Freeterrors
Introduction
"They rolled in as a storm and crawled out as a husk" - excerpt from "Dead and Gone"
The Freeterrors, later recognized as the Freeterror Council or the Sarzola Council, were an organized task force of the highest caliber put together by Serkos in 12,405, in order to serve the interests of the Freedomwrath Empire?. They would remain in action until the fall of the empire, and spearhead the reunification of the empire and all the Crown? territories afterward. This reunification would begin after the rebranding of the Freeterrors into the Council in 15,492, with the start of the First Corpse War?. This war would begin the slow cycle of the Corpse Wars? which would leave the Freeterrors completely powerless, leading to their extinction in 18,790.
Members
For the entire lifespan of the organization, the Freeterrors were composed of at most only seven members at any time, having eight members in total across the whole lifespan of the group. The original members included Sarzaroth?, Tartaroth?, Ogda?, Khavros?, Alawros?, Userymos?, and Tyrus?. The only member to ever be replaced was Userymos, replaced by Leitem? due to his death in Evensor's Strike? at the hands of Videlta?. Although there was no office for a leader in the organization, Sarzaroth was most commonly seen as the figurehead due to his unmatched record and power, and often commanded the majority of Freeterror affairs. The members were handpicked by Serkos following the Battle of Hyravatara? and the subsequent end to the Ouroboros-Osporos War?. With the Viterra Regime? barely holding together, and other factions setting into the power vacuum created by the fall of the primordials, Serkos felt his operation should expand to a level comparable to the surrounding entities, and as such, his first act was to create a small circle of reliable fighters. Serkos picked the strongest out of the fighters in Ouroboros Game? and the surrounding factions to operate under in the Freeterrors, despite the knowledge that some did not completely align with his ideology. This was most true of Sarzaroth, who wanted to unify all the Crown groups in the region, creating a unified culture under one regime. Sarzaroth's goal was not realized until Freedomwrath fell, as Serkos prevented a large amount of Sarzaroth's goals. Sarzaroth made a point of limiting the Freeterrors to their initial members as well, knowing that if more members of similar quality were to join, swaying them from Serkos' favor to his would become harder. Thus, when Freedomwrath was threatened by the Nicovian Pact?, the Freeterrors unanimously pretended to have no knowledge on the situation until it was far to late for Serkos to recover.
As for the other members, Userymos was often called "the Tyrant" due to his political aims within the Freeterror Client Territory?. Userymos attempted to consolidate state power, and rule as the Patron Freeterror? of the client territory itself. These efforts were often impeded by duties outside the state, and by Sarzaroth directly who was not fond of the consolidation of power. Tartaroth was known for being the most vicious of the members, and was often at the head of the most aggressive and bloody battles of the wars the Freeterrors participated in. Tyrus was likely the third or fourth most powerful Crown in the entire empire, and was left in charge of affairs whenever Sarzaroth could not be present. Ogda and Khavros were rarely found apart, and Khavros' eventual death in the Battle of Nicoroth? would unimaginably impact Ogda's ability to manage their duties. Leitem was the replacement for Userymos and was initially at odds with the other Freeterrors, but would become highly respected for their contributions in the later stages of the Principle Wars and beyond. After Leitem's death in the Battle of Targa?, the Freeterrors never took up a replacement member ever again. Alawros was the most secretive and closed member of the Freeterrors and outside of their patron duties, no one, not even the Freeterrors knew how they spent their time. Alawros would rarely appear in battles, but the battles they did appear in were more like instant graveyards, leaving some to speculate whether or not Alawros was more powerful than Sarzaroth, or if they simply got lucky, so to speak.
Alawros and Leitem are unique in the fact that they are the only Freeterrors who were born after the First Revelation itself, meaning they never existed at one point as Vitructans, and they also possess no past gender. As for the other members, Sarzaroth, Tyrus, Tartaroth, and Userymos were male as Vitructans, whereas Khavros and Ogda were female.
Political Administration
Client Territory
Despite possessing an extremely small circle of members, the Freeterrors were allotted a huge sum of territory for their own person affairs, designated as the Freeterror Client Territory. This territory was structured very similarly to Freedomwrath internally, and had larger autonomy than any other territory under Freedomwrath control. Despite possessing autonomy, it still answered to Serkos when necessary, and this was evident particularly in times of war when the Freeterrors were called upon. The client territory largely functioned without the intervention of the Freedomwrath Primary Society?, with the exception of the attempted reformation of the territory under Userymos, who implemented multiple changes to aggrandize his own influence, before quickly revoking them at the request of a very unpleased Sarzaroth. Userymos' attempt at ruling is often called the "Userymos Days?".
Military Influence
The Freeterrors also led a set of special military divisions, called the Freeterror Military Divisions? or FTDs. These divisions would become the main fighting force used by the Freeterrors at the start of the Reunification Subwar?. They served the Freeterrors directly, and similar to the client territory affairs were only overridden by orders directly from Serkos.
Patron Duties
Patron duties were a key part of the Freeterrors' roles in Freedomwrath outside of war. Each Freeterror was assigned a set of territories to maintain at those territories' request. If a territory called upon its Patron Freeterror, the Freeterror assumed control of the entire state's resources and had no overhead authority except for Serkos. The Freeterror would attempt to solve the state's problems at their request, and an overstep of power in a territory was accordingly checked by Serkos or the other Freeterrors.
History
The Freeterrors are an integral part of Freedomwrath history, and are key in the evolution of Crown politics following the empire's fall. Their history largely occurred in two phases, one in which they were a mobile military faction at the disposal of Serkos, and the other as a council at the head of the Sarzola Regime.
Formation
The formation of the Freeterrors was unofficially started after the Battle of Hyravatara, when Serkos began to seek out the strongest among the various factions that were still unaligned with his cause. As he went one by one, each faction fell or aligned rather quickly. Ultimately, only three members came from external factions, Userymos, Tyrus, and Ogda, whereas the other four members came directly from Ouroboros Game. The official declaration of the institution came with the formation of the empire on the Day of Bleeding Revolution? during the Serkosian Banquet?. The Freeterrors would operate completely within Freedomwrath until after the Principle Wars, when they were granted their own autonomous territory to administer under indirect rule of Serkos. The creation of the Freeterrors is the fourth stipulation of the Blood Accord?.
Principle Wars
The Freeterrors were first active as an official group during the Principle Wars?, during which they systematically rampaged across the empire of Principia?. Though war was initially waged within the rough boundaries of the Pryos disperse?, Serkos would eventually pass the Mandate of Liberation? and the Mandate of Protection? which instigated the escalation of warfare from a regional phenomenon to a fully imperial conflict. The first few stages of war, before these mandates were passed, were largely lacking in Freeterror leadership, and although they did participate in some very minor incidents, most Freeterror operations were directed towards logistics and internal governance. Right at the onset of the Principle Wars' escalation, the Freeterrors were deployed and immediately the war saw a turn from fierce but balanced to a one-sided massacre of Principians.
