The Arrival of the Carasii Vait
Simud, a planet of rolling golden plains, crystal-clear oceans, and skies that shimmered with emerald auroras, was a paradise among the stars. Its native inhabitants, the Simians, were an advanced but peaceful civilization who thrived in harmony with their environment. They worshiped the celestial gods, including the Jarasine Angels, whom they believed watched over them from the heavens.
The tranquility of Simud was shattered when the Carasii Vait arrived. Known across the galaxy as “The Creators,” the Carasii Vait were an ancient race of crystalline beings who sought to colonize and terraform worlds for their empire. To the Carasii Vait, Simud’s abundance of natural resources and its unique atmosphere made it the perfect candidate for exploitation.
The Carasii Vait descended in their gleaming starships, demanding that the Simians submit or face annihilation. Their invasion was swift, their technology capable of bending nature to their will. Cities fell, and entire regions were transformed into desolate wastelands under their terraforming engines.
The Knights of Karock Answer the Call
Far across the galaxy, the Knights of Karock, defenders of the oppressed and adherents to the Vallah Rule, received a desperate plea from the Simians. The Knights, though diminished since the fall of Mars, were still a force to be reckoned with. Under the leadership of Grand Charger Rallik Vren, they rallied their scattered forces and set out for Simud.
The Knights knew the Carasii Vait well. They had faced the Creators before on Mars, where they had fought valiantly but ultimately failed to prevent the destruction of their homeworld. The scars of that defeat remained fresh, fueling their resolve to ensure that Simud would not meet the same fate.
The Jarasine Angels of Tonantzin
The Jarasine Angels, celestial beings who had once guided the Simians, also returned to aid in the planet’s defense. The Angels, led by the radiant High Seraph Alisendre, were beings of immense psychic power who sought to protect Simud without engaging in direct violence.
Their arrival was met with mixed reactions. While the Simians revered the Angels as divine protectors, the Knights of Karock harbored distrust. Memories of the Jarasine Angels’ departure from Mars still lingered, and many Knights saw them as cowards who had abandoned their duty.
Despite their differences, the Knights and the Angels formed an uneasy alliance. Together, they mounted a defense against the Carasii Vait, combining the Knights’ brute strength with the Angels’ ethereal powers.
The War for Simud
The Carasii Vait were relentless, deploying vast armies of crystalline drones and massive terraforming engines that reshaped Simud’s landscape with devastating precision.
The Knights’ Valor
The Knights of Karock led daring strikes against the terraforming engines, wielding their volcanic-forged weapons with unyielding ferocity. Grand Charger Rallik Vren became a symbol of defiance, his warhammer smashing through Carasii lines as he shouted the tenets of the Vallah Rule:
Strength with Purpose
Defend the Weak
Honor Above All
Despite their valor, the Knights were vastly outnumbered, their forces stretched thin across the planet’s surface.
The Angels’ Shield
The Jarasine Angels focused on protecting civilian populations, using their psychic abilities to create shields and evacuate entire cities. High Seraph Alisendre foresaw the Carasii Vait’s plans to strip Simud of its atmosphere and worked tirelessly to counter their efforts.
However, the Angels’ refusal to engage in direct combat frustrated the Knights, who saw it as a betrayal of their alliance.
The Exodus to Tonantzin
As the war dragged on, High Seraph Alisendre had a vision of Simud’s destruction. She foresaw the Carasii Vait activating a device known as the Atmospheric Disruptor, a massive machine that would destabilize the planet’s ecosystem, rendering it uninhabitable.
Alisendre concluded that the only way to save the Simians was to flee to Tonantzin, a verdant world in a neighboring system. She pleaded with the Knights to join her, but Grand Charger Rallik Vren refused.
“We are the Knights of Karock,” he declared. “We do not run. We stand and fight. If Simud falls, we fall with it.”
Unable to convince the Knights, the Jarasine Angels gathered as many Simians as they could and fled to Tonantzin, leaving the Knights to face the Carasii Vait alone.
The Fall of Simud
The Carasii Vait activated the Atmospheric Disruptor, unleashing a chain reaction that devastated Simud. Violent storms consumed the planet, oceans boiled away, and the once-breathable atmosphere became toxic.
The Knights of Karock launched a desperate assault on the Disruptor, fighting to the last man. Grand Charger Rallik Vren led the charge, his warhammer striking the machine’s core in a final act of defiance before succumbing to his wounds.
Despite their bravery, the Knights failed to prevent the destruction of Simud. Millions perished, and the planet was left a barren husk.
The Knights in Hiding
Broken and leaderless, the surviving Knights of Karock scattered across the galaxy. Fearing further annihilation at the hands of the Carasii Vait, they went into hiding, their once-proud order reduced to whispers of legend.
Some Knights became wanderers, spreading the teachings of the Vallah Rule to distant worlds. Others lived as hermits, guarding fragments of their history in solitude.
The Knights bore the weight of their failure, their oath to protect Simud haunting them for generations.
Tonantzin: A New Beginning
The Jarasine Angels and the Simians found refuge on Tonantzin, a lush and unspoiled world. The Simians, guided by the Angels, rebuilt their civilization, incorporating the principles of the Vallah Rule into their society as a tribute to the Knights who had given their lives for Simud.
The Carasii Vait, having achieved their goal of stripping Simud of its resources, left the galaxy to continue their quest for domination elsewhere.
A Legacy of Defiance
Simud, now a lifeless wasteland, stands as a monument to the courage and sacrifice of the Knights of Karock. Though they failed to save the planet, their story endures, inspiring warriors across the galaxy to fight for justice against impossible odds.
On Tonantzin, the descendants of the Simians honor the Knights’ legacy, teaching their children the Vallah Rule and the tale of a proud order that refused to yield.
The Knights of Karock may have fled into the shadows, but their flame still burns, a reminder that even in defeat, honor and courage can light the way forward.
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