After years of planning, Tyrannus Antoninus Nithilar finally had his goal within reach, and everything was progressing according to plan. Like a great leader of legend, he was to have his own highway though the Vashnars: the Antoninan Scar. Lesser cities would see an enormous mountain range and proclaim it was impossible, but with the combined might of Mhaldor and the ingenuity of the Blackrock dwarves, the peaks fell to rubble like so much chaff against Evil's gleaming blade. It would not be long before Mhaldor built the first major thoroughfare of the modern era.

Unfortunately, things rarely go as planned.

It was Proficy Ikari, the Collector of Tithes, who was on demolition duty that day. An accomplished warrior and leader both, exploding a few mountains was no great task for his Evil-chiselled form, and he was en route to establishing himself as Baelgrim's top demolitionist when he felt a drop of water on his head. Then another, and another, and soon an enormous waterfall sprouted from the mountain, unleashing some ancient reservoir untouched for ages, maybe even eons. Though his form was quickly washed away by the rapids then formed through the makeshift valley, he saw no reason to panic. In fact, no one thought the new Antoninan River much more than a mild annoyance, a temporary setback in the highway's construction.

It was only when strange fishpeople emerged from the waterfall that anyone wondered if the situation was more serious. Whether they were always there or answered some dark summoning was unclear, but white scaled scouts gradually poured out of the dark and showed tremendous skill at violence.

For many months, that was all, and some optimistic dwarves declared that the work must go on. It was these very dwarves who were interrupted by a full scale scaled army, as the fish creatures - the kahtak - launched a vicious attack on Mhaldor and revealed their powerful fighters in the process.

Antoninus was quick to round up Evil's forces, and the vanguard aquatic party was roundly defeated, taking out more curious heathens than Mhaldorians in the process. More and more kahtak came in growing waves, however, and soon Mhaldor was overwhelmed, its warriors forced to regroup as the strange fish creatures gradually filled Baelgrim's streets. Their goal soon became apparent as they slaughtered their way to the slave markets, where Mhaldor's living chattel was quickly chained up for new owners.

But Mhaldor is not a city to give up so easily. At the Tyrannus's command, its citizens, from lowly slaves to centuries old Sartai, cleaved their way through the bloody masses of kahtak, separating scales from skin, gills from heads, and organs from ribcages. Though many of Evil's army fell, they were implacable, slaughtering their piscine enemies by the dozen.

The kahtak, perhaps sensing their time was running out, began a retreat, taking the slaves they pillaged with them in the process. Surprising the Mhaldorians by taking the other way out of the city's lower levels, the invaders managed a hard fought retreat to their waterfall, where their rotund bodies showed their true strength as they swam straight up the current with slaves in tow. Mhaldor's forces were at their heels and, though many of the fishpeople escaped with loot in tow, many others were shown the Isle's brutality. Nevertheless, time was not on Mhaldor's side, and only a handful of slaves were rescued and blessed with more service to the Lord of Evil and His people. Doubtlessly, more would have been taken if the kahtak had not underestimated their new foes.

~~~

Summary: Mhaldor began the construction of a highway through the Northern Vashnars. When they accidentally blew a hole in a reservoir, a new race of fishpeople, the kahtak, poured out and eventually raided Mhaldor.



Penned by My hand on the 24th of Glacian, in the year 970 AF.