Birth of the Blackwater
Oh, you want to know that story...
It was at the close of the 2nd Age of Illuria, though no one knew that at the time.
The greatest tyrant of the age, the necromancer Shadow Hand, ruled the Zahad Empire and its provinces with iron fist capped with spikes. But change is the only constant in history, no matter how hard a necromancer wishes it otherwise.
Recent policies to squeeze more taxes fueled an unexpected, yet inevitable rebellion. This one was led by one Garlant the barbarian, a former slave who had been bound for Zorvir Keep but freed himself before meeting that gruesome fate.
Ah, Zorvir Keep. It was called the "Lair of the Shadow" since it was the Zahad Emperor's personal necromantic laboratory. But I digress...
A determined lot of freed slaves and escaped prisoners from all across Zahad harassed the Empire at every turn. With every battle, no matter how horrific the tactics or war machines, the rebel's numbers only grew as did the fame of Garlant and his sword, Nightrazor.
It was four years into the rebellion when Garlant stole into the Zahad capital of Pax Centradus. The Imperial forces burned that day and the Shadow Hand Emperor? He fled, vowing revenge.
Yet, Garlant was a man known to finish what he started, and he had revenge on his mind.
For seven days and seven nights Garlant chased that fleeing form of evil, the Shadow Hand. Until, at the last, Garlant and his closest allies ambushed the necromancer and his guards atop the Blackwater Falls.
As the battle began, a storm settled in. Cobalt blue lightning licked the ground, setting scrub trees ablaze with emerald fire. Garlant was undeterred. He would end the foul necromancer, a self-styled 'lich lord', for all the misdeeds ever done.
For three days and three nights, Garlant fought the Shadow Hand. Nightrazor's blade struck necromantic staff and spell. Sparks and magic flew with great abandon. With every shred of magic, each fall of sparks, a shadow grew in the nearby waters.
At the fall of the third day, Garlant struck the fatal blow. The moment he did, it shattered the Shadow Hand's necromantic spell. A summoning spell to conjure a great undead horror to aid him. The incomplete spell tore in all directions, breaking rock, steaming water, and shattering Garlant's sword, Nightrazer.
Garlant and his companions were flung aside. The dying Shadow Hand Emperor? He was tossed over the falls. Shards of Nightrazor flew in all directions.
As the necromantic emperor shrieked curses at Garlant and his descendents, through the storm a large Raven appeared. Wings as black as a pure night sky, it settled on the jut of rock at the end of the falls. The one called Raven's Roost to this day.
That raven tapped its beak seven times against that rock. At the first six taps, the black waters of the falls grew still and cold. Ice kissed the rocks and a strange night sky shone from below the water.
On the seventh tap, the Shadow Hand Emperor, Tyrant of Zahad, vanished into the mists at the bottom of the falls. Overhead the storm rattled thunder once to shake the mountains, then faded. The water at the base of the falls churned forever, blood red.
And with that day, the corrupt empire of Zahad fell, and the 2nd Age came to an end.
To this day, some say on a moonless night of the spring or fall equinox, stars shine in the black waters of the Blackwater Falls. But they are not the stars of the heavens. They are stars from the shards of the sword, Nightrazor. If you listen closely to the blood red mists at the base of the falls, one might hear the screams of rage from a trapped necromancer, paying out his penance for the evils he committed.
And if the need is there, it is said that a shard of the Nightrazor may be lifted from the Blackwater Falls by a Champion destined to put a permanent end to a risen Lich Lord.
Or so the legend goes...
Historian's Note
Above is the most common variation of the legend as retold by natives of the Shattered Lands region. Historical records describe the Night Rebellion in the Zahad Empire at the end of the second age in great detail. It was indeed led by one Garlant, a barbarian from the Minanduan Wastes who wielded an enchanted blade known as the Nightrazor.
Evidence exists that Garlant and the Shadow Hand fought directly several times but always to some measure of a stalemate. Likewise, the Nightrazor shattered at the end of the war once the Zahad Empire fell. But there are only second hand references from Garlant's close companions that suggest a traumatic last battle between Garlant and the Shadow Hand ever took place.
The only hint that there may be some truth to the story is the persistent and unexplained necromantic aura at Blackwater Falls. No other evidence, magical or mundane, has yet to be discovered to support or discredit the story.
Variations
The above is the most common retelling, yet other versions exist. All contain the common threads that the battle turned the water black. That the Zahad Emperor was killed at the falls, and the Nightrazor was shattered. Some scholars have offered the theory that this may be three legends that have been combined into one.
Date of First Recording
Forty years into the 3rd Age
Date of Setting
End of the 2nd Age
Related Locations
Related Organizations
Related Items
Comments