Quote:Mal's Book of Origins VOL 0 Chapter 3 : Fate (Unpublished)

In the beginning there were two great civilizations, Originators and the Zakar. After extensive research and speculation we have uncovered what the Zakar civilization was.

The Zakar stand 8ft tall and have no face, ears, mouth, or notable characteristics. They are all a blue/gray color and have an ineptitude to use magic. Zakar live for an extremely long time and have few children. Their bones are hallow and usually brittle, their skin is a thin paper like material that is easily cut.

The Zakar are fragile, and cannot use magic. So we have looked at the zakars "Magic" and have found that the zakar do not use mana or even have a "soul" as we understand it. Their golems do not use mana or soul trapping stones like we first thought. The zakar created them from the earth and metals in the ground without magic.

The Zakar life cycle is strange and disturbing... The youths are intelligent and creative while the older generations lose themselves and become reclusive scholars, at the end of their lives they become enraged, angry, and delusional, after a time they become savage and lash out in a animalistic behavior.

Older Zakar were reported to throw themselves into the most dangerous situations. We now understand that the Zakar were pacifist scholars but slowly changed over time to become philosopher warriors. Fighting their older brothers left a scare on the once peaceful zakar.

Recently we discovered that the zakar act and work together as individual's but have a instinctive mind that acts as a unifying voice. Zakar do not debate about going to war or if something is wrong, they simply know. When they met the originators they understood collectively that the Zakar would eventually have to fight the Originators and took the first step.

The Zakar/Originator war left behind many relics while the more recent Xanax/god war has left behind many of the zakars creations in moderate condition. The Titan is one example of the zakars relics. Their military was unique and different from conventional armies that we understand.

They themselves acted as commanders or tacticians. usually a single army consisted of 13 zakar. 1 general 11 commanders and a single zakar that lead a small group of around 5-30 specialized golems that operate like a squad of paladins or holyknights. Their "golems" acted as warriors and laborers making up the vast majority of their military might.

The Zakar themselves value speed, a zakar in its battle armor can make a 1month trip in less then a day. The zakar army does not require sleep or food allowing them to ignore supply lines and boarder wars.

Several decades ago there were stories of a small army of golems that were used as weapons during the Conjurer mage civil war. These golems were different from the normal golems we know of and were confirmed to be Zakar in origin before we could reach them the Carnax and several gods attacked the golems.

The golems were lead by an ancient Zakar nearing his elder life cycle. We were able to obtain this zakars body after the carnax army was decimated and the gods went into hiding to recover. We made the majority of our discoveries with the body of this zakar and his journal that we are still translating.

This zakar was known as a wonderer or outcast. He was collaborating with mages to overthrow the kingdom of order. He was slain by a promising squad of crusaders Raisa R4, Nagol R6, Marcana R8, Aron R8 and Salvazar R9. The Zakar killed Aron, Raisa, and Marcana leaving Salvazar and Nagol in critical condition.

These warriors were all Holy Knights and had the highest ranking in team power TR 10. This proves that Zakar alone can be a force equal or greater to a natural disaster.

We have now confirmed that the zakar was not wearing a combat suit but a standard civilian model its warriors were construction types.

This revelation has been deemed unfit for public eyes and will not be published...

I feel it in the ground...

This wetness...

I remember it...

Tears?, no Blood....

It brings me back...

It calls again...

The red forest was set aflame. The red horde charged forwarded moving around a small hill of stones. The stones were old and scared but faint traces of words lay on its ancient surface. Nagols undead army moved quickly blood dripping from their weapons and the many zombie like corpses.

The red forest now had many puddles of blood forming on the ground. The small hill of stones lay between the two as they smashed into one another. Skeletons breaking apart turning into vapors, bodies falling and raising over and over. Spells erupted and caused the earth to shake from time to time.

The stones began to glow an unholy hue. None alive could read the runes, but its meaning was still felt, War. The bloodied ground absorbed the pools of crimson. The two armies continued to fight ignorant of the now glowing black hill. Many of the skeletons hade already been destroyed but now a new formation of skeletons marched forward with their spears and giants looming behind them.

Varick stood at the front wielding his bone sword several other liches stood beside him. all of them cast magics at the oncoming horde. The front lines of the undead were bloodied and thinned, the liches cast raise dead and the now broken line was reformed with new "recruits"

One of the liches that was leading the front lines was tackled by a bear and tossed back shattering his bones. Varick walked up to the bear as it was held down with the many spears of the skeletons, he stuck his blade into the bears eyes and twisted the blade, after several minuets the bear went limp only to raise again as apart of the undead army.

One of the liches moved beside varick and handed him a tattered rag, in a rasped and strained voice the lich spoke, "The left flank struggles." Varick cleaned his weapon and marveled at the black bone blade. "The hole led to a spiders nest its brood is not infected, we may have use of them." The lich took out an bottle of green venom. "the queen is most generous."

Varick took the vial and pored some onto the red roots covering the ground. They smoldered for a moment then liquefied. "This is good." he returned the bottle and waved at one of the liches, using his telepathy he ordered him and his warriors to assist the left flank. 4 gaints and 25 orcs and 150 human skeletons along with several wraiths fallowed as he moved.

The black hill cracked and rocks fell, varick noticed and ordered his liches to move away. The black hill rumbled as more rocks fell until only the large shield and a tall armored warrior stood.