During the Low Principle Wars, as mentioned before, the Freeterrors were more concerned with the organization and preparation of Freedomwrath for statehood. After the Battle of Angako-Teryomon?, the first Crown Superstruct?, Vicoto? was built. Vicoto would soon be followed by Targa?, Majora?, Byglota?, and Algora?. Despite their minimal participation in this phase of the war, they did have occasional appearances, such as in the Battle of Uocsymohon Hearth?, Evensor's Strike?, and Garamandor's War? (Although their participation in this battle did not occur until after the escalation of the war). Userymos would die in Evensor's Strike, and was shortly replaced with Leitem, who made their first appearance in the latter half of the Forest War?, which was similarly after the escalation of the war.
The first wave of Freeterror operations after the escalation would be the most intense, with the closure of the Forest War under Tyrus and Leitem, the Battle of Csylomsot? under Sarzaroth, which would be one of the longest single battles of the war and start the Dusk Campaign? which would rage until the end of the war, as well as the Cleaner Campaign? which was an offensive into the remainder of Kohon-Principia? and Surysekomon-Principia?, partially directed by Tartaroth. Following this, the Freeterrors' attention was split between the Odean Empire? and Principia with the expansion of the war into Claegon-Principia. Sarzaroth, and later Tyrus, would move the Dusk Campaign into the Odean Empire after the Battle of Arneo-Claegon?, resulting in the Dius Subwar?. During this time, the second wave of Freeterror operations against the Principians was undertaken, and was initially much less intense than the first wave of offensives, until the end of the Dius Subwar. During the second wave the Freeterrors participated in the major battles of Killian-Claegon?, Claman-Claegon?, and the Battle of the Heavenly Construct?. The capitulation of Dyumon? at the Battle of the Heavenly Construct led to the split of the Dusk Campaign into two subcampaigns, the Cymon Campaign?, in which Alawros made their only appearance at the Battle of Daoceo-Cymon?, and the Hearth Campaign?, which picked up Sarzaroth's operations after the closure of the Dius Subwar. The Hearth Campaign would lead to the conclusion of the war after the capitulation of Uon-Principia and the surrender at the Battle of Principia Hearth?. The split from the Dusk Campaign occurred with the split of Tyrus' forces, who would regroup with Leitem and Alawros to take on Cymon-Principia, and Sarzaroth's forces, who were preoccupied with the Dius Subwar.
Dius Subwar
During the Dius Subwar, the Freeterrors only utilized a handful of Pryosvitracti, and mostly fought the battles themselves. It is largely believed that the Odean Empire did not grasp the strength of Freedomwrath until they were already fighting it, because the sheer power imbalance in the fight led to a rather quick end. Nearly every critical battle? was fought solely by the Freeterrors, including the Battle of Audiras?, the Battle of Colaspro?, the Battle of Dius Hearth?, and the Second Battle of Dius Hearth?. Most of the time between each critical battle was spent quelling terrowars? and lesser skirmishes which were not a part of the larger progression of the war, largely due to the fact that the ongoing Principle Wars, shifting Crown settlements, and now the uprising of the Odeans thrust the region into chaos. Following the Second Battle of Dius Hearth, the Freeterrors that took part resumed their participation in the Hearth Campaign, and left the Subjugation of Dius Ares Carth? to Serkos.
Client Age & Crown Affairs
During the Principle Wars, a new era had sprung up in the later pulses of the war, the Client Age?. This age opened with a flurry of new treaties and signatories which, together composed the umbrella document known as the Grand Client Edict?. The first of these client edicts which would later compose the Grand Client Edict was the Client Edict of Kyllira?, formally signed in 12,925 between Serkos and Kyllira?, a regional power in the High Fall States?. Kyllira figured a mutual pact with the rising power would grant them a large boost to their own political prowess, and this was largely the case. Serkos made sure that his clients were not simply leeching off of his gains, and thus, after this first Client Edict was made, Serkos intended to use them as an example for which all future client states would take note of. Kyllira was left mostly to their own devices, but whenever their dependence on the empire became too strong, Serkos simply demanded a huge cut of their army temporarily for his personal use in the ongoing Principle Wars, or the voiding of the edict would be carried out. This kept Kyllira in check, as nothing destroys a state more than a lack of military capability. However, Kyllira also could not afford to lose ties to Freedomwrath. This was one of the earliest sites in which Freeterror Patronage was performed.
Slowly over the remainder of the war a greater and greater number of states would make these edicts with Freedomwrath, particularly as Principia lost more and more capability to influence or control the region. Along with this client growth came the growth in patronage's importance for the state. Freeterrors increasingly became more tied up in non-militant or foreign militant affairs than those of their own state. Following the Principle Wars, in the year 13,016, the Freeterrors, alongside Serkos, would enter a deal with Byalosmarga?, ratifying the Client Edict of Byalosmarga, and formally opening the second largest client state after the Freeterror Client Territory itself. This event signified the peak of the Client Age, and it was during this peak in which the Auctorates, which had already largely recognized Serkos as their patron, began to take up patronage deals themselves.
The Client Age marked a huge portion of the interlude between the Principle Wars, and the coming challenges of the cosmos. Alongside these client states and Auctorates, the nebulous Crown states of the surrounding region were also roped into the patronage deals. Thus at multiple points were Freeterrors spotted helping to reconstruct Cymos?, Einos?, and most importantly to future events, Zolos? states. Despite the immense influence and growth this brought to Freedomwrath, it drove a wedge between the Freeterrors and Serkos, as the Freeterrors largely felt their energy was wasted in helping non-Crown territories in their affairs.
This divide was further widened after the initiation of the Freeterror-Cymos Restoration Program? which began in 13,387 and helped to drive home the Freeterrors' shared original goal of created one unified Crown state. Their time fighting the Cymos led them to the conclusion that warfare in the area would have not been as extensive and brutal in the area if Serkos had simply focused on these Crowns and pulling them directly under his wing to begin with. While this sentiment is largely shared by survivors of this time, the mindset of Serkos was largely understood in the context of his time period, and no one questioned his non-interventionalist attitude on these states. But just as the Freeterrors began their endeavors in Cymos territory, the seeds of war were being planted in 13,542, with the founding of Calayos?.
Anders' War & The Ambrosian War
The pulse is 13,544, the Client Age was just leaving its peak, and a new war was on the horizon. After the founding of Calayos in 13,542 by Anders?, with the intent of unifying all of the Zolos Rim?, the region seemed it was in for a very disturbing war, just as all other Zolos conflicts had been in the past, since the days of Zolon-Principia?. However, after not very long, a majority of factions and territories had either submitted or been subjugated by Calayos, proving Anders to be a truly profound leader in both combat, strategy, and diplomacy. Serkos, very pleased to see the unification of the Zolos made in 13,553 a support offering to the Calayos. But, foreseeing potential instability in reliance upon Freedomwrath, Anders rejected the offer. Serkos would once more offer in 13,561 after Anders suffered a few setbacks in territorial control, but again these offers were never taken up.
