DeletedUser11121
Here is a story about how my town has got its start. The story is continued in a different voice to show my towns greatest victory which is loosely based of my own game play. Thank you for reading.
From the desk of Pa7ul the High King
No one really knows what happened anymore, only that the world use to be full of people. It used to be a place where life was easy, war did not exist, and equality had been achieved for all. Life went on this way for hundreds of years and it all came crashing down. The great thinkers of our day have concluded only that humanity never changes. Some of us build while others destroy. Despite humanity reaching its greatest level of achievement, some were still unhappy. Everything was lost and those who where left had no choice but to start again. Lost to them were all the advancements made over thousands of years. Technology had grown and become too great to maintain; so the machines that these ancient and brilliant people used slowly faded away. Hundreds maybe thousands of years passed. Humanity was broken and crushed. Most of our history was lost. The only choice we had was simply to start over. While the earth had once supported billions of people, the population had dwindled down to a few thousand. People had forgot who the once were, what they could be. For a few of us, though, we knew life could better.
This is where my story begins. In what is now known to be the last refuge of ancient technology, there was a machine that could grant people an incredibly long life. Of course we did not know what it was for. There were seven of us that day when we discovered the machine. Surrounding it were seven helmets. We all in turn tried them on. All of them were perfectly spotless and beautiful. All were what I would now describe as silver, expect for the one closest to me, which was completely black. Light seemed to be absorbed into its surface. I was the last to take up a helmet. As I placed this dark strange thing on my head the machine began to hum louder and louder. We were scared. Terrified. I'll never forget the look on the face of my friends before their last moment. That day brought a great cost and great reward. Had I known what would happen, I would have never let us put those helmets on. Now I have no choice but to continue on this path to honor my friends and their sacrifice and to continue the purpose of that cursed instrument of fate.
On that day I was granted a gift of life that would last for thousands of years. Not only that but also so much more. Suddenly the universe was open to me. The last secrets of who we had been were given to me. Our ancestors had created that machine in hopes that someone would live through the catastrophe that befell our race. So many years later I was the fruit of their labor. What every happened to humanity had not crushed us completely and now we had hope, we had a chance. I was alone now. Not even the bodies of my friends remained. I needed to find others to help bring fulfillment to purpose. It took me several months to track down another group of people. Several families were clinging together for survival, though they where now on the verge of death. A pack of wild dogs had them cornered against the face of a rock wall. By now I had fashioned myself a spear and carried a torch. Because of luck or divine purpose I'll never know but I was able to drive off these horrible creatures. Rather than be grateful, the families then feared me. It had been far too long since people wielded weapons. Nor had we used fire to aid us. It took weeks to fully gain their trust. In those weeks I found my greater purpose. To restore our race. I taught them how to hunt rather than scavenge. I taught them how to make clothes and build simple shelters.
That all seems so long ago now, but I remember that first generation well. All they needed was direction. We quickly went from the edge of death to thriving in just a few short years. A few other groups found us and stayed for a short time. They then took with them what they learned. We learned to harness fire. We built real, sturdy houses. We began to tame wild animals. I found plants that had once been cultivated before and shows others how to plant them. We began to form a language. Things where going well. I was doing what the machine had meant for me to do, to build.
