Ending

In the Age of Erevno, year two-hundred-thirty-eight, the world of Polemos entered into a tumultuous period. For the first time in millennium, the specter of war descended across the entire globe. Eventually it would become known as the Unity War, but in those early days unity, cooperation, and community were words seldom used. Though it was sparked by one evil man, the conflicts that arose were in many ways inevitable. Merlynik Phylus, Chairman of the Covert Council, was merely an ember touched to a tinderbox - the fuel that would be consumed in this war had been long in the making.

At the heart of this global conflagration was the quintessence of the era- technology. For over two centuries the mortal races had been isolated from the divine, and they would be forced to adapt to this new god. Some would embrace technology to control- vowing to create a utopia; a world without sin. Others would use technology to remain free from control- even if it meant allowing people to sin. Some would reject technological progress- finding the darkness it could create too repulsive. Others would embrace this change- finding it could be the beacon that would lead people a more enlightened life. These three warring ideologies about technology: Constructionism, Libertarianism, and Unionism; were the unsteady pillars upon which the world's peace had been built. It was a surprise to none when it came crashing down.

But the pillar of Liberty, personified by the Free Peoples Alliance, would not rise up to victory as it had been hoped. Treachery had been planned, and its price would be paid by millions of innocent souls. The civil war of Agathos was the tragedy of the era, yet it began centuries earlier when the Republic chose to put international prestige above equitable governance of its citizens. Sins were committed long before the fighting started, and the nation fractured around these ancient grievances. The suffering free men endured at their own hands was set by their fore-fathers, yet they could not find the wisdom to bury the past and fight the greater evils that encircled them.

And then, during this volatile time in history, a technology was re-discovered that would lead to the world's doom- Chaos Energy. It was first found by the USC. They, in their unending fear of things beyond their control, set immediately to build a weapon to crush their enemies once and for all. Under the auspices of ending the war early Yu'ian, the capital of Umere, was destroyed in a dark flood of hatred. The world wept. But the USC did not anticipate their enemies' guile, and soon the technology was stolen from them. Sector 0 would suffer the same fate as Yu'ian. When presented with the chance to stop it, free men stood idly by while horrific retaliation was wrought. Whether by fear, rage, or simple apathy, good people made excuses for inaction while millions held prisoner in Sector 0 were murdered.

The fear and hatred were not stopped, and thus Yu'ian and Sector 0 would join thousands of similar craters that would spread across the world. Chaos bombs would be used as soon as they were built, creating graveyards for the billions that would be consumed in the cycle of death. It would not end for two years, and no nation, no civilization, no culture on Polemos would survive. Phsyci was ripped apart; the cataclysm was brought down, leaving only ashes as a testament to the insanity that would mark the end of the Age of Eveno. The 8th Age of Man would be the last, and the world of Polemos would fade to a dark husk of a world, crying a lonely song as it spun off into oblivion.

But it was in these darkest of circumstances, where heroes were needed most, that several individuals arose out of the shadows. Their deeds were great, and would become the stuff of modern legends. The defeat of the cursed angel, the saving of millions of lives at Agalos City, these things were what the people would tell and re-tell in the stories of this group. Though they had a hand in the war's beginning, they would learn far sooner than most from their mistakes in those days, and would rise up to Freedom's defense without regard to ethnicity, religion, or creed. That day in Agalos City, where Reiko Arthen and her comrades brought down the mightiest of weapons, would soon be recognized as a tipping point in the war and would be called “The Chaos Miracle.”

For all their actions, though, it would be the example they set that would be their lasting legacy. For as awe-insipiring as the events of Agalos City were, the true miracle lied in what happened afterward. As the USC survivors of the crash emerged from the Benevolence, they would not find captors waiting to accuse them of war crimes; but rather fellow human beings simply trying to rescue their brothers. For a time the hatred, violence, and fear of the world were shut out, and people lived as they should.

A miracle indeed, but as fallible mortals it took a little less than a week to end. The defense coalition at Agalos City fell apart, and the civil war would rage again. It lasted over 3 years more, but the seeds that were planted during those brilliant days, though slow to sprout, would inevitably yield a bountiful harvest.

It began with the veterans of that battle. Having fought alongside each other against the USC, they could plainly see that the people beside them, though they wore different uniforms and followed different leaders, were not their enemy. This experience would not be lost on them when they would later be asked to fight and kill these same people. Low-level commanders of the battle at Agalos stayed in contact even afterward, and slowly would together realize that the bloodshed was without merit. They began working with other local leaders, even if they were of different factions, whenever a common threat presented itself.

