“The Exodus” as told by Aglot The Wanderer
Listen, lads. It is I, the famous Aglot the Wanderer, and I've got a story to tell ya!
Long ago, in the age before the Supreme Council in a faraway land, there was once an emperor. Yet, he was not a regular emperor; this particular emperor was undying and ruled his empire for thousands of years. No citizen knew the source of his longevity nor where he came from. In their eyes, he was always the emperor and forever will be. His capital was prosperous, clean, and pristine, with waters glistening under the sun flowing like a roaring waterfall. Its soil was so fruitful that an accidental drop of orchid from a maiden grew in just a day and night.
His empire had many kingdoms, scattered around twelve corners of the empire, each named after a month of the year. Each corner had different seasons and incredible wonders of its own. No blood was shed between the kingdoms under his rule, for he was just and supreme. Outland raiders did not dare to set foot on the continent out of fear of the emperor's wrath.
Don't worry, lads! Like every story, this one also has an end, so spare a coin at the end, will ya!
Some say the Emperor was a powerful wizard able to create storms and raise the dead, and some regard him as a god. While it might be true or not, one thing's for sure: he had a very powerful weapon in his arsenal. What was this weapon? 'Twas his silence, lads. Although the mightiest his empire has ever seen, he was a man of a few words. Never blabbered or spoke empty words and made false promises like those fat cunts in the Supreme Council today.
Most consider silence a weakness today, but hear me out, lads! How is silence a weapon, you may ask?
'Twas not the silence itself, lads. 'Twas when it was broken. You see, the emperor was a man of grand schemes and strategies; never underestimating a foe, always listening, analyzing, concluding, calculating. Patience so grand to the point that even the seeker owls of Innerian forest were jealous. He always struck when his foes least expected. His vassals, always trusting their emperor, left with awe at him after his deeds were done.
So, when he decided to marry a woman he brought from his travels to the outland, although highly surprised, none questioned his authority, for all they knew, he was all-knowing. His vassals presumed no woman was equal to be wedded to the emperor, since he was undying and had no need for an heir.
Alas, you are wondering who was this lady with such grace who left the entire empire flabbergasted? No one knew where she came from except the emperor; some speculated she was taken from outlands but none of his sailors said a word about her origins nor the entire expedition.
Almost nothing was special about her, smaller than most women and not so much beautiful than even the ugliest of the emperor's concubines. Narrow buttocks to give birth, titties that seemed like an aged plank under her robes, ghostly lips that looked like drunken old men, curly black hair that appeared like a used brush, and an accent of an outsider who sounded like gibberish even to illiterate peasants. Thus why she was called Queen of the Wilds among the noble residents.
Soon, the so-called average queen gave birth to two healthy twin boys. One resembling the mighty emperor himself; shining silver hair, eyes green like precisely cut emeralds, bright rose-colored lips that stood out like freshly baked bread. While the other was, to the royals' demise, a near-perfect copy of the Queen of The Wilds except for the same glowing emerald eyes.
You can guess which one was people's favorite, right lads?
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
However, residents' acts of favoritism didn't last long. With the coming of age of the boys, the emperor disappeared, taking the boys with him. The Queen, now furious and acting as the Queen Regent in accordance with the rule of the month set by the emperor himself, searched every corner of the capital with the full might of the empire. Her relentless pursuit destabilized the entire economy of the capital for weeks. She did not calm down even after years, despite continued suggestions from nobles advising her not to meddle with the emperor's actions.
While, in the far reaches of the outland. The emperor used his magic to change the color of the boy's hair from bright silver to pitch black and left him outside one of the tents belonging to the outland savages. He knew that, despite being considered savages, they wouldn't discriminate against a healthy, crying boy.
In disguise, he left the other child at an orphanage in the slums of a very poor city-state called Farwell near the border of the outlands. The emperor was aware that this practice was common in the city, and there were already six more orphans accompanying the little one.
From that point onward, no one saw or heard from the emperor ever again.
The capital soon fell into disarray due to the queen's negligence and inexperience in political matters. Some royals argued against the queen's determined wishes to search for his sons; hence it was taking a great toll on the treasury. Soon, certain royals who supported the queen staged a coup accusing other royals who opposed the search effort as traitors to the throne. They usurped all of their lands and wealth to themselves. The queen was still blinded by the leaf of hope to see her sons once again. With promises of new leads and false reports given by the royal circle, she was being kept as a puppet to shape the empire to their greed; forgetting they once were the emperor's most trusted advisors.
Human greed knows no limit, lads!
The twelve kingdoms one by one started to revolt against the authority of the capital. Each one declares their king as a rightful ruler to the capital.
You know what that means lads, a war after thousands of years of peace!
Once inseparable citizens of the same empire, started to slay each other on the battlefield. Weeds sprouted out of season, not because of the loam but due to the countless decomposing bodies on top. Rivers, once flowing like a mirror under the blue sky, turned crimson red. The air smelled rotten, and the green that once enveloped the capital gave its way to gray, with ash and debris clouding everything that the eye could see.
On top of the carnage already happening, a new threat emerged from the outlands, the outland horde realizing its weakness, and now under a new young powerful warlord, started razing the lands from outer regions, forcing all citizens to migrate to the capital.
Those lucky to be still alive were caged in the walls of the capital, with sickness more common than critters in a rotting pile of corpses.
Among the rubble, a certain man appeared. The man started begging. It was not a coin he was after, but the people's belief. He knew what outland hordes were capable of, and knew sickness would claim everyone even before the horde. So without a hint of exhaustion he begged for people to follow him each day. Day by day his followers grew while the threat came closer. He ordered his followers to build boats, not one but many, enough to fit the entire capital, at least all those who remained alive. When raiders reached the gates, the young warlord found none of the citizens. Even though most of the treasure was still in the city, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of defeat.
So he ordered his men to do the same. Build me a thousand boats, let's pursue them to the end of the world, so we may take our revenge against those arrogant imperials at the seas. Thousand years of subjugation ends today, let's slaughter those who raped, razed, and taxed our lands, he yelled! His men complied and built him thousands of ships, soon to be set sail in hopes to end what remains of the empire.
And that, lads, sums up the story of the exodus. The beggar king's ships reached the shores of Innaria after four years of constant sailing; it's been said only a dozen ships arrived at the Innarian shoreline, many lost to sea, storms, and sickness. Fortunately, the beggar king survived and without losing time, he ordered the settlement of the now-called Innarian Tradehold.
The warlord's ships, on the other hand, were ill-equipped and built hastily, only a handful were able to reach the lands. Exhausted and without resources, the survivors had to settle in the now great city called First Landing in the United principality of Otaria.