Unfortunately I was not the only one to discover its secrets. We lived in peace for years. After we learned to fend of the wild animals little threatened us other than sickness. One day a small group of people came to visit that we had not yet met. They seemed peaceful at first but I knew they where different. Their leader was not surprised in what he saw. Up to this point most wonders came to us naked and we clothed them. They came to us hungry and we fed them. This group came to us in want of nothing. I would later come to understand he had discovered the same secrets I had. Rather than fulfilling their purpose he would try to use them for power. After that first day they left us for weeks. I knew though that they would be back. Insight came to me of wars that must have been fought thousands of years ago. I prepared my people. I readied what had become a small village for what would be forever be our greatest threat, our fellow man. The attack came in the middle of the night during a heavy rain. Most of the village was asleep. The guard I had posted was quickly over taken with out anyone being alerted. Though I had prepared and trained these men they knew nothing of true violence. During the onslaught one of our storage building was set on fire. It was a mistake that cost the invaders greatly. Many of them were trapped inside as it burnt to the ground. Their greed for our resources cost them their lives. The smell of burning wood, food, and flesh quickly alerted everyone that something was wrong. The rain was slowing and the screams of those trapped in the burning building could be heard throughout the entire village. A call to arms was given and we quickly defeated what was left of our new enemy. We managed to capture their leader. My suspicions were confirmed as I questioned him. He too had found the machine and used it. He had come to kill me for he wanted no rivals. I was left with only one choice, to kill this traitor to mankind. I knew I had to go back to the machine and secure it. This could not be allowed to happen again. Humanity was still too fragile to take much more of this. When I arrived at its resting place I discovered it gone. To this day I do not know where it was taken. Taken, I know, it was because many more have come to know its secrets. I went back to my village as I still had a people to lead.
Our village grew. We were spared from further attacks for a few generations though the world seemed to be growing smaller with each passing. We were no longer were visited by unsophisticated nomads. Our only visitors came from other villages. Some came in peace; others came with the intent to steal. We remained strong, through our defenses were sometimes overcome briefly. With so much of the world new to us I worked hard to keep my people happy. We never knew what danger was around the next corner in life. Our people soon moved into the iron age. Culture became rich and generations came and went but I remained. A leader of this small but noble city. Our influence grew over the surrounding area. Legends began to be told of a fearless immortal leader. I decided it was better to keep my past a secret. Only a few knew that the leadership of city never really changed. Each of these fateful servants helped me keep my secret as they came and went. As we moved from the iron age to middle ages we became a kingdom, rather than a city state. My people became brave. Worriers rose up to ride out in the name of our great kingdom. Until then we had been rather peaceful. A great enemy came against us, which caused us to change directions forever. In the course of learning how to better defend ourselves we learned to conquer. Many cites have fallen in shadow and yet we do not steal what is not ours unless provoked. My purpose remains the same, to restore a once great race. Though many of my people have become warriors, still many more have become dreamers wanting to discover what comes next. We have built many great buildings to remember where we have been and to drive us forward. We look to the future, to what comes next. We grow, we learn, we conquer all in the name of finding our potential. If you come to us as a friend many will celebrate your name in our city. If you come to us as an enemy you will be crushed. Though we may not have the strength to do it now, we are patient. My people have become strong.
Now that you know where we come from and how we came to be I would like for one of my chief advisors of the military to tell the grand tale of our greatest military triumph. Many others could share who we are and what made us become the people that stand before you. Since time is short, I will only allow one other to speak. Because war seems to define our race it seems only fitting that it be a man who was refined through the fire of the battlefield.
