The Sunset Dawn: The Kayen Variations

 Chapter 11: Dragons Hide the Heavens - Kayen - associates to Chapter 4 of Angelfire

Very little record is left of the period of time known as the dark years. It was said that the only thing more frightening than seeing the Horde pour over hillsides and plains, through cities as if they were not even defended, was the thousands of dragons that covered the sky, hid the sun with their bodies, and scoured the land with their shadows and their dragon-fire. The world quickly began to kneel before the armies of Eclipse, and Dar sat in Verminasia, issuing out orders with his mind and through his dragons, faster than any written message could travel. The armies of the world could not organize themselves against such ferocious fire-power, nor such lightning quick coordination.

So began the conquest of Eclipse over the world. They took cities as massive as Arkane, New Thalos, and Miden'ir on the border of Shalonost. The Knighthood fought hard, aided by what was left of the Conclave, and even the Cultists of Malice, who Dar took special pleasure in decimating. However, as the Highlord had suspected, his reign of conquest did not go without resistance for long. The god of balance interjected Kwainin's hand interfered, and the metallic dragons were summoned by the Draconus. They came, though less organized, to the aid of the Knighthood.

It was a dark day, black clouds covered the sun across the entire continent. The day of the final battle. The forces of light had organized for one last assault, and it was said that Austinian himself rode into battle on a silvery dragon. It was the only reason explainable why Dar took every single man, woman and dragon in his armies into the fray, including himself, at the front lines.

An ancient red dragon named Ungoliante was his companion into battle, and he flew through the skies viciously, Verra on her black dragon nearby. Below, the armies, and the Horde, turned the land black with their many bodies, and what they could not cast shadow upon, the dragons in the sky could, riding forth behind them.

Below, the armies of the world clashed in a ferocious, terrifying battle that spanned for many days. And so met Dar with a mountain dwarf dressed all in white, sparkling like the sun, riding a dragon of pure copper Zingin Karma'k the First Karma'k, the king of the dwarves, and another man, a knight of the line Breinengton, a Lord of the Knighthood, possessed with a divine aura, on an ancient gold dragon. A High Elf, the Speaker himself rode in the sky, long lance in his hand and a halo about his head, on a dragon of silver. They had come for the Draconus, which Dar had.

Dragons overtook one another in the sky, and the heavens were lit with fire and brimstone, gas, lightning, ice. Ungoliante fought with the practice of a millennium, Verra flew her dragon on his wing, cutting through the opposition with her lance until finally they met the leaders of the world, mid-sky.

Dar squared off with the paladin of the crown and his gold steed, Ungoliante letting loose an inferno of fire. Their lances passed, Dar batted the incoming lance aside with his shield, knocking the Draconus from his hand, and broke his lance on the gold dragon. The gold hurtled downwards, and the paladin reclaimed the Draconus. It was only a matter of time before the dragons turned.

Dar had the paladin right where he wanted him, and Verra had figured the Speaker of Shalonost would come after her, not assist the dwarf nor the paladin. But alas, the silver lunged in, distracting Dar and his dragon, and the dwarf had time to go in with his lance and surgically plant it in Dar's gut, sending him hurtling towards the ground below. Verra's heart leapt from her chest, her dragon breathed a cloud of fire and she brought it down, to save her falling darling.

Down through the torment of battle he dove, but Verra's black dragon was faster. She scooped him up in her arms and onto the saddle, and the withdrew from the battle, to the east, towards Verminasia. Below, as the clouds parted, the demons of the Horde dissipated slowly, growing less and less in number, fighting slower, just as Dar's breath faded.

Dar lay, bleeding in the courts of Verminasia. Jaymes rushed to see to his fallen lord, but Verra shoved him off, shouting.

"Let him be! Let me be with him, please!" And Jaymes, stood.

Who did this? Who!?

