Epilogue

After the defeat on the Ketherian plains and shameful fleeing from the battlefield, Thaneorus and Rapiddeath vanished, and a couple of decades already nobody has ever heard of them again. The war caused many misfortunes: many beautiful towns and cities of Uniearth fell to the strikes of the warbands of Thaneorus, dozens of villages were burnt down, agriculture was also seriously damaged – as a result of barbaric assaults on peasants a severe famine outbroke. It lasted three years. Thousands died from starvation, the population declined. During a couple of years Uniearth faced a rescission, nearly leading to a «trough»: the governments didn't receive taxes from farmers and landowners, so they couldn't sustain standard of living; the small commodity production was crippled, the best manufactories of dwarves and men couldn't keep up, workers went on strikes, demanding salary rise. The disasters lasted five years until the kings of Uniearth and the Keeper of the Good changed the situation for good – the crisis was overcome, and Uniearth began flourishing again.

Gilroy was buried with honors in Eldoras near the Wall of Heroes, where a great monument was built un his honor. Every day grateful people brought thousands of flowers and gifts to his grave, remembering the eternal «Defender of Eldoras».

The funeral of Grishnak the III took place in the capital of the orc state – the great city of Ruthram. Thousands of warriors and their wives assembled to farewell with the great chieftain. His grave became one of the most visited places in the city. From that day great chieftains-descendants of the great warrior and ruler ask the spirit of Grishnak for help before ascending the throne.

Pendragon, as well as all other kings, highly appreciated the help of the Keeper of the Good and entitled him with the right to propose new state reforms on the kingdom and the casting vote. As a result, the reputation of the king rose – he managed to restore his honor and love of his people. Pendragon developed the private sector of the economy and fortified borders. His people forgave him for temporary betrayal and loved him like they loved Zeus.

Ulther the IV, the king of the dwarves, recovered quickly and continued his reign. During his rule the mining of gold and ore grew three times in the first year when the economy of Uniearth recovering; he built more than hundred granite and iron factories, allowing other states to recover rapidly. Ulther, despite objections of the council, began construction of a fleet. He built a couple of shipyards near the orc ones and started making trade- and warships. In that time the dwarven civilization became a great maritime power, capable of conducting naval trade. After that reform, the dwarven treasury increased by fifty percent in comparison with the previous age. This event became historically known as «Ulther's Sailcloth».

After the victory on the Keltherian plains, Esrael came back to Tempestwind and continued military carrier. Helping to rebuild his hometown and get rid of maradeurs, he was promoted to the commander of a garrison. A year later, having become the second rich and powerful man in Tempestwind, our hero met his true love and married a beautiful girl Eleonora. The wedding was truly a masterpiece: that day, as people say, the main street of the border town was red with roses. But it wasn't the end of his happy life: that year Eleonora gave birth to two healthy and strong sons – Dasir and Kuliel. The dragon never came, so our hero settled down in a magnificent house in the southern part of the town and lived happily ever after.

Hengerd was finally lucky: the gods were merciful and released him from the curse. Although families of his warriors had vanished in time, Hengerd was happy, as their souls were finally pure and the gods of Rothodor themselves gave them a chance to start all over again. The chieftain thanked the Keeper of the Good and promised to ask the gods for a happy life for his savior. As witnesses say, they spurred horses and headed for the east. When they were asked: «Where are you going?» – Hengerd replied: «Pursue happiness».

Speaking of the dragon, his postwar exploits were countless: he assisted each ruler of Uniearth on restoring economic and military power, opened a new trade route for the four kingdoms, cured hundreds of diseases. His fame spread far and wide – everybody knew the great savior of the world. He worked tirelessly nearly sixty years and then, when his help was needless, vanished and never appeared in any of the city of the Union. As witnesses say, the dragon left Eldoras in the fifth month and headed west. He was never seen again.

All in all, Uniearth was at the brink of a new era of prosperity and glory, but who knows – maybe the Keeper of the Good will one day spread his wings again to protect the world from chaos and evil? This question is yet to be answered.

THE END