Alekhankix the Liberator

Year 340, Age of War

During the 4th Century of the Age of War, the Kre'eki aided the Baraki in driving the Saharin from the lands they claimed as their own. The captain of this warhost, Skör the Uncrowned, was impressed by the ferocity and honor of these Men, and spoke with the chieftain of the Kre'eki, and the chief captain among their forces, Alekhankix. This lord of the Baraki, weary with the war, granted the Kre'eki leave to settle the land, and took his people back into the west, to face the judgement of Mogyim.

Over the next few weeks, the Men fortified an encampment in the northern foothills of Garta'jun. In this time, Alekhankix grew suspicious of his chieftain's activities. It was when the chieftain approached his people with the command to erect an altar to the Daemon King, Nix, that the fears of the captain were made manifest. As the construction began, Alekhankix gathered those who opposed this abomination, and on the tenth day, his men stormed the build site, arming those who were forced to labor, and slaying the worshippers of Nix. When the chieftain's men came to strike back, the forces of Alekhankix had already barricaded the choke points into the yet unfinished foundations of the temple.

Rage-filled zealots charged the line, but the shields of the defenders held fast, and the assault was broken with the thrust of spears. More of the chieftain's men loosed arrows upon the shield wall, then drew blades and charged into the melee. From behind the temple, Alekhankix took up a mighty charge of cavalrymen, and led them to flank the chief's men, pinning them against the shield wall at the temple gates; no survivors were left, and their corpses were put to fire far from the settlement.

With the chieftain slain, Alekhankix took up the first title of kingship over the Kre'eki, and is counted as the first king of Men. In the first year of his rule, he ordered the further fortification of the settlement, erecting stone walls with the masonry and raw materials of the temple. Great ramparts and ditches were dug out, and some were filled with deadly traps. The new king knew that the position in this land would be hard-fought, for many vied for supremacy, and his caution was not slowly affirmed.

Riders, charged with scouting the western march to the settlement, came to Alakhankix with word of a great host of Baraki, bearing the standards of Warchief Mogyim, marching for the encampment. The king mobilized his men, and their armor and weapons were inspected and perfected for many days. After a fortnight, the host of the warchief was upon the field approaching the settlement, and the armored lines of the Kre'eki were readied in the trenches, awaiting them.

The warchief came forth, an aged yet mighty figure, Mogyim, the arch-warlock of the Baraki, whose ear was ever turned to the whispers of Nix. He spoke black words, offering the Kre'eki a place of vassalship to his rule, and threatening slaughter and ruin for refusal. But the voice of the king radiated against him, denouncing the vassalship as slavery to a tyrant and an oathbreaker, for the Baraki had granted his people rule of this land, to be strong and free. Doubt gripped the mind of Mogyim, and he retreated to the back of his host, ordering them on to bring these upstart Men to their knees, and break their bodies upon their own hated walls.

The battle began, with a grand exchange of arrows, as the shielded footsoldiers of the Baraki moved in to break the shields of the Kre'eki. As the melee ensued, the archers of the Baraki ceased, and drew their own great axes to join the front. The onslaught of the Baraki began to buckle the phalanx of the defenders, and the line caved in on itself. This, however, forced the Baraki to engage the Kre'eki in their trenches, and the foremost of them were caught between two shield walls, with the opposing height of the trench held by the fulcrum of the now concave line. Many such breeches formed about the battlefield, and the host of the Baraki were entangled. The opportunity was manifest, and Alekhankix once more led his cavalry about the flank of his foes; he and his honor guard broke deep, making to strike at the warchief himself.

It was there, amidst the chaotic melee, that the king of Men faced the warchief of the Baraki. The warlock brought his great club to bear against the mighty shield of the king, and rang like a great bell. The sound shook all who heard it, and none dared to stand near the duel. The two struck and parried, both masters of their art, until the blade of Alekhankix smote deep into Mogyim's arm, drawing fowl blood. Dropping his club, Mogyim flew into a rage, and struck the king with a black bolt of flame, sending him to the earth. Taking his chance, the warchief fled the battle, and those of his force who saw him broke to defend his retreat, and the Baraki were soon routed or slain.

As the cavalry harassed the retreating foes, the king's honor guard made haste to bring Alekhankix back into the settlement. There, they found he was succumbing to the dark magiks of Mogyim, as his very soul was seeping from the wound. He named his successor, and bade him to continue building up the settlement, his great bastion against the enemies of Man in this cursed land, his city of victory, his Nikopolis; he perished, and was entombed upon the highest point of the city, where a great keep was soon erected, the Basílion.

So ended Alekhankix, who was named "the Liberator" in his death, for his sacrifice secured the position of the Kre'eki as a free people in the South, and marked the beginning of the kingdom of Kr­ëas.

Spread

As more tribes of Men arose in the world, and with the fall of Krëas in the 12th Century of the Age of War, the legend of Alekhankix the Liberator spread far and wide, inspiring hope during the many centuries of Nix's reign in the South.

Nikalia

Celebrated on the first day of Spring, this feast was officially established by Emperor Antonius Iulianus of Rhumnaria after the final defeat of Nix, and the retrieval of the remains of Alekhankix from the catacombs of Nikopolis (Year 1 of the Age of Silence). Prior to this, the day had been revered by descendants of the Kre'eki, and was often marked by great feasts of lamb and wine, and local parades and festivals. In some cities, such festivities are grand events, and draw trade from across the land. Battle reenactments, wicker burnings, and great feats of physical prowess are accompanied by great public feasts and music, and celebrations may flow over for many days after the celebration itself. So too, this continued under the official establishment, but with more emphasis on public displays on ever grander scales, as the day was now backed by the very treasuries of the Emperors.

Descendants

The line of Alekhankix ended with himself, for he ended childless. However, the line of succession passed on through the progeny of a later successor of his, Perikleion, the direct ancestor to Heléna Rhumana, the mother of the first Emperors of Rhumnaria.