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Nora Surge
The earliest records of the surge start in the Savage Tundra. Jakei shamans had sensed a new life coursing through their lands. They discussed the matter at length with Queen J`orea. They came to the conclusion that the tundra held more Nora. They sent several of their Shardmasters out to investigate. They returned, each carrying a large Nora globe in their hands. It was then that Queen J`orea proclaimed the beginning of the Nora Surge. She sent her best Frostwings to their Protectorate allies, to let them know of their discovery. Each was given an offering of Nora, as proof.
At first, their allies didn't believe them. They couldn't believe that so much Nora was being produced. Many of the Protectorate nations were experiencing Nora shortages. King Rulgoth could barely hold his outposts in the Sundered Lands. Darius and the Eternal Circle couldn't keep enough soldiers to make progress against the Deep-elves. Kartch's forces were being overrun by G`hern. The Protectorate was losing its fight against Wrath forces. The continuous fighting was draining their resources. They needed more Nora.
Their enemies faired no better. Akakios was losing against the Ironfist outposts on his lands. Serkan was running out of materials to keep his forces in the Savage Tundra. Eehiist had foolishly sent her G`hern to fight against the Boghoppers, ill prepared for a fight in the marshes. Only Grimlic was fairing well in his fight against K`thir. However, even the Underdepths were beginning to see their Nora stores depleting.
Their forces clashed, both sides barely capable of keeping their soldiers fed. Both sides were convinced that they would lose against the other. Draksar ran into battle, with blunted swords and mangled chain mail. The Boghoppers resorted to sharpening sticks, to use against their enemies. Even the Ironfist, with their famous smithies, didn't have the Nora to continue maintaining their weapons. Each nation was in desperate need of Nora. More Nora was on the horizon. Soon, their lands would be surging with life. Their fonts would hold more Nora than they could ever imagine.
Forglar was the next to see a Nora surge. Salaman had gathered Nora globes from their fonts, when they noticed something strange. When they returned to their village, they carried gigantic blue spheres. Ironfist was next, when their miners had struck the largest Nora haul ever recorded. Then, the forest of K`thir were blessed by the Nora surge. The trees sprang to life, energized by a new vigor. The Protectorate immediately began rebuilding their forces.
Soon, Wrath began losing the fight. The Draksar forces were thoroughly crushed by Ironfist's newly rearmed outposts. Along with their new weapons, Ironfist brought their newest constructs to the frontlines as well. The Boghoppers had all but decimated the G`hern fighting forces in Forglar. With the help of Cecaelia, they were inspired to push their enemies out of Forglar. Grimlic's forces were starting to lose momentum in K`thir. The elven forces were revitalized and were receiving aid from the forest itself. Serkan was forced to retreat from J`thir. The Lonx and Jakei focused their newly invigorated soldiers, destroying the undead in waves.
As he led his battalion of corpses out of the tundra, Xulos happened upon a Nora font. Beneath its crystalline surface, burned an incredible energy. He ordered his necromancers to drain the font completely before they continued their retreat. They spent two days draining the font into large Nora globes. With the Nora loaded on the backs of their undead dregs, they continued their retreat back to Old Elsarin.
Soon after Xulos's discovery, the nations of Wrath saw a surge in Nora. With their Nora stores replenished, Akakios was able to rearm his soldiers with new armor and weapons. With their new equipment and the help of the dune walkers, they crushed the Ironfist outposts. The G`hern in Forglar were replenished and reinforced with Cyclopes. Kartch was beginning to feel the strain again. With the Nora, Serkan unlocked the catacombs of Old Elsarin. He began awakening the Elsari, filling his ranks with their moaning corpses. He returned to J`thir, pushing the Jakei back again. Grimlic, shamed by Lord Maxxarek for his losses in K`thir, began to pull more demons from the pits of Sheoul. He released them in the forests, bringing havoc on the elven forces.
The fighting escalated as the Nora surge continued. Conflicts became bloodier, with more casualties over a shorter period of time. All across the world, battles were at a stalemate. As the elves of K`thir began to lose ground again, they consulted with Menalaus for advice. He told them they would need more than soldiers and blades to fight Grimlic's legion. The Protectorate would need to call upon larger forces, if they hoped to gain any ground against the forces of Wrath. He called the leaders of the Protectorate together and told them his advice. He spoke of goliaths, bringing their fists down and crushing waves of Draksar. He spoke of the glacier of the tundra, fighting beside the Jakei. He spoke of champions, which had slumbered for ages in their lands. With the Nora Surge, they would have the resources to call forth these goliaths. They agreed. They would need titans to restore order.
On the other side of the world, the nations of Wrath had gathered to discuss the same problem. Despite their numerous legions and their powerful new weapons, they were matched evenly with the Protectorate. They would need to invest their Nora in something else. Grimlic stood before them. As his brother did with his allies, he suggested they build massive soldiers to fight beside their forces. There was no other way to defeat the Protectorate.
The Wrath and Protectorate nations worked in parallel, unaware of what the other was planning to do. Neither side realized that they had ushered in a new era of warfare.
