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.

population perished in the calamity. On the other end of the spectrum, some suggest that as much as ninety percent of the world’s population

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

would be no exaggeration to say that civilization died

whole of Berendar had been divided into administrative regions, and governors with genuine authority were appointed to each. Each followed a

rule as king, eventually adopting the title 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 than elsewhere,

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 of whom came to the

you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the

dwarf refugees escaping their lost 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. Also

Burnt Desert nearly rejected governance altogether, narrowly halted by Governor Durran’s intervention. Refugees and opportunists

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

stood in stark contrast to many other places in the world, where warlords rose from the ashes of dead empires

army from 1 AC to 20 AC. It 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