Aftermath of the Shattering
- Warriors and Agori who were in Bara Magna at the time of the Shattering find themselves trapped there. Many of the residents of Bara Magna must adjust to a new climate, new terrain, and a devastating shortage of resources.1
- Warriors and Agori work together to build villages where none have been before.2
- With Tarix and his troops now trapped on Bara Magna, most die on the journey to find refuge. However, Tarix, Kiina, and a few others make it as far as the village of Tajun.3
- Although Kiina could return to the Dormus River, the presence of water tribe Agori convinces her to stay and defend them against threats. Her fondest wish since this time is to get off the planet.4
- When the Shattering happens, Raanu is left on Bara Magna and comes to live in Vulcanus. At the time, it is a village in turmoil. Many of its residents have fled into the desert, while others are hiding in what is left of their homes in fear. Raanu helps to organize efforts to rebuild the village and suggests ways the heat of the lava flow can be used to repair metal tools and weapons.5
- While others in the ice tribe work on building the new village of Iconox and making it habitable, Metus concentrates on making deals with other villages. The discovery of exsidian makes that job much easier, as other villages need it.6
- A large number of the jungle tribe becomes stranded on Bara Magna after the Shattering. The two factions of the jungle tribe, those who supported the Core War and those who opposed it, initially do not want to live together. The village elders realize that unity among the tribe is important, but that rivalry can be put to immediate use, and so they issue a challenge: whichever part of the tribe builds the best settlement the fastest will be allowed to live in the jungle. The losers will have to relocate south to the desert. Both sides work long and hard constructing their villages. However, the elders have purposely arranged things so that neither side has everything it needs to get the job done. The two factions have to turn to each other for help, and by the time the building is done, the rifts in the tribe have healed. Tesara is nicknamed the "twin villages" shortly after its founding.7
- Tens of thousands of years ago A planetary disaster strands warriors of the Skrall in the northern mountains of Bara Magna. They have little food or water – only their strength, their wits, and their weapons.8
- The Skrall legions live in the northern Black Spike Mountains following the shattering.9
- Following the Shattering, Tuma leads a large group of warriors and rock tribe Agori into the Black Spike Mountains. There, they build a series of fortresses and create an empire of their own. They thrive there for many thousands of years.10
- Following the Shattering, Stronius spearheads efforts by the Skrall to carve out a new realm in the Black Spike Mountains. He drives the more dangerous wildlife away and captures stragglers from other tribes and forces them to labor on the construction of fortresses. He also handles any disciplinary problems within the legions without mercy. It is Stronius who first comes up with the idea of "Spikit feeding duty" as a punishment for failure.11
- Over time, the Skrall carve out an empire among the barren peaks, but in some respects, life does not get any easier.8
- With the liquid they sought dissipated in space, the Element Lords turn their attention to the maze and the power it protects. None of them are able to solve the Great Beings' last riddle.1
- Many try to penetrate the maze surrounding the Great Volcano over the years, but none ever return.12
- The whereabouts of the Great Beings themselves becomes a mystery, and remains so as far as the end of story year 2009.1
- There is no sign of the Great Beings, only the remains of their works. Over 100,000 years, even much of that disappears.2
- After the Shattering, Arena Magna is abandoned for some time.13
- After the Shattering, and the subsequent steep drop in the technological level of society, the Thornax launcher becomes one of the more sophisticated mechanisms in use on Bara Magna.14
Founding of the Glatorian System
- Metus does his job a little too well, getting places like Vulcanus and Tajun so anxious to have exsidian that they are willing to go to war over it. It is this which prompts Certavus, along with Tarix and Ackar, to come up with the idea of the Glatorian system to settle disputes.6
- As time passes, it becomes apparent that some method of resolving conflicts must be found. Another war would lead to the extinction of the Agori on Bara Magna and the destruction of their villages. Tarix works with Certavus, Ackar, and Vastus to create the basics of what would later become known as the Glatorian system.3
