The Dark Tides Prophecy

Interpretation:

I have gathered the fortellings of various prophets and assembled those that occur most commonly, in one form or another. I have chosen renditions that are truest to the common thread of the prophecy, and believe I have the most complete rendition of the Dark Tides Prophecy that exists. That said, however, I can in no way surely know that there are not other portions not included here in, or that I have not mistaken one foretelling as part of another. I am the most knowledged in this field, though, so I suppose I am authority on the matter.

Here after you shall find my interpretation of each line within the prophecy. Since this prophecy, to the best of knowledge, has already come to pass, these shall be fairly accurate interpretations.

1-1. And so it shall be that when the ire of the mad god scours the lands of his children, that the foe of the Verosians will return to their scarred lands, and pay homage to he who bathes their realm in blood and chaos.
This part of the prophecy foretold the return of the moon of Woryk, god of madness, which strikes the atmosphere every 80 years, bringing terrible storms upon the lands of Ryosha. The Ryoshans abandoned their war against Verosia, as predicted, and returned to their homelands to perform the rituals to appease the god and spare their lands further devestation. This marked the end of the Ryoshan War.
Note: The term "Verosians" is one I have selected from knowledge after the fact. In various prophecies they were described in various ways, but it is obvious to me that this spoke of that greater people group within the Duneimen.

1-2. Then shall the shadow enfold their lands and the demons of night fall upon them, feeding on their souls, stealing their children, and devouring their honor.
In the lands south of Ryosha a great "shadow" has existed for over a thousand years. This is litterally a shadow, as if something blocked the sun over these lands. It connects the mortal world to the underworld. From out of this shadow come demons, callled oni, that assail the Ryoshan lands on a regular basis. Usually this is kept well in check, but during the time of the Striking of Woryk, the Oni are empowered by the chaos and invade the Ryoshan lands. This occured in this time, as predicted.

2-1 In their wake the land left behind shall flood with greed, hate, famine, and hunger.
Before the Ryoshans withdrew they decided to make one last and great strike against the southern coast of Verosia, the Ronan Duchies of Parthus and Kamora. A large invasion laid devestation on the land, destroying towns and burning crops. When they withdrew the Ryoshans left a land in waste. What food there was had been used to support the Ronan armies, and most of the population began to starve. People began to turn on each other and lawlessness ensued. Hence, greed, hate, famine and hunger resulted.

2-3 The once proud and noble of blood will suffer starvation while those who were once their slaves shall feast upon the spoils of their freedom.
The Ronan Army in Parthus was comprised mostly of Parthan citizen soldiers. Without a war to support their cause, the Ronan Triumverate ordered the army disbanded. In earlier Parthan eras soldiers had been given lands and were allowed to own slaves, so they could prosper after service. That was not the case with Ronan rule. The Ronans had freed the slaves and given them partitions of the lands they worked, attempting to assert a feudal system on them. What more, many Ronan nobles had been granted land in Parthus by the Ronan King. The Parthan veterans were each given a pittence for severence pay and told to return home without means of supporting themselves or their families. Some found work for those who now lived on their lands of their ancestors. Others fell into destitution. As they suffered in poverty they watched others prosper on the lands that were once theirs, the lands they had fought to protect.

2-4 The hearts of the abandonded shall look out upon the crowned and the mantled and see vice and corruption, and they shall want for vengeance and will call upon it.
The Ronans had controlled and influenced Parthan nobility during their rule, making Primi into Dukes, and granting the titles of Lords and Counts to those they thought most loyal to them. The Ronan Triumverate continued to support these rulers, and allowed them to exact taxes from the people, despite the fact that the lands were impoverished. The Parthans quickly grew rebellious against these useless nobles.

3-1 And in this time the pious shall seek to recover that which they left behind, and open the gates to the old lands, seeking the relics of the past; arms of kings and blades that once rent the hides of dragons.
This foretold the return to the lands of Old Camus, when the Ronan Church began to seek the ancient relics of King Sorik and the first Knights of Thamor. The Church began to pay for expeditions into this ancient land, to explore, spread the word of Thamor, and recover lost relics. The church called this "the Salvation of Old Camus."

3-2 There the forsaken shall raise their horns to call upon their warrior gods to give them honor in battle, and death with meaning.
During "[[the Salvation of Old Camus]]] it was soon discovered that the barbarians there, calling themselves the Skarrells would not give over so easily. There were tentative truces from time to time, but as more Ronans came, many Skarrell clans decided to raise arms against these usurpers. They were worshipers of the War God Kalrik, to whom they called upon as they assaulted Ronan expeditions and towns.

