Petrion the Flame of the East, the Butcher under the Setting Sun

Petrion the Flame of the East, the Butcher under the Setting Sun Petrion.png Archon of Solum, First of the Union

Petrion was the 14th Archon of Solum. She oversaw the Revolt of Monsbergia just days after her coronation and personally led the armies of The Divine Empire of Solum during the conflict and was the only survivor of The Battle under the Setting Sun.

Early Life
Petra was born on The 354 Sun, 618 YS, in Pavonis just days before the new year. She grew up in her parents hometown for the first 18 years of her life. In 631, her family took a trip to Summer Festival. From the first moment of seeing the walls, she was enthralled with the great city of Solum, and resolved to one day call it home. After her 18th birthday, Petra travelled to Solum and enrolled in the Military Academy at the Holy University of Solum. Graduating top of her class, she was selected as a member of the Archon's personal retinue and was assigned to the Northwest quadrant. Now living out her childhood dream, she became well loved amongst her fellow comrades and the people in the community she served.

Coronation and Western Crisis
Just after Petra's 25th birthday, the Archon Solarion died in a shipwreck in Barnard's Bay. The Empire waited with bated breath throughout the new year before the Sun Spear chose Petra on The First Sun of 644. Lord Fulbar approached her while on she was on patrol.

Petra was immediately escorted to the Cenotaph of Solum where she sat in meditation for 3 days, emerging with her regnal name: Petrion. She would be the 14th Archon.

Petrion had inherited an incredibly unstable situation from her predecessor Solarion, with the increasingly powerful western provinces growing unhappy. Coupled with a weak military and general decadence from the prior Archons, Petrion called for a summit with the leaders of the Western Provinces of Arahall and Monsberg to attempt to sort out more favourable terms. It was decided that The Lord Albor of Monsberg and Petrion would meet in Alaphor for diplomatic talks in 35 days time, on the 36th Sun.

However, it was not known to Petrion that Lord Albor had been plotting to overthrow the Archon for generations. Monsberg had been secretly forging weapons in Craeus and raising a well trained army. With tensions rising due to Solarion’s unpopular reforms and the general decadence of the Archon in recent years, Monsberg was looking for a spark to ignite their war.

Revolt and Formation of the Grand Duchy of Monsbergia
On the 30th Sun, 664, when Lord Albor was travelling to Alaphor on the supposed diplomatic trip, his caravan was attacked by bandits just north of Pavonis. He was supposedly killed in the attack. As soon as word reached Monsberg, his daughter Seris was crowned The Lady Seris of Monsberg. She first declared the Grand Duchy of Monsbergia with The Lord Ceraun of Arahall. She declared herself the first Grand Duchess of Monsbergia. She declares war on The Divine Empire of Solum and the Archon herself with hopes of realizing her family's dream of an independent Monsberg to stand equal with Solum.

It seemed like the Army of Monsbergia appeared out of nowhere to the outside powers, but Arahall had been forging weapons for years and both provinces had been conscripting soldiers for years as well, designating them government miners and labourers. However, when The Lady Seris declared war, twenty thousand heavily armed soldiers marched east.

Due to the decadence of the prior Archons, Petrion’s standing army was small and ill-equipped. The primary force were the Archon’s personal retinue of about 500 soldiers charged with guarding the city of Solum and the surrounding countryside and levies in Solum only numbered 1500. Yet, Petrion raised whatever forces she had and took up the Sun Spear for the first time, preparing to march her army to meet the revolt on the field of battle. She sent word to the loyal provinces for levies but the time it would take to muster would take too long. Leaving the Archmagus Lord Fulbar to rally the rest of the troops, Petrion would undertake the two-week march to Chara with only 2000 troops to attempt to defend the city.

At the same time Sir Caroli, who had also received word that the invasion was incoming. Based on average marching speeds, the army of Monsbergia would arrive at the fortress city of Chara in just over one week.

Petrion marched her forces over 80 kilometres per day to reach the city before Lady Seris would. Arriving just hours before, Archon Petrion and Sir Caroli worked together to lay defenses for the city. They were heavily outnumbered, with scouting reports saying they would be outnumbered by at least five to one.

The Siege of Chara
The Army of Monsbergia reached Chara on the 38th Sun, just after Petrion had entered the city and began laying defenses. The attackers quickly set up a camp around the city and prepared for siege. For about two weeks, both sides were quiet.

