from his mother and she joined him in the afterlife.
Jemot was devastated at his loss and he retreated into the woods and became a hermit. He wallowed in his sorrow for many moons before he returned to the Sanctum. He was broken to the core and began to delve into the forbidden magics in a pursuit to be reunited with his family. After many years of secretly practicing the forbidden magics, he succeeded in making a connection with his beloved.
Then Arryn, a Grand Master and the head elder of the order, discovered Jemot’s secret and the order cast him to The Isle of Time in exile. He was to live in solitude, away from everyone he knew. At first, he thought he was cursed. He began using what he had learned, but try as he may, he was unable to reach his beloved anymore.
He became infuriated and began summoning all sorts of demons and monsters to assist him to return home, but they were of no use to him. After many, many moons, he discovered an ancient library on the island. He was unable to read the texts that were stored there. He spent many days trying to decipher the ancient words, but it was no good.
He had been in exile for several years on the island that had food in abundance. He was in a small clearing gathering berries to eat when he found a very old graveyard. He began using the magic that had landed him on the island. He summoned many spirits of the long dead island inhabitants and used them to teach him the language of the texts.
The texts were filled with the knowledge of ancient magics that had not been seen in ages. He learned ways to stop his aging. He learned ways to reverse the damage that time had done to his body. He learned many new types of magic, and after decades spent mastering his craft, he decided that it was time for him to return to the land of his birth, unaware that the magic was poisoning his mind as his body grew stronger.
