The First Goblin King

The Rise of the Varanthians

       

Adair Delphicai

         Hold....we must hold them....

         A lone man paces in front of a shattered window, his grey clothing torn and tattered, his armor blood stained. A chill breeze wafted a strand of his long, blond hair that had escaped from its tieback before his face. With an unsteady hand, he brushed it away. There were three dead men lying at the man's feet, the last of which had slashed him upon the forehead, causing his blood to run down his face, spilling onto the granite stones below, and mingling with the blood from the dead.

The man was a king, Lord Adair Delphicai of Tremaine. He and his knights were embroiled in a bitter war with the Varanthian Empire. The war had not only involved Adair's kingdom of the Kaels, but extended into Elven, Dwarven and even Goblin lands as well. Kaelians were similar in build and stature to men and Elves, living longer than Men, but not as long as the Elves of the woods. They were among the first peoples to populate the great land of Eldoria, and were created by the ancient Empyrean Lords themselves.

Seth Varanth, who went on to become the leader of the Empire, had once been the courtly advisor to the previous kings of Kael. Seth, who was neither Kaelian nor Elven, but something else altogether, had come from far across the Eastern Sea, hailing from the unknown lands. In order to gain notoriety, Seth had performed magical favors for the townsfolk of Kael, using his mastery of sorcery and arcane knowledge to make their crops thrive, their cattle grow strong, and their young prosper.

The then current king of the Kaels, Killian, had heard of Seth's exploits, and requested an audience with him. Seth told Killian of his travels, and all he had learned of the arcane arts along the way. He said he could teach the king about the greater world, and advise him on the ways of the kingdoms outside of the Kaelian borders.

There had been rumblings of war between the three kingdoms, Kaelian, Elven and Dwarven. Indeed, it was during the  50th year of Killian's reign that trouble came to the lands. The three kingdoms were at odds with each other over resources and land, and there was all out war. It took several years, but Seth came up with a plan of peace  that benefited each of the three warring kingdoms. A treaty would be drawn up, and the land divided in the most equitable way possible, as dictated by Seth. A bartering system would be implemented as well, and goods and other wares would travel unhindered throughout the lands. The other kings were pleased with Seth's proposition, and peace reigned once again.

The people prospered under Killian's rule, and the land thrived through the use of Seth's arcane knowledge. He served Killian faithfully for many decades. Where Killian grew older with each passing year, Seth, it seemed, did not. It seemed just the opposite, Seth retained the sharp mind and appearance of a much younger man. One would have no way of knowing the dark things those youthful eyes had seen.

Seth had traveled through the Wastelands, the Forbidden Lands, and other strange places for many years before setting his eyes on the kingdom of the Kaels. He arrived one day, a stranger in strange clothing and cloaks rimmed with furs. No one had ever seen someone quite like him before. He had long, lustrous black hair which he wore loose, and it spilt down below his shoulders. His eyes were silver, like the moon, and just as luminous. His skin was pale and his fingers long, they darted about when he spoke the arcane words. A great many rings were upon his fingers, each one bearing a stone or crystal of power.