- Stranded on Bara Magna, Vastus is determined that there will be no more wars. He works with Certavus and other veterans to create the Glatorian system, which will make conflict between armies unnecessary.15
- A little less than 100,000 years ago Certavus, Tarix, and Ackar invent the system of Glatorian matches. The scattered villages of the desert have limited resources, and it is natural that conflicts arise among them. In the wake of the Core War, however, no one wants more battles that have the potential to wipe out entire populations. The idea is born that disputes between villages will be settled by arena battles between warriors called Glatorian.16
- The Glatorian Certavus first proposes a system of arena matches to settle disputes. Raanu stands up and declares his support for the idea.5 Tarix is one of the creators of the Glatorian system.17 Certavus is one of the founders of the Glatorian system.18
- Tarix is credited as one of the founders of the Glatorian system.3
- When the Glatorian system comes into being, it is decided to use Arena Magna as the site for an annual tournament.13
- In founding the Glatorian system, Tarix and his allies must overcome reluctance on the part of some warriors. Having recently been fighting each other to the death with each other, the idea of fighting in an arena, following rules, and stopping short of killing one's opponent does not sit well with them. To answer this, Tarix writes the Glatorian Creed, which explains not only how matches are to be fought, but why the system is needed. While Tarix deals with reluctant fighters, Ackar takes on the job of convincing the Agori that the system will work. He often says that Tarix got the easier job, since at least if a warrior complains too much, Tarix can hit him. Dealing with Agori requires much more patience and tact.3
- The veterans of the Core War become Glatorian, fighting on behalf of their villages in matches and preserving the peace of Bara Magna.2
- The Tesara arena is constructed in between the two settlements of Tesara.7
- The Prime Glatorian of Iconox at its founding is Certavus.18
- Certavus is the very first tournament champion.13
- The new Glatorian system proves to be a money-maker for Metus. After his experience training warriors in the Core War, teaching Glatorian to fight is bound to be easy for him. Metus works closely with Certavus mastering the sort of basic moves that will be needed for arena matches, then teaches them to other Glatorian like Strakk and Gelu.6 Metus teaches a number of Glatorian, including Strakk.9
- A string of early victories by Iconox convinces the other villages that fighters trained by Metus are better than any others.6
- For Metus, it is a natural next step from training fighters to arranging matches. Since most Agori are unable to spare time to deal with the complicated task of scheduling the right fighters for the right matches, the start turning more and more to Metus to set up matches as needed. While there are other Agori who do this work (just about every village has someone), none are as good at it as Metus. Metus becomes one of the few Agori who works for villages other than his own.
- From the start, Tarix is one of the top four Glatorian, although he does not win any championships in the first few thousand years.3
Intervening Years
- Once there is a vast, green area in the vicinity of Tesara, but the climate changes caused by the Shattering lead to much of the plant life dying off. Only the heartiest trees and shrubs survive, living on the trickles of water that come down from the peaks of the Black Spike Mountains.7
- The Agori of Tesara spend much of their time up in the trees. As a result, their limbs are altered over time to be better suited to climbing.7
- After the Shattering, the climate of Bara Magna changes, and food and water become harder to find. Since the Zesk already have a less sophisticated social structure than many other tribes, they regress over time to being more wild and brutal. They became bestial, and other tribes start avoiding them. The Zesk eventually lose most of their command of the Agori language and begin resembling packs of desert creatures. Their relationship with the Vorox survives unchanged, however. They prove to be a desert menace.19
