Heart of Draconia
Southeast region
4 weeks later
It had been several weeks since Magog had his dreams about the return of Draga and Mori interpretted by the High Priest Sylas and now he was in the Heart of Draconia itself with 100 of his royal guards and a handful of officers consisting of mostly Ponies but there were also a few Griffons, Minotaurs and Zebras all clad entirely in coats of steel scale-mail armour complete with greaves, vambraces, pectorals of various shapes and designs, mail hauberks, rectangular or crescent-shaped shields and on their heads were fitted with either galea-style helmets or coifs of scale-mail patterned after the traditional Choltean high cap that tapered to a point and stood stiffly upright. Magog himself was equipped with the same kind of armour except it had large steel plates over his withers, flanks and back and on his legs were spiked greaves and cleated horseshoes. On his head he wore a sallet-type helmet fitted with his spikey steel crown, a bladed horn guard and a crest of dark purple hair that flowed like a black flame in the wind. And all were armed with either straight bladed swords or kopis/ falcata type swords, spears, halberds, maces, war hammers, axes, bows and arrows and handcannons.
The landscape of the Heart of Draconia was much like what he had seen in his dream: a barren wasteland with the ground made of ash and dust dotted with sharp black rocks jutting out of the earth like broken bones as far as the eye can see. Every once in a while there was a fissure in the ground that revealed lakes and rivers of magma mere meters beneath their hooves. Jutting out of the middle of the ashen plains stood a solitary volcano with its peak glowing red, Mt. Tyrannus.
Along the horizon on all sides was the jagged black mountain chain that made up the outer border of the Heart. Some of the peaks burned red with volcanic activity. The sky above was covered with a thick canopy of volcanic smoke so thick that no sunlight could penetrate it. The only source of light in the entire area was the reddish orange glow of the volcanos, in particular the solitary Mt. Tyrannus on the plains, and bright flashes of red lightning from the clouds bathing the landscape in a dull red light.
At one place in the mountain chain a strange unnatural-looking structure stood out amongst the jagged rocks. From where the group was it looked like a great spire of some sort. It was too far away to make out any exact details, but they knew what it was: the great fortress of Tyranteum, capitol of Draconia and the personal abode of the Dragons themselves, mainly Draga. And that was their destination.
Magog could still recall the moment that Sylas had last spoken to him about his dream.
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4 weeks earlier
Great Temple of the Dragons
"That the return of Draga and Mori is upon us."
Magog was speechless at the High Priests words. He knew that eventually the Great Dragons would return to from beneath their imprisonment deep beneath the earth, but he never would've guessed that it would happen in his lifetime much less have a dream foretelling it.
"Are you certain, Sylas?" he asks."Are you sure this is what my dream is telling me: that Draga and Mori are returning soon?"
"Yes, great lord." Sylas answered. "Not only that, I believe they have shown you a glimse of their plans once they've returned."
Magog thought for a moment about certain details of his dream, namely the part about Canterlot and the nation of Equestria going up in flames. It didn't take him long to decipher what that part could mean.
"Which is to finish what they started and burn Equestria to the ground." he said with a wicked smile across his muzzle as if relishing the idea of seeing all of Equestria in flames. "And all the while bathing all the land in the blood of the worthless subjects of the witch Celestia and her sister, starting with Canterlot."
"Correct, my liege." Sylas added. "But before that they intend to unite all of Draconia back under their banner."
"And once again peace and order will be restored to Draconia after centuries of endless fighting." At this point Magog's face practically beamed at the thought of Draconia's long-lost rulers returning to their rightful places. "And at long last the factions shall be united as one, the empire will be restored to it's former glory and Equestria will burn for its transgressions against us centuries ago."
But then a thought entered his mind: exactly when were they supposed to return? And where?
"But Sylas, do you know when exactly are they to return or where?"
"When exactly they will return I do not know, great lord." Sylas answered. "As to where they will make their return, I believe they will reappear in their old domain: The Heart of Draconia." He points with his talon towards the opening in the wall behind the idols and towards the black mountains that made up the borders of the Heart. " And what's more, great lord, I believe they want you to witness their return."
Magog was speechless once again. Not only did he foresee the return of Draga and Mori in his dreams, but he would have the honor of witnessing their return with his own eyes. However, as Sylas said, he would have to go into the Heart of Draconia to witness it. To Draconians everywhere the Heart was sacred ground, and it was said to be guarded by terrifying monsters that roam the interior of the Heart seeking to slay anyone who enters the land unless the Dragons themselves want them to enter. This had Magog slightly worried, and he was a stallion that prided himself as not being afraid of anything. If he was going to go through with going into the Heart of Draconia to witness the return of the Dragons he could only hope that Sylas was right and they want him to witness their return, lest he meet the same fate as those who wandered there before and never returned. But it would be worth the risk, Magog decided, to see Draconias long-lost lords return to their rightful places.
"Then I should prepare to leave for the Heart of Draconia immediately." Magog said after the pause.
"Indeed, great lord." answered Sylas, "I wish you the best of luck and may the Dragons watch over you and reward you for your efforts."