Anders' policies on the surrounding territories largely concerned the Freeterrors who were off in the neighboring Cymos Rim?. While Anders did not request aid, Anders did make deals with the Freeterrors in 13,554, 13,556, and 13,560 respectively which solidified borders and extinguished disputes which had existed between the nebulous states of the Zolos and Cymos since their formation. However, Anders' true importance to the Freeterrors would not come until later, in 13,653, when Anders was swiftly killed by the Ambrosians?, causing the subsequent implosion of Calayos, the descent of the Zolos Rim into chaos, and the release of the Zolos Resolution?, Freedomwrath's responsive declaration of war on Ambrosia?.
The news of the Calayos Implosion? had enraged Serkos who called for a halt to the Freeterror-Cymos Restoration Program and all other ongoing patron affairs, it was to be a quick and decisive obliteration. And so all Freeterrors were routed into Ambrosia, whereby they were capable of laying waste to practically half the state unimpeded throughout the Regulator Campaign? and the Zolos Campaign?, the latter of which is named so because many of the fights bled into Zolos Rim territory, which severely slowed the war's progression. This sent the Lodoklymyhnes into a panic. The Nicovian Pact had largely influenced their initial decision to kill Anders, as they were promised aid which could rival even Serkos. However, the Nicovian Pact was still not nearly as powerful as they needed or claimed to be, despite their prophetic "visions" instigated by Norn. Their deals with the primordials were also reaching a diplomatic stalemate, as they were incapable of providing enough of a reasonable demand for their members to hold more than one pact from the Theos Convergence? at a time. Thus, when the time came to support the Ambrosians, they could not muster even half the expected forces, and they were abruptly decimated by Tyrus and Alawros in the Zothraqt Subjugation Campaign?, in which all the Zhieraqta Anomalies? were inevitably crushed, despite their initial surprise in the early portion of the campaign, such as in the Battle of Nyrlmyr?. The war closed rather pathetically with most Freeterror efforts being to simply rage across the remainder of the state until in 13,981, when the final major battle, the Battle of Ytte-Kryt? decisively ended the war.
Following the war, the Oddokyne Doctrine? put Oddokyne Aritemytte? on the throne of an Ambrosian puppet state. The Lodoklymyhnes fled into Zolos Rim territory, and due to this the Zolos Rim and Ambrosian puppet state were both monitored intensely. After the ensuing Ambrosian Implosion? in 14,006, all Freedomwrath attention turned back to the Zolos, where the Freeterrors tried to restore order diplomatically, or at least through minimal losses. However these efforts were to no avail, and not only had the Lodoklymyhnes survived, hidden off somewhere, they had also irreversibly damaged the Zolos Rim, such that Freeterror efforts never resumed in the area until the First Corpse War.
Returning to the Freeterror-Cymos Restoration Program, they found that much of their work had came undone in their absence, and this greatly angered Sarzaroth, who took up much more militant means against the Cymos to induce their unification. So militant in fact, that Serkos passive aggressively recommended he tone down his methods, threatening demotion. Despite this, Sarzaroth's methods seemed to work, as in 14,022, very shortly after Ambrosian affairs had closed, the Freeterror-Cymos Program closed, having largely ended the Cymon Petty War?. The Cymos would further this progress with the formation of the Cymon Auctorate? in 14,230.
Rife War
Following the events of the Ambrosian War, the Nicovian Pact shifted its focus to sparking war with the neighboring Gyolos Imperium. While circumstances between the Gyolos and Freedomwrath never led to this planned war, it nevertheless caused major grief for the two parties, as the pact's interference led to a massive disruption of order along their border. The general pandemonium and border disputes are commonly grouped together as the "Rife War?". After 14,315, Freedomwrath was directly aware of their meddling, leading to the Goodwill Pact?, where the Freeterrors also participated as signatories, fully imploding their plan to spark war.
During conflicts leading up to this pact, primarily the Battle of Rifecore?, there was reports of Freeterror command, but regardless of if this report is true or not, it was not direct command, as the Freeterrors had been, since the start of the conflict, scrambling to deal with problems across the state.
Despite the failure of the planned conflict, this disruption was of consequence to the Freeterrors, who were ordered, alongside a large amount of the Pryosvitracti to shutdown the rampant rebellions, mass murders, aggrandor? bands, and any others which seemed to be in ring with the Nicovian Pact. This was a large project in both magnitude and demand of time and effort, so once more there was a large drought of patron duties, and a minor regression in stability in territories bordering the Einos and Cymon Auctorate as a result of their need to turn their attention towards the Rife War conflicts.
Fall of Freedomwrath
Following the course of events leading to the public formation of the Nicovian Pact, which had been building since the Ambrosian War, Serkos would be challenged by the group and defeated due to intervention by Norn, who was just making its presence in the region known. The Freeterrors, as mentioned before, were well aware of the sequence of events planned out by the Pact before it transpired, but made no effort to stop the events that ensued, although it is largely debated whether they did so fearing their own demise, or if they did it on the off chance they could usurp Serkos' empire and achieve their own goals. The most generally accepted theory is that it was a mix of both, varying from Freeterror to Freeterror. Whatever the case, it is often remarked how silent and non-interventionalist the Freeterrors would become leading up to the fall of Freedomwrath.
During the state's fall, the only region the Freeterrors attempted to preserve was their own holdings in the client territory, and to do so they would also reinstate various laws previously put into place by Userymos which were previously revoked by Sarzaroth. They made an effort to consolidate power and control over all FTDs, calling them all back from the frontlines of all active conflicts. The last notable state change is their breaching of multiple documents, such as duty-binding stipulations from the Blood Accord and all the client edicts, effectively ending Freeterror patronage.
This is the point at which Freeterror intentions to unify all Crowns begin to spread, albeit slowly, but it can be found in remarks from works such as Dead and Gone, where multiple witnesses to the events of the time would clarify that the intention of the Freeterrors to become the successor state was alive and growing. This is also reflected in attempts to expand relations with former Serkosian Auctorates, in an attempt to persuade some of them into changing patronage to the Freeterrors in lieu of Serkos' disappearance. This helped to further problems between certain Auctoral factions which had been drifting due to ideological and physical separation, eventually (but only partially) leading to the outbreak of the Auctorate War in 16,743.
Nine Clan War & Reach War
Following the Fall of Freedomwrath, a large series of wars would occur shortly after, beginning with the Nine Clan War. This and all conflicts up until the First Corpse War are notable for the absence of the Freeterrors, as they would spend most of their time reorganizing into what would be known as the "Freeterror Council" to act as the state entity for the eventual Sarzola Regime. The Freeterrors would also spend most of these wars waiting out the larger factions, predicting an eventual power vacuum in which they could takeover uncontested.
Due to the Octrasian Ascension? taking place in the Cymon Auctorate (which would later become the Octrasian Auctorate), the Freeterrors would sign the Cold Accords? in 14,502 as a symbol of peace between the two factions, in hopes of securing an ally through the evolution of the new Auctorate state.
Evolution into the Council
The Council functioned more jointly than the Freeterrors did as a label. The Council Head was Sarzaroth, and the other six would be regular councilors. The Freeterrors had turned their attention to the reorder of the Freeterror Client Territory, which was now recognized on most maps and diagrams as simply "Freeterror Territory" and was left well alone enough. Slightly prior to the rebranding into the Council, the Freeterrors would reorganize and rename the state to the Sarzola Regime in 15,490, in the Treaty of Phoqane?. Only after the state rebranding and reorganization would their own begin, and in 15,492 they would form the Council proper.
