Seasons in the Abyss (Book 4 EptaBorromean Realms)

Chapter 4.20

Unlike the varied realms of Eptaborrea, where living creatures could freely live in areas best suited for the kind, the underdark was the home of all Nephilim. Lore passed down rumored that the Khoeccean were once divided, their two fae factions separated according to their light and dark natures. Where khoecce thrived in the sun and possessed gifts of nature, the ukhoecce thrived in darkness; their abilities a mix of dark magick and shadowy entities. Despite their differences, they were balanced above and below the Arborrean Realm in harmony.

The Lozelean were a merfolk who once thrived in countless numbers throughout the seas of the Demiplanar and Arborrean Realms. Their land locked cousins, the Stiphins and Rervanesh, had ruled the Beast lands, able to shift their forms between men and beasts at will. Before the last war, there existed another group called the Sacrian. Their kind had ruled the Elemental realm, the only race able to commune and coexist there.

During the last great war, the various races fought among their own in what they thought were two sided wars. It wasn' until the Sacrian had been eliminated to the last youngling that the races realized it was a multifaceted effort to kill them all. It was the first time the dragon Queen revealed herself and demonstrated the destructive terror her power could unleash.

The Mobocracy finally intervened and negotiated peace with Qyseil to end the conflict, or face the end of all men across the seven realms. The fae, merfolk, shifters, and beastmen of the seven realms united within the confines of the underdark, their only refuge from the hostilities of conflict. Despite their earnest appeals, Qyseil refused to lead them as their monarch. She had no interest in arbitrating between the races, and directed them to nominate their own leaders from among the races.

The first king of the Nephilim had been a Lozelean. Over the last thousand years, the royals of each race rotated leading the coalition, after their leadership and character was first assessed by the dragon queen. The Minotaur Zo inherited his position from his grandfather, and was prepared to pass the position to his son, Gaius.

Now, he couldn't think of such trivialities, as horde upon horde of demons fired upon them in battle. Deep within the underdark the Nephilim battled the combined forces of two demon princes, Amaymon and Astaroth, with their countless demon legions. Thankfully, the tunnels of the underdark realm made for tight fighting conditions, and limited the mobility of the invaders.

"That's right! Pull them into the deep," Zo yelled, cackling as his great battle axe swung through the air, halving the demons before him. As the leader of the Nephilim, Zo commanded the front lines of the battlefield. His tactic of retreating in order to advance, ensured more and more demons swarmed them.

Behind the line of conflict the khoeccean began chanting spells. They created a barrier behind the demon legions forcing them further into the tunnels of the underdark. Being forced to advance, Amaymon and Astaroth grinned maniacally, certain that they were gaining the ground through their own efforts. Seemingly pushing the Nephilim deeper only served to elicit sneers and taunts from the invaders, fueling their desire to destroy everything in their path.

Arrows shot through the dark, finding purchase within targets on both sides of the battle. The sounds of metal clamoring against armor, explosions, and shouting echoed throughout the Underdark.

"Kill every last one of them!" Amaymon screamed over the din. As the prince who oversaw Ragthaloz Tower, he was a very greedy demon indeed. Amaymon was well known for collecting souls, even going so far as to steal innocents from the cycle of reincarnation in Limbo. The thought of harvesting souls from the combined Nephilim army made his eyes green.

His generals cackled and relayed the message to the legions battling before them. "You heard your prince! KILL THEM ALL!"

Zo's eyes sparkled in delight as the two princes took the bait and advanced with renewed vigor. The leaders of the Nephilim never kept secrets from one another, with one exception: the location of a cursed array of protection located within the deepest depths of the underdark. Its existence and how to trigger it was passed from ruling king to ruling king.