The Wizard and the Sylph - Page 138/573

"But one day, the King received reports about terrible creatures who roamed the edges of the Burning Lands in bands, killing travellers and burning and looting villages that were close to the borders of the Burning Lands.

"Some of these were captured and brought back to Morag, where it was ascertained that they were once elves and dwarves, that some monstrously cruel lore had been practiced on them. Angered, the King sent forth an army to destroy these unfortunate vermin, and with them the evil one who had dared subvert innocent lives. They were met with stiff resistance, and within a short time there was full-scale war. For year after year the war escalated until the King was mired in helpless

frustration in his efforts to rid the east of this scourge, and neither did he know who his nemesis was.

"Finally, the elves and dwarves held council, deciding to end the matter once and for all. Until this time, the dwarves had refrained from becoming involved, not having the Burning Lands on their own border. But they grew tired of watching their friends to the north suffer bloodshed and loss, and at last they vowed to help destroy the evil.

"They so overpowered the wicked force in the east that when the enemy fled, they let them go, thinking their foe vanquished forever. They little knew their danger. It was around this time that the first men appeared, and with them the first wizards from over the sea that lies far to the west.