"At this time, the King of Astargoth, along with his closest companions, including Morlock the wizard, had some secret dealings with the power in the east, and of their own free will betrayed the elf King, and led the invading hordes that had filled his nightmares for so long. Morag was ill-prepared for such an assault, and there was chaos and civil war, both in Morag and in Astargoth. There followed a long confused period where there was peace, but at a price. I think it likely that,

for a time, both Morag and Astargoth were ruled by corrupt puppets that answered to the power in the east. During this time relations with the dwarves to the south soured, and the dwarves seemed to have isolated themselves, and suspicion and corrupt intrigue ran rampant for a long time.

"All we know after this period is that somehow the Demon King was unmasked, and war broke out anew. By all accounts this war was long and hopeless and bitter, and in the end, the peoples of the Four Kingdoms (then Three) were scattered far and wide. What is strange about this period is the silence. The lands that are now the Four Kingdoms were not occupied; they were empty, devoid of life." Anest glanced down at Lily's face and chuckled. She was fast asleep. "As I said," he said wryly, "I am no storyteller."




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