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The group continued their trek to Tyranteum. It was slow going as the terrain was unfogiving with its outcroppings of razor sharp rocks, fissures, lava pools, winding ravines, low visibility, high winds coupled with ash and dust, subterranean lava tubes, tremors but the worst of them all was the heat, poisonous fumes that seeped up from cracks in the ground and the inability to tell the passage of time. since they could see the sun, moon or stars for the volcanic smoke.
The expedition was beginning to take its toll on the group as several of the royal guards were currently out of commission. Some of them were suffering from heat exhaustion almost to the point of having heatstroke, as well as dehydration. Some others had had the misfortune of enhaling some the toxic fumes that occasionally seeped up from ground. And some others had recieved injuries from falling into lava tubes or hidden fissures or falling debris from the tremors. And one of his Pegasi had been hit by lightning.
However, much to Magogs relief, the monsters that were said to roam the land were nowhere to be seen; either they were just an old mare's tale or they were simply hiding. The contingent was currently in a ravine lined with rough jagged rock walls pitted with caves and large crevasses, which put everyone on edge because there just might be something hiding inside. As they trekked throught the ravine everyone kept an eye on the caves and crevasses with weapons drawn and ready and the Unicorns within the group had their magic charged just in case something did come out. Some of the guards even said that they heard what sounded like faint screams and groans coming out of them. Obviously some of them were occupied.
"How much further is it, lord Magog?" asked his Lt. Sassini. He was a Pegasus with a cool grey coat, bright red mane and tail, orange-red eyes and his body was covered in a coat of polished steel scale-mail armour that covered his whole body, including his undersides and legs, with his hooves shod in cleated horseshoes. On his side was a sword housed in a light grey scabbard. On his chest was a brass pectoral made of 3 discs in the shape of an inverted triangle. On his head was a galae-style helmet with a scale aventail worn over a chain mail coif. On his back was a short dark purple cloak.
"I don't know, Sassini. How about you fly your mangy carcass up there and find out yourself?" Magog answered in an irritated tone. Sassini had been getting on his, and everyone elses, nerves since they entered the Heart of Draconia with his constant complaining about everything from dust and ash in his armour, feathers and mane to the low visibility to the heat. Not to mention his constant fretting over being attacked by monster everytime he thought he saw something move. Mentally Magog was debating over whether he should throw him into a fissure or lava pool or just break his legs and wings and just leave him for the monsters.
It was no secret that Magog had absolutely no love for his lieutanent due to his constant scheming and treachery. He always suspected Sassini of plotting to usurp him and take the throne of Choltea for himself. And usually he was right. Yet Magog allowed him to live despite his transgressions, mostly due to his qualities as a strategist and commander making him one of the most decorated officers in the army. Thus he was too valuable to simply take off his head and have someone else replace him. Plus he couldn't help but admire his cunning and his ambition. The only reason he never succeeded in overthrowing his master was because his own arrogance and stupidity would always get the better of him and Magog was a little too smart for his lieutanent. And usually a good pommelling would straighten him out, at least for a while.
"Forgive me, great lord, I know I've been getting on everyones nerves but we've but it just seems like we're not getting any closer to our destination." Sassini responded.
"Indeed lieutanent," Magog said in a less irritated tone. "The terrain in this place is treacherous, and finding a safe route to Tyranteum is proving quite difficult. As you know it seems to take us hours just to go a few miles. At this rate may take us days to reach Tyranteum."
"Days!?" Sassini answered in disbelief. "Begging your pardon sire, but as you know our supplies are starting to run thin, especially our water and medical supplies, and we may not have enough to last us till we Tyranteum. And we certainly won't have enough to last on the return journey home. And besides how do we know that this Sylas was telling the truth about Draga's and Mori's return and not simply sending us on a wild goose chase?"
"And what would you have me do? Have us just turn around and go back after we've come this far?" Magog retorted. "No Sassini, it's too late to turn back now. So we may as well press on. As for our supply problem, I admit that maybe I was a little underprepared for this expedition. Hardly anyone has any knowledge of the land within the Heart of Draconia; Not even Sylas. If I had known in advance that it would be this slow going thanks to this damnable terrain I would've packed more provisions. And as for the question of Sylas telling the truth, no High Priest would dare lie about something as important as the Dragons return or have us go on this dangerous excursion to witness their return unless they were certain it was true. And if he did decieve us, let's just say being crucified would be least of his worries." Crucifixion was the penalty for intentionally giving a false message or prophecy from Draga and Mori. Worst than that was the punishment they would recieve in the afterlife from the Dragons themselves.
"Point taken, great lord." Sassini said. "But what of our remaining food and supplies."
"For the time being we'll have to ration as much of our food, medicine and water as possible. If we must, those of us in good health must refrain from eating for a while and save most of it for the sick and injured. And absolutely no wasting any food or water. First one that does will be the first to lose their head. And we'll set up camp once we're out of this ravine. I'm not setting up camp anywhere near these caves."
"Understood, great lord." Sassini responded and relayed the orders to the others.
