The Tome Of Lore

CONTENTS

1. Preface
2. Tritonia, Home of Swords and Sandals
3. Swords and Sandals: Pirates
4. Swords and Sandals I: Gladiator
5. Swords and Sandals II: Emperor’s Reign
6. Swords and Sandals Crusader
7. Swords and Sandals III: Gladiae Ultratus
8. Swords and Sandals IV: Tavern Quests
9. Swords and Sandals V: Grail of Antares
10. Swords and Sandals Medieval
11. Swords and Sandals Spartacus
12. Swords and Sandals Immortals
13. Swords and Sandals RPG : Constellation Mirror
14. World Map

PREFACE

Greetings, gladiators!

Over many years of developing the Swords and Sandals series, a semblance of a story, characters and places has sprung up. All good RPGs need a setting, a cast of characters and so on – even something as simple as the first Swords and Sandals had the island of Doomtrek, some pirates and 7 arena bosses with names like HeChaos and Wolfgang of Shackleford. While they seem random, there is actually more to the games than first appears – those characters and locations actually have more to them.

There is, in fact, a whole world behind Swords and Sandals that was born in my mind but has started to ebb out into the greater community as the games increase in popularity. People sometimes ask me questions like ‘Does Crusader take place before S&S 3?’ , or ‘Did the hero from S&S 1 turn into Emperor Antares’ , and I find I have to stop and think about these things – because until now, the world has been pretty loosely documented and mapped out. This document is an effort to improve that, and of course it will expand further as the series does.

[Author’s Note] There is a Swords and Sandals wikia page online managed by some very dedicated fans. Please feel free to use information from this tome of lore to that wikia, with my blessings.

TRITONIA, HOME OF SWORDS AND SANDALS

The events of Swords and Sandals all take place on the world of Tritonia, a large Earth-like world in a system of five planets surrounding two suns, a large yellow and a smaller blue sun. One large pale moon orbits slowly. Tritonia is dominated by 85% ocean and three continents that make up the rest of the planet.

• Brandor, the largest and oldest settled continent. All of the Swords and Sandals games thus far have taken place here. Being home to the Constellation Mirror, it is here that the Precursors landed and most known civilisations can be found.
• Eldor Hath, a smaller, mysterious continent far to the south. Its borders are fiercely guarded and foreigners looked upon unkindly. It is said that Emperor Antares of the Itha peoples hailed from these dark lands.
• Segallis, a fabled landmass that theoretically exists in the western hemisphere. Very few who have sailed across the Cycladian Ocean in search of it have returned, and their tales remain wild and dubious.

The events of Swords and Sandals take place in Brandor. To the north, the world is bordered by vast mountains which end in polar ice. To the south, the heat of the deserts keep all but the most hardy traveller at bay, and to the west and east, trackless oceans sparsely dotted with the occasional island.

Tritonia’s twin moons (Eoe and Uriel) make sea travel perilous – the tides are unpredictable and storms are many.

Future games in the Swords and Sandals series will introduce the other continents of the world, Eldor Hath, Segallis and Uverica.

THE WORLD BEFORE SWORDS AND SANDALS I
YEAR 0 CM – YEAR 585 CM

Before the advent of the Constellation Mirror, Tritonia was a lush but mostly empty planet. Native fauna and flora of various sizes roamed freely, but no creatures of any particular intellect called the planet their home. Some six hundred years ago, everything changed. A great portal appeared, shimmering and black. Through it, the night sky could be seen, a lake of stars and galaxies.

The Constellation Mirror is a sentient wormhole that opens every half century and emits a beacon, pulling through it creatures and civilizations from other parts of the universe. The Mirror observes and learns from these creatures but thus far has remained neutral, learning of good and evil over the years.

Through this mirror, the first races stepped. They were the Precursors. They built cities, fought, explored and settled. Some of the Precursor races flourished, like the Phaetorians and the Braxians. Others vanished into antiquity. And still, at the height of summer every fiftieth year, the Mirror would blaze brightly and new creatures would step through and forge themselves a life in this brave new world. Some were terrible beasts like the giant Sledgars, terrifying giant men with mighty ice hammers. Others, great sailors like the one-eyed Cycladians, who would begin to chart the four mighty oceans of the world.

For over six hundred years, the Constellation Mirror has opened, each new arrival shaping the fortunes of the world.

SWORDS AND SANDALS PIRATES:
YEAR 587 CM

The years that kicked of the classic Swords and Sandals era were dominated by a great nautical struggle to control the four oceans of Tritonia. In the year 586 CM, the naval dominance of the Phaetorian Armada collapsed, when over 95% of its fleet was wiped out in a series of planet shaking storms.

A mad scramble began as the new year broke out. Islands and colonies rid themselves of Phaetorian rule and began to revolt. A generation of self-styled Pirate Lords appeared on the oceans and waged great and terrible battles against each other for control of the new ocean boundaries.

Such luminaries as Wolfgang of Shackleford , Sir Belgrave, Emperor Antares and HeChaos began their adventures here on the high seas.

After just three months, the resource war was settled and Phaetor reclaimed control of the oceans, though many new individuals would rise to fame and power thanks to the great bounties of the sea. This conflict would come to be known amongst the people as the Four Oceans War, even though it would only last less than a hundred days.

The following ten captains fought in the Four Oceans War, and their tales are told below.

ARGLAXX and the Beast Force, sailing on the Primal Fury

Before the war

The Beastlord Arglaxx and his army of simian warriors hailed from the verdant lands south of the T’Kash desert. A brutish assembly of half-man, half-ape creatures, the Beast Force were led by the charismatic Arglaxx, a hulking dog-man of unknown origin and age.

He was a formidable tactician filled with animal cunning and cruel intent, and though he had little sailing experience he was a fast learner. Many in Brandor feared the rise of the Beast Force would be a portend of darker days ahead. Once a loose collection of tribes, they united under Arglaxx’s banner marched west to the western edges of the T’Kash.

They brought vast supplies of lumber and cloth, and began to build ships in their bid to claim a share of the Four Oceans of Tritonia.

The Four Oceans War proved to be the last chapter in the glorious and celebrated naval career of Admiral Robinson. A chance encounter with the mysterious Antares left him shaking with fear and unable to compose himself for several hours. Realising the strength of the new dark powers were rising in the world, he was forced to acknowledge to himself his time was passing.

When the great man finally retired aged 82, he had sailed the equivalent of over 70,000 leagues on the Tritonian Oceans – far enough to circle the globe three times over. Weary and aching, the old admiral returned to Castle Cavaldar in Phaetor to a hero’s welcome. He would find little respite though, for he was summoned from his retirement during the Crusades just a few years later.

With his firsthand knowledge and experience in battling the Death Imperium at sea, Robinson would advise King Lionel well into his 90s, and is credited with some of the brilliant tactics that won the day and stopped Antares. He would not live to enjoy the end of the Crusades however.

Admiral Robinson passed away in his sleep, aged 98 and beloved by all as Phaetor’s greatest naval servant.

MARIE duPONT and the Iron Republic, sailing on the Retribution

Before the war

North of Phaetor in the city of Gallowstones, the Iron Republic had grown in power since in a stunning military coup where it ceded from Kingdom rule just two short years ago.

Marie’s father Florian duPont was instrumental in building the Republic’s navy and upon his death that winter, Marie assumed the role as the Iron Admiral. The Republic had been content thus far to not challenge Phaetor’s rule too deeply, but with the sinking of the great Kingdom navy, now was the time to strike.

Marie and loyal republicans set sail for their island stronghold of Port Claymore. If they could wrest control of the oceans from Phaetor, soon they shall would have the resources to invade, defeat the King and bring down the Crown once and for all.

After the war

All her life, Marie duPont was never far from intrigue, politics and betrayal. Despite returning to Gallowstones with a bountiful treasure-trove of wealth and materials, she soon found herself competing for leadership of the Iron Republic with her half-brother, Lord Celen Helmguard.

Helmguard, a former ally of King Lionel who was instrumental in the secession of the Republic, was a violent and brutal man who trusted no-one, not even his own family. Within a few short months of Marie’s return from the Four Oceans War, the council voted her as Chancellor of the Republic.

Her first act as chancellor was to force her brother to give up his own private army to the service of the Republic. When he would not, she had him imprisoned in a tower for a short time. Although he was released just a few weeks into his captivity, Celen never forgave his sister.

One wintery night, two years after the Four Oceans War had ended, Celen pushed Marie from the highest wall in her castle. Marie fell to her death and power was transferred to Lord Helmguard, who would go on to lead the Iron Republic in the Crusades. She was just 43 years old. Legend has it her ghost still haunts the halls of Gallowstone Keep to this day.

Marie’s supernatural tale is continued in Swords and Sandals VI.

HECHAOS and the Legion of H, sailing on the Maw of Madness

Before the war

A new power had risen in the swampy lands of south west Brandor. Thousands of disenchanted youths rallied to the banner of a charismatic young lunatic by the name of HeChaos of Eddengarth. Newly formed legions replete with garish military outfits and flowing purple capes mustered and began their march to the sea.

Tempted by the lure of gold and power, the self-proclaimed Legions of H sought a claim on the oceans of Tritonia. Their leader HeChaos was a smooth-tongued madman capable of both powerful speeches and murderous rage.

With HeChaos at the helm, the Legion were a dangerous and unpredictable force out there on the vast seas … one that if left unchecked could spell the ruin of all.

For those who questioned HeChaos’ sanity before the Four Oceans War, there could be no longer any doubt. Upon returning to his capital at Eddengarth, he descended further and further into madness. Violent nightmares, fever dreams and visions haunted the man and for days he would only speak in rhyme … much to the chagrin of his top advisors.

He neglected to leave any legionnaires behind to maintain his island conquests, and they were soon overthrown. The Legion’s presence at sea was soon as paltry as it was before the war. However with his now vast treasure hoard of gold and jewels HeChaos was able to expand his Citadel of Turbulence into something vast and monstrous, a sprawling monument to himself in the shape of a giant H.

HeChaos continued to recruit the disillusioned into the legion with promises of gold, land and riches. The reckless spending continued as he set up a prohibitively expensive arena on the island of Doomtrek. Just a few short years into his stint as an Arena Overlord, he lost control of the Arena to the Emperor Antares, who enslaved the madman and forced him to fight as an arena champion.

Eventually freed by his supporters, HeChaos would take out his rage not on Antares, but on his old childhood rivals Wolfgang, King Lionel and Sir Belgrave. HeChaos and his legions would cause havoc for Brandor in the Crusades, and for many a year after.

HeChaos’ story is continued in Swords and Sandals I.

SENATOR GRAVLAXX and the Pilthian Armada, sailing on the Cosmic Voyager

Before the war

The Cycladians were a race of one-eyed giants who came through the Constellation Mirror some years ago fleeing a terror they will not speak of. It is said Cycladia was an ocean planet of raging storms and vast oceans and its people became masters of the ocean over many generations.

Now refugees in a strange land, they settled on the rugged Pilthian Coast and began to explore the oceans of Tritonia. The time had come to expand their ambitions and under the stoic and measured leadership of Gravlaxx, the Cycladians made sail in an attempt to shape the islands of Tritonia in the image of their beloved lost home planet.

After the war

JANE THREE SHEETS and the Sharpsdale Trading Company, sailing on the Loaded Dice

Before the war

The Port City of Sharpsdale, nestled in a large cove on the south-eastern shores of Brandor, had long been a haven to smugglers, pirates and cutthroats. Far from the jurisdiction of Phaetor’s laws the city thrived on intrigue and was run by the powerful Sharpsdale Trading Company, a powerful collective of merchants, traders and businesses all looking to make their fortune in which ever less than legal manner they could.

Their leader, Jane Three-Sheets, was once a promising Braxian politician until her love affair with gold and treasure saw her betray the Free States and turn rogue. She fled to Sharpsdale and rose through the ranks, eventually crowning herself the Pirate Queen. From their new island stronghold of Cauldron Bay, she would lead the Trading Company in its quest to plunder, ransack, dominate and loot the Tritonian Oceans (and of course any Braxian ships she would encounter!)

After the war

When the Four Oceans War reached its natural conclusion most of the naval commanders returned to Brandor, weary and homesick. Jane Three Sheets did not – for the sea called to her and she would never abandon it.

Although his efforts in the Four Oceans War were wildly successful in bringing Braxis great riches, power and trade goods, Wolfgang himself would fall on hard times in the months to follow. Upon his return to Braxis, the baron found himself idle and bored. Without the responsibilities of leading an army or battling monsters, he sought entertainment in at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

A series of high profile relationship and political breakups saw him fall out of favour with Braxis and he was stripped of his title as a Baron. Disenchanted and angry, he packed up his life in Braxis and set sail for the Arena of Doomtrek where he began a new life as a gladiator. His considerable skill with a sword, reckless abandon and rogueish wit made him a fan favourite, but he drank himself into oblivion most nights.

Concerned for his friend’s wellbeing, the knight Sir Belgrave set out on a mercy mission to Doomtrek. There he delivered many hard home truths to Wolfgang, imploring him to stop drinking himself to death. Broken and listless, Wolfgang collapsed and Belgrave took him by ship to the Templar city of Drakondier to rest, recover and once more find joy in life.

Belgrave would challenge Wolfgang to find peace with himself and take up a higher cause, and Wolfgang would go on to reclaim his Barony and become one of the great Defenders of Brandor.

Wolfgang’s story is continued in Swords and Sandals I.

EMPEROR ANTARES and the Death Imperium, sailing on the Emperor’s Reign

Before the war

Like drums in the deep, a dark power had risen in the shadow lands of Eldor Hath. A wraithlike necromancer known only as Antares lead a force of undead skeletal warriors on a relentless tear across the oceans of Tritonia. Antares, raised by high priests in a vast pyramid, saw his mother dying from plague at a young age.

When the priests would not save her, he became obsessed with the quest for eternal life. He slew his master and studied the dark arts of necromancy, eventually killing everyone in the pyramid and raising them to serve him in undeath. With each skeleton raised, Antares’ once beautiful face grew more ruinous until he wore a shroud and helmet, ashamed at his hideous skeletal visage.

More and more soldiers would fall into the undead ranks of his newly crowned Death Imperium. They sailed northeast from the shadowy coves of Eldor Hath to the island of Xel Thurax, seeking rumours of an island with mystical water said to contain the secrets to eternal life.

Antares would decimate the peoples of the Four Oceans during his time at sea, but ultimately his search for the fabled Elixir of Life would prove futile. Visiting island after island he would follow rumours to obscure and forlorn places far from civiliization, but time and time again he found nothing.

Not one to let his emotions overcome him, Antares knew the elixir probably did not exist outside of children’s fairy tales. Unable to restore his once youthful looks and unable to continue summoning the magic required to keep his undead army moving, Antares realised he needed a new plan. From atop his dark island fortress, he gazed upon his skeletal army weakening with the rising of the sun each new day.

When the last of his skeletal warriors finally crumbled into the sea, Antares gathered the vast treasure horde he had found at sea and sailed for the Arena island of Doomtrek. There he beguiled, befriended and betrayed the arena’s former owner, Four Oceans rival HeChaos of Eddengarth. Enslaving HeChaos and seizing control of the legion stationed on Doomtrek, Antares then began to formulate his next dark plan.

Antares proclaimed himself Emperor of Doomtrek and used his wealth to fund a grand tournament of champions, attracting the greatest fighters the world has seen to compete for fame and glory. He sent HeChaos’ legions to the many islands of the four oceans, returning with slaves to fight in the arena. From these new warriors, both free and enslaved, he would raise a new army capable of bringing Brandor to its knees.

Emperor Antares’ story is continued in Swords and Sandals II.

Bhaargle Steps In

Three months into the conflict, the powerful and ageless sorcerer Bhaargle summoned all ten leaders to his tower at the mysterious island of Cragenbach. Most agreed willingly, but some had to be coerced by magical force. Bhaargle, who’s story is detailed elsewhere in this tome, sensed that the resource war was taking its toll on not only the nations who fought in it, but the entire continent itself. With Brandor’s best forces away from land, Bhaargle knew that the realm might open itself up to attack from otherworldly forces, such as those who occasionally came through the Constellation Mirror.

Bhaargle gathered all the commanders, swore them to truce through considerable magic power and guile, and weighed them all individually and as representatives of their factions. Antares in particular chafed at being held in thrall, but Bhaargle’s skill dwarfed the lich lord’s and he could do nothing but comply.

In the end, Bhaargle decreed that the Kingdom of Phaetor would control the oceans once more. Phaetor’s naval prowess, skill in nautical warfare and relatively tempered dealings with the many native island peoples of the Tritonian oceans made them the obvious choice to continue their dominance at sea.

The others agreed to varying degrees. As documented above, some resisted, some outright refused to comply. There would not be lasting peace, and five years later all of Brandor was engulfed in a full scale land war, as documented in Swords and Sandals Crusader.

SWORDS AND SANDALS I : Gladiator
YEAR 588 CM

In the 588th year since the opening of the Constellation Mirror, a sailor aboard the good ship Calamitious found himself adrift at sea after a terrible storm. Lost for days, he floated across the vast Uveric Ocean until chance found him at Doomtrek, an island home to the infamous Arena of Death.

Doomtrek and its arena had been established three years earlier by a charismatic but unstable young Eddite man named HeChaos. He claims to have won the island in a card game, though it is more likely the original inhabitants of the island were met with foul play. In any event, he then set up the arena for a considerable profit.

The sailor-turned-gladiator fought his way through a series of duels, rising in popularity and fame – he would come to be known only as The Gladiator. Eventually he found himself face to face with HeChaos himself. After a mighty battle, he defeated HeChaos and won enough riches to buy a ship and sail away. HeChaos begged him to stay, promising a command position in a mysterious ‘Legion’ he was assembling. The Gladiator declined – noting only that HeChaos seemed ‘wild and unpredictable’. His whereabouts remain unknown to this day, though some say he found his way to the fabled lands of Segallis.

There were seven notable gladiators ( better known as Arena Champions ) who took part in the gladiatorial games here.

• Wolfgang of Shackleford: Following his hard luck story at the close of the Four Oceans War, Wolfgang was drawn to the Arena, where a man could live a simple life, fight, drink and die. Seeking solace in the bottle, he slew gladiator after gladiator, aimless and disenchanted. After his defeat and own brush with death at the hands of the Gladiator, he was visited by his oldest and dearest friend Sir Belgrave of Drakondier. Belgrave saw Wolfgang was a broken man who needed a cause. Belgrave took his friend from the accursed place and brought him to Drakondier to recover and face sobriety. Under his friend’s watchful eye, Wolfgang recovered and once again reclaimed his rightful place as a Baron of Braxis. His story, detailed in the events surrounding Crusader and beyond, was a tale of redemption. Wolfgang would also feature as one of the boardgames participants in Swords and Sandals IV and is set to appear in Swords and Sandals VI.
• Bo’sun Smythe: A salty sea-dog and one of the first Arena Champions to become popular at Doomtrek. It was said he reeked of rum and barnacles. His longtime goal was to win enough money to buy a ship, but alas for him, he always drank away the profits from his victories.
• The Slave Driver: A great, hulking brute who stank of sour mead and dressed in dark leathers, he would hide his face in an executioner’s mask – many say it was because he was secretly ashamed of his nasty ways, though the truth was sadder. He was once a kind, gentle child who loved nothing more than tending to wounded animals in the forests near Sharpsdale. One particular winter, he was riddled with a pox and nearly died. Though he recovered, his face was badly scarred. Years of merciless teasing followed, and as a teenager he donned the mask to make them stop. He grew larger and filled his heart only with hate. As the world had treated him cruelly, so he would return the favour.He grew mean and mocking, with a nasty, sneering laugh. He found himself in Doomtrek some years back, recruited to oversee the slave force constructing the arenas for HeChaos’ gladiatorial games. He treated them badly, denying them decent food and even the smallest of creature comforts. By day he would fight his slaves in the arena, by night he would whip them mercilessly. He was first defeated in battle here by the Gladiator, though he would live to tell the tale. He would go on to appear in Swords and Sandals II.
• Nine Cat Jack: A cruel pirate lord who faced mutiny at the hands of his crew and washed ashore Doomtrek. He died from his wounds at the arena and was buried in a pauper’s grave.
• Stylonius of Southport: A narcissistic boor, though somehow wildly popular for his theatrics. A Klerg from the Gelegrath Caverns, he broke many Arena Championship records until his death at his own hand, tripping over his own ego and falling into a spiked pit. Surprisingly, his will and testament specified he *not* be resurrected on account of “There being no need, as nobody could ever kill me anyway”, but his legacy lived on in Swords and Sandals II, with his firstborn child, the aptly named Son of Stylonius.
• Lord Talah’udin: A great champion from the T’Kash Desert. Little is known of him, though it is said he lost his kingdom and his life when Arglaxx and the Beastforce conquered the Desert of Despair during the Crusades. Here at Doomtrek he fought with honour and compassion. His nephew, the Maharaja Sa’eed would make an appearance here in Swords and Sandals II.
• HeChaos: The final, and greatest of the Arena Champions. Upon his defeat, he would lose his grip on the Arena to a mysterious stranger known as Antares, who declared himself the first ‘Emperor’ of Doomtrek and seized control. Antares enslaved HeChaos and forced him to fight for his own amusement but kept the games running. HeChaos’ story continued in Swords and Sandals III, Swords and Sandals Crusader, Swords and Sandals IV and Swords and Sandals V.

