Ilk Qala, the First Fort of the Seven Forts constructed after the war that unified Qanaxma Deniz under a single ruler. Built to keep out the barbarian rabble from HelCore, built atop the ruined carcass of one of their cities, built as a sign of the power of the Kisiler Qanaxma. Now all that remained of the centuries-old ruin were the bases and a few ruined stone walls, with the great walls of Ilk Qala rising from its ashes. And at present, cries could be heard from within the walls, coming from within a great courtyard in the center of the fort. While the Seven Forts were constructed primarily to prevent any large raids from penetrating into the interior of Qanaxma Deniz, that didn't mean all of the small raids slipped past. Instead, those unlucky enough to be caught were thrown into the dungeons in the lowest levels of Ilk Qala. Until Rustam Komandan, the Komandan of the Seven Forts, decided they had enough prisoners.

After that, they had 5 hung from the walls of the Forts. Hung improperly so that their necks did not snap, but instead left there to suffocate and die painfully gasping for air. Six more of them had been held done screaming while they were impaled upon massive wooden spikes. Then most of the remaining prisoners were tied to posts in the courtyard, and were currently screaming in pain as the soldiers garrisoning the fort used them all for target practice. Though truth be told not all the rest were to be riddled full of Kisil arrows and die gargling on their own blood. Rustam had left two alive to watch the fate of their comrades, and to relay it back to their barbarian kin in HelCore. Rustam smiled as he watched the pair flee to the southwest, wondering what exactly they would say about their experience. After all, they'd never even seen Rustam's face despite the man periodically visiting them while they were in the dungeon and telling them of the fate that awaited them. No, all they'd seen was his beautifully sculpted golden mask, made in the shape of smiling old man. He found his golden face rather ironic; Rustam himself had yet to reach his thirtieth year and as any soldier could tell you he never smiled either. Rustam briefly wondered whether the two men would even be able to make it far enough to reach their brethren before dying from the bright and scorching sun. It didn't really matter however, since the barbarians in HelCore probably wouldn't be smart enough to heed the warning and would instead continue to send men off to raid the lands of Qanaxma Deniz.