- It would have seemed that the Vorox were the best equipped to thrive in Bara Magna after the Shattering, but this turns out not to be the case. As the climate in Bara Magna grows even harsher and resources become even more scarce, the Vorox begin to regress to barbarism. While Tesara, Tajun, Iconox, and Vulcanus are establishing the Glatorian system to settle disputes, the Vorox and Zesk are living in the ruins and in underground tunnels they have dug in the sand. Foraging for food or stealing it from villages, attacking anyone who comes into what they consider their territory, the Vorox rapidly gain a reputation as dangerous brutes. They are barred from entry into any village, driven off by force any time they appear, and seen as just more dangerous desert creatures. After long enough of being treated as animals, they become animals.20
- Despite knowing the secrets of surviving in the desert, the Shattering has a disastrous effect on the Vorox. As the climate in Bara Magna grows even more harsh, and resources even more scarce, the Vorox begin to regress to barbarism. While Tesara, Tajun, Iconox, and Vulcanus are establishing the Glatorian system to settle disputes, the Vorox are living in the ruins and in underground tunnels they have dug in the sand. The Vorox quickly get a reputation as beings best avoided. They spend most of their time foraging for food or stealing it from villages. Anyone who enters what they see as their territory is brutally attacked. The Vorox are barred from the villages of Bara Magna and are looked on by Agori and Glatorian as vicious animals.9
- The Vorox also have problems with bone hunters. Bone hunters see them as competition, since both groups rob caravans for food and water.9
- Sahmad salvages a Baranus battle wagon left over from the Core War and becomes a desert bandit, operating mainly in the northern regions which will later be claimed as Skrall territory.21
- Long before the Skrall migrate south to Roxtus, the bone hunters keep the Agori in a grip of fear.9
- Crotesius discovers the Cendox V1 half-buried in sand near some ruins to the north of Vulcanus. Reluctant to share his find with anyone else in the fire tribe, he hires a water tribe Agori, Berix, to help him dig it up and repair it. Amazingly, it still works, although Crotesius never figures out what powers the vehicle. The rear tracks of the Cendox V1 are badly damaged when it is first recovered and repaired by Berix.22
- Berix helps Crotesius excavate and repair his Cendox V1 vehicle.9
- Perditus gives up the prestigious position of Second Glatorian in Vulcanus to return to his roots as a vehicle pilot.23
- The rear tracks of the Cendox V1 are later damaged again by a Kaxium V3 Thornax.22
- Certavus' skill and incredible record in the arena makes his name a legend.18
- The ruler of Vulcanus is slain by Vorox. Raanu's early support of the arena system, plus his other services to the village, lead to his being named the new elder of Vulcanus.5
- In the past, Vorox packs try to bring down a Skopio with very mixed success.9
20,000 Years Ago
- 20,000 years before the start of story year 200924 Some years before story year 200918 Certavus perishes of natural causes, leaving Strakk as the new Prime Glatorian of Iconox and Gelu as Second Glatorian.18
- Following the death of Certavus, the field becomes more competitive, with Tarix, Ackar, and Vastus usually battling right to the end for the title in Arena Magna.3
- Tarix goes on to set a record, winning the tournament 93 times in a row.3
- As a trainee, Gresh surprises the Agori of Tesara by beating Kiina in a pre-tournament match.25, 9
- Gresh goes on to win three matches in a row in Atero before losing to Gelu.25, 9
- Since this tournament, Gresh works at honing his skills so that he can become almost as good as Prime Glatorian Vastus.25
- Kiina, Second Glatorian for Tajun, is particularly hostile to Berix, who is suspected of being a thief. This is made worse when Berix discovers a hidden cavern near the village which Kiina has been using as a secret refuge.26
- Some time before story year 2009 Kiina stumbles upon a hidden cavern near Tajun. Inside are pieces of equipment, carvings in a strange language, and other things she does not recognize but knows must be important. She suspects that the cavern might have belonged to the Great Beings.9
- Shortly after Kiina discovers the hidden cavern near Tajun, Berix stumbles on it too. When Kiina finds out that he is using the cave as well, she is furious. She already believes he is crooked, and this only makes things worse.9
- In the Tajun cave, Berix finds a coin that has a strange engraving on one side. It matches the pattern on the Skrall shields. In reality, it is a map of the Valley of the Maze.9
The Previous Great Tournament
- The Skrall are not living near the desert at the time of the previous year's Glatorian tournament, so they do not participate.13
- The Thornatus V9 loses to the Kaxium in last year's tournament.27
- Crotesius and the Cendox V1 win in the vehicle division in last year's Arena Magna tournament in Atero.22
- Tarix wins the title of Champion.17, 3, 28