The group continued through the ravine for several hours until the ravine walls began to decrease in height and the ground started to go uphill slightly and there were no more caves and crevasses. Shallower and shallower the ravine became until it was little more than a deep trench with the walls being 12 ft. high at the most. Eventually the ravine came to an end and the group came upon a vast ashen plain near the foot of Mt. Tyrannus to the northwest and Tyranteum to the northeast.
Now they could get a somewhat clearer picture of what the great fortress looked like. It looked like a series of spires sticking out of the side of the mountain with one large single spire reaching up towards the sky, it spike crowned top almost touching the clouds. It's base glowed red from the moat of lava that flowed around it. It was estimated to be nearly half a mile tall making it the tallest structure in all of Draconia, possibly the world. It stood as a testament to the power and might of the Draconian Empire and the 2 Dragons that ruled it.
Off to the east there was a small pale green glowing speck of light at the base of the mountains. That was the fortress of Sepulchre, the personal abode of Mori. That part of the Heart of Draconia was darker than the rest of the land due to the lack of light from the few volcanos in that part with only lightning flashes for ilumination. And the clouds themselves were always swirling around like a massive vortex. According to legend the land around Sepulchre was a massive graveyard that went on for miles and miles filled with the bones of every kind of creature imaginable. And just outside of Sepulchre were fetid mashlands that went on for at least 5-6 miles. Monsters and spirits were said to lurk beneath the stagnant waters waiting to drag some hapless victim to a watery grave.
After travelling another mile or more the group make camp. The injured and sick were being cared for the medical tent by several field medics including medical officer Knossus, a male Unicorn/Zebra hybrid with a red and white striped coat, mane and tail and crimson eyes wearing a coat of steel red and white painted scale-mail armour and his assistant Boegreas, a Dwarf Minotaur bull with a cobalt blue coat, a missing right eye and steel-tipped horns who wore a coat of steel scale-male armour with a single disc-shaped pectoral on his chest, a scale-mail covered cap that came to a point on top, bracers on his arms, greaves on his legs, a crescent-shaped shield strapped to his back and on his hip hanging from a leather loop was a wicked looking war hammer. Around the camp about 25 to 30 of the royal guards stood watch around the camp while the others were resting in their deep purple and black tents.
Meanwhile in Magogs personal tent all the other commanders were gathered to discuss their next plan of action now that their destination was in sight and their long journey may finally be coming to an end. The topic of discussion centered around what to do when Draga and Mori made their appearance and what to do about their dangerously low provisions. In attendance were Magog, Sassini, 2nd Lt. Darius a Griffon with dark blue plumage and an orange coat and his brother Aerial commander Sirius also a Griffon with a dark green plumage and a silver coat, Sergeant Hector a large male Changeling/Pegasis hybrid whose exoskeleton was covered in battle scars and Chief Engineering, Magic and Science Officer Silvanus a one eyed Unicorn stallion with a purple coat an indigo and black mane and tail and a single red right eye.
A few minutes after the meeting began a newcomer entered the tent. It was Reconaissance and Intelligence officer Sardonyx a mute Pegasus stallion with a blueish purple coat, dark blue mane and tail and vermillion eyes. He was clad in a coat of blue tinted steel scale-mail armour. On his head was a galea-style helmet over a chainmail coif. On his right side was a falcata-type sword housed in a dark blue scabbard. Perched on his back was his pet crow Lazarus.
"Ah, Sardonyx." Magog said. "We've been expecting you. What news do you have for us?"
Sardonyx began tapping his right forehoof against the greave on his left in a rhythmic patern like morse code. Being mute this is how he would communicate. Magogs eyelids rose and a slight smile formed on his muzzle.
"15 miles away you say? Excellent! We'll reach Tyranteum within a few hours after we rest up."
Sardonyx began his rhythmic tapping again. Magog looked at him curiously.
"Other news? Go on."
After another series of rhythmic taps Magogs eyes widened.
"Get the men up! Get them armed and ready to move out!" He ordered to his officers with urgency in his voice.
"What?" asked Sassini a bit worried. "But we've just made camp, sire. What is going on? What did he say?"
Magog looked at him and said, "We're not the only ones out here."
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About 2-3 miles northeast of Magogs camp was another camp, this one belonging to the Tramplevanians from north-easern Draconia. The camp consisted of around 20 navy blue tents with deep red trim each capable of housing 5 soldiers plus a small pavillion-type tent of a similar color scheme. Flying over the pavillion was the Tramplevanian banner: a deep red wolves head on a navy blue field.
All the soldiers, consisting mostly of Pegasi, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, some Griffons, Minotaurs, Minoboars, Lycans, Gargoyles and Satyrs wore coats of platemail armour with spangenhelm-type helmets on their heads, greaves and bazubands on their legs and arms. Round steel shields hung from their back or shoulders and on their sides they all wore sabers, kilijs and seaxes and all were armed with halberds, bardiches, maces, axes, mattocks, war hammers, crossbows and a few handcannons.