From the desk of the High General
- My king has asked me share the story of our grandest victory. I must take you back many years from our current day. In the beginning we quickly learned to defend ourselves. It took quite some time before we organized a formal military hierarchy but when we did we remained a peaceful people. When the scouts surveyed the lands around us they found many strong enemies. Some were strong and the size of giants while others appeared week but were quite cunning. We knew it was best to remain peaceful. We were not yet ready to take on the world. For the most part we where met with only with peaceful trade. The job of my predecessors was simple, easy. I think most other cities felt just as prepared to take on the world as we did. One faithful day it all changed. Only a few decades before I became head of the military we found our selves under siege. It was not like attacks in the past. All who came with the intent to steal had been bandits who were only passing through. For whatever the reason no enemy attacked more than once. This time it was different. We found ourselves in the shadow of a great enemy who had no intent to move on. They camped outside our city the came every day, taunting our soldiers and stealing our most valuable goods. We fell into the shadow of this army for many years and could find no escape. Women and child would cry in the streets daily as we were raided again and again. Those who had the ware withal to keep their heads after each attack (figuratively and literally) quickly grew usde to the tiring task of putting out the fires and tending to the wounded. There were never a enough doctors. So many who could have been saved were lost because there simply were not enough hands to tend to them all. Some how though, we had been able to repel them each time they came. We repaired our walls and homes and prepared for the grim reality that with happen again tomorrow. Our good king did everything he could to keep the people focused, to keep us moving forward. Orders were issued to spare no expense in finding new ways to fight this mortal enemy. Our greatest minds worked along side our mightiest worriers. Slowly the tide began to turn. As we found new ways to take up arms the casualties on the other side began to mount. No longer could they simply push through our lines. They had to think their way through. They still had the advantage though it was not much. We found hope again. Our king redoubled efforts to find away to push back against the enemy. One day we found the answer. The enemy relied on strength more than anything else. They had no tactics. When faced with no easy victory they crumbled beneath us. It took many more weeks but eventually we were able to grind away the invading army. Their king simple could not let go of his greed and ordered his men to fight to the death even after we proved there was no hope left for them if they continued. The fight raged on though until the very last man. We completely destroyed them. Every solider who did not fight for our flag met their end at one of our swards. Though we had finally driven our greatest oppression, we had grown weary. War had left its mark on us now. We needed to rebuild. We needed to find our strength again and most of all we needed revenge for all those lives lost.
Our king knew the answer to what we looked-for. He kept us focused on finding new technologies of war so that we could bring the fight to our enemy. The king was patient. We had beaten this foe on our own land. Taking the fight to them would be a new challenge. So our great thinkers searched on for what we needed. Our veterans began to train a new generation. We needed to do this right so we took our time and did this slow. This is when I took command of all the kingdoms forces. I had been the nations most successful field commander, something that hadn’t gone unnoticed. Our leading general had grown weary of so many years of fighting. Our great king saw the need and gave me the great honor of taking command. I knew much needed to be done. I began by meeting with all the men. Every last solider under my command has met me face to face. If I was every going to order these men to their death I wanted to have given them that respect. After meeting with them I found new ways to train them. Every day became I pushed them to the brink believing that if they suffered through the training grounds they may live through the battlegrounds. It was tough going at first. My predecessor had let the men take much rest and good food. He wanted them to die well knowing that would likely be their fate. They resisted change but change had already come. No longer did we find ourselves at the mercy of others. Through our struggle we found ourselves rising to the top. I knew these men could take us the rest of the way. They had what they needed. They simply needed to see this in themselves and so I took it upon myself to show them, to see they that they had what it took to make our city feared and respected, to crush all who stood in our way, and give us peace through power. They ran for many hours every day but that was only the beginning. I made every man become comfortable with every role in the army, which had a two-fold importance. First I knew could call any man to fill whatever need was greatest. Doing so, he would know how his fellow soldiers would function around him. All the men quickly learned to appreciate each role and learned how to work with one another. The second purpose was to give the men a sense of equality. For some of the men, one role fit far better than any other but one thing remained the same. Every solider could do every job if needed. No one could boast over his fellow man because of what he could do. They were all the same and they knew it. Each man filled his role not because of his own gifting but because his country needed him. I went on to charge the leadership of these men to put their men’s needs first. Every solider needed to be at their peek performance and so I made sure that was done. If one solider should fall his brothers would pick him up and carry him. Weakness was not tolerated but if a man was pushed to his limits there was no shame. My soldiers began to see their potential. They began to see what they were really capable of. They understood that they had become the greatest fighting force in the land. Only one thing remained, to give them the tools needed to crush the enemy. The blacksmiths went to work. Our new technology was finally ready to be implemented. We truly would become the grandest fighting force in all the land. The king wanted to make to make sure. He ordered us to march against other cities to test our skill. Many other soldiers fell by our hand; yet we left none of our own in these fields of death and sorrow. Our king was clear; take nothing from these poor cities unless they harbored bandits, which had attacked us in the past. We fought against other nations like this for many months bettering our skill and fine-tuning our tactics until we were on the verge of becoming the tyrants we wished to crush. We were ready and the world had learned to give us the respect we had earned. Only one task lay before us, one road to take us to our ultimate goal. I allowed the troops to take one last day of rest before we set out. This would be our greatest challenge yet and I wanted to give them a chance to say goodbye.
