VII. Pax Imperialis The Triumvirate united: The proud cities of Argyrr, Ferra and Aurelia form the heart of Severius' might and the crowns of silver, iron and gold are reforged as a single diadem as the word 'empire' spills forth from the lips of the people. Yet the enemies of a newly incorporated empire are many and in the north the barbarians of the forests grew restless. To quell the continual harrying of mist-enshrouded outposts, and to secure the yoke of imperial dominance securely around the necks of the dissidents thus far unenlightened to the Empire’s might and under the leadership of one Malleus Ferrus, the First Legion marches north: [Song of the First Legion]: “By blood and by steel, By the banner of black. Keep moving forward – press the attack! By fire and iron, For the Golden Throne, We’ll route the accursed And make their women our own!” [Imperial battle-cry]: Pax Imperialis! Invictus Imperium! [Malleus Ferrus, head of the First Legion]: Out of shining Argyr, the Silver City, we marched, A newly coalesced empire – our dominance to impart! With gleaming catafracta, cassis & scutum, Each man with pila, spatha and well-oiled gladius. The dew of the forested hills Lent glamour to our arms. The rabble’s attacks – we pushed them back With disciplined advance. Shields locked in grim formation, Steadily we pressed on, ‘Till the hills ran red, With the blood of the dead And Pax Imperialis was won! But within our ardour, We underestimated this foe. With battle songs still fresh on our lips And in a land unknown. The bestial cries of the Hillmen, Came echoing through the trees. To avenge the dead Whose blood marked us red And in which we were soaked from head to greaves. In a narrow path they took us, And our shields were as nought, Routed by the fury of this Lyrian onslaught. Spitting curses as if they were fire, Rushed our ash-painted enemies. The few left who could breathe Were forced to flee Into the icy embrace of the sea. (Accompanied by shameful odes to defeat, Dying cries of wounded brothers – a cacophonous symphony.) Pax Imperialis! Victis Legionibus! Sanctuary sought in this place of the dead, The moment we entered, our very souls were condemned! What use is sword and spear, Within these onyx halls When our adversaries are shadows? One by one I watch my brothers fall. For many years did Emperor Severius send scouts and spies north to discover the fate of his beloved First Legion. And although many rumours abounded and legends grew in their wake - ranging from tales of the mundane to the supernatural - even when the Imperial Forces had quelled the uprising of the Thulean rable and incorporated their ferocity into the armies of the Empire, none could tell with any certainty what grim fate had befallen them. Yet, on a cold shore, in a forgotten tomb, a wordless scream echoes from obsidian walls deep within a lightless chamber.