While the defenders dug in, ready to hold the city, Lord Ceraun had fashioned several large siege towers to take the walls. Groups of soldiers climbed inside and began to approach the wall on The 53rd Sun. Without the power of the Archmagus or an awakened Sun Spear, the defenders were unable to deal any significant damage to the siege towers. Five towers hit the walls and attackers spilled onto the walls and engaged in fierce close quarters fighting. Due to the relatively thin walls, the attackers’ number advantage was somewhat mitigated with each wall section acting as its own choke point. However, it was also the thin walls that caused the downfall of the city. As the siege towers provided access to the top of the walls, rams were sent towards the city. Petrion ordered her cavalry to destroy the rams before they could reach the wall. Her force of 300 horse-mounted soldiers rode out with flame in hand to burn the wooden rams. They were able to destroy 4 out 6 rams before they were forced to retreat, suffering over 50% casualties.

The first ram was able to easily collapse a small section of wall, killing both Monsberg and Solum forces fighting atop. Lord Ceraun led the charge through the first breach, Forge of Adella in hand, smashing stone and skull alike. He would meet Sir Caroli in single combat for the first time shortly after crossing into the city. As the weapons of former allies clashed, a second breach was opened allowing Lady Seris to flank the much smaller defending force forcing them into the city. The defenders were pushed back through the city streets, occasionally surrounded and cut off.

The fighting was not all easy for the attackers, for every foot of ground given a large cost was paid in blood. Petrion and a dozen of her retinue were able to fend off an incursion of over 50 Monsbergians before exhaustion from use of the Sun Spear forced her to retreat.

Ceraun was initially defeated by Caroli in their duel, but before Caroli could land the finishing blow, a siege tower crashed through the wall, throwing rubble and dust and giving Lord Ceraun a chance to escape.

Fighting continued into the night as neither side would give in. As well as the defenders were holding, with their losses mounting it became clear that the city was lost. With the majority of the Monsbergian Army within the castle walls, Petrion ordered a retreat through a side gate. As troops fled out of the castle walls, Seris and Ceraun advanced to attempt to cut off the fleeing soldiers. To allow their soldiers time to escape, Petrion lit a massive wall of flame across the city streets, forcing any attackers down a single narrow path. At this point, she was nearly on the verge of death from overexertion. As her vision blurred, she saw Sir Caroli lift the Sword of Chara to the air and duel both Lord Ceraun and Lady Seris simultaneously. Even though he was the superior single combatant, the attacks from both the Forge and Seris' spear eventually overwhelmed him, but his sacrifice allowed the near catatonic Petrion to escape with just under half her initial troops.

With a decisive victory in hand, the captors of Chara would then stay in the city regrouping and calling additional reinforcements before they would attempt a march on Solum itself.

In this time, Petrion would return to Solum, where Lord Fulbar had massed every available soldier from the loyal provinces. Fulbar had also personally travelled to Scorcross to retrieve the Staff of Scoria from its perch, intending to use it to preserve Solum at any cost. It had not been used since the time of Scoria herself.

By The 68th Sun, Petrion had regained her strength in Solum, her soldiers ready to defend the capital. At the same time, Seris had consolidated her troops in Chara.

Lady Seris has hesitant to make the next move, knowing the legends of the of the awesome power of the true Sun Spear, but time was not on Monsbergia’s side. The longer she waited, the more forces Petrion could gather from the loyal provinces and even the League of Igeum in the south. It would be crucial to strike at the heart of Solum and crush it before it could gather its full might. Thus, Lady Seris and Lord Ceraun marched their army directly to Solum.

The Battle under the Setting Sun
As Seris marched her troops east, Petrion had also gathered her forces and headed west to meet them before they reached the city, believing a repeat of the Siege of Chara would be disastrous. The armies would meet in the grasslands about 200 km west of Solum.

The armies met and waited. As the sun set behind Seris’ army, Ceraun on the northern flank would be the first to make a move, ordering his troops to advance and encircle Petrion’s northern flank. Feigning retreat, her northern army fell back, before Fulbar unleashed a lightning storm on the clumped soldiers to devastating effect. Bolt after bolt dropped from the sky deafening soldiers on both sides as soldiers were ignited and melted within their very armor.

