The Story of Wight King Narses – Raid Shadow Legends

Long ago, in the far east of Anhelt, there stood a Human kingdom known as the Realm of Vald. Its monarchs had ruled well for many generations, building the prosperity of their lands upon trade received from Peltas across the choppy waters of what was then the Antas Strait.

Vald’s last king, Narses, inherited the throne as a youth, but showed wisdom and leadership beyond his years. He resolved a number of border disputes that had long loomed over the kingdom and renegotiated several deals with consortiums of foreign merchants, leading to a trade boom. He also won a great victory at the battle of Greenfield, repelling an Orc invasion that was threatening not only Vald but neighbouring territories.

It seemed that Narses’ reign would be long and prosperous, but all ended with the coming of the Dragonkin Empire. Emissaries delivered a stark ultimatum to the Human monarch — give up the throne and accept annexation, or face annihilation.

The response Narses gave was unequivocal. He had the Empire’s messengers executed, and the Vald host mustered for war.

What followed was three years of conflict where the armies of Vald drove back the Dragonkin invaders at every turn. Narses led in everything, from the midst of the melee to the continual organization of fresh supplies and the training of new soldiers.

Having been unsuccessful, the Dragonkin Empire’s leaders changed tactics — instead of trying to take Vald by force, a new emissary was dispatched, a Human woman named Ankora, whose family had once ruled Emaria. It was a land in western Peltas, on the coast of the Antas Strait, and had been a client state of the Dragonkin for several generations.

Narses expected to reject whatever proposal Ankora brought from the Dragonkin, well aware that they were attempting to use the noblewoman to manipulate him. But thoughts of putting up a willful defense of skillful diplomacy and tough negotiations fled when he first met her. Ankora was intelligent and beautiful, and shared so many of his own values, namely a belief in treating subjects based on their merit rather than social station, devotion to the rule of law, and belief in autonomy and independence. Concerns that he was being tricked fell away as the pair plotted an outcome that would not only allow the kingdom of Vald to endure in some form, but also pave the way for their marriage.

The terms Ankora eventually took to the Dragonkin seemingly met both the Empire’s needs, and that of the new couple. Though Vald acknowledged the Dragonkin’s authority, Narses would remain its ruler, and Ankora would be restored to the rulership of Emaria. They would govern with some autonomy, but in the name of the Dragonkin Empire.

The Dragonkin accepted, installing Narses and Ankora as the first Human suzerains in the Empire. The Antas Strait was renamed the Valdemar Strait, with the suzerains capital established on the island of Zetra, in the Strait’s center. A new era of peace and union beckoned.

Narses and Ankora ruled their joint realms for decades, their fierce love for one another unwavering. They swore that not even death would part them, spilling their blood together into a magical amulet that, once it had been fully enchanted, they believed would bind their souls in the afterlife. As they neared the end of their lives, they took poison, and perished in each other’s arms.

Many centuries passed. The Dragonkin Empire collapsed amid fire and blood, and Zetra slowly fell into ruin. The great tomb of Narses and Ankora was buried in a landslide, and the memory of the mighty joint suzerainty of Valdemar faded. Still though, stories of the bold and defiant royal lovers persisted, enough to draw a dark expedition to Zetra.

It was Mother Cybele who unearthed the remains of the old tomb and ignited the magic of the amulet Ankora still clutched in her bony grip. Narses and his wife stirred to un-life, their partially mummified bodies heavy with dust, their funerary regalia and armor tarnished. The confusion shrouding their sluggish thoughts was assuaged by the Knight Revenant. Cybele explained the nature of Undeath to them, and brought them before her master — K’Leth.

The ruler of the Knights Revenant welcomed the couple, feting them not only as great monarchs but as the most devoted lovers in all Teleria. He promised to aid them in reclaiming their former realm and rebuilding Zetra. In exchange, all he sought were tales of their past, especially accounts of the Dragonkin Empire. He hoped to glean long-lost arcane knowledge from them, weapons that may give him an edge in his endless plotting and scheming. When it did, if all went as planned, the hosts of the Knights Revenant would include among their ranks the great union of Valdemar reborn — Narses, and his eternal lover, Ankora.