The City States - Chapter 1, 2, 3

[Zakky]

It was another busy day in Lerikion. Its harbour was full of people from other places. Some sailed from as far north as 'Irkhen'[Create Settlement, 1 Prime] while some came from 'Tascrig'[Create Settlement, 1 Prime] which was just across 'the Lerikh Sea'[Name Sea, 1 Prime]. They all gathered in the central square where the statue of Lerikhir looked over them to trade goods they brought from different parts of the world.

Among the ships docked in the harbour, Irkhenic ships stood out the most. They were larger and coloured from top to bottom with strong yet bright colors. Each ship had different markings which looked pretty but made little sense for others but Irkhenic people. Irkhenic people always brought largest furs you could find in Lerikion. Furs of large and terrifying beasts were popular among men while furs of smaller yet silky creatures were popular among women.

People who owned most unique looking ships were Tascrigians. They were closer so they could afford to travel back and forth often. Their ships were simple but unique looking. The bottom of the ships were flat which slowed the ships but provided unmatched stability for navigating seas that were not too deep. Their ships could carry more cargoes than anyone in the vacinity of Lerikion so they made excellent traders. Which also made them rather unpleasant to bargain with as not many could get them to lower their prices. But you could find almost anything you want from them except furs. Tascrigians often tried to make Irkhenic people to sell their furs to them instead but Irkhenic people only traded with Lerikans as they did not trust Tascrigians.

Lerikans were master smiths and sculptors. From the mines around Lerikion, they could get the best ores to forge the best weapons and armours. Irkenic people traded large quantity of finest furs for sharpest and hardest weapons and armours while Tascrigians traded for their spices and silks for finest marble sculptures.

Everyone thought the day was going to end with usual rants from grumpy Tascrigians being upset over Irkenic people's refusal to trade with them. But before the sun was down, a group of heavily armed soldiers with the Tascrigican insignia led by a Lerikan soldier rushed to the largest building in Lerikion, the Obsidian Hall. The Obsidian Hall was built based on the local legend regarding the birth of Lerikhir who was said to have emerged from the pitch black darkness to mold men out of nothing to build Lerikion. All the precious black stones Lerikans could find were used to build it and now served as the administrative heart of Lerikion.

When the soldiers reached the Grand Halls, the only room in the building to be built with white marbles, they were greeted by a man whose name became the name of the very land they stood.

"Lerikhir, these men have brought strange news from Tascrig."

The Lerikan soldier who led Tascrigian soldiers stepped aside. One of the Tascrigians stepped forward and took his helmet off.

"Tascrig got split in half just a day ago."

Lerikhir leaned forward.

"Split in half? How did that happen?"

"The ground shook all day. It started weak then by night it shook so violently the ground cracked open and the city got split in half. And then..."

The soldier looked back at his comrades then turned back to meet Lerikhir's eyes.

"We saw a crevasse of endless depth filled with glowing black stones."[Prime Source Found, Tascrig]

"Glowing black stones? I have never heard of such things. How can black stones even glow?"

"The stones glowed like as if they held stars inside them."

"Can something like that really exist? It sounds too unbelievable."

"You know something similar, Lerikhir. The sacred mountain has two glowing red rocks at the top."

"That is true. I had forgotten about the sacred mountain. I wonder if they are related. Let's send some men to check both pla-"

Before Lerikhir could finish his sentence, the ground started to shake. Within half a mintue it became violent enough to terrify everyone in the city. Lerikhir and others quickly rushed outside as soon as they felt the shake. By the time they reached outside the shaking had stopped.

But their hearts which pounded against their chests almost jumped out when they witnessed something that defied everything they knew about the world. The sacred mountain with two red rocks one of his advisers mentioned was flying over Lerikion except it did not look anything like he remembered. Its two red rocks were glowing but it had wings large enough to cover the sky from Lerikhir's sight. People screamed in terror and tried to find a place to dock from debris that fell from the sky as the mountain flew over them. It quickly flew over Lerikion and headed toward the direction of Tascrig.

"What on earth is going on today. First glowing black rocks and now a flying mountain? I must be dreaming..."

Lerikhir mumbled as others panicked around him.

[cred]

Vyorzgull waited... And he waited... And...he waited some more. Apparently, he underestimated his patience.  By a lot.

He saw things that would have taken eons to complete. He felt how this world suddenly came to life, he saw the large landmass just erupting from the sea and be swiftly populated by creatures. And that black sphere, that elemental crucible from which all life, big and small, came from. Was he afraid?