Leading the Tramplevanians was their queen Mary, a wingless Pegasis mare with a blood red coat and a messy jet black mane and tail and dark red eyes. Like her troops she wore a coat of platemail armour with greaves on her legs and cleated shoes on her hooves. However hers had retractable claw-like blades mounted on her forelegs. On her left side she wore a silver handled kilij housed in ornate red leather scabbard fitted with a silver locket, chape and suspension rings. She wore no helmet on her head but instead wore a silver laurel and she wore a silver crescent-shaped gorget around her neck. On her back was a cape that looked like a patchwork quilt lined with long fur. Each square on the cape was different color with various pictures and symbols on them that looked suspiciously like cutie marks(or soul marks as they're called in Draconia).
She was known for being an insane sadistic psychopath whose cruelty and sadism towards her enemies was legendary even by Draconian standards. She was always devicing new ways to torture and inflict pain on her victims whether physically, emotionally or mentally with the latter 2 being her favorite. And she was just as merciless when it came to ending the lives of her victims as she would attempt to make their deaths as slow and painful as possible. Crucifixion and impaling were her favorite means of execution.
Aside from torture and mutilations her most imfamous practices were making garments out of the skins of her victims, namely her enemies, and was said to actually drink and bathe in their blood. This earned her the nicknames ' The Bloody Mare' and 'Bloody Mary'. This name led to a rumor that her coat was originally white but was permanently stained red from the blood of her victims. And it was said that she always smelled of blood.
Her mannerisms, speech patterns and appearance portrayed a very disturbed and mentally unstable mare. She always had a messy, bisheveled appearance with a unkempt mane and tail as though they had never been washed for a very long time, bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils and irises, dark circles around eyes that made her looks like she never had a decent nights sleep. Her every movement was twitchy and jerky like she was always on edge. Whenever she spoke she had a typical Tramplevanian Romanianesque accent, but it always had a cracked, icy and unhinged tone to it. She was prone to vicious mood swings; she could be calm and collected one moment then turn violent and angry the next.
Her behavior was believed by many to be the result of the trauma she endured as a former slave in the mines of Cruellacia(the former name of Tramplevania) as well as her addiction to opium and frequent inhalation of mercury vapor to help with her back pain.
As of now she we sitting at the edge of the camp alone just staring at the fortress of Tyranteum with half-closed eyes, furrowed brows with pupils dilated, eyes bloodshot with dark rings under them. While she was staring at the fortress her diseased mind began to fill with macabre fantasies. She envisioned all of Equestria being reduced to an ashen wasteland dotted with gruesome forests of crucifixes and sharpened stakes each adorned with the body of a stallion, mare or foal. A wicked smile slowly crept across her muzzle as her fantasies became more gruesome.
She was broken out of her demented daydream when she notices some movement in the sky above her. She looks up at the strange flying object with a spy and sees that it's a Pegasus. Exactly what gender she couldn't tell at the moment. But she did know that it wasn't one of her own; she ordered that any Pegasi or Griffon found flying around without her approval be shot down. And none of them would dare disobey a direct order from their psychotic queen. Plus it was wearing armour and had a sword on it's left side that didn't look Tramplevanian in design but Choltean. Her eyes widened in realization and she ran into the camp to alert her troops.
"Wake up, you fools!" Mary shouts throughout the camp. "Wake up, now or I'll skin you all alive! Now get up and get ready to move out! We head for Tyranteum imediately!" And without hesitation all of her troops imediately got up and started putting on their uniforms.
"M' lady, what's going on?" asked one of her commanders.
"We're not the only ones here." Mary said in an icy voice. "Magog and his lackeys are here too."
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2 miles north of the Tramplevanian camp was a camp belonging to their neighbors the Avaricians from the cold northern region of Draconia. The camp consisted of 20 red tents with yellow trim arranged in a grid pattern with a large pavilion-style tent in the center. From its highest point a red flag flew in the breeze. Emblazed on its surface was a yellow horseshoe in a "U" position with a blacksmiths hammer positioned inside.
The soldiers in the camp numbered around 100 and consisted mostly of Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies, some Minotaurs, Yetis, Satyrs, Stags, Griffins and Arctic Dogs. All were fitted with scarlet uniforms with gold accents and over this a chainmail coat was worn and over that they wore grey steel plate armour similar in design to those worn by the Canterlot Royal Guard for Ponies and Stags but with underbelly protection and armour for the limbs including cleated horseshoes. Rectangular shields hung from their shoulders or backs. Upon their heads they wore a mail coif and simply pot-style helmets; the Minotaurs, Satyrs and Stags wore special helmets that accomodated their horns and antlers. And all were armed with shashqua-type sabers, dussack cutlasses or kilijs, simple lances, pole-axes, bardiches, bill hooks, glaives, war forks, war scythes, hammers, mattocks, crossbows, hand cannons and matchlock muskets.