- Perditus spends several months after the tournament practicing maneuvers to counter the Kaxium.27
Malum Grows More Violent
- Malum injures one of Vulcanus's trainees in a "practice session." Raanu is furious, and the trainee will have to spend months in the healer's hut.29
- 1 year ago Malum, armed with a sword, faces Vastus in an arena match in the village of Vulcanus. Raanu and Tarduk watch the match together. At this point, Malum is thought to be mad. Even Raanu admits that he has been difficult lately, and that a loss in the arena might serve to humble him. Vastus starts to outfight Malum's brute strength and criticizes him for his reliance on crazed, brutal fighting. When the crowd starts to jeer at Malum, he loses control and tackles Vastus, catching him off guard. He exclaims that no one will take away his position of Second Glatorian. Malum then starts beating Vastus senseless while demanding he admit defeat. Finally, Strakk steps in and convinces Malum to stop. Tarduk is relieved it is over, but Raanu fears things will get worse.29
- Afterwards, Tesara decides not to file a complaint about what Malum did to Vastus.29
- Later, in the desert, Ackar warns Malum that his antics will get him suspended or banned entirely. While they are talking, Malum spots a group of Vorox in the distance and sneers at the primitive beasts. Ackar threatens Malum to stop before he kills someone, or else he will have to stop him personally. Malum says Ackar is only Prime Glatorian out of respect for his past and that nothing is more important to him than being a Glatorian. When Malum tries to lay hands on Ackar, Ackar says that although Malum is vital to Vulcanus, he will kill him if necessary.29
Coming of the Skrall
- The Skrall dwell in fortresses to the north.30
- During the coming of winter, a Skrall warrior with red helmet markings leads a patrol of five other Skrall, all mounted on rock steeds, through the mountains in a snowstorm. Since the Skrall are running low on food and water, they are concerned about the harsher weather still to come, and they point out that even the Agori farmers on the slopes are starving and have nothing to offer raiders. They blow a horn to call their scouts but receive no answer. Concerned, the leader orders three Skrall to accompany him west, while the other two go east.8
- The leader's patrol soon finds one of the scouts, killed as if by ambush. They spot unfamiliar tracks leading to the rocks which soon disappear. Leaving one Skrall behind to signal the others, the leader takes the other two to hunt down whatever was responsible for the scout's death.8
- The other two Skrall to the east have already found another dead warrior. They hear the Skrall war horn and are heading back when they too are attacked and killed.8
- The leader and his two companions see no sign of their enemy. Suddenly, something knocks the leader off his rock steed. The Skrall catch only glimpses of their attacker as it slays the other two warriors. Now alone, the leader again sees no sign of the enemy.8
- Having lost six warriors, the leader and the other surviving warrior return to the Skrall fortress, dreading reporting failure to Tuma.8
- Inside the Skrall fortress, Stronius is beating a warrior Skrall in a practice fight when Tuma steps in and asks him to stop hurting his warriors. The Skrall patrol then makes its return and reports to Tuma what happened. Pleased with the leader's actions, Tuma honors him by giving him a name: Branar. Tuma orders Stronius to send warriors to the other Skrall outposts and ready the legion, in order to find their new enemy and exterminate them.8
- The news quickly comes back that the other Skrall outposts have been destroyed, leaving only this fortress. The attackers left no clues. Tuma and Stronius lead the Skrall legion out into the mountains to punish their foe. All of the Skrall are mounted on rock steeds. Tuma himself leads the column atop a large, green rock steed.8
- On the third day of the march, the rock steeds of the Skrall scouts return minus their riders. No sign of the missing Skrall is ever found.8
- A day later, a sudden avalanche kills 150 Skrall. No one believes it to have been an accident.8
- One week into the expedition, the Skrall catch sight of the enemy for the first time when it appears in the middle of a snowstorm, strikes, and vanishes once more. That night, Tuma orders a doubling of the camp guard.8
- The next morning, the guards are either missing or dead. Stronius comes up with plan to ride out with two warriors to lure out their foe.8