Author’s Note: As you may notice, when you play Swords and Sandals games, you actually *kill* the Arena Champions. For the purpose of story lore, it can be assumed that most Champions are either wealthy or popular enough to afford magical healing, and can be resurrected in the same way the hero can. Some Champions ( such as Nine Cat Jack, Pigsus or the Slave Driver ) are too hated by the general population to warrant resurrection and thus, stay dead.

SWORDS AND SANDALS II : Emperor’s Reign
YEAR 590 CM

Under the recent acquisition of the arena under the enigmatic Emperor Antares, the island of Doomtrek’s popularity and notoriety exploded. Antares had six new arenas built, each grander than the last. Gladiatoral combat took place day and night, drawing thousands to the island in search of glory on the arena sands. Even more were brought to the island as slaves, shedding blood and sweat building the mighty colosseums. These slaves were kept in terrible conditions in a catacomb of tunnels under the Imperial Colosseum.

With so many of Brandor’s greatest fighters dying on the sands so fast and so often, Emperor Antares pressed slaves into gladiatorial service with vague promises of their freedom. Each gladiator received some gold and a basic dagger, but most would die within days of their release.

One such slave, a recent capture known in popular folklore as The Nameless, won his freedom when he showed potential as a fighter. A stoic gladiator with a quiet disposition and great gift for battle, he advanced quickly through the ranks and won fame by defeating local meat merchant John the Butcher in combat in his third day in the Arena.

Not so The Nameless. He would quickly rise, winning renown by defeating Arena Champion after Arena Champion. Early on, he befriended a local candlemaker who told him tales of Doomtrek citizens being pressed into slavery, forced to dig tunnels under the arena. Investigating further, The Nameless discovered a vast subterranean labyrinth of crypts, stone pits and dark altars – though he could not guess as to their true purpose. When Antares’ thugs killed the candlemaker and burnt down his shop, The Nameless realised he was being watched.

Soon after, the noble young knight Sir Belgrave of the Templar Church arrived in Doomtrek. Seeking audience with The Nameless, he explained the Church’s suspicions of Antares. They had been tracking him since the Four Oceans War, his breathtaking army of skeletal warriors proving to be of great concern to the undead-fearing church. Although Antares was defeated at sea, his powers of necromancy had grown and he was now a fully flenched undead power – and he had used his new wealth to construct the vast arenas and catacombs beneath.

Belgrave theorised that Antares had acquired Doomtrek in order to use the Arena and its inexhaustible source of gladiators for nefarious purposes. Through his powers of necromancy, Antares had raised these poor souls from the dead and kept them imprisoned in great chambers deep under the ground.

Fighting in the arenas by day and exploring the tunnels by night, Belgrave and The Nameless made their way deeper underground until they discovered vast halls of skeletal warriors – at least eighty thousand or more. Belgrave, sensing the worst, implored The Nameless to somehow gain audience with Antares and bring his evil schemes to light. The knight then travelled to Brandor’s capital Phaetor to warn good King Lionel to prepare for war.

Through his many arena victories, The Nameless would rise in power and skill. After defeating one of Antares’ more powerful lieutenant’s, the demon prince Zeerzabahl, he would come to the attention of the Emperor himself. When confronted about his plans, Antares gloated. His army would soon be complete and unleashed upon Brandor. Antares sought not just to conquer the realm, but to make his way to the Constellation Mirror itself and use it as a gateway to unleash his terror on other unsuspecting worlds.

Sensing potential in The Nameless, he offered him a position in his newly formed Death Imperium. When The Nameless refused, Antares merely laughed – for he knew as soon as Nameless fell in battle, necromancy would press him into service – a choice every Arena Champion before him had faced. Antares dismissed Nameless, warning him the time to choose would soon be nigh.

At this same time, the sorcerer Bhaargle appeared in the Arena. Using powerful magic, he convinced everyone he was indeed an Arena Champion and organised a battle with Nameless. Though Bhaargle was infinitely more powerful, he would throw the fight and upon defeat, hand The Nameless a message in a scroll before disappearing. This would not be the last time Bhaargle would meddle in the affairs of the realm, though his purposes always remained a mystery.

Inside the scroll was a declaration of aid from the great sorcerer. Bhaargle had devised a plan to negate and contain the skeletal army, but the sorcerer also knew Antares could negate his magic if confronted directly. If somehow the Emperor could be distracted by combat with a worthy foe, he could indeed be vulnerable. All The Nameless needed to do was to engage Antares in battle – Bhaargle would do the rest.

With a choice to make, The Nameless wrestled with a decision. He had secretly craved power himself – for before he was a slave at Doomtrek, he had been a lawless buccaneer on the high seas of Tritonia’s oceans. By his own admission, The Nameless’ life had been less than heroic. Emperor Antares offered the chance to bring the world to heel, the muscle to enforce his will upon any who stood in his way.

On the other hand, Bhaargle’s choice involved sacrifice and an almost assured death. Victory here would end his days as an Arena Champion and thrust him into an uncertain world. The Nameless was on the verge of accepting Antares’ offer when the Archangel Sandalphon, a powerful envoy of the god Suul the One, appeared before him. Sandalphon warned him his actions would end in a world forever changed and inhospitable to life as he knew it. The Nameless fought Sandalphon to a standstill on the Arena sands before the Archangel, in frustration, returned to the Heavenly Plane.

With the Archangel vanquished, the Nameless was invited to the Emperor’s Royal Palace to do battle against the greatest gladiators in all the realm as Antares himself looked on. In secret, the sorcerer Bhaargle made his way to the palace and saw for himself the inner struggle The Nameless faced. Through a powerful spell, he created an evil mirror image version of The Nameless which represented all that was flawed in the heroic champion. When The Nameless overcame his evil self, he saw the error of his ways and resolved to defeat Antares once and for all.

Finally, that hour came. Emperor Antares invited The Nameless to a private audience and demanded his loyalty. When The Nameless once and for all refused, a great battle took place. With Bhaargle’s aid, he was able to defeat the mighty Emperor in one of the greatest gladiatorial duels the world has ever known. As Antares fell, his essence disappeared into a terrible black cloud and a darkness fell over Doomtrek, before disappearing into the ether.

Bhaargle and The Nameless raced to the catacombs beneath the arena, where the sorcerer saw the vast undead army begin to stir from their eternal slumber. Using all of his magical powers, Bhaargle cast a Void Gate spell on the army, entombing them in a shimmering opaque prison, shielded from Antares’ mind control. For indeed, Bhaargle had discovered one of the secrets to Antares’ power. The more souls under his thrall, the greater his own essence grew. With the army cut off from their master, Antares grew too weak to maintain a corporeal form. The army would be held here, not indefinitely, but long enough to give the leaders of Brandor time to raise their own armies and do battle against this terrible new threat.

Both heroes knew in their heart Antares was not defeated, for both of them had seen his essence disappear, both had heard his mocking laughter in their ears. Bhaargle returned to his tower in the Cragenbach mountains to study. Word was sent to King Lionel of the Kingdom of Phaetor Lord Vraynes Galrin of the Templar Church to prepare for war ( a war, of which, would be later known as The Crusades )

It would be several years before he used his magics to send word to The Nameless, who had since wandered far and wide, exploring Tritonia for his own inscrutable purposes. He was now to buy passage on a galleon ship and sail north to Suul’s Gateway, where he was to meet with Sir Belgrave of the Templar Church. Rumours spread of a dark presence under the vast mountains there, and it was there The Nameless himself would disappear.

The gladiator games would continue in Doomtrek, as John the Butcher took up residence as owner and overlord of the island, but for now the Arena there would play no more part in the Swords and Sandals tale.

There were in fact 20 notable Arena Champions to feature in Swords and Sandals II.

• The Fearful Prisoner: An old man who had been a slave so long he had forgotten everything about his past. He had the misfortune of being chosen by The Slave Driver to match up against SS2’s protagonist, The Nameless – who took it easy on him and in fact, freed him from his servitude after Antares’ defeat. Having a taste for combat, the Fearful Prisoner would later train as gladiator and find fame and fortune as an Arena Champion at the Cliffs of Carnage in Swords and Sandals III.
• John the Butcher: A self-styled ‘pillar of the community’ and owner of the popular Woolridge’s Meat Emporium, John the Butcher was also a musician in his youth. He had a minor hit song many years ago, “Every Time You Go Away (You Take A Piece Of Meat With You)”. After the events of Swords and Sandals II, he would take over management of the Doomtrek arenas and become fabulously wealthy. He would also go on to make an appearance as one of the boardgame participants in Swords and Sandals IV, and had a quick cameo in Swords and Sandals V, buying the carcass of the giant minotaur Big Moo off the hero.
• The Evil Ninja: This sneaky gladiator was actually two people; a father and daughter duo from Drakondier who took turns donning the infamous black ninja outfit and competing in the Arena games. It was a long held rumour that the daughter was the fabled Princess of Drakondier, who vanished one stormy night many years ago – but in fact, this is false as Drakondier has not had a royal family in several hundred years. The father ninja, out of disguise, sang in the Doomtrek Village Choir, and his daughter was a local chess champion too. After the arena games, they stayed on in the arena for many years before the father was caught stealing from a wizard’s tower and turned into a Sagan Blob.
• Son of Stylonius: The son of legendary Klergish gladiator Stylonius of Southport, and if possible an even more boorish and egocentric braggart. Also a world reknowned food enthusiast, he wrote a popular column in the one of the realms’ favourite newspapers, the Klergish Herald. Son of Stylonius claimed to be avenging the death of his father – which is curious because his father in fact died by accident when he tripped and fell over his own ego. Son of Stylonius, too, would meet the same fate. His young son watched on from the stands, and it is possible the Grandson of Stylonius is out there somewhere, waiting to avenge his ancestors.
• Marksman Dantus: Dantus rose to infamy in the early days of the Arena, being instrumental in helping HeChaos overthrow Doomtrek’s first inhabitants. He was a famed lothario and sleaze, being blessed with good looks and charm – but he also a ruthless commander and a vain man. It was rumoured he was the brains behind HeChaos’ Legion of H – HeChaos himself being far too volatile to be a good military strategist. When Antares took over from HeChaos, Dantus was enslaved and forced to compete in the Arena games. He would escape with HeChaos mid tournament and go on to play a significant role in the Crusades, eventually being killed in battle by Xanfar the Haunted, a commander in Antares’ Death Imperium.
• Wizard Sagan: The former star pupil of legendary sorcerer Bhaargle, the wizard Sagan was a spectacular showman and incredibly talented conjurer. He also had a chronic gambling addiction and was a notorious cheat – two traits that saw him kicked out of Bhaargle’s Wizard Academy at Arkmagius. Penniless and with a heavy price on his head, Sagan found himself fighting at Doomtrek somewhat reluctantly. When Bhaargle visited the Arena, he took pity on his one time apprentice, gifting him with a sizeable amount of gold. Sagan promised to mend his ways and returned to his studies. He would go on to join the Iron Republic in later years where he became a cruel magician, experimenting on both human and animal alike with his wicked magics. When the Iron Republic fell, he weaselled his way into the Wizard Academy once more and rose to great promise. Here at the academy, he was just as cruel. When Evil Ninja (father) was caught stealing magic scrolls from the Wizard Academy, Sagan turned him into a gelatinous mass known as a Sagan Blob. Years later, the Evil Ninja (daughter) took revenge, assassinating Sagan as he visited the wizard Bhaargle.
• The Great Beast: A huge, hulking minotaur-like creature, the Great Beast first appeared in Tritonia over three hundred years ago when it stumbled through the Constellation Mirror. There were other Great Beasts, but they died out – this one made its home in a cavern in deepest Eldor Hath and until the games at Doomtrek was believed to be more myth than real. Antares subdued and enslaved the Great Beast, transporting it first by land and then by sea to the Arena with no small difficulty. Eventually the beast would be killed in battle by The Nameless. Its skull would later become one of the prized possessions of HeChaos, adorning his throne room at Eddengarth. HeChaos would always claim he himself killed the beast, though the 85,000 fans that witnessed the battle knew he was not even in Doomtrek at the time.
• The Pharaoh King: A charismatic charlatan who arrived at Doomtrek clad in a strange, exotic costume and claiming to be a living god. He quickly gained followers and what became as a small cult quickly spread to a powerful religious faction on the island. Eventually, Antares tired of the Pharaoh King’s influence and had him enslaved in the Arena. Many cultists died trying to free their lord and saviour, but to no avail. The Pharaoh King himself would die on the arena sands, but his cultists returned him to life through dark necromancies. His current whereabouts are somewhere in the T’Kash Desert, where his cultists slowly try to spread his Word.
• Spheracles: One of the last of a race of giants known as the Titans, though their true names were the Enclaenids. These huge creatures stumbled through the Constellation mirror hundreds of years ago but could not procreate in these strange new lands and gradually died out. Spheracles was a jovial and thoroughly entertaining character. Famous for carrying around a giant marble pillar, he was a marvellous juggler and storyteller. He claims to have been punished by his gods to forever juggle, but this seems to be a ficticious tale. Once a year, he would travel from his home across the sea to the Arena to entertain the great crowds and do battle. He seemed to care little if he won or lost, seeking only the pure joy of an adoring crowd. Spheracles lost his life in battle with the Dusk Harlequin, the fearsome Shadow Guardian Antares summoned during the Crusades.
• Gaiax: A giant, dimwitted shepherd from Pilthia, Gaiax was tricked into competing in the Arena games by an unscrupulous snake-oil salesman called Antimidas. Antimidas told Gaiax the games were a farmer’s market, and when the dim one-eyed brute arrived at the arena after several months at sea, he was dismayed to find it was not so. He took his rage out in the arena, proving to be an unstoppable force for quite some time. Eventually, he would be subdued. He would appear again in Crusader, fighting alongside the Sons of Frost; though later he would grow to such a size as to be considered one of the eight legendary Colossi of Brandor. He lost his life to the Dusk Harlequin during the Crusades.
• Maharaja Saeed:
  A nephew of the great Lord Talah’udin, the flamboyant Maharaja originally hailed from Taj Brandhir but was forced into exile with his family when the Beast Force took over his lands. His family moved far south to the lands bordering Eldor Hath, where they lived in relative luxury until the funds ran dry, in no small part due to his lavish spending. Famed for his great turban, love of chess and large, flowing moustache, Saeed fought in the tournament for both finance and fame, like so many others. He wielded his uncle’s legendary curved blade but coated it with a deadly scorpion poison that many foes succumbed to. After his days in the Arena, he aided the forces of Drakondier in the great battles against the Beast Force before returning to restore Taj Brandhir to its former glory. He died at the ripe old age of 130 years, rich and surrounded by his many descendants.
• The Daughter of the Blades: A legendary swordswoman from the Ak’Kash steppes, she appeared in the Arena one sunny morning claiming to be the greatest wielder of the sword in all Brandor. She spoke little, and when she did it was with a lilting rhyme. Proving undefeated in the Arena for several months, she eventually faltered in battle when the glare from her blade blinded her temporarily. After her days in the Arena, she went on to defend her people against the onslaught of the Beast Force during the Crusades.
• Ultra Flavius: A professional wrestler from Braxis, he was best known for his staged, choreographed battles and musical prowess. He claimed to be the first to harness the power of lightning to play an instrument, creating an incredible, searing noise. A hugely inflated ego proved his undoing, his showmanship unable to make up for a lack of basic fighting techniques. After a crushing defeat at the Arena, he retired and turned heavily to drink and decline. In his latter days he would cruelly be referred to as Regular Flavius.
• Luminesca: The sorceress Luminesca is credited for being the creator of the popular spell Orb of Luminesca, a beacon of light to many adventurers in dungeons deep. One of the greatest young wizards of Arkmagius, she was banished from the academy for her willingness to endanger fellow students during her spellcasting. In her years in exile, she competed in the Arena to perfect her magical abilities. She eventually returned to the Wizard Academy some years later, older and wiser and took Sagan Z’s place as head of the Academy ( in Bhaargle’s absence, of course).
• Tutuki the Volcano: Tutuki the Volcano was a loveable and gregarious gentle giant from the Vau’i islands in the Uveric Ocean. Best known for forging his own armour in a volcanic crater, he was also famous for his infectious smile and brilliant impromptu dance routines. He fell in with the wrong crowd in his time in the arena, racking up significant gambling debts and living well beyond his means. After a chance encounter and heart-to-heart conversation with the Daughter of the Blades, he saw the error of his ways and turned his back on fighting. He returned to the Vau’i islands and lived out his days in peace.
• The Slave Driver: First appearing in S&S 1, the Slave Driver rose to power and prominence working as the construction overlord of Emperor Antares huge new arenas and colosseums, replacing HeChaos’ rickety and dilapidated old buildings. By day the slaves would build, or fight, and by night he would whip them mercilessly, denying them basic human rights. One such slave, The Nameless, would not be quelled. In one off the great fights of lore, The Nameless would rise up and kill him in the arena.
• Daimyo Katsumodo: A legendary general from Drakondier’s storied past, he originally hailed from an island in the Cycladian Ocean. He was instrumental in the Templar Church’s rise to power some years ago, and as an older man would travel to the Arena to test his formidable sword skills against the best the realm has to offer. A quiet and reflective man, he kept a travel journal of his adventures, Katsumodo’s Guide To Brandor, which became a bestseller. He would go on to fight one last time in the Crusades, winning many great battles for Drakondier before falling in battle in Eddegarth, the victim of a Legion of H phalanx charge.
• Archfiend Zeerzabahl: Zeerzabahl was a mid ranked Demon Prince from a plane of existence way beyond the mortal realm. Ambitious and calculating, he worked his way up through the demon ranks and was the first to make contact with Emperor Antares, offering him a deal that would guarantee eternal life in return for Antares agreeing to help bring Zeerzabahl’s master through the Constellation Mirror. Their pact led to Antares’ terrible rise to power, and Antares would summon Zeerzabahl to Tritonia on several occasions to do his bidding. Eventually, Antares began to toy with the Demon Prince ( having outgrown him in power) and used him as a spectacle in the Arena. Zeerzabahl, powerless to stop, reluctantly fought, and eventually was slain in the arena – but he returned to his own plane, somewhat lesser in power but filled with a terrible rage. There he waits, plotting a revenge on Antares. Giant, red skinned with black bull horns, he naturally reeked of sulpher and radiated with an intense heat.
  
• Bhaargle: The legendary wizard Bhaargle is probably Brandor’s most famous citizen, more myth than man. All youngsters know of him through ‘The Travelling Tales of Bhaargle’ , a wonderful collection of stories. The truth of Bhaargle is even stranger. He has lived for hundreds of years, being in fact one of the original Precursors who came through the Constellation Mirror. He possesses magical powers and technology long forgotten in the realms, and has meddled in the affairs of men for many years. His purposes on Brandor are still inscrutable. He aided The Nameless in defeating Antares during a small cameo in Brandor, and would go on in Swords and Sandals III to forge an alliance with the powerful cybernetic race of Automatons, before disappearing into the stars. He would return in Swords and Sandals V, aiding Sir Belgrave and HeChaos in vanquishing Antares once more.
• Archangel Sandalphon: A Primarch of the Heavenly Halls, he was not of Tritonia, but from an entirely plane of existence. When demons started appearing in Brandor at Antares’ behest, he intervened and aided Bhaargle in countering them. He gave his strength to The Nameless to defeat Antares, . Known as the archon of justice and retribution, he appeared in Brandor each year to judge those who may be worthy an event he called only The Great Crusade. He fought alongside King Lionel during the Crusades in Swords and Sandals : Crusader, though many believed this was not the crusade he referred to, as rumours of a battle in the stars have long existed. He was the younger brother of the incredibly powerful Archangel Arcturus. At this stage, she has not entered our story, but will be a major player in the RPG Swords and Sandals: Constellation Mirror in the far future ( some years until I make this game, though the plot is in development!)
• The Nameless Shadow: A magical being created by Emperor Antares to test The Nameless. It embodied all of The Nameless’ strengths and flaws, and only though knowing himself fully, was the Nameless able to vanquish his shadow self. Foolishly, Antares, in a way, made The Nameless stronger – for by conquering his demons, he gained the courage to fight the Emperor himself.
• Emperor Antares: Brandor’s greatest villain and the scourge of many a gladiator, Antares story is long and dark and will be told in more detail soon. In the days of Swords and Sandals II , Antares used the Arena at Doomtrek to enslave, kill and create and army of undead warriors with the purpose of unleashing a great crusade on the realm of Brandor. Antares’ early years are mostly unknown, though it is believed he came from the dark lands of Eldor Hath, far to the south. He first made his name in Swords and Sandals: Pirate Lords, unleashing a small skeleton army on the small island nations of the Four Oceans. He grew in power in this land grab, and did battle with the young knights Sir Belgrave and Baron Wolfgang on numerous occasions, though he himself was not the power he would become. In the year 589 CM, he arrived in Doomtrek, overthrow the Arena’s former master HeChaos. His plans would eventually be undone by The Nameless and the great sorcerer Bhaargle. Upon his defeat, he could not be killed – for he had a demonic pact with Zeerzabahl, but he was greatly weakened in the form of a magical mist. In this moment, Bhaargle captured his essence in the first thing he could find, a jewelled chalice. The chalice was shattered into 5 pieces, which Bhaargle hastily buried under the mountains of Suul’s Gateway while he thought of a better plan for them – something he never got round to.Author’s note: In the original S&S 2, Sir Belgrave was a champion who could be fought, but in the Redux, he only features as an NPC in the Chapter texts, replaced by new Arena Champions. This is because Belgrave’s role in helping the player discover Antares’ plans was better suited as having him an ‘off-screen’ player and not someone the player should fight against.