The leader of this camp was Czar Rasputin, a Unicorn stallion with an olive green coat, sepia mane, beard and tail and yellow eyes. He wore a suit of armour similar to that of his troops except his was faced with gold, silver and platinum filigree and studded with rubies, diamonds and amber. His helmet was fitted with a gold spike on it's top and faced with the national symbol in gold filigree. At his right side was a shashqua saber fitted with a gold and silver ruby-encrusted hilt, the blade housed in a red velvet covered scabbard fitted with a golden locket, chape, suspension rings encrusted with rubies and amber. Around his neck were several gold chains and medallions encrusted with rubies, diamonds, and amber stones. On his back was a silken red cape with designs of the Avarician horseshoe and hammer embroidered in gold and lined with snow leopard fur.
He was known far and wide as the Dragon of the North because of his skill in using fire-based magic, but more importantly he was given that name due to his insatiable love of gold and treasure that could rival the greed of any Dragon for he didn't just love riches, he was obsessed with it and would do anything to get more of it. He also had massive vaults filled with treasures that he either pilferred from his own citizens, through taxes or extortion, or plundered from his vanquished enemies.
Rasputin was in the pavillion with all of his commanders talking about what to do once they reach Tyranteum and what to do once Draga and Mori make their appearance. Rasputin, however, had his mind on other things. Visions of gold, silver, precious stones and other treasures from Equestria danced around in his head. He had heard many stories of Equestria's great wealth; gemstones as common as rocks and great seams of gold, silver and platinum in the mountains that ran like rivers through stone. It also had its wealth in other natural resources; vast forests of timber. Mineral, metal and stone deposits. Soil more fertile than any that could be found in Draconia complete with vast tracks of farmland, orchards, vineyards, plantations and gardens. Untapped reseviors of petroleum and natural gas. Exotic plants and animals. And cities filled with wealthy Ponies and many other priceless treasures. The cities he desired to plunder the most were Canterlot, Manehatten and the Crystal Empire.
His larcenous fantasies were interrupted when a someone burst into the tent; it was one of his scouts, an Earth Pony stallion with a dark orange coat, mahogany mane and tail and lime green eyes.
"Czar Rasputin," he said in a heavy Russian-like accent, "I have an urgent message for you."
"And what would that be?" responded Rasputin with the same accent as the scout but in a slightly annoyed tone from having his daydream interrupted.
"I've come to report that we are not the only ones here in the Heart of Draconia."
At that statement everyone, including Rasputin, was suprised at this news. "What do you mean 'we are not the only ones here'?" Rasputin asked. "Who else is here besides us?"
"Well, the Tramplevanians are here led by Queen Mary herself camped no more than 2 miles south of us. Magog and the Cholteans are here too around 2 to 3 miles southwest of the Tramplevanian camp. Both of them appear to be preparing to move out."
"Most likely they'll be heading for Tyranteum," Rasputin interjected. This was disturbing news to him; Magog and Mary were 2 of his biggest rivals. Tramplevania was the next door neighbor of Avaricium, both were the major superpowers of northern Draconia, and at the moment he and Mary had a cease-fire agreement between their respective countries. And as capricious and tempermental as she was she might consider his presence here a violation of their cease-fire agreement and declare war on him. Magog on the other hand was one stallion he didn't want to mess with as he was the most powerful Unicorn in Draconia. In a magic duel he wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention he had an obscene amount of physical strength for a Unicorn Pony. Or even for a Pony, period.
"Are there any others besides Magog and Mary?" Rasputin asked.
"In fact there are others besides them, excellency," the scout answered. "There's Kaiser Rommel of Liebernia camped near the foothills of Mt. Tyrannus along with Pharoah Xerxes of Mizeriam and King Iscariot of Fillystia about 3 miles west of Magogs camp."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, excellency."
Rasputin didn't like this at all. Rommel, Xerxes and Iscariot were also some of his biggest rivals and along with himself, Magog and Mary as they were all the major superpowers of Draconia. And they were all gathered within the Heart of Draconia, camped within a few miles of each other. 'Perhaps the reason they were here was to witness the return of Draga and Mori. What other reason would they be here for?' He thought to himself. He didn't like that idea at all. He wanted to be the one to witness their return, and he wanted that privilege all for himself. The others were just competition; and if there was one thing he hated it was competition.
"Very well," he said to the scout."You're dismissed." The scout bowed and exited the pavillion. Rasputin then turned to his to his officers who were all talking amongst themselves about what the scout just said.
"Get everyone ready to move out in 5 minutes." he ordered to his commanders, "We head for Tyranteum."
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Around the foothills of Mt. Tyrannus were the camps of Kaiser Rommel of Liebernia and Pharoah Xerxes of Mizeriam. The 2 had become allies not long ago and both had come to the Heart of Draconia to witness the return of Draga and Mori. Their camp was divided between the Liebernians and Mizers and consisted of around 50 tents, 25 for Liebernia and 25 for Mizeriam. The Liebernian tents were red with black and white accents; the Mizer tents were gold with black and blue accents and each could house around 5-6 soldiers. At the center of both camp was a large tent for the leaders.
