Jackal Among Snakes

Epilogue 1.1: Preface

The events of the previous volume of this work may make the reader question if it should be taken as a historical account or a novel born of my imagination. To that skeptical reader, I assure I exaggerated no feats. The vast majority of it was corroborated by multiple firsthand sources who survived the Last Calamity, including many that have no known relationship to the imperial court of the Blackgard Union. I put my own testimony in that list. I was a soldier in the Kingdom of Vasquer’s army, but I saw the man then called king only a few times, and never spoke to him personally.

Nevertheless, very little evidence actually exists outside of testimony. Some claim Argrave’s exploits too grandiose, likely heavily warped by sycophants seeking praise. I counted myself among such skeptical historians, but thorough investigation has borne fruit in the form of the previous volume which I am confident in calling the most accurate account of Argrave’s journey leading up to the Last Calamity.

My peers in the field of history have already done excellent work documenting the rise of the Blackgard Union. I will provide a brief summary, but little more. Instead, my focus shall lie in the figures which established the grand nation we enjoy today. This volume largely covers the prominent people involved during the three ages.

My colleague and collaborator, Garm of Vasquer, has provided invaluable assistance in allowing me access to both prominent figures and records. Carrying on with this trend of largesse, he will provide a personal account of his experience in the imperial court where necessary. Where we begin, however, he’s yet to be born.

Age of Reclamation, 1-25 AC

To properly contextualize the scale of the restoration, the reader must understand the scale of the destruction.

as much as ninety percent of the world’s population passed away.

erosion of society around the world. Berendar, as the site of the calamity’s descent, was the worst affected. The entire city of Blackgard was wiped away, along with countless other grand settlements of the time. Mountains were levelled in some places, and rose up in others. Rivers changed course, chasms opened in once-fertile plains, and plentiful mines were sealed

to say that

Berendar had been divided into administrative regions, and governors with genuine authority were appointed to each. Each followed a unified law levied by the government, but

of emperor in 8 AC. These appointed governors served the emperor alone, serving to replace the abolished nobility as regional leaders. Some have suggested the more severe drop in population enabled this to happen far easier

were easily outnumbered by other groups. Elves alone comprised nearly half of the total population. There were elves from the Bloodwoods, who formally dissolved their protectorate and merged with the Blackgard Union in 4 AC. There were Veidimen—‘snow elves’—many

that it's taken without the author's

city of Mundi who did make efforts to establish their own state in 12-13 AC before being persuaded to stay on the surface within the union by Argrave.

and the Burnt Desert nearly rejected governance altogether, narrowly halted by Governor Durran’s intervention. Refugees and opportunists attempted to declare themselves warlords, but such attempts were quickly quelled. The dying embers of nobility tried to

are the subterranean communes, the southron elves, the centaurs, and the tribes of Vysenn. Though negligible in the whole of the continent, each had a significant impact on their respective regions. Some were given land grants to prevent bloodshed, which might’ve resulted in the annihilation of their people and culture. The centaurs, for instance, were granted the wide-open plains where the Tower of the Gray Owl once stood. All these disparate peoples remained a part of

led to relatively little bloodshed. This stood in stark contrast to many other places in the world, where warlords rose from the ashes of dead empires to reign as tyrants. The imperial court was certainly decisive, unwavering, and at

was astounding to see the intelligence and driven purpose of the people of Berendar. I would leave a region with the army to quell a disturbance, or deal with encroachment by some foul beasts. By the time we returned, the area had been built up