*Zauk Zhahan came to power in the chaotic days following the defeat of the Warlock Order. Zhahan's predecessor had died unknown in the last days of the M.A. bombardment, during an illfated covert meeting with certain Warlock Order officers of high rank. Though the M.A. never knew the significance of what they had accomplished, the small faction lead by Zhahan, DID. Following the revered speaker's demise, they quietly took over the major government buildings in the capital city with ununiformed soldiers, closed off the major roads and killed their rivals in while they slumbered. A few survived the night, but only a precious few escaped beyond the following dawn. His power secured, Zauk Zhahan made no changes, and when the council (rather reduced in size) met that afternoon to elect a new revered speaker, there was no real question about who the new ruler would be. The takeover was swift and bloody, and done with very little public conflict.
Now Zauk's eyes were firmly fixed upon the Thalian people. Though he was unable to open a passage from his continent to that ruled by the Godslayer, the land of Galen Thal, already had such a back door. Ruling it, would give his armies complete ability to take his battle to the mainland of Archos's Empire. Up until now, their inability to make a direct landing, limited and in some cases made nearly impossible any kind of victory that could be called complete. What they needed was another way through, Galen Thal was it. Its passages to the homeland were so ancient that closing them was beyond the reach of all but many high mages. Though they were hidden, the fact that Zauk's people had originally come from the homeland, gave them the means to trace that magical path. And taking over the Venway Confederation would provide all the resources they would need to mount a successful attack.
The first stage was completed. Zauk ruled the hegemony and it had stabalized and strengthened itself.
the second stage had been set back by the M.A. raids that had killed and arrested so many agents, but as those in question had no real knowledge of whom they worked for, that was a minor inconvenience. The raids could not take them all. And those who were able to escape detection, kept the land in turmoil and turned public sentiment against the confederation wherever they were able.
the third stage was being accomplished by Alele, he kept the confederation inflamed with his tribe's bloody atrocities, they would not walk to war, but run to slay the whole of the iron nation. Which they would find to be much more prolonged than they had originally intended.
when that happened, and they were fully engaged, stage four would be enacted. to be revealed as the story unfolds
~Kill your enemy with a borrowed sword~ 13 strategies of ancient china
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