Rommels tent was a white pavillion-style tent with red and black accents. On the central support pole flew the Liebernian flag: a black Unicorn head with a pair of Pegasus wings in a white dais set on a red background. Xerxes tent was large middle-eastern style multi-colored pavillion colored in gold, black, royal blue, red, turquoise and purple. On the central support beam was the flag of Mizeriam: a black sun over profiles of Draga and Mori arranged in the shape of an 'anhk' on a golden background.
The Liebernian camp consisted entirely of Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi and all had white coats and either black, brown or blonde manes and tails. And all of them wore dark grey uniforms, with the exception of officers whose uniforms were black. Over this they wore blackened steel plate armour that was similar in design to that worn by the Avaricians but wore stahlhelm-style helmets instead of the Avarician pot-style helmets. And the Liebernian flag was painted on the armour of the right foreleg of every soldier. All were armed with shasquas, sabers, messers and broad swords, pikes, halberds, glaives, maces, axes, war hammers, bill hooks, pole axes, crossbows and wheel-lock muskets.
The Mizer camp was more racially diverse with Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Zebras, Griffons, Minotaurs, Anubis's, Horus's, Sekhmets, Sobeks and Thoths. They all wore armour of padded cloth, hardened leather, plate or scale mail and lamellar made from bronze, with the officers wearing iron scale mail and lamellar armour, and for additional protection they carried tower shields with rounded top, football-shaped and figure-8 shields. On their head they were padded cloth headdresses and molded leather or bronze helmets wrapped in black turbans. Their legs and arms were protected by bronze and leather greaves and vambraces. All were armed with khopesh-type swords, scimitars and straight-bladed swords, axes, maces, pikes, javelines, bows and arrows, crossbows, hand cannons and wheel-lock muskets; the last 3 were provided by the Liebernians.
The leaders of both camps were currently meeting with each other in Rommel's tent along with their officers having a little celebration over nearing the end of their journey to Tyranteum. Rommel and Xerxes were currently conversing with each other on one side of the tent.
Rommel was an Earth Pony stallion with a white coat, black mane, toothbrush mustache and tail and green eyes. He wore the same black uniform and armour as his officers, however his was more ornate with brass, silver and gold decorum, and rather than the conventional stahlhelm he wore a black leather pickelhaube helmet. On his back he wore a simple red cape and at his side he wore a wheel-lock pistol and a saber fitted with a brass guard and black leather wrapped handle. His physical armaments aside his deadliest weapons were his cunning mind and forked tongue.
He was known all over Draconia as one of the greatest military minds and tacticians in the land who specialized in the use of deception and trickery. And he used it with great efficiency behind the podium as well, for he was a talented speaker with a silver tongue and a charming charismatic personality who had an uncanny ability to influence others through his speeches and utilized propaganda with great efficiency, mostly centered around villifying Celestia and Luna, denegrating her subjects and promoting his worldview. As far as rulers go in Draconia he was an interesting case; while most of Draconia's warlords ruled through the sword, Rommel ruled through words. And while other warlords used fear and intimidation to keep their subjects in line Rommel used his powers of persuasion and charm to win them over.
Besides his forked tongue Rommel had a much more sinister trait: he was a militant specist with a survival-of-the-fittest mentality who believed that Ponykind was the master race; especially Earth Ponies. This was the reason all of his troops consisted entirely of Ponies. In Liebernia he managed to get the masses to accept his racist beliefs and convinced them that all non-Ponies were inferior. As a result non-Ponies were effectively expelled from Liebernia. Those that remained in Liebernia were often treated as 2nd-class citizens, subject to heavy persecution, herded into detention camps, sold as slaves to neighboring factions or in some cases even killed outright. He treated those he considered 'unfit'( the elderly, sick, deformed, crippled, retarded, physically and mentally impaired and those believed to be of an inferior ethnic heritage) the same way regardless of species.
Of course he didn't believe all Ponies were created equal; he regarded Earth Ponies as superior to Unicorns and Pegasi on the basis that they didn't need magic or wings to do anything (and namely because he was an Earth Pony himself). He also believed the Ponies of Equestria were of an inferior breed compared to Draconian Ponies namely because of their relatively conflict-free lifestyle and because they cared for the weak and the 'unfit' and allowed them to breed. This belief was widespread throughout Draconia, not just Liebernia. However he managed to concoct a pseudo-scientific justification for this belief, convincing the masses that Equestrian Ponies were genetically inferior to them.
His ally, Xerxes was also an Earth Pony stallion with a stone grey coat, black and blue mane and tail, a black beard and mustache and red eyes lined with black eye-liner. He wore a fine coat of steel lameller armour, steel greaves on his legs complete with cleated horseshoes, around his neck was a gold-plated gorget enlayed with various precious stones mostly turquoise and rubies and on his head was a chainmail coif and a blue helmet crown wrapped in a golden silk turban. At his sides he wore a wheel-lock, a gift from Rommel, and a khopesh sword with a gold hilt studded with turquoise housed in a blue-colored leather scabbard.
