THE TALE

It was in the year 250 during the reign of Finubar, the Seafarer, that the princes of Ulthuan gathered in Lothern to discuss the fate of the Shadowlands. After much heated debate it was decided that an attempt should be made to return Nagarythe to the control of the High Elf kingdom and so they sent forth one of their most trusted nobles to reconquer the Shadowlands. The Elf entrusted with this mission was Melenar of House Coraith who was known to be as wise as Hoeth himself, a great leader and a powerful mage. He had served under Finubar with distinction before, and it was he who had led the ranks of the citizen-soldiers of Eataine during the siege of Lothern.

With him Melenar brought two of the greatest treasures of his House. These were the twin blades of Vaul. Each hilt was set with a splendid jewel, a Tear of Isha, and both swords has been carried by the heir of House Coraith for generations.

Melenar gathered together his followers and marched north. In the years that followed he managed to establish a stronghold in the Shadowlands. Melenar's forces fought many battles with the Dark Elves and eventually they began to drive their evil brothers -northwards as the Dark Elves suffered defeat after defeat. His wisdom and leadership skills impressed the mysterious Shadow Warriors so much that he formed an alliance with them and using their knowledge of the land was able to gain the upper hand in his struggle against the Dark Elves.

In time Melenar and his wife were blessed with the birth of twin sons. They were born on the night of Khaine, under the stars of the war god, a mark of greatness amongst the High Elves.

The first to be born was Kaldor, who was named after the star of the night. But Melenar's second son, Calaidan, was named after the great dragon of legend, the symbol of true wisdom and dominion.

When the oracles of the Gaen Vale were consulted about the fate of the twins, as was the way of the High Elf nobles, they gave a curious prophesy. The oracles of Isha told the messenger of House Coraith that neither of the brothers would suffer a violent death unless they died at the hands of each other. Lord Melenar was pleased, surely there would never be a time when his sons would be rivals so he decreed that when they came of age, both brothers would be gifted with one of the swords decorated with the blessed Tears of Isha.

The brothers spent their youth pursuing different goals. Kaldor became a hunter and warrior, a great archer and magnificent horseman. He led the coastal patrols of the High Elves in many a skirmish, and always succeeded in defeating his foes.

Some say that he was quick-tempered and merciless in battle, but the need for warriors at that time was so great that instead of scorning his lust for victory he was praised by his peers. It may have been that these long dangerous years of violence and struggle somehow tainted Kaldor, for he became increasingly moody and quick tempered. Still, High Elf nobles are infamous for their haughtiness and arrogance, so no one took much notice of his behaviour.

Calaidan, meanwhile, studied magic in the Tower of Hoeth under the watchful eyes of the shadowy Loremasters. Whilst there he learned the art of discipline and mastery of arms from the Sword Masters who guarded the Tower. His way was serenity, wisdom and study and in time Calaidan learned the secrets of alchemy, statesmanship and astrology.

The years went swiftly for the two brothers and soon the time arrived for old lord Melenar to name the heir to his title. As Calaidan was more learned (and many believed wiser) than Kaldor, he was chosen as the future lord of House Coraith. The High Elves of the Shadowlands rejoiced and a great banquet was held in Calaidan's honour. Many believed that great days lay ahead. With the strength of Kaldor protecting the land against invaders and the wisdom of Calaidan guiding the citizens of the Shadowlands, surely House Coraith was destined for greatness? But Kaldor was outraged: was he not the first of the warriors of his House? Had he not protected their holdings through the long years when Calaidan was away in Saphery wasting his time on meaningless studies?

With each passing day Kaldor's bitterness and hatred grew, and soon he began to despise his brother. The young High Elf nobles who followed him believed likewise. They had fought with Kaldor and had been expecting their loyalty to be rewarded once he was nominated heir to House Coraith.

Soon his anger grew too strong for him to suffer any more and one dark and stormy night Kaldor boarded a small vessel with a group of his followers. He claimed that he had received word that the Dark Elves would attempt landfall that evening and despite the advice of his councilors and brother, he left the harbor. A week passed and when Kaldor did not return, he was believed to be dead. No one mourned more for him than his brother, Calaidan, who was grief-stricken at the loss of his twin.

But Kaldor's ship did not perish in the storm. He set sail toward the Land of Chill, the kingdom of the mortal enemies of Ulthuan, the Dark Elves. His battered ship made landfall near the city of Karond Kar and there he and his retinue approached the city. By some evil twist of fate, Malekith, the Witch King was visiting the city, eager to learn why the war in the Shadowlands was turning against him.

Kaldor was brought before the Witch King himself. Expressionless, the Evil One listened to his bitter tale. But inside his twisted mind the Witch King rejoiced. Malekith saw the value of such a servant. Kaldor knew the secrets of House Coraith, their plans and preparations, their passwords and the secret of their war magic. Kaldor offered his knowledge in exchange for dominion of the Shadowlands under the Witch King. Kaldor was eager to lead the Dark Elves to the Shadowlands, but the Witch King knew that he was not yet ready. He sent Kaldor to be trained as one of his own nobles and began to plot the conquest of the Shadowlands. His advisors argued that Kaldor should be tortured until he revealed his secrets, but the Witch King liked the young Elf noble, his arrogance and hatred reminding him of his own fall from grace when he was still Malekith, the heir of Aenarion.

After fifty long years the Witch King called Kaldor before him again, and was impressed with the progress of his new servant. Kaldor had become a mighty swordsman under the tutelage of the Dark Elf Assassins and his cunning and shrewd mind had been vastly improved by the twisted scholars of Karond Kar. But above all Kaldor was now known for his cruelty and ruthlessness, and it was said that his slaves could not stand in his presence without trembling. Malekith declared that Kaldor should now return to the Shadowlands as Melenar had died, poisoned by one of the master Assassins of Naggaroth. Now all that stood between Kaldor and control of the Shadowlands was his brother.

Once preparations for the voyage had been completed the Black Ark Harbinger of Pain sailed out of the harbor at Karond Kar taking Kaldor of Coraith back to his homeland. There he would lead the Ark's bloodthirsty warriors against the House he had once sworn to protect. He knew that his name would live on in infamy in all High Elf chronicles forever more but his vain pride drove him on, beyond redemption. He had given his black soul totally to Khaine, the Lord of Murder, the Elven god of war. Kaldor's plans were laid out and ready. No one could stop him from taking what he believed was rightly his.