Intermission: Crusade of Ashes

Year 497, it was the day that the monastery of the sun’s crown located in the area around Dunwich got attacked. In the attack hundred of knights died. The assailant was unknown. And the only survivors were the leader of the monastery and his acolyte.

According to the inquisitor who asked them what happen. The head priest and the acolyte told them that the monastery has been attacked by a non-human. The Inquisitor, however, didn’t find any magic residue around the area. All that was found were ashes.

The Inquisitor, however, changed his mind when the two persisted. No one was able to see the assailant or any other ones. The only real witnesses were the two. The other knights were dead when the explosion happened. About hundreds died and it was already a miracle that the two survived.

The Inquisitor didn’t question them. It was concluded that the assaulters were the nonhumans. And at that time there was a witch roaming around the fiefs. Most people who heard the news believed that the Witch was a distraction. They didn’t anticipate the attack on the monastery.

It was a tragic event that made the people fear. The destruction of the sun’s statue that protected the town made dire monsters attacked the areas around Dunwich. This resulted in many attacks from the dire. Monsters, dire’s and the supernatural came about.

The fiefs that were safe and guarded became troubled. In the result the areas became dangerous. The farmers were regularly attacked and decent men and women were regularly killed on a daily basis. Dunwich, the town itself would be under constant siege by hollowed monsters.

The Knights of the fiefs around Dunwich were dead. This made the Capital forcibly allow the sun’s crown coming from the Empire of Light to guard the land, resulting in the lands being turned into a zealous place filled with hate and racism towards the non-humans.

Who could they blame other than the non-humans? It resulted in many deaths and the once peaceful areas were now chaotic.

It resulted in many cases of levy farmers arming themselves and declaring their support. The black robed priest and his acolyte also managed to somehow rebuild the monastery in the following months. The sun’s crown statue was never repaired.

The loss of materials wasn’t enough to build the statue back. There was someone from the bank of Brewrael that offered their services. As for whom the contact was. The Inquisitor didn’t know. He only knew that there was someone who possessed the badge of the bank and was close enough to know about what happened.

The area that was incinerated by attack after the monastery was rebuilt became a graveyard of swords. The dead knight’s leftover swords were stabbed and turned as tombstones. Their bodies were turned to ashes and their swords were the only thing that was recognized.

The Monastery built a fence around the graveyard of swords in memory to the fallen. Among the ones that funded the graveyard was Sena of the Noble House Saclea. She was present when the first explosion happened. She along with the rest of the knight’s tried to rush over but before they could arrive the second explosion was triggered and completely annihilated the closer ones.

Miss Sena was able to escape harm with her talents. There were other knight’s that survived but she was the most impressive for she was one of the closest that survived the blast. It resulted in the church taking an interest to the lady of the noble house.

As for what she did. She merely stayed in the defense of Dunwich for a year until the graveyard of swords and the defenses were stabilized. She left with her party and went straight to the capital where she began working on gathering her own forces to create an order named: Astra’s Vendetta.

After learning who the assailant was the lady acquitted a profound hatred against the non-humans. She along the other survivors formed orders of Knight’s that then pleaded the Bishop of the Kingdom to contact the Papal Priest of the Emperor of Light and pleaded for a crusade in name of the ashes that were left behind by the knight’s killed.

The whole affair lasted a year. It gathered support and even among the common folks who are usually apathetic to such crusades.

It gathered support enough to fund four armies. The first army went on a crusade against the strugglers around the kingdom.

The second army went on heretical hunts in order to quell the enemies of the church. Those who try to ally or deal with the nonhumans were hanged on trees and decapitated on the gallows. Heretic hunts were supported and the ones caught are usually hanged or put in spikes as a warning.

The third army went around in dealing with the dire. Lead by a new paladin named Garland the Great. The Third army went on a different crusade. Killing monsters and turning soldiers into Huntsman in order to prevent what happened in Dunwich.

The Fourth army, led by the new orders went to the front-lines to push the line back. They had the support of the kingdom, the church, and the people. Allowing them successfully had the army and the equipment required to push the nonhumans back in two lines.

The leaders were Sena Saclea, Kale Salamanca, Dane Greyfur, Saul Darkgray and Princess Engelise of the Kingdom of Altria herself.

King Alric, the King of The Altria Kingdom supported her loyal daughter to the cause of the fourth army and due to this turmoil in the Capital were born among the Prince’s who were already fighting for the throne.

However, the Princess was someone who didn’t want the crown. Despite her popularity among the people, she despised politics and turned a blind eye. Known as honorable and loyal to her country, the Princess was someone who even made her newly returned follower, who did some mission for the sun’s crown eliminate three monsters despite being a normal knight.

The Knight in question, Oswin, survived and returned back to the service while regarded as a stubborn knight. He returned bloodied and walked on the compound of the princess, which resulted in the Princess allowing the Knight back into service.

The whole sequence of events was then known as the Crusade of Ashes. The Crusade that led the forming of the four armies that changed the state of things in the kingdom, turning the kingdom into a zealous religious state that condemns the nonhumans.

However, there are rumors that the Crusade of Ashes was based on a lie. And for what lie it was. Only the black robed priest and his acolyte might know about it.