We set out with a nervous excitement. Our purpose was about to be filled. It was time for our revenge. Our hearts beat strong as adrenaline filled our blood. It was time finally time. I led the men myself. If I could not lead them to victory than I had nothing else to offer and would gladly die on the battlefield. When the battle finally came it was unlike anything we had faced before. Nothing truly could have prepared us and I can still remember it as if everything were still happening before my eyes. As we expected the enemy made little use of tactics. He army stood before us ready to fight and die. We had beaten them before but they expected to win the day. For every man I brought they had five more. We were greatly out numbered. Their king came before us. Taunting us. He had every reason to believe his men would crush us. I though about my family back home. I wondered how long the meager force we left at our own city could hold out after we had been defeated here. I wondered if there would be any mercy for my people after this. I wondered if my king would feel betrayed after I led his army to be crushed. I had only one thing to do, to die along side my men.
This was it. This is what our lives were meant for and our days had come to an end. What I did not expect, however, is that the enemy had little in terms of defense. We expected great walls; instead we found only men. We expected an army well disciplined and organized. Instead we found a loosely coordinated militia. The battle soon began. As is always the case when two great armies go to war we met in two great lines, our forces hacking away at each other face to face. With in the first few minutes’ two things quickly became apparent to me. First, nearly every casualty was that of the enemy. Out of the tens of thousands of men on the battlefield only handful of mine were being injured. The enemy on the other hand came before my men and quickly fell. It didn’t feel right. It was as if we were fighting an army of children. The second thing that became apparent was that my army was quickly becoming engulfed by this poor excuse of an army. At that moment I had a thought. There seemed to be no one commanding these men. They simply fell on us as if fighting their own private battle. I ordered my men to split into groups of 100. Back to back these groups faced the enemy as the encircled us. They found themselves even more lost now. Now longer did they have a common center to fight against? They had found our men among themselves. I could see the confusion rise in the opposing army. They did not know which way to go or where to fight. More than a few of those poor souls fell at the hands of their friends. It was disaster for them and they had not yet realized it. Perhaps because we had broken into small groups they though all that was left was to finish us of. The battle went on for hours like this until it became clear that the vast majority of the living belonged to my king rather than theirs. Every single group of my soldiers still stood. I would later than that we lost less than 2% of our original strength. Many of those who still stood against us were laying down their arms. There was no denying who would win the day at this point. One group fought on though. That is when I saw him. That horrible king who sent so many against my fair city, who stole so much and caused so many to die, who changed us forever. My forces quickly surrounded those last few soldiers that remained faithful to him. They resisted us with far more sophistication but without support it was not enough. I ordered my archers to cut them down. From the time I gave the order it was only moments before the battle was over. I had him. The wretched man who started this all was at my mercy. I took him captive and returned home. Much of city had been destroyed in the onslaught. I felt little desire to send my worriers into what was left to capture anything of value. It was surly all stolen any way.
Few attempted to flee his city after the battle. I discovered as we march home the harsh reality of his rule. Indeed he was not a kind king. Those born under his rule had been forced into his army. If they could not fight they were sold as slaves. They were used as slaves to his forces. They had no rights, no voice. It was truly tragic and so no one tried to flee because there was simply no one left. I learned that much of what his army had become was nothing more than an incredibly large force of thugs who had no idea how to fight as soldiers. These were the men he sent out to cities he had broken. They had never fought a true solider, only women and children. This wretched king had lost his real fighting force to us already. We had been the only ones to stand against him and so he sent his best to face us. He ordered them to fight to the last man thinking it would never come to that. When that moment did come he was left with out any skill for his army. His commanders had fallen by our sword. His soldiers had been crushed under our feet. There was no one left to train an army. No one left to turn his horde of skill-less muscles into a real fighting force. I discovered that we had won our victory long ago. Today we simple uncovered the full extent of the great tragedy, in which was this man’s legacy.