The FTDs going forward would be in a much more structured and ranked system, for the purpose of consolidating power. These FTDs had greater proximity to the Freeterror Council based on their perceived military prowess and power. The Freeterror Council began, in the later stage of the Great Chaos?, to mobilize these FTDs in a sly but nevertheless more aggressive manner. The most major of these was the claims on the rim of Iromos? in 15,490 alongside their state change. Soon after this, they began to line FTDs along their borders, and even send out large squadrons of these FTDs to hunt and kill known traitors or deserters from both the Freedomwrath Empire and the new Regime. This trend of FTDs going across the cosmos became more frequent, and as it became more frequent it became more concerning to the denizens of the various states in the cosmos. It was noticed that often these soldiers would hang around in areas, as if lying in wait. Soon this fear became realized in 15,495, with the passing of the Mandate of Reunification?.
The placement of FTDs was not random, but as logistics on all FTDs was only held by the Freeterrors, only they could perceive the pattern in which the divisions were strategically placed across their intended zones of conquest. Each division was spaced accordingly and roughly equally distanced from other divisions, with certain consolidations of divisions near perceived threats for future conquest. In 15,495 the declaration of the Mandate of Reunification clarified the aforementioned fear, and all the divisions began to ransack the rump states of Freedomwrath simultaneously, causing the greatest disorder since the Fall of Freedomwrath itself. In an eruption of violence and chaos, so began the first of the terrible Corpse Wars.
First Corpse War
North Campaign
The Council began their plan to reunify all the Crown and Freedomwrath territories by focusing on the Cymon Auctorate, which by this point had evolved into the Octrasian Auctorate. The march towards the state reaffirmed the oppression of the Odeans, with the collapse of the Alig? and Pligan? Conglomerates.
Despite the state's severe improvements since the fall of Freedomwrath, the Cold Accords, an agreement seemingly constructed out of good faith by the Freeterrors, turned out to have another motive. The Cold Accords served as a basis for the new agreement, the Deal of Daocolo. Sarzaroth and Leitem would storm Daocolo? completely unprompted, capitulating it nigh immediately. The storming occurred in 15,505 and by 15,513 the entire state had fallen into the grasp of the Freeterrors with the signing of the Deal of Daocolo. This agreement reduced the autonomy of the state, turning it into a mere puppet of the Sarzola Regime. From this, and starting in the very same pulse, continuing until roughly 15,585, the Cymos Skirmishes? were a series of rebellious acts by native Cymos Crowns who would not accept Sarzola rule. Leitem and Sarzaroth would split up around 15,553, with Leitem heading to the far east, and Sarzaroth presiding over the intense rebellions in the newly owned Cymos territories.
Of the skirmish conflicts, multiple notable changes would occur to the political state of space. The most important development was the complete annihilation of Rago? in 15,547, which followed at least 700 independently coordinated attacks to take the Crown controlled city out. The brief overtaking of Tredekko by the TSMCL? in 15,533 nearly led to the entire superstructure falling into the nearby star, Ulseos 09?. Furthermore, the entire Cymos Rim region collapsed on a municipal level, as the chaos of the Zolos Rim merged with the oppression in the neighboring Octrasian Auctorate it lead to a complete meltdown of any stability in the region, as migrants flooded from both directions, often clashing and disrupting existing settlements.
Despite all this present resistance, the rule of the Freeterrors was unrelenting, and before long the Cymos were tending towards the trend of destruction exhibited solely by the Zolos up to that point. This forced the majority of the Cymos into subjugation, and by the end of the Northern Campaign, the Cymos had had their will crushed entirely.
Leitem meanwhile had made good progress through the Northern Corpse of Odea, having the entire region conquered by 15,568. Leitem's conquering tactics meant that while progress ran slower, the territories were much more firmly held. This even led to a non-aggression pact with Byalosmarga in 15,576. Leitem was not so kind to the Principians however, and the campaigns into Uon-Principia which began in 15,579 exhibited some of the worst prejudice against their kind on the hands of the Crowns since the High Principle Wars.
These campaigns ran until about 15,586, when Leitem received the rendezvous order to return to Greneara from Sarzaroth while he turned towards efforts in capturing the Zolos Rim.
Iromos-Kaleidonos Theatre, Atleintos-Venoneis Theatre, & Einos Campaign
in 15,562 the Reunification Subwar expanded with the beginning of the Clan Campaign?, first by invading into Iromos, using their previously acquired territories in the area. At the same time they rose hell in all the rump states of Freedomwrath, weakening them for the inevitable invasion of the Freeterrors. In Iromos, the effects were felt the strongest, so when Tyrus and Tartaroth smashed through the largest portion of their forces at the Battle of Urdeo?, they swiftly ended the opposition present there.
Simultaneously, a force pushed into Egosphairos?, led by Alawros. They would steamroll a huge number of minor settlements, such as in the Battle of Routodon?, the Battle of Irexer?, or the Battle of Nuridon?, which all capitulated within the pulse 15,563. Alawros would inevitably run into the bulk of the Egosphairos forces, led by Imanion? which were holed up at a stronghold in Pillaenes?. In the 15,564 Battle of Pillaenes?, Alawros would practically entirely encircle the stronghold at Pillaenes, and just crash down on the fortress like a wave. It was all Imanion's forces could do to keep out the Freeterror forces. After the fortress was broken into, a large portion of the fighting occurred inside the labyrinthine hallways, until Imanion was captured and the Sarzola forces pulled out soon after.
After this Alawros turned to Jayos, which had not seen major conflict since the Principle Wars, and attacked in the Second Battle of Jayos? in 15,566. This alerted Osogarch?, the sole Egosphairos general in charge of all the militant affairs in the state. Osogarch turned in the direction of Alawros and began to march all the forces to intercept them on their path out of Jayos. Alawros was not extremely surprised that an attack on Jayos had alerted the bulk of their forces, but it did catch them off-guard. Thus, Alawros was forced to rely of their own capabilities and not just that of the FTDs at their disposal. The ensuing Battle of Cul? in 15,567 is one that is often used in defense of the theory that Alawros may have been more capable in battle than even Sarzaroth.
At about synchronized times, the Tyrus-Tartaroth force and the Alawros force located and attacked Iro? and Egosphaira?, respectively. The battle against Iro (aptly named the Battle of Irofall?) was seemingly more intense than the battle against Egosphaira (the Battle of Egofall?). Iro is often considered to be among the more powerful of the Clan Warlords?, and Irofall is typically a demonstration of this opinion. Thus the states of Iromos and Egosphairos fell simultaneously in the pulse 15,569.
