《Fireborne: Lineage》THE PAWNS OF PELSEUM
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Pelseum is a continent of many myths and legends. According to a famous oral legend, Pelseum was cursed by the demon Mephosto which made the land devoid of rivers, lakes and other waterbodies. It is due to this reason that the oceans surrounding Pelseum are the main sources of water for all the kingdoms. The Pako Ocean surrounds the land from the East while Frigat Ocean surrounded the land from the West and South.
The city of Pamyra lay at the very centre of Pelseum. It was captured by Julio The Lame, the great grandfather of Leon, after defeating King Darius of Tuyi Empire. He renamed it Ember and laid the foundation of the Fireborne dynasty. Temhir strengthened it by defeating invaders, squashing rebellions and plundering nearby villages. South of Ember, at approximately 310 miles, lies the second city controlled by the Fireborne empire. Tyle was and still is a prosperous city. It is the home of the famous Amphitheatre and Chosen Barracks. Art and trade flourish in this city. Scribes, physicians, musicians from different regions gather here to share their knowledge and experience. Even though Ember is the capital of the Fireborne Empire, it is Tyle which is more famous and resourceful.
Further south in approximately 485 miles, lay the city of Dario of Stark empire. It was established and named by Darius. The city has seen major conflicts between the Starks and Firebornes. After 28 short and long battles, numerous sieges and thousands of deaths, the region was still in the hands of Stark. In a famous battle, some 72 years ago, Lucius had lost 5000 of his men as compared to only 1400 Starks; the reason being the defences of the city of Dario. The walls were 300 metres long with watchtowers after every 30 metres. The Gates were made of an alloy of Iron and Carbon, a new invention at that time called Steel. There were also towers inside the city which had numerous marksmen. The Stark army was famous for its Tigermen, monstrosities with the head and claws of a tiger and the body of a human. Some people thought it was a myth, propagated mostly by dumb foreign writers to instil awe in their works. Nevertheless, no one knew if those works were fictions or reality. The Starks also controlled the cities of Respel and Huna and the fertile region that lay midway, the Doab. It is in this area, the Doab, that all kinds of crops such as wheat, rice and cotton prosper. In order to get the benefits of the Doab, a general must seize Dario and use its roads to navigate to Respel because the land surrounding the region was filled with wild carnivorous plants along with unknown beasts.
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In the case of the Eastern region, the settlements of Topia, Rania, Neffer and Xerta were controlled by the Tuyis. The empire was founded by Temhir's half-brother, Osmalim Tuyi. He was a foreign invader who had his kingdom usurped by his beloved queen, and then forced into exile. He arrived in Pelseum with some of his loyal army in boats called triremes. Slowly, he gained the loyalty of mercenaries in Pelseum, eventually ending the rule of the Snows in the East. The huge availability of Silver and Iron in Topia as well as Rania, made both the cities prone to attacks from the Starks. Xerta is the site of the famous 'Pit To The NetherRealm', a hole in the ground that supposedly took people to Death's Kingdom. Since disputes regarding the distribution of gold from mines in the region of Midas, cordial relations between Lucius Fireborne and Abdul Tuyi had ended. From that moment onwards, both had stopped trading and sending tourists. Even though Tuyis were not a powerful empire, they were not to be underestimated.
The North has huge snow-capped mountains that cut off Pelseum with the region of Articaia. Only two villages, Yettun and Rimsakh, lay 620 miles and 670 miles northwest from the city of Ember respectively. The ruler of these cities, Jhora Espana, was an ally of the Firebornes. The people lived off the meat of mountain animals such as yaks, bears and snow leopards. Hunting and Blacksmithing were their primary occupations. The region was renowned for the Yetu, a legendary giant guardian that protected the North from any horrific beasts that entered from Articaia. It had white fur, the muscular body of an ape and wielded a huge icicle. The 9 feet tall monster had somehow developed a close relationship with Jhora. East of the city of Yettun, lay the Pakoret bridge, which connected Pelseum with the island of Kara. Kara was disconnected from the whole world. Its inhabitants scoffed at the notion of development. Men and women behaved like insane savages: they ate corpses, sacrificed their first child to God Hanabaal and participated in mass orgies. Dahaka, their King, pillaged small villages, killing the men and keeping the women as slaves for future procreation.
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The Western side is dominated by the Frigat Ocean. It is the main source of water for Firebornes and Starks. Frigat is home to deadly water creatures like the Kraken and its nemesis, the Megashark. The Kraken is similar to a giant octopus, with tentacles that can smash the hulls of ships and catch and pull people towards its sharp teeth. The creature is said to be the first octopus that was created by nature, hundreds of years ago. On the other hand, the Megashark is a huge, primordial shark. The brawls between the Megashark and the Kraken cause deadly tsunamis and earthquakes in Pelseum. Various other aquatic monstrosities can also be found in the Frigat ocean. As compared to the Pako Ocean, which is the home of nymphs and mermaids, the Frigat is much more terrifying, deadly and devoid of beauty.
All this description of cities, regions, myths and scribbling of history has exhausted me. I will continue the story later if only I am lucky enough to evade the manhunts. Who would have thought that a Fireborne would have to live like this? Hiding in caves, reminiscing and writing the past as a cure for loneliness, eating rats and worms for survival... I can't even take a piss without having constant vigilance!
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