SWORDS AND SANDALS Crusader
YEAR 592 – 596 CM

Though many outside of Doomtrek had not heard of Emperor Antares, his downfall at the hands of The Nameless would have great ramifications on the continent of Brandor. In the year 591CM, Brandor had enjoyed thirty years of relative peace. Most of the action in the last few years had been during the great naval conquests colloquially known as the Four Oceans War. With Phaetorian forces stretched thinly across both land and sea and recovering from a series of terrible naval disasters, rival powers saw fit to attempt a power grab.

There were eight major players in the Crusades.

• The Kingdom of Phaetor, ruled by King Lionel IX
  The major military and political power in the realm, it has been King Lionel Injade and his ancestors’ rule that has seen the many citizens of Brandor exist in relative peace. Their capital city of Phaetor has stood for over 400 years. King Lionel IX himself is a wise, fair man beloved by his people. His rule is just, his mercy great and his courage unquestioned, but he tends to overestimate the goodness of humanity and can be somewhat idealistic and naive.
• The Templar Church, led by Sir Belgrave Rhykier
  Drakondier is a Kingdom ally, a solid and stalwart champion for a unified Brandor free from tyranny and slavery. The Templar Church is the spiritual heart of the realm, and if it falls, many believe all hope is lost. Commander of the armies of the Templar Church, and fresh from two years at sea and a spell in the Arena of Doomtrek, Sir Belgrave Rhykier is fearless in battle, honourable to a fault and a powerful knight. He lives and fights by a strict code of honour, but has become jaded and world weary.
• The Free States of Braxis, led by Baron Wolfgang
  Phaetor’s largest ally in the realm, an independent collection of towns and cities unified under the one banner. Their capital city of Braxis is even older than Phaetor, having been first founded by the Precursors shortly after the events of the first opening of the Constellation Mirror. Baron Wolfgang of the Free States of Braxis, is a charming rogue and a skilled politician, although his struggles with the bottle are well documented. Wolfgang had previously led Braxis during the Four Oceans War before falling upon hard times and fighting in the Arena for a while. A dear friend of King Lionel and the knight Belgrave, he is a loyal and trustworthy ally of the Kingdom. A bold if somewhat reckless leader, he has been known to lead his forces perilously close to the edge of oblivion.
• The Iron Republic, led by Celen Helmguard
  Gallowstones, capital of the Iron Republic is a grey and foreboding city of great function and little charm. Lord Celen Helmguard is a brutal and violent man, once an ally of King Lionel. In a recent coup, he along with his sister Marie duPont and a group of powerful nobles, seceded from Kingdom rule and established the Iron Republic, under the socialist pretenses of equality and community. However, the republic under Celen’s stewardship has become as self-serving and bitter as Celen himself, traitors scrambling over barren lands and limited resources. He seeks to overthrow both the Kingdom and the Death Imperium and bring Brandor to heel under Republican rule.
• The Sons of Frost, led by Bors the Mighty
  In the grand spirit of ‘Let’s make do with what we have…’ did the Sons of Frost appoint Bors the Mighty their leader to conquer the world. Situated in the frozen north of the world near Suul’s Gateway, the blue skinned Sons of Frost are a nation of hundred barbarian tribes who exult in battle and the call of adventure. A shrewd opportunist and great warrior, he is also a poor and impatient tactician. Bors seeks to take advantage of the chaos sweeping the land. He sees the south as a land ripe for the picking, a realm of weaklings to be relieved of their wealth and farmland.
• The Beast Force, led by Arglaxx
  Arglaxx was once Battle Master of the Arena at Eldor Hath until Emperor Antares was toppled. Fleeing to the lands of Taj Brandhir in the south, he quickly rose an army of animals, mercernaries and vicious beast men, seeking to take advantange of the chaos in the realm. Arglaxx is a fierce fighter, great tactician and inspiring leader. If he has a fault , it is his inability to show mercy or weakness, and the unpredictable nature of his simian troops.
• The Legion of H, led by HeChaos
  The Legion’s home city of Eddengarth is a vast maze of red brick and iron. What superlatives can possibly be added to the legend of the nefarious HeChaos the Scourge? He is a madman and a tyrant in control of a legion of fanatical supporters. Long has the fiend wished to wage war on the realm and his years of scheming and subterfuge have finally led to this moment. Though he is a vastly overconfident and certifiably insane, his underhand tactics are not to be underestimated. The Legion of H is loosely allied with Antares and the Death Empire.
• The Death Imperium, led by Emperor Antares
  Emperor Antares, recently defeated at Doomtrek, is but a shell of his former self. His essence trapped by the sorcerer Bhaargle, Antares now uses what little magic he has left to inhabit the skeletal remains of one of his former Royal Guards. Though weakened, he remains a formidable and terrifying force. Antares only apparent goal to return the Malevolence to Brandor through opening the Constellation Mirror. Antares commands a soulless fighting force made up of warriors who died in gladiator combat in his brutal colosseum. The undead never retreat from battle, fear nothing and will not stop until Antares’ dark plan is realised.

The events of the Crusades were complex and often contradictory. Some historians record events differently, victories as losses and exact dates are lost to the ages. Most historians have divided them into eight Acts, as follows.

Act I: Lion of Phaetor

Our story began far to the north, where good King Lionel, noble lord of the Lion Kingdom, was awoken by an envoy from the Wizard Academy. Sagan Z, star pupil of Bhaargle Yarg, came with a message. The wizard informed the king that a great undead army was lying dormant under the arena island of Doomtrek. Bhaargle’s hold upon them was weakening, and soon the realm would have to prepare for war. Lionel was skeptical, but rumours of skeletons rising from the grave and ghosts gliding across the moors late at night seemed to verify Sagan’s word. Donning his battle armour, he sought to learn more.

After many years of relative peace, a weary Kingdom fresh from the Four Oceans campaign had disbanded their standing army and let the realm enjoy a breath of peace. But in the days that followed, rumours began to grow in the lands of the dead rising from the grave, of skeletons entering houses and ghostly horses galloping along the King’s roads. At first the King dismissed the talk as superstitious prattle, until his own royal chamber was entered by the spiritual form of the sorcerer Bhaargle who told the king the sorrowful tale of Antares and the many souls harvested at the Colosseum. Bhaargle had entombed the gladiator army in a Void Gate, but the spell could not hold for much longer.

Newly rich from the great bounties of the sea campaign, Lionel began to reassemble the Kingdom Armies. Over the months that followed, ghosts and skeletons continued to be seen wandering the moors, killing cattle and scaring villagers, in greater and greater numbers. This was deeply troubling for the superstitious folk of the north, who have not seen a war in years. Not only that, but the barbarian lord Bors saw an opportunity to add to the chaos, dressing his men up as spirits and revenants and plundering local villages. This continued until Lionel was forced to take action, sending more and more soldiers north to quell the troublesome horde.

Though they would fight many small skirmishes with the Kingdom, Bors grew bolder and his attacks more reckless. Soon entire villages were put to the torch and the northern city of Suul’s Gateway fell to Bors’ armies.

Soldiers armed and ready for battle, Lionel realised he needed to send a message to Bors and his Sons of Frost, whose forces now numbered among them mighty Polar Barbarian troops, brutish cavalry troops who ride great polar bears. With much of Lionel’s forces still returning from the Four Oceans, he was outnumbered, but in a decisive battle at Ettania, the Kingdom was able to send Bors back to Warmhaven with a taste of Kingdom bravery and resilience.

Late in the month, Silver Circle Knights returning to Brandor via the deserts in the south brought tales of wild tales of beastmen and great apes. Arglaxx, former overseer of the gladiatoral arena of Doomtrek was himself raising an army to seize power in the south. The Knights also brought with them the fabled Book of Sandalphon, a holy relic which may allow the Kingdom to petition the mighty Archangel Sandalphon to fight for them should the need arise. Lionel contacted Vraynes Galrin, leader of the Templar Church, sending him the Book.

Templar Church priests from Drakondier studied the book for some time before eventually making contact with the Archangel Sandalphon. For his own inscrutable purposes, Sandalphon agreed to join the Kingdom cause. And not a moment too soon, for Arglaxx and the Beast Force began massing in great numbers on the vast dry Ak’Kash Steppes. Rumour spread about a mighty colossal ape, some seventy feet high. Arglaxx, it is well known, was an ally of the fallen Emperor Antares. It fell to Kingdom and Templar Church forces to muster the army and march south. Only by confronting Arglaxx would they discover the reason behind such warmongering.

In a battle for the ages, Sandalphon and the Prime Ape meet on the field. The heavenly warrior was victorious, and a mighty cheer was raised as Arglaxx surrendered to the Kingdom. He was taken to Drakondier’s dungeons for questioning, and although he said very little, he would famously utter three words that perplexed and troubled the King. Antares Has Returned.

Act II: Swordhand of The Knight

The Beastlord’s words echo long into the night. Antares had returned. The news was dire. Many in the kingdom had lost a relative to the sands of the arena, but few yet know of Antares attempts to raise an undead army from the souls of the thousands of fallen gladiators. How he had returned from death is a mystery, but it did not bode well. King Lionel, unfamiliar with the dark arts of necromancy, sought council with his allies the Templar Church. Upon his arrival at the Holy City of Drakondier, however, Lionel walked into a political storm. High Marshall Galrin, head of the Templar Church, had died and the knighthood had erupted in chaos as rival factions and families fight for control of the Church. Our story continued with Lionel’s childhood friend, Sir Belgrave Rhykier, freshly returned from the Four Oceans campaign.

With the death of 85 year old Vraynes Galrin, a power struggle erupted in the Templar Church. Many knights had long been waiting for the High Commander to die, and heated debate and discourse filled the Hallowed Cathedral of Light. Knights such as Thordan Byrine, Ultravaine Hubertus and others all began their campaigns, for in a month the Templar Cardinals would vote upon the next Commander.

As one of the most promising young knights in the order and a friend of the king’s since their youngest days, Sir Belgrave was a favourite to realise his ambition but until this day had been too humble to put his name forth. King Lionel implored his childhood friend stand for the leadership. Belgrave knew he had raise support quickly and set out on his horse with a small, loyal retinue. They rode all through Drakondier and won the support the crucial voting chapters of the Templar Church. With a majority swearing loyalty, Belgrave was elected to the exulted position of High Marshall.

Upon his swearing in, Sir Belgrave was summoned to the court of King Lionel IX, his trusted ally. In recent weeks, the BeastlordArglaxx escaped from his cell and had stolen crucial blueprints on both Castle Cavaldar and the Holy Citadel. If these documents were not recovered quickly, the Templar Church and its allies faced grave danger. Led by Lionel and Belgrave, Kingdom forces rode out and fought Arglaxx at the Battle of Falsewood. In defeat, Arglaxx proved to be a slippery character. He fled into the desert lands, shadowed by simian archers, but not before the Kingdom could wrest the battle plans from his simian paws.

The Kingdom continued to pursue Arglaxx south, but meanwhile factions in the Templar Church demanded Sir Belgrave take action against the heathen barbarians in the north. The Sons of Frost had long mocked Suul The One, god of the Templar Church. Missionaries in the north were often killed and churches set aflame. Bors the Mighty himself had in recent times called Suul a weakling and a bedwetter. A crusade was declared against the Sons of Frost,with the edict that those who will not be converted would be put to the sword. In a matter of weeks, the Church had Bors and his forces surrounded at Warmhaven. Decimated by siege, the cowardly barbarians broke rank and abandoned the city, fleeing northward rather than facing the judgement of Suul.

Later that night, a vision came to Othello Hardcastle, a Templar Cardinal. In the dream he saw a golden chalice in the desert, wreathed in light and pulsing with a vast aura of power. Othello recognised this chalice as the Grail of Suul, a legendary artefact which he believed would summon to the Templar army the awesome power of the great colossus, the Grail Knight. He petitioned Belgrave to search for the grail, knowing that other colossi were stirring in the realm. After a long search, the chalice was found in the TKash desert and the Grail Knight pledged its allegience to the cause. Othello and Belgrave wept with joy as they raised the Grail of Suul, for they knew that the enemies of the Church would kneel before the glory of Suul.

Meanwhile, the evil Beast Force had rallied around their own colossus, the mighty Prime Ape. Indeed, the Grail Knight had arrived with nary a moment to spare, for Arglaxx’s forces marched upon Drakondier and laid siege to the city. The two great colossi met on the fields outside of Drakondier’s walls. The ground shook and men wept to see the mighty conflict. but eventually the Grail Knight was victorious, slaying the Prime Ape. Once again, however, Arglaxx’s forces broke and they fled into the desert once again.

Act III: Baron of Wishful Drinking

As Sir Belgrave and King Lionel pour over the tomes seeking clues as to Antares’ whereabouts, our story turned to the east and the port city of Braxis, centre of the Free States. Somewhat incredulously, Baron Wolfgang, notorious rogue and drunkard and former prisoner in Antares’ arena, has risen to General of the Free States after a remarkable showing at sea during the Four Oceans War. With the vast wealth from the sea, the Free States had of late enjoyed great prosperity, but it would not last. HeChaos of Eddengarth, an old rival of Wolfgang’s, had begun recruiting new soldiers from Free States lands while the Baron was away summering at an island in the Cycladian Ocean.

The nefarious HeChaos was a tyrant in control of a legion of madmen, had done battle on the high seas against Wolfgang time and time again. When the Four Oceans War ended he found himself both master and slave, having run the Arena at Doomtrek and then enslaved by Antares. Eventually he would be freed by his legion and return to Eddengarth to build up his forces.

Now once again his army is on the move and actively trying to recruit forces to the Legion of H. Wolfgang and HeChaos, in fact, went back many years. They were childhood friends, until they fell out over the affections of a girl. HeChaos, known back then as Hector Carolis, never forgave Wolfgang and plotted against him time and time again over the years.

Knowing the danger Legion infiltration in the Free States would pose, Wolfgang knew he could not let HeChaos succeed in drawing new legionnaires from disgruntled Braxian citizens. Such a move would greatly destabilise the area. Putting down his tankard and kissing his lovers goodbye (for now), he caught the first ship back to Braxis. Quickly marshalling the Free States armies, he launched a surprise counterattack on HeChaos and sent the Legion reeling. Discouraged, HeChaos retreats to his fortress at Eddengarth with many fewer new recruits than he had hoped for. Naturally, Wolfgang celebrated the victory with a rather messy night in Braxis’ Port District.

Incensed by the defeat, HeChaos began to step up his attacks. Spies from Phaetor reported Legion forces crossing the Kingdom into the Free States. The gates of Eddengarth were open and legions had gathered in large numbers. Several villages in the surrounding area were reported burnt to the ground and HeChaos seems to moving northward. Wolfgang chose to meet the army head on before he could gain a foothold in Braxis. At Sharpsdale, two great armies clashed and once again the legion were routed. With the defeat, serious damage had been done to the strength of the Legion, and although HeChaos escaped, it would be some time before he threatened the Free States again. Wolfgang celebrated by turning the local Templar Church into a makeshift tavern for the week.

Act IV: Heart of Tempered Steel

In the months before the Four Oceans War, Lord Celen Helmguard led a coup against the Kingdom of Phaetor. Long had Helmguard disagreed with the feudal system, an archaic and out-of-touch system of government in his eyes. King Lionel’s reliance both Braxis and Drakondier also worried Helmguard. The Kingdom should not rely so heavily on outsiders, he reasoned, and should exert their dominance more!

Along with twenty other lords, he renounced his fealty to King Lionel and stormed out of Castle Cavaldar. Riding north to the abandoned city of Gallowstones, they set up the new Iron Republic, a land of justice and equality (or so they claimed).

However, in the three years that followed, all was not well. What began as a bold strike against the Kingdom had now become a shaky and disorganised mess. The lords who had once pledged support to the rebellion had since wavered, some had even returned to King Lionel and begged for forgiveness. Forces and supplies bound for the new Iron Republic were not forthcoming, no new lands had been gained and the rebellion looked like it would not last long. He was a man in charge of a city nobody wanted, so unimportant the rebellion was not even considered a threat. Phaetor had watched with interest as the Iron Republic lay dormant, kingdom troops stationed on the border staying vigilant but not pressing in on Gallowstones for whatever reason – Lionel’s amusement perhaps?

Lord Helmguard, along with a rag-tag bunch of loyal soldiers found themselves holed up in a dank, cold castle with barely an army to speak of. Realising they would not last the winter, he rode out of the city with his best men. Travelling from village to village and town from town, he spoke with passion and gravitas. In time, he was able to sway ten northern provinces, all of whom pledged once again to join the Iron Republic and send valuable troops and resources their way. As he famously said at the time, “Why should a plough be worth less than a crown? This is a victory for the common man. Never again shall a farmer bend the knee to a king!”

That day, he renamed Gallowstones as Helmguard City and proclaimed it a city of the people. There would be no throne room in the castle, and all would be welcome in its halls.

With Phaetor’s attention taken by the Beast Force to the south, the forces of the new Iron Republic grew, but Helmguard knew they would need something greater if they wished to truly compete on the grand stage. Whilst in in the service of King Lionel, he often heard rumours from the wise folk about of legendary artifact known as the Iron Colossus. It was deemed lost to history, having been built by the Precursors many hundreds of years ago. None alive had seen any trace of it.

Perhaps this machine, a vast and complex kit of cogs, steam pipes and engines, could be found and assembled to forge a powerful weapon? Such a towering force would inspire the new Republic and give the people faith in the cause! Helmguard and his troops searched the land for many days. Close to despair, he found himself drinking in a tavern at Port Skulden, where an old pirate known as Tavington claimed to know where it lay. For a sizeable sum of gold, the pirate led them down a rocky path to a vast cave by the sea.

In the cave they found the wreck of a massive ship, its cargo still intact in a hundred metal crates. In each crate, countless parts of varying sizes and shapes. In one such crate, they found a massive ear, in another, a nose of pure iron. Indeed, the colossus was found. In the weeks that followed, and with considerable expense, the colossus was shipped by sea to Sharpsdale and then brought overland to Helmguard City. There, however, Lord Helmguard encountered his next problem – none knew how to assemble the damn thing!

However, as luck would have it, the Wizard Sagan was sympathetic to the republic’s cause. He turned up in the city mysteriously one day, inspected the machine and said he could rebuild it, given enough time and money. Poverty being one of the great struggles of the fledgling republic, the reclamation project brought the Iron Republic right to the brink of financial ruin. All the bounty from the Four Oceans War was now gone and the warchest was empty.

Worse still, attacks from the Kingdom began finally. Kingdom forces clashed with the Republic along the border, ground was won and lost and the republic grew a name for itself despite barely having enough gold to even feed its citizens. Like a vulture the evil HeChaos joined the fray, leading Legion forces from the west and entering into skirmishes with an already stressed republican army.

Finally, however the colossus was complete. Lord Helmguard dubbed it The Machine of the People, some 70 feet high and weighing over two hundred tonnes. This soulless killing machine would surely give the people the edge in the fight for control of the realm. In its first battle, it easily dispatched a force of Legionnaires, forcing HeChaos to retreat south once more. In its second, it severely damaged a heavy calvary from the Kingdom and allowed the Iron Republic to move further into Kingdom territory. The Machine was a triumph!

Brimming with patroitic pride, Helmguard gazed up at his prize. “This, surely, is the greatest of all the colossi in the world,” he thought. “Greater than King Lionels pathetic archangel or the stinking Prime Ape. Faster than Spheracles and stronger then Belgrave’s Grail Knight.”

In a show of great hubris, Celen sent the Machine of the People on a march through the realm, seeking the other colossi in battle. It fought well, severely leaking the Prime Ape, sending Spheracles into hiding and fighting the Grail Knight to a standstill. Badly damaged in that fight, however, it returned to Gallowstones without taking on the mighty Archangel.

With foes of the Iron Republic reeling from the wounds to their colossi, Helmguard knew now was the time to strike. With the Archangel still serving and dangerous, the Kingdom were too strong for the Iron Republic – but the Templar Church, weary from constant battles against the Beast Force and the Legion, were the perfect target. The Iron Republic knew they needed to strike now, destroy their capital at Drakondier and strike a blow to the very heart of King Lionel and his most powerful ally.

The assault was swift and brutal. The Grail Knight, still recovering from its battle with the Machine of the People, was unable to repel the republic colossus as it scaled the mighty walls of Drakondier. Siege engines would follow, and then the walls were down. When Iron Republic troops rushed in, they found the city largely unguarded, for the Templar Church was stretched on so many fronts in the southern wars. In the days that followed, Drakondier’s churches were sacked, its statues broken.

Rushing back to Brandor from the southern deserts to find their home city occupied, Sir Belgrave travelled to Phaetor to implore King Lionel for aid in reclaiming the Templar Church’s holiest of places.

