A Historical Review of the Tsol'teth

By: Cypra Posted on: September 22, 2004

Introduction

The Tsol'teth, since their first appearance among the mortals of Sapience, have been a great source of terror and destruction, as well as the subject of many a tale to frighten young children into obedience. Perhaps because of this, many scholars find them a subject of great fascination as well. Every aspect of the Tsol'teth is shrouded in shadow. Our only real knowledge of them is what they allow to be known, or what is discovered through contact when they choose to bring themselves above the surface, (always with the intent of nothing less than destroying all sentient life in Sapience.) Evolved from the Qui'anar who were exposed to Pazazu's hoards during the Chaos Wars, the Tsol'teth departed from the surface world and the company of their fellow Tsol'aa after their views shifted drastically, making them xenophobic and power hungry. Not much is known about the culture or history of the Tsol'teth from that point on, other than several devastating incursions of their forces upon the surface world. In this discussion, I intend to cover these incursions, as well as what history is known, and from this information, pose several theories on the evolution of the Tsol'teth from their historical birth to the present day.

The Chaos Wars

The tale begins at Nishnatoba, long before the memories of any mortal now living. The gods Lorielan, Agatheis, and the Wanderer, Khalas had mustered forces through whatever means necessary, be it deception, diplomacy, or sheer violence, to overthrow Proteus and the loyal Elder Gods. As these forces gathered and grew, Proteus realized the threat they posed, and his own forces were mustered and brought to the extraplanar battlefield to fight the uprising head on. This war would come to be known as the Chaos Wars. Both sides had many allies, and the battle was fierce beyond any modern day war Sapience has witnessed. The effects on all life, both mortal and immortal, were immeasurable, changing the future of a then young world forever.

But we must focus not on the entirety of the battle, as incredible as it was. We must focus specifically on the events and individuals that changed the history of the Tsol'aa, causing a massive rift amongst them that could not have been foreseen.

So it was that Daedalus, god of balance, brought with him the Qui'anar, powerful warriors of the Tsol'aa, who rode proudly into the fray upon mighty arachnids bound to them from birth. Thoth and his Quisalis assassins must also be mentioned here, as Thoth may have dealt a hand in some of the power the Tsol'teth seem to wield to this day. The first day of battle brought heavy casualties to the Elder Gods' forces. However, the Qui'anar weathered it well, losing few of their own, although it is believed they did not participate heavily that first day, and would have been unlikely to lose many of their numbers. During the night, Thoth's Quisalis assassins crept through the Triumvirate's lines. They slaughtered Rajamalan forces controlled by the Triumvirate, even as the feline humanoids slept. But as they reveled in the glory of death in the name of their Lord, vampire guards within the Triumvirate encampment, ever vigilant and unsleeping, fell upon them in turn, laying waste to every last Quisalis.

Until then the Elder Gods had been bound by forcefields constructed by the Triumvirate and could not participate personally in the war. However, upon the second day, the forcefield was destroyed, and the Gods themselves fell among the enemy ranks. The Qui'anar girded themselves for battle and strode forth to lay waste to the undead amongst their foes. In this, Thoth laid upon them a portion of his strength that they might avenge the Quisalis. The Qui'anar were granted lifespans beyond even that of the average Tsol'aa, and verging on immortality. They were also given the power to defend against many of the foul afflictions the undead might lay upon them. That day it seemed as if the Triumvirate would fall quickly, and the Elder Gods would not be overthrown by the great rebellion, which had heretofore threatened them.

It was then that Khalas, missing during the earlier portions of the battle, stepped from out a great light and brought with him the Demon Prince Pazuzu, who wielded a horde of Inferno legions at his command. So horrendous to behold was Pazuzu's army to the eyes of mortal and immortal alike, that the Elder Gods ordered a retreat at once. The Infernal legions descended upon the forces of the Elder Gods, and some of the regiments were ordered to hold the rear as the others fled. The Qui'anar were among them. It was then, it is believed that the corruption of these Tsol'aa began. Touched in the battle by the chaotic and malevolent beings under the control of Pazuzu, it is almost certain that their very beings were warped by the exposure. Although if this theory is true, one must question why Pazuzu's minions did not corrupt the others who faced them on the field of battle. Perhaps the exposure the Qui'anar suffered combined with the blessings Thoth bestowed upon these Tsol'aa made for a troubling mix. One thing is for sure, if the Qui'anar had all perished then, history would be different, but some did survive.