From the desk of Pa7ul the High King
No one really knows what happened anymore, only that the world use to be full of people. It used to be a place where life was easy, war did not exist, and equality had been achieved for all. Life went on this way for hundreds of years and it all came crashing down. The great thinkers of our day have concluded only that humanity never changes. Some of us build while others destroy. Despite humanity reaching its greatest level of achievement, some were still unhappy. Everything was lost and those who where left had no choice but to start again. Lost to them were all the advancements made over thousands of years. Technology had grown and become too great to maintain; so the machines that these ancient and brilliant people used slowly faded away. Hundreds maybe thousands of years passed. Humanity was broken and crushed. Most of our history was lost. The only choice we had was simply to start over. While the earth had once supported billions of people, the population had dwindled down to a few thousand. People had forgot who the once were, what they could be. For a few of us, though, we knew life could better.
This is where my story begins. In what is now known to be the last refuge of ancient technology, there was a machine that could grant people an incredibly long life. Of course we did not know what it was for. There were seven of us that day when we discovered the machine. Surrounding it were seven helmets. We all in turn tried them on. All of them were perfectly spotless and beautiful. All were what I would now describe as silver, expect for the one closest to me, which was completely black. Light seemed to be absorbed into its surface. I was the last to take up a helmet. As I placed this dark strange thing on my head the machine began to hum louder and louder. We were scared. Terrified. I'll never forget the look on the face of my friends before their last moment. That day brought a great cost and great reward. Had I known what would happen, I would have never let us put those helmets on. Now I have no choice but to continue on this path to honor my friends and their sacrifice and to continue the purpose of that cursed instrument of fate.
On that day I was granted a gift of life that would last for thousands of years. Not only that but also so much more. Suddenly the universe was open to me. The last secrets of who we had been were given to me. Our ancestors had created that machine in hopes that someone would live through the catastrophe that befell our race. So many years later I was the fruit of their labor. What every happened to humanity had not crushed us completely and now we had hope, we had a chance. I was alone now. Not even the bodies of my friends remained. I needed to find others to help bring fulfillment to purpose. It took me several months to track down another group of people. Several families were clinging together for survival, though they where now on the verge of death. A pack of wild dogs had them cornered against the face of a rock wall. By now I had fashioned myself a spear and carried a torch. Because of luck or divine purpose I'll never know but I was able to drive off these horrible creatures. Rather than be grateful, the families then feared me. It had been far too long since people wielded weapons. Nor had we used fire to aid us. It took weeks to fully gain their trust. In those weeks I found my greater purpose. To restore our race. I taught them how to hunt rather than scavenge. I taught them how to make clothes and build simple shelters.
That all seems so long ago now, but I remember that first generation well. All they needed was direction. We quickly went from the edge of death to thriving in just a few short years. A few other groups found us and stayed for a short time. They then took with them what they learned. We learned to harness fire. We built real, sturdy houses. We began to tame wild animals. I found plants that had once been cultivated before and shows others how to plant them. We began to form a language. Things where going well. I was doing what the machine had meant for me to do, to build.