The Kingdom had been greatly weakened, and with the prize of Drakondier, the rise of the Iron Republic was complete. Arise, Lord Helmguard, Protector of the Common Man.

Act V: Thawing of the Frost

Further still to the north, trouble was brewing. Gunteria, Messeth and Warmhaven were home to a group of barbarian warrior tribes who until recently had kept to themselves. When the Phaetorian Navy collapsed, an opportunistic tribal chief known as Olaf the Unhinged led forces out to sea, causing great damage to many factions in Brandor before eventually flaming out themselves. Olaf himself was killed by a bold young chieftain known as Bors the Mighty, a seven foot warrior, leading rise to a more loosely organised group of tribes who dubbed themselves the Sons of Frost (much to the ire of the many valiant women who fought and died alongside them in battle.)

Most of the great warriors of the tribes had died in the ill-fated Four Oceans War, leaving the Sons of Frost with an army of troops barely out of their childhood years. However, the young warriors were brave and strong. Bors knew he must raise a disciplined, united army from amongst their ranks. It was a dangerous game though, for while the Sons of Frost were weak they knew they needed to avoid raising the suspicions of the nearby Iron Republic and Kingdom forces.

Bors travelled far and wide, into the deepest valleys and far into the great steppe country. Through caves, into lands seen by few. He spoke of the glory of battle, of fertile lands to conquer and settle. He spoke of the ancestors and how they tamed the steppe on their mighty horses.

And they followed, from far and wide. At first a small group, and then a long column of warriors, young and old, all on their way to Bor’s home country of Warmhaven. Some rode horses, some rode great Polar Bears, but all were ready to fight.

A mighty bonfire raised up, sending sparks into the night. Before Bors stood the young army of the Sons of Frost. Some had seen battle, and some would not survive to see their next birthday. Bors surveyed the army before him, campfires glittering under the night sky, and he knew he needed more.

The elders often told stories of mighty Gaiax, a colossus who once roamed the mountains of the north and was a kindred to the ancestors of the Sons of Frost. Gaiax apparently went on to become a Champion in the Arena at Doomtrek, killing many foes before eventually losing his eye in battle and becoming a sad recluse.

Bors knew that if Gaiax’s eye could be found and retrieved, perhaps the mighty colossus would be sympathetic to the Sons of Frost’s cause? The young barbarian lord set out to track down the colossus. He supped with village elders, sought rumours in taverns far and wide until his path took him to the Vale of Shadows. There in a field lay a great eye half covered in moss. The eye looked at him, for it was still living! Heaving the vast sphere on his mighty back, he trekked north, far into the mountains beyond Suul’s Gateway.

In a cave deep beneath a nameless peak he discovered Gaiax, alone and blind by a large bonfire. Returning the eye to the giant, he stepped back and waited while the beast acclimatised to the light once more. Within minutes, Gaiax was on his feet, towering and jovial once more. Bors took this moment to demand Gaiax pledge allegiance to the Sons of Frost, and challenged him to seek revenge on those who took his eye. The giant accepted at once and swore fealty. They returned to Warmhaven together.

With the colossus on side, the Sons of Frost swept out of Warmhaven and began its conquest of Brandor. However, alas their timing was woeful, for at the same time, the dread Emperor Antares left Eldor Hath with a vast undead army at his command. Bors learned that Antares was taking a direct route through the least populated lands of Brandor, travelling mainly by night.

With horror, Bors realised Antares was bolstering his army with the corpses of dead enemies, especially those in the frozen north where corpses did not rot so fast. Knowing that his own army was still the weakest in the realm, Antares would be sure to strike at his home city first before sweeping back around to tackle the major powers.

Bors set out to conquer key provinces in the realm before Antares reached Warmhaven. Riding swiftly across Brandor, he was able to capture strategic points in the north, south, east and west – even if Warmhaven fell, the Sons would live to see another day. Bors even faced Antares on the field in the swamps of Messeth. Appalling weather conditions forced both sides to abandon the battle, but Bors grew more confident – he had faced Antares and survived. As the weather made the northern passes nigh impossible to cross, Antares gave up on Warmhaven and turned his dark gaze elsewhere, to his true enemies, Lionel of Phaetor and Belgrave of Drakondier.

Stories of the great Battle of Messeth drove new recruits to join the Sons of Front, and Bors gladly accepted them, though he knew now he would need to capture more farmland to support the ever-growing army. He looked to ‘breadbasket’ lands of Braxis and swiftly seized valuable swathes of land, taking advantage of Wolfgang’s forces battling in the south and west.

As the winter snow thawed, news came that the mighty polar bears and their hardy barbarian riders were headed south to join the cause, adding a much needed cavalry to the forces.

Everything was in place for an assault on Drakondier, for Bors had not forgotten how the Church had harassed his people, branding them heathens and unbelievers. The much beleaguered city was currently in the hands of the Legion of H, much to Bors’ surprise, and when they came to claim the city, they met with heavy Legion resistance. The siege lasted several weeks, but Bors was ultimately victorious, wresting the Holy City from legion control. With a major city now in his control, he turned his eyes northward to Phaetor.

Act VI: Age of Beasts

Meanwhile, Arglaxx and the Beast Force were reeling from their failed Siege on Drakondier the year earlier. The simian forces were smaller in number than all the other armies, and with the defeat, many had scattered back into the jungles from whence they came.

Arglaxx knew the first step back on the road to recovery for the Beast Force was sorting out why the Prime Ape kept getting its giant simian booty kicked in battle. Through a series of grunts, the Prime Ape communicated that its skill in battle had been severely undermined by lice. Arglaxx realised he had to find a cure, the proverbial Great De-louser to relieve the Prime Ape of his woes.

After many days of searching, Arglaxx met with the sorceress Luminescia, who for a princely sum created such a potion – ’twas a vial the size of a bathtub! Arglaxx dragged the Great De-louser back to Taj Brandhir and with great difficulty, gave the Prime Ape a bath in the lake beside the city. Lice free, the Prime Ape’s mood lightened and roared with approval. Indeed, the campaign could get back on track with the legendary colossus ready for battle again.

Hearing the roar of their colossus, the scattered troops of the Beast Force marshalled once again in Taj Brandhir and united under Arglaxx’ banner.

The Prime Ape, freshly de-loused and with a new lease on life, communicated to Arglaxx through a series of grunts and crude gestures that it wished to prove its strength agsinst the other colossi in the realm. Realising he needed time to plan the Beast Force’s invasion plans, Arglaxx granted the Prime Ape permission to do battle against its rivals. A great victory here would send a message that the Beast Force was to be feared and respected!

A month later, the Prime Ape returns to Taj Brandhir, bruised and battered but wildly successful. It grunted again that it shown complete dominance of the other colossi it faced, though a few rival colossi had shown fear and refused to face it ( though the Prime Ape would not name names, as it could not, of course, speak).

The victory greatly improved simian morale and beastmen everywhere continued to flock to the Beast Force. Arglaxx’s plans were ready and he signalled the order to march upon Brandor. Their first stop, Eddengarth – home of HeChaos.

Though technically the Beast Force and the Legion served Emperor Antares, it was generally acknowledged that HeChaos had grown a little too big for his boots – disobeying direct orders, sending his legions hither and thither with little planning and so on.

Appearing via a crystal ball, Emperor Antares ordered Arglaxx to intercept and strike down the largest of HeChaos’ legions as they marched north. The attack would have to come swiftly and with precision, for as soon as HeChaos learned of the betrayal, no doubt the rest of the Legions would turn their fury upon the Beast Force.

Arglaxx, fearless and obedient, did his master’s bidding and with a large campaign force, set out to chase down HeChaos’ Legion. The overconfident fool, thought Arglaxx, did not even see the Beast Force coming – one moment he was marching towards the Kingdom, the next his best legion lay defeated in the middle of a field. The Legion has been weakened and the Emperor was most pleased, sending wagons of gold and food to Taj Brandhir as a reward for his loyal minion.

In the weeks that followed Antares and King Lionel continued to dance around each other, refusing to engage in direct combat on the field. Seeing Antares stalling made Arglaxx uneasy, his animal senses tingling with the fear of betrayal. Knowing what Antares had ordered done to HeChaos, he figured it would not be long before the Death Imperium turned on the Beast Force.

Realising this, Arglaxx ordered his forces to strengthen their hold on southern Brandor whilst he still could. He rode out with the simian army and conquered valuable lands in the south, including the provinces of Arkmagius, Pilthia and Falsewood.

Arglaxx braced himself for Antares’ inevitable wrath – for the Emperor would realise soon enough the provinces were now in the hands of the Beast Force. Betrayal was imminent, and the cunning simian now held valuable lands and food supplies that could turn the tide in the wars to come.

What happens next, in fact, suprised nobody. Late one night, skeleton warriors attacked the palace at Taj Brandhir and attempted to assasinate Arglaxx. The mighty simian hero dispatched of them easily, but it was clear Antares had turned upon the Beast Force. Rhesus spies gave news that Antares’ vanguard army had separated from the bulk of his skeletons due to a failed river crossing in Falsewood. Antares seized upon this and acted to strike down the Emperor while his forces were few. A huge number of Beast Force troops mustered in Taj Brandhir and marched north to the stone forests of Falsewood.

At the same time, the Legions of Eddengarth, seeking vengeance against Antares, marched west also. Under the hundred foot granite trees of Falsewood, three armies clashed. Weakened from exposure to prolonged sunlight, Antares’ skeleton warriors fared poorly and were routed, though the Emperor himself escaped and remarkably chose not to resurrect his dead forces, nor cast any powerful magics to alter the battle. Instead, the Legion and the Beast Force battled it out until the Legion too, were defeated after three days of tiring battle.

HeChaos fled to Eddengarth as a mighty cheer went up. For the Beast Forces, this was a grand day indeed. Arglaxx had won the greatest victory of his career, proven he could stand without the axis of villainy and sent a strong warning to Antares that he would neither be betrayed nor cowed into submission easily.

Act VII: Scourge of Eddengarth

Around the same time as Arglaxx set out for the Prime Ape, the madman HeChaos lay awake brooding in the Citadel at Eddengarth.

It is no fun being a mad tyrant, he thought. More betrayals than hot dinners, it seemed. Legions of disgruntled, barely competent Eddite troops who didn’t respect him, haughty and overpaid commanders who disobeyed his orders. What he needed was an *enforcer*! Every enemy leader seemed to be in possession of some hulking great colossus that always seemed to thwart the Legion’s plans.

That night, HeChaos was confronted with a vision. His mind swirled, and the Archfiend Zeerzabahl, a mighty demon prince, appeared before him. Zeerzabahl offered HeChaos a bargain: Find and break the Seal of Disapproval, a legendary artefact, lost to history and buried somewhere deep underground. Break the seal and the demon would manifest itself in Brandor and fight for the Legion of H.

All Zeerzabahl wanted in return was another small shard of HeChaos’ soul. It seemed a fair trade at the time, for HeChaos’ soul was already not his own, having been given to Zeerzabahl long ago in exchange for power and, of course, madness. A bargain was struck, and a cohort of legionnaires was dispatched to find the Seal.

Weeks and months past, and the exhausted legion returned. They had climbed the highest peaks, scoured rivers and valleys, the darkest forests and the driest deserts. It was then HeChaos remembered something … he already was in possession of the Seal, having been granted many years ago when he was given his magical (and cursed) Crystal Falchion.

In typical HeChaos fashion, the seal was in the most unlikely of places, locked in a box under his bed. Hilarity ensued as HeChaos informed his consuls that they had wasted their time searching all Brandor.

At any rate, the seal was broken and Zeerzabahl appeared in Eddengarth, a mighty towering red demon, wings as vast as the night and with eyes of burning volcanic fire. For now, the Legion had their own colossus.

With Zeerzabahl onside, HeChaos turned his attention to sleights from the past. He had still not forgotten the insult Baron Wolfgang had dealt upon him long ago. Once a friend, Wolfgang had stolen a girl from HeChaos and for that he must pay the ultimate price. With some delight HeChaos learned that Wolfgang has taken Braxis back from the barbarian lord Bors, and was struggling with the monumental task of rebuilding the ransacked city. It might be fun, thought HeChaos, to raze it to the ground.

With three of his best legions in tow, he set out for Braxis and took the city in a great battle. Somewhat tragically though, his showdown with the former hero Wolfgang, was less than epic. When HeChaos breached the walls of Braxis, he found Wolfgang slumped over a table in a tavern, barely able to recognise his former friend through his drunken stupor.

Somewhat strangely HeChaos found in that moment a strange and most unlikely sensation … pity. He allowed Wolfgang to escape, rescued by Braxian soldiers as they retreated from the city. For all his rage and hatred, HeChaos could not bring himself to kill a once beloved childhood friend.

With Braxis now under Legion control, HeChaos began to plan an assault on the hated cities of Drakondier, Phaetor and of course Taj Brandhir, for he knew Arglaxx would betray him given a moments notice. ‘Plan’, of course, a term used in the loosest sense, for HeChaos was not known for careful planning of anything. In truth he wandered the city, sampling local foods, visiting museums, learning to dance local jigs. His trusted consuls and praetors sat in war council and prepared their next big assault.

Meanwhile, his colossus brooded. Zeerzabahl was a proud, vain demon. Which, of course, is to be expected when one stands eighty feet tall, wreathed in flame and death. Zeerzabahl constantly boasted of his strength to HeChaos, day and night. After a week of this, HeChaos finally snapped and demanded the demon to prove himself.

In a fury, he yelled at the demon to go and challenge the other colossi in the realm and give him a moment’s peace and quiet. Zeerzabahl left at once, confronting and goading the other mighty creatures in the land. All but the Prime Ape and Antares’ Dusk Harlequin agreed to fight him, for his charisma and guile were hard to resist.

Zeerzabahl talked a big game, but he certainly delivered. Colossus after colossus fell to the demon’s fury and fire. All would be out of action for some time. The carnage proved Zeerzabahl was a force to be reckoned with, and that the time was right to continue the Legion’s assault upon Brandor. HeChaos grew emboldened with the new victories and decided the time was right to betray Antares, who had grown too powerful for the tyrant’s liking.

Legions from Eddengarth were dispatched to Bog Stench, Gallowstones and the Vale of Shadows, all strongholds of Antares. However, disaster struck upon the field when at the last minute Zeerzabahl arrogantly chose to sit out the battles, considering them beneath him and unworthy of his time.

HeChaos suffered defeat in all three provinces and his legions were greatly weakened. Worse still, Antares had now set his sights fully on destroying the treacherous Eddites.

Time was against HeChaos, and he knew it. He needed to take another city to go with Braxis. In a rare moment of leadership and clarity, he assembled his five best legions and marched upon Drakondier.

The thunderous sound of a fully assembled Legion was truly a sight to behold.

Unfortunately for HeChaos, he slept in on the morning of battle and missed such a sight. Frantically riding to meet the legions, he barked out orders and set his sights on Celen Helmguard, the current ruler of the much fought-over city.

Zeerzabahl destroyed the Iron Giant in battle, Helmguard and his men broke quickly and after a day of fighting, the city fell. At last, the Holy City was in the hands of the Legion and a great blow had been struck upon Phaetor and its allies. Standing in the Radiant Cathedral, drinking from the Grail of Suul and wiping his mouth on religious tapestries, HeChaos grinned to himself.

Life was good…relatively. There was still of course the issue of Antares, whose vast armies of skeleton warriors were spotted on the march mere days ago.

Act VIII: Harvester of Souls

In the shade of his vast spectral pyramid, Antares stirred. Cooled by the unnatural light the pyramid allowed, he studied the map of Brandor before him. One by one, the realm’s cities fell to the Death Imperium. One by one, allies retreated to the capital’s three pillars of Drakondier, Braxis and the capital Phaetor. Despite the betrayal of the curr Arglaxx and the fool HeChaos, the lich lord knew Brandor would soon fall. With each victory, the vanquished dead rose again to serve in the ever growing skeletal armies.

Since his defeat at the hands of the Nameless, Antares was much weakened. His original body had been shattered in battle and the vast reserves of his power trapped by the sorcerer Bhaargle in five shards of a chalice buried deep under Suul’s Gateway.

And yet … the power of his will remained. In the early days following the defeat at Doomtrek, Antares existed only in shadow form. He could not travel by day, nor cross large bodies of water. Able to possess the bodies of small vermin and carrion birds, he would devour their flesh and life force and move around in their animated skeletons. This way, he gradually regained his strength until he was able to leave the island on a ship, having possessed the body of a ship’s cat. By the end of the month long voyage to mainland Brandor, he had grown in power and possessed the body of his first human, a sea captain called Calisto Morlans.

Docking at Port Skulden in the south east of Brandor, he travelled as the skeletal form of Morlans until it disintegrated, upon which he took over another body, and another. Eventually he regained the power to raise others from the dead. At a desert crypt north of Eldor Hath, he resurrected one of his most powerful and loyal Royal Guards, a seven foot giant of a man known in life as Xan Sleeneth.

With this powerful new ( and still skeletal ) form, Antares commandeered a fleet of ships, headed back to Doomtrek and broke through the weakened Void Gate that Bhaargle had used to keep Antares’ skeletal army of gladiators trapped under the Arena. Many of the skeletal gladiators had decayed beyond resurrection, but Antares was able to raise over 5000 skeletal warriors to his cause.

And thus began a campaign of terror and carnage that swept across the realm. From this starting force, Antares devastated town after town and grew the newly formed Death Imperium in size and power. As chronicled above, the Kingdom and its allies were forced into battle. Other factions soon joined the fight, some allying themselves with Antares, others choosing to fight independently for their own gain.

Where we continue this tale, Antares had suffered his first major defeat at the Great Battle of Falsewood , where he took the field against former allies Arglaxx and HeChaos. Without a colossus of his own, his skeletal forces were routed by the demon Zeerzabahl and the Prime Ape. Although his own magic was great, he knew he needed assistance.

Only recently had Antares regained the powers to commune with his otherworldly benefactor, the mysterious Malevolence – the terrifying deity who had given Antares eternal life. In return, It had demanded Antares grow in power until strong enough to weaken the Constellation Mirror and allow the Malevolence to enter Tritonia and do battle against its ancient enemy, Suul the One.

The Malevolence was greatly displeased with Antares’ repeated failures, first at Doomtrek and again at Falsewood. Each misstep delayed an entrance into the world significantly. When Antares made contact with It across the vast astral planes another bargain was struck, though to this day there are none alive who know what dark pact they made. Nonetheless, The Malevolence promised aid in the form of one a Shadow Guardian known as the Dusk Harlequin. A mind map appeared before Antares, instructing him to find an artefact known as the Decanter of Tears.

Late at night in the deep moors of Messeth, Antares searched where The Malevolence had instructed. With the newly recovered Decanter, Antares summoned the Dusk Harlequin. The air grew heavy with a shroud of despair and regret and from the fog the vast Shadow Guardian appeared before Antares and pledged aid to to the Death Imperium.

As all learned historians know, Shadow Guardians cannot exist in the mortal world for long without feasting on life energy. The summoning had left the Dusk Harlequin in a weakened state, and Antares realised the guardian needed to devour large quantities of life if it were to prove successful on the battlefield.

One by one, the Dusk Harlequin was sent across Brandor to fight and defeat the seven mighty enemy colossi of the realm. It is said the whole world shook for days as the giants battled. All fell before the Dusk Harlequin, though the Grail Knight inflicted a near mortal wound upon it – a fortunate blow that many historians say would later turn the tide in the great battle against Antares in the months to come.

The Shadow Guardian returned to Antares victorious and strong with the life energy of the defeated colossi. Shadows gre over Brandor like strangling vines around an oak, and with Antares new powers he was able to raise from the dead many powerful fallen Arena Champions to the cause; fiends like Stylonius of Southport, Xanfar the Haunted and Marksman Dantus would command armies in the name of the Imperium.

Finally, Antares knew the time was right to begin the final attack on Brandor. From Messeth, he turned the great army westward towards former allies, Arglaxx and HeChaos. It would be Arglaxx who suffered first. The siege of Taj Brandhir lasted only two days. On the night of the second day Taj Brandhir was reduced to smouldering ash under the desert moonlight. Arglaxx and the Beast Force fled into the wastelands of the south. They would never again be a player on the global stage of war again, though Arglaxx’ story was not yet complete.

HeChaos, somewhat surprisingly, held out for longer. The Great Siege of Eddengarth lasted nearly a month. The Citadel’s high and thick walls proved near impossible to breach and the Legion defended with great ferocity, a trait rarely seen in forces under HeChaos’ command.

HeChaos unleashed wild chaotic magic upon Antares’ forces, powerful lightning storms that swept across the plains of Eddengarth and decimated many skeletal warriors. With each spell however, HeChaos descended further into madness and soon he was nowhere to be seen on the front line.

Many credit the defenders’ success to the leadership of one Marksman Dantus, a former Arena Champion who had fought alongside HeChaos in the gladiatorial games at Doomtrek. Dantus rallied the Legion troops for weeks, repelling attack after attack until he himself was killed by a fiend known as Xanfar the Haunted.