4-3 Though poised for war, brothers of blood shall turn sword and spear, and back to back they shall stand to face a threat greater than either remembers since the glorious days of old.
4-4 Again the beasts of the titans shall rise from their slumber, stirred by an unkown evil to unleash havoc upon the world. The "brothers of blood" refer to the Ronans and the Skarrells, both of whom are descended from the ancient people of Camus. The "beasts of the Titans" refers to dragons.
These passages describe the return of the Dragons, long believed to have all been slain during the Dragon Crusades under King Sorik. Something stirred the ancient Dragons who had been in hiding, and they emerged from their long slumber, attacking both peoples relentlessly. In time it was learned that the ancient dragons served an evil goddess, Arithax who sought to drive the humans from the lands of Old Camus.

5-5 And from the west shall come retribution, both by will of men and will of gods, by sorcery and by steel.
This refers to the coming of many great heroes from the lands of Rona. These heroes battled the dragons. A select group became famous for their deeds, in slaying the first dragon that returned and later in the eventual defeat of Arithax herself. These were Kalthanan Korianthil, Bartal Dreadnaut, Khazid, Claero Iliafrind, Hugh Magus and Shade

5-6 Where king and queen once ruled and warred, and are no more; where towers rose and fell for steeples to rise and fall as well, where evil holds domain where life and death remain; retibution shall come.
This refers to the ancient Que-Gelvani city in Old Camus called Shey'Shalorn. The Knights of Thamor had warred with the Gelvani who were harboring the dragons. The Knights took the city and over a couple decades raized many of the towers and built their own temples to Thamor. The Gelvani eventually returned, this time in full cooperation with Arithax, and in desperate effort, cast the entire city into the abyssal realm of the Dragon Goddess, forever trapping the living souls of both armies as they battled in the streets.

6-1 The Sword of the King shall shine again, and from its sheath shall sever the cords of corruption that bind darkness and light.
6-2 So shall begin again the Age of the Dragon Slayers, who shall raise their swords in memoria of those who gave their souls to seal the gates that withhold the Queen of Dragons from the Mortal World.
These passages fortold how the heroes named before would enter the realm of Arithax and with the power of Thamor with them defeat Arithax. The portal to her realm would be sealed. They vanished for years after this, and during that time they were honored by a new era of Dragon Slayers who helped quelch the fierceness of Arithax's brood that remained behind.

7-1 But in their glory and revelry they shall turn a blind eye to the tides of darkness that rise about them.
7-2 The King of Night shall return from exile and demand allegiance from those who have fallen to groveling at the feet of his brother's alters.
7-3 The land will split, and the ancient ways will be remembered again.
During these years Rona had focused on Old Camus and the expansion of their control in those lands. They had turned a blind eye to the rising tensions and rebellious voices in Parthus. In time, Memnos, the ancient Parthan Primogen of the Gods, reasserted his influence over these people. As he did so the Parthans began warring amongst each other, each City State struggling to attain dominance.

8-1 Once again the spear shall be turned against the sword, and righteous blood shall be spilt in the name of righteousness.
Two of the heroes mentioned above had been key in keeping the Skarrels and Ronans in allegiance, Bartal and Hugh. Now, with them having vanished after defeating Arithax, these two peoples began to battle again. The Ronans wanted the Skarrells to join them, and many of the Skarrells wanted the Ronans to leave their lands.

8-2 War shall threaten the great Kingdom in both east and west, from north and south.
8-3 Man shall war with man in the vain quest to assert dominion over that which can never truly be owned by any man.
Eventually, all of this came to a head. The Parthans rebelled from the southwest and the Skarrells rebelled in the east. What more, the Hobgoblins of the Ogre Kingdoms north of Rona began to stir, and threaten invasion from the North.

9-1 Corruption shall fester in the darkness beneath the cities of man, shall seath through the cracks of the foundations of the towers, and shall burrow into the breasts of those who rule.
9-2 And as it was foretold so it shall come to pass that man will be easily corrupted by power and turn upon their brethren, sacrificing the purest of sheep to entice the wolves to war.
While war brewed on the edges of Rona, evil worked within. A secret order within all of the orders of Wizardry had been formed, seeking to use magic to control the fate of the whole world. This shadow council had sought to place itself into positions of power throughout all major cities and manipulate all aspects of Rona. They used terrorism and subterfuge to instigate a war between Rona and Parthus, and attempted to use the fear and confusion of this war to increase the power of the Orders of Wizardry. The Order was eventually infiltrated and an attempt on the King of Rona's life was thwarted. The heroes, such as Loch Moarlinder, were rewarded by the King.