Unfortunately I was not the only one to discover its secrets. We lived in peace for years. After we learned to fend of the wild animals little threatened us other than sickness. One day a small group of people came to visit that we had not yet met. They seemed peaceful at first but I knew they where different. Their leader was not surprised in what he saw. Up to this point most wonders came to us naked and we clothed them. They came to us hungry and we fed them. This group came to us in want of nothing. I would later come to understand he had discovered the same secrets I had. Rather than fulfilling their purpose he would try to use them for power. After that first day they left us for weeks. I knew though that they would be back. Insight came to me of wars that must have been fought thousands of years ago. I prepared my people. I readied what had become a small village for what would be forever be our greatest threat, our fellow man. The attack came in the middle of the night during a heavy rain. Most of the village was asleep. The guard I had posted was quickly over taken with out anyone being alerted. Though I had prepared and trained these men they knew nothing of true violence. During the onslaught one of our storage building was set on fire. It was a mistake that cost the invaders greatly. Many of them were trapped inside as it burnt to the ground. Their greed for our resources cost them their lives. The smell of burning wood, food, and flesh quickly alerted everyone that something was wrong. The rain was slowing and the screams of those trapped in the burning building could be heard throughout the entire village. A call to arms was given and we quickly defeated what was left of our new enemy. We managed to capture their leader. My suspicions were confirmed as I questioned him. He too had found the machine and used it. He had come to kill me for he wanted no rivals. I was left with only one choice, to kill this traitor to mankind. I knew I had to go back to the machine and secure it. This could not be allowed to happen again. Humanity was still too fragile to take much more of this. When I arrived at its resting place I discovered it gone. To this day I do not know where it was taken. Taken, I know, it was because many more have come to know its secrets. I went back to my village as I still had a people to lead.
Our village grew. We were spared from further attacks for a few generations though the world seemed to be growing smaller with each passing. We were no longer were visited by unsophisticated nomads. Our only visitors came from other villages. Some came in peace; others came with the intent to steal. We remained strong, through our defenses were sometimes overcome briefly. With so much of the world new to us I worked hard to keep my people happy. We never knew what danger was around the next corner in life. Our people soon moved into the iron age. Culture became rich and generations came and went but I remained. A leader of this small but noble city. Our influence grew over the surrounding area. Legends began to be told of a fearless immortal leader. I decided it was better to keep my past a secret. Only a few knew that the leadership of city never really changed. Each of these fateful servants helped me keep my secret as they came and went. As we moved from the iron age to middle ages we became a kingdom, rather than a city state. My people became brave. Worriers rose up to ride out in the name of our great kingdom. Until then we had been rather peaceful. A great enemy came against us, which caused us to change directions forever. In the course of learning how to better defend ourselves we learned to conquer. Many cites have fallen in shadow and yet we do not steal what is not ours unless provoked. My purpose remains the same, to restore a once great race. Though many of my people have become warriors, still many more have become dreamers wanting to discover what comes next. We have built many great buildings to remember where we have been and to drive us forward. We look to the future, to what comes next. We grow, we learn, we conquer all in the name of finding our potential. If you come to us as a friend many will celebrate your name in our city. If you come to us as an enemy you will be crushed. Though we may not have the strength to do it now, we are patient. My people have become strong.
Now that you know where we come from and how we came to be I would like for one of my chief advisors of the military to tell the grand tale of our greatest military triumph. Many others could share who we are and what made us become the people that stand before you. Since time is short, I will only allow one other to speak. Because war seems to define our race it seems only fitting that it be a man who was refined through the fire of the battlefield.
From the desk of the High General
- My king has asked me share the story of our grandest victory. I must take you back many years from our current day. In the beginning we quickly learned to defend ourselves. It took quite some time before we organized a formal military hierarchy but when we did we remained a peaceful people. When the scouts surveyed the lands around us they found many strong enemies. Some were strong and the size of giants while others appeared week but were quite cunning. We knew it was best to remain peaceful. We were not yet ready to take on the world. For the most part we where met with only with peaceful trade. The job of my predecessors was simple, easy. I think most other cities felt just as prepared to take on the world as we did. One faithful day it all changed. Only a few decades before I became head of the military we found our selves under siege. It was not like attacks in the past. All who came with the intent to steal had been bandits who were only passing through. For whatever the reason no enemy attacked more than once. This time it was different. We found ourselves in the shadow of a great enemy who had no intent to move on. They camped outside our city the came every day, taunting our soldiers and stealing our most valuable goods. We fell into the shadow of this army for many years and could find no escape. Women and child would cry in the streets daily as we were raided again and again. Those who had the ware withal to keep their heads after each attack (figuratively and literally) quickly grew usde to the tiring task of putting out the fires and tending to the wounded. There were never a enough doctors. So many who could have been saved were lost because there simply were not enough hands to tend to them all. Some how though, we had been able to repel them each time they came. We repaired our walls and homes and prepared for the grim reality that with happen again tomorrow. Our good king did everything he could to keep the people focused, to keep us moving forward. Orders were issued to spare no expense in finding new ways to fight this mortal enemy. Our greatest minds worked along side our mightiest worriers. Slowly the tide began to turn. As we found new ways to take up arms the casualties on the other side began to mount. No longer could they simply push through our lines. They had to think their way through. They still had the advantage though it was not much. We found hope again. Our king redoubled efforts to find away to push back against the enemy. One day we found the answer. The enemy relied on strength more than anything else. They had no tactics. When faced with no easy victory they crumbled beneath us. It took many more weeks but eventually we were able to grind away the invading army. Their king simple could not let go of his greed and ordered his men to fight to the death even after we proved there was no hope left for them if they continued. The fight raged on though until the very last man. We completely destroyed them. Every solider who did not fight for our flag met their end at one of our swards. Though we had finally driven our greatest oppression, we had grown weary. War had left its mark on us now. We needed to rebuild. We needed to find our strength again and most of all we needed revenge for all those lives lost.