The Chaos Wars lasted for some time after this. It should be noted that, naturally, (or the present would be quite different,) the Elder Gods did triumph, and were able to do so after mighty dragons joined the combat to aid them. However, to learn more of the Tsol'teth we must move on.

The Qui'anar returned to their homes, to their families and friends. But they had changed. They began to feel that the Tsol'aa were far superior to other mortals. Their views extended further to a desire to enslave all races below them. Their lust for power and for blood began to flourish. They no longer fit amongst their relatives in Aalen forest. As time passed these disagreements became great, and the Tsol'aa who had changed so much left their homeland. They could have settled within one of the many other forests across Sapience, or for that matter the mountains or the plains. But so changed were these Tsol'aa that they descended below the very surface of the earth, making their home deep beneath. They renamed themselves the Tsol'teth and it is within this lightless realm they claimed that we return to them, long after the Chaos Wars.

The Black Wave

It is the time of Nikator and the Seleucarian Empire. Prophecies are spoken of a Black Wave that shall rise up and threaten to destroy all in its path. Prophecies which are not fulfilled until after Nikator's death, but prepared for during his reign and until the time of their coming. The Tsol'teth have evolved so fully now from their ancestry that any mortal, given the chance to gaze upon them and live, would easily see massive differences between the two races, though later accounts do point to visual similarities still existing. The Tsol'teth have lived beneath the earth for many ages, but they have not stagnated, and their ambitions have not been extinguished in the least.

It is during this time that we get the best and closest look at the Tsol'teth to date. The hobgoblin Matic Ridley, who was at one time Sa-dulkurio-ma, (translated as the greatest thinking servant,) to a powerful leader of the Tsol'teth called Agith'maal, penned down his experiences amongst his subterranean masters shortly before his death. I will not seek to scribe his accounts word for word here, as they are easily obtainable by any who should seek them. However, I will take from them what is needed to obtain a description of Tsol'teth society during that time.

At this point, we find that the Tsol'teth are so far removed from their former heritage that they suffer great pain from exposure to sunlight. There is a great lapse of time between the Chaos Wars and this account. However, for a race to evolve so physically quickly is unusual, and there may have been more to this. There is no doubt at this point that the Tsol'teth have harnessed powerful magic, which is seen later. It is a possibility that this same magic played a part in their weaknesses. To serve them, the Tsol'teth have enslaved various globlinoid races to their whims, who worship them as gods. They appear to have forgotten about the surface world, at least to some extent, for Matic Ridley speaks of it being discovered by Agith'maal in his writings. Upon discovery of the surface, the Tsol'teth begin a plan to destroy all that live there. Matic Ridley makes a good point when he writes of asking his masters, "Almighty Masters, you are greater than the darkness and harder than the stones. It is impossible that you are wrong. But I do ask, since I do not understand, why we do go only to kill? Why do we not also go to take the riches of Tezlari-tarin (surface world,) to take over the homes of the people there, and steal their secrets?" They do not, however, explain their reasons to Ridley, only telling him he is too stupid to understand. It is hard for the average mortal to grasp the idea of hating so much that you desire only destruction of those you have not even personally encountered. Often, we have other motives as well, as mentioned by Ridley, gold, secrets, and so forth. It is possible then that, having such long lifespans, the Tsol'teth did, in fact, remember the surface world, at least through accounts passed down among their people. Rather than try to impose my own thoughts on their motives, I will merely state that this memory would grant a number of reasons for desiring the destruction of all that live upon the surface. Most likely, if the Tsol'teth did remember the surface world, the path to it had been lost and buried, perhaps even intentionally, the early Tsol'teth having no desire to be found, or for their own to venture up.