During all of this, Khavros and Ogda had been sent further ahead, to meet up with the prepositioned FTDs who were at that moment causing disorder within Raentos? and Lower Cosmon Imperium?. The latter would fall within only a few battles, capitulating in 15,576 at the Battle of Clydon?, and Raentos proved one of the most difficult of all the Clans to subjugate. Raent? appeared the most frequently alongside his army, which was uncharacteristic of the majority of the other clan lords. This can be observed in the Battle of Terrodon? and the Battle of Carrion Court?, the latter of which was a surprisingly close call for Ogda, who nigh lost their life at the hands of Raent, and which ultimately ended in one of the only loses for the Freeterrors in this phase of the war. Eventually, although the Raentwalkors? had been completely subjugated and Raent had been killed, due to his rare circumstance he was able to produce an heir, Raesvont?, who would take up control of the clan, at the expense of their autonomy, ultimately becoming a Sarzola Warlord?.
The handful of major battles in Lesser Cosmon Imperium would also be the first battles in which the Sarzola Auctorates? would begin pledging forces to the reunification cause. Going forward, in nearly every battle in all of the active subwars of the First Corpse War in which the Sarzola Regime was present, Auctorate forces could be found in support of their side.
Following this, Khavros, Ogda, as well as Alawros and Tartaroth all regrouped on the border of Greater Cosmon Imperium. Auctoral forces pushed down from the north?, while Alawros and Tartaroth crashed in from the west. The Cosmon Capitulation? was carried out in 15,580. Shortly after this regrouping occurred however, and before the push into the Cosmon Imperium, Ogda and Khavros moved south to the Kaleidonos? border, where they would conduct a similar subcampaign into the state. The First Battle of Galaqane? was huge for this stage of the war, as it secured what would be the second largest stronghold for Freeterror activity going forward after Phoqane. Galaqane served as the point where Alawros, Tartaroth, Ogda, Khavros, and the Auctoral forces would have their second regrouping. After the battles of Ternsa?, Terngau?, and Oloros?, the remainder of the state had been cleared, leaving the majority of the clan territories completely overrun by the Sarzola Regime by 15,583.
From here, the Clan Campaign halts major activity until the middle of the Einos Campaign? which would begin in 15,583, just after the Kaleidonos capitulation. You see, by now the Cymos had been subjugated, five of the Nine Clans had capitulated, and the Freeterrors were eager to incorporate their next target for reunification. This naturally let itself to the Einos Campaign, which saw the four Freeterrors plus Auctoral aid split into four minor subcampaigns, and rage in various directions across the Einos territory. IN 15,584 it was determined that Alawros and Tartaroth would handle the south-bound campaigns, leading into Atleintos? and Venoneis? respectively, whereas Ogda and Khavros turned towards Kylomonia? and handled the west-bound campaigns.
The paths to Atleintos and Venoneis were very rough for the two Freeterrors, who often got bogged down by the unrelenting disorder of the Einos. In the Battle of Eneir?, Alawros was reported to have subjugated the Einos in the region, only for the Einos to rise up once more the minute Alawros continued forward, and thus the Einos Campaign was dubbed with many nicknames, such as the "Patchwork Campaign" due to the large number of similar instances in which the Einos simply refused subjugation, creating a patchwork like subjugation pattern, or "Corkscrew Campaign" which was created in reference to the corkscrew-like motion of the Alawros-Tartaroth forces, as they looped back on previous regions to reconquer them and continue forward.
Eventually after a series of monotonous skirmishes, Alawros reached the territory of the FRL?. The FRL had mixed feelings about the reunification war perpetuated by the Freeterrors, and as such they did not completely turn over to Alawros and allow peaceful subjugation. Their concerns were that the state would not be run in the Serkosian image, and instead become a successor in name only. Being that the FRL was a Serkosian Legacy?, they were concerned with the ideal restoration of Freedomwrath in its purest form, and a successor fit to rule in Serkos' image. On the other hand, the opportunity for such a state was right on their doorstep, and so the dilemma caused apprehension. Despite this, Tartaroth would arrive in 15,599, and with both Freeterrors present and in a hurry to conquer the clans, lest they complicate the offensive, the FRL soon was crushed to save them time in negotiating.
In the ensuing offensive against Atleintos and Venoneis, the Freeterrors struck at the border between the two, where a lot of skirmishes still occurred. As the two lower clans had been disconnected from the other clans during the Nine Clan War, as well as the Reach War, the conflict between the two never fully died down, and even despite its pure closure, saw a vicious petty war which continued in the form of skirmishes even leading into their invasion on behalf of the Freeterrors. Alawros and Tartaroth stormed down the borderline until they hit the Hyravatara region in 15,602, at which point their joint effort concluded, and Tartaroth began the conquest of Venoneis, while Alawros followed suit in Atleintos.
The Atleintos Subcampaign was rather brief, as little word of Freeterror progress had reached Atleintos and so the forces were far too scattered to handle the assault by Alawros and the numerous FTDs present. The subcampaign first saw major conflict in Tylliers? in early 15,603 where Alawros demonstrated yet again their potential to usurp command from even Sarzaroth. Soon after followed the Battle of Majora? in late 15,603, where Atlas? did significant damage to Alawros' forces, but was no match for Alawros alone.
The Venoneis Subcampaign was less smooth, and Tartaroth suffered at least three major defeats in this portion of the Clan Campaign, which for a Freeterror was a horrible look. The Clan Warlord, Venon?, was far more privy to the plans of Sarzaroth, which had reached Venoneis through its extensive network in Einos and Egosphairos territories. Due to the soured relation with Atleintos, none of this information ever fully reached them beyond rumors, and so they were far less organized. Reports of disorder and confusion reassured Tartaroth of inevitable successes, and it is assumed that this is what caused such a blunder at the Battle of Vicioct? in 15,604, where Tartaroth lost nearly half of the forces due to Venoneis' recruitment of Gyolos mercenaries, which although not as powerful as Crowns, possessed foreign methods and tactics to warfare which at points severely overwhelmed Tartaroth. Despite the major victory in 15,606 at the Battle of Vicoto?, Tartaroth would again be beaten in the Battle of Rospar? later that same pulse, and even further in the Battle of Erdmon? in 15,607. By the time Tartaroth reached Visteroco later that pulse, the headquarters at which Venon was located, it was barely enough to even resemble an army. Nevertheless, Venon had run out of novel tricks, and Tartaroth was singularly able to overtake Visteroco, costing much of the remaining army. Tartaroth marched out of the loosely controlled Venoneis territory, and after Alawros' secondary suppression campaign after the victory at Majora, they met and led a similar suppression campaign through Venoneis territory. After this regrouping, Alawros and Tartaroth headed towards the Serkosian Auctorates on their way to the rendezvous point in Greneara, concluding the Clan Campaign in 15,610.
Meanwhile, Ogda and Khavros were left to handle the remaining territories, particularly in the western half of Einos territory. Khavros led the Kylomon-Catonos Campaign beginning in 15,585, where the subjugation at Ohomeo? led to a swift defeat of Kylomonia in 15,587. Catonos? was the next to fall in 15,588, at the Battle of Catos?, aptly named for the Clan Warlord, Catos?. Unlike Alawros and Tartaroth, Khavros' forces had not been slowly dwindled before their primary conflicts, and so these battles were far more smooth comparatively, as Khavros was not forced to handle the commanding force and the main force of the army at once in either battle.
