Emperor Gar III's cousin, Inqul de Saqual exploited Ekengrad mines until his death. Every year under his reign, hundreds of slaves and prisoners of war fell under the whips. Malnourishment and exhaustion carried the others. Saqual was ruthless and his cruelty was equal to his wealth. More resilient, a few blue men survived detention, some managed to escape by diving into an icy vein of water, others were eventually released.

Fruit of the deaths of thousands of his fellows, Jaeir, the Blue Man, had swore to keep a secret on a treasure sleeping at the foot of the Chkôl mountains. But the Great Evil and Disease were right about his convictions: to take care of his relatives and his clan, he sold his secret. The location of the cache, where Saqual's spires dropped the precious ore, was now known. The information was sold and resold, and in a short time, groups of mercenaries set out. The bait of gain was great and the soldiers, seeking glory and battle, braved the forbidden, ignoring borders. Within a few weeks, hundreds of fighters scoured the mountains of Chkôl, in the north of Ekengrad province.