Ridley speaks of the Tsol'teth training their armies, forcing them to grow accustomed to the light and to fight in open spaces. It is also at this point that a most interesting occurrence is written about, which sheds a great deal if light on the vague, shadowed history of the Tsol'teth. Ridley speaks of the Tsol'teth conjuring up horrific creatures to divine the future, and of their continuous study of the surface world. Most importantly, he speaks of the use of a sacrifice of two thousand goblin babies to summon forth Pazuzu. Is it indeed possible that the Tsol'teth were corrupted by the demon prince and his minions? That they, at some point, began to learn from him? There are a number of possible conclusions from his summoning. All are speculative, but I still believe it is an occurrence of great import. All that Pazuzu would reveal to the Tsol'teth was the word "Seleucar". However, this would prove to be enough.

At this time Seleucar had not yet been built. The Tsol'teth decided to use curses to plague and trouble Nikator, rather than expose their armies yet. It was also a great problem to them that no matter how much exposure to light their slaves were given, they simply could not weather it well. The Tsol'teth slaughtered all their slaves because of this, and in an incredible account of power, remade them, modifying their very beings to be suited to light and to be superior warriors. Ridley describes how he led his own people to be slaughtered, and how it made him hate his masters to the point of desiring betrayal. He also describes the new slaves created by his masters as "without souls," cruel and desiring only to kill and cause pain. The ritual to recreate their slaves took the Tsol'teth a hundred years to finish. Only Ridley was spared. This gave Seleucar the time to be built, and to prepare a large, well-trained army as well.

With the goblinoid armies in tow the Tsol'teth were then prepared to go to war. Three leaders of the Tsol'teth, the most powerful, came to the surface. Agith'maal, Terrin'ukia, and Gattan'lier. They donned shrouds of great darkness enchanted to protect them from the light. Agith'maal, being the greatest among them, brought his forces to Seleucar to destroy it, Terrin'ukia to Ashtan, and Gattan'lier to Shallam. The forces at Seleucar nearly saw their city and their people reduced to nothing in only a short time. It is recorded at this time, by one soldier who commented on the appearance, of Agith'maal upon seeing him, that he looked "like a Tsol'aa but… in a permanent shadow." Agith'maal threw not only his forces and his great destructive magic against them, but also the Seleucar forces themselves, bending their minds to his will, and making them his servants. I will recount here the words recounted that Agith'maal spoke to do this. Perhaps, in the future, it will be of some use in regards to the Tsol'teth.

"Hwarak alshamar osang rach haahl! Kwarak alshamar osang rach haahl! In the name of the eternal darkness, you will all obey ME! Turn on your brethren! Turn on those you love! Slay them all! Hwarak alshamar osang rach haahl…"

As a Tsol'aa who spoke my native language exclusively for much of my young life, I can say that I do not recognize the words. If it is the language of the Tsol'teth, then it is far removed from the language of my people. It is true that our language, like any living language, has developed over time, but we live far longer then many mortal races, and therefore the words are slower to change. While our language may still be much different from what it would have been during the Chaos Wars, I think I would at least be able to conclude that Agith'maal spoke a derivative of an ancient form of our tongue, were that the case. It may not be Tsol'teth at all, but an infernal language, which, as one could imagine, even for one who deals with demons, is not easy to get any information on, small snippets at best might be learned.

These words, whatever language they were, caused the forces of Seleucar to retreat to shrines they had set up near the city. They were forced to slaughter their own well-trained men, and this was proving to be a problem. However, upon retreat to the shrines, it was learned that any turned Seleucarian soldier that was pulled into the aural radius of the shrine was reverted to their normal state of mind. To stop this, the goblinoid forces of the Tsol'teth slaughtered whatever enchanted Seleucarian soldiers they could before they were magically lured into the shrine radius. Things looked grim for the Seleucarians. Agith'maal began to explode the very shrines that aided the Seleucarian forces. Worse yet, the Staff of Nikator, which had been given to the Emperor by The Logos himself, was missing from Nikator's tomb, and the aid it could have provided in the battle would have been invaluable.

