And Lo When The Imperium Marches Against Gul-kothoth Then Dark Sorce Lyrics

And Lo When The Imperium Marches Against Gul-kothoth Then Dark Sorce lyrics

[Chapter 1: The Voyage of the Sorcerer]



The war between the Imperium and the allied Vyrgothian Kingdoms had raged



foryears.Beginning as minor disputes over border territories, the conflict



hadswiftlyescalatedintoafull-scale bloody war, a vast series of epic



campaigns,ferventlyperpetuated by the Emperor Koord and the Over-King of



Vyrgothia,botheagertosmite their traditional ancestral foes and to win



greatgloryandthe adulation of their people by seizing victory in battle.



Recentmonths had seen the forces of the Imperium display a staggering degree



of tactical mastery and battle prowess, contemptuously crushing the
Vyrgothian



armiesin a series of great battles, 'til at last, following the slaughterous



Routofthe Fields of Kai-Vorg, The Empire's finest fighting force, the fame



dandfar-fearedLegionofthe Ebon Tiger, stood unopposed not five day's



marchfrom mighty Gul-Kothoth, the greatest and most ancient fortress-city in



alltheVyrgothiankingdoms.The Legion of the Ebon Tiger could not easily



counttheirnumerousandresoundingvictories, and their commander, the



legendarywarlordBaalthusVane,madeit clear to the Emperor that he was



eagertopressondeepintotheenemy's lands and seize the prize which



awaited him; the siege and capture of ancient Gul-Kothoth! And yet the
Emperor



Koorddidnotorderthe Legion to march, for disturbing information had of



latebeenrelayedto him by his spies in the Vyrgothian Royal Court... Dire



rumoursabounded that the Vyrgothian mages had at last discovered the ancient



arcaneriteswhichwouldunlocktheaeons-fetteredpower of the dread



Obsidian Crown, a fearsome mystical artefact countless thousands of years
old,



ablack-jewelledcircletbelieved once to have been borne upon the immortal



browofthelegendaryShadow-Kinghim self! And it was written in legend,



thatshould the ancient spells of might entwining the artefact be reawakened,



thenincrediblenear limitless ruinous power would thus be bestowed upon any



armycarryingtheCrownintobattle...Had the mages of Vyrgoth ia truly



ascertained the time-lost conjurations required to empower the Obsidian
Crown,



hiddenfor centuries deep within the marble vaults of its ebon citadel? Eager



toknowthetruth, the Emperor dispatched his most powerful sorcerer across



thegreatInlandSea to the Court of the Over-King, under the pretence of



offeringthetermsfortheVyrgothiansurrender. He was bade use all his



sorcerousskillstodiscoverthetruth...a truth soon made clear by the



disdainfulrefusalof the Imperium's terms, an d the grimly fearsome message



giventhesorcerer by Vyrgothia's Master Wizard, with which to return to the



Emperor:"Andlo,whenthe Imperium marches against Gul-Kothoth, then dark



sorceries shall enshroud the Citadel of the Obsidian Crown..."







[The Wizards of Vyrgothia:]



Darkly bejewelled circlet of night,



Crown of the Elder King,



Unfettered at last the Trinity of Might,



The sceptre, the sword, and the ring.







[The Sorcerer:]



I stand upon the oaken planks of this great ship, (the splendid flagship of



the Imperium's navies)



Gazing at moon-gleam dancing on the vast, dark sea...



(And in my mind I behold) black crystals gleaming... ensorcellment!



I am enthralled by this nighted spell...



For I know that the slumbering sorceries



Of the Shadow-King's crown shall soon be reawakened...



And as I return to my emperor (shackled to such woefully grim tidings),



My spirit is borne upon the leathern wings of a great sorrow...







[Chapter 2: The March of the Imperium]



[The Emperor:]



Call forth the Ogre-Mage of the Black Lake



And the Swordmaster of Kyrman'ku,



Let them speak the Words Which Unfetter...



Enshrined for countless centuries, within its darksome citadel,



Five score and ten against the Tiger, (curse) the black crown of the



Shadow-King!



By all the dark gods, I swear I'll not be dethroned!



A seething forest of blackened blades,



A churning sea of ebon war-chariots,



A searing storm of flaming shafts,



All this havoc and more shall I unleash against my foe...



Into battle! The Legion shall march... the fall of Gul-Kothoth is nigh!







TheLegionoftheEbonTiger...sixthousand elite warriors of the



Imperium, the pride of the Emperor's forces... Bolstered by heavy cavalry,
and



asquadronofdeadly scythed chariots... further reinforced by the Imperial



FrontierArmy of one hundred tho usand highly trained spearmen and archers...



and never has this force met its match in battle or siege...







[Baalthus Vane:]



Our banner flies ever glorious, undefeated we stand, steeped in victory.



The Iron Phalanx, six thousand strong, our ever-honed blades, the Tiger's



gleaming claws.



Pride of the Empire, Scourge of the Vraii,



Masters at Turonium, and Kai-Vorg.



Smiters of the Southern Host, Routers of the Horde, Bane of the Over-King,
we



march to war!



Andso,theEmperorhimselfridesto rendezvous with Baalthus Vane,



accompaniedbyhissorcerousaide.TheLegionof the Ebon Tiger reaches



Gul-Kothothatduskonthefifthdayoftheir march from the fields of



Kai-Vorg,haltinguponthe great arid plan which stretches before the city,



the huge dust cloud sent up by their massed arrival obscuring the dying
embers



ofthesettingsun.Asthevast army begins to make camp, arraying their



splendidtentsandbanners, and assembling their gargantuan siege-wagons,



theEmperorstandsgazing at the huge brooding walls and colossal cyclopean



gatesof the city-fortress before him, vowing that a torrent of red slaughter



shall befall Gul-Kothoth, regardless of any sorcerous trinkets the
Vyrgothians



maypossess,andthattheOver-Kingshallpaydearlyforhis sublime



arrogance.And twelve leagues distant, an army of five score and ten, bearing



the Obsidian Crown, approaches the city...







[To be continued in Chaper 3: The Wizards Do Battle]







[Lyrics: Byron]



[Music: Jonny and Chris Maudling]