Ronark's transformation gave him immortality, but it did not make him all powerful. He could kill the most powerful champions of Karus, even several of them at once, but even he could not hold off an entire army. With fierce tactics and discipline, Karus was able defeat Ronark, but each time the undying energy within the hero would resurrect him. Each resurrection was a torment and Ronark became angry at Logos for the endless prospect of pain, and at Akara for imprisoning him. He saw his immortality as a sick joke instead of a blessing, and at times even wished he had the destructive powers of Cypher or Pathos.
Ronark began probing the mystic voids, feeling for any residual power left from the destruction of Cypher and Pathos, hunting for that terrible power. For nights and weeks he searched, yet he failed to find it. Then, one night, just before the sun began to rise, he found it - not in the heavens as he had expected, but in a valley where El Morad's troops had assembled for battle. Ronark roared with triumphant pleasure, for at last he could have the power he had sought for so long, and crush Karus once and for all. Today would be the beginning of their end, and then he would settle his grievances with Logos.
As the sun crested the mountains, Ronark strode through the ranks of El Morad and into the center of the battlefield. He provoked the Karus army, shouting of how his ultimate power would crush them all and bring the same miserable end to their families. Karus gave the human's brazen confidence no heed, and of a single mind they rushed Ronark, intent on cutting him down yet again. As they closed on him, Ronark turned to his countrymen and commanded them to stand down; they were about to witness the greatest act of war the world would ever see.
Ronark was killed once more.
His resurrection pain was more excruciating than any other time. Further enraged that his supposed discovery of the power of total destruction was merely an illusion, Ronark realized that what he had found was only a small portion of the essence of Cypher and Pathos. Ronark immediately set himself about the task of finding and gathering up all the pieces of their power that had been scattered across the lands of Carnac. It had been absorbed like light by the plants, which were in turn ingested by creatures. Ronark found he could not simply capture the power of creatures that had ingested it; they had to be killed. So he commanded his men to kill with reckless abandon, knowing that with their help he would eventually succeed in absorbing all of the power.
Sensing Ronark's growing power, Logos and Akara were left with no choice but to imbue another, a rival, with the same abilities as possessed by Ronark. They needed this other to have the power to beat Ronark and yet not possess the desire to destroy them. They found Girakon, a young warrior undefeated in battle, lustful for revenge on Ronark, yet not ambitious for absolute power. In the battles at Ardream he had become renowned for his ferocious ability to rally his men and overcome his foes, even under seemingly impossible odds.
Girakon's mother had been one of the first Pury Tuarek to flee from El Morad, and he grew up knowing that he and all his people were on the brink of destruction. Girakon took as his purpose the eventual liberation of his people from El Morad's tyranny and injustice - a goal considered weak by many of his peers. They wanted complete victory over El Morad and a reversal of their fortunes. Girakon simply wanted peace, but that was before the Sharine Raids. His mother, along with hundreds more, were brutally killed. El Morad called the Sharine Raids "a cleansing of the land", but to Girakon they were his call to complete and utter vengeance. From that point on, Girakon's resolve to rid the world of their oppressors became as cold and hard as the deep ice of the Northern Reaches.
To match Ronark, Akara gave Girakon immortality and Logos gave him the same power -absorption spell. They commanded Girakon to search out and absorb as much of the remaining power from Cypher and Pathos as he could possibly take. They directed all of Karus to kill creatures in the hope that Girakon would be able to absorb the exposed power before Ronark could. His strength grew quickly, and he never paused in his search for scattered bits of the power.
Both El Morad and Karus knew that whichever side helped their hero recover the most power left behind by Cypher and Pathos would permanently put an end to their bitter enemies.
If the Forever War was a fierce and never-ending battle for revenge, it had become a raging storm fueled by the absolute need for sole survival... for whoever lost would perish.
