It was a catastrophic battle, one of the largest, greatest and humugous battles the world had ever seen. the stream was turned to a torrent by the rushing of blood. i pity those that were forced to slake their thirst from it. "CADAVERA VERO INNUMERA", the romans said afterwards. 'truly countless bodies'. perhaps 300,000 men were left dead on the catalaunian fields, it is believed that the ghosts who those slain continued to fight for several days.
i passed within inches of the mongol king as he stalked the battlefield trying to determine which of his chieftains and allies yet lived. when he found me, huddled beneath my shield, i had made my peace with god. But Balthazar had not sought my decapitation, instead he saw that i was a holy man and ordered me to join his retinue of foreign advisers." that is how you know so much about the mongols, griswold offered to father temulun. "europe and asia were now amalgamated to Balthazar khan's vast empire thus becoming theirs to command. the mongols were readying to herald their victory when tragedy struck.
Old wolves do not die gracefully. warriors their entire life, they do not know how to live when they grow old and their fangs fall out. such it is with the mongols as well. Balthazar khan was now eighty years old. on the night when we knew that our great campaign of world conquest had ended, Balthazar khan summoned his sons to his tent. they found their father shivering before the fire delirious with pain. 'My descendants will wear gold he said. They shall eat the finest meat and ride the finest horses and forget to whom they owe it all. A deed is not glorious yet until its finished and he refused to die until ogedai, his third son promised to continue to rule the mongolian empire. ogedai emerged from the tent carrying his fathers bow and declared 'this war is not yet finished. i still hear the sound of lighting and it strikes in the land of gods'. the mongol warriors cut their hairs and gashed their faces so that the king should be lamented not with the tears of maidens but with the blood of warriors.
Balthazar khan forged the largest empire and marshalled the most colossal of armies ever created in the life of one man. His body was carried back to the river onon, where the legendary blue wolf and the fallow doe once lived. he was buried in the ground and a thousand horses rode over the site to disguise it. Balthazar khan's final resting place was devoured by the steppes. My people cherish the legend that their great ruler will one day return to lead his horsemen to another bloody victory."
Father temulun was silent for a long time. he then glanced over and redressed as he pointed towards a head on a pike "i see it everyday so that i can remember". remember what father? , griswold interrupted. "THE SCENT OF A BURNING VILLAGE, THE SOUND OF BUTCHERY, THE WAY THE PEASANTS FLEED BEFORE THE MONGOL RIDERS. THE WAY WE RODE THEM DOWN, THE WAY IT FELT TO CONQUER ALONGSIDE BALTHAZAR AND THE MONGOLS". He leaned so close, i could feel his breath, "sometimes i miss it".
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