- Not long after setting out, Stronius and his companions are attacked. Ready for the ambush, Stronius smashes the attacker with his club, only to discover that the enemy is a machine. The remaining attacker flees. By this time, the Skrall are calling their attackers "baterra," or bringers of silent death. The Skrall legion pursues the mechanical creature into a heavily wooded valley in the heart of the mountains. Tuma and the rest of the Skrall enter the woods, at first seeing no sign of their enemy. Then the trees turn into baterra and attack, and the Skrall realize with regret that the baterra are shapeshifters. Of the hundreds of Skrall who rode into the valley, only a little more than 20, including Tuma and Stronius, survive long enough to escape.8
- The survivors return to the Skrall fortress. Although Tuma has enough warriors to mount another attack, he is reluctant to do so because it is impossible to find their shapeshifting enemies. Foraging parties sent to retrieve firewood or food for warriors and villagers consistently return with nothing or do not return at all. Stronius grows impatient with Tuma's inaction.8
- Tuma is at the gate when a party comes through the gate with a cartload of firewood, reporting happily that the enemy has fled. In alarm, Tuma realizes that they have just brought in disguised baterra. The baterra reveal themselves and start attacking, charging into the fortress in total, eerie silence. Caught by surprise, the Skrall fight for their lives, but it is a losing battle. Tuma orders the Skrall to set the fortress ablaze and to regroup at the rear gate. They manage to cut the baterra off with fire and escape out the rear gate into the mountains to the south. The Skrall fortress burns; the empire in the north which took the Skrall thousands of years to build has been destroyed by the baterra in mere weeks.8
- Tuma leads the Skrall south, convinced they have lost the battle but not the war, and is determined to rebuild somewhere else and take revenge on the baterra. They come to the vast desert of Bara Magna, which Tuma hopes to use as the battlefield in their next encounter with the baterra. He plans for the Skrall to conquer the barren land, seize its scattered villages with ease, and wait for the Skrall to walk into their trap.8
- The Skrall are driven from their fortresses in the northern Black Spike Mountains by baterra.9
- Forced to migrate south, the Skrall find themselves in the desert of Bara Magna.9
- After the Skrall have been thriving in the Black Spike Mountains for many thousands of years, the baterra arrive and threaten the Skrall. The shapeshifting machines strike at the Skrall again and again, eventually cutting them off from sources of supply.10
- All leader-class Skrall except for Tuma are killed by baterra.31 Tuma becomes the last Leader-class Skrall still alive on Bara Magna.10
- Most of the Baranus wagons that survived the Core War in the Bara Magna region are destroyed by the baterra during their battles with the Skrall legions.32
- Prior to the Skrall arrival in Roxtus, Atakus works at the last remaining fortress in the northern Black Spike Mountains. He is one of the gate guards who allows the admittance of a Skrall supply wagon loaded with tree trunks for the fortress fires. Too late, he realizes that the wood is not wood, but rather shapeshifted baterra warriors.33
- While Tuma is planning a last-ditch defense, he is stunned to see a Skrall wagon carrying a load of wood into the fortress. The wood turns out to be disguised baterra, and the garrison promptly finds itself under attack. The battle goes badly for the Skrall.10
- The Skrall are forced to desert their fortress along with some rock tribe Agori and travel south.10
- The Skrall are driven out of their northern fortresses by shapeshifting mechanical beings which they name "baterra."30
- After the battle that follows, Atakus organizes the surviving rock tribe Agori and leads them in an escape from the baterra. They follow the trail of the defeated Skrall army south, eventually settling in Roxtus with them.33
- When the Skrall migrate south to Bara Magna's desert, they leave behind an enclave of females in their former territory. Tuma makes the decision to abandon them to the baterra, but no one truly knows what their fate is.31
- Atakus finds twin swords in a weapons cache near what the Skrall believe to be a baterra encampment. Atakus starts wielding these swords with great pride, and characteristically no one in the rock tribe cares to study them to make more.33
- The fleeing Skrall arrive at the border of the Bara Magna desert and find the abandoned city of Roxtus. Tuma orders that the city be occupied and fortified.10
- The Skrall take over the city of Roxtus.9
- Following the defeat of his forces by the baterra, Tuma leads his legions south to the desert of Bara Magna and occupies the city of Roxtus.9
