Lorekeeper
And Pun-isher
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Once Upon a Time, and Now Once Again
An old Ranger, a proud people. Stories stirred the forest, and now it shudders of the coming divide.
Farthwark used to be much safer. Oh, hush, I’m not that old. Sure, there were always monsters. The closer you get to Darkovia or the Scar, the worse it gets. I hear it was even nastier back when that whole mess in the West... Yeah, that’s the one. No surprise the Frogzard Knights weren’t too happy with all the skirmishing, eh? Nobody wants a repeat of that.
But you know that I’m talking about. We’re practically having to explore this place all over again. I’m not the only old Ranger swearing that the woods aren’t the same anymore. Some places got all twisted. Same path winds differently to different people. Haven’t found the trail back to my friends at Gul- Alright, alright, I’ll get on with it.
Just don’t get creeped out if I sound all different. You might ask me for the stories, but it’s the fire what tells them. I don’t have that much of a say on which ones get told. Now, where’d it leave off...
They were many, once. Just as importantly, they were as one.
In long-gone days, it was said that nowhere where the light of day shone was safe from the vengeful gaze of the Umazen, for the righteous warrior-tribes were as numerous as the sun’s rays and as swift as a fork of lightning. Their cities dotted the continent, and some even took to the seas, ever in pursuit of those who would dare to strip others of their freedom.
Some elders, and those who enjoy a longer lifespan than most humans, still remember the sight of the Umazen of old. A far cry from the lone roaming warriors of today, whose oft-unchecked aggression waxes aimless when the unending hunt grows long and solitary, these gilded ancestors moved with purpose. They knew when and where to strike, ending the vilest of trades wherever it dared hide.
Some respected allies hold a fainter memory, so much longer than four crowns ago. Respect and unspoken vows keep this story a secret, some holding out for the day when it is no longer relegated to memory. Painful as it may be to admit, they must also take care not to let this story reach the ears of those who crave revenge.
For if raiders and slavers are the stuff of cautionary tales, you have the Umazen to thank for that. They did not merely hunt down the wretches wherever they hid - They drove them into their caves and forts in the first place. The Radiant Crusade. It was as if a storm spun from the sun itself marched across the land, a shining scourge to drive away those outlaws that preyed on the younger settlements and the budding sea trade.
Perhaps the Umazen were once themselves slaves, or a past coming of the Devourer birthed a culture of aspiring, if rather zealous, heroes. The farther back one gazes, the harder it is to find someone who can or will say with any truth or certainty. What is certain is that of those bearers of the secret, none foresaw that such righteousness could end in ignominy, secrecy and little but wrath and harried survival amid the remnants of a once proud society.
... Hold on. Play dumb, I think I heard them. We might just catch these bandits tonight. I don’t know, act like a sleepy merchant.
quote:
Irene the Unyielding
We were as one, once. More importantly, we were many. Enough to shine so brightly that no shadow could hide our enemies. Darkness rejected them, and a new generation of pirates turned them away with steel and powder. By Sun and Thunder, there were enough of us to end the nightmare and show the people they could stand up to the horrors of slavery.
There were enough of us to inspire a continent.
Enough to maintain cities on every region, each a beacon for the dispossessed and a call to arms for the strong.
...there were enough of us to champion the liberty of all without having to sacrifice our own.
How could it have gone so wrong?
Four crowns later, we still recover. We gather the descendants of those who didn’t find our final legacy, our Last Gold. We refuse to give up the fight, even if we must endure the shame of doing so in lone, secret raids. We merely fight, survive and rebuild, so that our descendants can live as fully as our ancestors. But there are so few of us left... Who knows how long it will take?
And now that sickness took the Prince Consort... Nevermind. It’s precisely because times are so hard that we must stand together, and each do what we can do best. One of our warriors is worth ten of theirs. A team of our men can out-work an army of theirs. In time, we’ll rise again.
quote:
Andreas the Stalwart
We were many, once. More importantly, we were as one. Marching like thunder, shining like the stars. We worked together, sharing our toils and burdens, to be ready for the next fight all the sooner. Our differences combined into a greater whole.