"It was the dwarf King, aided by the Speaker of the Moons. They have the Draconus." Jaymes' eyes went steely, and he ran off, to prepare Verminasia's defense. The enemy drew quickly near. Dar looked up at his love, and she kissed his lips. Her tear filled eyes opened briefly, and she gave him a pained smile, and breathed into his ear, "I still believe in you, Elsumzi."

Jaymes screamed at the nearby courtesans to fetch a healer, and Verra howled as Dar went limp in her arms. The skies to the west were filled with the silhouttes of a dying battle, and dragons coming towards Verminasia, to finish the ordeal. What had gone wrong? Why did Dar suffer so. She stood, slowly, letting Dar's body slide softly to the ground.

She ran into the nearby temple as healers rushed about in the courtyard, Dar's body framed by the dragon-fire that rained down upon Verminasia, arrows flying into the sky, and the streets of silver and gold melting into the ground.

Chapter 13 : The Aftermath of Legacy - Kayen - associates to Chapter 6 of Angelfire

Dar's eyes opened, and once again, the dark abyss stretched before him. A man sat nearby upon the altar, a man who mirrored the Highlord's looks in every way.

"Greetings," the other Dar said.

Dar looked extremely confused as he stood. He looked down at his stomach, where his chain mail was unbroken, and his gut intact.

"I have given you life anew." The other Dar stated flatly.

Who are you?

"Necrucifer, my son." The other Dar smirked. This was not how Dar pictured his god at all. He decided to put faith in the situation, however.

What has happened, my lord Necrucifer?

"The armies of Eclipse have fallen. The demon horde has returned to my realm. The death knights, for the most part, have been broken and banished, their souls left to wander the world aimlessly. The Dragons have departed, with the shattering of the Draconus. It has been separated, perhaps never to be reassembled. You have lost, Dar."

Rage filled the Highlord. His god seemed to be mocking his defeat. It did not please him.

Necrucifer read Dar's thoughts. Verra still lives.

Dar's expression amused the other Dar. The later swung himself off the altar, striding forward. He stopped in front of Dar, staring into his eyes.

"You see me as you see yourself, because in order to revive you, I have filled your veins with a single drop of my own blood. You are just that, Dar: a drop of my blood. You are my Avatar, now.

"Although your efforts lay in waste, your city in ruins, and your body lay dead at it's center, your service to me is far from complete, nor shall it go unrewarded."

Necrucifer turned, stepping away a few steps. "An illness shall descend upon those 'heroes' who banded to destroy you. A strange plague. Their meeting place is Thaxanos. They try Verra there, for her own crimes, and yours"

Dar closed his eyes as darkness enveloped him, a chill breeze across his flesh. He plunged down toward the world below, and then stood in a grassy field. Mountains stretched across the northern horizon: Thaxanos. His master's final words rung in his ears. "Stop them."

Chapter 14 : An Avatar's Vengeance - Kayen - New last chapter

The cold stone halls beneath Thaxanos had felt no such hatred in their midst since the beginning of time, when the darkness beneath every mountain was under direct control of Necrucifer. A swarthy, hell-bent man strode confidently through them, boots echoing like a death toll through and through. No living creature dared to stand in his way, nor the way of the two Deathknights, Maven and Vaksyne, who accompanied him.

"Wait here." Dar spoke, and passed silently through metal doors into the King's Throne room, alone. Inside, were gathered the Speaker of the Elves, the dwarf King Zingin the First, the paladin who had slain Dar, among other heroes of the world. At the center, shackled, was Verra, being judged and sentenced.

"and so, may whatever god you worship, that you say you love have-" "Necrucifer," Verra interrupted. "I have told you. I am faithful to Necrucifer, and he is the one true power and love left in my life."

