Year 1682 (January)
In a groundbreaking development, the barbarians, having learned the basics of magic and mana gathering from the captive Aurion mage Mau, established their unique power system known as the aura system.
This new system stood out for its simplicity and focus on combative prowess. Unlike the traditional magic system that required practitioners to draw mana from their surroundings, the aura system involved generating and harnessing aura internally, focusing primarily on amplifying one's destructive capabilities.
This paradigm shift in power dynamics marked a significant evolution in the barbarians' approach to warfare and personal strength.
Year 1690
The religious and political landscape of the Aurion Kingdom took a decisive turn with the rise of Eldrin Slorin as the new high priest of the Heavenly Church.
Eldrin, also the mentor to King Hariu, leveraged his influence to propose a bold expansionist agenda. He called for an invasion aimed at spreading the dominion of the Aurion Kingdom and the teachings of the Heavenly Church, targeting either the northern lands, home to the barbarians, or the western lands, which had already established diplomatic ties with Aurion.
Despite initial reservations, King Hariu, swayed by a mix of reverence for his teacher and Eldrin's persuasive emotional appeals, agreed to attack the Northern lands, although reaching the western lands would have been more easy than the northern lands but hariu choose the norther lands because he thought attacking the northern lands of barbarians is more safe than attacking the western lands.
This decision ignited a fervent recruitment drive across the kingdom.
The Church, declaring the upcoming war a crusade in honor of the Supreme Deity, succeeded in rallying a remarkable number of volunteers, surpassing even the royal army's enlistment rates.
This surge in zealotry was largely fueled by the Church's strategic dissemination of the Heavenly Bible and its relentless preaching.
They glorified the Supreme Deity's creation of the world and extolled his virtues, effectively brainwashing a significant portion of the populace into devout followers ready to wage war in his name.
As a result, a formidable force comprising over 300,000 combined troops from both the royal and ecclesiastical armies was assembled.
Year 1695 (January)
The icy expanse of the northern lands, a realm of relentless cold and imposing mountains, had finally been reached by the army of the Aurion Kingdom after years of arduous travel.
To shield themselves from the harsh elements, they swiftly erected a network of tents at the edge of this forbidding territory. This encampment served as a base from which they could launch deeper exploratory missions into the heart of the barbarian-held lands.
A reconnaissance force, comprised of 150 knights and 50 mages, was dispatched to delve into the northern land, their objective to locate and assess the barbarian settlements.
The generals, wary of underestimating their opponents, sought to gain a strategic advantage through this preliminary scouting mission. However, what the group encountered far exceeded their expectations.
Upon discovering a legion of approximately 500 barbarians, the scouts were taken aback by the sight of their foes donned in plated armor, remarkably similar to their own.
Yet, it was the mysterious white light surrounding some of the barbarians' weapons that truly caught their attention.
The tranquility of the moment shattered when the barbarians detected the presence of the Aurion forces, triggering a fierce battle. The clash endured, and as the skirmish unfolded, the southern troops made a startling observation—numerous barbarian weapons were now infused with the radiant white light, rendering them significantly more potent than both standard barbarian arms and the trained knights of Aurion.
Despite the barbarians suffering a significant loss, with 369 casualties out of 500, the Aurion knight order faced devastation. Only three mages from the original two hundred troops managed a harrowing escape from the barbarian onslaught.
In a desperate bid to warn their compatriots, the three surviving mages traversed the perilous terrain and returned to the safety of the Aurion army's tents. There, they urgently briefed the generals on the uncanny power exhibited by the barbarians and the mystical white light that augmented their weaponry.
The generals, apprehensive about the newfound threat, found themselves in a quandary. Trapped between an uncertain return to Aurion and the imminent danger posed by the barbarian force, they grappled with the complexity of their predicament.
To their dismay, the following day brought a startling revelation—an entire army of barbarians, positioned just half a kilometer away.