Over a thousand years ago, in a time between times, there was a region ruled by powerful Sorceror Kings. The Imaskari Empire’s borders were vast ~~ they ruled from the Endless Wastes to the Golden Water to the frontiers of Kara-Tur.

This was a time of powerful magic and artefacts of the like that Faerun had never seen before and likely has never seen since. It was a time of wondrous beauty but also cruel tyranny. The Sorceror Kings of Imaskar were not benevolent and kind rulers. They were tyrannical, oppressive rulers who ruled over their subjects with an iron fist, putting many of the Imaskari civilians into slavery and demanding tributes. These Sorceror Kings were believed to be the walking incarnations of the Gods, and as such they demanded nothing but total obeisance from those who dwelt within their realm.

Within the borders of Imaskar, a young man lived in a small village. His name was Tsenya Garbo, and from a young age he was marked for greatness. Believed to have the favour of the Padhra Mahavidi, Tsenya Garbo became a spiritual leader for the villagers. Unlike the Sorceror Kings of Imaskar that ruled over them all, Tsenya Garbo was both wise and just, and under his guidance and abilities, the villagers were kept safe from the worst excesses of that time. 

Deep within the Katakoro Shan mountains, situated at the bottom of a valley, the village was hidden inside the many mountain passes that went through the region. And so, the village grew, both in size and prosperity, becoming a beautiful kingdom in its own right. The people inside it lived lives of harmony and peace.

Yet it would not always be so. 

There were some in the village that had dark hearts and darker thoughts. One, in particular, was a young man by the name of Ambuchar Devayam. Of a similar age to Tsenya Garbo, Devayam harboured deep within him a no small amount of jealousy over the rise of his friend. Ambuchar Devayam believed that he was worthy of the Padhra’s favour more than Tsenya, and that his friend’s elevation was undeserved. Over time that jealousy evolved into obsession and finally smouldering hatred. 

Ambuchar Devayam left the village, travelling through the mountain passes and coming to what would one day become the Empire of Solon.

There, he uncovered several hidden artefacts, artefacts that would bestow upon him great powers. From there he studied the dark arts in preparation for the time that he would return home and take what he perceived to be his kingdom from Tsenya Garbo.

What happened after is shrouded in mystery and conjecture, but it is believed that Ambuchar Devayam used the artefacts to murder the empress of what would become Shou Lung and become emperor in his own right. 

But in the end you reap what you sow. 

Ambuchar Devayam was overthrown as emperor of Shou Lung and fled into the depths of the Great Empire of Dust, Raurin. There he sought more artefacts to further increase his power. When he finally returned, he did so with an army of death at his back. He quickly took a portion of the Shou Lung empire, naming it Solon. But Devayam was not satisfied with ruling his own nation. He wanted more. He wanted to cast down Tsenya Garbo and take the beautiful city within the Katakoro Mountains as his own.

Tsenya was forewarned of the coming of his old friend in prophetic dreams sent by the Padhra Mahavidi. He knew that his people could not stand against Ambuchar Devayam‘s army, that they could not defeat the army of the dead that he had created. Thousands of lives would be lost in a tidal wave of blood. 

And so Tsenya travelled, alone, into the mountain passes where he knew Ambuchar Devayam was leading his armies. He called out his former friend and appealed to his one weakness ~~ his pride. Tsenya Garbo challenged Devayam to a duel. If Devayam could defeat him, the city would be his. If Tsenya were to win, then Ambuchar Devayam would be banished from the region, unable to return for a thousand years.

Devayam, so sure of his superiority and power, accepted the challenge and the Padhra, hearing the accord as it was struck, enforced it with her divine will. 

At the top, at the very peaks of the Katakoro Shan, Ambuchar Devayam and Tsenya Garbo met, and they fought. For three days and three nights they battled each other, so evenly matched were they in both power and ability. They battled amongst the mountain tops with fist, spell and steel. The mountains themselves shook from the conflict, to the extent that those who were not aware of the titanic clash that was taking place believed that the gods themselves were about to cast the snowy peaks down on the world below.

Yet, when it was over, Tsenya Garbo was victorious. Defeated and bloodied, Devayam nevertheless honoured the terms of their battle -- the Padhra herself demanded no less. Taking his army, he retreated to the empire of Solon, and there he consolidated the grip on his throne. As he did so, he kept his jealous eyes on the beautiful realm he so desired for his own, even as he once more built up his power. And as years rolled into decades rolled into centuries, the warlord remained patient, for the time would come when the terms of their conflict would pass, and the time would come to strike once more.

Today, it is 1361 DR, the Year of Maidens. Today is 21st Eleint. It is the Autumn Equinox. Midsummer has passed and the first chill of Autumn that will eventually lead into Winter has come to Faerun. The leaves have started to fall from the trees, and everywhere worshippers gather in celebration.

Much has happened in the intervening years. The Imaskari Empire is no more, and from its ashes have risen the kingdoms of Mulhorand, Unther and Thay. However, although memories of that empire have faded into the dust that it has now become, there are still remnants of the power that the Sorceror Kings once wielded buried under the golden sands that now lay on top of the skeletal ruins of once great and powerful cities.

Some things however, have not changed.

The Autumn Equinox for this particular year marks another important milestone. 

It marks a thousand years to the day since the battle between Tsenya Garbo and Ambuchar Devayam.