With Dantus gone, Eddengarth’s morale soon crumbled. HeChaos was yet again nowhere to be seen when the city fell, having abandoned his men when they needed him most. It is said that when the Archfiend Zeerzabahl returned to its own plane of existence after defeat by the Dusk Harlequin, it took a piece of HeChaos’ mind with it. HeChaos, of course, would still play a part in shaping Brandor’s history, as told further on in this tale.

With the Beast Force and the Legion of H shattered, Antares’ revenge upon the traitorous allies was complete – though his forces had taken significant losses in the conflicts.

Ash swirled, bones crunch underneath Antares’ boot as the Emperor stepped out of the ruined city of Eddengarth – but there would be no rest, for the dead need none. Marching northwards to Helmguard, he immediately set siege to the Iron Republic’s major city.

Celen Helmguard proved to be an unworthy foe. On the first day of the siege he appeared at the gates of his citadel and begging for his life. He was unceremoniously sent to the torture chambers beneath his own city to wait out the siege, which lasted barely four days. With Helmguard fallen, the Iron Republic crumbled and would no more trouble Brandor.

Again, Antares continued to march. Skeleton armies moved north through the freezing mountains to Suul’s Gateway and then onto the stronghold of Bors the Mighty, who showed much more spirit in defending his people than Celen Helmguard had. Polar barbarians fought like warrior poets and caused the Death Imperium much anguish, but Bors too was eventually crushed and his villages covered in flame. As he fell to the ground dying with dozens arrows piercing his mighty chest and back, Bors cursed Antares and said the foreign north would outlive Antares – a statement which, although he could not know it at the time, would prove rather prophetic.

Thus too ended the days of Bors the Mighty and the Sons of Frost.

Ever onward Antares marched, this time heading back south bringing sorrow and death to Brandor. With each army that fell, new skeletons rose from the fallen to join the Death Imperium against their will.

Finally, Emperor Antares found himself on the borders of Kingdom lands, and on the precipice of extinguishing the last resistance that remained in Brandor. All that stood in his way was the three allies Lionel, Wolfgang and Belgrave – and thus began the greatest chapter in Brandor’s storied history.

The final showdown between Antares and King Lionel lay ahead.

Act IX: The Battle for Brandor

Antares had long foreseen what was to happen next – a trio of swift and decisive attacks on Brandor’s final remaining strongholds. First the Death Imperium was to raze the Holy City of Drakondier. Second, crush the port city of Braxis and lastly, march upon the heart of power in Brandor, the shining city of Phaetor.

The next month proved to be one of the bloodiest in the history of the realms as Antares unleashed his final attacks.

At Drakondier brave and desperate soldiers sacrificed their lives so that common citizens could escape the burning city. On horseback and mounted with powerful lances, ancient Templar Bishops side by side with young Knight Initiates, united against wave after wave of reckless hate. Again and again they repelled the onslaught of a relentless army who now numbered over a hundred thousand strong.

Led by High Marshall Belgrave Rhykier the Templar Church drove Antares away time and time again, but they were too few. Noble lord Thordan Byrine died in single combat against undead champion Stylonius of Southport, just metres away from reaching Emperor Antares. Another great knight, Gamblis Wolfus, nearly ended the war for good when his spear struck true at Antares’ helm, but the heavy projectile glanced off just inches from its target, damaging the Emperor’s helmet only.

Eventually, an exhausted Templar Church was forced to abandon the city. Sir Belgrave sounded a retreat on the dawn of the twelfth day of battle, and as one the bulk of the army fled via secret tunnels under the city, leading them through the mountains and north to Phaetor. A brave and selfless rear guard sacrificed their lives to stall the attackers and detonate the tunnels so none could follow. Drakondier had fallen once again, perhaps for the final time.

The Emperor, as he had done so many times during the crusades, gave the order not to pursue the fleeing army, as the one flaw of the Death Imperium was prolonged exposure to sunlight. As usual, great magical shrouds of dark cloud were conjured for the skeletal army to seek refuge from the sun’s deadly rays. Antares had long ago learned to deal with the frustration of waiting – eternal life teaches patience, if nothing else. The conjuring of these clouds left Antares exhausted, though the lich lord had endured much and was used to great hardship.

At Braxis, ordinary men and women fought like the heroes of old. Though they were cut down in the hundreds, they did not break ranks. Day after day, Arena Champions and Death Knights thundered down upon them, breaking bones, shattering souls and condemning the fallen to an eternity of servitude. Led by gallant Baron Wolfgang, the Free States of Braxis employed hit and hide tactics to confuse and disrupt the enemies, the hilly regions outside the capital proving an advantageous place to wage war on the Death Imperium. Brave heroes such as Suriella Blueham, Galvaris the Strong and Bon Hagar inflicted great damages to the enemy for many days, but even their mighty strength ebbed against the seemingly inexhaustible might of Antares’ army.

With great regret and after three weeks of brutal fighting, the Free States realised the battle was lost. Climbing the magnificent Ceres Tower, Wolfgang sounded the Great Horn of Freedom thrice. The signal was given to retreat, and the Braxians fled deep into the heartlands of the Kingdom.

With Braxis and Drakondier conquered, Emperor Antares turned his head to the final battleground and the last bastion of resistance in the realm, King Lionel and the Kingdom of Phaetor.

It was the height of a blistering summer that weary Baron Wolfgang stumbled into the court of his dear friend King Lionel. There he found both the king and a haggard looking Sir Belgrave waiting for him. Through the week the city of Phaetor had opened its gates, letting in thousands of refugees from both Drakondier and Braxis. Healers and priests worked day and night to heal the wounded. Armourers sweated at forges to repair broken weapons and armour and engineers worked frantically to improve the city’s siege engines and fortify walls. All knew the Death Imperium were several days from the city’s borders. All knew this would be the last stand.

In the King’s war room, the three commanders pored for hours over maps with other great generals and military minds from the combined might of the three forces. It was well known that the fiend Beastlord Arglaxx ( with the unwitting help of the meddler HeChaos ) had inflicted the only defeat of Antares’ military campaign at Falsewood, though none there in the war room had witnessed the battle with their own eyes.

Generals and priests spoke publicly of hope, for Antares *could* be defeated. Privately though all knew the situation was dire, for the Death Imperium forces were several orders of magnitude larger than at the Battle of Falsewood. The citizens of all three allies were brought within the inner squares of Phaetor’s city. Most were armed with whatever weapons could be spared. Many were moved to the crypts and dungeons beneath the city – ostensibly for their own safety, though all knew if Antares breached the city walls there would be no refuge.

It was at dusk on the ninth day since the fall of Braxis that scouts reported the Death Imperium had reached the outer borders of the city. The clarion trumpet call rang out throughout the city to prepare for war.

The tactics of the battle itself are retold in Surdus’ magnificent Defenders of Brandor : A History of the Crusades and any retelling here will not do them justice, save to say the sight of Brandor’s three greatest generals standing on the parapets, united against the realm’s darkest enemy is forever etched upon every soul who was in the city that day and has endured as an iconic image even to this day.

To briefly summarise Surdus’ account of the battle, the day of battle was a glorious Spring day. The three infantry forces of Braxis, Phaetor and Drakondier assembled in low flat fields east of the city walls. Behind them, the mighty Archangel Sandalphon and the Grail Knight stood, magnificent and unyielding though greatly wounded in their battles with the Dusk Harlequin. All still wept at the loss of beloved Spheracles, Braxis’ colossus who had lost his life at the Shadow Guardian’s hands.

Belgrave led the mighty Templar Cavalry on the left. Wolfgang’s heavy Braxian infantrymen shored up the right and at the center, shining like a great beacon of righteousness stood the great man, Lionel himself stood amongst his strongest troops, the Knights of the Silver Circle – each mounted on majestic royal lions.

Antares stood across the verdant green grass of the Phaetorian capital. Flowers wilted under the feed of the skeleton hordes, most of whom stood silent as the grave. Mounted atop a huge Nightmare, Antares commaneded the vast force from the rear. Great and terrible Arena Champions surrounded him as bodyguards. Evil lich sorcerers prepared warding spells and enshrouded the army in dark clouds to protect them from from the effects of sunlight.

To the war drums of doom, they marched forward and battle began.

It was the colossi who engaged first, the Grail Knight saluting and then charging to meet the Dusk Harlequin in single combat. As they exchanged blows, the fields shook. The Archangel Sandalphon descended from on high to weaken the evil Dusk Harlequin with bolts of holy fire. This battle raged on for hours, and troops from all armies gave them a wide berth.

After the colossi made their move, Belgrave quickly broke to the left in an attempt to outflank the Death Imperium’s skeletal hordes. Anticipating the attack, Antares showered the knights with volley after volley of arrow fire, though they did not falter. When the Templar Knights reached them, they sliced through the artilery forces down as if they were butter.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang’s heavy Braxian forces charged to the right, attempting to draw fire away from the cavalry. The Braxians did not fare so well, suffering horrific casualties as they ran headlong towards their enemy. Wolfgang ran in front of them, sword in one hand, tankard of whiskey in the other as if he were a man possessed. Miraculously he was not cut down himself. When he reached the frontline of the Death Imperium, he cut down a skeletal Champion with a single blow. Seeing their fearless leader fight so hard, the Braxians were inspired and fought with renewed intensity, forcing the Imperium to close ranks, their advance halted.

Though these heroic acts of individual valour are best remembered from the battle, Surdus tells us it was in fact Bhaargle and his apprentice the wizards Sagan and Gantuulga who turned the tide of the battle. In secret, they had been working on a powerful spell to change the very weather itself. The sun grew hotter and brighter. The Death Imperium’s protective dark shrouds withered away and in the intense heat of the midday sun, the skeletal warriors stiffened and weakened – allowing the kingdom forces to gain advantage as the battle raged on.

Antares would not be done in so easily though. Unleashing one of his most powerful and devastating spells, Molten Death, he unleashed searing hot stones of magma and brimstone upon the center of the defenders’ forces – King Lionel’s Silver Circle. The Knights and their lion mounts were all killed instantly. It was only the heroic sacrifice of one of Lionel’s oldest friends, Sir Gamblis, that saved the King’s life. Gamblis shielded the king with his own body, paying the ultimate price in the process. Lionel was still badly wounded but thanks to his friend’s courage, remained alive.

Seeing his most elite forces cut down so tragically, Lionel fought through tears of grief, pain and shock. He lifted his magical broadsword and muttered the Lion’s Oath – pointing the sword at Antares across the field and then waving it in a wide arc. The great King did something extraordinary at this moment. Blessing each of his comrades, he walked slowly foward, shirking off the aid of Phaetorian infantrymen who tried to come to his aid. He whistled three times and the whole battlefield seemed to go quiet.

From the woods to the west, a massive armoured lion roared and sprang out. This lion, known to all as Black Mane, was one of the oldest and most powerful of the great cats who had long ago sworn allegience to the kings of Phaetor. Black Mane had not been seen for many years, leaving many to believe he was but a myth.

Quickly moving across the field, Black Mane knelt before the King just a moment, allowing the injured monarch to climb up and mount the saddle. The two charged forward and right into the bulk of the Death Imperium’s forces. None could stop them on their path of righteous fury.

As the king and his lion charged right towards the Death Imperium’s command tent, Antares himself advanced to meet them. He drew his Blade of Eternal Night and began to spin with unnatural speed. Several high ranking bodyguards who were too close were beheaded. Others were knocked off their feet thanks to the awesome power of the wind.

Black Mane roared, slashed and bit at the Emperor, but could not find a weak spot in the whirling dervish. Sensing his steed was in danger, Lionel leapt from the lion and ordered the beast to guard his flank. In a brave but risky move, Lionel rolled underneath Antares and struck at Antares’ boot. The Emperor tripped and staggered forward, breaking out of his whirlwind for just long enough for King Lionel to unleash his own series of powerful sword attacks.

The single combat that followed was legendary. Not since the Nameless had fought Antares in the Arena at Doomtrek had such a sword fight been seen in Brandor. Time seemed to stand still as the two mighty figures struck blow upon blow on each other.

King Lionel fought Antares to a standstill but could not gain an advantage. It was, however, at this time that Sir Belgrave broke through the Death Imperium’s lines on foot and joined his liege in the fight. The great knight deflected Antares’ most powerful attacks, allowing the king the crucial seconds he needed to strike back.

Eventually the king struck a killing blow, severing Antares’ head from his shoulders. A terrible sigh and a freezing gale blew through the fields as the Emperor fell to the ground. So too did his armies, crumbling into dust in mere moments. The souls of trapped gladiators and soldiers, finally free from servitude, left their earthly prisons and faded into the summer air.

The enigmatic Bhaargle appeared at King Lionel’s side as he stood over Antares’ defeated figure.

The day was won, Brandor was saved from evil. It was a remarkable battle in that the Death Imperium never even reached the castle walls of Cavaldar. There was no extended siege, casualty numbers amongst the kingdom forces were low.

And thus the Crusades ended. Antares himself would lie dormant until the events of Swords and Sandals V, chronicled later in this tome. Phaetor and its allies would rebuild their damaged cities. The Iron Republic would never rise again, nor would the Sons of Frost. HeChaos and his legions would rise again, but that was a tale for another time.

The realm was at peace, for now.

SWORDS AND SANDALS III : Gladiae Ultratus
YEAR 600 CM

Four years had passed since the devastating events of the Crusades.

It was on a grey and stormy night in 600 CM that the Constellation Mirror opened and through it came a sight most unfamiliar to the peoples of Brandor. A space ship, a vessel not seen since the days of the Precursors, slowly moved through the swirling energies and landed quietly.

Out of the strange alien vessel marched a hundred mechanical soldiers, mostly humanoid in shape but of varying heights and builds. Their limbs moved with pistons and gears, their eyes pulsed and glowed with a curious light and they communicated in a language wholly unfamiliar – beeps and blips, low hollow chimes and sometimes even silent communication. One massive Automaton, several times bigger than all the rest, had chain swords for arms and resembled nothing if not a giant lizard made of steel and gears. It barked out orders and looked around at this new realm with a strange beady glare.

These cybernetic creatures, mechanical and yet alive, were dubbed as the Automatons (though this was not the name they gave themselves which is a mystery only Bhaargle knows the answer to). Their huge star ship headed west in the night sky, though some moved on foot. These grounded Automatons did not attack any citizens of the realm, though the few foolish souls who tried to ambush them faced swift and spectacular deaths as bolts of lasers and swords of light slashed out and destroyed them.

Eventually the Automatons settled on a vast plateau deep in the Badlands that would be come to known as the Cliffs of Carnage. Almost at once they began constructing a mighty structure into the cliff itself. It was an arena, though several times smaller than the vast Imperial Arena at Doomtrek. Other arenas were built into the caverns underneath the plateau, and soon it became clear the Automatons meant to host gladiatorial games for their own inscrutable purposes. Offering generous prize money and powerful new weapons and armour to wield, this tournament was to be known as the Gladiae Ultratus, in the words of the old precursor language, the Ultimate Swords.

Word spread far and wide that a new and wonderful new tournament had opened and warriors from the furthest corners of the globe, from Eldor Hath and even from the fabled land of Segallis ( so they claimed ) turned up to compete in the games.

Thousands of others from every corner of the globe descended upon the Gladiae Ultratus. Desperate men escaping a dark past, the undead risen from their graves, horrific new mechanical constructs, all converged upon this new arena.

Most would die horribly, burnt by magic flames or skewered by brutal axes. For the brave few who survive, untold glory and wealth awaited. One such gladiator would transcend to the heavens, and his tale follows below.

The Starbound Gladiator

Of the thousands of gladiators who lived, fought and died in the Gladiae Ultratus, one was special. One stood out, though they did not know it yet. Their true name is lost to history, but they would be come to be known as the Starbound Gladiator.

They arrived at the Cliffs of Carnage like all the rest, hungry and talented. Winning fight after fight, they defeated many gladiators and eventually rose through the ranks of Arena Champions. It was their defeat of Xanfar the Haunted that first caught the eye of the Automaton Masters, who after the battle surrounded and scanned him – demanding they test his skills against one of their own, the Obliterator 9000.

The Starbound Gladiator, of course, was victorious and inflicted the first recorded defeat of an Automaton creation. This sent a great wave of adulation and belief through the gladiators in the tournament. The Automatons could be bested, they could be defeated. The larger question still remained unanswered though – why had the Automatons travelled far, far across the galaxy merely to set up a gladiator arena in the hellish landscape of the Badlands?

More arena champions fell to the Starbound Gladiator. After the defeat of the Sagan Blob Fizzacles, the Automatons once again scanned them, though when questioned, gave only the reply “Not ready.”

The gladiator learned around this time that the Automatons not only constructed the arena, but selected the Arena Champions and funded the prize money for battles. Again though… to what end? Still, there were no answers despite the Starbound Gladiator rising higher and higher through the Arena Champion ranks.

They awake some time later on board a star ship.They were in a pod, surrounded by medical equipment and glass, his powerful weapons and armour gone. In the pod next to him, the sorcerer Bhaargle lay in a cryogenic sleep. On their right, a strange creature foreign to the eyes.

The Starbound Gladiator gazed in wonder as planets and stars whizzed by. A strange mixture of euphoria, fear and wonder washed over them – the further they travelled from their home world, the more uncertainty gripped him. Perhaps he would never see their beloved Tritonia again?

A pressurised door opened and in moments the passengers were encircled by Automatons. Addressing the Starbound Gladiator only, a small automaton made of black glass began to speak.

“Greetings, gladiator. You have been selected to fight in the Galacticus Fantasticus , the ultimate gladiator tournament. What you have faced thus far is but a taste of the perils that await.”

“Rest easy for now.” intones one of the Automatons. “You will not fight alone… for in this new tournament you will be allied with others from your planet. The sorcerer Bhaargle will fight alongside you, as will Sygax, champion of the planet Vedivarius ZX81.”

The Automaton gestured to the fighter in the pod to the right, still fast asleep. It was a mighty specimen, tall but wiry, veins pulsing with red light and skin like polished obsidian. Eight eyes lay closed, and yet the creature had no mouth. Looking back at the Starbound Gladiator, the Automaton spoke one final time before leaving the hero alone with his thoughts as they travelled across the trackless void of time and space.

“You shall fight across vast deserts, in deep chasms and abandoned space hulks. Monsters so vast you can barely comprehend them will be after you, but you shall have weapons so powerful the gods will envy you. Our journey will take many months, so we will now return you to cryogenic sleep. When you awake, you shall awake to the sounds of a whole galaxy cheering.”

The Starbound Gladiator’s tale continued in Swords and Sandals Immortals!

The Arena Champions of Swords and Sandals III

There were 24 notable arena champions who fought in Swords and Sandals III. All fought and lost in combat to the Starbound Gladiator in the dizzying heights of the Vertigo Tower.

• The Fearful Prisoner
  Best known as the first opponent many gladiators fought during the Emperor’s Reign, the Fearful Prisoner had the unfortunate honour of being voted Least Likely to Succeed in the Emperor’s dungeon. His was a sad tale. Once known as Kevin, he was part of a senior citizen’s tour group visiting the Arena at Doomtrek. He wandered off from the group and found himself locked in gladiatorial combat.Miraculously he survived the bout, only to be seized by the Slave Driver and shackled in chains under the arena, where he remained until Antares’ downfall. When the Emperor’s reign ended, he found himself aimless and in need of coin. He spent time with a roving band of mercenaries and bandits before abandoning them and moving to Shackleford where he worked as a barman for several years, though it was barely enough to afford a roof over his head. Near destitution, he summoned the last of his strength and travelled to the Cliffs of Carnage an old, old man.

  Resilient for an old timer, he showed surprising promise as a magic user thanks to the many wizards who spent time with him enslaved at Doomtrek. Upon entering the Gladiae Ultratus, he racked up 23 victories in a row, rocketing up the arena rankings to become the first (albeit lowliest) of the Arena Champion in the arena.

  After the Gladiae Ultratus ended, he used his considerable earnings to set sail to the west. He disembarked at Westerviolet where he lived out his final days in comfort and peace.

• Boarhide Trader Pigsus
  One of the great characters of the arena was the legendary boarhide trader Pigsus of Dankheart. Pigsus made his fortune trading in leather goods, then turned to music and dance, having penned and performed the surprising dance floor hit, Ooh Me Gizzards, featuring his friend The Little Fat Kid on keyboards and backup vocals. The jovial giant only turned to gladiatorial combat as a fitness regime when his long suffering wife mentioned he was getting too fat.Pigsus’ imposing frame, skill with the poleaxe and trademark flatulence made him a formidable opponent and an Arena Champion not to be taken lightly, though it was his lackadaisical approach to training that proved his undoing as he fell victim to the Starbound Gladiator and was unable to be resurrected due to the grievous nature of his injuries.

  With the death of Boarhide Trader Pigsus, the arena was be a little quieter and less controversial. Though he was indeed both a boor and a boar, Pigus was beloved by the people. The local tavern owner even bought and paid for Pigsus’ carcus, holding a great feast in memory of the arena’s favourite swine.

• Xanfar the Haunted
  Xanfar the Haunted served the Kingdom of Phaetor during the Crusades, a brave commander of men who found fame defeating the powerful Marksman Dantus of HeChaos’ Legions. He fought valiantly in several battles against Antares but eventually died, along with many others at the hands of the mighty Death Imperium colossus. Through dark powers he returned to the world against his will as a horrific undead apparition. Under great duress, he fought for the Death Imperium against his former homeland, Phaetor.Once a brave and just man, Xanfar was now a tortured soul whose only escape from the eternal cold of undeath was to take the lives of others.