- Believing the baterra will pursue, Tuma hatches a plan to seize control of the entire desert. He feels this will give his warriors more room to maneuver should the baterra attack again.9
- Before the Skrall come to inhabit the abandoned city of Roxtus, the place is already shrouded in mystery and fear. Roxtus is empty when the Skrall first arrive with the rock Agori. The Skrall and Agori rapidly go to work building new walls and better fortifying the city.30
- Shortly after this, Tuma bans inhabitants of other villages from visiting Roxtus unless specifically invited.30
- Even with Roxtus as a new base, Tuma is not content. He knows that the baterra will come again, and he is determined to be prepared for them. He believes that the best strategy will be to seize as much of the desert as possible and force the battera to move across a vast territory with no cover. This would allow the Skrall armies room to maneuver and trap their enemies. Tuma immediately begins laying plans for an attack on the other Agori villages.10
- Since the Skrall move south and inhabit Roxtus, Stronius is frustrated by what he sees as excessive caution on the part of Tuma. He advocates striking quickly and seizing all the villages at once. Following the disastrous defeat by the baterra, Tuma is determined to be certain what he is facing before ordering an attack. Most importantly, he wants to see if the villages would be able to form a united defense or not.11
- After living as a bandit for many millennia, operating mainly in the northern regions now claimed as Skrall territory, Sahmad needs to move or find a new line of work thanks to the coming of the Skrall. He chooses to give up being a thief and become a slaver, capturing Agori in the desert and selling them to the Skrall. Now and then, for fun, Sahmad rides into a village and challenges a Glatorian in the arena – if the Glatorian wins, the village gets his latest captives back.21
- The Skrall's self-imposed seclusion sparks a whole new series of rumors among the other Agori. Tales grow of Agori villagers being kidnapped from other villages and forced to work as slave labor; of Vorox captured and forced to undergo brutal training as attack animals; of Glatorian stolen from the desert and made to fight Skrall warriors in the Roxtus arena, to the death. The most frightening part of all this is that all of these tales are true.30
- Skrall sometimes kidnap Vorox to fight in matches in the city of Roxtus for entertainment, the only time when Vorox can be found in the arena.16
- Skrall are regarded with suspicion and even hostility by other villages after their arrival in the desert. Surprisingly, the Skrall actually help out in a few instances.31
- In recent months as of story year 2009, Vorox have their troubles with Skrall. Convinced the Vorox can be of use as attack animals, the Skrall take to kidnapping them and penning them up. All efforts to train the Vorox so far have failed as of story year 2009. Skrall also use the Vorox to try to detect the presence of baterra. They drive small herds of Vorox north into the mountains; if the Vorox start dying, they know baterra must be nearby.20
- For months leading up to mid-story year 2009 The Skrall capture Vorox and train them to be guard animals. The training is brutal, and not all of the Vorox survive. The Vorox are used to the open desert and hate being chained. Even among the Skrall, a maddened Vorox running loose can prove to be a menace.34
- The Vorox have problems with Skrall. Skrall hunt Vorox for sport or kidnap them and cage them in Roxtus. However, Vorox are fierce opponents in a fight; a pack of Vorox has been known to ambush and wipe out a squad of Skrall.9
- Within the last year or so35 During the first year of their presence in Bara Magna, the Skrall send warriors to serve as Glatorian in village matches. In that time, no Skrall ever loses a match, defeating even veteran fighters like Ackar and Tarix.31, 9, 36, 37
- The Skrall spend a year learning the strengths and weaknesses of their future foes.10
- During the first year in Roxtus, Tuma tests the unity and the defenses of the Agori villages.9
- The village of Iconox puts out a reward of 100 pounds of exsidian for the capture of Sahmad. Strakk makes an attempt to earn it but is unable to track the Agori down.21
- 8 months ago Gresh and Raanu are at a match in Tesara where Malum faces Tesara's best trainee. Gresh is still upset about what Malum did to Vastus. Raanu explains that Vulcanus has kept Malum as Second Glatorian because of the resources he wins for the village, and because it allows them to keep an eye on him. Malum badly beats his opponent and gloats, saying Vulcanus has nothing to fear from Tesara. Gresh warns him not to be so sure.29
