By Maradas Graham

Back before the Shattering, when the foot of man had scarcely marked the earth and even the Fair Folk were young, a third court of Fair Folk existed named the genies. These beings were of an elemental nature and lived in the lands north of the Seelie and Unseelie realms. They and the other Fair Folk were perpetual enemies from some war long forgotten by all but the most aged of their number. While in the time of mortals this war had calmed to little more than a staring match had, as often is their way the Unseelie held a grudge longer than any mortal could imagine.

Through trickery the Fair Folk lord who would become the Goblin King used mortals to trap the leader of the genies, the Sultan, but that is a story I have already told. Shortly after the Sultan was imprisoned the genies went war with one another to determine the next Sultan, and during this time of confusion the Unseelie struck. Like a horde they descended upon the warring factions, who if they had stood together probably could have staved off the invaders. But alas, genies suffer from one of the worst traits of the Unseelie, pride. Their people would not unite against the invaders. The invasion was a war the likes of which neither Fair Folk nor mortal has seen since. Landscapes were leveled, seas destroyed and entire races obliterated. While the destruction was amazing it was quick, and the genies were on their death throes by the time the Seelie court had learned what had happened.

The last battle of this war, the Battle of the Ashen Fields, is the subject of this story. The last of the genie races to fall, despite being the first attacked, were the Efreet. Creatures of fire and war, they were warriors equaled by only the mightiest Fair Folk heroes. They fought with weapons of iron cloaked in flame and could hurl flame with but a thought. When the Unseelie invaded they bottled the Efreets up in their lands, knowing that they could not defeat the Efreets while fighting all the other genies factions. The Efreet sought to escape from their lands through numerous attacks, but the Unseelie had learned the secret weakness of the genies; salt. Like the Fair Folk and iron the genies were harmed by contact with salt, and could not cross a line drawn in salt. They Unseelie ringed the Efreet lands in salt, making it impossible for them to sally forth and help their brethren.

When the other races of the genies had been wiped out the Unseelie turned their attention to the Efreet, who stood defiant despite unwinable odds. The Unseelie assault began at the stroke of midnight with the Lord of the Hunt and his pack storm across the salt line into the Efreet lines. The Lord of the Hunt, normally forsaking Unseelie military matters, was goaded into coming by the Queen by the promise of the trophy of the sword of the Rasha of the Efreets, Rasha Kalar. Despite the two sides being at relative peace for centuries stories of that sword, the scimitar known as Fey Slayer, were common through the Unseelie lands as many an Unseelie noble and warrior had ended their days on its iron blade.

The battle that ensued between the Unseelie army and the Efreet lit up the night sky as if all the land itself were ablaze. While the foot soldiers of each side fought against the others foot soldiers, one warrior on each side cut a swath through his foes like a blade through cloth. On the Unseelie side the Lord of the Hunt raged unchallenged through the Efreet ranks, killing any who would dare cross is path. Amongst the Efreet their leader, Rasha Kalar, walked through the Unseelie lines, burning them like tinder. Each knew that slaying the other was the key to victory as it would be a blow to morale that none could defeat. The two played a game of cat and mouse, each trying to catch the other in a time of weakness or distraction but both were warriors of the highest caliber and allowed no such situation to occur.

After the battle had raged for three days and three nights it was decided. While Kalar was immune to all known poisons of man and Fair Folk, one was found known to neither. Where the Goblin King found this concoction none are sure, but many whisper he pulled it from a realm of deepest nightmare and then made it stronger with the help of Shardin Felarus, the Royal Poisoner of the Unseelie Court. Regardless of its origin the Goblin King gave the poison to one of his goblin minions on the tip of a needle and sent the goblin into battle. How the goblin got through the fracas to reach Kalar who can say, but he ran screaming at Kalar with all the intimidation a goblin can muster, which isnt much. Kalar laughed and planted Fey Slayer to accept the creatures charge, thinking the iron in Fey Slayer would drive the creature away as it did most smaller Fair Folk. Unfortunately for Kalar goblins are not affected by the curse of iron, and this particularl goblin impaled himself in Fey Slayer, running until the hilt of the sword pressed against his chest and he could progress no farther. Kalar was so shocked by the creatures resistance to iron and the fact it was still alive he did not react to the small needle concealed in the goblin's hand. When it pricked the forearm of Kalar though he knew he was undone and the world began to fade to the mighty warrior.

Within minutes the Lord of the Hunt arrived, ready to do battle with the weakened Kalar, who at this point could hardly stand and much less fight. Still Kalar would go down as any of his people would, with a blaze of glory to make the star envious. Using the last reserves of his strength he channeled all his power into one last burst of fire, which covered the Lord of the Hunt head to toe, burning all his clothes and weapons away.

Enraged, the Lord of Hunt charged Kalar, now to weak to even hold his sword up. With his bare hands the Lord of the Hunt took the Efreet warlord by his neck and forced his mouth open, pouring a pouch of salt down it. With this Kalar, Rasha of the Efreet, slayer of the Beast of the Firelands, wielder of Fey Killer and Warlord of the Sultan, fell to the smoldering ground. Whether his spirit exists still or is destroyed no one is sure, but he has not been seen since that fateful day.

The Lord of the Hunt was hurt so severely by the burst of fire he retreated from the field for the remainder of the day, spending several weeks recuperating before returning to the hunt. Regardless of his leaving the Unseelie saw their enemys leader defeated and the Efreet saw their leader destroyed. The battle was over that evening, with the whole of the Efreet race being destroyed by the Unseelie.

None of the genies have been seen since that day, many centuries ago. Some say their spirits haunt the northern Fair Folk lands, lands bordering those they called home. Others say they are gone for good. I hope, gentle reader, they are not gone as if they return Im sure they will render quite a thrashing to the Unseelie.