  The Starbound Gladiator showed him a kindness by slaying Xanfar in arena combat and releasing his soul from the icy grip of undeath. Some say his spectre would be seen again from time to time far to the north in Cragenbach, but such sightings to this day remain unconfirmed.
  
• Obliterator 9000
  

  This technical wonder is built from a metal alloy not seen in Brandor and its devastating auto-cannon ended the careers of hundreds upon hundreds of gladiators. Being the first of the Automaton Champions, this strange machine was terrifying to the peoples of Brandor. Ranged firepower of such magnitude was until recently unheard of in the land and few gladiators had the mettle to survive such bursts.

  The Obliterator 9000 did not know fear, did not know retreat and until its demise at the hands of the Starbound Gladiator, had never known failure. Little else is known about this Automaton creation other than that rumour has it, the Automatons actually *limited* its power in order to test out low level gladiators. Had their more powerful creations been unleashed early, promising gladiators would have been cut down before reaching their primes and limiting the Automatons’ search for the ultimate gladiator.

• Mr Omazing
  The enigmatic and once wealthy mage Mr Omazing could lay claim to being the first citizen of Brandor to make contact with an Automaton robot. When the Automatons arrived in Brandor mysteriously last year, it was in fact Omazing who was waiting at the Constellation Mirror. It was Omazing who negotiated a tentative peace with the warrior robots and Omazing who funded the construction and provided the materials for the new Gladiae Ultratus arena.

  Unfortunately for Omazing, the project proved ruinously costly and the Automatons slow to repay. Skyrocketing debts forced the unthinkable – Mr Omazing was forced to turn to gladiatorial combat to pay off his vast debt. A skilled frost mage in his youth, Omazing fought for Braxis during his youth and studied magic at Archmagius before making his fortune trading in rare commodities.

  Like the others,Mr Omazing was defeated by the Starbound Gladiator. It is a small irony that had Omazing not funded the construction of the arena, he would not have died in battle here. Such is life in the arena though, here was a pragmatist who knew exactly what he was getting into when he became a gladiator.

  Mr Omazing was survived by his son, Marcus Omazing, whose story is told in Swords and Sandals VI.

• The Yeti Project
  

  The frozen Khar’Khen mountains to the north are home to the Yeti, a species of large, hairy and semi-intelligent carnivorous hominids. Recently a group of intrepid game-hunters captured a particularly large and aggressive Yeti and dragged it some 3000 leagues to the arena for a handsome reward. Confused, homesick and emotional, the so-called Yeti Project spent several few months tearing gladiators limbs off in sullen protest of its captivity before meeting its end in the arena in one of the great fights of the Starbound Gladiator’s career.

  Standing over nine feet tall and weighing nearly a tonne, the Yeti Project used a brutal club to devastating effect and was surprisingly fast for a creature of such great size. It was inexplicably fond of yellow snow cones, which it produced itself.

  It was said the Starbound Gladiator felt no glory defeating the Yeti Project. A shy and reclusive beast dragged far from its homeland and forced to fight, such a magnificent creature deserved better than this.

• Battlemaiden Anna
  

  The brave Battlemaiden Anna was one the Glamourzons, powerful warrior women from the deep jungles of Glamourzia, mysterious lands far south of Taj Brandhir. Anna won fame at at early age by wounding the Beast Force overlord Arglaxx during his raid on her village. Her arrows slowed down the advancing Beastmaster enough to ensure her people were able to be flee to safety, though her own parents were killed in the conflict.

  Battlemaiden Anna spent years and years hunting Arglaxx, resolutely seeking revenge for her parents’ death to no avail. She entered the tournament in the hopes of meeting Arglaxx again and slaying him in combat. Her skill with the blow was prodigious, able to hit a moving target from 400 feet away. It was this bow that took down many gladiators before her aim failed her, suffering her first and final defeat at the hands of the Starbound Gladiator.

  Sadly for the Glamourzon people, Anna never faced Arglaxx though indeed he was present at the Gladiae Ultratus at the same time she was. As the blood flowed out of her, she implored the Starbound Gladiator to avenge her death. Moved by her sorry tale, he attempted to fulfil her wishes when he faced Arglaxx later in the tournament. Though Arglaxx was defeated, the cunning Beastlord escaped death yet again.

• Fizzacles
  Perhaps there is no stranger lifeforms in all Brandor than the gelatinous creatures known as the Sagan Blobs. These amorphous, translucent beings had long been used as servants to wizards and archmages thanks to their almost total immunity to magic, although the process of creation is a dangerous one. Indeed one particular archmage, Aldrexis Yarg ( a younger and much less talented brother of Bhaargle ) , found out the hard way just how dangerous – spontaneously exploding in a mass of jelly in the final moments of the blob’s creation.

  Aldrexis had the misfortune of creating the bizarre entity known as Fizzacles, who consumed his master and absorbed his magic power. Crackling with lightning energy, Fizzacles has been on a tear through the realm, mindlessly slaying at random. The Automatons captured Fizzacles as a test for the arena, and Fizzacles proved the downfall of many magic using gladiators.

  Eventually he was destroyed in battle by the Starbound Gladiator, who on this occasion fought with sword and shield and nullified Fizzacles’ magical immunity. Aldrexis was freed in the process and would be seen later in Swords and Sandals V.

• Sir Brian of May

  Sir Brian of May was known as one of the finest guitarists of his generation, wielding harmonics and melodies on the battlefield to devastating effect. He was also one of the most respected astronomers in the realm, having accurately predicted to within a minute, the most recent opening of the Constellation Mirror. Brian’s latest scientific research was on the Automatons themselves. Brian believed he had discovered what he believes to be the home planet of the Automatons, and was at the Cliffs of Carnage to learn more about these fascinating otherworldly aliens. Brian found himself in the Arena against his will, having discovered a little too much about the Automatons.

  The curly haired, guitar wielding maestro was a fan favourite, busting out melodic guitar solos during arena battles and even helping to pen the theme song for the Gladiae Ultratus itself, that most famous clarion call that rang out before each gladiator battle.

  Upon his defeat, he was resurrected by a legion of devoted fans. He then travelled to Arkmagius to continue to study the stars and learn the secrets of the Automatons.

• Arglaxx

  Former Overlord of Antares’ Colosseum at Doomtrek, usurper of power and Beast Force Commander during the Crusades, Arglaxx is one of Brandor’s greatest and most revered villains. Physically imposing, brilliantly calculating and a master strategist, Arglaxx watched for years as gladiators fell during his time at the old Colosseum. When his campaign to claim Brandor for the Beast Force ended in defeat, his minions scattered and his palaces fell to ruin. For long years Arglaxx roamed the lands and became a wild thing, more beast than man. Eventually he would find himself at the Cliffs of Carnage where his brutal strength and violent fighting style saw him rise to Tenth Arena Champion.

  Eventually of course the Starbound Gladiator would defeat him in a mighty battle that lasted nearly an hour. However as all know, the true heroes and villains of Brandor are often never truly dead. After the battle, Arglaxx’s near lifeless body was taken away by Macaque loyalists, who had him resurrected at great expense. Over the coming months they would nurse him back to health in the hopes of restoring the now shattered simian armies of the Beast Force. Whether they would succeed is a tale for a future Swords and Sandals story.

• The Boneslinger

  The now dead Emperor Antares cast a long shadow over Brandor during the Crusades. The story of his gathering of souls at the Colosseum was long and well documented. Many thousands of fallen soldiers were raised from the dead to serve in his horrific undead army. The Boneslinger’s tale is just one such story, yet his tale is more unusual than most.

  The Boneslinger was a well known bandit in life, though his true name is long lost. He was known for his cruelty and delight in carnage. When the Crusades began, he somehow gained audience with Antares and requested to be made into a lich. Those who became liches willingly would be granted great power, much greater than those who died in battle and were resurrected. Antares performed secret rites known only to the other Emperors of Eldor Hath and sapped his soul . The Boneslinger rose again, a hideous lich. Though he now possessed powerful magic, he chose to keep the weapons he used in death, cruel and powerful heavy artillery guns – rare in Brandor since the days of the Four Oceans War as gunpowder was incredibly rare and expensive.

  During the Crusades, The Boneslinger developed a fierce rivalry with the warrior priest Father Painbringer. Both were gunslingers who fought many battles against each other across field and rampart. They would meet again by chance in a tavern in the Badlands, where the Boneslinger saved Painbringer from an assassination attempt. the charismatic Painbringer convinced Boneslinger to renounce his outlaw ways and become a force for good. The two would go on to patrol the Badlands together in the years to come, keeping the peace and defending the weak.

• .Archfield Coalbhaal
  This low ranking demon prince was captured on another world and brought to Brandor by the Automatons against its will using powerful soul-binding technology. Little is known about Coalbhaal or its homeworld, though it is suspected to be somehow linked to Archfiend Zeerzabahl. Both have similar winged and horned appearances, liquid hot magma blood and a terrifying skull-like face, but Coalbhaal was much smaller in stature and power, suggesting a much lower rank in the demonic heirarchy.
  Coalbhaal fought with an elaborate fencing rapier, a weapon not seen often in the Arena. It is believed this is the first weapon Coalbhaal saw upon being its release and it displayed remarkable aptitude. Naturally it was a powerful user of fire magic, rising through the ranks to Arena Champion XII in the Gladiae Ultratus before being dispatched and ultimately released back to its own homeworld. Coalbhaal was a demon of few words but was known to be cruel and cunning and strangely it would often falling into deep desolation and solitude when not in combat.
• Bladetron v2.0
  The Bladetron v2.0 was a powerful fighting robot built by the Automatons to test the mettle of gladiators in the Ultratus. Made from a strange golden metal alloy and resembling a robotic skeleton, it was famous for its heavy iron jaw, which seemed to be a replacement part and gave the machine an overly fearsome appearance. It was also equipped with dual laser swords, a technology never seen nor replicated in Brandor before or since. Many Automaton engineers were destroyed during the construction of the volatile Bladetron.
  The Bladetron was frighteningly fast for its size and favoured a technique of spinning its laser swords like fans. Many gladiators lost limbs and lives to this attack until the Starbound Gladiator found a way through its defences and cut it in half. Like all Automatons, this one was inscrutable and emotionless, programmed to taunt gladiators with what the Automaton Masters assumed would deplete morale, but its sheer size and speed were intimidation enough. None know how the Bladetron v1.0 differed from its successor though there are wild rumours it had blades for legs. How the Bladetron v1.0 was able to walk in such a manner remains a mystery.
• Mossocles the Venomous
  Mossocles the Venemous hailed from the sprawling Feargalheart Forest. A creature born of the earth, wise, learned and powerful of limb, Mossocles resembled a humanoid tree of great size and stature. Riddled with thorns, gnarls and featuring two glowing red eyes glowing from a deep hole in its trunk. Mossocles was also a master of healing magic, though in battle he would turn that magic to evil, preferring to wither rather than nurture.Sadly, his species the floralisks had suffered greatly at the hands of the tyrant HeChaos during the Crusades. Only a handful of them remain now, a dying native species of Brandor soon to be lost forever. Much of their decimation can be tracked to the actions of HeChaos, who torched their forest homes when his retreating army fled during a battle.
  Mossocles, once venerable and kind, grew poisonous in thought and in deed since that black day.He became a gladiator to punish Brandor for its disrespect of the ancient forests. Mossocles wielded a powerful barbed oaken staff, Earthshaker, which he would use to cut down enemies with deadly venom. When Mossocles fell to the Starbound Gladiator, the great hero took pity on the floralisk and ordered it to be freed. Mossocles returned to the forests and was never seen again, though some say it went underground to the Forbidden Depths. Speculation of a massive underground forest is rife now, though the few who have ever ventured into Zyr Hath have seen nothing of the sort.
• Great Knight Gallantrus
  Gallantrus was one of Phaetor’s most famous knights, distinguishing himself in battle over a long and decorated career. Most notably, Gallantrus served with King Lionel during the Crusades, a peerless swordsman and charismatic commander of men. Gallantrus was amongst those who defended Phaetor during its darkest hour when Emperor Antares beseiged Castle Cavaldar. After the Crusades, Great Knight Gallantrus longed to test himself in battle and found himself longing for combat in day of relative peace.
  Granted leave by King Lionel, he made his way to the Gladiae Ultratus and rose to become Arena Champion XV thanks to his prodigious swordplay and fearless gusto. A fan favourite, he would appear on the battlefield in resplendent armour of red, grey and white, complete with a plumed helmet and longsword he looked every part the knight of legend. Gallantrus was also famous for his jests, his bravado and a fondness for embellishing tales, though all who witnessed him in the arena knew that there was much truth in everything he said. Gallantrus was eventually felled by the Starbound Gladiator and returned to serve King Lionel in Phaetor once more.
• Bhaargle
  Bhaargle has featured in the tale of Swords and Sandals more than perhaps any other figure, and for good reason. The enigmatic and ageless sorcerer has been meddling in the affairs of men since the days of the Precursors and once again would do so here at the Gladiae Ultratus. A master of many forms of magic, Bhaargle entered the Gladiae Ultratus to gain favour with the Automatons, sensing their enormous power and powerful technology could make for a formidable ally or foe. Bhaargle bargained his way to the role of Arena Champion through guile and dark magics, and the only gladiator he ever fought was the Starbound, whom he wished to speak with on a private matter.
  All who saw their battle know that though the Starbound Gladiator fought masterfully, Bhaargle in fact allowed himself to be defeated for inscrutable purpose.As the story goes upon his defeat, he disappeared in a puff of smoke and in his place, a parchment scroll dropped, ice cold to the touch. Inside it was revealed that the Automatons were not the sinister forces many had believed them to be. It was learned that they had no interest in ruling Brandor nor enslaving its people. In fact they had watched from afar for many years, carefully curating the best gladiators in the world to take part in a tournament amongst the stars. Bhaargle would return many times in the future of Swords and Sandals.
• Platos
  A massive construct of granite and limestone, the golem Platos is rumoured to be over five centuries old. Books from the precursor era mention a giant of stone with one great eye matching his description, suggesting he was built by one of the precursor civilizations. Others suggest he was not built by surface dwellers, for his abode is a vast cavern in the Ak’Kash steppes. Behind this cavern is a door of obsidian, one of several entrances into Zyr Hath, also known as the Forbidden Depths.
  Platos permits none to pass through, standing vigilant both day and night. He will never attack those who try to pass, saying only “The Way Is Shut”.
  Platos could occasionally seen on the surface of Brandor, where he would travel to the north for inscrutable purpose. One one such journey, the Automatons were able to capture and enchant the massive construct to fight in the Gladiae Ultratus. Eventually the Starbound Gladiator defeated the mindless giant, reducing him to rubble. Platos would return, however. Just hours after his defeat, the stones which made up his being slowly resassembed and the golem lumbered back to his cavern once more. What he guards is a mystery to this day.
• Evil Ninja Redux
  This strange gelatinous creature was once the elderly half of the duo who made up the original Evil Ninja. Now a Sagan Blob ( named after the wizard who performed the transmogrification ), the Evil Ninja Redux does not resemble his past self in any way, shape or form. After the grandfather/granddaughter’s defeat during the Emperor’s Reign tournaments at Doomtrek, the duo turned their considerable stealth skills to thievery. Performing ever more elaborate heist jobs, they were eventually brought asunder when trying to steal a rare glowing rainbow owl, the familiar of the wizard Sagan. Though the granddaughter escaped, the grandfather was not so lucky. Sagan transmogfrified him into this gelatinous horror and forced him into servitude in the tower.
  Worse still for the grandfather, his mind remained alert and agile, but his body would no longer respond to his mind’s commands – being completely under Sagan’s thrall. When the Gladiae Ultratus began, Sagan brought the Gelatinous Blob with him to act as a manservant while he witnessed the games. The Automatons found the blob fascinating and offered Sagan a rich prize to allow it to fight in the Arena. For theatrical reasons and to play into fan nostalgia, they named the creature Evil Ninja Redux.
  Upon the blob’s defeat, the spell was broken and the grandfather returned to human form. Waiting in the stands, his granddaughter ran onto the arena sands and dragged the injured man into a portal. They have never been seen since. Rumour has it they have returned to their thieving ways, spectacular heists in Phaetor, Braxis and as far north as Warmhaven being linked to them.
• Magnificent Leopold
  One of Brandor’s greatest living composers, Magnificent Leopold grew up in and around the Phaetorian aristocracy. From a young age, he mastered the art of the piano and harpsichord and by age 12 was filling concert halls across the realm. Leopold was an eccentric teenager, causing his parents and patrons much embarressment with his continuous need to dress up like a cat. He would wear these theatrical costumes on stage and as his compositions became more and more wild, he became known as something of a novelty act. Shunned by the elite, he grew angry and rebellious. He joined John the Butcher’s band Meat Tray along with Sir Brian of May and had a major hit across Brandor in the single Every Time You Go Away ( You Take A Piece Of Meat With You).Leopold proved difficult to deal with and the band broke up soon after. Leopold, on a whim, decided to take up the gladiatorial arts. When the Automatons arrived in Brandor with their new technologies, he was able to fuse together the first Keytar, a portable piano keyboard with hugely amplified sound and the power to do sonic damage to those too close. He rose to some prominence in the arena before falling to the Starbound Gladiator. He continues to make music and sell out arenas everywhere, having recently announced a comeback tour of the northern provinces.
• Father Painbringer
  The extraordinary life of Father Painbringer could span several volumes. Born in 1840 as Patrick McAtrick in San Antonio, Texas, a frontier town on the planet Earth, he spent his early years as a rancher, miner and prospecter in the Old West of the 19th century. The world he grew up in was a dangerous place and he quickly learned to defend himself and those close to him as a gunslinger. He grew a reputation as one of the ‘fastest draws in the West’, winning many memorable duels against troublemaking bandits on his way to fame and fortune. Patrick turned his back on his wealth in his early thirties when he found religion ( he claimed the Lord spoke to him in a deep cave in Utah’s Bryce Canyon. ).Becoming ordained as a priest, Father Patrick dedicated his sidearms and his life to protecting the weak and helpless and bringing justice to the wicked. The local folk dubbed him ‘Father Painbringer’, a name he kept to instill fear into the wicked. Chasing bandits through a series of abandoned mine tunnels late in the summer of 1876, a strange portal appeared before him, swirling with starlight. Believing it to be another vision from the Lord, Painbringer stepped through and found himself in a strange new world, the world of Tritonia. He arrived in the early years of the Crusades, stumbling out of the portal into the wild expanse of the Badlands. Considering his situation to be a challenge from his deity, Painbringer continued to defend the weak and safeguard the helpless. He tried in vain to convert people to his religion, but was unable to sway most from worshipping Suul, and he found himself at odds with Drakondier’s Templar Church who tried to brand him a heretic until he was able to convince them (and himself) that perhaps Suul and his Lord were the same.He developed a particular hatred of the undead and joined with King Lionel’s cause in the many battles against Antares. As one of the few on Brandor with access to firearms, Painbringer’s reputation grew and he proved to be a great ally to the Kingdom. Many sought to challenge him, and he developed a fierce rivalry with another gunslinger, the undead Boneslinger.Father Painbringer was invited to compete in the Gladiae Ultratus by the Automatons, who viewed his tales of Earth with great interest. He almost died in his time there, though not on the arena sands. Assassins tried to poison his food him in a tavern. He was saved by the Boneslinger, who was outraged that cowards would try to bring down such a worthy marksman through such means as poison! That night, the two came to understand each other. The Boneslinger learned of Earth and the Old West. Painbringer learned that not all undead were evil. From this, a fast friendship was born. Painbringer competed admirably before falling to the Starbound Gladiator. After the tournaments, he continued to patrol the Badlands and protect the weak – though now he was joined by his old adversary the Boneslinger, now a dear friend.
• Bluescreen Death
  Bluescreen Death was the third of four Automaton champions created for the Gladiae Ultratus. An intimidating construct made from a strange blue alloy, Bluescreen Death wielded four dual laser blades and possessed devastating speed and power for a gladiator of such size – it is apparent this machine was created as a test for the best melee gladiators in Brandor, for it was susceptible to lightning based magic and thus less of a challenge for magicians. Little is known of Bluescreen Death’s origin, though clues can be found in a plaque on it’s torso that listed the machine’s maker as another Automaton, William Gatesbot 3.0. Who this strange and brilliant engineer was, none can say, for the Automatons would disappear again after the tournament. Like the other Automatons, Bluescreen Death was never malevolent nor cruel, but instead had a clinical, relentless pursuit of dispatching its foes. When it fell in the arena to the Starbound Gladiator, the boy Marcus Omazing ( son of fallen entrepreneur Mr Omazing) was able to steal the robotic skull of Bluescreen Death, where it would proudly remain on display in his mansion at Braxis for many years to come.
• The Undead Great Beast
  In life, the Great Beast was the largest minotaur ever to walk the planet – by a considerable margin. Standing over 20 feet tall and with twin Great Axes, some fans considered it was described as ‘The Greatest Gladiator of All Time.’ He died in battle against the Nameless, and his massive skull was taken by HeChaos to adorn his throne at Eddengarth. Some years later, Gergi Skummo, the wife of Graag Skummo, staged a daring raid on Eddengarth and stole the skull. She took the skull to Emperor Antares at Doomtrek and received a handsome reward. Antares resurrected the Great Beast in order to bolster his ranks in the upcoming Crusade, but the newly undead Great Beast proved an unwilling servant. It refused to follow any orders, instead breaking free of its shackles and wandering off into the Badlands. It ended up finding its way into the Gladiae Ultratus, where it caused great havoc until being slain by the Starbound Gladiator. Unfortunately for the great beast, its skull was so badly damaged in the battle that no chance of a further resurrection was possible.
  