With every able bodied knight slaughtering creatures to release trace amounts of Pathos' and Cypher's essences, both Girakon and Ronark quickly grew stronger. Yet some worried about how the heroes increased in power. With every gain, Ronark grew frenzied for more, seeming to care for nothing else. Girakon, very unlike himself, displayed an aggression toward his own warriors. It was whispered in back rooms and dark corners that there was something twisted and wrong about the powers the heroes were absorbing.
And then the last bits of Pathos and Cypher were absorbed. Girakon and Ronark were far too evenly matched for one to forcefully extract the power from the other. Both could foresee a final battle that would decide their own fates as well as the fates of their people. With grim determination, each side laid plans for what they knew would be the most defining event since the flight to Moradon.
For weeks, the armies of El Morad and Karus fought. Ardream and Ronark Land witnessed vicious battles, and the hatred of one side for the other continued to build until both armies gathered on opposite sides of the Lunar Valley. When they charged, the roar they let loose reached even Akara and Logos, who watched from the heavens.
In the midst of the heaviest of the fighting, Ronark and Girakon met. Both summoned the powers of hell to scorch and freeze the other, but that was far from what was needed to destroy them. The following moments were a blur of ground-shaking blows and the vicious shrieks of otherworldly beings made of ice and fire. The battle began to center around their duel, slowly rotating in a massive vortex of combat.
And then Ronark landed a critical blow. Girakon stumbled, and that momentary opening was his downfall. Ronark laid the finishing hit, releasing the power contained within Girakon. As Ronark absorbed the power, a change came over him. He darkened. The lost powers of Pathos and Cypher were reunited and gained some form of consciousness within the body of Ronark. The Pathos-Cypher entity was once again whole.
Suddenly, Messengers of Pathos materialized and surrounded Ronark. "We have finally found you, master. We could not find you for so long. We have gathered the anti-energy as you commanded. It is waiting for you to claim at the Crystal in Moradon." The minions of Pathos were drawn to the essence of their former master. Ronark called with a voice that was heard across the whole of Adonis, "Hear me, people of Carnac! Today I will claim my rightful power. To Moradon!"
When he arrived, Ronark marched straight to the enormous crystal at the center of the city. Messengers appeared as he began the spell to absorb the energies contained within it. Attempting to stop him, knights attacked the Messengers, hoping to break their line and kill Ronark, but they did not stand a chance.
In the midst of the ensuing chaos, the cool voice of Akara resounded, "I will not allow you to destroy my people. Today I will imprison you for all eternity!" And the world turned to fire.
Volcanic Rocks from the molten core of Carnac exploded from the ground, great in number, and all of them fell upon Ronark. Their combined might was too much for even him to hold off, and he disappeared under their crushing mass. They dragged him down, burning through the innumerable strata, heading deep below the surface.
Following close behind, Akara infused the very earth with a life and will to keep Ronark imprisoned. In her haste, however, she neglected to command the Volcanic Rocks to follow. Without direction, they mindlessly laid waste to the entire city of Moradon. In horror, Logos watched the events unfold. He blamed himself, for they were a result of his scheming with Akara. Once again his creation was falling apart, and Moradon's ruin was proof. His remorse urged him to retreat into the mystic voids, but his feelings of guilt compelled him to first recreate Moradon.
The land was reconstructed, plants restored, creatures given new places to roam. The new city was drawn up from the depths of the earth, the purest of minerals used in the forging of the walls and towers. Grand streets opened into vast courtyards for the assembly of Carnac's finest heroes. To see to the rebuilding of trade, Logos appointed Kaishan, and under his leadership Moradon would prosper. When Akara returned several days later, she took in all that Logos had done and she became enraged. It seemed Logos was scheming to steal her people's loyalty. To foil these plans, Akara injected the pure force of life itself into the Center Artifact of the castle in Delos, emitting an irresistible pull to all knights. Furthermore, she began to reward fights to control the castle. A knight's renown could now grow in Delos
Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:04 pm by ulphrlanet