It was then that things began to go wrong for the Tsol'teth. Matic Ridley, in a display of betrayal to his lifelong master, tore the cloak of darkness from Agith'maal and ran him through. The Seleucarian forces were amazed, and it was ordered that Ridley should be retrieved and not prevented from being killed by Agith'maal's army, as he might be useful. Seleucar began to regroup and attempt to battle the forces anew. Agith'maal was not dead, however, and still incredibly powerful. Ridley told his rescuers that if they cut out Agith'maal's heart and burnt it he would die. However, this isn't quite what happened. An Occultist named Adchachel cut the heart from Agith'maal, but ate it instead.

The Tsol'teth leaders were in constant contact with each other, and the death of Agith'maal was felt by the others. The forces against Seleucar began to fall in disarray. It should be mentioned that a druid found, within his grove, a large iron door just standing there, and what appeared to be shifting light within. This same type of door is mentioned later in regards to the Dun incident. Access to the grove was cut off until the door could be destroyed, and the remainder of Agith'maal's forces were destroyed.

Ashtan suffered greater losses, not having the defenses that Seleucar had. At least half the army was turned against itself, and only the aid of the occultists, once so feared, helped keep Gattan'lier's forces at bay. (Notice that it was Gattan'lier that attacked Ashtan and not Terrin'ukia, this is either due to a change in plans of the Tsol'teth, or to Matic Ridley, who originally accounts the designation of each leaders to their respective cities. Matic Ridley was near death when he wrote his account, and some of his memory may have become blurry in regards to these details.) The siege lasted for weeks, and pushed the city to its limits. Multiple attempts to tunnel in by the Tsol'teth forces had to be stopped, and the city was battered by Gattan'lier‘s powerful magic. When Seleucarian reinforcements arrived, they instructed the Ashtani leaders to have their soldiers plug their ears against the chanting of the Tsol'teth warlord and a fresh assault was made against his forces. Though I was unable to recover a good deal of detail about the battle, one remarkable thing is accounted. Upon the death of Gattan'lier, a great earthquake shook Ashtan, toppling buildings and slaughtering many on both sides of the battle. The Tsol'teth's powers were great even at the moment of their deaths.

The accounts of the battle at Shallam are even more vague than those of Ashtan. It is known that shrines in Shallam, as well as Shallamese and, (later,) Seleucarian forces allowed for the fall of Terrin'ukia. Leaving nothing but the destruction of the portals, which was done post haste.

Several more notes should be made about the Black Wave before moving on. Adchachel, the Demiurge of the occultists who devoured the heart of Agith'maal, slowly began to change, becoming brutal and bloodthirsty, and eventually being consumed by his destructive desires. The heart itself of Agith'maal was so saturated in malevolence that it was capable of turning Adchachel, certainly no young novice, towards its own will. Adchachel was eventually hunted down and destroyed, surrounded by loyal followers, but only after a four-year rampage and having sired a son. Later, it was one of his descendants, Castomira Bragwin, who twisted others to her own end and brought about the Wars of Succession. From her own writings, she seemed to develop a deep hatred within her that vaguely echoed the Tsol'teth's desires, so it is likely that the power of the Tsol'teth was passed down through Adchachel's bloodline and remained somewhat strong within it.

There is also a verse by the prophet Lehrinas composed shortly after the failed Tsol'teth invasion, (unfinished as he died while composing it,) regarding the return of the Black Wave, that, while vague, is important. Rather than give all of it, I will give only the last few lines. (Once again, these materials are easily obtainable to those who have an interest.)

"The mad, cold ones who fought before
Are Masters of the darkness still
And never shall they find their rest
Unless this power is invoked:
First, the heroes must take heed
And arm themselves full strong for war
And then must venture nobly forth
To find the Dark World's glowing door
To save the soul of Sapience's light
They must recover – "

This verse could refer to the Dun incident, which I will recount next. It could refer as well to the Wars of Succession. Or, perhaps, it refers to an event that has yet to occur. It is actually quite likely that it refers to future events, as it seems to point to going to the realms of the Tsol'teth themselves, quite an unnerving concept.