One of these opportunistic commanders, 2nd Lieutenant Tyr Eleythos of the Free Company Confederacy, would take the next step. Upon receiving intelligence of a massive USC offensive he not only shared the information with other factions, but organized a province-wide assembly where all factions would represent their interests and coordinate their common goals. This assembly, though flawed and ineffective, would grow and improve over time. Soon the factions in that area, keen to gain the moral high ground, began electing civilian representatives to their seats. Relations between the factions, at least in Rovlin province, would dramatically improve. Soon commanders in the area would refuse attack orders for fear of losing prestige in the assembly, and a stalemate grew.

Then on 9-21 of the year 241 the assembly approved a national constitution for the area and planned on unified elections the month after. The decision was controversial, especially in other provinces. Riots also erupted locally in Rovlin province, led by opponents of the new government. Tyr Eleythos, now a Major, became a vocal supporter of the new constitution. Though he was still only a local commander, and had no political ambitions, his series of pamphlets would become a powerful argument in favor of the assembly he helped found. After the highly successful election, he would be asked by President-Elect Relithys to read aloud a summary of these works at inauguration day. Ceremonies were held at the capitol city of Lynpolis, and Tyr gave his address amidst the damage of the previous night's air raids. Flanked by his wife Reiko and other trusted members of his company, he had this to say:

To the peoples of the old republic; to the peoples of oppressed nations; to all the people in this cruel world – I have something to say on the most solemn of subjects. Once there was peace in our world – but it left us all in a flash of chaos. The horrors of war destroyed lives, turned families against one another, and ripped one of the happiest nations apart. The peace and independence of Agathos was put to the sword, and soon our petty differences fed the flames of the worst tragedy this world has known – the death of the Republic. Many tried valiantly to stem the tide of injustice – but as sinful men we invariably fell into the madness of violence – all of us.

No man may claim they sought justice in those days, nor may any institution say they acted selflessly in the name of righteousness. All fell short of The Maker’s will, and we all reaped the fruit of our unclean labor. For years we oppressed, murdered, stole from one another, and in so doing stole the hope of a peaceful world from billions of souls. I say unto you this day that we are not meant for a life such as this. Our Creator weeps in sorrow each moment as we descend further into our insanity. He wishes nothing but happy and quiet lives for all His children. Yet we fail him, and in so doing fail each other; and only misery remains. But we do not see this. We turn our eyes from The Truth and instead wrap ourselves in the flags and slogans of our pride.

Many men have claimed to work for “peace” and “freedom” yet acted only for themselves; so many that those once beautiful words are now cheap – stained with the blood of innocent people everywhere. Even if we were to be blameless in our intentions, our insignificant squabbles keep us weak and feeble – unable to protect that which must be protected. Hope will never come while this is so.

But if we were to come together in our common goodness, if we were to stand together rather than apart – would there be any who could destroy us? Though the powers of evil may crush our bodies, burn our buildings; even tear down our entire civilization – if we stood united could they kill our shared ideals? Would the Cause of Liberty fade from this world, never to be seen again?

NO, no matter how dark the night the light of freedom will shine eternally. Today I say to you that our dawn has come. Shadow will be vanquished as we stand unified by our beliefs. We were once Free Peoples; now we are one. We seek to build a world where all hold peace; all are free to pursue happiness equally. Though we realize the fallibility of ourselves, we will not rest until our promises are fulfilled, not just spoken. And so with the help of the Almighty, we give birth this day to the United Free People’s Federation. We stand for Equality, for Justice, for Liberty, for all. May The One from whom our freedom comes guide and protect this new nation forever. The path ahead may be difficult, but we will meet our challenges with bravery and integrity. We will meet them together, as brothers, as equals, as a Free People.

And so it was that the United Free People's Federation came to pass. Though it did not stop the civil war immediately, it marked the start of a new nation that would eventually bring peace to Polus and fight for Liberty in the Unity War. And it was not overlooked by many on how this nation came about. There were no heroes in epic battle, no angelic proclamation of authority, no silver-tongued campaign by politician or general; nothing but the courage and goodness of the common man, and the wish for a better life.

To those responsible for the Chaos Miracle, this was as it should be. Though they could save a city and open the heavens, they knew they could not heal the broken heart of a nation. Some in the group would work discretely, behind the scenes, to help bring this Federation to fruition. Others might have worked more visibly, or with other factions, but once the Federation's election was shown a success they knew that they had found the way to achieve the unity they sought.

