The Hailstorm Surge

This was one in many anti-undead initiatives that had failed to gain support over the decades. Few kingdoms acknowledge the existence of blighted lands, considering it an excuse for poor army sizes or resource management. Often deliberately mispronounced as "The Hailstorm Dirge" by those east of The Sanguine Lands, the initiative was created to repel the growing threat of the Emberscar Blight.

For three years The Hailstorm Surge recruited what forces it could to face against the undead but never managed to take back any ground lost, instead loosing lands rapidly as the blight pushed both West & East. It was not until the city of Cleargarde was lost that The Hailstorm Surge witnessed it's defining moment.

Upon receiving the news of Cleargarde's fall, Prince Lucien Sleetguard, the King's eldest son & heir to the throne, sailed for Cleargarde with his personal battalion of royal soldiers and retook the city within days. After a week he had managed to retake the surrounding lands, and recaptured a front line foothold in Spiritmond Redoubt. Prince Lucien remained with The Hailstorm Surge since this victory, and has decreed that he will not ascend to the throne after his father passes, wishing instead to remain as one of the commanders of the initiative. He no longer recognised himself as part of the royal line, and eventually adopted a new title, the name given to him by the soldiers of The Hailstorm Surge, Lucien Blightbane.

When the news of The Retaking of Cleargarde reached Drallac and The Hural Empire, mercenaries from all three kingdoms began enlisting their services to Lucien Blightbane. Operating now as a neutral force, The Hailstorm Surge is open to recruits from all corners of Erith. Emissaries of The Hailstorm Surge can occasionally be seen in well populated areas, donning the initiative's tabard - a black shawl with a white star.

Recently, Lucien Blightbane issued a call to arms across The Twelve Kingdoms, all those with proven ability with radiant magics are invited to study at The Hailstorm Academy, a training academy established in Bleakmore.