Our king knew the answer to what we looked-for. He kept us focused on finding new technologies of war so that we could bring the fight to our enemy. The king was patient. We had beaten this foe on our own land. Taking the fight to them would be a new challenge. So our great thinkers searched on for what we needed. Our veterans began to train a new generation. We needed to do this right so we took our time and did this slow. This is when I took command of all the kingdoms forces. I had been the nations most successful field commander, something that hadn’t gone unnoticed. Our leading general had grown weary of so many years of fighting. Our great king saw the need and gave me the great honor of taking command. I knew much needed to be done. I began by meeting with all the men. Every last solider under my command has met me face to face. If I was every going to order these men to their death I wanted to have given them that respect. After meeting with them I found new ways to train them. Every day became I pushed them to the brink believing that if they suffered through the training grounds they may live through the battlegrounds. It was tough going at first. My predecessor had let the men take much rest and good food. He wanted them to die well knowing that would likely be their fate. They resisted change but change had already come. No longer did we find ourselves at the mercy of others. Through our struggle we found ourselves rising to the top. I knew these men could take us the rest of the way. They had what they needed. They simply needed to see this in themselves and so I took it upon myself to show them, to see they that they had what it took to make our city feared and respected, to crush all who stood in our way, and give us peace through power. They ran for many hours every day but that was only the beginning. I made every man become comfortable with every role in the army, which had a two-fold importance. First I knew could call any man to fill whatever need was greatest. Doing so, he would know how his fellow soldiers would function around him. All the men quickly learned to appreciate each role and learned how to work with one another. The second purpose was to give the men a sense of equality. For some of the men, one role fit far better than any other but one thing remained the same. Every solider could do every job if needed. No one could boast over his fellow man because of what he could do. They were all the same and they knew it. Each man filled his role not because of his own gifting but because his country needed him. I went on to charge the leadership of these men to put their men’s needs first. Every solider needed to be at their peek performance and so I made sure that was done. If one solider should fall his brothers would pick him up and carry him. Weakness was not tolerated but if a man was pushed to his limits there was no shame. My soldiers began to see their potential. They began to see what they were really capable of. They understood that they had become the greatest fighting force in the land. Only one thing remained, to give them the tools needed to crush the enemy. The blacksmiths went to work. Our new technology was finally ready to be implemented. We truly would become the grandest fighting force in all the land. The king wanted to make to make sure. He ordered us to march against other cities to test our skill. Many other soldiers fell by our hand; yet we left none of our own in these fields of death and sorrow. Our king was clear; take nothing from these poor cities unless they harbored bandits, which had attacked us in the past. We fought against other nations like this for many months bettering our skill and fine-tuning our tactics until we were on the verge of becoming the tyrants we wished to crush. We were ready and the world had learned to give us the respect we had earned. Only one task lay before us, one road to take us to our ultimate goal. I allowed the troops to take one last day of rest before we set out. This would be our greatest challenge yet and I wanted to give them a chance to say goodbye.
