Alright, I know I’ve not lived up to expectations, or maybe I have and maybe that’s more depressing, but I haven’t abandoned my story. Far from it. Part of why I haven’t done much has been because I’ve been working on multiple things all at once. Remember the legend of the Warden and the Mage Knight? Yeah, Aidan and Neria are coming back, and I have big plans. Also, chapter 7 has been delayed because I made changes to my story and now I have to make up for it by fixing chapter 7 (will be chapter 6, but it was chapter 7 until I fused the previous chapters 5 and 6). Also, Sorin will be coming back, but not as a writer for the Colony, at least not yet, but instead as my legend writer. He writes the legends and I write the true story it’s based off of. He’s better at legends, but I know the world of Eirmoda better (obviously). Remember how well he did on the Legend of the West Warden and the Mage Knight? Yeah, he’s going to do more of that. I know I keep promising various part 2’s and 3’s, and those are still coming. Just been in a bit of a slump. Also, I might jump right into the Ghost Story, so I would have several stories going at once, which, contrary to what you might think, would improve my productivity. Anyways, I do have this to make up for my silence.

Allies of the Warden

The Rangers of Itrelia – In the days of the Warden of the West, when elves were more common and less secluded, the slave trade was far stronger and elven women were highly sought, both for their beauty and for their rarity, being but a myth, even at that time. This led to the birth of more than a few half-elven bastards. Unwanted and unneeded, they were often sent to monasteries, or left in orphanages, or even abandoned to die on the road. Whatever their fate, those who managed to escape it often fled south into the barbarian lands of the Itrelians. The barbarians were not especially kind to them, but nor were they particularly hostile. As far as the Itrelians were concerned, the half-elves were just a smaller, weaker version of humans. Not something to be praised, nor something to be demonized. If they could hold their own, the land would serve them as it served the barbarians; if they could not, they would perish, just as any other man unprepared. While the Itrelians could rely on their brawn and their enduring constitution, the half-elves had to resort to other means of survival. They honed their cunning and stealth, tapping into their elven ancestry to commune with nature and bend the wilds to their will. They became known as rangers in the local parlance. Some returned to their native home of Koeleth, with vengeance in their hearts, or with righteous conviction, or with some other motive, seeking out some form of justice. When the Tainted King rose in Koeleth, they were amongst the first to see the threat. When Aidan sought out aid, Darrian Duskchild and those he could gather readily agreed to help.

The Ghosts of Ancient Hollow – There is no ally quite so powerful as one who cannot die. Though less famous than the ghosts of the Ghostlands, Ancient Hollow, in southeastern Koeleth, has its fair share. One of the first regions reclaimed by the Ekoalem, it has its own bloody history, One of the few places that still held living Orgalavi when they returned, there was much war and bloodshed. Heroes and champions on both sides of the war still haunt the land. To have such a wicked man as the Tainted King spoil that hallowed land, the spirits were enraged. Before long, Aidan and Neria had in their corner ancient warriors, the notorious Orgalavi gladiators fighting alongside fearsome Koeling paladins. Their numbers are few, but they are near impossible to slay.

The Ekoalreich Knights – Another province that dates back to Koeleth’s earliest days, Ekoalreich was the first region reclaimed from what little remained of the Orgalav Empire, and in a fit of righteous vengeance, the Ekoalem named it “Ekoalreich,” the Kingdom of Ekoal, to mark it as the starting point of the Ekoalem kingdom. Lord Ekoal, seeing the obvious threat of the Tainted King, offered his knights to Aidan, in return for certain favors of a less than legal nature. Things which Aidan, the Honorable Rogue, was adept at doing.

Others – Other allies gathered, of course, but these three provided the greatest aid. Others joined out of self-preservation, like the knights of Heron’s Lake, Lushland, and Tyrol’s Boon, while others sought to stop it before it could reach them, such as the outlaws of Dead-Man-Walking and the free warriors of Fall Dirge. There were, of course, specific persons involved, such as the spirit Autumn Leaves, the Sage of Anverund, and Sidona the Elvair mage, but their involvement will be known soon enough.