Times Before
The great
Mairhzba city of Nuan-il-Travir was alive with activity, the five roads leading
to it congested with travelers and citizens going about their business. From the quintet of wide cobblestone paths
branched out fifteen bridges that led to the greatest market anywhere in the
Empire. A thousand peddlers hawked goods
from across the Empire and beyond from small rickety stalls to sprawling
pavilions replete in all manner of finery.
All manner of goods from highly prized spices and incense to hand-made
trinkets of questionable value could be found and the deeper one went into the market
the more one could find.
Despite the
almost chaotic nature of the market the city itself was a marvel of engineering
and control. Large parks full of
delicate flowers filled the air with a pleasant smell and the granite statues
that dotted the city stood in silent respect to the greatness of the Mairhzba
and their Empire. The city of
Nuan-il-Travir, and indeed all Mairhzba cities across the realm were clean and
well taken care of. Extensive sewer
systems kept waste from the streets, enchanted crystals glowed at night to keep
the streets safe, and members of each cities Guard watched over the people.
Everywhere
one looked there was proof of the greatness and majesty of the Mairhzba. Peace across the region was the rule and even
those living on the edge of the Empire felt protected and safe. It was only as one traveled into the wilds of
the frontier that one became threatened by the marauding hordes of the herg and
the wandering korogin tribesmen.
Barbarians of all kind dwelled deep in the frontiers many mountain
chains and the price of a man’s soul was determined by their skill with a
blade.
Within the
empire though, the light of civilization shone brightly and the threats of the
wild were used to keep children in line and as fodder for the bards who regaled
people with stories of horror and daring-do.
All in all the people were content and compassionate toward one another
and even the poorest had enough to get by.
By and large the people of the Empire were fat, lazy, and sated.
Then in an
instant it was gone.
A low rumble
deep within the earth and a sudden windstorm were the only warnings. In one terrible moment every one of the
Mairhzba cities vanished, leaving nothing behind but massive craters and
scattered ruins here and there. In the
blink of an eye untold millions disappeared and civilization was shattered. Dark and ominous clouds hung unmoving over the
width and breadth of the land and the even the light of the noon-day sun was
barely able to pierce the gloom.
For weeks
nothing happened. Farms were left
untended, smithies lay quiet, and the people were shaken and stunned by what
had occurred. The Mairzhba were
gone. Their guiding hand no longer led
the people or protected them from harm. Those
members of the Guard that remained worked frantically to hold back the tide of
fear that quickly overtook the populace.
The first
raiders came from the mountains to the north, great bands of half-naked men
covered in sigils and painted in blue.
They quickly laid waste to several settlements across the edge of the
frontier before moving east toward what was left of the cymean lands. Korogin tribes brazenly moved into the
fertile hills and terraces to the west and herg platoons overran the meager
defenses across the frontier. Even as
the age old enemies of the Empire began to lay waste to the order that stood
before and creatures unseen in generations again rose up to terrorize the
people.
---
One year,
one stinking year since they left us.
One year of chaos and fear, of blood and death. Personally I don’t get it. Sure, the cities were gone and the Mairhzba
had vanished, but had we entirely forgotten what it was like to take care of
ourselves? It seems to me that our
generations under their rule left us far too complacent for such a dangerous
world. Just look at how short a time it
took before we were at each other’s throats.
We are
fickle creatures unsuited to taking care of ourselves. I am not at all surprised at the atrocities I
have seen in the year since the Empire was destroyed but one cannot blame me
for hoping otherwise. Of course the
irony of the fact that I have used my own strength and the strength of those I
command to create a somewhat stable region is not lost on me.
Perhaps it’s
a good thing that we were abandoned
~From the
journal of General Issaks Terellius