10-1 And in this time a pestilence will worm its way into the midst of all great cities of the land east of the great Sylvarin.
10-2 And though the daughters of Reahnyn will do their best to stave off this plague, it shall be passed from the ill unto the healthy, and back again.
10-3 Until the source can be found and this evil can be drowned.
Uulazarakhir, the Lord of Pestilence, had been sent by Memnos to create a horrible disease in the realm of Rona. He had sent a brood of rats into caverns beneath the Griffondales, where the Folkin grew and stowed the grains that fed the entire north eastern lands of Rona. These rodents spread a terrible disease into the all the grains that befouled them even after they were ground or cooked. Millions died of the plague, despite the efforts of the Church of Rona to cure the disease. It simply spread too quickly and there weren't enough truly devoted priests to cure it and keep those who had once been sick from becoming ill again. Once one had been weakened by the disease, becoming ill again was usually enough to kill them. In time Bartal Dreadnaught and Taloris Treetall would discover the source of this evil and destroy it.

11-1 Then he who sought to deny the gift of knowledge from the unwise child, shall have his day and exact his wrath, through destruction and discord.
11-2 And as the towers crumble from within, the beastial hearts of men, thirteen chieftains cloaked in red, will summon all their hate against the walls of justice, throwing their bones upon the stones, until they or the enemy is dead.
11-3 And though the stone will not fail, the sea shall rise up, and a great dark tide shall route the castle from within, washing away the filth and the overturning the engines of war.
This foretold the the wrath exacted by the Grey-Gelvani Queleshan called by the Hobgoblins Ilvanvolf. He was one of those who fought with the Que-Gelvani to keep the Duneimen, referred to here as the "uwise child", from learning the secrets of Gelvani Shamora, Magic. He guided the formation of a great hobgoblin army made up of 13 Clans, called the Dur'Kurmarak Varge. This army invaded Rona and laid siege to Camus. At the same time Ilvanvolf had sent a small group of sea vessels to assail the Ronan fleet. They stood no chance against the Ronan Armada, but it was only a rouse to bring the Ronan ships into the Harbor in defence of the city. Once the Ronan Armada was collected he used a terrible spell to unleash a massive wave that overturned much of the fleet and devestated the Harbor. Then, as the battle for the city walls was under way, and confusion due to the wave was rampant, he entered the Towers of Wizardry and began a slaughter of the wizards within. Camus did not fall, and Ilvanvolf was forced to withdraw once the Human wizards finally found their senses and gathered their strength. He abandoned the Hobgoblins who were routed back into the Ogre Kingdoms.

12-1 But retribution shall come again, both by will of men and will of gods, by sorcery and by steel, and drive back the bestial hearts of men, and sunder thirteen shields.
12-2 And shall pursue he who composed this war, into darkness and into night where the dead forever fight.
12-3 This, though, shall not be the last of he who brought destruction and discord, for he shall hide behind the eyes of those who summon war.
Once again the prophecies foretold the coming of heroes who would rise to face this challenge. The grandchild of Ilvanvolf, Orestius who was yet to become a Queleshan but was well on his way, had joined with a famous Knight, Lord William Greyven, and his wife Kathlan Greyven, a priestess of Myrrha and other companions, such as Jarrelin Kathi, Sabalom Glitz, and Clearbrooke, the daughter of the famous archer Shade. They pursued Ilvanvolf to the stronghold of the Hobgoblin chieftains, and there some of their numbers fell, Jarrelin and Clearbrooke. Upon Clearbrooke's death, her father,Shade, who had resided in the Eternal Realms and watched over his daughter, traveled the Mortal Realm to avenge her death. With his help the others managed to enter Ilvanvolf's tower and overcome its obstacles. Orestius confronted Ilvanvolf, who explained that he believed that the Duneimen were too reckless with magic and would be the destruction of not only themselves but of all the world if they were allowed to retain their knowledge of magic. He offered the young Shamoran a chance to apprentice under him, and in exchange he would cease his attempt to destroy the human wizards for that time. Orestius was almost convinced, but in the end his conscious won out and he denied his grandfather. Ilvanvolf then opened a portal, hurling them all into the Eternal Realm called the Ashen Fields. They eventually escaped back into the Mortal Realm, for they were not dead. What more, Shade went to Hedera, Goddess of Death, and offered his soul in exchange for his daughters. He had many times escaped Death, and Hedera was more than willing to make the exchange. Hence, Clearbrooke found herself returned to life in the mortal world with her companions, while Shade was never seen alive again.
Ilvanvolf did not stop there, but instead turned his efforts towards elminating the greatest obstacle he faced, the Que-Gelvani Shamorans and even Gelthena herself.

