Bellum

Bellum was a sultraluth who founded the Bellumites. He believed that warfare and hardship strengthened the soul and sped up the harvest. Victors emerged with stronger souls and the souls of losers were quickly consumed. He formed the Bellumites on these principles.

Victory was a sultraluth who was his apprentice. He learned martial arts and combat skills from Bellum and treated him with utmost respect and reverence until he grew too hungry and ambitious to resist the taste of his master's soul. Victory challenged Bellum to mortal combat early in Year 4240. Bellum was taken aback at first but quickly escaped to the Hitherworld. Bellum influenced the Emperor of Falonia to start having more friendly relationships with the CICS, violating the treaty between Falonia and Vijj which caused Vijj to declare war on Falonia. Bellum also raised an army in the Netherworld. He took over 4,000 dirgholuthi and 300 ultreluthi riding nycaliluthi and coordinated simultaneous battles in both planes.

Victory countered Bellum's land-based army with 2,000 dirgholuthi, 2,500 hydroluthi, 200 ultreluthi riding nycaliluthi, 200 pescaluthi and 100 geicholuthi. Victory's forces hid in the watery depths of the Netherworld Ocean and attacked Bellum through mainly secretive means. Victory subdued the leviathan and held control over the Undersea Passage, preventing Bellum's forces from using it to travel to the Hitherworld. Bellum used other methods but was severely restrained by Victory's blockade.

Death and the Netherworld Organization stayed neutral in the conflict, resolving that infighting within the Bellumites was good for the Netherworld Organization. She allowed Victory to control the Undersea Passage and the leviathan with the assurance that he would release the leviathan once the conflict was resolved. Death threatened that she would bring in other leviathans if there were any problems.

The war between the two martial sultraluthi culminated with a large battle near the Great Tower in the Netherworld and Northern Vijj in the Hitherworld. Bellum put most of his yugoluthi forces on the islands near the Great Tower, changed his form to that of a human general and placed himself within the generals of the Falonian army on the Eastern shore of the High Lake. Victory placed most of his yugoluthi forces in the water near the Undersea Passage and personally controlled the leviathan. Victory had influenced the Vijjan generals to attack Falonia by crossing the High Lake days beforehand.

The battle began as Bellum's forces flew in from around the Great Tower. They set up at base location on the island of the Great Tower. Death stationed dirgholuthi along the Great Tower to protect it in case of a change of events. Victory's army remained stationed at the entrance to the Undersea Passage in three dimensional ranks. Bellum's army, lead by the ultreluthi dove into the dark depths of the ocean. The nycaliluthi changed form from flying horses and dragons to sharks and smaller versions of krakens and levianthans.

The first wave hit and Victory's army was pushed back. Victory rallied his troop and commanded a quick splitting of the ranks. He commanded the leviathan to rampage through Bellum's troops. Bellum's yugoluthi were severely damaged by Victory's unruly monster. Victory commanded his troops to push forward and turned the leviathan around.

Meanwhile, the Vijjan army sailed into a headwind across the HIgh Lake. and was reaching the Falonian navy forces stationed on the lake. Bellum saw the oncoming attack and began a ranged onslaught on the ships. The ships were visibly damaged and turned to retreat. Bellum seized this oportunity and reccomended an assault on the disjointed navy.

Victory steered the leviathan through the Undersea Passage and towards the Hitherworld. The Vijjan army retreated over the door to the Undersea Passage. As the Falonian army pursued them over the door, Victory rode the Levianthan through the door. He appeared on the Hitherworld and urged the sea monster to swim at full speed toward the surface. As the shadows of the Falonian ships came into view about him, Victory loosened his grip on the beast. When they broke the surface, Victory leapt from the levianthan, unsheathed his golden sword and landed upon a Falonian ship. The levianthan, now free of its oppressive rider, raged through any ships in sight.

The leviathan took out dozens of ships and Victory took out nearly as many singlehandedly. Any Falonians who saw Victory from far away jumped ship as fast as possible. Stories had long been told of a mad soldier fitting Victory's description that could take out a full legion. When the Falonians saw their comrades being torn into pieces by Victory and the ships being split into driftwood by the leviathan they turned and fled.

Bellum saw the leviathan attacking his ships and new he had to take care of it personally or else his forces would be crushed. He removed himself from the troubled generalii of the Falonian Army and flew to the shore.

The Vijjans regrouped to the West, as far away from the leviathan as they could get while still keeping an eye on the battle. Once Victory thought he had done enough, he leapt into the sea and changed his form into that of a wounded Vijjan general. He swam to the ships and climbed aboard a commanding ship. He advised the officers to wait until the leviathan disappeared back down into the depths and then reattack the weakened Falonians, killing every man on shore.

Bellum pulled out his chain whip and ensnared the leviathan with it. THe whip wrapped around the jaw of the sea monster and hooked in tightly. The beast twisted and rolled through the water of the High Lake and the flotsam of the ruined Falonian ships but Bellum held on. He used his immense strength to pull himself up the long chain and onto the leviathan's back where he used to chain to command the leviathan back toward the passage. He knew Death would not be pleased to know her servant leviathan was visible in the Hitherworld and having her angry at Victory would help him greatly.

As he approached the door, a strange feeling came upon him. Yugoluthi began to pour out of the door. He stared at them for a moment before they began to change into the form of Vijjan soldiers. Victory's army in the Netherworld had defeated Bellum's and the survivors were now making their way to the Hitherworld as backup.

Bellum tried to turn the leviathan around again and resurface but he felt something else grasp onto the leviathan's back. He turned to see his apprentice climbing the spines of the leviathan hand over hand toward Bellum.

Bellum grabbed one of the long first spine of the leviathan and unwrapped his chain whip from around the leviathan. The creature began to flounder wildly again and attempted to shake off the riders from its spines. Victory kept climbing up the spines toward the leviathans head and Bellum hung tight onto the first spine, now flailing around. With nowhere to go, Bellum had to attack Victory. He snapped his whip at Victory but the water slowed down the attack and Victory deflected the blows with only one hand on his sword. Victory kept approaching. The apprentice lunged the last few spines, grabbed his master by the skull and pushed his blade through him. Bellum tried to push Victory off before going limp.

As the soul of his master escaped the body, Victory consumed it and in doing so doubled his power. His yugoluthi army joined the returning Vijjan army and ransacked the lands East of the High Lake. Victory guided the leviathan back through the door to the Netherworld.