I can feel it now...

This thrill...

The giant was 8ft tall not as tall as the 12ft tall giant skeletons but tall enough to be an imposing figure. His chestplate was covered with a tabard, two dual bladed bone scythes with a dragons skull. In his free hand he held a spear 12ft tall 2ft thick, it shined like polished metal. The spear was actually a banner and his left hand grasped the large shield beside him.

His armor resembled nagols but was thicker, his eyes did not glow with green fire but red. He slammed his shield and spear together and roared.

Finally WAR!!

He moved forward slowly raising his shield slightly off the ground. His banner swayed back and forth as he trudged forward. His eyes burning with anticipation, licking the air with its flames. Mana formed around him as several earthen bodies rose from the ground, golems.

20 bloody clay golems rose and formed with swords and shields, each standing 5ft tall. R3 golems, strong and durable but weaker than average R3 warriors. Golems were always one rank below their designation only their stamina and durability were noticeable.

The golems ran forward and sliced out at the red horde, joining the undead in their assault. More animals and creatures of the night came to the slaughter. the golems would break and fall but would slowly rise from the ground, their cores still intact. The giant knight reached the front lines and joined his golems in fighting the red horde.

Varick observed the knight but ignored it, it did not shine with life, but death. Raising his staff he ordered the giants to charge forward. The knight moved forward never stopping, slowly he was advancing while his golems spread out to assist the battle line.

More magic flew through the air as more mages appeared. several blood fiends reveled themselves. Monsters taken apart and reformed into bloodied abominations. Corpses would be sucked up by the bloody roots and then reform them to better serve the seethe tree.

Fires grew and smoke obscured the battlefield, arrows magic and bodies flew around the battlefield. Varick neared the front line and ordered his liches to spread out, their wraiths darted in and out of the battlefield killing unsuspecting victims. Varicks staff glowed with the souls of the departed.

The blood fiends reached the front line ripping through the skeletons and jumping at the giants skeletons. Some jumped onto the gaint knight but were quickly killed by a dark aura that caused them to be ripped apart. The knight raised his banner and several balls of darkness formed and descended on the approaching blood fiends.

Several explosions of dark energy caused the horde to drop by a considerable amount giving the liches time to raise more undead. The knight slammed his shield into one of the blood fiends as it leaped at him, the shield glowed dark as the blood fiend hit it.

The blood fiend was torn apart and its blood flowed into the shield, the dark knights eyes glowed a brighter red as the blood was absorbed. The knights armor shuttered and then he roared once more raising his banner to the sky. "FOR WAR!!! FOR CONQUEST!!! FOR BLOOD!!!" The words reverberated around the field and more of the horde converged on the knight.

The dark aura shined brighter as the knight slammed his shield into oncoming enemies, his banner like spear lashed out sending bodies flying, occasionally he would impale a large animal and then spun his spear until releasing the animals corpse chucking it onto incoming enemies. Liches took advantage of the corpse and used corpse explosion causing even more of the red horde to die in spectacular ways.

Infected beings of the red seethe tree showed no fear, charging blindly into their enemies. The seethe trees roots now waved back and forth removing their stiffness and some roots even lashed out at the undead army. Liches burned the roots as quickly as they could but their numbers fell as the tree finally began to retaliate.

The liches acting as the back guard were not idle, throwing fireballs and burning bone spears into the forest causing most of the forests surroundings to be set aflame. Moving in a secular formation around the seethe tree, several other creatures were captured and put inside of the bone cages.

The right flank met little resistance but still faught to burn the forest, the left flank was met with a large swarm of blood fiends and lost almost all of their liches to surprise attacks. Varick led the vanguard forward while the main body of the army set out more liches to support the three armies, while burning everything in their path.

Only two tactics could be used when fighting a seethe tree, send in a shock team of powerful warriors to destroy the seethe trees core body, or burn the forest and soundings to weaken the trees power. Nagol attempted to use both tactics at once, if the army interior fell then he would reinforce the external and continue to burn the forest, if the assault succeeded he could use the remaining liches to burn down the roots to insure no new seethe tree would form.

Varick was now beside the dark knight, lashing out with his sword and several fireballs. The other liches did the same with the golems protecting their flanks and using them as shields. The other minions filled in the ranks and held the line fighting. Several of the newer undead glowed with powerful unholy auras.

The army advanced several miles until they were met with a giant cliff with a gate wide open, the seethe trees branches loomed over them and swayed back and forth. The red horde became even more violent slamming into the undead with reckless abandon growing in size as their rage consumed them.

The Dark knight rushed forward and disappeared into the opened doors its golems rushed in with him shorty after. Varick ordered his army to create a barricade keeping the red horde out of the entrance while himself and 6 liches would go inside with a small group of their strongest undead.

Varick led his warriors through and felt the walls watching him, buildings glowing with the red roots, slowly slithering around. The seethe tree had taken over the fort of Dagger Point and became the seethe trees home. Fire flashed from inside the cave...

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Fellmore here, sorry for being "late" on this chapter. I just passed my exam and have a bit more free time. If you see any errors please let me know.

Also want to apologize for being mia for such a long time, I am not going to abandon this fiction, and I promise even if it takes me 50years+ I will finish Nagol: The Skeleton King, and my other projects.