The Shadow of Peace

Summary

It is stated that there is no explanation as to why the figure kept appearing, but now that there's no escaping it...we were told that there was a voice to the phenomenon, We were told that they were given ultimatums, that both sides should abandon said ventures, or else hand to hand would be all we had. So it came to be known that war would cost unnecessarily, both life and property. More importantly, despite massive evidence to the contrary, they insisted they were mortal.

Historical Basis

It is stated that apparitions in black robes appeared during the time of the Great Plague. It seems to have evolved into the depictions of what is known as the Grim Reaper. This is, in essence, the opposite, a cloaked black figure who appears at places of death, and instead, brings life. Through means only later collected, after the black figure appeared, lives that were thought lost were brought back to life.

Spread

Early during the late 700's, the tales were attributed to cowardice on the part of both sides, until the stubbornness of both caused them to disengage temporarily. By the time the fist millennium arrived, reports were starting to continue to be cross referenced by many opposing sides, until it was deemed that there was actually a common figure seeming to visit them consistently, the same way, for the same reason. With the 1200s, word had begun to spread to all areas of the northern continent, and with oral tradition continuing for six centuries, by the time of the Union Era, the figure had been engrained into stories retold through children.

Variations & Mutation

"It was the strangest experience. A being that had scales as dark as night appeared, As we slept, we awoke to find all of our arrows either missing or destroyed. The weapons were left deliberately intact, which we took as a message.

Mornaigscale witness

early 790s.

.

"Despite the want to finish this war efficiently, our efforts seem to be being stopped by this rumoured Night Ambusher. One of the men sword they caught a glimpse of it in the act. A strange sword like none we've ever seen, that sliced clean through the wood of the hurlers like it wasn't even there."

A war veteran,

mid 870s.

"Sinakai, there's this rumour going around that this shadow that's been haunting us might be related to the the Nightscale. Perhaps they are companions/ I really think there's some credibility to this rumour here. At least, them being related some how."

Sinabi

Mid 1359.

In Art

"It was exactly as said: All of our lost returned to us upon our peaceful surrender to our enemies. With no further drive to combat, we all accepted a group surrender, with our enemies doing the same."

The cloth engraving featured brilliantly coloured, but also morbidly gruesome scenes of the battlefield, followed by the appearance of a cloaked black figure. After the figure appeared, depictions of irreparablely disassembled siege equipment, rifle barrels, and damaged cannons were depicted, followed by the white banners of peace on both sides being displayed.

Sironde Kingdom witness

early 900s.

"We were stubborn, and it didn't sit with us until we kept having to prepare over and over again. So much of our time was wasted pointlessly."

Solvune witness,

late 1200s.

The painting was deemed so significant, that every fifty years the artist was commissioned to repair minute flaws in colour that only he could see, having the vision of where each individual brush stroke lay, and thus, able to reproduce without wasted pigment and dye, also allowing him to relive in the memories of when the original strokes were completed.

Date of First Recording

700 Brachus Iesti

Date of Setting

700-1300 BI