⚠ WARNING: This chapter contains major spoilers, including battle outcomes, character deaths, captures, and major events from Book 1. Read only after completing Book 1.
History continued to be written with blood, fire, and steel. In the months following the Fall of Ravenrock, the kingdoms were struck by massacres, uprisings, internal conflicts, and military campaigns that forever changed the fate of countless lives.
7. Alaric on the Snowy Slopes
Date: June 30, 760 A.D.
Location: Frosthelm Fortress, Northern Snowy Slopes (nearby) / Skeldor
Victor: Alaric Thornewood
Important
• Four knights tracked Alaric through the snow.
• Alaric killed the first knight with a thrown knife to the skull.
• He was struck by an arrow in the leg during the fight.
• Using a small knife, he stabbed a knight through the jaw and into the skull.
• He used a dead body as a shield against an archer.
• He was hit by an arrow in the shoulder and stabbed in the stomach.
• Despite his severe wounds, he slit the archer's throat.
• He killed the final knight with an arrow to the head.
Dead and Losses
Skeldor
• 4 dead knights.
Alaric Thornewood
• Severely wounded.
• Arrow wound in the leg.
• Arrow wound in the shoulder.
• Stab wound in the stomach.
Result
• Alaric survived and escaped deeper into the northern mountains.
• His wounds left him exhausted and close to death.
• He made his way toward Frosthelm in the Kingdom of Skeldor.
• The guards of Frosthelm rescued him before the fortress gates.
• His wounds were treated, after which he was imprisoned in the fortress dungeon.
• The hunting party sent after him was completely wiped out.
8. The Deepbark Massacre
Date: July 3, 760 A.D.
Location: Deepbark / Serpentis
Victor: Riven
Forces
• Riven's Forces: ~100–150 men
• Deepbark: ~50–80 village guards and armed residents
Important
• Riven launched the attack without signal or warning.
• The first three knights were killed within moments.
• The village's defense collapsed almost immediately.
• The houses were intentionally left unburned so the village would appear untouched.
• One child was left alive as a messenger.
• For the next three years, Riven ravaged Serpentis, leaving dead villages and missing people behind him.
Dead and Losses
Deepbark
• ~150–200 dead.
• All men were killed.
• Most women and children were executed.
• One woman was killed while attempting to flee.
Riven's Forces
• Minor or insignificant losses.
Result
• Deepbark's defenses were completely destroyed.
• The women were captured, raped, and later executed.
• The children witnessed the massacre; most were killed.
• Only one boy was spared.
• The child was sent as a message to the king.
• Riven demonstrated the kingdom's inability to protect its own lands.
• Deepbark remained a silent, dead village that appeared as if it were still alive.
9. The Battle of Dustmere Coast
Date: July 4, 760 A.D.
Location: Dustmere / Ashkar
Victor: Riven Thornevald
Forces
• Riven's Forces: ~100–150 attackers
• Ashkar: ~80–120 knights and soldiers
Important
• Riven Thornevald personally broke through the village defenses.
• Dozens of knights fell during the first assault.
• Zahir and Riven faced each other in a direct duel.
• Riven shattered Zahir's sword during the fight.
• The fight continued hand-to-hand after both warriors lost their weapons.
• Riven broke Zahir's bones and crushed his skull.
• Varyn attempted to stop Riven but was overpowered.
• One knight was killed after Riven crushed his head with his bare hand.
• Riven intentionally spared Varyn.
• Following Zahir's death, Riven ordered a withdrawal.
Dead and Losses
Ashkar
• ~40–60 dead.
• King Zahir was among the fallen.
Riven's Forces
• Moderate losses.
Varyn
• Severely beaten and wounded.
Result
• Zahir's death shook Ashkar.
• Riven strengthened his reputation as an undefeated warrior.
• Varyn remained alive as a witness to his brother's fall.
• The attack proved that not even the King of Ashkar could stop Riven.
• After the battle, Riven's forces withdrew without establishing a prolonged occupation.
10. The Clash in Ashkar's Throne Hall
Date: July 5, 760 A.D.
Location: Khar'Zun / Ashkar
Victor: Crown Loyalists
Forces
Heir Loyalists
• Iskra and her 24 elite warriors.
• Old knight of Ashkar.
• Elements of the Royal Guard.