The Dun Incident

"I am the Baron of Dun and the last survivor of this devastating raid. While digging a new mine in the hills, my men uncovered a thick iron door with an unknown script engraved upon it. They were afraid to come across such an object buried in the volcano and hurried to tell me. My advisors and I met and decided to seal the entrance to the mine... but our decision came too late. In the middle of the night, an outpouring of Orcs, Ogres, and Hobgoblins overtook us. I can only hope that the mine was sealed before more unnameable horrors erupted from its depths."

Within the Dun fortress, after all had occurred, this letter was found among the rubble. And so the Iron Door, the gateway through which the Tsol'teth are written of using to send forth their slaves to kill and conquer, began a devastating series of events. I begin with this, for although the letter was found later, it tells of how the problems began.

The occurrences that led to the discovery of Dun Fortress, which had been unknown to most of Sapience before then, as well as the events that followed, are well detailed, although it occurred over a century ago. However, little was really ever learned of the Tsol'teth that was behind the incident. A lot of sifting must be done to get any information on him.

The first sign of trouble began in Aalen forest. Druids wandering the forest and entering into the village of the Tsol'aa, came upon a gory sight. Dead guards hung from trees, and the king, La'ramhis, had been brutally murdered, his body mutilated. The rest of the inhabitants of the village were nowhere to be found. The only sign of who would have committed such an act was a note attached to the king, with the single word "Kroul" written upon it.

The forest had been put aflame, and the queen had been raped. There was sign of much trouble ahead. As for the missing Tsol'aa, Tu'Eras, the prince of his people, soon made it clear that he had led them into hiding, and intended to seek revenge upon those who had taken so much from them. Sympathetic supporters rallied together, desiring to seek out the attackers and aid the Tsol'aa in their revenge.

A great deal of important events occurred during this time that affected Sapience and its people. However, much of it is only vaguely related to the Tsol'teth behind the scenes, it is not my desire to stray from the true purpose of this work. Kroul, the orc taking responsibility for the acts against the Tsol'aa, began to initiate a more widespread campaign against the populated areas of Sapience. Using a series of clever distractions, he was able, through various agents, to discern the location of the Master Crystals kept by the Magi, Sorcerers, and Warlocks, and steal them with little opposition.

At North of There, shortly thereafter, as many had gathered to discuss the trouble that was occurring, a rain of afflictions shook the land as strange vibrations swept through. Slowing the passage of time, knocking those magically flying above from the skies, and a multitude of other, far more serious, plagues. The vibrations passed, but the message was clear. The crystals were being put to use.

Kroul allowed the cities of Sapience to settle into peace briefly. He waited carefully, and when things seemed calm again, he sent out an army to march through the land and slay any in their path. They headed for the major cities of Sapience, intent on a destructive rampage that met little resistance along the way. Kroul's forces slew many, but the cities were still ready and on edge from previous events, and managed to begin to push back the assault, albeit with heavy losses on both sides.

It is at this point that the Tsol'teth reveal their part to us. Vukub Ysin'zhu, an ogre who had not made his presence known until this point, announced himself the Baron of Dun Valley. He claimed to have taken over Dun fortress and the surrounding area by slaying his Tsol'teth master. I do not believe this Baron is the same as the one who wrote the letter. Vukub was an ogre, and while it is conjecture, the letter appears to have been written by occupants of the fortress that existed before any goblinoid invasion. It is unlikely that the invading Tsol'teth enslaved Vukub, and much more likely that he was involved in the invasion in the first place. He probably took the name of Baron after the occupant who wrote the letter.

What most everyone, including Vukub, didn't know, was that an apprentice Tsol'teth named Zh'risia had survived and hidden himself. He was able to manipulate Kroul so that it was his will that was done behind the scenes. At this point, an army had been massed from the cities of Sapience to destroy Kroul's forces. The Forces from Dun retreated into the fortress, where Zh'risia magically locked the doors. The army of Sapience was stuck at the entrance to Dun Fortress, unable to get in.

