Chapter 7 - Clagor and Greyre
Though at the beginning of the fifth year of Destruction all liches who had escaped their prison so far except for Prul-Gar had been defeated, those victories had come at a heavy cost: Ra, Jaysek and Ulane had fallen in battle and hardly any area in eastern Myaasia had remained untouched by unlife corruption.
So when the lich Clagor broke free from his bonds in the spring of that year no one was ready to organize any meaningful attempt at resistance.
Clagor immediately turned his armies to the northwest, crossing the Great Plains and skirting the mountains on the north before turning due west through the frozen wastes towards Zorim.
All those who were able to fled before his approach, and he seemed to be content to let them get away, not slowing his march in the slightest, perhaps hoping to reach Zorim before the Empire could organize a defence.
The empire met Clagor’s host in force a few days march out of Zorim. Clagor’s host was not the largest of those that had been buried beneath Zerim, but his army still outnumbered the empire’s forces and Clagor was a shrewd tactician, who managed to outmanoeuvre his enemy and obliterate the force sent against him almost to a man. He continued on to Zorim, conquering the city while taking only moderate losses. His armies then spread over the area all the way down to Zosa, establishing his control over the area.
It must have been during this time that Clagor learned of the imperial invasion of Derimir. It is not known whether he sought to destroy any remnants of imperial power or if he had other reasons, but he ordered a portion of his army to Derimir, reaching the island by way of a magical portal through the plane of unlife. It was only through cunning that this host was destroyed, but that tale is told in another place.
By late summer Clagor ruled unopposed over all the lands north of Zosa, his armies ranging as far south as the Battle Plains and readying for a strike at Askalon which he had ignored on his way north.
As with so many things concerning the Period of Destruction, it is not known what exactly happened next. Almost overnight the movements of Clagor’s armies, until then an example of precision, became meandering and irrational. In some places different parts of the army even turned upon each other.
Soon rumours began to abound that Clagor was dead. Some claimed he was killed by one of his lieutenants (for several of them laid claim to the deed in their desire to take his place) but the version that most of those who had still actively opposed Clagor at that time perpetuated is that Greyre, god of murder and assassination entered Clagor’s bastion in Zorim and slew the lich. As to Greyre’s motivations for the deed I do not wish to speculate…
After Clagor’s death his lieutenants began to fight among themselves about his succession as leader of the army. A small portion of the army marched east towards Askalon but was repelled under heavy losses. In the end Clagor’s host was split into almost half a score factions, the two largest holding Zorim and Zosa respectively the others roaming the countryside, fighting each other.