Rebel Knights and Nobles
• Members of Ashkar's knightly orders.
Important
• Varyn brought the body of the dead KingZahir to Khar'Zun.
• The Crown Prince broke down before his father's body.
• During the coronation ceremony, the new king refused the crown.
• Some knights declared him a coward and demanded his death.
• Iskra and her elite unit formed a defensive wall around the Crown Prince.
• Fighting erupted throughout the throne hall and castle corridors.
• One knight retreated after recognizing the old knight.
• The old knight killed at least one knight during the clash.
• Iskra killed a knight with a strike to the throat.
• The Crown Prince was escorted out of the castle alive.
Dead and Losses
• Multiple knights were killed and wounded on both sides.
• Several corridors and halls were damaged during the fighting.
Result
• The Crown Prince survived an assassination attempt.
• By dawn, the castle had been brought back under control.
• The divisions among Ashkar's nobles became public.
• Ashkar entered a period of internal chaos and political struggle.
11. The Charge of the White Beast
Date: September 9, 760 A.D.
Location: Ironpeak Hold / Skeldor
Victor: Ironpeak Hold
Forces
• Ironpeak Hold: ~500–600 defenders
• Serpentis: ~700–900 attackers
Important
• Ironpeak Hold's archers repelled the first assault at the gate.
• The gate was opened for a counterattack before dawn.
• Lord Gregoryan Frostborne personally led the charge.
• Gregoryan rode into battle atop an armored white polar bear.
• The attackers began to flee after the appearance of "The White Beast."
• Gregoryan killed dozens of knights during the assault.
• The Lord of Serpentis remained behind the lines and did not enter direct combat.
Dead and Losses
Serpentis
• ~120–180 dead and wounded.
Ironpeak Hold
• Light to moderate losses.
Result
• The attack on Ironpeak Hold was repelled.
• Gregoryan Frostborne strengthened his legendary reputation in the north.
• The name "The White Beast" began spreading among the soldiers of Serpentis.
• The counterattack shattered the attackers' morale.
12. The Ashvale Twin-Blade Clash
Date: September 17, 760 A.D.
Location: Blackroot Village / Serpentis
Victor: Vaera Ashvale and the Villagers
Forces
• Attackers: ~200–250 fighters
• Vaera's Village: ~150–200 defenders and residents
Important
• Lorian and Rhydan's sister confronted one another after years apart.
• Rhydan stepped between them to save Lorian.
• The battle turned into a massacre throughout the village.
• Rhydan fought his sister without intending to kill her.
• Lorian killed at least three fighters.
• Vaera Ashvale personally killed multiple attackers in close combat.
• Several enemies were killed with strikes to the throat, eyes, and head.
• One fighter was killed by a thrown knife directly to the head.
• The name "Vaera Ashvale" echoed among the survivors for the first time.
Dead and Losses
• More than 80 dead.
• ~20 villagers and defenders.
• ~60 attackers.
Result
• The surviving attackers retreated into the forest.
• Vaera Ashvale became a name known throughout the surrounding lands.
• The battle marked the beginning of the legend of Vaera Ashvale.
• Lorian was separated from Rhydan once again in the chaos of battle.
13. The Hunt for Rhydan Ashvale
Date: September 18, 760 A.D.
Location: Eldershade Wilds / Serpentis
Victor: Rhydan Ashvale
Forces
• Multiple small groups of hunters and pursuers.
• Rhydan Ashvale.
Important
• Following the attack on Vaera Ashvale's village, Rhydan's group blamed him for the defeat.
• Members of his criminal band declared him weak.
• Rhydan was replaced by a new leader.
• Multiple groups were sent to find and kill him.
• The first six attackers surrounded him in the night forest.
• Rhydan killed several men in close combat with his twin swords.
• An unknown archer killed two attackers and helped him escape.
• The helper deliberately concealed the tracks.
• Rhydan killed two more fighters while fleeing.
• Before disappearing into the forest, Rhydan spoke Lorian's name one final time.
Dead and Losses
• At least 8 dead fighters.
• Rhydan Ashvale was left exhausted.
Result
• Rhydan survived the hunt led by his own group.
• His name began to fade among the criminals who once followed him.
• The fall of Rhydan Ashvale marked the end of his leadership over the group.