In the world of Djemity, news travels fast, borne on the fleetest of Aquienos Ships, flown across the land in Sylphim Floating Isles, or whispered through miles of stone by Teklo Wordsmiths. Of course, as fast as news and official reports travel, rumour and hearsay are quicker to spread throughout the world.
Reports from Navigators returning from the East.
It started when one of the stars from the fell constellation blinked out, then the rest began to move around the sky flickering and shifting. Then all of a sudden they blinked out leaving nothing but darkness in the skies. Those Navigators amoungst us who had previously meditated upon the eastern stars then spoke of a great weight lifting, and the feeling of wrongness they associated with the stars being removed.
Word quickly spreads across Djemity of a volcanic eruption and massive forest fire which has devastated a swathe of the Seraphol. Days later more details being to emerge.
…worrying news carried by a merchant caravan from Trask. They reported that the sky-fortress that had been carved from Broken Peak flew over the forest, inverted itself and then through some mechanism or magic created an eruption that lasted for a number of hours. The isle then righted itself and proceeded out eastwards over the ocean. Whilst the diplomatic ramifications are obviously a concern for the Senate I shall be recommending the immediate fortification our our more exposed holdings…
Journal of Warden Rin Yos Darl
“The eye opened and we burned! We burned! The fire is in me now, it saw me and then it burned its way inside!”
Ramblings of Feresq, Becquerel survivor
We dropped anchor some distance from the Seraphol and saw from the smoke that many smaller blazes still seem to be raging within. Kelwn'Es tells me that these could have been caused from embers blown from the site of the original disruption, but it doesn't quite add up. The wind has been steady westerly for a week, so why are there fires out here on the Eastern edge?
Harik'Venge'Sta, Captain's Log
Reports of battle and mass death at Port Dawn
…the Port was buzzing with activity. Thousands of craftsmen and workers building up the defences. The walls are now twice as high, and all the main buildings have been heavily fire-proofed…
…Warden-Marshall Dach ordered us to train for siege-defence, manning the defences, the walls, defending against ladders and scaling parties…
…from the East we saw the form of a great black Obsidian Monolith, sweeping slowly but surely across the water towards us. There was great fear amongst the…
…the Ultimatum to those residing in Port Dawn, from General Chath upon Broken Peak, was rejected and soon the Chithana Battle-Isles were moving in to attack. Wave upon wave of Chithana attacked, but they were repulsed…
…The Polaria sailing through the skies engaged with the Monolith, but its advance, whilst slowed, could not be stopped and it prepared to attack…
…great light bearing forth from the four of them, burning, burning, washing across the fortifications and the town…
…then Broken Peak arrived overhead and flows of magma poured from it, encasing everything in waves of molten stone, burning the bodies of those who were coming to their feet after the…
All across Djemity tombs crack open as their inhabitants rise from their graves to cause havoc across the continent and the surrounding seas. Reports come in from all of the races as their populations try to deal with this uprising from within their midsts.
A report from the records of the Aquienos war fleet.
”…the Praetor ship Lailu had weighed anchor in a lagoon of the Starfall archipelago, in preparation for maintenance at the dry dock facilities there. While waiting, the rising of the undead occured, and the risen began to climb the anchor chain. A slow response to the threat meant that a large number of the risen undead where on board by the time the stationed maries were scrambled. A small force was able to push to the anchor chain and sever it, preventing more undead boarding the ship, unfortunately a storm rose extremely quickly, and without an anchor to drop the ship was wrecked on the rocky outcrops which dot the shallows, there were significant casualties of the civilian population both from the undead invasion, and from the violent impact on scuttling, however many were still able to man the lifeboats…”
A refugee on the road north of the so-called “Belag Line” within the Deep Mountains
“They came from the low hills further south. At first it was just a few dozen of them and the Wardens called up the militia and they were dispatched. They stopped coming, and we thought we were safe, but then about a week later caravans stopped coming. When patrols were sent out, they didn't return.
When the dead came once more, it was at night and in their hundreds, in their thousands. The militia manned the fortifications, the Wardens held the line for as long as they could. But there were too many, and we fled to north, out of the town. They followed us, those that were too slow… they fell behind.
Finally we heard about the Belag Line. Cutting off all those Poleis and all that territory. Declaring it unfederated and creating a defensive line along it… maybe it was necessary, but I can't believe it.”
Tales of Heightman Loquen
“And as I hiked across the steaming lava fields I came across one of the walking dead. Not a problem, thinks I, so I fill it full of arrows and chop off its head. Worked up a bit of a sweat but there's nothing to it really. Anyhow I'm plucking my arrows back out when another one comes over the rise. I drop him too and wander over to see where he came from. And that's when I see 'em.”
“Like a river of bodies washing over the landscape. For as far as I can see they're swarming towards me, all the way from the Deep mountains to the forest. I must have seen more dead folk then than I've seen living people my whole life. An army's coming and we'd best be ready for them.”
Amidst the Sylphim outcasts who dwell on the ground there has been substantial excitement for a new booklet that preaches of rebellion against the Empress under the name of Zenith. Enterprising Teklo printers have been only too happy to spread the document across the continent.
Excerpts:
“All you need is a stout heart, a passion for justice, and a face mask, and Zenith shall live again, and cause eternal fear among your oppressors”.
“Zenith is but a symbol. A powerful one, but just a symbol. Use him, until he is no longer of use to you. I will be always at your side, whatever happens.”
“You have passion. You have Chitha. You have power and justice on your side. You cannot lose.”
Meanwhile the Imperial Authorities have claimed that the true Zenith is dead and decreed that possession of the booklet is an act of sedition.
Tales from the sailors of the war fleet returning from the East, where their ships have been holding back the Monoliths.
”…Monoliths of all shapes and sizes, one flat except for thousands of pillars on its surface, another a great stepped pyramid, hundreds of metres tall…”
”…advanced despite the High Admiral's request for Parlay…”
”…some so big that even the largest of our ballista only made a few cracks, they were like arrows against a ship of the line…”
”…orders were given to lure them away and split them up…”
”…eventually came to a stop, holding their ground…”
”…sank beneath the sea, where our ships couldn't battle it…”
”…stalemate for now, but more are surely on the way…”
A Proclamation spread widely amongst the Allied Peoples
And whereas the Teklo Senate asserts its commitment to Truth, Justice and the Divinity of the Teklo Voice, it is therefore to be recorded in the Dictates of the Tongue that Senator Gadram Fra Galt has been named Leader of the Senate.
Words of a sylphim emissary to the poleis of Darund
“Her Most Radiant Majesty Aysa IV, extends to the people of Darund her regard and bids you know that the Imperial Court rejects all allegations that the Empire has raided legitimate trade routes or assaulted any of our allies.”
“Her Majesty resents the implication that she would permit theft or that he subjects would be allowed to conduct such activity. She decrees that no further ambassadors bearing such unsightly complaints will be heard by the Court.”
Reports from an Aquienos Merchant ship trading with Becqurel on the edge of the Seraphol.
It began with a crewman inspecting the cargo reporting scratching noises coming from outside the hull, a few days later holes began appearing below the waterline, before long we were taking on water rapidly and an emergency docking had to be made so the cargo could be unloaded before it was spoiled. The ship's hull eventually gave completely and the vessel sank below the waves, but not before everyone was safely evacuated. Divers went down and reported shoals of fish of an unknown nature feeding upon the wooden hull.