Outraged over the unwarranted incursion of their land, Jyrian Kingdoms Ran, Shaevi and Alfana organised war preparations. Archived messenger scrolls from this time reveal the rulers of these invaded Kingdoms eventually decided to declare war together against Mi’val.

Instead of marching on the capital separately, the Alfana, Ran and Shaevi militaries would join together outside of the Mi’valian border and march as a joint force.

 

The movements of the joint armies are recorded to have proceeded together through the town of Farsi before they made their way towards the capital city. However, what the army encountered in this Mi’valian town is said to have been incredibly confusing and terrifying.

Even before they reached the gates, experienced soldiers could smell it; the smell of rotting fruit and flesh.

 

The stench of death.

 

According to eyewitness accounts the town had been completely obliterated by fire and an undeterminable black ink. This strange substance apparently burned through the armour of knights who walked through or touched it, leaving red blistering scars.

 

A sample of this residue was attempted for investigation but due to its aggressive nature, it could not be transported to a sterile location. Endeavours to recreate or access this black ink is unsuccessful as of this publication.

 

Corpses of men, women and children littered the streets; some charred beyond recognition. Others had fingers or hands or legs hacked to pieces not far away from their still-warm bodies. It was clear that whoever had committed this act of violence was aggressively calculated or beyond insane. Fortunately, some locals survived with gruesome injuries, whilst others had just returned home and were not present during the attack.

 

The most concerning aspect of this ordeal was who or what could have engaged in such a needless barrage of violence and death.

 

By all accounts, it could not have been the soldiers of Ran, Shae and Alfana. The massacre in Farsi had taken place at least half a day before the army had set foot in Mi’val; even scouts that brought news of the slaughter testified they had been at least an hour away. Farsian survivors reiterate these claims however, the identity of the assailants was unknown to the victims.

 

The traumatic experience the locals endured could have also influenced the recollection of those who survived. No one could identify the features of the murderers aside from the attack being quick and needlessly violent.

 

Bewildered but committed to their crusade, the majority of the joint armies continued towards the capital while a small percentage remained in Farsi to investigate. When they arrived, the army did not encounter guards awaiting them on the stone walls.

What they did see, were the bodies. Brick upon brick, street upon street, house upon house, there were remains of every class and manner of person.

 

The cause of their deaths, however, was undefinable. There were no reportedly found wounds upon anyone; no defensive markings nor signs of struggle anywhere within the city. Upper-class children were lying dead in school classrooms along with their teachers, and priests were slumped over alters. Bakers and merchants and other persons of trade were collapsed near their work; their livelihoods waiting to be sold at the morning markets.

 

There were no visible injuries across nearly all of the people in the town. No sword, dagger, arrow, spear or poison could be identified as the cause of death for the twenty-seven thousand locals and travellers. Apart from a handful of guards protecting notable entrances, no indications of a siege or attack of any kind were identified. It was as though the city’s hustle and bustle of an ordinary day had stopped and everyone simultaneously dropped dead.

 

The Unnamed King was found in the towering great hall of his castle, with a dozen more knights. The ruler’s eyes had been glossed over and wide. A simple silver-plated sword, with an engraved crow, had nailed the King to the ground through his chest. His face, which was said to have belonged to a much older man, was starkly white. His pale mouth was so uncomfortably agape it appeared to have been broken.

 

Some historians suggest that perhaps the shock of whatever occurred in the hall had killed him before the sword.

 

Unlike the people in the streets, these knights had injuries that alluded to the use of the steel sword found in the King’s chest. Markings in the shape of a crow, or raven, were splattered across the faces or chests of the knights in the hall.

 

Religious runes and symbols were smudged across the floors, the walls, and the ceiling of the hall. The largest of which had distinct runes that couldn’t be identified during the initial siege. A cardinal was called upon to translate the symbols that covered every available space of the hall. After much deliberation, they were discovered to have been used for an impressive alchemy spell utilising the power of the Watcher, Kazuru.

 

As of this publication, it is still unknown as to how and why the events in the capital city of Mi’val took place. The Kingdoms of Ran, Shae and Alfana took no credit for what occurred in the capital or the outskirt town of Farsi. The majority of historians have only been able to theorise as to the significance behind the usage of crows within the spirit circle; and the mysterious sword that had taken the life of the King and the knights within the hall.

This mythical individual has been known the history as ‘The Crow’ after the symbols that painted the walls of the hall; along with the engraved bird on the sword’s hilt.

 

It should be reiterated that ‘The Crow’ has never been positively identified; or even been regarded as a person entirely. It is more than likely this individual is no more than a myth created by jesters at the time to boast or terrify.

 

In this author’s opinion, it is more than likely the individual given the name Crow was indeed the person who murdered the King and his sword swords. Perhaps they had been involved with the spell that killed the people of Mi’val or were at least privy to the events that went on in that hall. The devastation of Farsi could also be the responsibility of the Crown. Their motivation for doing so, however, is a more difficult pursuit – a topic this author will not be covering in this recollection.

 

Regardless, the symbols and the significance of the crows within the religious curse, along with the devastations of Mi’val and Farsi remain a mystery to this day.