- Kiina saves Gresh from marauding Skrall. Afterwards, she offers to train with him and give him some pointers.9
- A Skrall squad sent out to capture a Skopio alive for Roxtus never returns. The only signs of them ever found are fragments of armor scattered in the sands.9
Malum's Exile
- 6 months ago Strakk, Gresh, and Ackar have a discussion before Strakk has a match against Malum. Strakk is convinced he can beat Malum, but Ackar warns him that Malum's opponents usually leave badly beaten.29
- Raanu opens the match by reminding the participants of the threat of exile for violating arena rules. Without warning, Strakk attacks Malum before Raanu finishes talking. Malum promises to get revenge on Strakk for interfering in his match with Vastus. Malum gets the better of Strakk for a moment, but Strakk throws sand in Malum's eyes and knock him down. Although Strakk normally does not like Vastus or the other Glatorian, he likes that they are rooting for him this time. The match goes on for hours. Both fighters, exhausted and battered, fight on, neither willing to be the first to surrender.29
- Finally, Strakk snaps Malum's sword with his axe. Malum admits Strakk has hurt him worse than anyone before, but then he strikes back and knocks Strakk down. Malum picks up Strakk's axe, then brigns it up over his head with the intent to kill his fallen foe. Gresh rushes in and tackles Malum to the ground, saving Strakk's life. Ackar backs him up.29
- During a hard-fought match with Strakk, Malum is driven into a rage by the Iconox Glatorian's dirty fighting. He downs his foe, and Strakk officially concedes the match. This is not enough for Malum, who continues to attack and tries to kill Strakk. It takes Gresh to pull Malum off his opponent.38
- Malum tries to kill an opponent in the arena when the opponent has already given up. This is a major violation of arena rules.39, 40
- Iconox files a formal protest, which the other villages support. If Malum is not exiled, they will refuse to allow fighters from Vulcanus to enter the arena.29
- Iconox files a formal protest with Vulcanus, and Raanu has no choice but to exile Malum from the village.38
- Ackar, Raanu, and Metus hold a hearing for Malum, who stands before them in chains. Raanu rules to exile Malum to the wastelands for all time, under threat of execution. Malum promises that he will survive and return to make them regret this day.29
- Ackar and three Glatorian trainees escort Malum to the middle of the desert and leave him there. Ackar offers him food, water, and a blade, but Malum refuses to take them.29
- Recently as of story year 2009 Malum, the Second Glatorian of Vulcanus, is disgraced and exiled from the village, leaving it short a fighter.41, 16 When Malum violates the rules of the arena, it is Raanu's decision to exile him from Vulcanus.5, 9
- As the life of an exiled Glatorian is brutal and usually short, it is expected that Malum will not survive.38
- For weeks, Malum wanders the desert, struggling to survive but fueled by hate.29
- Malum sees a group of Vorox. Knowing that having Vorox following him would improve his chances of survivor, he charges the most powerful male. The Vorox is a tough opponent, but Malum knows the stakes are too high to lose here. Realizing the Vorox is more naive than a Glatorian, he feigns defeat by the Vorox, then catches it off guard and defeats it. The other Vorox transfer their loyalty to Malum and haul off their former leader into exile. Malum decides it is better to reign in the wastelands than to serve in Vulcanus.29
- Malum runs into a pack of Vorox in the desert. He challenges the strongest male and defeats him. Seeing this, the other Vorox in this tribe transfer their loyalty to Malum, who finds a new home among the desert savages.38
- The next day after beating the Vorox leader, Malum rides out alone into the desert and kills the leader to ensure he will never return to rival him.29
- Setting himself up as a king, Malum devotes himself to guiding and protecting his new tribe. He has no interest in taking revenge on Vulcanus, nor is he very interested in helping the Agori. His major concerns are the bone hunters, who compete with the Vorox for resources and kill many of them, and the Skrall, who kidnap Vorox for unknown purposes.38
- Months after Malum has joined the Vorox, the Agori of Vulcanus learn that Malum is still alive and living among the Vorox. They are not sure what to make of it. Some think the Vorox will turn on him, others think he is mad. Ackar thinks about the thin line between being a Glatorian hero and a hated exile.29
- Some time ago as of story year 2009 Ackar's original blade is stolen.42
