Chapter 42: The Second Eppen War and the Great Defeat
In Aym-J'zeer did Emperor Xavir IX see the borders of his empire stretched and news that came to him all seemed bad, where once it had all been good, and the name of Amman and of Xavir IX were threatened. So he gave up the east and abandoned the forts there to the Urgolians and he recalled from the corners of his empire a great army, the size of which had not before been seen in Arrasia, and he looked to Eppen, which had for more than one hundred years stood against them, and to the wealth that lay in the Falagrim Peninsula beyond and he looked also to the south and the chaos there.
So to be great among the Emperors of Amman and that his name would be remembered, he looked to defeat Eppen and control their lands and those that lay beyond them and reclaim the peace of the south and crush the enemies of Amman. And two great armies of men and orcs were mustered and a fleet of ships built that would carry them and they took to the seas and came to Istenpur and made war on those that lived there and defeated them and they marched east and the Falagrim Peninsula fell to them and the borders of Eppen were secure no more.
But in Raman had news come to Destor of the plight of Eppen, for the people there had long looked to him since the Hammer of Adria had given them protection and throughout their time of war had Destor and Hayn and Rougon and Sassa looked after them and had brought them great harvests so they did not starve and filled the seas with fish for them to eat and warded them from the evil empire that would destroy them. And to Destor came a dream and he saw Adria and he was disturbed, for she spoke not, but seemed to drown in a great ocean and her hair was all about her and men and orcs caught amongst it and they were all dead and in her hands she did grasp ships and her mouth bled and the waters were turned red.
Though he knew not the meaning of this dream, Destor called to him his daughter, Sassa, who loved the waters of Phoras and there had made her home and was at one in the seas and had great mastery over them and he told her of his dream and she smiled, for she too had seen Adria in her dreams and she had led her to a great armada of ships and that the flag of Hakkan was upon them and they were filled with the armies of Amman and they went to Eppen, to destroy the people there. So Sassa went to Arrasia and she hid in the seas there, for she knew the will of Adria, who flowed in her, and knew that her revenge would be had.
So in Gal Eduth did the army of Amman meet with the alliance of the men of Eppen and the elves of Gal Eduth and the Battle of Harean's Point was fought and there the alliance was crushed and the Amman armies victorious and the land covered in the blood of their enemies and the belly of Eppen exposed to them. So they marched north to Jala, sweeping all before them, and a greater number still were boarded once more on the great fleet that had carried them from Amman, for they were to travel to the lands of the south, when victory in Eppen was had, as now seemed certain it would be.
And they marched to Jala and there were the armies of Eppen and with them were the dwarves of Kri-Aruk and the elves of Gal Eduth and though their numbers were not many, their hearts burnt with passion, for this was their last stand and there was naught but death for them in defeat, so the fire within them was great. So the Battle of Jala was fought and the hordes of Amman fell upon them in wave after wave of brutal onslaught, but they could not break the lines of their enemy and their men fell upon the spears of the men or the axes of the dwarves and the arrows of the elves fell amongst them and murdered them. And thus the battle raged for three days and the land was soaked in the blood of thousands and was turned to a bog and a river of blood fell into the sea and was turned red.
So were those yet in the ships now called for, to crush the Eppen resistance and destroy those that stood with them, and from the sea came a great armada and their sails filled the horizon and the people of Jala were filled with dread and the armies of Eppen, who yet fought with skill and courage and stood undefeated, knew that it was up for them, for they would not withstand the thousands that sat upon those ships and who readied themselves for war. Yet even though there was great despair, their hearts were yet determined and they continued with their struggle against the soldiers of Amman and readied themselves for their end and they prayed to Destor that when Pith came for them, he would take them swiftly and guide them well.
And as the great fleet came into the bay, so Sassa tasted the blood in the waters that had been turned red with death and a great rage consumed her and her heart were blackened and she swept from where she was hid and came to the surface and behind her came a great wake of water and the skies turned black and cracked with thunder and were lit with lightening and the bay was filled with a great storm and Sassa did cause the air to spin around her and it were as if the very sea were sucked into her and there was great violence and the sea did rise up and smash all that sat upon her.
So the fleet of Amman floundered as the seas fell upon them and their vessels seemed tiny on the vastness of the violent waters and they were smashed and sent to the bottom of the sea and those upon them drowned and the great army of Amman destroyed. And from the shore they did watch the violence of the waters and saw the destruction that was wrought by Sassa and the hearts of the warriors of Amman fell and were in despair and their enemy redoubled their effort and fell upon them and they were defeated, for their stomachs no longer cared for the fight and they fled and were killed.
And the storm did rage for 7 days and thus was the greatest army gathered defeated and the floor of the ocean littered with their corpses and the seas were stained red with the blood of the thousands that had perished in the Battle of Jala and Eppen was yet a free nation and they gave thanks to Sassa for saving them and to Destor for sending her and they knew that the long war were over and that they had not been conquered. And in Amman did but a few ships return and news of their defeat spread throughout the lands and their enemies rejoiced and the hearts of the peoples of Amman knew this was indeed a dark day.
