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+Larn Margot
I had only just received Sarneho's "Writ of Interdict" that condemned Wardiel the Mighty as a knave and a threat to all, when I heard reports of Wardiel attacking the good people of Dereth outside of Qalaba'r near the Lugian Tower. I traveled there swiftly, using portals to hasten my journey, and arrived to witness the aftermath of a great battle. People lay where they were slain and the smell of death was thick in the air. I asked a survivor to relate what had happened, and in a broken voice, he said that Wardiel and Bael'Zharon had raised altars to invoke chaos and strife. These altars allowed the people of Dereth to attack each other -- and gave Wardiel the opportunity to undertake a great slaughter. My informer told how Wardiel had initially been beaten back by a surprise attack of Derethians -- but had returned swiftly, stinking with Bael'Zharon's evil power. After killing the townsfolk en masse, he finally claimed the town as his own. I shivered, but, my curiosity overcoming my fear, I headed in the direction the citizen indicated Wardiel had gone.
As I went, I discovered that Wardiel had cut his way northwards, at first meeting little resistance. He overcame much if not all of the Sho and Gharu'ndim lands, and those lands that he could not conquer, he set his banderling thralls upon. Most disturbing, however, was the case of Samsur, where the citizens had the temerity to swear fealty to him, actually greeting the knave with open arms!
Despite Samur's treachery, Wardiel's reign of terror lost momentum. Again and again, at Shoushi, Yaraq, Eastham, and Cragstone, the folk of Dereth organized to repel his attacks. The defense suffered a setback at Eastham, when an epic battle between Fheer, a defender of good, and Kudce, a follower of Wardiel, ended in Fheer's momentary defeat. However, Fheer was destined to return . . .
In Holtburg, Wardiel's downfall began. Fheer, recovering from the wounds inflicted on him, led an army complete with healers and enchanters, who both aided him and weakened Wardiel with the spell Imperil VI. The people of Holtburg clashed directly with Wardiel. His train of evil followers, led by Blackthorn, Mortanius, and Kudce, sent many brave Derethians to the lifestones. However, Holtburg did not fall, and eventually Wardiel fled to Glenden Wood with delusions of making it his capital. Of his followers, only Kudce dared follow his failing dream.
It was at Glenden Wood that Wardiel lost his strength, Bael'Zharon's favor, and his life. Bael'Zharon, disgusted with his minion's failures, withdrew his blessing without warning as Wardiel began his assault. Stripped of his supernatural power, Wardiel was slain by the weapons and spells of Dereth's mightiest defenders. Even as Wardiel cast healing spell after healing spell upon himself, the crowd closed in, filled with a bloodlust of their own.
Following his death, adventurers discovered Wardiel's hideout at an old fortress southwest of Rithwic. A number of the defenders have remained, to found a village called Lytelthorpe in the keep's shadow. In the meantime, the towns Wardiel conquered have driven out his banderling troops and begun the slow, painful process of rebuilding. There are rumblings that, in the months to come, a successor will appear, seeking to triumph where Wardiel failed and -- with Bael'Zharon's help -- bring all of Dereth to its knees.
Revenge!: A Personal Drama
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