We seized land from the worst of the worst, held it for their captives to reclaim, and steadily ripped the slave trade from history. And we did it together. Our complementary forces were our pride and joy... The hoplites that could hold a phalanx with unending energy, and the gilded skirmishers that could annihilate the enemy once they broke against our lines. The Radiant Crusade was made possible by this unity, and our enemies scattered in the face of it.
How could we let it go so wrong?
It was a morbid lesson, to steadily lose that binding agent of victory while our enemies gained it for the sake of survival. How the tables turned, and how we still toil to rebuild. There are fewer still left of them, and in time there will be none. But the damage is done. Just look at us. Where once we did everything together, now we each do what we are most suited to, and only that. Thundercarve runs smoothly and the walls are unbroken, but life is tense. We sacrifice our freedom so that our descendants can enjoy theirs from birth, but if it takes so long... What freedom will they know of? If enough generations pass, will the ends get lost among the means?
I... I stand loyal, even after our Captain deserted. We preserve the historic ways of the Umazen Hoplites, by the Directive of the crown. But Lords help me, I’m beginning to think Iraklis had a point...
You got them chained but good, huh. No, it’s fine. I’m just used to having to teach soldiers to shackle them properly. Make sure they can’t use their fingers. But you did good, kid. It’s nice to teach younger folk how to do things, but it’s nicer to see them take the initiative and learn.
Your friend, though... Well, you might want to carry the rope from now on. Don’t want her to tie herself to a cloud or something. And don’t get me started on that scruffy-bearded rookie.
Still, they’re good, strong kids. We’ll need them when we find the bandits we’re really looking for.
Of course these aren’t the ones! You can’t possibly think there’s just one big group of bandits in the whole forest. No, we’re out here looking for some special wretches. These guys even dare go after orc camps. Now, the forest isn’t making it any easier on them, but they keep trying, sure as the Lords.
Hah, you did keep the fire alive. S’pose I’d best get back to it.
Hm? I told you, it’s the fire, not me. Which I guess is just a fancy way to say that I call on the magic, I don’t work it. S’better for everyone that way, trust me. Dreams aren’t a domain you want to consciously mess with, and don’t even ask about Nightmares. So...
The tide turning against the Umazen came as a surprise to all. The cause, on the other hand, did not.
The laurels of victory can be... intoxicating. The Radiant Crusade grew short on targets, and endless as it may be, it soon stagnated. As the Umazen had made it the very axis of their culture... So, too, did they. With stagnation came conflict and disunity. And though they never truly warred amongst each other, a twisted moral was born for the story of their collapse.
Disorganized people often need a common threat to finally cast aside their conflicts and work together. To make their differences work together when they can, and resolve conflicts efficiently when they cannot. Unfortunately, this does not only apply to those of good intent.
As the Umazen became divided, struggling with the transition to a more conventional way of life, their foes neither forgot nor forgave. Far from seeking redemption either, they hungered for a reckoning. Vengeance was a bond and a catalyst that drove them to seek out all enemies of their enemies. To comb this land and others, as well as history itself, for any threat they could unleash upon Umazen lands. And though most of them would be consumed in the fires that arose... What they wrought was enough to decimate the decadent, distracted warriors.
Thus the line became a cycle.
The hourglass turns upon the daughters of light and sons of thunder. Their foes live on... in a manner. The losses of war weren’t the only consequence of their choice of allegiance. But what manner of life have the crusaders reclaimed?
Wha-? No, I’m awake!
... And you’re not. Oh? Got your rapt attention, do I. Good. This is the part where the fire really gets going. It likes adventurers, you see. People like you get it the most interesting stories every time you close your eyes.
The fire of fate and dreams burns again. Wyrd's Blaze will soon offer more stories to repay your own with.
< Message edited by Cray -- 7/15/2019 10:09:47 >
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