"Yes" the Speaker sneered. "This 'Necrucifer' who is both a blasphemous ideal, and a creation of a seriously disturbed mind. I sentence you to hang by the neck until you are dead, Verra Ka'tath, and may 'Necrucifer' have mercy upon your soul." Dar strode toward Verra, revealed himself from the shadow of the ethereal. The spectacular entrance stunned everyone. The king stood sharply, he knew the face and the name, for he had struck the killing blow. The guards had no time to react. All stared, fear struck. Dar reveled in their apprehension.

"I am Necrucifer." He spoke levelly.

A crescendo of screams rose through the stone chamber screams filled with blood and shock. Energy shot like lightning from Dar's fingertips, and the room was engulfed in it's blue, glowing flashes. Dar drew his sword and separated the King's head from his shoulders. At once, every living thing but Verra was still and unmoving, he slipped his hands about her waist and the shackles fell off.

The mountain containing Thaxanos erupted like a volcano. It's peak exploded in fiery wrath, and the shockwaves rippled across the ground. Although it was not the whole kingdom, it was a good part of it. Dar and Verra stood arm in arm, watching it. She slumped her head into his chest, crying tears of joy. Darkness would yet prosper in these dark and shattered lands. They ascended together, into the blackness of the skies above.

Targetter, to the end.

Sehvelarious Iolius, the Loremaster of Gareth Keep, on the origin of the variations:

Difference in versions of Sunset Dawn

There is an different version of Sunset Dawn which has recently been uncovered which differs to this original in a few regards. The original in this book I will refer to as the "Angelfire texts" as that is where they come from. This later version I will refer to as the "Kayen texts" as they come from the Shadowknight archive.

Differences in the Kayen Texts to the Angelfire Texts included in this book

• The most obvious is the renaming of Targetter to Dar Getter throughout.

• Elves and dwarvern kingdoms attempting to intervene to stop San Gohdam to take the Crown.

• There are references to Zingin Kar'mak at the outset and at the final battle.

• Maven's attempt to cover up that Shalonesti had requested aid from Serpantol to fight off the initial Yinn invasion, suggesting that Maven had hidden the request to Serpantol so that Shalonesti would be ignored.

• That there was stronger evidence on the fictional Lord Maven that he was a Cultist.

• Verra Ka'tath is introduced much earlier and by name, and increased references to her throughout.

• Suggests that the Cultists are the birthplace of the Sons of Malice.

There are other smaller changes, but they do not change the course of the tale much.

The major change is at the end. Some of the last chapters are removed and the final one is titled an "Avatar's Vengence". This is the main deviation from the Angelfire Text.

• Instead of slaying Verra in the final battle, it is Dar which takes the lance in his gut and Verra flies him back to Verminisia instead of vice versa. Dar dies and is sent to the abyss where Necrucifer gives him a second chance of life.

• There is no mention on him taking the Dracon of Might from the Thane of Wargar. Dar goes to Thaxanos remade from the blood of Necrucifer and slays Zingin. This causes some confusion as Zingin played a large part in early modern history, unless he was an ancestor by the same name. Dar then freezes the Paladin Breingiton and the Speaker of the Stars and the rest of the people trying Verra for her crimes, then causes the volcano at Thaxanos to erupt and ascends to the heavens with Verra.

Chronologically the Angelfire texts do come from earlier prehistory than the Kayen texts, so it is likely that the Kayen Texts are later. The Kayen Texts are dated to the foundation of Shadow, but it is unclear who is the author of the amendments. d'Fale had long since departed by this time, so it is possible that the modifications were made by Sorcia Kayen in a seductive attempt to write themselves into history. Certainly it attempts to portray Serpantol in an even poorer light than before. An argument against this is that the original founders of Shadow considered Targetter had lost his way breaking with purist policy, but in the Kayen Texts they elevate him to godlike status.

Recently new evidence has emerged that the different version from the Kayen Texts did originally source from Eclipse's library from the time of Highlord Nag'Shuggoth DarkShade, but that the Angelfire Texts still predate that as he was one of the later Highlords.

At any rate, the story is changed considerably. Iolius.