On a planet that is ever evolving and changing, it’s hard to keep track of the more important things in life. Depending on who you ask, one of the most important things is family. There is no questioning the dedication to family of Wren. Wren and I grew up in Triton together and we were practically inseparable. Though not related by blood, it felt as if we were brothers. We did literally everything side-by-side and when it came time to grow up and get jobs we continued to work together.
Our first job was selling fruit in the major marketplace here in Triton, then we tried being delivery men and as war time grew closer, we learned more trades to help the world prepare. Blacksmithing, leatherworking and whatever else we could literally and figuratively get our hands on. We were two of the most reliable people in all of Triton and many people knew us by face and by name.
I grew up to marry my childhood sweetheart, Marise. We have no children, despite trying for a few years now. Wren went on to marry a woman named Dayna and the two of them got luckier than Marise and I. They have two beautiful children, Indra and Faye. Getting married, and in their case, having children, didn’t change much at first. We continued to help and support each other. Marise and Dayna became best friends too and we were a very tight knit group. Despite our struggles, I took pride in watching Indra and Faye grow up before my eyes.
Triton is near the northernmost part of Fenrir, not that far off from Mount Sha’ire where all of this war nonsense technically began. It’s on the far opposite side of Vorpal, which means it rests somewhere in the middle of both Onyx and Obsidian. Based on what we’ve been told here in Triton, that means that this town is off-limits for recruitment into the war. To everyone’s knowledge, Onyx is only recruiting in Onyx and Obsidian only in Obsidian… At least that was the common understanding until a few days ago.
There is a similar town to both Vorpal and Triton to the West called Martyr. It was also assumed that Martyr was off limits to recruitment, but King Ingvar was sighted there just about two days prior, and members of that town were recruited into his army. Yesterday, another town to the East was visited by Lord Kazai with similar results. As this war is amping up to begin, these two rulers are expanding further and further into territories that basically aren’t even theirs. Fearful that Triton would be next, Wren felt the need to act.
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His concern mostly lies in the fact that he doesn’t want his children to be stuck between Triton and the rest of the warring towns without their parents. I can’t say I blame him, but I had to question his plans. How would he even make it through those towns and even if he did make it through, where else would he go? The further south you travel, the closer you get to teetering the Deadlands. Even if Wren and Dayna were recruited, the children would still be lost in an unfamiliar land, closest to the most dangerous parts of Fenrir.
I tried my hardest to sway him. Between me, Marise, Dayna and Wren if at least one of us didn’t get drafted then whoever remained could take care of the girls until the war was over. Wren felt it was too much of a gamble. “That type of result isn’t guaranteed,” he said. He needed something more concrete. Wren suggested that Marise and I go with him, but Marise is a firm believer in fate and destiny. That if we were meant to be in the war then it would happen, whether we left or not. As much as I want to be by Wren’s side in all things, I had to turn him down on this one.
Not only because of Marise, but I couldn’t support the notion of traveling across all of the warring towns and villages without a plan set in stone. His goal was to get beyond Vorpal and then figure it out. We’re very unfamiliar with the territories down in the South. For all we know they can be worse off than the ones up here. Trust me, I understand the concern of being trapped. At least in the South there are more areas to run to, but I personally would rather take my chances climbing Mount Sha’ire to escape recruitment then running straight ahead into the belly of the beast.
The only thing that might save their journey is if they travel straight for Vorpal. That was my last piece of advice to Wren. King Ingvar and Lord Kazai seem to be recruiting from the outside of their territories and working their way in. If he rides the middle ground straight down to Vorpal he may be able to avoid recruitment altogether. The problem then lies in Vorpal itself. If Triton is potentially no longer off-limits, then surely Vorpal will be another stop on the recruitment train.
As I remain here in Triton, I am afraid for the fate of my friend and his family. I hope they are able to find the safety they are looking for and the protection the girls need. It is a scary time that we live in. On top of my concern for my friend, I must also worry about the fate of Triton too. If King Ingvar or Lord Kazai come here to recruit, then Marise and I could be separated as well. These are dark times on Fenrir, and I fear they will only get darker.