The Federation's first task was to liberate those occupied by the USC. Tyr Eleythos and many, many others worked tirelessly on campaign after campaign to free their former countrymen. As they did this the Federation also worked to make allies in the surrounding factions, and though it was slow and sometimes required ruthlessness they were eventually able to bring more territories into the nation. It took nearly a generation, but eventually the Federation would grow beyond the lands of the old Republic and would also push the USC back into the western ocean.

The United Free People's Federation was not a replacement for the Republic of Agathos. As Phylus had once predicted, what emerged from the firestorm of civil war was a hardier, more resilient union. The Federation began it's life already a multi-ethnic state, and it's philosophy of non-interference in domestic affairs of the provinces would mean that those in the union would not feel oppressed by the Arthenian majority.

Phylus also foresaw his own future. Once the depth of his sins were revealed, the people turned from him and regarded him a tyrant. But they did this in the peace of everyday life, with a government that yearned to meet the people's needs. Some would claim this vindicated his actions, but theses accomplishments rested solely with the common people of Agathos - and the victory was more meaningful because of it.

As the Federation looked beyond it's shores to the looming shadow of the Unity War, the people did not shirk from their duty. Men and women, of many races, cultures, religions and territories, stood together at the cusp of tribulation, confident that as a free people they would weather the storm to come.

After the Chaos Miracle, Reiko Arthen would return to her singing career. Before her first tour ended, however, she would officially retire and retreat into seclusion - the strain of public life was simply too much. As she would later tell people, “I was an internationally famous songstress, a divine descendant, a miracle-worker, oh, and the savior of a nation. People set their expectations of me a little too high after that.” And so while she still traveled across Agathos, she focuses on small private events to bring morale to soldiers in the war. She especially focused on units that she had known previously whenever they were not on the front lines, such as those responsible for the Chaos Miracle that were still fighting.

Over the next year-and-a-half, her friendship with Tyr Eleythos would deepen into romance, and soon the two would wed. As Reiko Eleythos, she settled down in Rovlin province and was an invaluable ally for Tyr. He would later credit her with the idea of creating the Rovlin Assembly, and of editing and even penning some of his pamphlets in support of the Federation's Constitution. She, of course, had no desire to publicly acknowledge these accomplishments, as she would simply say “People would expect such things from me. So much so that they would not give them proper weight. Besides, people know without saying that a man's best ideas always come from his wife.”

Reiko and Tyr would have three children. Two would develop divine powers similar to their mother's. After they were raised, Reiko would become the head of a charity for those affected by the recently ended civil war. Tyr would continue to rise through the new Federation military, becoming one of it's most knowledgeable generals when fighting the USC. Their son, Jacob Eleythos, would be one of the first members of the elite “Lion Company” - a group of shock-troopers primarly made up of Sek-Agkelos and others with divine powers.

Sadly, years later, Tyr would lose his life in an ambush while fighting to liberate Celic from the USC. For Reiko it was the worst day of her life, and she would never re-marry because of it. It was, however, also the event that pushed her back into public life. She would serve the Federation as Governor, Ambassador, Secretary of State and eventually President. She would out-live her husband by almost a century, her divine affinity bringing the burden of an extraordinarily long life. Since the Unity war lasted well over 100 years, she would be one of the few known people to see both the beginning and end of the conflict. She died soon after the peace came, the matriarch of a proud and upright family.

Clara, now free from her post as Michael's archive, took up semi-permanent residence in Anthegalia, and would be invaluable to that government in prosecuting the war with minimal risk to the home islands. She still wanders from time to time, traveling the world and lending cryptic visions to those she takes interest in.

Harold The Artificer would continue to fight for any faction that would let him defend Agathos's western shores. He died early in the year 240 during the second USC invasion of Polus, fighting for the waters he claimed for himself. His second-in-command Meryl Founder would take up his mantel as leading naval strategist, and would be an instrumental part of the creation of the Federation Navy.

These are but a few of the stories from the Unity War. Others had their own rich tales to tell, and they are as varied and as numerous as the stars above. The world of Polemos would continue to turn, and the un-quantifiable measure of the human experience would continue to pass its limits. But let it be known, that during these pivotal times there were those that shone brighter than others. Though they could not end the War of Destiny, because of their efforts the horror of the Chaos Bomb would never be seen on Polemos again. During times when it was easy to kill or run, they found a better way. They were heroes.