The War of the Duel

Once upon a time, centuries upon centuries ago, before the Zekresh Empire began, before the first stone was laid to build the Imperial City of Zekran, there was a duel between a prince and an emperor.

This was a time when the Frayeth Empire still stood on the Southern Peninsula, but it was in disarray due to internal discord, wildmen attacks, and an invasion by the army of Prince Toralin of Corinweld. Prince Toralin had recovered the Lost Crown of Ilania and by its power and authority had unified all the ancient peoples of Ilania, the Gavrinians, Tuladorians, Sarindans, many Frayeth clans and several powerful tribes of wildmen including the Grogians and led them in a relentless war to defeat the Frayeth Emperor Dulimuk.

Prince Toralin succeeded in his quest and at the battle of the Seagull River he defeated the Frayeth Army and had Emperor Dulimuk surrounded. Emperor Dulimuk refused to surrender. To the dismay of his knights, Prince Toralin challenged Dulimuk to a duel, promising that if Dulimuk won, Toralin's life would be forfeit, the Lost Crown of Ilania would be Dulimuk's and all the lands of ancient Ilania would become part of the Frayeth Empire. For these stakes, Dulimuk agreed that if he should lose, not only would he be slain, but that the title of Frayeth Emperor would die with him. This promise was sealed with a curse sworn to by both Dulimuk and Toralin upon the Lost Crown of Ilania that unending woe and decrepitude should befall anyone who sought to undo the results of the duel that had been agreed upon. All of the generals and warriors of both Toralin and Dulimuk who were present also swore to abide by the results of the duel and that the endless wars between the Frayeth and the nations of Ilania should end forever on that day one way or the other.

The duel commenced. Dulimuk was a mighty warrior armed with the finest sword and armor that Frayeth craftsmen knew how to make. Nonetheless, Prince Toralin of Corinweld's armor was said to be a suit of ancient magic armor inherited from Rando, one of the original sixteen knights of Corinweld who were given magic weapons and armor supposedly by Ravelon himself, the God of Magic. Emperor Dulimuk was not dismayed by this since he did not believe in Ravelon or any other Ilanian god. He prayed instead to Gilhalnan, The Goat God of the Forest and Father of the Gods.

Prince Toralin wielded the sword known as Corinbek (meaning Raven's Beak in Gavrinian), an ancient weapon with a legendary ability to pierce armor. This weapon was said to have originally been given to the knight Dalin by Ravelon, the God of Magic in ancient times. The Emperor struck the first blow and it rang off Prince Toralin's armor without so much as denting it. A second and third blow the Emperor struck, also without effect. Then Prince Toralin replied in kind. The first blow from Corinbek clove the emperor's iron shield in twain. The second took off the emperor's sword hand. The third blow clove his helm and smote the emperor a mortal blow from which he fell dead upon the spot. Thus ended the Frayeth Empire.

Though the duel was supposed to end the fighting between the Frayeth and the Ilanians, it did not. Some of the Frayeth warriors who were present at the duel broke their oath and risked the curse to resist Prince Toralin's attempts to subjugate the Frayeth. Other Frayeth warriors who were not present at the duel continued to fight. Some of them claimed the title of Frayeth Emperor. Prince Toralin was enraged at this since it broke the terms sworn to by Emperor Dulimuk and his men at the duel. Eventually, Prince Toralin himself took the title of Emperor of the Frayeth Empire to attempt to impose his will upon the Frayeth. From that day forward, Emperor Toralin had not a day of peace for the rest of his short life. In addition to revolts by his own supporters and the Frayeth, the powerful tribes of the Fire People waged war against him successfully. Within seven years, both the Frayeth Empire and all Ilania were laid waste by endless wars and strife. Emperor Toralin was assassinated by poison. It was said afterwards that Toralin was destroyed by the curse he himself had sworn to along with Dulimuk. Some legends say that the last thing Toralin heard as he was dying from the poison was the sound of Dulimuk's ghost laughing at him.

Emperor Toralin's son Raylin also wore the cursed crown of Ilania and took the title of Emperor of Ilania and Frayethay. Emperor Raylin's rule was so despotic towards the Frayeth that many Frayeth fled across the water to North Peninsula. The coast of North Peninsula on the Gateway Waters came to be known as Frayethay, the land of the Frayeth. The lands of the Frayeth Empire had once borne this name, but no longer. After only six years wearing the cursed crown, Emperor Raylin ruled only a wasteland. In frustration, he went to the Seagull River at the site where the duel had been fought and renounced all his titles and cast the crown into the river whence it was again lost.