Previous: Gurutama Timeline Revising Part 14

Remember that dwarven invasion that took many of the cities from the Najar Empire? And do you remember them ever taking Najar, the capital of the Najar Empire? Because they never took that capital. The invasion stalled after all the other cities were claimed.

Najar became a point of light for the rebellious humans in the new Dwarven Empire. After a century and a half of minor revolts, the Najarns finally got enough coordination to take back a few of their cities. Cynelle already came back under human control with help from the merfolk. Alixria and Alrdia now revolt in unison. Najar and Cynelle help them and the dwarves are forced to hide in Syluk.

The elves have similar problems and must also retreat to their capital city. They fortunately do not have an ancient demon god tormenting them. The elves fare a lot better than the dwarves.

The end effect of this revolt is to solidify the differences between the Empire Dwarves on the Maw and the Metal Dwarves on Hearthland. The Empire Dwarves continue to make ethical lapses as they are now unwitting pawns of Navillus. The Metal Dwarves… They just want to get away from all this, but there will be more on that later.

453 NA: The Black Prince watched Najar and the lands beneath the Red Peaks. The Holy City began to stir, its people cried out to be saved from the dwarven tyranny and to know once again the pleasures of Old Najar. And so they took up arms against their oppressors! Full-fledged rebellion broke out in the twin cities of Alixria and Alrdia, enough to clear the way for advancing troops from Najar to reclaim their cities.

454 NA: The Najaran forces marched towards the mighty fortress of Syluk but stopped in the foothills. No mortal man ordered the halt. Only one whisper from Navillus and one sly smile stopped the army. He would deal with Syluk himself. With no unifying purpose, the armies dispersed. A few Najarn commanders demanded obedience, but a higher power controlled affairs in the Upper Maw.

Morale sank in occupied Syluk. News of the retaking of the twin cities of Alixria and Alrdia had reached the dwarven commanders from their post in the mountains and with the fall of Cynelle and the elves on the coast they were surrounded. They were safe at least, they told themselves. No foe could storm the mountain under the fire of dwarven siege machines and the old city was rich and well supplied for a siege. They had the military might to keep the native population under control and while sabotage continued, it was petty in its nature. And then, soon after the other cities fell, the nights began to grow longer. Restlessness settled in amongst the dwarves as nightmares plagued their dreams. Animals were born hideously deformed. Crops seemed to whither and turn to ash. And the Najaran sabotage seemed to grow at supernatural speeds.

They were dwarves of hard metal but as nights grew longer and the pressure grew… they began to break. Madness, paranoia, and strange illnesses plagued the Syluki Dwarves. New military tribunals were formed with harsher punishments. Loyal dwarf soldiers began to be executed by their own officers for trifling offenses. Suspicions ran rampant. To those in charge it seemed that all of their men were traitors. The few remaining pure souls wept for the fate of Syluk, the city of terror…

467 NA: The Bastards’ invasion horrified the elves. They had never seen such brutality. The hobgoblin race terrified the sylvan people as well. The elves begin setting traps within the forest, both mundane and magical. The elves set a great ward around Crodolan to prevent any outsiders from entering the city.

475 NA: The darkness in Syluk began to lift. After twenty years of endless sabotage, military tribunals, and sickness, a semblance of order returned to the mountain city. The Empire Dwarves took stock of themselves cut off as they were from the Dwarves on Hearthland. The whispers of Navillus had turned them away from the Holy Books that they used to know. The priesthood corrupted. Human sacrifice began to take place to ward off the evil. Little did the dwarves know that the souls they sacrifice went to feed the Dark God. Farpoint, the other dwarven controlled city in the Upper Maw, was too far away to lend aid or even effectively communicate with the Syluki Dwarves.. The Empire Dwarves knew that the crusade must be completed or their failure would be remember in history for eternity. They recruited among the humans in the city who finally accepted their new masters. Soon, they planned to march to Najar and face the evil master of the Maw as they should’ve done in the first place.

-Mister Ed

Next: Gurutama Timeline Revising Part 16