Well...
ABYSIA, THE SMOULDERCONE - Pundits agree, the Sauromatia threat will prove to be too much. Even the optimistic ones will be surprised if Abysia lasts the year.
Though the war has only lasted a single month, and though the forces of C'tis now face an increasingly dangerous incursion from the winged men of Caelum, Abysia finds itself ravaged by the initial onslaught of the Sauromatian forces. "They're simply inhuman" said one Abysian soldier. "Their leaders don't even have names. They go by 2A 3W, or 2D 1W, or some other strange combination of letters and numbers. It's like they're just machines. And they cast spells that wound us regardless of our armor. And they stand way on the other side of the battlefield, so we slow Abysians can't even engage them until it's too late."
A veteran of both C'tisian and Sauromatian battles had this to say: "At least the forces of C'tis engage you head on. Sure, they cast their Nether Bolts, but we have our Fireballs and such to match them. But these Sauromatians... I didn't even get close enough to see one. And it rained all battle, too."
The few surviving Abysian soldiers from the first two battles with Sauromatia are scattered, leaderless, and almost all wounded. The Southwestern edge of Abysian territory now has no army to defend it, after a shocking defeat. Meanwhile, the southeastern fortification is about to fall, overwhelmed by the Sauromatians. Though still a threat to cause damage, there is no question Abysia is a splintered empire, on the brink of destruction.
Make no mistake, people of the world, the Sauromatians are coming, and they kill with a lifeless, mechanical efficiency.
