The Wizard's War

Long, long ago ago, far to the north, there was a great Empire called Sith. This country was ruled over by a powerful sorcerer called Alcazar. He lived in a huge tower, shaped like a pyramid, in the centre of his realm, in the middle of a beautiful lake.

Alcazar spent most of his time and wealth studying the deeper magicks. His people lived peaceably enough although sometimes they saw great flashes of eerie light coming from the windows of their Lord’s palace late at night.

Now Alcazar was undoubtedly a great and clever man, yet he became arrogant and bigheaded. He claimed to be the greatest wizard in the Enchanted Kingdom and this was his downfall. At a wizard’s convention in Zing (the capital of magic) Alcazar issued a proclamation. In it he demanded that all of the wizards pay homage to him.

At first the wizards, witches, conjurers, sorcerers and diviners laughed at Alcazar’s arrogance. Yet they soon saw that he was quite serious. And because of his power and skill with the darker magicks they were afraid. Some bowed down before him and agreed to pay the taxes he asked for. Most, however, rejected his claims and they cast him out of Zing.

Thus the proud Alcazar, Emperor and Sorcerer, returned north to his homeland in disgrace. There he set about planning revenge upon the rest of the magical fraternity. He plotted and schemed as to how he could defeat them. But there were too many wizards and witches against him, he could not fight them all at once.

Meanwhile the rumour of these events had spread far and wide throughout the Enchanted Kingdom, until it came to the ears of a wondrous magician called Kazablim. This magician lived in a country called Sunsia and had not attended the conference in Zing. He too was a great and clever man, and he also held himself and his abilities in very high esteem.

Kazablim resolved to visit Alcazar and challenge him to a magical duel. So he travelled north, across the Great Scrub, around Heavenmoss Forest and then through the Black Mountains to the great rift. He had many adventures on the way but his magical abilities always enabled him to escape or defeat his foes. At last he came to Sith Tirr, which was a great gateway leading into the Empire of Sith. The magician stood and gazed in admiration, dwarfed by the two great towers dominating the landscape all around and the only road into Sith.

There he declared his intention to challenge Alcazar to a magical duel. The guards would not believe that anyone could be so foolish, for they knew the power of their master. But Kazablim was adamant and so they sent word to their Lord that a challenger was at the gates of his empire. Whilst the messengers delivered the challenge the guards entertained this stranger from afar. They fed him sweetmeats and wine for a night and a day until the reply came.

Alcazar was furious, and yet at the same time excited, he invited Kazablim to his palace to discuss the matter in a civilised way. Of course the strange magician accepted the invitation and set off for the Tower of Alcazar immediately with an escort of twenty mounted Sithian guards.

They travelled through the Empire of Sith until they came to the great lake, in the centre of which, on a small island, stood the Tower of Alcazar. The escort beat a hasty retreat when they saw Alcazar approach, for he was not a patient or kind man and they could see the anger seething beneath the surface of his proud face as he stepped ashore from his royal barge. He did not invite the stranger into his palace; instead he had his servants erect a pavilion by the side of the lake where he could entertain his guest.

Inevitably as they feasted and watched local dancers dance the two wizards argued. They were both simply too arrogant and full of themselves to be at peace even for one meal. Within minutes it was not just harsh words being thrown across the tent but spells and magic of destruction flying back and forth.

Fireballs soon destroyed the pavilion and the servants, dancers and courtiers fled in fear for their lives. Lightening flashed between the two men of magic as they duelled. Great fires fell into the lake and created clouds of steam. By the time the next day dawned Alcazar’s Tower was in ruins and the lake had been dried up by the onslaught of their powerful magic.

In a pause Alcazar’s most favoured courtiers approached him and his foe and begged them to see sense, but they would not listen, each was determined to prove him better than the other. No matter how much the courtiers tried to persuade the wizards, they would not relent. Battle was resumed and the people once again fled before it.

Eventually the unthinkable happened. All hell was literally let loose on the land of Sith. Great demons were summoned by one wizard, to be met by magical dragons conjured by the other. Armies of demonic warriors were called forth and they slaughtered one another, laughing with the joy of pointless destruction as they hew and slay each other. For demons and spirits do not die (they are already dead!) when they are destroyed they simply return to the place from whence they had been summoned.

Then the wizards resorted to elemental magicks; great balls of fire and bolts of lightening they hurled across the valleys and woods. They were so intent upon their mortal combat that the passing of the animals and people of the land attracted their attention not in the least. The wholesale destruction of the trees was terrible. The people and animals mostly fled south across the great rift. A few later settled on nearby islands and founded the Duchy of Sponglepot and the Principality of Sidd.

Finally they were both spent and yet still lived. All their spells and conjurings had been consumed in the mighty battle. No amulet or book had been neglected; this terrible war that lasted twenty days and nights was finally over.

Kazablim flopped behind a small rocky outcrop in the valley, totally exhausted. His robes were in tatters and his body burnt and wounded in numerous places. Alcazar similarly had finished, had done his worst and collapsed at the foot of a rocky slope beneath the mountains.

Although the two wizards were actually only a few hundred paces apart they did not realise their proximity. Each sat buried beneath a mountain of thoughts and ponderings; why had this or that spell not succeeded, where had they each gone wrong?

After some considerable time they both began to feel first thirsty and then hungry. Almost simultaneously they began to cast around for something to eat or drink. But there was only destruction to be seen. Dry ashes were all that remained of what was once a mighty forest of great oak, beech and other lovely trees. Not a green leaf or blade of grass had been pared destruction. The bones of the earth, the rocks in their grey nakedness, were all that met the foolish wizards’ four eyes. Scattered about were blackened stumps and logs that looked like bones.

Indeed, here and there the real bones of people and animals could be discerned amongst the debris. The whole country was dead; it was no longer a lush land of forest and rolling, green hills. Converted by the ‘wise’ men’s stupidity into a wasteland, a grey and loathsome desert.

For three days the two men searched for signs of other life, people who might have food or drink to give them. But the villages and towns had been destroyed in the conflict weeks ago. The wizards could find no animals to hunt; even if they had they would have lacked the skill to catch them. There were no fruits or nuts or other plants to consume, the very rivers and streams that had filled the lake had either dried up or been despoiled.

At last to two fools, united in their quest for life, fell arm in arm to the ground. Their hair was falling out and nasty sores and blotches were appearing on their skin. Caused, perhaps, by some after effect from the elemental magic they had conjured into the world. And the destroyers, having destroyed all about them, fell to their own destruction and stupidity. The two men, broken and fallen, quietly died and were consumed by the dry desert they had created.

And the wind howled across the new desert of Sith, it raced across the land to carry its bitter message of death and hate to any who might heed it. But all were either dead or had fled. No one heard the wind’s cries of anguish and pain at the passing of the trees and plants, the animals and people that had lived there before. Now it was a bleak and inhospitable place where no children played and no trees grew.