  
• Fallen Emperor Antares
  When the crowd at the Gladiae Ultratus first laid sight on Emperor Antares, (long thought dead), panic filled the stadium and many attempted to flee. Surrounded by a group of sorcerers and magical shackles, it appeared to all that Antares had indeed returned and sought vengeance upon Brandor. Amidst the panic, the Automatons quelled the crowd and revealed that Fallen Emperor Antares was not in fact the *real* emperor, but instead a simulcrum created by the Automatons themselves with the help of the ever meddling wizard Bhaargle. The simulcrum was an approximation of Antares’ power during the Emperor’s Reign, a powerful illusion to test the mettle of the greatest gladiators in the realm. Fallen Emperor Antares proved a worthy foe to the Starbound Gladiator but fell, just like all the others. The Starbound Gladiator often expressed regret at not having the chance to face the *real* Antares, but his wish would be granted many years later in Swords and Sandals Immortals.
• Ultratus Omega
  The final test of the Automatons, Ultratus Omega was a hugely powerful fighting robot with Chainsaw Arms and a birdlike frame. Ultratus Omega was created after many prototypes back on one of the Automaton’s factory worlds, specifically built to withstand the harsh desert climate of the Badlands and the many varied melee and spell attacks of the best gladiators in the realm. Earlier prototypes of Ultratus Omega proved too aggressive and dangerous, and in fact it was Ultratus Omega v16.0 that ended up being the one sent to Tritonia to compete in the Gladiae Ultratus. Contrary to popular belief, Ultratus Omega was not one of the Automaton Masters, having no say in the organisation of the tournament nor the scouting of the gladiators within. Instead, it was purely made as a test – and what a test it was. It took every trick in the Starbound Gladiator’s book to bring the hulking construct down to the ground, and the Starbound Gladiator famously said if the fight was replayed ten more times, they may have lost nine of them.

SWORDS AND SANDALS IV : Tavern Quests
YEAR 600 CM

This game is set during the events of Swords and Sandals III: Gladiae Ultratus.

The sounds of the Arena rang out. Screams of swords cleaving into bone, day and night. Arena champions rise and fall. Only the rare few could defeat all challengers in the mighty tournament that is the Gladiae Ultratus. For the vast majority of gladiators who escape battle unmaimed and alive, life would be challenging. Wounds took time to heal, armour and weapons weren’t cheap and camaraderie was hard to come by in a town of scoundrels and fiends. The Ye Olde Tavern, on the edge of town, provided the ordinary gladiator with a welcome respite, a few brief moments of solace and entertainment in a brutal world.

A glass of ale, a loaf of hot bread and a good roast chicken to fill the belly and the world seemed a better place just for a few hours. A popular new game had spreading throughout many taverns and pubs throughout the lands of Brandor. A game of chance, cunning and skill, where even the lowliest knave could be a hero, where the weakest fool could survive a battle without injury and the cheapest miser would share pots of gold. Created by a small, rotund entrepreneur known only as The Little Fat Kid, Tavern Quests was the smash hit game of the year.

Author’s Note: Swords and Sandals IV was very much a spinoff game to the series, and one I wish I hadn’t given an official ‘numerical’ title. Much like how Crusaders was not an arena based fighter, neither was Tavern Quests and thus should have just been Swords and Sandals: Tavern Quests. It is unlikely this game will ever be re-released. I didn’t particularly enjoy the development process and was very much at odds with its creation ( commercial interests, a quick sequel etc, getting in the way of true quality ) , but there are some long term and loyal fans that speak to its entertainment value, so that provides a little comfort for me!

SWORDS AND SANDALS V : Grail of Antares
YEAR 635 CM

Relative peace came to Brandor for nearly forty years after the Automatons left Brandor. In the far continents of Segallis and Eldor Hath, war and upheaval continued to be the norm, but for the people of Brandor it was an age of prosperity and stability. In the year 635, rumours swirled from the frozen north, dark rumblings of a mysterious presence that would not stay asleep.

One young gladiator would find themselves swept up in a quest that would threaten to destroy the very fabric of Tritonia itself. The gladiator, who would come to be known as the Hero of Suul’s Gateway, or just The Grail Hero colloquially, made their way from far in the south to the frontier town of Suul’s Gateway to train as a gladiator under famed doctore Reg the Hammer. Poor, unknown and alone, the Hero would suffer many humilating tasks under the training regimen of Reg the Hammer. From endless days dueling a wooden training dummy to clearing the local tombs of rats and vermin, it was some time before they earned the right to face the local arena’s first champion. Suul’s Gateway was somewhat special in Brandor, in that gladiators fought not just other humanoids but also mighty beasts. The Grail Hero finally made a name for themself by defeating an armoured giant known as Aergus the Deathwielder, and from there, fame and fortune would follow in time.

Reg the Hammer, however, kept the Grail Hero humbled by continuing to demand they perform menial task after menial task, from providing food for a local town feast, to endless deathmatches in one of Suul’s Gateway’s minor arenas. Diligently and with little complaint, the Grail Hero performed every task with excellence, and they would soon rise through the Arena Champion Ranks and earning Reg’s trust and respect. Reg gave the Grail Hero more responsibilities, sending him deeper into the Hypogeum. There, the Grail Hero encountered powerful stone guardians known as the Hypogeum Sentinels. These stone constructs attempted to stop the Grail Hero from progressing downward, but one by one they fell.

It was after the final Hypogeum Sentinel fell that the Grail Hero was summoned to Castle Claymore by legendary Defender of Brandor, Sir Belgrave himself. Sensing great honour and resolve in the Grail Hero, Belgrave swore them to secrecy before entrusting them with grave news. Sir Belgrave explained that the Hypogeum Sentinels had been placed by Bhaargle a decade ago to guard an item of great importance. Belgrave was unsure of what exactly it was, but he suspected in his heart that both Antares and Bhaargle were somehow involved. Sir Belgrave tasked the Hero with investigating further, and after many trials, they reached the deepest chambers of the Hypogeum. There they faced a terrifying lich known as the Lord of Sorrow. It was revealed that the Lord of Sorrow was in possession of a broken piece of glass from a chalice. Though it seemed insignificant in its simplicity, the Grail Hero could tell the item resonated great power, and when he showed it to Belgrave, the Defender of Brandor’s suspicions were confirmed – it was indeed a Grail Piece.

At this time, Belgrave chose not to confide in the Grail Hero of his deep fears, though history does not record why. Many suggest it was Belgrave’s stoic nature – the great man was always reluctant to burden others when he himself could carry the weight, no matter how small.

The Grail Hero continued to rise in the gladiatorial ranks and defeat Arena Champions, though his true mission remained secret. Soon, Belgrave shared the news that an entrance into the ancient Vengeful Pyramid had been discovered by famed archaeologist Edgius Pompey Ionus, who had not returned in several weeks. Desperate to find out what Edgius might have discovered, Sir Belgrave sent his trusted knight Sir Stephen of Jeavons into the pyramid – but they too did not return. Eventually, Belgrave tasked the Grail Hero with entering the Vengeful Pyramid. There, he rescued Edgius and Sir Stephen before reaching the base of the pyramid. Defeating the stone construct known as the Lapis Devastatum, the Grail Hero returned to Belgrave with the second Grail Piece.

With two Grail Pieces uncovered and having gained Sir Belgrave’s trust completely, the Grail Hero was finally made aware of the great knight’s suspicions. Antares was returning to the world.

After the Crusades, Sir Belgrave, King Lionel and Baron Wolfgang, along with the Wizard Bhaargle, realised that Antares was a lich, and as such could never truly be killed. Bhaargle theorised that they could, however, contain him. Taking a grail cup Wolfgang had been drinking from, Bhaargle transferred Antares’ soul essence into it. He then smashed the Grail into seven pieces. Each piece would be buried deep underground and guarded by a powerful creature. The Grail pieces had to be kept near to each other, because the further they were apart, the weaker their hold over Antares. Worse still, the magic from the Grail was fading over the years and now a race was at hand to dig up and reassemble the Grail itself.

Sir Belgrave tasked the Grail Hero with heading to the White Wyrm Caverns to search for the next Grail piece – meanwhile, he would search Castle Claymore for another. The Grail Hero ascended to Base Camp on White Wyrm Mountain, where a group of Legion of H soldiers had set up a makeshift work camp. Amongst their number was the nefarious HeChaos himself. Older, weaker and wilier than ever, HeChaos had somehow been made aware of the weakening Grail pieces and was now searching for them. Recognising the Grail Hero from their recent arena victories, HeChaos pressed them into service following a series of riddles, each more obtuse and farcical than the last. The Grail Hero never intended to serve the Legion, but to keep the peace while they continued their main quest, they performed a number of tasks for the Legion including raising a warchest for HeChaos, finding delicious crabsticks under the threat of a curse, kidnapping a reluctant princess and rescuing lost Legion soldiers who were trapped in the caverns due to their own incompetence.

The Grail Hero searched the White Wyrm Caverns for a number of days before reaching the White Wyrm itself, the ancient dragon Thangreal. Thangreal would not be reasoned with and reluctantly once more, the Grail Hero slew the dragon and took the next Grail piece. When they reached the surface, HeChaos demanded they hand over the Grail piece. HeChaos revealed he had found a Grail piece under Lake Cragenbach and was close to resurrecting Antares.

HeChaos revealed that the Grail Hero’s original mentor, the doctore Reg the Hammer, had betrayed him and worked for the Legion. Reg had spies following the Grail Hero for weeks, shadowing them at every turn. Reg knew the Grail Hero had three pieces of the Grail and informed HeChaos of Belgrave’s plans to capture the others. Ironically, Reg was rewarded for his loyalty to the Legion with death, HeChaos having pushed him off a cliff once his services were no longer useful. Such is the price of dealing with a madman.

Realising they were at impasse with Belgrave in possession of a Grail piece, the Grail Hero four and himself one, HeChaos did something surprising. He acted rationally, proposing a temporary alliance until all the pieces were collected. HeChaos theorised the final piece of the Grail was to be found inside the Cathedral.

The Grail Hero returned to Castle Claymore and confided in Sir Belgrave of what had transpired. Rolling his eyes, Belgrave muttered to himself. After so many years, to still be dealing with the meddling of the Legion … a cruel turn of events for the aging legend. Belgrave bade the Grail Hero to follow him up into the Cathedral of Light above Castle Claymore. Over a bottle of wine, Sir Belgrave sat the Grail Hero down and explained all he knew about the true darkness of what he believed was about to unfold. Sir Belgrave told the Grail Hero about the Tolots, one of the Precursor races. Their homeworld was destroyed by a dark power known only as The Malevolence. The Tolots were able to flee to Tritonia via the Constellation Mirror, which shut before the Malevolence could reach them. For hundreds of years the Malevolence searched for a way to enter the Mirror, and through Emperor Antares he had found a way. Antares made a pact with the Malevolence, in return for eternal life, he would bring the dark entity through the portal upon his conquest of Brandor. Antares, of course, failed, but the Malevolence would not be denied. A small part of Antares’ soul had been imbued with a fragment of the Malevolence’s consciousness, and once Antares returned to life, he would be compelled to complete his quest and see the Malevolence enter through the Constellation Mirror.

A lieutenant of the Malevolance, the evil demon prince Solom Zerad, stood guard over Antares’ skeleton high in the Cathedral. Unlike the other guardians, Solom Zerad was not brought in by Bhaargle, but snuck through the Constellation Mirror at the behest of the Malevolence. Solom Zerad slew the previous guardian, Belgrave’s legendary Grail Knight. The Grail Knight’s final heroic act was to alert Sir Belgrave telepathically of Solom Zerad’s arrival. Belgrave and several high ranking Templar Clerics had wards placed around the Cathedral to contain the demon, wards that held fast until this moment.

Sir Belgrave and the Grail Hero made their way up through the Cathedral of Light, destroying the wards as they rose. In a showdown worthy of the greatest stories, together they slew Solom Zerad and took hold of the final Grail piece. It was at that moment, in front of the Tomb of Antares, that HeChaos appeared, having skulked behind the heroes as they rose up the tower ( and not once lifting a finger to aid in battle! ). At an impasse, the three of them worked together to perform the Grail Ritual. The long dead skeleton of Antares waited silently in his battle scarred armour. Lightning flashed and the air rumbled as the three worked, sweat pouring down them. Belgrave and HeChaos watched each other uneasily, for both knew their temporary alliance would soon be at an end.

As the Grail Pieces fused together,  the heavy stone lid fell from the tomb and the Grail rose of its own accord, its essence giving life to Antares. His face, usually shrouded in darkness, now a grinning skull. A massive blast rocked the room, sending both Sir Belgrave and HeChaos flying across the room. They crashed heavily into the ground, dazed. Without a word, Antares locked eyes with the Grail Hero and attacked at once.

No words could describe the desperate battle between the two, but even the Grail Hero would later admit it was only Antares’ weakened state that allowed them victory in the moment.

As Antares fell to his knees, a brilliant flash of white filled the room as a portal opened beneath Antares. The great lich lord of Eldor Hath fell and wass dragged into an unnatural abyss … but his helmet teetered on the ground. A groggy Belgrave rose to his feet ‘Destroy the helmet! Let us end this once and for all!’

At that same moment, HeChaos snaked his way towards the helmet, offering the hero great power. With a honey-dripped voice, he smiled. ‘This magnificent helm holds great power within. Wear it and rule over all Brandor!”

Good and evil stood before the Grail Hero pleading their cases, but in their heart they knew what must be done. They destroy Antares’ Helmet with a mighty sword strike. A great sigh echoed through the room and then all went quiet. HeChaos rushed forward in despair. ‘No!!! We had a bargain!’. In desperation, he moved to strike the Grail Hero but was tackled by Belgrave and brought to the ground. Moments later, knights of the Templar Church arrive  and lead the tyrant away in chains. Belgrave clasped the Grail Hero warmly on the shoulder. ‘My friend, I’ve never seen your equal in battle.’

The sun shone brightly as the two heroes returned to Suul’s Gateway, met by grateful townsfolk. Familiar faces smiled and cheered, and the Grail Hero was given a great chest of riches and given an honorary Knight Commander role with the Templar Church. As an even higher honour, they were dubbed a Companion of the Defenders of Brandor.

With Antares finally defeated for (hopefuly) ever, and the Malevolence thwarted in their plans to enter Brandor, the Grail Hero was now free to pursue whatever dreams they wished. After a few weeks of rest and quiet celebration with the people of Suul’s Gateway, the Grail Hero left with Sir Belgrave and a caravan of knights, heading south towards Belgrave’s ultimate destination, Drakondier. The two great heroes parted ways on the road to Braxis, with the Grail Hero promising to one day visit the aging great knight in his home city some day. Their own destination, however, lay elsewhere. The Grail Hero was last spotted purchasing a ship and crew to sail south east. Rumours swirled the Grail Hero planned to investigate an alternate route to Eldor Hath, whereby they would learn more about the secretive continent. The Grail Hero, nor their crew, has never been heard from since.

The Arena Champions of Swords and Sandals V

There were 12 notable Arena Champions in Swords and Sandals V. All fought and ultimately lost to the Grail Hero.

• Aergus the Deathwielder
  Aergus was a child prodigy who became an Arena Champion at thirteen years of age at a tournament in faraway Pilthia. Infuriated by the precocious upstart’s success, tournament leaders sent assassins to murder him, but his father stepped in, saving the boy at the cost of his life. Vowing revenge, he took up his father’s Deathwielder armour set and powerful axe and slew them all. Wandering the lands alone, driven only by a lust for blood and a great sorrow, he found himself in Suul’s Gateway, undefeated, alone and increasingly bitter. Aergus’s introspective and sullen nature won him few fans, and his time as Arena Champion was short.
  Note – Aergus was created by a young fan as part of a competition to design an interesting Arena Champion for the game.
• Incy Wincy
  During the excavation of the Hyopgeum, engineers stumbled across a giant spider in a massive cave. Distressed and aggressive, the spider ate several engineers before being captured and brought to the surface. Dubbed ‘Incy Wincy’, the spider somehow grew even larger over the years and has become a fan favourite. It was brought out occasionally to feast upon unwitting gladiators.
• The Lumberjack
  
  Once known as D’tanhin, the Lumberjack was a powerful Heirophant King of several clans of reclusive tree guardians known as Floralisks. During the Crusades, he struck a terrible bargain with the Iron Republic in which he betrayed his clansmen to increase his standing. The Iron Republic destroyed much of the forest to build the city of Gallowstones, and the clans were decimated. D’tanhin himself was betrayed, brought to the Arena as a prisoner and given a mocking title, The Lumberjack, for all the trees brought down in his name. The Grail Hero dispatched him easily and his limbs were taken to serve as lode bearing beams in Gattenhof’s Tavern.
• Big Moo
  

  Big Moo was rescued as a calf from the kitchens of John ‘The Butcher’ Woolridge by the Beastlord Arglaxx, who was amused by its bright pink fur and enthralled by its great potential for battle. Already seven foot tall at a young age, the minotaur kept growing and growing until it rivalled giants like Spheracles and Gaiax. During Arglaxx and the Beast Force’s battles during the Crusades, Big Moo specialised in destroying siege engines and breaking down drawbridges.\n\nAlthough a formidable fighter, Big Moo was actually friendly, shy and retiring. The Grail Hero graciously spared Big Moo’s life, and the great bull retired to a life of gardening.

• Scarab Tank
  Wizards from the deserts of Taj Brandhir far to the South once experimented on a Scarab Beetle, growing it to tremendous size. It was used primarily as a battering ram during sieges, but when the Beast Force was defeated by Kingdom forces, this Scarab Tank was captured and enslaved as a beast for gladiators to do battle with. The Scarab Tank’s electrified carapace proved a great challenge for the Grail Hero, but it too was vanquished. Shrewd armours from the Sons of Frost negotiated with the people of Suul’s Gateway, buying the carapace to use in forging especially hardened chiton armour.
• Althar Zaxxas
  For decades, if there is a sinister plot, act of treason, betrayal or usurping, it’s a safe bet the orb shaped Pentarax, Althar Zaxxas, probabably had a hand in it. An evil gangster known for both his genius and his cruelty, Althar Zaxxas usually operated from his lair deep under Suul’s Gateway where he consorts with thieves, despots and other tyrants. Occasionally the huge Pentarax surfaced to toy with gladiators for sport in the arena, but its hubris eventually proved its undoing. Althar Zaxxas was easily dispatched by the Grail Hero, and the proceeds from his crime empire distributed amongst the poor of Suul’s Gateway.
• Kurgh the Flatulent
  This great gaseous Klergish giant has served with the Legion for some years after HeChaos captured his home city of Gelegrath. Whilst Kurgh was brutal, dimwitted and utterly devoid of manners, those are not his worst traits. A crippling fear of cold water and soap combined with a both penchant for rich curries and weak intestines earnt Kurgh a most apt nickname The Flatulent. Indeed Kurgh’s earth shattering farts were known to wilt trees, bring armies to their knees and make statues weep. Of all the Grail Hero’s great victories in Suul’s Gateway, this was by far the adoring public’s favourite. Upon his defeat, the air instantly became sweeter and crisper. Kurgh’s corpse was carried high into the mountains, where it could be frozen for eternity lest its stench plague the realm again.
• The Wolf of Gallowstones
  This huge wolf was a local legend in the forest towns of Gallowstones for many years. Its silhouette could often be seen across the moors on a moonlit night, but it rarely attacked people, preferring to remain elusive. However, when HeChaos’ Legion made their way through Gallowstones on an expeditionary scouting mission, the great wolf followed them here to Suul’s Gateway. The Legion caught wise of this, laid a trap and captured it in a mighty battle. Alas for the wolf, it ended its days fighting in the Arena. Although the Grail Hero took pity on and freed the wolf following their great arena match, it succumbed from its wounds, dying just days later in a trackless northern forest. 
• Aldrexis Yarg
  If the name Yarg sounds familiar to you, it’s because Aldrexis was the younger brother of the archmage Bhaargle. When Bhaargle was cast out of the Towers of Sorcery at Arkmagius, it fell upon Aldrexis to restore the family’s good name. The kind hearted Aldrexis studied hard and rose to become one of the Tower’s most respected wizards. Aldrexis was consumed by his pupil, the Sagan Blob Fizzacles, but upon Fizzacle’s defeat in the Gladiaue Ultratus, Aldrexis was returned to his corporeal self. Undaunted, Aldrexis spent the rest of his days between studying and teaching at Arkmagius and fighting in Brandor’s many arenas to recruit potential wizards to tutor. He survived the battle with the Grail Hero and returned to Arkmagius with a new cohort of promising young mages.
• Giant Yugazoid
  When the explorer Boron first climbed Suul’s Peak, he discovered a yugazoid of prodigious size. The leviathan beast had seemingly fallen and become frozen in an ice wall. Further investigation revealed the yugazoid was in fact, still alive and in hibernation. Engineers cut the block from the ice and thawed out the mighty beast. When it awoke, it found itself in the Arena and was immediately aggressive. Many unfortunate gladiators met their demise inside its slimy belly before the Grail Hero finally dispatched it. Sweetened jelly from the Yugazoid became a popular treat in the taverns of the north for month’s to come.
• Elyx the Harpy Queen
  The cliffs of Pilthia are home to many dangerous creatures, all vying for control of the seas. One such feared creature was Elyx the Harpy Queen sunk many a ship, devouring its crew and stealing its plunder for years and years. The former Arena Champion Nine Cat Jack lost his first ship to Elyx, but he got his revenge by tricking and capturing her. She spent half a century being paraded across the realm far and wide, doomed to fight in arenas as remote as Eldor Hath and the Desert of Despair. Although she was enslaved and her wings clipped, she remained one of Suul’s Gateway’s most dangerous prisoners for years. In time, age robbed her of her formidable threat by the time the Grail Hero defeated her.
• The Great Bull
  Mighty Gaiax, one of the legendary Eight Colossi of the Crusades, once kept a stable of bulls in his caves at Handoth. When he was called to join the Sons of Frost in wars against Antares, his stable was left unattended. The bulls escaped, rampaging through the lands. One particular bull made its way to the Arena, where has remained ever since. Renowned for its ferocity and bulk, it widowed many a gladiator’s wife before falling in battle. Upon its death, the Bull’s hide was used far and wide, being prized for its strength and vibrant sheen.

