by D.Z.
Across the River Kaironem,
Through the Forest of Fear,
Under the light of the moon that was full,
Stood the overlord Vlad the Virulent.
Over the land of Vereor he ruled
With his fangs of iron.
For Vlad the Virulent wasn’t just “the Virulent”,
But Vlad the Vampire, too.
Anyone with sedition in his heart
Would have his blood be drawn,
Becoming part of the undead army,
And fighting for their lord.
For centuries Vlad had ruled this way,
And was not planning to desist,
But in his evil heart he knew
That one day he’d be over thrown.
A hero had arisen –“Emusseus the Emancipator,”
He had dubbed himself—
A hero wielding weapons made of gold.
The Emancipator had assembled
An army of his own,
From farmers, merchants, craftsmen,
He’d formed the troops
He’d lead to battle Vlad.
Late one night Vlad heard them coming
And rallied together his army.
He marched his legions to the men
Who fought like a pack of wolves.
Emusseus fought the fiercest;
Dismembering hordes of undead,
But as the battle raged on,
The tide began to turn.
And Vlad’s armed forces
Pressed the revolutionaries back.
Deeper and deeper they pushed
Into the Forest of Fear,
When finally the hero’s attention faltered.
Vlad the Virulent seized this chance
And quelled his combatant
And carried him away.
Without any leaders,
The battle grew chaotic.
Meanwhile the leaders themselves were fighting,
Slashing and clashing, locked deep in combat.
At last the Emancipator was able to plunge
His golden sword in the Vampire’s heart.
But, with a last burst of strength,
Vlad took the hero down.
With their master dead,
The undead became,
Once again, the people they were.
A gradual change came over the fighters;
They felt their leaders’ deaths,
And agreed to bring the battle to an end.
Everyone in Vereor mourned the death
Of Emusseus the Emancipator, their liberator.