Khavros however then was forced to take a rough bend through pure Einos territory, which culminated in a huge streak of nigh-pyrrhic victories for the force. The battle at Alskamos? in 15,592 embodied this most clearly with the destruction of three extremely critical divisions under Khavros' command, I-AB022 ("Crux?"), II-T455 ("Taskmasters?"), and I-TC202 ("Warwonders?"), which ultimately slowed Khavros' efforts for the remainder of their time deep in Einos territory. By 15,597, progress was more than halfway complete but hardly moving easily at all, with Khavros notably remarking at the seemingly ever-growing viciousness of the opposing Einos. In 15,600 the march back towards the southwest Einos territories began.
Ogda on the other hand, was left to handle the western-most regions of Einos territory, which proved to be extremely difficult, and many of the territories gained in this stage of the warfare would be lost during the following campaigns into the Gyolos-Aeylri Imperium, as well as during the further chaos of the Corpse Brigade. Ogda moved along the vague line between Freedomwrath Corpse territory and Einos territory, hitting Altris?, Quaguara?, and Ulosa? between 15,587 and 15,595. After this, the plan became to situate the force between Kylomonia, which had by now been conquered, and Atleintos, which was dealing with Alawros to the southeast. Ogda moved to Masacaran?, one of the last Einos strongholds in the west, capturing it in 15,603. This is where she would wait until the completion of Khavros' campaigns.
After Khavros marched through the same Einos region between Atleintos and Kylomonia, meeting Ogda in 15,612, they would swiftly regroup and begin their trek towards the Serkosian Auctorates, similarly to the Alawros and Tartaroth forces. These two joint forces actually did not plan for this rendezvous, as they were only instructed to head towards Greneara, with Sarzaroth practically telling them to simply carve a way to Greneara if their path was ill-defined. All four Freeterrors would meet in Alisok?, where their presence drew the attention of the then leader of the Serkosian Auctorates, Teroylos?.
Teroylos entered negotiations with the Freeterrors, who by now were more concerned with reaching the rendezvous point in Greneara than taking over yet another state. More than this, the Freeterrors were not particularly raring to attack the Auctorates when their influence could sour relations with the other Free Auctorates, or even the Sarzola Auctorates. The Serkosian Legacies in the area were already suspicious as well, and the likelihood of a massive ensuing petty war in response to any conflict was extremely likely. So to avoid a veritable holy war, the Freeterrors simply agreed to not impede on the territorial boundaries of the Serkosian Auctorates and their affiliate states for the time being, culminating in the Red Tables Deal? of 15,618. After this negotiation window ended, the Freeterrors began the march into the previously conquered territories, through the Greater Corpse of Freedomwrath, some of the Einos territories, and finally through Kaleidonos until their rendezvous in Greneara in 18,632.
With the march to Greneara underway, the Freeterrors were occasionally greeted by loose and disparate Einos bands which caused minor skirmishes. These extended the official length of the Einos Campaign until about two pulses before their arrival in Greneara, which ultimately meant the closure of the Einos Campaign came in early 15,630.
Freedomwrath Corpse War, Zyzoktoth Theatre
While the Reunification Subwar was just beginning to brew, a simultaneous conflict was erupting elsewhere. This was the great Freedomwrath Corpse War?. This war spilled partially into the Clan Campaign, as the initial stages of catastrophic disorganization amongst the regional political stages in both theatres of the war were shaped into a much more pointed conflict with the appearance of
Zolos Campaign, Reunification Subwar Closure
War of Caelum Prima
Gyolos Subwar
Corpse Brigade & the Hunt
Dormancy Period
Second Corpse War
Arqala Subwar
Theos Subwar
Cognia Subwar
Second Auctorate War
Cadaver Subwar
Post-Corpse Wars
After the closure of the Second Corpse War in 18,779, and the return of Serkos, the Sarzola Regime was all but finished. Sarzaroth was the only surviving Freeterror leaving the war, and was defeated both physically and in spirit. After learning of the Oscoth Treaty?, and the plan to overthrow the Regime, Sarzaroth simply released the Terminal Deal?, which essentially guaranteed the formal death of the Regime in the end quarter of 18,790. Not too long before the Regime's end, Sarzaroth would speak to the people of his empire, reviewing its history, victories, failures, and death. It is remarked that Sarzaroth's tone and attitude seemed much more humble and tired, and in general his attitude was well-matched to the current state of the Sarzola Regime.
Not long after the Corpse Doctrine was announced, the Regime formally collapsed, Sarzaroth was spotted wandering in various areas of Crown territory, before eventually being located and killed by Serkos. After the death of Sarzaroth, from 18,790 to roughly 18,820, the Freeterror Divisions fell entirely into disarray, with the majority becoming smaller bands which intended to unite the Crowns again, some of which even did so in a fanatical tribute to the Freeterrors. Many of these groups would be crushed by Serkos, or by Serkosian Legacies as time passed, but due to the Second Corpse War, and the chaos coming out of the Sarzola Regime, it is estimated that these splinter divisions were most active from the collapse of the empire until 18,930, with the onset of the Scalar War?. This ultimately killed the very minimal remainder of the Sarzola Regime, although various legacies and factions would continue to appear here and there throughout.
The Sarzola Auctorates saw another schism shortly after the death of Sarzaroth, as the death of the patron severely weakened their legitimacy. Many opted to take the same route as the Serkosian Auctorates had during the days of Serkos' absence, but a large portion of the Sarzola Auctorates began to reconcile and return to Serkosian or Free Auctorate beliefs. Despite this schism, none of the factions had the military might to truly spawn any sort of Third Auctorate War, so it simply saw petty violence, before fizzling out. The gravity of the situation was lessened even further after Serkos' Breakdown Phase, which led to the collapse of nearly all the major Auctorate locations.
Legacy
The legacy of the Freeterrors is one often overshadowed by that of Serkos, Kaiser, the primordials, Norn, and Am-Heh?. As such, in literature, in art, and in other media, they are often depicted as part of a greater scheme, at all times manipulated, even when left to their own devices. In other cases they are remembered as a strong, terror-inspiring, force of nature which was crushed undertow by forces they could no longer reckon with, as if to be pitied.
In Dead and Gone, the greatest composition of the Serkosian history ever written, the Freeterrors are represented as a flawed and yet fearless band of unparalleled Crown strength. Over the course of the reflections, it is remarked that their strength was in a "continual state of erosion, an unfortunate reaction to the continual rise in the regional power level, which made it such that they rolled in as a storm and crawled out as a husk."
In Chronicles of A Wanderer?, the Observer? remarks often only on the follies of the Freeterrors, as it is necessary to the "Three Follies?" narrative which is often presented throughout the writings. The Freeterrors are remarked to be "an entity defined by penultimate failure, in constant struggle to gain and to shortly after lose it all in a capricious, Corpse-driven cycle of destruction and pitiful rebirth."
