The summer of Year 3013 brought freedom to the lands north of the Great River. Enraged by the escape of his hostage, Tirena S'Alyn, deservedly known as the Wildcat of Praxen, Akkyn Muktar swore that he would raze the fortress of Praxen and sow the townsite with salt. His overweening pride drove him beyond all limits of prudence.
The tale-spinners maintain that Muktar left so few men behind to guard Muktarshold when he went to war against Peregret that Alyx the Dragonkeeper took it by storm with fewer than two hundred men. This feat ignited the imagination of the people and drew enough new recruits to his cause that he was able to fight his way across the Great Bridge and into Dys, doing considerable damage to Muktar's troops in the process. Little sense can be made of the garbled details of the Dragonkeeper's supposed exploits, but it is clear that he snatched his kingdom from Muktar's grasp, took up residence in Draklunys, and kept his borders secure against all comers.
Not only did Muktar lose his foothold in Dys, but his proposed conquest of Peregret miscarried as well. In the decisive hour, when the fall of the fortress of Praxenkyr seemed inevitable, the Great Council of Helion was persuaded by Arabelle the Silver-Haired to relax their policy of strict political isolation. They sent five thousand male auxiliaries to relieve the beleaguered kingdom of Peregret. These troops had no magic to wield, but they were trained warriors, well-provisioned and rested. Their surprise attack on Muktar's rearguard put new heart into the besieged defenders.
The Wildcat of Praxen, newly proclaimed Battle Queen of Peregret, had the presence of mind to take advantage of this unexpected turn in the tide of battle. She led a pre-dawn guerrilla attack against Muktar the following night, silently infiltrating the tents of the officers and killing nearly every one, among them Kynets Iryk and Tarn, the elder sons of Muktar. Just as the carnage was discovered, a wave of Peregrian archers with firepots set the tents ablaze with their arrows, throwing the entire camp into disarray. When the main force of the Peregrian army swept onto the scene, they encountered little resistance.
The evening before, Muktar had retreated to a secluded woodcutter's cabin with a pair of courtesans to drown his self-doubts in distilled liquor. By the time a messenger reached him with news of the nocturnal massacre, his army was in full flight like a stampede of masterless horses, harried by the combined troops of Helion and Peregret. It is said that he escaped retribution by disguising himself in one of the strumpets' dresses.
The last of Muktar's soldiers, bleeding and disheartened, crossed the Great Bridge into Akynadar as the first flakes of snow fell, bearing the slaughtered corpses of Iryk and Tarn. In the wake of the victory, diplomats shuttled back and forth as Helion, Peregret and Dys began negotiations to create an effective military alliance against future military threats. The Northlanders appeared neutral, but their spies were everywhere.
The Shadow Warriors of Dys no longer raided Akynadar, but toiled to re-build their reclaimed nation. Some of them chose to remain in their hidden valley camp in the Amethyst Mountains, tilling the land there, and labouring long and hard to build proper houses against the elements. They named their new settlement Eelor Kato, dreaming that it would be a haven of rest.
From time to time, some ventured across the Perilous Way with news of Muktar's activities, such as they were. The Akkyn remained sequestered in his fortress, occasionally sending out heavily armed squads to despoil his subjects of the last of their supplies.
A new generation of raiders controlled the highways -- Akynadarians with nothing left to lose. Their purpose was simple: to starve Muktar where he sat and establish a new dynasty of freedom. Trade caravans no longer dared to visit Muktarshold.
As Muktar's power faded, the brothers of the Order of the Brazen Stallion re-grouped in secret, awaiting the day when they could take their rightful place in their homeland.
Chronicles of the Great Alliance
by Halyrr Horakkyn Minor
historiographer of the Order of the Brazen Stallion, YBS 3405 - 3431
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The Return of the Dragonhawk
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