Afraid by the powerful beings that made this world possible? Their minions that spread like the flames of dying stars, building, planning, plotting, killing? The thought of this angered him. He is not afraid! He shall descend to this world and make his presence known.

Vyorzgull finally finds himself wandering in the lush plains that are south west of the Central Mountains. The plains we're mostly populated by large herds of wild horses (create horses, 1 purity), but further south there was a settlement. More specifically, a collection of dirty clay huts, pastures, haystacks, fields of cereal and fiber plants,  all concentrated around a primitive, yet large settlement, surrounded by moats, palisades, earth ramparts and stone towers (create large fortified settlement, 2 Prime). The fortress was housing thousands of people and it could be spotted from afar dominating the surroundings.

The inhabitants were scattered around their hovels, working on the fields or tending to their livestock. Most of them either ignored Vyorzgull, but he could hear a few of them whispering about the lone traveller that was gazing at the fortress of Ulhzvir. Legend has it that the fortress was built by the inhabitants of a few villages from the central plains after stories of a wrathful deity disguised as an old man wanders the world setting villages on fire. From what started as a small hillfort, Ulhzvir became a city in its own rights, attracting settlers that came here for the security ensured by its walls, but also by its warriors (settlement attribute: Warfare, 1 Prime).

Not all the people that wanted to settle there came with peaceful thoughts. That was not surprising since it did not took to long after life was created for humans to start hunting and killing each other, and the plains under the Central Mountains were the scenes of numerous confrontations as each clan or tribe was convinced of its ancient rights to rule over the grasslands, the lakes, the groves and the foothills of the mountains. And the men of Ulhzvir ended up triumphant.

From the stone gatehouse of the fortress a sizable group of heavily armed horsemen with green kite shields exited Ulhzvir and were heading east, towards Tascrig. Word came from Gofu traders of the destruction of the city and a flying winged mountain that was heading towards it. At first, the rumours were dismissed by the Ulhzvirians as the people of Gofu were known to be a mystical and some might say an insane bunch. But when their own scouting parties and people from Ulhkan (create settlement, 1 Prime) confirmed the sightings, the Grand  Lerh himself ordered fifty mounted warriors to be sent there. Vyorzgull could feel that something was happening there, something that greatly disturbed both the elements of Earth and Air.

[Zakky]

<Chapter 3>
The harbor of Lerikion was flooded with ships from Tascrig. Refugees from Tascrig flooded the streets as there was no place to accommodate so many people. But the biggest problem was the shortage of food. Lerikion was not prepared to take several thousand people all at once.

Lerikion itself was still recovering from the damage caused by fallen debris from the flying mountain. Lerikans could not welcome anyone when their hands were full with their own problems.

Lerikhir, the ruler of Lerikion, ordered soldiers to patrol the streets to maintain order but he knew it was not going to last long. Luckily for him, however, Lerikion's closest neighbours answered his request and decided to send enough food for Lerikion to feed itself for few months. 'Harajin'[Create Settlement, 1 Prime] used to be on the other side of the mountain that flew over the town. But with the mountain gone between the two, there was no need to go around the mountain. All the years Lerikans spent aiding Harajans against barbarians finally paid off.

"Lerikhir. What are you going to do about the refugees?"

Lerikhir's oldest adviser asked.

"How about making some tents for them outside of the town? As long as they are outside of the town, we can deal with them even if they start a riot.", said a younger adviser.

"Our soldiers need some rest too. They have been working non-stop for the past week. They are at their limits. If we don't do something our soldiers will revolt before the refugees."

"Why don't we ask Irkhen to help us?"

"I'd rather conscript some people temporarily."

"Or we can call retired soldiers back to service until we get things in order."

Lerikhir quietly watched his advisers argue and discuss. Advisers could not agree on solutions but that was expected. Nobody ever thought of accepting few thousand people all at once. The biggest problem was the refugees were most likely going to stay in Lerikion. Soldiers who were sent to check Tascrig returned with strange yet grim news. Most of Tascrig no longer existed. Instead, it was replaced by a giant pyramid which appeared from thin air. Everything was happening all at once too quickly. From the flying mountain to the destruction of Tascrig, and now the giant pyramid. Lerikhir pressed his tired eyes with his fingers then began ordering his advisers.

"We will accept Tascrigians as our citizens. Put them to work. Start with collecting resources to build more houses. Call the master builder. We need buildings that can house multiple families."

"Would that even work? Tascrigians won't simply accept orders from us."

"Make it work. Tell them what happened to Tascrig. They will come to their senses when they learn about the fate of their town."