THE LAST KINGDOM OF MAN The Doghra look like us, more or less.

You can tell us apart by their pointed ears, their slightly different complexion, which is often very white, and their hairless heads. A Doghra can even pass as a human. You might have seen one without ever knowing it. In fact, you might be sitting next to one right now, said the old wizard Merano with a chuckle. He turned around to face his young students. He had been writing on a blackboard on which he had made a surprisingly adept drawing of a Doghra male with a white piece of chalk.. Despite what your parents may tell you, the Doghra are not evil as such. They may be ruthless and single-minded, but do not be fooled. The Doghra are just as intelligent as usperhaps some are even more intelligent, Merano said with an expectant look in his grey eyes. Some of his students began to move around on their chairs and whisper. It was common to think of the Doghra as barbarians, who only knew how to kill, rape and torture. Parents often told terrifying stories to their children from a young age; some were true, but most were exaggerated. Merano knew this and wanted to give his students a more nuanced view of the Doghra. After all, to conquer ones enemy, one must know him as well as possible. There is a reason why we humans have lost so much of our land to the Doghra warlords over the last hundred years. They are strong-willed and determined, and you must know this if you are to have a chance to defeat them in combat. You must know their strengths as well as their weaknesses. A student raised his hand and said sharply, but the Doghra have no weaknesses. I have never heard of any, he said with anticipation in his voice. That is why you must listen closely, my young friend, said Merano, we have one thing that we must use against them. One thing that will change the tide of the war. The students moved forward in their seats, awaiting the secret to how they could defeat the Doghra. Our advantage, continued Merano, or rather their weakness, is that they are so much like ourselves. To know the Doghra fully, we must know ourselves and our weaknesses. Some students gasped and some even began to vocalize their denial of this fact. No! They are in no way like us. They are murderers without conscience! Exactly, Merano said with a faint smile, the greatest weaknesses of the Doghra are the same as our own. They think themselves superior. They lust for power. They steal, lie and kill to get what they want. Some would say that they are just like we were, before the Doghra and The Great Transformation of our kingdom took place. The Great Transformation was an ongoing process enveloped in mystery. Ten years ago, the king had his court mages begin a life-long ritual that would transform him to a superior being a person

with powers so great that no man or Doghra could stand in his way. That was the intention, at least. But the real consequences had thrown the last human kingdom into a hopeless situation. Who can tell me about The Great Transformation? asked Merano. A forest of hands were pushed up in the air. A young, eager woman answered, The Great Transformation was the beginning of our new life in the kingdom of Everald. It gave us the Book of the Soul, the basis of how we live and think. To be a true Elveraldian, you must have read the book. Yesyes, that is what the Book tells us, and therefore what we tell each other. But how many of you actually live according to the Book? How many of you have truly understood the deeper meaning of it? The students stared at the old wizard. He knew that the book was part mysticism and part common sense. These young people, around 18 years of age, couldnt possibly understand it fully, because even he himself did not understand it. Our king Lierra wrote the book in one of his early deep travels into the mind. It is said that some passages are a mystery even to the king himself, said Merano sternly. Yet the book has taught us much. King Lierra has provided us with a great deal of knowledge about ourselves, a knowledge that you must have as warriors of Everald. During the kings transformation, his mages helped him retain much of the knowledge he obtained from his journeys into the realm of the mind. Soon after, our entire kingdom was reformed into what it is today, because of that knowledge. Merano took his copy of The Book Of Life and opened it. In here you will find everything you need to defeat the Doghra, even though the king never mentioned them directly. You must pay particular attention to the second part of the book, The Inward Journey. It is there that the human mind is dissected and explained. From it, we now have more mages than ever before. Most are religious zealots, but that only seems to amplify their powers. Everald has never seen such powerful mages in its thousand years of history. What about us grunts, a heavy-set boy said. IF you dont know magic how can the book do anything for you? Again, knowing your mind is to know the mind of your enemy. To defeat him, you must anticipate his moves, his attacks, the way he defends himself. That knowledge is in here, Merano said and pointed a long, thin finger at the Book of Life.

The class was over, and the students hurried out the room. Merano sat down and flipped though the pages of the Book. He had studied it for a long time, even before it was a book, back when it was nothing but a collection of strange narratives, written by a king who many thought to have gone insane. Back then, he talked of great powers beyond the veil of perception what wizards call magic but there was also a fear of something bigger and more dangerous than the Doghra. Something only the king had experienced.

These days, the king was silent. A great deal of resources went into producing a faade of a vibrant, talkative king with wise words, but the truth was that the Great Transformation had taken its toll on him. He never learned any magic himself, so the journeys into the unknown were taxing on him and only had results for other people. Merano had a deep respect for the king, and had often helped maintain the illusion that he was still active and functioned as a real king. In reality, the king had his advisors make the day-to-day decisions and even make public appearances, which had caused more than a few power feuds over the years. The war with the Doghra was supervised by a council of warriors, mages, priests and generals, 20 all in all. Of them, only five had a real say in what the strategy should be. Merano was one of them, and had been for the last six years. He packed his copy of The Book of The Soul into his leather bag and began walking towards the headquarters of the War Council. While Merano had been teaching the young warriors, the Council had already startet the days discussions. The situation was dire, so much more than what the general public knew. Everald was indeed the last bastion of man. It was located in a strategically sound area that was easy to defend because of a mountain range directly to the south and a coast line to the north. The last census measured the population to be just below two hundred thousand; of these, most were either peasants or warriors. Everalds needs were food and swords, and both were barely adequate. Merano opened the door to the council room, which was located in a tower connected to the kings castle. In the room were four men whom Merano knew well; he had worked closely with them during his time on the council. There was Daikor, a hardened warrior in his fifties, Yuivem, a priest who lived and breathed the words of the Book of The Soul, Taram, a general who had gained fame from a succession of rarely seen sucecesful campaigns against the Doghra, and Salazur, Meranos former student, who was now a powerful mage in his own right. There was a hint of sadness in Meranos eyes when he thought about Salasur; the once obedient and eager student had turned on his old master, and now he seemed to oppose everything Merano suggested to the council. Ah, Merano, good to see you, said Yuivem, we are finally putting together the last pieces of our answer to the Doghra invasion. We need your insight to complete it. I see, said Merano, sitting down at the table, which was placed in the middle of the room, covered in maps of Everald and the adjoining regions.