- Malum briefly wields a sword made for Ackar, but it is stolen from him by the Skrall.38
- Malum's exile, plus the advancing age of Ackar, forces Raanu to look to hire a new Glatorian.9
- After Malum's exile, Raanu pleads with Perditus to take on the role of Second Glatorian again. Perditus refuses, and some believe this is because he suspects the Skrall might be planning an attack and that he will be of more use to Vulcanus piloting the Thornatus if that happens.23
- With Malum exiled and no Second Glatorian to take his place, Ackar has to fight twice as many matches, and fatigue hurts his performance and his record. For a while, there is even talk of retiring him to a job as a trainer.42
- A few months ago as of story year 2009 Kirbraz is injured, and Berix offers to take his place in the Kaxium V3. Scodonius agrees, but only as a joke, and makes things so difficult for the Agori scavenger that Berix quits.43
- The period of inactivity while the Skrall wait to attack the villages of Bara Magna annoys Stronius, to the point that he begins wandering the desert, attacking and robbing any Glatorian he runs across.11
- Wishing to move things along, Stronius leads his own squad out into the desert for purposes of sabotage. He orders the theft of resources and the sabotage of equipment, always careful to leave clues pointing to another village. All of this is intended to promote distrust among the Agori, and to an extent, it works. However, the memories of the Core War are so strong that the Agori resist actually going to war with each other.11
- When Tuma finds out what Stronius has been doing, he orders him punished in a particularly painful and nasty way. Tuma's reason is simple: his plan calls for a surprise attack, and Stronius has put that at risk by using Skrall for sabotage.11
- One one of Metus's typical journeys through the desert, he is captured by the Skrall. Thinking quickly, he convinces Tuma that he is of more use to the rock tribe alive than dead.9
- Atakus first makes contact with the traitor who betrays the other villages to the Skrall, a fact known only to Tuma. Tuma is initially very suspicious of the idea that any Agori would help the Skrall to victory, and he tasks Atakus with testing the information the informant gives. If Atakus ends up recommending the Skrall work with the traitor and it proves to be a trick, Tuma makes clear that Atakus will be executed. The tests range from getting information on Glatorian training schedules and new combat moves to details on water levels in various villages and Tajun water shipments.33
- It is during the Skrall's first year in Roxtus that Tuma makes a deal with an Agori traitor, Metus, and forges an alliance with the bone hunters.9
- Tuma's plans are aided by the arrival of a traitor from one of the villages who sells him information on caravan routes.10
- In recent months as of story year 2009 The bone hunters' lack of organization and unwillingness to form alliances has been the only thing keeping them from being a truly major threat in the past. This changes when a traitor to the Agori makes contact with Fero's band about an alliance with the Skrall. After some hesitation, the bone hunters agree.44
- At least months before story year 2009 Metus convinces Tuma that an alliance between the Skrall and the bone hunters would be a good idea. The bone hunters could strike at targets without anyone knowing the Skrall are behind their actions. Metus offers to serve as a go-between for the Skrall and bone hunters, and Tuma agrees. In return, Metus is promised a position of power once Bara Magna is conquered.9
- The traitor serves as a negotiator between the Skrall and the bone hunters, helping to forge an alliance between the two groups.10
- The bone hunters' first act is to increase their trade in kidnapped Agori, Glatorian, and Vorox, capturing any they can find and selling them to the Skrall.44
- The bone hunters also launch raids against Tajun trade caravans based on information provided to them by the traitor and the Skrall.44
- Over the following months, Metus gains more influence over Tuma and the Skrall.9
- Metus is convinced that the Skrall would win in a war with the Agori and wants to be on the winning side. Trusted by the leaders of every village, it is easy for him to gather information and then pass it on to the Skrall and bone hunters.9
- Later, the traitor indicates that he has knowledge of how to kill baterra and offers it in exchange for equal partnership with Tuma.10 Metus tells Tuma that he knows of a way to defeat the Skrall's long-time enemies, the baterra, although it is possible Metus is lying about this.9
- Eventually, it even reaches a point where Skrall warriors will take orders from Metus in Tuma's absence.9