In addition to the Arena Champions, there were also four great Dungeon Guardians tasked with protecting the shards from Antares’ Grail.

• The Lord of Sorrow
  In the days of the Emperor’s Reign, one of Antares’ high priests was a man by the name of Zandramus Valde. Once a good and honourable man, he lost his daughter at a young age and turned to the dark powers to try and return her from the dead. The search consumed him and drove him mad. This is when Antares found him. He offered to bring back Zandramus’ daughter in return for his considerable magical skills. He served the Emperor to great effect in the Crusades, winning many battles.\n\n When Antares’ was destroyed, Zaandramaus performed a ritual to preserve his lifeforce in animation artefact known as the Grail. The procedure, tragically cost him his own life and bound him to undeath until his master’s return. He searched for his daughter for decades in the false believe that Antares can return her to him.
  

  Bhaargle was the first human to gaze upon him in nearly a century and used the Lord of Sorrow’s hatred of Antares to entrust him with guarding the first of the Grail Pieces, so that Antares might never return. The Grail Hero was the second human to encounter the Lord of Sorrow, and in a lonely vault deep under the Hypogeum, cast him down and took possesion of the precious artafect he was guarding.

• Lapis Devastatum
  From the ancient words ‘Lapis’, meaning stone, and ‘Devastatum’, meaning dangerous, this huge construct knew neither fear nor retreat. The Lapis Devastatum was a massive stone construct built by the Tolots, one of the original Precursor races. Long since vanished, they left behind a legacy of impressive stonework buildings, both of a scale and craftsmanship rarely matched since. None alive know the original purpose of the Lapis Devastatum, though archaeologists believe it was built in honour of the vanquished god, Smitey. Carved from huge marble rocks not found in this part of the realm, it is a mystery how it made its way into the Pyramid, given the narrow nature of the pyramid’s many passages and tunnels. With the cult log gone, it has sat dormant for centuries. It was originally uncovered when Helmguardian engineers were building the Hypogeum. It lay dormant for hundreds of years before Bhaargle somehow activated it using his own inscrutable means. Bhaargle compelled the construct to guard the second of the Grail Pieces, which it did so without complaint until the Grail Hero defeated it under at the base of the Vengeful Pyramid.
• Thangreal
  For longer than anyone can remember, the great dragon Thangreal has dwelt under the mountain. In fact, he is the White Wyrm the caverns are named after, even though his scales are more cyan than white. Thangreal is one of several Shadow Guardians placed around Brandor to defend sacred artefacts or guard over dangerous entities. After Bhaargle met with him and explained about the Grail, noble Thangreal elected to guard the Third Grail Piece, and though he was pure of heart and did not wish to fight the Grail Hero, laid down its life to keep it safe. In an epic battle, the Grail Hero slew the dragon and wept bitterly at the lost of the majestic beast, wondering not for the first time why they were tasked with slaying such noble creatures.
• Solom Zerad
  Of all the demonic legions who stood with The Malevolence and sought to bring doom to Brandor, there was none so fearsome, so hated, so despicable, so bloodthirsty as Solom Zerad. In the darkest days of The Malevolence’s war against our realm, Solom Zerad was always at the van of the demonic horde, his obsidian blade glowing with unholy fire, his vile, horned visage snarling and baying for more slaughter. They say ten thousand brave soldiers fell at his hand, to sate his unending blood-lust, the light of their souls extinguished forever – hence he was known as the Light’s End, the Accursed Hand of Darkness. Somehow Bhaargle was able to bend the demon to his will and entrust him with the final Grail Piece. The Grail Hero felt no remorse upon slaying him.

The Final Battle

• Returned Emperor Antares
  The tale of Antares is well documented in Swords and Sandals lore. From the mysterious lands of Eldor Hath, the great and terrible wraith lord Antares rose to power as the self-styled Emperor of Doomtrek, a gladiatorial city far to the south. From the corpses of thousands of fallen gladiators, he raised an undead army and tore Brandor apart during the Crusades It took the combined might of three of the realms greatest heroes to defeat him, but still his essence lived on in through the pieces of the Grail – through which Antares own master, a cruel entity known only as The Malevolence hoped to re-enter the world.\ When the Hero, Belgrave and HeChaos reforged the Grail, Antares returned to life and immediately attacked. None but those in that room know the true epic scale of the battle, and just how close the world of Tritonia was to certain doom.Antares was defeated yet again … but returned once more in Swords and Sandals Immortals!

SWORDS AND SANDALS MEDIEVAL

YEAR 1350 AD (Earth)

At a time unknown (and for reasons unknown!!!), the mysterious Little Fat Kid made their way to the planet Earth. Here, they joined up with a young knight who completed in a series of tournaments against some of Earth’s greatest knights. Whilst here, the Little Fat Kid (operating under the pseudonym The Portly Child ) mentored the young knight in the ways of chivalry and heroism. After their days on Earth, the LFK returned to Tritonia using their own magical means, though as to why the expedition, none may ever know.

SWORDS AND SANDALS SPARTACUS

YEAR 73BC (Earth), YEAR 560CM

As a young man, HeChaos found themselves transported to Earth via a rift in time and space ( unrelated to the Constellation Mirror ) . HeChaos arrived in the Roman Empire under Emperor Augustus. Somehow, HeChaos found themselves pressed into service under the Roman Legions, where he rose quickly through the ranks. Eventually, his cunning got the best of him and the Romans threw him in a dungeon. There, awaiting execution, he ran into the great gladiator Spartacus, who was at the same time leading a revolution against the Empire. In a desperate attempt to return to Earth, HeChaos unleashed a demon upon Spartacus, before fleeing through a rift  to return to Tritonia once more. Spartacus defeated the demon before going onto die along the Appian Way when his revolution unfortunately failed.

HeChaos would go on to try and emulate the Roman Legions in his own Legion of H, though his imitations lacked the discipline or military brilliance to truly achieve much in the grand scheme of things.

SWORDS AND SANDALS IMMORTALS (aka Swords and Sandals VI: The Starbound Gladiator)

YEAR 640 CM

The game’s lore will be added here soon.

Constellation Mirror
YEAR 642 CM

An Ultima VI style classic RPG through the world of Brandor. Coming one day… in the far future!

Major World Locations (natural)

• • • Desert of Despair
  • • King’s Tear Mountains
  • • Greater Sledgia
  • • Galaxy Lake
  • • Blue Goat River
  • • Cavaldar River
  • • Grey Gauntlet Mountain
  • • Edden River
  • • Hela Haxxus Desert
  • • T’Kash Desert
  • • Plains of Handroth
  • • Terror’s Tale Mountains
  • • Green Shroud Forest
  • • Shark Tooth Bay
  • • Bay of Barons
  • • Ironspire Forest
  • • Falsewood Forest
  • • Thalassis Lake
  • • Gladiae Island
  • • Island of the Sorcerer
  • • Port Meade
    • Spheracleaon Island
    • Cliffs of Carnage

Cragenbach Mountains

The Cragenbach mountains are a range of icy peaks far in the north. Only the hardiest folk can survive, let alone settle its harsh environment. Adventurers here are warned of the age-old adage ‘Never Eat Yellow Snow’. This land is best known for being home to the dread sorcerer Bhaargle, who lives in a tower in the seas west of the mountains.

Khar’Khen

Khar’Khen, in theT’Kashi dialect, literally means ‘Hawk Spire’, and is home to the tallest mountain in Brandor. A land of stunning beauty, shimmering mountain peaks that sparkle all year round. It’s just a shame there are so few around to enjoy the scenery, with temperatures below freezing even in summer.

Helmguard

Helmguard, stronghold of Lord Celen’s Iron Republic, is a land as harsh and severe as Lord Celen himself. Windswept tundra and craggy peaks dominate the scenery, and the few crops that grow make for a lean and grim people whose favourite pastime is to grumble.

Suul’s Gateway

Legend has it that the deity Suul the One ascended to the heavens here in these mountain passes. Archaeologists have found very little to confirm such myths, yet spectacular lights in the sky continue to attract pilgrims here all year round. Others gather here to watch those pilgrims fall as they attempt the perilous climb. Also of note are the Hypogeum, a deep network of catacombs home to many dead heroes and gladiators, theVengeful Pyramid, dedicated to a forgotten Xeltec deity and the Cathedral of Light built by the Templar Church to honour Suul.

Warmhaven

Given its proximity to the northern polar cap, it is surprising Warmhaven isn’t in fact colder. Verdant valleys mix with icy fjords to produce a spectacular and beautiful land, making this the ideal place for the many tribes of the Sons of Frost to make their home. Home, however, is a loose term – with the Sons of Frost most of the year running amok elsewhere in the realm.

Gunteria

When the Precursors first arrived in Brandor, Gunteria was as far north as explorers could travel before reaching impenetrable terrain. It rains most of the year here, making the ground slushy and wet and the grass long and wild. Not much is known about Gunteria, other than it is a miserable land and not really worth shedding blood over.

Klerg

Klerg, once the reviled city state of the pigmen of Graag, is now a land of cold winds and high tundra fields set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Cragenbach mountains. Thanks to the efforts of Lord Owain Shardstrike, the enigmatic and turbulent pigmen were driven from the land over a hundred years ago.

Gallowstones

Gallowstones is a large urban sprawl heavily influenced by the reach of the Iron Republic. It found wealth during a mining boom in the nearby Khar’Khen mountains but remains a dark, grimy and industrial city, with folk as dour and grey as the cobbled stones that make up its roads. In a recent referendum, nine out of every tenth Gallovite voted to have all public holidays abolished.

Hallanfall

Hallanfall, a densely wooded land of startling beauty, is also home to several logging towns. Dark and cool all year round, the great oaks in Hallanfall often tower several hundred metres off the forest floor. It is a hunter’s paradise, a realm filled with great elks and boars, and consequentially, the finest steakhouses in all the land.

Feargalheart

The great forest of Feargalheart is trackless and foreboding. Many who have entererd Feargalheart have never returned. It is said that the spirits of the forest claimed them for some mysterious purpose, though most dismiss this as drunken ramblings of tree huggers.

Bog Stench

Bog Stench is a fetid swamp as foul as its name suggests. Few who venture here ever wish to stay long, for its sulphurous marshes produce a retch-inducing odour that clouds the air and stings the eyes. Still, the locals call it home and as they say, a Bog without Stench is like a foot without a wart – it’s just unnatural.

Ettania

Surrounded to the west by the foul Bog Stench, much of Ettania’s crops have been poisoned and its land is largely unusable. Farmers here toil all year round for little result, usually resorting to watering their crops with their tears.

Willard’s Sound

The hamlet of Willard’s Sound is home to one of the great fishing communities in the realm. Generations of sea dogs, wharfies, pirates and fishwives have given the town a somewhat fishy, unpleasant smell, leading the town’s detractors to quip, Willard’s may Sound alright, but it sure smells terrible!’

Shackleford

Shackleford is the birthplace of the great troubadour, rogue, swordsman and leader of the Free States, Baron Wolfgang. A pleasant if unremarkable land, it is also famous for producing the sweet tasting Shackleford Whiskey, a drop beloved by good folk everywhere.

Phaetor

One of the oldest cities in Brandor, the shining Kingdom of Phaetor is synonymous with visions of splendour and chivalry. Founded many centuries ago, the city was built by many strong men who were to become the first of the Knights of Phaetor. Under King Lionel’s wise rule, the lands of Phaetor have been peaceful for many years since the end of the Crusades. Set in a large field of green and bordered to the north and south by a large forest and to the west by a great lake. Clean, with wide streets lit by lanterns , gardens with fountains and well maintained homes and shops. Castle Cavaldar lies at the city’s eastern edge.

Falsewood

Falsewood … mysterious and treacherous, a realm dominated by a huge forest many suspect was manipulated by dark and unknown powers in days before even the Precursors. Where once there was perhaps a great forest teeming with life, now stands a realm of petrified trees of stone intertwined with deep and dark caves. Though it is stunning in its otherwordly beauty, it is here only the most wicked, desperate or foolish creatures would set foot willingly.\n\nThey say that those who take anything from the petrified forest are cursed with ill luck until the end of their days.

Braxis

Braxis, sprawling metropolis of commerce and industry, is testament to humanity’s dominance in the realm. A city with nearly a hundred thousand citizens, it is at times both fascinating and repellent in its vastness. Braxis is the home city of the Free States, a united collection of towns and villages who are allied with the Kingdom but operate as a seperate democray. Bordered by the ocean to the east, rolling golden hills , vineyards and farmlands to the south. Wide squares, statues and stately buildings can be seen through city, which also boasts tall marble columns and olive tree lined streets.

Messeth

Messeth by name, Messeth by nature. The dank and miserable swamplands of Messeth are made fouler still by their proximity to Eddengarth, home of the dread tyrant HeChaos. Nothing worthwhile, moral or productive has ever been known to come out of Messeth. It is generally considered a place best avoided at all costs.

Eddengarth

A grim cluster of red brick buildings surrounded by high walls and towers. The imposing Citadel of Turbulence dominates the skyline and the sounds of beasts echo through the streets. To the south, waves crash onto jagged cliffs. Eddengarth has been a recent black mark in the history of the realms. It is from here that HeChaos has launched assault after assault on the Kingdom and its allies. A land of strife and malice, of towers and prisons and savage beasts. Its soil is a dark red, stained with the blood of battle and nefarious treachery.

The Badlands

The Badlands … a lawless and dangerous valley of madmen, traitors and nefarious malcontents. A blasted land of eroded canyons and desolate plateaus, it is riddled with cave networks and spectacular rock formations. Many have sought to control its passes, but few hold it for more than a few years – its very nature is treacherous in the extreme.

Drakondier

The mountains of Arkmagius are surrounded in clouds most of the year, but if one is to climb to their lofty summit, a spectacular sight awaits. Intricate towers of crystal and stone spiral into the heavens, and within these walls many of the lands most powerful mages work powerful spells, research arcane tomes and pull rabbits from hats. Home to Sagan Z and the Wizard Knights of Arkmagius.

Somerton

Somerton, depending on who you ask, is either the most pleasant place you could hope to visit, or the most boring. Quaint farms and gardens dot the landscape, and the quiet, simple folk who populate the land tend to keep to themselves, leaving their homes only to stare at strangers and on occasion throw rocks or chickens at them. It is also the birthplace of Celen Helmguard, who went on to rule the Iron Republic. Helmguard refuses to acknowledge he was born here, considering the sleepy realm to be beneath him.

Drakondier

Drakondier, the Shield of Phaetor, has been won, lost and fought over more times than many can remember, for it is both the holy city of Suul the One and a highly strategic stronghold along the Great King’s Highway. The ancient walled citadel at the heart of Drakondier is currently under the protection of the noble Sir Belgrave, High Marshall of the Templar Church. Should the city fall to evil again, the spiritual heart of the Kingdom is lost.

Sharpsdale

Sharpsdale is a picturesque land of rivers, fields and forests. Cool all year round with sea breezes from the coast, Sharpsdale is also the birthplace of Celen Helmguard, who went on to rule the Iron Republic. Helmguard refuses to acknowledge he was born here, considering the sleepy woodland realm to be beneath him.

Handoth

The Handoth ranges are dusty and craggy, with shadowed valleys and desolate peaks. A great network of caves lies beneath, with many rumoured gateways into the Forbidden Depths, Brandor’s mysterious underworld. The Handoth ranges were once home to Gaiax, the great cyclops. Gaiax has been unemployed since the Arena fell into ruin as the war began, and has since moved north to Warmhaven.

Pilthia

Pilthia is a dark and cold land of huge cliffs, a realm lashed by endless storms and pummelled by giant waves. The carcasses of mysterious collossus squid occasionally wash up on its rocky beaches, providing wonderful seafood dinners for the few hardy souls who call Pilthian Cove home. It is also the home of the seafaring alien race known as the Cycladians, who have used the rocky coves as a temporary base before they begin their quest for a new homeland.

Dankheart

Dankheart is a place nobody speaks of fondly. Sulpherous, noxious and bleak, Dankheart’s swamps are home to a beastiary of creatures, each fouler than the last. It is then unsurprising that houses in Dankheart are the cheapest in all Brandor. The legendary barbarian Hegonis spent much time adventuring here in his youth.

Ak’Kash Steps

The Ak’Kash Steppes stretch as far as the eye can see, a land of scorching summers and freezing winters. Shrubs and hardy trees dot the scenery. If truth be told, there is little else to be said about this desolate region. One of Brandor’s great poets tried to write an ode to the steppes, but gave up after five months and only two verses.

Taj Brandhir

Taj Brandhir, a great oasis in the centre of the T’Kash Desert. The fugitive Beastlord Arglaxx calls the T’Kash Desert his own, and his simian armies spend most of their days lounging beneath palm trees and in cool waterholes, tossing faeces around and generally making monkeys of themselves.

T’Kash Desert

The mighty T’Kash Desert stretches from here for hundreds of leagues to the southern lands of Deep Eldor Hath. It is a sea of golden sand as old as the world of Tritonia itself. Historians say the T’Kash was once an ocean, many centuries ago, and the bones of gargantuan sea creatures dot the scenery, provoking much wonder in the few travellers who traverse the great dunes.

Vale of Shadows

The Vale of Shadows is a foreboding marshland of deep pits, trackless groves and endless twilight. As the gateway to Eldor Hath, it serves as a forbidding warning to those who would enter the domain of Emperor Antares. The dread sorcerer Bhaargle Yarg has been known to be found wandering here, gathering reagents for his own nefarious purposes.

Skulden

The port city of Skulden is home to pirates, thieves and murderers. The average citizen of Port Skulden would betray his own shadow if he thought it would bring a profit. Skulden’s dense network of canals and sewers make it a fine place to lay low when there’s trouble brewing, especially if the trouble is your own fault.

Eldor Hath

The Isthmus of Eldor Hath marks the border between the continents of Brandor and Eldor Hath itself, a land of pyramids, sorcerer emperors and mighty dinosaurs, if the legends are to be believed. Almost nothing is known of it, for few who venture south ever return. It is across this forsaken land bridge that the evil Emperor Antares first appeared in Brandor.

[Author’s Note] Maps and much more information to come on this section. Here is a rough sketch of the realms of Brandor.

THE PEOPLES OF BRANDOR

Precursor Races – These races were the first fleets to sail through the Constellation Mirror and settle Brandor. They came from four planets in a distant solar system escaping a dying sun.

Two of the races were lost very early on and a third vanished across the sea.

1. Phaetorian / Kingdom of Phaetor
2. Braxian / Free State of Braxis
3. Eddites / Protectorate of Eddengarth
4. Drakons / Church of Drakondier
5. Vondroks / Vond Empire ( extinct within a generation )
6. Tolots / Tolot ( extinct possibly underground)
7. Uverics / No home city (sailed south on arrival and never returned. Their disappearance and some old Precursor books have led to the theory of another continent far to the south called Segallis.)

Secutor Races – Each of these races arrived through the mirror in the 600 years that followed. ( There are other, lesser known creatures who have come through the Mirror such as the Floralisks and Golems but they are not considered populous enough to be considered a race.)

1. 1. Klergish / Gelegrath Caverns

1. 1. Cycladians / Pilthian Coast

1. 1. Xantec / Xteltac Province

1. 1. Gunterians / Warmhaven

1. 1. Hexl / Hexalus

1. 1. Sledgars / Greater Sledgia

1. 1. Itha / Itha Tuscus

1. T’Kashi / TKash Desert (Desert of Despair)

[Author’s Note] More detailed information to come on the peoples of Brandor.