In the swamps of Forglar, the Boghoppers used their Nora to summon Moog the Marsh Gargantua. Seeing the travesties that befell his brethren, he swore to defend the swamps at all costs. His symbiosis with the swamp gave him the ability to regenerate his leafy body. When he walked, he left behind a trail of marsh water. With this trail, his allies could better navigate in areas outside of Forglar. Despite his leafy body, his strikes were fierce. Underneath his exterior of foliage, his body was made of sturdy vines and branches. With a powerful swing, he could lay into an attacker with a whipping arm.
In the halls of Ironfist, Rulgoth's best elementalists were at work. With their seemingly endless supply of Nora, they began building the largest construct they had ever created. The Faultbreaker became the pinnacle of dwarven construct creation. Despite its massive size, it could quickly and easily maneuver around the battlefield. Because of its size, enemies were often thrown off balance whenever it approached them in combat. Its greatest trait was its strength. With its fists alone, it could split the ground apart and send a devastating shockwave to an unsuspecting foe.
Menalaus awoke P`altrin, the Ancestral Father, from his slumber. Seeing the devastation caused by the deep-elves, he vowed to take vengeance against those that harmed his forests. With Menalaus's help, he took his corporeal form. In this savage, substantial form, the Ancestral Avenger lost his lucidity. With large, sharp claws, he would rend through any creature that dared to harm his forests. Despite his frenzied tactics, his presences alone brought courage to those that stood by him in battle. If his corporeal form was ever damaged, he could change back into his insubstantial form to avoid any further wounds.
Queen J`orea and her shardmasters pleaded to the tundra for help. Some say it was the tundra that replied. From the ice, rose a titan made of glaciers. Their new ally commanded the very forces of the tundra. With its enormous strength, it could chill their enemies to the core. It could focus the cold around its body and project it on its foes, burying them in heavy snow. As it treaded across the ground, it left an icy trail. Those, that weren't condemned to a chilly grave, fled.
Serkan searched through the catacombs of Elsarin, in search of a worthy champion. In the depths, he found the corpse of a large beast. It once stood guard at the gates of Elsarin, protecting its people from the dangers of the outside world. Its body was riddled with carrionlings and its skin was horribly diseased. He brought the corpse to life and warped it to his will. Once again, it proved itself formidable in combat. As it lumbered into battle, its carrionlings spilt from its body onto the ground. As battles continued, the ground would be littered with fleshy parasites. It also used its disease to its advantage, often unleashing a torrent of diseased blood onto its enemies.
The Draksar turned to Vindrax for guidance. They made large offerings of Nora to the Avatar of Destruction. Humbled by their gifts, he summoned his greatest champion to aid them in battle. The Dreadnought Sezinok descended from his throne to the battlefield. Their enemies had never faced such a powerful adversary. His strike came swiftly and forcefully, crushing dwarves where they stood. He leapt and dashed across the battlefield, often catching his opponent's off guard. The presence of his Draksar brethren inspired him, giving him greater strength against their enemies. Those that didn't flee immediately were often too afraid to keep hold of their weapons.
The Cyclopes used their Nora to rebuild the Shattered Peaks. Their efforts were only partly successful. From the pile of rock rose a titan. The Cyclopes returned to the Voil, proclaiming victory over their winged overseers. Queen Eehiist decided she would use the titan for her own purposes. She seized the stone colossus for her self. Burrowing her forces inside its massive frame, she led the colossus into Forglar. From its gigantic maw, the Voil swarmed out. With its stone fists, it crushed the enemies of the Peaks. Occasionally, it would eat a Moga whole to restore itself. The Cyclopes were angered over the theft of their new weapon.
Grimlic was losing patience with his forces. They were not making any leeway on the surface. Maxxarek would only lend his Bok to the cause, not allowing Grimlic to sift through the lower depths of Sheoul. Grimlic went against his will. With the Nora, he reached into the deepest pits of Sheoul, in search of a worthy soldier. He pulled from the depths a savage demon. The Greater Pitspawn towered over him. With its arms outreached, it pledged loyalty to Grimlic for its freedom from the depths. Grimlic brought his new servant to the surface, and released him on the unsuspecting elves. The Greater Pitspawn crushed it foes with powerful strikes. Its massive arms were imbued with brimstone, holding more than physical strength alone. Its strikes brought curses upon its victims, weakening their ability to fight. With enough focus, he could devastate a warrior with his Death Strike. His fierce attacks were met by his incredible maneuverability. Despite his stature, he could nimbly weave through enemy forces.
The Nora Surge ushered in a new era. The forces of Wrath and Protectorate would collide, as they always did. In their arsenals, they each possessed a weapon capable of leveling entire cities. Both sides would see incredible loss. Walls would crumble and spires would fall. Even the titans themselves would be felled. Despite the losses they would suffer, there would always be enough Nora to continue. Each nation would continue to feed Nora into their war machines. The Protectorate would do so to see an end to the bloodshed. The Wrath would do so to see it continue. Neither side would yield to its adversary. The Nora Surge had begun.