I consider this story an important part of my lore continuity.

Temujin was severely weakened. He had recently suffered one of the most devastating defeats of his military campaign, which wasn’t saying much, since he was the most powerful renegade general of his time, or so he thought. His cavalry was weakened, his troops depleted and restless, and Temujin feared rebellion. He and his men were encamped in the southwestern portion of the great jungle, where only a few days before, Temujin’s Griefers had been defeated by the forces of a small village they’d attempted to attack. It was meant to be an ambush, but somehow, the defenders had gotten wind of the plot and had held their ground. After the embarrassing defeat, the Griefers headed southwest rather than return to familiar territory in the mountains of the north, because about a month ago, a man Temujin met had informed him very threateningly that Temujin would meet with his master before the year was up, or have a 700 Emerald bounty placed on his head, dead or alive. Temujin wasn’t fond of bounties, at least when he was on the business end, so naturally, he complied.

The band of Griefers had found the arranged meeting point, an ancient obelisk near the edge of the jungle. It was said to mark the eastern expansion of the Tresadan empire before it was halted by attacks from then-hostile jungle natives. The obelisk was strange and beautiful and inscribed with ancient hieroglyphs. It was also in excellent condition, so someone must have cared for it over the centuries, Temujin thought.

After a few more hours of waiting, Temujin and the Griefers were met by a squadron of soldiers that marched out of the jungle. They were dressed in enchanted gold armor, and each carried a gold weapon, axe or sword, and a shield. One soldier, who seemed to be the captain of the squadron, approached Temujin and said:

“Come with us and do not resist. Your men may follow.”

The whole group of Griefers and gold-clad soldiers marched through the jungle and into a cave. The cave was a tunnel, which went on and on for a long way, and eventually came out into a large cavern lit by lanterns hung from chains on the ceiling. The cavern held a crowd of even more soldiers, as well as a man who was obviously their leader. He sat on a stone throne on a raised dais carved from the wall, but his location was nothing compared with his appearance. He was dressed in ornately crafted gold armor, and a long purple cape, which was frayed at the bottom, hung limply from his shoulders. His helmet was a work of art, commanding and fierce, as was his demeanor, and it cast a deep shadow over his face in the dim lantern-light of the cavern. When he spoke, his voice was deep, cold, and echoing.

“Temujin. I have heard of your prowess in war, and you would make a valuable general in my forces. I am Sargon, rightful ruler of the city of Tresad, and soon I will reclaim what is mine. My forces and powers are strong, and in time, none shall resist my will.”

“I do not presume to question your will, o mighty Sargon,” Temujin replied, “but why have you not aligned with my former master Eron? He was quite powerful, and could’ve helped you better than I.”

“Do not speak to me of that fool! Eron insisted on returning his decrepit master to power and thought nothing of his own gain. He served Herobrine unwaveringly, but when my plan is complete, Herobrine will serve me! Join me and you will all be rewarded. Refuse, and I’ll invoke the 700 Emerald bounty. I assure you, I can pay it off.”

Over the next few days, Temujin and his Griefers swore allegiance to Sargon and trained with his soldiers. They learned that the soldiers used the typically weak gold armor, because it was absorbent of enchantments, and Sargon’s enchanters were very skilled indeed.

Soon Sargon’s forces were ready for an attack on Tresad. Its defenses were strong, but Sargon knew he was stronger. The soldiers, now with Temujin and his Griefers among their number, marched through the desert, perhaps Tresad’s strongest line of defense, and unto the city itself. They attacked without warning, testing and at last prevailing against the city’s defenses, which were slowly but steadily falling behind the times.

The battle was hard and fierce, but with his home city of Tresad surrendered to his will, Sargon’s influence doubled. Temujin and the Griefers were particularly useful, not only for their archery skills but also for the explosives they brought, which strategically breached the city walls. Temujin was glad they had won. Before the battle, Sargon had curtly informed him that if he caused a defeat as devastating as his attack on the jungle village, he would be relieved from duty and demoted to a base archer.

Once Tresad was occupied, Sargon set his sights on Spartos. It was nearby, it was very wealthy, and like Tresad, it was little prepared to resist him. Spartos’ best hope of defense was the forces of Osokkos, which would likely come to its aid. Osokkos was a very powerful city, And Sargon could not attack it unless victory was completely assured. But Spartos was vulnerable, and Sargon intended to take advantage of that.