In Cosmovexus? all of the Freeterror sigils can be found, with each of their names beneath their respective symbols and crests. Alongside the Cosmovexus, the Potent Chronicles? has been confirmed to possess information on over a billion instances of the "Freeterror" group in replica universes. Furthermore, works on the Freeterrors, including the previously mentioned works and more have all been observed in the Bibliocosm?.
In terms of relics and ruins, the Freeterrors left behind few intact structures, although the ruins of Phoqane and Galaqane have been located and studied for all they're worth, many structures built by or in honor of the Freeterrors have been completely lost or erased in wars and cataclysmic disasters. Many written and art works both by and about the Freeterrors do remain behind, including plenty of engravings of their sigil which can be found all over their previously controlled territories. Sarzaroth specifically lives on in memory as a part of the historic "Jester's Court?", a pseudo-group of all the most primary figures during the Serkosian histories, one of only three Crowns alongside Angstrom and Serkos.
Surviving members of the Auctoral Faith often comment on the Lesser Old Saints? when questioned about the Freeterrors. This is because by the early 20,000s, hardly anyone practiced patronage towards Serkos or Sarzaroth, or any of the old deity-like figures of their time. They soon became revered as mysterious, vengeful, and bloodthirsty deities who were bound to return if they were praised too openly (as the return of Serkos in 18,779 was treated much like a prophetic second coming, it became theorized that the open praise by the Serkosian Auctorates had caused this). Because of this stigmatization, they are called the Old Saints, and often left in scripture as a reminder of dark times, as an embodiment of evils, or as a forever looming force which will bring forth chaos unto the cosmos once more, at some preordained time. Due to the Freeterrors inclusion as Lesser Old Saints, they are often remarked by Auctoral Faith members as vengeful, aggressive, hateful monsters, perpetuating a chaotic cycle over the Old Faith, assuming they are even willing to discuss such history at all.
Ultimately, the legacy of the Freeterrors is one written and remembered in blood, and it is certain that most survivors of their days look back with horror, fear, anger, or sadness.
Out-Of-Lore
Development
The Freeterrors were created during the expansion of the lore surrounding the rather novel idea of the Freedomwrath Empire, despite this, a proto-faction and many of the members (at least by name) can be traced back further in the lore's development. The Freeterrors did not begin as an elite fighting force which would later evolve into a council, rather, they were intended to be called the "Jester's Council" (From which the future "Jester's Court" would be derived), and begin as a council-like faction which acts against Serkos. Initially, they would be one of many councils which succeeded each other. However, this idea of a council of Crowns was dropped around the time when the First Corpse War (far removed from its current form) was under its introductory development into the lore. Once the idea of Freedomwrath and a Serkosian empire became a thing, the characters which existed from the former council idea became reused as integral members of the new state. Soon multiple became integrated into a new faction that was being added to the earliest battles and wars of Freedomwrath (Principle Wars, Dius Subwar, Ambrosian War, etc.), and before it was over, the Freeterrors had been created.
Despite this, they formed not so much in the manner they are recounted as above, but with a select few membership changes. Most notably, Userymos, or "The Tyrant" was simply named Tyrant in the earlier council idea. This being the earliest days of loremaking, the naming conventions were far broader and weaker, and so the name was changed to give it a more natural feel in Crown society, as opposed to something that would be more of a nickname, such as what it became. This initial name of "Tyrant" did actually also influence the creation of the "Userymos Days" and the majority of Userymos' persona. Continuing off of that, certain members of the modern Freeterrors and Sarzola Council also served as members of the (in-lore) historic councils of the older concept, such as Leitem, Ogda, Alawros, and Khavros, none of which were ever supposed to be in the primary council which they now feature in. Furthermore, Odesa, the right-hand of Octra, was an intended member of this older primary council, but has now since been moved outside of the idea of the council or Freeterrors to begin with. Upon revisiting the characters mentioned, the changes were gradually made to transform the Freeterrors into what we now know.
The Sarzola Regime also arose after the creation of Freedomwrath. Initially, Freedomwrath was going to incur the wrath of Nicoraqel, as well as see through the majority of political problems dealing with the primordials, which would trigger the Fall of Freedomwrath leading into the Prophet and Arcite events. Despite this, multiple influences changed this narrative. Firstly, and most importantly, was the narrative's shift away from the four "Theos" primordials (Zhieraqta, Qalhades, Nocoros, and Nicovis) as central figures or (ironically) influencers of the narrative. Although they are responsible for the majority of the thematic tone of the region, the intent was not for their influence to drive the narrative of Serkos, who was intended to rise above primordials. This coincided with the decrease in primordials' natural strength compared to other beings, as well as the separation of primordials from high primordials. The other major influence away from this choice was Nicoraqel as an entity. Nicoraqel, Nicoraqel's factions, and Nicoraqel's followers had all seen major changes around this time, the power scaling, intended symbolism, and core faction members' origins, had all changed from more of a tragically beastly theme to a more purely malevolent one. Moreover, the origins of Nicoraqel are partially rooted in the primordials, and as their stories changed, so to did Nicoraqel's.
Once these changes all came and went it was clear that the Fall of Freedomwrath should happen earlier. Freedomwrath constantly winning, although intriguing in theory, largely would result in boredom in practice, and this was also combined with the problem of a post-Freedomwrath narrative. Despite Serkos' narrative continuing just fine, it would mean leaving behind that entire political stage that had been built up for so long, just to do most of what we now recognize as the Chronos-Nil and Prophet related arcs of the storyline. This kind of kills interest in everything but Serkos, at least for a decently long part of the narrative, and recognizing this, changes needed to be made during the absence of Serkos.
Combining these two notions, the necessity to move the Fall of Freedomwrath earlier, and the necessity to make Serkos absence be important and have value, naturally led to the Sarzola Regime as an entity which needed to fill that void. The Sarzola Regime specifically came because of the power dynamic in the space during this stage of the story writing process, the introduction of the Reach War solved the question of the primordials, and left the position open for the Freeterrors to start an empire, and it was perfect for the symbolism of the ensuing events which had also shifted to accommodate the shift in the Fall of Freedomwrath (i.e. Both Corpse Wars). From there, all the trivial details somewhat filled themselves in, such as dates, treaties, state functions, and other things of the sort. The larger symbolic themes grew over time gradually as other major areas of the lore grew as well, such as the ideology of Sarzaroth, the dynamic of Userymos and Leitem, the successes and failures of the Sarzola Regime, which all saw highly granular development over time.
Symbolism
The Freeterrors hold many symbolic and thematic elements which are core to the story. This section will serve to only discuss the general themes of each of the Freeterrors as it relates to the Freeterrors as a whole, not the members themselves. Most generally, the Freeterrors represent overconfidence, and each member in relation to the group has a part to play in the concept of overconfidence for the group as a whole.
Sarzaroth represents the confidence of the flawless, he lacks fear, guilt, anxiety, a sense of danger, caution, or any sort of apprehension for the better half of his lifetime. Only with the Corpse at his doorstep does he realize being headstrong in all cases could kill him. This is no coincidence either, his confidence declines the moment his record of military victories becomes flawed. His confidence, and furthermore, his overconfidence, stems from his lack of loss. He struggled minimally in his earliest days, and went on to be a well feared and respected individual, soldier, commander, and leader. Only in the wake of the Corpse, Nicoraqel, and Serkos himself did this confidence finally crumble. Alongside his confidence fell his record, empire, companions, and eventually his life.