13-1 Then those who were left to suffer, once noble of blood, shall find themselves impoverished men in the lands once owned by them.
13-2 Corruption shall fester, fed by greed and by hunger, and the warriors shall rise again and turn upon those they called master.
13-3 Led by he who fell from grace, whose banner of white is stained in blood, and who will strike the wound to the kingdom of man that will prove fatal.
It should be made clear that this part of the prophecy reiterates events mentioned earlier, that is the destitute situation in which the Parthans had found themselves. While many turned back to Memnos in this time, there were some who had been loyal to Thamor who had now begun to question their faith in their god. Once such was General Markellos Aubrig who had been a Knight of Thamor and commanded the Legion of Sartha. Seeing his men so poorly treated, and Parthus falling into chaos without any serious help from Rona, the honorable man fell into a bitter spite. He raised up his forces and marched on Keir. Once securing that city he began progress towards Ja'dmir, with the intent of laying siege until his demands were met. Prince Loch Moarlinder of Tharthin was sent with his own batallion to engage the former Knight. Upon their meeting he instead convinced the the former Knight to face him in noble combat. The Prince proved the greater of the two, though certainly his own arcane abilities had helped him win the fight. After killing the wayward Knight he came to realize that the knight had been turned by the means of a corrupted helm, a gift that had been given to him not long before his madness set in. Its origins were unknown but revealed that Aibhistear was working to sow chaos and corruption, to broaden the schizm between Rona and Parthus. Despite this knowledge, the damage had already been done. The Sarthan Primus was forced to sign the Treaty of Keir, thereby returning that city to Ronan rule. However, they were given more local and independent control of their affairs, which led to many Ronan laws being overriden and removing many strictures on temples and shrines to the ancient Parthan gods.

14-1 And as the King of Night, Tyrrant of sky, reincites devotion, he shall incite revolution.
14-2 And thus a war shall begin that will break the world asunder.
14-3 But still to come are darker tides, and war shall cost ten thousand lives, and the dead shall pile twenty high against the walls and funeral pyres.
14-4 The ash shall be carried on the winds and rain upon the distant lands, and all shall know despair.
14-5 The realm of men is at its end.
Memnos, the King of Night, Tyrrant of Sky, had regained much of his influence in Parthus. His worshipers and priests began to spread dissent amongst the peoples, and attained positions of influence with the Dukes. Many nobles had still remained members of a secretive order of Memnos' worshipers. Together they worked to unify Parthus and return power to the Primi. It wasn't long before a full revolution arose, Ronan nobles or those beleived to be Ronan loyalists were put to death, worshipers of Ronan Gods were hunted down and slain, Wizardry was outlawed and those practicing it were killed. Parthus declared itself independent but for a while the city-states continued to battle over who should stand supreme. In the end, though, the Primus Kalos of Sartha, a devout worshiper of Memnos, arose as the greatest amongst them. He became Arch-Primus Kalos and all other Primi swore to follow him to war.

15-1 But in the darkness shall come a light, a spark of brilliance in the night, born of faith but hid from sight.
15-2 Raised in honor, good and right, he shall one day lead the fight to end the war of day and night.
15-3 Bearing the Armor of the Chaste, the Crown of Wisdom, and the Holy Mace, he'll stand before the chosen one, to end the war whether lost or won.

16-1 Though he shall rise into the sky, be one of twelve at Thamor's side, his death shall mark an end of war, but also hail the coming storm.
16-2 For in the shadows, lays in wait, a force of darkness, purest hate.
16-3 Evil and corruption spreads, like hatchlings on a spider's web.
16-4 Born of war with blackened hearts, the ilk of Vorn shall do their part, with arms of flame that stone will rend, to bring about the age's end.

17-1 Infernal souls shall walk the land, corrupting kin and slaying man.
17-2 Famine and Pestilence will slay the weak, pillaging and war will devastate the meek.
17-3 The walls of kingdoms shall fall assunder, the riches of the ages lost to plunder.
17-4 The world will smother in the corrupter's hand, a tide of darkness will drown the land.

18-1 So shall be the end of this age, and by these Dark Tides will come a new time, an age of darkness.

This completed the last part of the campaign, which was the destruction of Rona as a great kingdom by repeated wars and other events. During this time three heroes ascended to divine power amongst the Gelvani: Tiercellus, Gellawyn, and Orestius. Three became Quasi-Deities: Bartal, Kalthanan and Khazid.

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