In the far north of the Griffionian continent, there are few creatures be they pony, griffion or any other who call the land home. The few tribes of hill ponies who do stay there are often forgotten even by their eastern kin. Above even those middling, dirt poor farmers are two groups even more forgotten and far more ancient. So secluded that some say they make the backwardness of the hills tribes look almost like modernization at its finest. That they are lost time to history and time. That they only continue to exist to fight each other: The Arcturian Order and the Dread League.
The Arcturian Order is a holy order founded approximately nine hundred to one thousand years ago by Desmond the Fell-Claw. Its basis is the faith and ideals of 12 churches in worship to the Holy Light, which they claim has holy powers against the dead and the necromancers who raise the dead. It is made up of both griffion knights, holy clerics and even ponies making it an odd group who stand together against their ancient foes who inhabit the aptly named Dread Peninsula where darkness and death has reigned at least since the first ‘Long Night’ march of the dead took place. This ‘Long Night’ led the area just outside the peninsula, its old name lost to time, to become the area the holy order swears to try and contain the darkness.
Seeing as almost all writing or information to trickle out to the world of the Dread League is through the Arcturian Order, and they share very little of what they do have, it is hard to find any sort of writing that does not boil down to how unholy and evil the very existence of these necromancers is. However, during the creation of this document, a few pieces of text led to believe this conflict is far more vital than others might believe.
This is what is openly known of the Orders opponent, the Dread League is this: they are a small group powerful of necromancers who make their home in Magehold keep. On their own, these necromancers are just those tempted and corrupted by dark magics either ages ago or otherwise. It is said something draws to the area, so that they may convene and attempt to take over the world with swarms of undead skeletons and zombies along with vampirish thralls. It is said that their only opponent is their oldest one. The Holy Arcturian Order, who they seek to destroy at any given time.
Both of these nations are isolated, locked away in their own world of darkness and death. By all accounts, they are backwards in industry and social advances, more akin to life as it was when they began their fight between darkness and light. Sword, spear and shield are not obsolete but rather the norm, with full plate armor instead of modern military uniform. Both have one absolute ruler. A Headmaster for the Order and a Necromancer Council Leader for the League who govern above their subjects with their word being law. That is where their similarities cease however.
The Order is like that of a typical aristocratic griffion nation, with only instead top church officials and a headmaster instead of nobles and a king. They look over the elite knights who make up the majority of the fighting force at any given time and the largely farming peasantry who can be pressed into service at any time. While perhaps less oppressive than other forms of this type of government due to the “all in this together” mentality present throughout the country, it is no less unequal at its core.
The Dread League on the other hoof has very few actual living beings within her borders, almost all of which are the necromancers whole make up the council that decides the new leader whenever needed. Most of its denizens are ancient dead or magical creatures risen and called upon to do the typical busy work that any commoner might do, including working in what few workshops the land has or filling the ranks of its often vast but weak army. Magic is what allows this rabblish force of the undead to be made and controlled, hurling themselves at the Holy Orders lines fearing neither pain nor death, marching tirelessly through the frozen north in their advance.
While it is not known exactly who is in charge of the League currently, rumors tell of a young but powerful unicorn who has recently become the next candidate, whose sights are likely already set on but one goal: To see Tarpain Rock's walls crumble, and the world beyond it burn. But, is that their only goal?
“Many believe this conflict will end with the destruction of our blessed Holy Order. They think that that is all the unholy and damned from Magehold will want is our bodies to join their ranks finally. While this may be one of their goals, in no small part will they stop their. We shall merely become pawns in the next Dark Crusade, and should we fall and no one pay it mind, then it might just be successful.”- Arcturian writing, attributed to a holy knight
What is this Dark Crusade? It is put simply the deads march upon the living, to make sure that only those who controlled the armies of the dead have any power in the world and to recreate the “Dead Empire” across all of the known world. To exingust the light and fill the void with darkness. The Dread Leagues ultimate dream of world domination.
One might wonder how a frozen nation of the dead nearly a millennium behind in all technology who seems unable to defeat even their nearest equal, let alone the modern countries which most who read this likely reside. It might seem silly to think these shut in crazy magical beings could one day march for world domination, but one must look closer to see that the idea isn’t as outlandish as one might think.
The League has several things to its advantage currently, the most prominent of which is the disunity and weakness of the nations in the Griffionian continent who would could fall one by one, letting them grow more powerful as they conquered lands up to date in industry and capturing the most modern weaponry available. Eventually they could snowball into being able to take on even the most powerful countries in their path.
Another aspect to take into consideration is the dead that comprise their army who are, as stated before, are untiring, unwavering and unending. An army who needs no food, no rest, has no other goal but their orders and whose ranks would in theory never end as any dead from a battle can simply be replaced from the fresh stock of enemies recently passed.
Finally, one must remember these necromancers have more than their armies or the magic used to make them, but ancient spells long lost to time. The Order has in recent years claimed they can feel the unholy magics being practiced with more and more frequency, admitting they themselves have very little idea the extent of what these magics can do.
So while the idea of invading dead armies invading the known world might seem like something out of a story book, should you ever hear tell of the fall of an old griffion knightly holy order somewhere in the fringes of the world, remember that those dead do walk the very earth you and I do.
*Do to lack of access, there are no ending quotes available