The Rise of Valos

The Empire of Light

The Lightbringers did hold back the tide of War and Chaos in many places throughout the known realms. Blood feuds were silenced, but not forgotten. Many Empires rose under the protection of the Just, while unbelievers lurked in the dark corners and secret places across the world. One such Kingdom of Light rose under the rule of the Gosteli Noble Family. The lineage of the Gosteli has been lost to time, though the history of their greatest King remains. The final King to rule over the Empire of Light was Valos Anghelseu Gosteli.

The Great Fall

The Gosteli line was known to have built an extensive Citadel at the seat of their small Empire. Scholars, mages, and other Syrithians flocked to this Citadel and built up great libraries. The Empire of Light was renowned as the most Just of Kingdoms in the First Age. The Syrithian Priests reached out across the lands to spread the word of Law. The Citadel was revered by the servants of Light and despised by the servants of the Dark.
The days of Valos Anghelseu Gosteli were passing as they did in the days of his father. Valos had followed the path of Light and ruled as both King and High Priest of Syrith. He was trained and learned in the arts of battle and warfare, though his godly granted powers all but eliminated any need for actual engagements. It was sometime during the days of his rule that Malyc did overthrow Glomm and lay siege to Syrith's throne
Whilst Malyc did battle with Syrith in the realm of the Gods , his new found followers and Glommite converts did lay siege to the strongholds of Syrith on the mortal places. The first battles between the Malycites and Syrithians were swift. The Syrithians called forth their divine powers and simply halted the battles, turning back the dark hordes. Thunder rang out across the world as Malyc's rage grew. He devised a pure power of the dark to fight Syrith and his followers. The divine call of Chaos was heard by the hordes and its powers quickly engulfed them. The next engagements went poorly for the forces of Light. As the dark hordes of Malyc used the powers of Chaos to defeat the defenses of the Just, the people of the Empire began to lose hope. Retreat after retreat was called as the Empire of the Light fell back. It continued until the remains of the Empire held naught but the Citadel itself. As the Syrithians grew weaker in the mortal realms, it would seem the Syrith himself was faring no better. As the siege of the Citadel continued on into the night, the unthinkable happened. Every Syrithian staff of Light in the realm faded quickly until each was extinguished.
Valos himself felt his God's power leave him. He left his military advisors at the wall and made haste to the great altar of Syrith. It was the pinnacle of the City, rising high above every other structure. When Valos arrived, he fell to his knees and called for Syrith to hear his plea. He felt nothing, but did not despair and called out to Syrith again and again. Meanwhile Malyc was standing over the dead body of the slain Syrith in the Godly realms.
In an act of pure darkness, Malyc thought to silence this defiant King and show him true despair. He cast the body of Syrith out of the Godly realm and impaled it upon the immense staff of the great altar in the Citadel. Valos looked up and saw his fallen God and stood motionless as he became drenched in Syrith's blood. The blood was flowing like a river out of the immense body of the fallen God. Valos began to stumble back, but then regained his footing. Malyc's great triumph was fleeting as he looked on at the horror of his own making.

The Rise of Valos

The blood of Syrith began to move as if it had a life of its own. It enveloped the mortal King, lifting him off the ground. It then began to wisp away, as water on a hot stone in the summer sun. Just then, Valos was seen to pick up the great staff from the Citadel's altar. He raised it towards the sky and the darkness of night parted at his command. He bellowed across the lands, his voice louder than any thunderclap.
On that day, the first and greatest Call to War known in the history of the pantheon of Light was heard across the whole of Arawyn. Valos claimed the fallen Syrith's power for his own and Syrithian's staves all over the world did glow once again. Their former soft blue glow was replaced with brilliant white light. The Priests and Clerics of Syrith let the fires of War ignite in their hearts. They cast down their Tomes, gripped their staves with both hands and answered Valos's Call to War.
While Malyc's forces had the powers of Chaos to defeat Light and Law, he had never feared for the powers of War to be used against him. To Malyc's dismay, the new God-King had imbued the former Syrithians with all his own knowledge of battle and war. They moved swiftly wielding their staves as holy maces, striking down their great foe. The battle lines of Malyc broke and then quickly collapsed entirely. His forces in disarray, facing an ascending God King, Valos, Malyc fled Syrith's throne for safer places amongst the dark.
Valos swore vengeance on Malyc for striking down Syrith, but quickly realized he could not take action against him. Whilst the new war-skilled Light-bringers of the world did triumph over the forces of Malyc, they had lost their powers to bring the Blue Light of Law to the battlefield. The old blood feuds exploded without the powers of Syrith to suppress them as they once did. The new Valosians had to intervene directly with armor and mace instead of words and Light. The new instability of the realms would keep them busy for some time, leaving Malyc to roam the dark paths of the Godly realms unchallenged by Valos. In the meanwhile, the tower of the Citadel has since been claimed by Malyc as a beacon of his destructive power, now twisting the once great kingdom into a barren wasteland of horrific and chaotic power, the Chaos Wastes. Many years passed, and the First Age of man did appear to recover its footing. This was short-lived. While it is not known how or why, the great Storm of the Gods did come and plunge the world into uncertainty once more.