the Shards of the Crown of the Forgotten

General Garmin Fe,

May I congratulate you on your successful campaign to wipe out the evil Quall Hive of Ar'yay HiveQueen. This is the first time in recorded history where a Quall Hive was completely wiped out by mortals like ourselves.

Should you like to rest I can understand it, but I was hoping your research had come to fruition. Specifically your research into the Tartarus Beam as a method of binding the ancient Evil known as the Warmonger and your research into opening the way to where that entity is hiding.

I have prepared a force of Necro-Adepts, Nightmare Shock Troopers and my Kasanthian Devotees. All of them are immune to the influences of the ancient evils and their servants.
The Vampire Captains leading them have armor from skinned Unicorns to protect them from Light Leyas, and supplies of Unicorn blood to keep them fed and powerful without adding power to the Warmonger through bloodshed.

Even Demonic farmers have put down their plows to fight at our side. They were freed from the Warmongers torments and will give their infernal half-life to make sure they are never enslaved by Warmonger again.

While the IR tustle with the Fleets of Fate and the Estrain we must move quickly and decisively.
Prime is busy facing internal politics and a coup by the demonic forces within his own Unity.
Angel D is a lunatic and is so enthralled to the Creeping Darkness that we do not have even a hope of her aide.

It stands on my shoulders and yours to defeat Warmonger. My mentor Lurlock told me tales of standing against Warmonger on the prison dimension of Les'tas'tral.

It was him, the K'iou hero Forge, Scout of the Tsogari, and a nameless ranger of the K'iorn Starfalcon tribe.

Now it shall be me, you as our brave K'iou hero, but we will need two more heroes of the TRILAT to stand at our side. If we were to do it right we'd need a bastard and a K'iorn to fill out the ranks.

When our armies march even the Fiends of Warmonger will tremble."

Layne Yr adjusted the stopper on the carafe of wine that she had prepared.

Unlike her usual outifts she wore her ceremonial uniform as a Grand Admiral of the TRILAT. The Nightmares that stood beside her were in imaculate uniforms.
In one hand she held her corrupt khaz'gha wood spear. In the other she held a goblet and offered it to Garmin Fe, saying, "We shall toast our victory"

Garmin generally didn't have much time for social visits these days. The broken shards of the forgotten were in fact one of these very reasons. The research into unlocking its secrets had been time consuming and tedious. It would generally not be like Garmin to micromanage such a project, but living crystal technology was his specialty and not many in this universe could assist him much. Perhaps the Temporal Empire could know something, and surely Unity would like to help. Yet this meeting was important to the TRILAT alliance, and though sometimes whimsical, Layne Yr is a women in possession of many hidden wisdoms.

"Yes, to victory over our foes, and to victory over ourselves. To win against such odds one much triumph over those things that conflict them most."

"It is nice to take a small break from the troubling work on the crown shards. I've pieced together a location where it leads to. I cannot guarantee it leads to Warmonger himself, but I suspect his avatar will be there. Still, it is locked away from us still. Like the prison dimension itself it is a place that we must unlock with either might or cunning, or both. Prime thinks he has a solution, I suppose we will see."

Garmin drinks the wine from the goblet, being careful not to let it dribble down his breaded face.

"Regarding the legendary standoff with the Warmonger, I've not heard the tale as it was told by the Devil Bishop. I would very much like to here it in the way he told it. It interests me to know our enemy right before he was humbled, but mostly I would dearly like to know how repeating the event would serve us most."

Layne Yr adjusted her hat and said, "I have hear versions of the story from both the mouth of the Devil Bishop Kasanth, and then from the mouth of my mentor Lurlock,Son of Dark, Necromancer of House Oberon and Peacelord of the mighty kingdom of Kasanth.
My home kingdom was mountains and deserts before I rose to power.
The Kasanthian keeps were the only safe place as wandering technoghouls entered our villages day and night from the ruined Kingdom of Tal Hanon. Those that died on their claw rose up as regenerating mekanoids zombies.
As children our dreams must have fed the Kasanthian nightmare engines well.
When I came to power I ended that and built sprawling suburds with greenery and plantlife and order. But to achieve that you must listen to the words of both the Devious Bishop Kasanth and your own peacelord as the words of God.
Bishop Kasanth speakes of the battle to trap the Warmonger at the end of the Kias War.