Xerxes was known his love of making the lives of everyone around him miserable, not just for those he conquered but his own subjects as well. A well known example of this was his oppression and virtual enslavement of the Hayksos Zebras in the eastern part of Mizeriam, taxing many of them to the point of poverty and forcing many of them to sell themselves or their families into slavery to pay off their debts as well as imposing various laws and regulations to make their lives even harder. And for his own subjects he instituted a very rigid and oppressive caste system that ruled their lives from cradle to grave. The few that were lucky enough to be born at the top of the social ladder had far more rights and privileges than those at the bottom. But there was another reason he was known for bringing misery on others.
The country of Mizeriam was home to the largest slave market in Draconia. Customers from every part of Draconia would come to buy slaves for their households, mines, plantations, factories, arenas or simply because they wanted the latest exotic slave that happened to be on sale. And Mizeriam grew rich off the slave trade with well over half it's wealth coming from the buying and selling of slaves. Most of Draconias slave traders and slave catchers either came from Mizeriam or were trained there. Xerxes himself was a slave trader before he became Pharoah of Mizeriam. He wasn't involved in it simply for the money, he enjoyed tormenting the helpless victims he would later sell at the market. The first thing he did as Pharoah was impose more protections on the slave trade with much harsher punishment for any slave that disobeyed their owners for any reason or was caught trying to escape or has escaped; along with stiffer penalties for anyone caught harboring a fugitive slave, aiding their escape or refusing to participate in slave patrols as well as rewards for anyone who apprehended and turned in a runaway. He even went so far as to ban anyone with abolitionist sentiment from holding positions in the government.
Mizeriam and Liebernia became allies due mainly to each having resources that the other needed: Liebernia had advanced technology, such as the wheel-lock gun and electricity, coal and iron deposits, timber, tin, copper and fur. Plus the Mizer slave market was a convenient way of getting rid of the 'undesirables' of Liebernia. Mizeriam had pyrite deposites(a necessary component for their wheel-lock guns) gold and silver, precious stones, silica sand, salt, sugar, natural gas and petroleum.
" Well my friend," said Rommel in a sophisticated voice with a heavy Germanic-type accent, " it seems that the end of our quest is within sight." He poured a glass of white wine and handed it to Xerxes and poured another for himself.
"And at long last we will see the great Dragons make their triumphful return." said Xerxes with deep voice and Farsi-like accent. "And all of Draconia will be one once again. And the glory of our great empire will be restored, perhaps even mightier than ever."
"And then the transgressions against us by that pathetic little Equestria all those centuries ago will finally be avenged," said Rommel. " and the heads of the sun and moon witches Celestia and Luna will be mounted on the highest point of Tyranteum for all the world to see."
Rommel then looks out the opening of the tent towards Tyranteum, admiring it's sheer size and the amount of work that must've went into building such a huge structure and marveling at how such a building could still be standing after a millenia of earthquakes, eruptions and neglect. Xerxes also looked at the massive fortress in the distance with the same admiration as Rommel.
"Centuries ago the whole world trembled at the very name of our great empire." said Xerxes with a somewhat nostalgic tone. " All the world feared the power of the Draconian war machine and the savage might of the Dragons that commanded it. "His expression then turned devious. "And soon the world will once again fear our might and the might of Draga and Mori."
Both leaders went back into the tent where the rest of the officers were mingling, drinking, and conversing. Rommel cleared his throat and prepared to give a short speech.
"Gentlemen," he said loud enough to be heard amongst the chatter, "I'd like to propose a toast to the near completion of our journey. As well as to a most fruitful alliance between Liebernia and Mizeriam," he raises his glass in the air, " may it continue to be so for Draga and Mori have truly blessed our quest and our alliance. Cheers for the conclusion of our great quest!" And with that everyone raised their glasses in the air and gave a toast.
And Rommel continued his speech.
"We stand upon the precipice of history: for soon we will witness the return of Draconia's long-lost lords, Draga and Mori. And finally after 1,000 yrs. of endless fighting amongst ourselves, thanks to those freaks Celestria and Luna, we will be united under the Dragons once again. And then we can focus our attention on our true enemy: Equestria. That pathetic little nation of inbreds and degenerates that allows the weak and the stupid to prosper and breed like weeds, whose citizens live a life of ease and comfort free from much of the harshnesses of life and where not even the laws of nature have been twisted and perverted to such an extent that the animals and plants can't survive on their own and weather and the changing of the seasons can't function without outside help. All to serve the whims of the Equestrian vermin."
Several officers voiced their agreement with his words.
"And whose children are taught false and disgusting doctrines like those freaks Celestia and Luna being able to raise the sun and the moon. Taught to care for the weak, stupid and sickly, letting them proliferate and produce more offspring to further degrade the equine gene pool. Taught the many abhorrent doctrines of the Veritans like loving your enemies, forgiving those who wrong you, that all creatures are created equal regardless of species, gender or social status and to give worship and praise to the imaginary creature Veritas and to reject the true masters of this world, Draga and Mori."
The officers once again spoke their agreement on the matter, some even calling out a few choices obscenities about the Equestrians and the Veritans.
