The Changing

However, in the Temple the oracles told of Sordian conquest of Oblivia: and of an awesome Sordian warrior that would come amongst them.

The entire kingdom of Sordicum, the population of which had risen to 650 million, was in a high state of war-readiness. The Leopard Men were now commanded by Sagas, son of Butog, and were more prepared for battle than they were in Pelia.

The Sordes, whose Queen Medice commanded all of Sordicum, were also assembling a more efficient and brutal force than that which fought in the Pelian War: even the ungodly half-beings were being trained in the art of warfare.

Huge arsenals of weapons were being forged or stolen from border kingdoms and the slaves were held under the yoke of forced labor till flesh fell from their bones like old rags.

All the damned souls were imprisoned in the deep dungeons of Glundus where they were used as tools for the Sorcerers, and horrible beasts roamed the Doom River led by Zaggradon - the water beast.

Evil was very much alive in Sordicum, night and day, amongst the misty gloom that perpetually covered the Kingdom. The inhabitants revelled: and no place in all Oblivia was there a greater fever of confidence.

In the dark temples, the sorcerers offered sacrifices to Dagna and the Fire Goddess by burning alive young untouched men, for Glundus was a kingdom of only females. Males were mainly used as slaves, studs, sacrifice, or as food for Zaggradon.

Adding to this immense power of the Sordes was the mighty army of Murdes, which had now taken up permanent positions on the southern borders of Tertus to maintain incessant harassment. This army of Black Riders, now two hundred and fifty thousand strong, had become as awesome as the Sordes, inflicting all manner of evil upon the Border peoples. Refugees were fleeing the borders in the millions, causing great hardship and overcrowding in the cities inland. Zenia was one of those cities that was feeling the pressure of these severe border incursions. It's food, medical supplies, water, housing, and courage had fallen to a dangerous low. Queen Zelda, bombarded by this oppression, made it law, that only Zenian citizens and others born in the Fifth Kingdom could draw rations of food and water from the storehouses. Soon starvation and disease began to spread, and for the Pelians who had migrated there some few lunars ago, this was a broken-hearted disaster.

On the border, Murdes laid heavy seige to the headquarters of the borderguards, who unable to withstand the deadly thrust of the Black Riders, retreated to the City of Clavo within the First Kingdom.

Everywhere Tertus trembled, order disappeared, and bloodshed took its place. In Magnes, the demigods groaned and made ready for Tertan relief.

Even though all the Tertan leaders were busy struggling to maintain order, disarray spread like wildfire. However, on a certain night, the Black Horseman spoke to Decea in a dream, "Go to Lord Tritan and give him the following instructions: Let Scinas dispatch five columns to the borders immediately. Send the Hellian Merkes to guard the derdon tree and Univa. Let King Hellus and the council be responsible for resettling the refugees. Send Galen with an army to gather food from the region of the Hill People, and let Tritan, himself, take command of the Borders!"

Stirring confusedly, Decea awoke from her dream, striving to remember its entirety. Quickly, she rushed to a nearby lampstand and wrote down the dream, somewhat bewildered by the circumstance.

"The gods are still with us", she murmured to herself. "There's no time to waste! I must get a message to Tritan."

Anxiously, she struck the gong, which resounded so loudly that it took away the sleep from many near and far. It instantly summoned the guards and attendants. Even Queen Zelda, who lay restlessly in another section of the Palace, came running.

"Assemble a company of your best riders! I must get a message to Tritan immediately! I will deliver the message myself!" Decea then hastened to ready herself, proudly donning the Pelian Battle Dress.

"Yes, my Lady," replied the captain, and he quickly marched off to do her bidding. When Zelda arrived and realized the reason for the great commotion, she sternly ordered the attendants to assist with the preparations.

"All of you assist with saddling the horses. Fill sacks with food and water!" she shouted.

Hopeful excitement raced within her. "Oh Tertus! you can be saved. The gods will always test your weakness and devotion. Be strong and do not let them down!" she uttered gleefully. Then she ordered the entire city to awake and give thanks. So the priest burned incense and the people, rich and poor, held hands and sang sacred songs in hallways, in the streets, in the temples and in tents. Hope brightened their spirits although their bodies burned with hunger. This continued till daybreak.

By that time, Decea and the company of riders had departed the city, blazing the paths that led to Tritan. It was a hard, mind-breaking journey which, late that evening, they successfully accomplished. Decea hastily delivered the message to Tritan, who took effective action without delay and commanded all the kingdoms to brace themselves for whatever hardships should arise.