We Earthers were still trapped on Earth in a primordial state of self slavery at the time.
But a great battle occurred inside an ancient creature able to create dimensions inside itself near the planet of Refuge.
Lord Falos and his sons Beretoth and Azre'Tal took the first city of the Children of the Falosini, their original seat of rule, the floating isle of Tempest. It was a beautiful city before Warmonger assaulted it in the body of the Kias Emperor Mar'un'ga the legends say.
The battle was fierce but Warmonger was struck down with his own battle blade, the Daemonsbane sword. He was hacked apart and his spirit was gathered by a man named Armenius. His flesh was shaped into crystalline balls, and into each a portion of warmongers power was used to trap his mightiest generals. Five Armenius orbs were created and the final held Warmongers consciousness.
And the war ended. Azre'Tal gathered the bravest tribes of K'iorn and Baribur and went to the dimension of Vec'zne to find the fabled Border of Consciousness. In Falosini myths it was said to hold the answers to any questions. It was said to enact a terrible price.
Azre'Tal wanted a cure for the Quall, and in a way he would get his terrible wish.
He and all the heroes that traveled with him returned as Uthvelor and Pelebor. Their entire support battallion of Kiou became Axes, went berserk, some escaped, but most had to be put down.
So in the end from my point of view Warmonger got his revenge."

But my mentor Lurlock would have laughed in the devil bishop's face. Lurlock had faced and defeated Warmonger before."

Layne took a deep swig of wine.

While Layne had technically answered his actual request, she hadnt answered his question. When she allowed the silence to play out, she finally answered the real question.

"My mentor Lurlock disagreed with the Devil Bishop and his teachings. The Devil Bishop had been dead and trapped in the hell dimensions tormented by the Accuser a good eight hundred years when my mentor Lurlock rose to power.
For a time Lurlock served Warmonger and then had a ...change of mind. Lurlock and his three allies took on Warmonger. They had an army backing them of course.
But the nameless ranger discovered the secret of Warmongers defeat. After they won this nameless ranger was trapped in time, willingly, and I believe we can coax him out of hiding if we assemble a team of similar spiritual fortitude.

In so doing in a grand sort of prophecy way we achieve victory through emulation.

If it is not a course of action that appeals to you, then I do have an equally interesting backup plan."

With the Fleets of Fate on the horizon and no aid from the EEF, Layne thought back to a certain Nightmare Lords Tomb on Druzi Prime trapped between dimensions. It was a more risky plan, but with the power of the Nightmare lords Layne knew she could end the threat of the Warmonger and the Fleets of Fate.

"General shall we activate the shards and open the way?"

Layne's last words pulls Garmin out of thought. Responding Garmin speaks with great resolve.

"As much as I feel that doing so invites upon us great trouble, you and I know it must be done. We shall open the shards and follow the path to where they lead."

Resolving the thoughts in his mind, Garmin goes to speak again.

"Going back to your tale, I think it more important to assemble people of like spirit rather then those of like race. If your goal is to attract this nameless ranger, perhaps he will respond simply when the time is right. I wonder, is this ranger a being with a will and mind of his own that chooses the time to come forward and be salvation, or is he simply the manifestation of a force outside the bounds of what we know the universe to be, similar to the force behind the leyas itself perhaps. I think we need to know more about this nameless one before we could presume to know who he could be lured out.

What is your other solution prey tell?"

*An outside message is transmitted to the two Trilat leaders*

Greetings General Garmin Fey and Grand Admiral Layne Yr,

After researching the shards of the forgotten, I suspect the union of the three crystals mended together by Earth Leyas will open a portal where upon the rescue of our people is possible. I am uncertain, however, what else might be waiting for us on the other side.

I do believe this is a risk worth taking, but in doing so we will need to unite forces and the shards. Will you join me in this venture?


Celyse Hajima
Zaodonai of the Uthvelor

I will join you in this. You, the Admiral, and I would be a formidable force. But we are inn need of a forth, a will of great constitution to assist us in the final moments. The potentials are few and I see many of the most promising souls occupied by other forces in this universe. Who can we fall back upon to help us when things look most dire?

One who despises Warmonger above all else. I will call to him, and he will assist.