The Ganeic War
| This is an article on the History of Feyworld | |
| Years: 283 NC to 293 NC | |
| Age: The Third Age of Man | |
| Continent: Aurea | |
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| History of the Great Empire | |
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| The Rise of the Triarchy | The Zetian Republic |
Hieronymous of House Sanctus was born while his House was in exile across the Aurean Sea, but he resolved, even at a young age, to lead his people to the defeat of the tyranny of the Ganesians. When he was twenty years of age, this resolution was confirmed by a dream, wherein he saw the Triad themselves holding open the doors of the Council building in Zeth for him to enter. He described his dream to other members of his House and, they also inspired, he began to lead them northward toward southern Ganesia and, ultimately, Zeth. Unbeknownst to the brave youth, however, a savage tribe of barbarians lay in his path.
The Camarians, then unbeknownst to the Zetians, were a fierce and proud, but highly xenophobic, people. They captured Hieronymous and several members of his House, slaughtering those that they did not take prisoner. Hieronymous was taken before the Camarian King, Kilos. He explained to the King that he was a priest on a quest given to him directly from the gods, a quest to destroy a dark foe and save a besieged people. King Kilos scoffed at Hieronymous’ claim, and bragged that his own Camarian gods were greater than any god Hieronymous worshiped. Hieronymous was filled with righteous pride and he told Kilos that he would suffer three plagues, unless he recanted and begged forgiveness from the Triad for his ignorance. The King laughed at Hieronymous and sent him and his people into the dungeons to await execution. That night, the river that lay next to King Kilos’ fortress overflowed its banks, filling his city with water as high as a man’s chest. The King brought Hieronymous before him and demanded that he dispel the flood, but Hieronymous reminded him that only the King himself could dispel the plagues, by recanting his heresy. The King refused, and again placed Hieronymous in his dungeon. That night, the earth shook and split. Part of the King’s castle fell to dust, and the river disappeared into a vast crevasse, never to be seen again. King Kilos again brought Hieronymous before him and demanded that he dispel the plague and return his river. Hieronymous again reminded the King that only he had the power to remove the plagues set upon him. Yet again, the King imprisoned Hieronymous. That third night, a swarm of locusts so thick as to blot out the light of Luna herself arrived, consuming the King’s fields and keeping his people awake. The King again brought Hieronymous before him and demanded that all be returned to as it was. Hieronymous reminded the King that he had been warned, and that the three plagues could not now be reversed, as his majesty had to repented his heretical ways. The King flew into a rage and ordered Hieronymous taken to the execution block. King Kilos himself took up a great axe and prepared to kill Hieronymous of House Sanctus.
As the King heaved the axe over his head, the sky darkened and winds began to howl. He watched in awe as a cloud, as black as his heart and as wide as his evil, moved toward him. Even so, he hefted the axe high and prepared to kill Hieronymous, who did not cry out in fear or regret. As he began his swing, however, the winds buffeted his axe, holding it in place. The great cloud rolled across the King’s city, disassembling the homes of his people. Mighty waves lashed out from the bounds of the sea, taking with them all they touched. Hail, not of ice but of the hardest granite, rained down upon his people, killing many of them. Yet still the King, in all his evil, defied the will of the gods and heaved at his weapon with all of his might. Still yet, he was unable to resist the forces arrayed against him. Then, suddenly, all was quiet. The King, astonished at the divine destruction that encircled him, stopped heaving at his axe. Then, in that penultimate peace, the sun shone down upon the evil King and the prostrate Hieronymous. The Truth of Ptharos, carried across the sky by Ophion, did shine amidst the destruction and pierced the heart of King Kilos. It was then that he finally saw the error of his foolish ways and knelt before Hieronymous of House Sanctus, a king prostrate before the power of the True Gods. The divine storm lifted and his people were saved.
Hieronymous and his House were invited to feast as honored guests of Kilos, who had truly repented his evil ways. He listened in earnest to the details of his new friend’s quest, and declared then that he would dedicate himself to the Quest. Hieronymous gave him the blessing of the gods, and the two allies set forth the next day to march on Gaitoth, the capital of the Ganesian tyrant, Magoltha.
