The Dark Lord: Sharfteh

"Sharfteh? The Lord of Norkvolar?" The queen could hardly speak the words.

"Yes, Your Majesty. He is gathering an army together that will destroy the Azarathian royalty at which afterwards he plans to take the kingdom and make himself sole ruler." Here Seoden sighed, "He has also bred an army of fazaraths."

At this the king struck the table with his fist. "How has this happened? Were not all of the Fazaraths killed and their nests destroyed?"

"My Lord, many Fazaraths were spared." Seoden walked over to a section of the wall that was painted with a horse and its rider and stood for a moment. "They were hidden in the deep mountains by dark men for just a time as this."

"Where have the spies been? Have they gone blind to all that has been going on? Have they not seen any war tents, weapon forging, the sounds of war? Have they not felt its thunderous rawr? Have they not smelt it in the air?"

"My Lord", Seoden turned and stared at a section of the wall. It was of a young man dressed for war. He was saying farewell to his bride. They were newly married for she still wore her ceremonial dress. "They have a secret force. A force that has helped him to locate all those who are. . .were. . . spies and even those who were neither for or against him, just fighters, war dogs, men who have no other life but in battle. If a man was not completely loyal to his cause, then they would be. . . disposed of."

A Secret Meeting

Many years ago, when fazaraths ruled the air and threatened those on the ground, a young blacksmith arose from the depths of society and gathered to himself an army. This army he led into many battles and finally engaged in one final battle to end the long war that was known as the war between Heaven and Earth. He and his men smote the fierce creatures, found their nests, and took their eggs. When the eggs hatched, the men trained the young fazaraths and rode them into battle as a secret force from the sky. For many centuries, these beasts served man. And then a man, a soldier, a protector of Azarathia turned his back on his country and changed the world. With a fazarath of his own, a large black beast with ferocious claws and a bloodthirsty eye, he gathered all sorts to him. With a newer and more evil threat in the world, the lords of the four kingdoms came together in a secret meeting within a secret chamber and vowed to slay their common enemy.

It was this very chamber where the king and queen of Azarathia met with Seoden, son of Ecalar. It was a large room with an equally large table placed in the center. The table was decorated with a carving of the finding of the great Gem of Gorthea Dunea. The walls were painted deep red and there was a great purple curtain that covered the only entrance. There were no windows but murals. Murals of great events in the history of Azarathia; wars, famines, births, deaths, marriages. Many things covered the walls of this ancient room.

Seoden followed the two rulers into this secret room and sat at the end of the great table. Silence enveloped the room. Finally the stranger spoke, "Sharfteh is on the move".