D&D Nerdery 2: Savage Opakaw 3: The Ruination

The Words of St. Galain

1. Lo, the darkness took over the land.  The races three were now divided and shattered into many more.  Where stood the Elves now stood beings of such grace as the Eladrin.
2. But in this time of darkness grace would not be tolerated to exist upon itself.  And the Eladrin and those untwisted had to face with a darker cousin.  And darker still were the Fomor.  And the chains they began to place upon their cousins.
3. Silence let it's oppressive weight be felt during each of our sermons and even our holiest warriors began to have doubts.  
4. The darkest thoughts of our flock magnified during this period after the Shattering.  The faithless grew amongst them and spread their foul words through the minds of the grieving.  And the presence of the demonborn was an insult to our Faith.
5. And as the doubts and the dark thoughts magnified and the demonborns very existence mocked us, that negative energy coalesced into a being.
6. A being darker than the Fomor.  One that made the demonborn seem more a blessing than a curse.  And as befitting its darkness, it hid in the shadows and twisted further. 
7. Whole settlements of humans marched to the sealed mountain homes of the Dwarves, at the base of the God's river.  They began to war upon the very earth that sealed the dwarves in.  
8. And once they penetrated, dark beings of tusk and putrid skin flowed outward and massacred the makeshift army.  
9. Every last soul was lost that day, and that statement is true to its core.  For these beings, these Orcs, piled every last body into the Holy River.  And there the Darkness revealed itself.  
10. The mountain of bodies melted down into the holy waters.  Putrid diseases of kinds never before in our lands spread from the waters.  
11. The black waters spread quickly, infecting every last settlement it passed through.  Those unafflicted fled to the safety of the forests to the north and south. 
12. Those afflicted died a painful death even our most powerful prayers could not alleviate.  And as our flock saw once again our power questioned, the lack of faith spread further.
13. In response we walked away from our duty to tend the flock.  We stopped our attempts at alleviating the pain and suffering of the afflicted.  Peace and Love was replaced with Revenge and Justice.
14. We assembled an army.  At its core our best clerics, now praying for guidance in battle.
15. Defending them and being the strong backbone of this army were our former Temple Defenders, now dubbed Paladins of the Faith.
16. The most fervent amongst our new warriors were declared to be Avengers.  For they shall avenge all the insults done to our peoples and our Lord.
17. We marched up the desecrated river and warred upon the Orcs that served our Enemy.  They fell before our righteous might and on we marched.
18. Up the mountain of bodies that our blades created.  Up to the Enemy itself, who gazed down from the base of the river he conquered from our Lord.
19. Our mightiest prayers were uttered, calling for the holy light to cleanse the darkness from our land.  And our prayers combined and unleashed such radiance from the heavens.  Our hearts lifted at the sight.
20. And then sunk at the reality.  For as the radiance hit the Enemy, it was taken inside and twisted.  Suddenly that radiance was made Dark and unleashed upon us.  
21. Many of our warriors fell instantly at the touch and rose again to fight us.  The fallen's holy powers were twisted to that of darkness.  And each of us who were touched by their blades would fall and rise again to make war upon our fellows.
22. As all seemed lost and our holy army began to break, a light broke out onto the heavens.
23. A voice spoke out to me, asking me to accept the God within my Heart.  I did so and as I did I felt myself swelled with such power.
24. I heard my voice speak out a word from a language I had never heard before, and the Dark One recoiled.  
25. A Gate of Silver appeared in the sky and swung open, revealing behind it a large host of angelic warriors.  The warriors flew over our fallen comrades and turned them to ash, and we stood in place as we watched them fly upon the Dark One.
26. The Dark One, however, fought back.  Those we thought invincible fell before his blade, but did him great damage as well.
27. And I knew then that it required more than just a spoken word, no matter how holy, to defeat this one.  I climbed up the mountain as the angels and the Dark One warred.
28. Upon reaching the summit I threw myself at the unholy thing that so insulted our Lord and invoked all the power I had felt the God grant me.  
29. A Blade of silver and light appeared in my hand and plunged into the chest of the Dark One.  I felt the coldness of his being began to infect my soul.  I pushed away and flung myself backwards, watching as the light enveloped it.
30. And so the war was won but with cost.  The Angels streamed back through the gate and closed it.  Our Holy Order given a new task.
31. For the river is still unhallowed and beings of dark power and death now roam along its banks.  The core of our land now rendered inhospitable.
32. But we remain.  We remain under the lands and fight back.  Our Lord, now reviled amongst our former flock, strengthens our will with this holy cause.
33. Soon the river shall turn blue again, and the darkness that has enveloped us all will finally cease.