"But their worse offense is depriving us of our rightful lords and causing our once glorious empire and the peace that was made possible by it to crumble into all the warring factions that we have today. But soon that wrong will be avenged when our lords return and Equestria is reduced to ash and cinder and it's great cities and villages are razed to the ground and it's degenerate citizenry is exterminated like the vermin they are,"
The officers cheered loudly at that statement.
"And the heads of the Princesses of Equestria are mounted on the highest point of Tyranteum for all the world to see. Along with the heads of the so-called bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
At that last statement the officers cheered even louder than before with applause, a few praises for Draga and Mori and few choice explitives towards the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony. After all the adulation Rommel gave one last statement.
"Alright gentlemen, send word to the men: we pack up camp and head out to Tyranteum in 10 minutes." With that the officers went out to tell their men to pack up camp and get ready to move out.
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3 miles west of Magogs camp was the camp of the Fillystines from the southeastern part of Draconia lead by King Iscariot. The camp consisted of 25 lavender and gold trimmed tents that could house 5 men each. The inhabitants of the camp consisted of Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, Zebras, Donkeys, Griffins, Minotaurs, Dagons, Drakes and Basilisks. And throughout the camp colorful lavender flags with gold Manticores flapped in the wind.
All of them were fitted with armour of bronze plate and scale mail, leather and padded cloth. And all were fitted with helmets of bronze or leather crowned with a ring of red-dyed feathers and large round, tower and figure 8 shields.
And all were armed with scimitars, double-edged swords, spears, javelines, battle axes, clubs, halberds, bows and arrows, slings and hand cannons.
The leader of this camp was king Iscariot, a light purple Pegasus stallion with golden eyes and a dark purple mane, tail and beard with silver streaks. He wore a full suit of highly polished bronze plate armour complete with a plumed bronze helmet crowned with purple-dyed feathers and a golden diadem and a flowing purple, gold and black silk cape draped over his back. At his right side was a bronze and bone hilted straight-bladed sword housed in a purple and gold scabbard.
Of all the kings currently ruling in Draconia none were more untrustworthy or more treacherous than King Iscariot. There wasn't a treaty or an agreement he didn't violate, no relationship he didn't betray and no friend, partner or ally he didn't eventually stab in the back (quite literally in many cases). While treachery was common the Draconian ruling class, at least most of them had the integrity to honor at least some of their agreements and treaties. This was not the case with Iscariot as his entire reign seemed to be one big episode of betrayal, disloyalty and usurpation. Even his ascension to the throne was an act of betrayal to the previous king of Fillystia, his uncle and adopted father Solomane, who was one of the few kings in Draconia that could actually be described as virtuous. He ruled with fairness and wisdom, and he did not allow many of the vile practices that were commonplace elsewhere in Draconia such as slavery, foal sacrifice, infanticide, the gladiatorial games, cruel and barbaric punishments, the persecution of Veritans(he himself was one) and also banned the worship of Draga and Mori. And what's more he was one of the few rulers in Draconia that didn't hate Princesses Celestia or Luna and didn't hold any resentment towards Equestria. In fact he had even attempted to establish diplomatic relationships with Equestria. Not surprisingly this earned him many enemies, including his own nephew.
One day around 3 years ago when his uncle was going off to battle Iscariot had laid out a plan to have Solomane killed so he could claim his uncles throne for himself. He had conspired with several of his uncles captains, whom also despised their lord, to have him killed by leaving Solomane and his bodyguards unsupported when they got into the thick of the fighting. Unfortunately for Solomane, it worked. But that wasn't the only act of betrayal Iscariot committed at that time.
After the death of Solomane, Iscariot had the rest of his family assassinated in a way to make them look like accidents. He also killed the captains who conspired with him to assassinate Solomane so they wouldn't also turn on him. Ever since his ascension to the throne many of the vile practices his uncle prohibited had become commonplace.
At the moment Iscariot was in his tent getting some sleep when he was awoken by his scout coming into his tent.
"My lord," called out his scout, a Griffin with rust orange fur and sepia plumage dressed in leather armour with a double-edged sword at his side. "I have some urgent news."
"What is it?" Iscariot said in an irritated voice due to his sleep being interrupted.
"I've just come back from my scouting area and it seems we're not alone out here."
"What do you mean we're not alone out here?" Iscariot asked.
"Well, sire, while I was scouting I found 5 other camp out here not far from us, belonging to Magog of Choltea, Mary of Tramplevania, Rasputin of Avaricia, Rommel and Xerxes of Liebernia and Mizeriam."
Iscariot's expression went from irritated to surprised. "How far are they from us?"
"From what I can tell, sire, the Cholteans camp is about 3 miles east of us, while the Tramplevanian camp is about 2 miles south-east of the Cholteans with the Avaricians camped out 2 miles north of them and the Liebernians and Mizers camped on the foothills of Mt. Tyrannus."
"Tell everyone to get to move out, we leave immediately." Iscariot commanded.
The scout bowed and went to carry out his lord's orders, meanwhile Iscariot himself was getting dressed. "Of all the people to show up here why them" he muttered irritably to himself.