Khavros and Ogda represent together the confidence of companionship. The idea that in numbers, in companionship, or in comradery can challenges of any kind be overcome. The sort of optimism arising from the idea that all things pale in comparison to the bonds of those who work together. This reality is naturally antithetical to the one thing that severs the bond between Ogda and Khavros, Nicoraqel. Nicoraqel represents in all parts malevolence. Nicoraqel is all forms of negativity, all fears, all angers, all sins, and all worries. If anyone represents the breaking of bonds, pessimism, the end of good times, it is surely Nicoraqel. Because of this, their form of confidence also concludes with the Corpse Wars.
Tyrus represents the confidence of the genius. Tyrus is a Crown who prides themself on their stratagem and prowess in plan-making. Tyrus is victim to a mind trap in which they refuse to doubt the possibilities or potential of their brain because of their disposition to tactics which always win. Unlike Sarzaroth, who has never known loss and is therefore incapable of foreseeing it fully, Tyrus is a Crown who has seen loss, but assumes growth, or assumes an evolution so great that "it could not happen again". This idea that growth from past mistakes inherently equals an uncontested record is what forms Tyrus' unique variety of overconfidence. Only in the face of a blunt, immovable, or unstoppable force does this form of confidence fail, as no strategy involving only a threadbare article of clothing can stop a cannonball. This is where the recurring theme should become apparent, as who embodies the destruction of this confidence is none other than Nicoraqel once more.
Tartaroth represents a confidence born of severity or intensity. Tartaroth is often remarked in the lore to be one of the most vicious and bloodthirsty Crowns, not just Freeterrors, but Crowns. Tartaroth naturally will do anything to put himself in a situation where he can achieve such an outcome as a bloodbath. In the cosmic political situations, this usually equates to warfare. As such, Tartaroth finds himself entrenched in dangerous situations simply to fulfill the intensity of an obsession, which acts as or creates a form of overconfidence which drives Tartaroth into situations where his safety or integrity may be compromised. Now, how do Nicoraqel and the Corpse Wars play into this? Well, Nicoraqel, being pure malevolence is terrifying to Tartaroth. This is because Tartaroth represents a form of overconfidence, not necessarily a form of vicious malevolence or beastly form, that would be Nicoraqel. In the face of a truly pure evil, a singular primal urge to kill is dwarfed. Furthermore, the understanding that no matter his effort, he can not enact viciousness upon something so above him, that also scares Tartaroth. Thus Nicoraqel serves to be yet again a maker to be met for another Freeterror.
Alawros represents confidence of secrecy, or a confidence born from some kind of informational asymmetry. Alawros is often one of the most secretive Freeterrors, but this works to the benefit of their tactics and attitude. By maintaining secrecy, there is no weakness to counter, there is no nature to exploit, and there is no blind spot to attack. This spawns an overconfidence. Whether or not it is a conscious or subconscious ego, it is spawned. Alawros naturally overtime becomes accustomed to victory and power, and they attribute this to their secrecy of identity, and their lack of attention, which keeps potential enemies from studying them. However, as we will see this is the last confidence which Nicoraqel is responsible for ending. We have assumed Nicoraqel to represent Malevolence, Darkness, and Death, whereas we have come to understand that Alawros is capitalizing on keeping the enemy within the dark. If Nicoraqel is good at anything, its killing confidence, but not just by any means, by specifically turning the cornerstone of said confidence against the confident. Nicoraqel leaves Alawros in the blind, as Alawros has never fought the horrors of Nicoraqel's armies, and has had little time to study them themself. This is a scary idea to Alawros, but more so is the idea that their whole being may become a weak spot. It would take the sworn secrecy of their entire being in order to be safe from Nicoraqel, due to the strength and severity of Nicoraqel, and the fact that it is not so ultimately kills their confidence before Nicoraqel kills them.
Lastly, we have Userymos and Leitem, the two Freeterrors who share a position at different times, and the two who die well before Nicoraqel. The most important here is Userymos, the first to die of the Freeterrors. Userymos represents pure confidence. The innate breed which has no basis in logic, history, fact, observation, or reason. The idea that for all time and for all things they will win. In simpler terms, narcissism. One of the broadest themes of Crowns of The Cosmos is modesty versus narcissism. The idea that you or anybody or anything you can think of is in no way the center of reality, that is something the narrative attempts to drive home constantly. Because of this, narcissistic characters appear earliest in the main storyline, but they also die earliest as well. Userymos is one of these, pure confidence only leads to denial of mistakes, lack of growth, lack of recognition for others, conceitedness, and eventually an overstep of some kind, and consequences. As for Leitem, they represent the confidence of the ignorant, which follows pure confidence as the next to die. Unlike the others there is no strategy, merit, or bond in the confidence held, it is made based on the lack of strategy, merit, or bond and the assumption that things will go accordingly simply because you can not fathom a thing which could make it not so. While Leitem is not an ignoramus within the narrative, they certainly are a newcomer to the political stage for the better part of their life. And this translates well enough for them to be the first Freeterror claimed by the Corpse Wars, but the last Freeterror claimed before Nicoraqel.
The order of the Freeterrors' deaths should now also be given more weight as we now understand it plays a part in some of their deaths, Khavros and Ogda die rather near to each other (but not at the same time, or else their overconfidence would go somewhat unchallenged), Userymos and Leitem die earliest for having no merit within or behind their overconfidence, and Tyrus and Sarzaroth die later due to the sheer amount of merit behind their forms of confidence. Alawros and Tartaroth naturally find themselves placed within the middle from that point of view.
For a final word on the individual Freeterrors in their relation to the general themes of the Freeterrors as a whole, one might wonder what the summary meaning of Nicoraqel for the Freeterrors is within all this. Nicoraqel is a continuation of themes presented by earlier characters such as Arconecei? ("The Death"), and Arcocaus ("The Corpse"), as well as being a physical continuation of the latter. Together this trio represents all negative feelings and emotions, but they also represent different sides of this negativity. Arconecei represents unbridled and unintentional destruction or malevolence, essentially it's a force of nature that does not intend to harm, but simply does. The Corpse intends to harm, but does so with restriction and reason. Nicoraqel intends to harm, but with no restriction, and little reason. Furthermore, each represents death in a different form. These forms are past, present, and future. Nicoraqel represents future death, as Nicoraqel is the bringer of death that has not yet come to pass. Thus it should stand to reason that Nicoraqel brings all forms of death that have not happened yet, including a concept known as "ego death". Ego death is antithetical to all things egoist, narcissistic, and self-centered. It is the death or washing away of these parts of the mind, and so who better to confront the Freeterrors' overconfidence but ego death incarnate?
The symbolism of the Sarzola Regime also incorporates these ideas of overconfidence, as well as the extended themes of each character, into its overall structure due to the closeness between the two story elements.