We set out with a nervous excitement. Our purpose was about to be filled. It was time for our revenge. Our hearts beat strong as adrenaline filled our blood. It was time finally time. I led the men myself. If I could not lead them to victory than I had nothing else to offer and would gladly die on the battlefield. When the battle finally came it was unlike anything we had faced before. Nothing truly could have prepared us and I can still remember it as if everything were still happening before my eyes. As we expected the enemy made little use of tactics. He army stood before us ready to fight and die. We had beaten them before but they expected to win the day. For every man I brought they had five more. We were greatly out numbered. Their king came before us. Taunting us. He had every reason to believe his men would crush us. I though about my family back home. I wondered how long the meager force we left at our own city could hold out after we had been defeated here. I wondered if there would be any mercy for my people after this. I wondered if my king would feel betrayed after I led his army to be crushed. I had only one thing to do, to die along side my men.
This was it. This is what our lives were meant for and our days had come to an end. What I did not expect, however, is that the enemy had little in terms of defense. We expected great walls; instead we found only men. We expected an army well disciplined and organized. Instead we found a loosely coordinated militia. The battle soon began. As is always the case when two great armies go to war we met in two great lines, our forces hacking away at each other face to face. With in the first few minutes’ two things quickly became apparent to me. First, nearly every casualty was that of the enemy. Out of the tens of thousands of men on the battlefield only handful of mine were being injured. The enemy on the other hand came before my men and quickly fell. It didn’t feel right. It was as if we were fighting an army of children. The second thing that became apparent was that my army was quickly becoming engulfed by this poor excuse of an army. At that moment I had a thought. There seemed to be no one commanding these men. They simply fell on us as if fighting their own private battle. I ordered my men to split into groups of 100. Back to back these groups faced the enemy as the encircled us. They found themselves even more lost now. Now longer did they have a common center to fight against? They had found our men among themselves. I could see the confusion rise in the opposing army. They did not know which way to go or where to fight. More than a few of those poor souls fell at the hands of their friends. It was disaster for them and they had not yet realized it. Perhaps because we had broken into small groups they though all that was left was to finish us of. The battle went on for hours like this until it became clear that the vast majority of the living belonged to my king rather than theirs. Every single group of my soldiers still stood. I would later than that we lost less than 2% of our original strength. Many of those who still stood against us were laying down their arms. There was no denying who would win the day at this point. One group fought on though. That is when I saw him. That horrible king who sent so many against my fair city, who stole so much and caused so many to die, who changed us forever. My forces quickly surrounded those last few soldiers that remained faithful to him. They resisted us with far more sophistication but without support it was not enough. I ordered my archers to cut them down. From the time I gave the order it was only moments before the battle was over. I had him. The wretched man who started this all was at my mercy. I took him captive and returned home. Much of city had been destroyed in the onslaught. I felt little desire to send my worriers into what was left to capture anything of value. It was surly all stolen any way.
Few attempted to flee his city after the battle. I discovered as we march home the harsh reality of his rule. Indeed he was not a kind king. Those born under his rule had been forced into his army. If they could not fight they were sold as slaves. They were used as slaves to his forces. They had no rights, no voice. It was truly tragic and so no one tried to flee because there was simply no one left. I learned that much of what his army had become was nothing more than an incredibly large force of thugs who had no idea how to fight as soldiers. These were the men he sent out to cities he had broken. They had never fought a true solider, only women and children. This wretched king had lost his real fighting force to us already. We had been the only ones to stand against him and so he sent his best to face us. He ordered them to fight to the last man thinking it would never come to that. When that moment did come he was left with out any skill for his army. His commanders had fallen by our sword. His soldiers had been crushed under our feet. There was no one left to train an army. No one left to turn his horde of skill-less muscles into a real fighting force. I discovered that we had won our victory long ago. Today we simple uncovered the full extent of the great tragedy, in which was this man’s legacy.
