Tales of Orryumu

Prologue

In the beginning there was the Earth, in all its natural, bequeathed wonder. Nature lay untouched, unspoiled by means other than the malevolent forces of air, fire, and time.

Then there was humanity. Humans, with their unique intellect and will to create, made swords out of the earth, shelter of the trees' flesh, and harnessed the raw power of the river for energy. It is a marvelous creature to watch making wonderful tools and contraptions to make use of the harsh environment of the Earth. Their swords cut down the fiercest of the wild beasts, and their structures even rivaled the architecture of the great mountains.

As man's offspring multiplied, so did their desire to conquer the nature that has bound and terrified them for so long. With an intelligent cunning did they spread into the most inhospitable of places, from fiery volcanoes to the edges of the sea. That too, however, did not stop their overwhelming curiosity of places unknown.

The beasts of the Earth had a chance against man by their weakness of strength, for they lacked any claws or sharp teeth. But man's intellect and ability to adapt, now that was strength they couldn't even fathom. This strength of humankind, time willing, ultimately subjugated the animals and plants.

The race of man collected in fertile regions to grow their crops and raise their animals. As more migrated into these oases, the larger they became. Man, separated by distance and language in the early days, developed distinct cultures and traditions. As the generations progressed, these differences eventually caused tension, and ultimately, war.

Human beings at the instinctual level were driven by a will to conquer. Not by meaningless sport or malice, but of survival. Humanity needed certain resources to sustain itself, such as food and water, for they are not gods that feed on the energy of the universe itself. And so there were many wars for these things, but man also has a way of changing desires. So other wars were not only fought for earthly resources, but power, power over ample pieces of land and hordes of people.

Nature's laws allowed for strong groups to emerge above the rest. And with their wealth and power did they build great cities with high walls and proud citadels. And their ingenuity never ceased either. They built better tools, better solutions to the problems thrown about by nature, better cures for the ailments that poisoned their children. But we must not forget their will to destroy as well. They built terrible weapons to kill masses by many horrendous and maniacal methods, most of which are long lost to time. The more land and resource they conquered, the wealthier their lords became. With this wealth, their people enjoyed prosperity. And civilizations soon reached the pinnacle of their growth, where the citizens were healthy and happy. And it is common knowledge that prosperous civilizations had huge populations under their protection. And so with such wealth, did they use it to serve the people. They built great factories to produce commodities for the common people, spoiling them with simplicity and lameness. Man's intellect and technology grew to the point where they were able to tamper with the well-spring of life itself, manipulating it to his will, and with such power, many queer creatures were created.

The Factories spewed out dark clouds of poison that over the hundreds of years choked the very air and soil itself. The world was hopelessly poisoned beyond recognition, a mere thousand years after the founding of this industrial mega-society. The great airships, which the Chronicles named starvoyagers, for they were said to reach the stars themselves, seldom returned from their journeys. Failing to govern for themselves, the governments of the world pitted their hope in a proposed solution: artificial gods. Forged in impenetrable fleshly armor, girded in rings of light, and armed with a Fire only described as the judgement of God, they were worshipped and revered for their ability of counsel and judgement. They ruled from The Court of Heaven, watching over the bustling of humankind. They were the ultimate judges and arbiters, created in good will, with the hopes of leading a broken race to save their planet.

No one expected their return. But the moment the mankind glimpsed the awesome prowess of the great God Warriors, they were afraid. Afraid of the judgement that has long awaited to be served. For they knew... the Gods have reached their decision, and offered a final solution. No one knows why or how they had reached the conclusion to destroy humanity but they did what they saw fit. So they walked the earth, incinerating everything in their path for seven days. Any resistance was in vain. This great war was now forever known as the Seven Days of Fire.

But some of humanity survived, fleeing underground, and lived on through the long Twilight Years. The planet was now a desolate wasteland. And out of that wasteland, did the toxic ecosystem of the Sea of Corruption spawn. Mankind was reduced to nothing, and slowly out of the dust did it rebuild its cities. Nevertheless, industrialized civilization was never rebuilt. As generations passed on, the God Warriors and their Creators became nothing more than myths. Mankind fled to the edges of the land to escape from the malice of the Sea of Corruption.

Out of these small groups of survivors grew villages, which grew into towns, cities, and finally, kingdoms once again appeared in the new world. Diverse kingdoms they were, from the warmongering Torumekians to the pious Doroks to the stubborn states of the Periphery.

This story begins in a powerful kingdom east of Torumekia, named Xathanus. Inhabited by a proud people, Xathanus was once a continental superpower of great power and wealth, which had a tragic, slow decline to the likes of those of the mighty empires of the old world. Far from the miasma of the Sea of Corruption, the Xathanians cared little for what business scurried about in the Continent.

Enter Orryumu of the noble House Ryusono. A handsome, well-rounded young man, strong and able in the sword as well as the plow. This is his tale, his tale of discovering the true world of the Continent, a place very secluded from his people. Along with his trusted friend Saladin Ayameda, they embark on a quest to relocate the site of a Ceramic Era derelict, only to have things turn terribly wrong. This is the story of a young man seeing the true nature of war, void of glory and valor, filled only with brutality and nihilism.