[das123]

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THE FALL OF ERMOR

Armies of shrieking flesh eaters stream across the great river for month after month, gobbling up the once lush land. All the while the fearsome Gorgon terrorises the countryside. People leave the great city to try and escape to the far provinces - including Eldora, the Ermorian Pretender. She takes a small retinue and heads to the safety of the northern deserts and the new stone keep that has been built on a barren hillside. Back inside the city is the last guard which consists of a horde of gladiators, magicians and priests.

The first Sauromatian attack on the city is bloody with both sides losing many warriors. It is the first battle that Ermor has been able to withstand the deadly arrows of the Sauromaians. And, by tooth and claw, the battle descends into a battle of the undead as slain soldiers are brought back to life by dark arts from both sides. The holy pontiffs of Ermor are strong and in the end they prove the deciding factor as they clear the Sauromatian undead from the battlefield. The Sauromatians are driven from the walls and the city is saved. But this is only for 30 days. The Ermorians are without reinforcement while a second Sauromatian army is close by pillaging a nearby province. The second Sauromatian assault proved decisive and the eternal city of Ermor falls to the flesh eaters.

At the same time, the fort in the desert is visited and put under siege by the demons of Lanka.

Ermor lies in ruins. Spies and scouts still venture into the wilds to hear news of the Ermorian allies and of their attacks on Sauromatia. But no word comes back.

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