It was a druid who alleviated the trouble. The outcast Tsol'aa, Kanaan, was discovered hiding himself fearfully behind a waterfall. When questioned he arrogantly admitted to betraying his people and helping The Dun forces. He was slain as retribution, and the key to the Fortress was found upon his person. With a means to enter discovered, the armies of Sapience swelled with new numbers as more gathered, prepared to strike down the Tsol'teth and his servants. The walls were breached and the battle joined zealously.

Hunting down Kroul and Vukub was easy enough. They pleaded pitifully for their lives, and Vukub was willing to help hunt down Zh'risia if it would save him from a swift execution. When Zh'risia was found, he was not an easy target. He wielded powerful magic, and cut down his share of lives. However, the forces overwhelmed him, although he had grown in power, and he was slain.

Things did begin to settle down slowly after this. Kroul fled, but was later hunted down and slain, prince Tu'Eras was crowned king of the Tsol'aa, and remains so, and the Master Crystals were retrieved.

The troublesome thing about the Dun incident, is that so very little is known about Zh'risia, or his master before him. Obviously, they had some interest in the Master Crystals, and Zh'risia was able to begin to manipulate them to his own end before events took a turn for the worse. The account is riddled with vague references to the power wielded by the Tsol'teth, but with no specifics. It is worth noting, however, that Zh'risia did not appear to wield anywhere near the power of Agith'maal. Either Zh'risia was weak because he was an apprentice, or Agith'maal and his comrades were example of Tsol'teth powerful beyond the norm of their people. It is possible that the Tsol'teth lost some of their power after falling to Seleucar as well, perhaps as punishment for failure by Pazuzu. Overall, however, we are left with many questions, and few answers.

Conclusion

A good portion of my ambitions in writing this composition is to assess the Tsol'teth and gain some insight into whether or not their power could be harnessed for our Lord. It has been an interest of mine for some time, and I felt it necessary to delve into the history of the Tsol'teth to benefit Mhaldorian future. More and more, as I've studied these mysterious figures, I have begun to feel that harnessing their powers or contacting them, (forcibly or otherwise,) would be near impossible at best. This does not mean that I believe we should not do so. I feel that this sort of power, as well as a society of such raw evil, would be a loss if it were not used to aid our Lord. Archbishop Lodi, in his book entitled "Genocidal Purification Methods" spoke of a disordered society.

"The weak would fall by the way side, they would be humiliated and examples would be made of them. Their heads would line the highways and watch over the ancient roads as they crumble and fall into disrepair. The hollow eyes of the dead would watch as civilization after civilization tumbled. The sound of crying would serenade the ears of the powerful every night, and the very light of the dawn would be stained blood red each morning from the bloodshed before. Forests would burn, turning night into day and day into night. The animals would be slaughtered for consumption or pleasure. Love would die, reproduction would only happen through rape, a mother would have to abandon her child at a young age to fend for itself as she would not be able to feed both of them. A mother and child are a tasty target. Thus, the child would hate its mother and its father. The mother would hate her self, the father . . . wouldn't even know. Hate would be bred into the world threw its roots, via the new born and un-born generations to come."

If any society nears fitting the Archbishop's description, I believe it would be the society of the Tsol'teth. It is true that they most likely still retain remnants of order, but I believe, ultimately, all actions within their society are solely based on power, or the lack there of, as opposed to their contemporaries, betters, and slaves. Even from an anthropological standpoint we could benefit from their society. More steps must be taken to lift the veil the Tsol'teth have flung across their world. Were we to learn more, there is hope of accessing their power, and the possibilities would be endless.

Bibliography

A list of works in which one can find all information referenced herein.

The History of the Mortal Races: The Tsol'aa
The Mythos of Achaea
The Seleucarian Empire: The Founding and the Black Wave
The Seleucarian Empire, Part 2: The Wars of Succession
Help Dun_History
"Genocidal Purification Methods" by Archbishop Lodi

Thanks go to Preacher Herenicus Coldraven for suggested editings.

Most importantly, I list The Seven Truths and The Apocrypha. For while I did not directly reference them in this work, they affect all that I do, for they are the word of our Lord. Furthermore, I would not have the strength, nor be in the position, to tirelessly hunt down what was needed for this work, and to compose it, without them and without the inspiration our Lord provides.