Skip to content

Battle of the Wall of Earth

"The sudden appearance before the battle of a deck of 22 tarot cards endowed with magical powers was surely linked to this miraculous victory."

The decisive battle of Cadwallon's founding. The Dogs of War under Vanius broke a Acheronian army of the living dead, commanded by Sophet Drahas — and won only because, on the eve of battle, Desire woke and turned Vanius's ordinary tarot deck into 22 weapons. The victory created the Free City. The secret deal struck after it created the city's enduring shadow.

The Place

The Wall of Earth is a three-kilometre rocky cliff on the city's outskirts where Vanius made his stand. Today it's a historical site frequented by tourists and — far more — by free leaguers, who keep their Great Hall there. The falls below the cliff are where Cadwë funeral ashes are traditionally scattered.

What Happened

The buried secrets of Cadwallon drew the attention of the Meanders of Darkness — the same powers that had destroyed the Cynwäll city centuries before. Sophet Drahas, commander of the armies of Acheron and baron of Taer Haez, requested reinforcement from his overlord Feyd Mantis, the most powerful lord of his barony of origin.

Hordes of walking dead assaulted the Dogs of War's camp. The assault was bitter; the battle dreadful. The Dogs of War — 200 outlaws against an army of the dead — should not have held.

Why they actually won

When Drahas's spells nearly broke through, Desire — sleeping in his prison directly beneath the battlefield — woke briefly and mistook the necromancy for an Ophidian intrusion (the old enemy who once tortured him). Terrified, he chose Vanius as his Incarnation and spread his 22 divine elixirs into the 22 cards of the tarot deck Vanius happened to carry. Before the offensive, Vanius dealt one card to each lieutenant and kept the rest. The empowered arcana turned the tide. (see The 22 Arcana, Desire)

At the battle's end, the troops of the Alliance of Light arrived to provide support, and the ruins were retaken from the enemy.

The Aftermath

Two things came out of the victory, one public and one hidden:

Public: The Alliance of Light treated the Dogs of War as mere outlaws despite their bravery. Vanius, refusing to become a king (offending the Alliance) or a baron (submitting to it), took the old Barhan military rank of Duke — "my kingdom for a ducat!" — and founded the Free City.

The Pact of the Arcana

After the battle, Vanius secretly met the defeated Sophet Drahas. He revealed the power of the cards and — proud and overreaching — gave Drahas the Emperor card (which depicted Drahas himself) in exchange for Drahas's support against Feyd Mantis. Feyd Mantis discovered the betrayal first and cursed Drahas to remain in Cadwallon forever, chained to a Throne of Darkness. This is the founding original sin of the city: the reason Drahas has fought every Duke since, the root of the Soma vendetta, and the seed of the Court of Shadows. (see Sophet Drahas, Vanius the Founder)

Significance

  • The founding — no battle, no Free City
  • The arcana enter history — the 22 cards are first wielded here; they scatter across Aarklash afterward
  • Drahas's curse — the permanent shadow over Cadwallon begins here
  • The leagues' shrine — the Wall of Earth is sacred ground to the Free Leagues; their Great Hall stands on it; new leaguers "consult Vanius" (hire a tarot-master) there

Relations

The battlefield remembers

The Wall of Earth saw a god wake, an army of the dead fall, and a deck of divine cards used for the first time. Tarot-mages sense something there. Some believe a 23rd card — or the residue of Desire's brief waking — is buried in the cliff. Digging is, of course, forbidden.

See Also