Drenda’al Academy

Victorious King Valkor strode through the sandy beaches of Drenda'al. The broken bodies and remnants of broken ships were evidence of the gory battle that had just taken place. In the shadow of the nights gloom King Valkor could still sense the determination of the thousands of Coursal Union army and navy troops who had given up their lives to prevent his Endar separatists from taking Drenda'al. They suffered a crushing defeat with so many casualties that it forced the two sides to make peace. Even now he could sense their suffering and despair rising up like a stench from their corpses.

High above him, a storm was brewing over the dessert landscape. As each flash of lightning illuminated the sky, Drenda'al's great watchtower was momentarily visible in the distance, a stark silhouette towering over stone rooftops and beyond that a barren horizon. There was nothing beyond the desert other than the tombs of Dark Elves that no one was willing to explore because of the warped life forms that protected them from any grave robber who was foolish enough to come close.

A pair of figures waited in the center of the pier as another approached them; one human and the other Elf. He recognized them despite the darkness: Harkon and Luschek, two of the more powerful subjects of the king. Once they had been bitter rivals fighting on opposite sides of the rebellion that split off Drenda'al and the eastern desert provinces of Endar from the rest of the kingdom of Corsal, but now they served together under the leadership of their new King Valkor; ruler of the recently created kingdom of Endar. Harkon was the King's newly minted master of whispers and Luschek his master of swords. King Valkor approached them quickly, smiling.

Harkon, stocky and so wide as to appear almost tree like, smiled back. "This is a great victory, we can now recruit and train our own knights and mages without having to worry about Corsal looking over our shoulders."

"I hear the excitement in your voice at the prospect of training your own apprentices here," King Valkor replied. "I expect you to provide me with competent and loyal adepts of magick and the sword arts."

"Provide you?" Harkon asked pointedly. His smile fading quickly. "We agreed to join up with your rebellion to guarantee freedom from the yoke of a tyrannical monarch. Have you already gone back on your vow?"

The two humans; Luschek and King Valkor met the question with an uneasy laugh. "Of course, Harkon. Lighten up. It was a mere formality. This new kingdom will be ruled by the council but Valkor is still the figure head."

King Valkor clasped a hand on the Elf's hefty shoulder. "This is a new beginning for all of us. Drenda'al isn't just a city, it's a symbol. It is the birthplace of the modern mage. Our victory sends a message to what remains of Corsal that we are to be feared because we control the accumulated knowledge of the old mages."

"Harkon refuses to celebrate the signing of the treaty," Luschek said. "He has been like this all night."

Harkon shrugged free of King Valkors hand and also Luschek's words. His left side still hurt from the final battle at Quasar and caused him to wince every time he moved. He had endured many injuries at the hands of the Union army or Corsal and he had to conceal his many scars with long sleeves, gloves and a silver mask. "Celebrate if you wish," he called over his shoulder as he walked away. "But the real war has only just begun."