The war between the Camarians and the Ganesians was enough to make the earth itself shake with their fury. The two great armies clashed continuously, with neither side making any real gains. Hieronymous was confused at why the gods had suddenly forsaken his quest. After many long years, he resolved to return to Zeth by ship, leaving the good King Kilos to continue to take the sinister armies of Ganesia to task. Four-hundred-and-sixty-eight years before the founding of the Empire, Hieronymous arrived finally at the gates of Zeth. Instead of the freedom-loving people that he had been told of by his father, however, he found a people defeated by their own ignorance and fear. He discovered, instead of the strong leadership of the Great Houses, three men who pretended to be Kings, in defiance of the wishes of their ancestors and the gods themselves. The sight of his beloved city being ruled by such weak and sinful passions was too much for even the calm-hearted Hieronymous to bear. He flew into a rage, destroying the stone statue of Tiros at the Tirosan Gate with his bare hands. The guards attempted to halt Hieronymous’ attack, but Tiberius Terentina of House Valerius, one of the Kings’ own brothers, ordered them to let him be. He thus became the first to see that Hieronymous’ cause was just, and became the first of the Hieronymides (as the followers of Hieronymous on this day were later called). Hieronymous began to walk the Way of Zepharoklos, the main street of Zeth, toward the Fortress of the Triarchy. As he walked, the people of Zeth regained their courage and followed after him. When he arrived at the fortress, all the men of the city stood by his side, excepting the Triarchy themselves and their personal guard of 300 soldiers. The doors of the Fortress were thrown open, and the Hieronymides stormed its halls, taking down the ostentatious decorations of gold and platinum. They overcame the soldiers of the Triarchy and laid hands on the Triarchs themselves; if it were not for Hieronymous’ timely intervention, they most likely would have rent them asunder then and there. Instead, the Triarchs were tried for their crimes by Hieronymous and Tiberius Terentina; the tyrants were exiled to the sea for their betrayal of the People and betrayal of the Gods.
Thus, the people of Zeth then entered the war with the Ganesians, which is considered to be the event signaling the beginning of the decade-long Ganeic War. The Camarians had paid dearly while Hieronymous was away, but the Ganesians had lost a man for every one the Camarians lost, and they were not expecting an attack from the slothful city of Zeth. Even with all this arrayed against them, it took ten years for the Ganesians to finally fall. Unfortunately, Kilos did not reach Gaitoth, as he died from a spear wound and extreme old age within sight of the city. Is had been said that he died a good king, well beloved by his people.
Tiberius Terentina of House Valerius, for his part, was Supreme General of the joint Camarian/Zetian forces for most of the Ganeic War. When Magoltha, Last Tyrant of the Ganesians, was captured, Tiberius ordered him locked in chains and marched him in a processional to Zeth. In the city’s first Victory Processional, Magoltha was marched before the People, who were righteous with anger at the leader of their former oppressors. Magoltha was beheaded on the steps of the Council building, but not before declaring a curse. He called upon his angry gods to see to it that Hieronymous would never live to see his beloved city again.
Hieronymous, ignorant of this curse, remained in Ganesia. After praying for guidance, the Triad told him in a dream to dismantle the very symbol of Ganesian power, the city of Gaitoth, and construct a temple dedicated to Galea, goddess of Victory, out of its stones. Hieronymous obeyed the will of the gods, and construction began apace. Satisfied that the will of the gods was being obeyed, he gathered together an entourage of his most beloved friends, including the newly-crowned King of the Camarians, Nicephorus, and began the journey back to Zeth. Thereafter, the Curse of the Last Ganesian Tyrant struck.
Hieronymous of House Sanctus never reached Zeth.
Tiberius himself conducted an extensive search of the countrysides of Ganesia and Zeth. No trace of Hieronymous, King Nicephorus, or any of the entourage was ever found. Decades later, rumors were abound that the dying Ganesian gods, in their last, spiteful strike, brought down the great hero, destroying him body and soul. Other rumors suggested that a great minotaur, a beast sacred to the Ganesians, was seen following his path as he left Gaitoth, and it was this beast that destroyed Hieronymous. Still others claim that Lord Ptharos himself sent a great cloud down to earth and the Heroes of Zeth ascended directly into the heavens. This last rumor is the one given most credence by historians, though rumors still pervade even today of a humble priest wandering the countryside near Zeth, cursed to never find his way home.