Still with the numbers advantage, Seris ordered a charge down the hill into Petrion’s main line. The armies clashed, spear shattering on shield, and sword breaking on steel. The melee was fierce with both leaders leading the charge from the frontlines. In the meantime, Fulbar’s lightning had nearly decimated Ceraun’s flank, forcing his retreat and a counter of the flanking maneuver with Fulbar leading the north. The armies now seem evenly matched with neither side giving much ground.

As the last rays of light began to sink below the horizon, the forces of Monsbergia began to advance, their superior training and discipline becoming evidence as the battle turned to attrition.

Knowing she had no other choice, Petrion gave the order.

Lord Fulbar retreated to the backlines and began an incantation. The leaders of Monsbergia saw this and began to aggressively cut down the faltering Solan soldiers trying to reach the now immobile Fulbar. Petrion had to defend her Archmagus at any cost. Abandoning her troops she alone fell back as well, preparing for single combat against the Lady Seris who was cutting down soldiers, beelining for the back ranks. Even as scores of men surrounded her, a single flourish of her spear was it took to surround her with the dead. Ceraun descended from the right, Seris from the left, it was Petrion’s and perhaps the Empire’s last stand.

She first charged at Ceraun catching him off guard and piercing his leg as she dodged a downward swing from the Forge. Flame sprung from the Sun Spear, as the combatants could feel the air around them begin to warm. Petrion’s movements became faster, her strikes stronger. Ceraun could not keep up as Seris attempted to get past her and reach Fulbar. Suddenly, the Sun Spear pierced Ceraun’s arm. Petrion kicked the Forge out of his hands, it spun in the air turning back into the craftshammer for a few moments before Petrion leapt over his faltering body and caught it midair. Triggering its transformation as she swung down, she shattered the Spear of Seris with the very tool that created it.

Fury blazed into Seris' eyes as she looked up from her weapon, splintered at her feet. She lunged at Petrion with inhuman speed, catching the Archon off guard for a moment and nearly reaching Fulbar with an outstretched gauntlet.

Only it was too late. Fulbar’s ritual came to a crescendo then flame spewed out over the battlefield, engulfing both armies in fire and burning the fields for miles around. After casting this Inferno, the Staff had disappeared, leaving only dancing flames across the battlefield, illuminating the twilight, the cacophony of screams echoing across the great plain. In the end, there were only charred husks and metal in the shape of men.

Thus those plains were named the Fields of the Final Armours. When the fire died down, Petrion was left standing, kept immune from the flames by the sunfire that burned within her. Alone in a field of corpses of her people, Solan and Monsbergian.

Aftermath
With both armies decimated, neither side could afford to fight any further. The Divine Empire of Solum would be joined in the north by the Grand Duchy of Monsbergia, and Grand Duchess Dalia, daughter of Lady Seris. The border would be set at Chara acting as a border town to prevent further disputes, and both countries would be charged with the defense of Solum’s Gate.

With the deaths of Lady Seris and Lord Ceraun at the Battle under the Setting Sun, the leadership of their provinces, and the newly established fell to the next in line. The Lady Dalia would inherit the province of Monsberg and her mother's titles, while The Lady Amenthis would become The Lady of Arahall inheriting the Forge from her father.

The Sword of Chara was found still in the fortress by Petrion weeks later. The few soldiers left behind would tell that Seris refused to use her fallen foe’s weapon, regarding the act as dishonourable.

The Staff of Scoria is still lost, as later writings would find that Scoria had left a curse on the staff before she passed, causing it to teleport to a random location after every use to prevent others from using her awesome power for too long.

The shards of Seris’ spear would be collected by Dalia in the aftermath, and stored in the Fortress of Monsberg. At the end of her life, she brought them to Arahall and together with Amenthis, she reforged her mother’s spear and it was placed with her body in the Mausoleum of Monsberg.

It is still unknown if the death of Lord Albor was truly an unrelated accident as Petrion claimed at the time, or a false flag set up by Albor himself to spark the Revolt.

Later life
Petrion was not a particularly popular Archon after the rebellion, having lost the western provinces, with some seeing her as the continuation of Solarion. Others thought her a butcher, having led over ten thousand soldiers to their deaths during the rebellion. She became known in Monsbergia as the Butcher under the Setting Sun for her actions during that decisive battle. However, there were also those who supported her decisions, deeming her as the Flame of the East, for preserving the capital at any cost.

Her actions weighed heavily over her during her reign, but ultimately she saw no other way to preserve the Empire. She would reign for 32 years before passing due to illness at only 57 years old, perhaps punishment for the blood on her hands.