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. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to collect the scraps
that yield themselves to me and present them to you in as
sensible a manner as possible.
The tale begins with the Istarian invasion of the
Khalkist Mountains in 117 PC, following the dwarven
reaction to the Proclamation of Manifest Virtue (118 PC).
The Khalkist dwarves' refusal to renounce Reorx and swear
obeisance to only the gods of good was viewed as a direct
challenge to the authority of the Kingpriest. The resulting
disastrous campaign is, naturally enough, given scant
treatment in the surviving human histories.
The few traversable routes through the crest of the high
Khalkists - most notably, Stone Pillar and White Bear
passes - were the only overland roads connecting the
eastern and western portions of the empire of Istar.
Angered by the effrontery of the human proclamation, the
dwarves turned their backs on a lucrative income (from
tolls on the passes) and closed their realm to Istar.
The emperor invaded late the following summer (117
PC), delaying the assault until then in order to minimize
the difficulties presented by the deep snow in the heights.
He sent two of his legions against each of the two major
passes - a total army of some forty thousand men
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