Daetrolos: The Julmurns

“During all my travels and all of my years, there are few beings in this world that worry me more than the Julmurns. These abominable, reptilian creatures have stained countless lands with blood, razed numberless homes and brutally ended untold lives. I hesitate to call these beings evil however, they are simply blinded by what can only be described as an immensely influential theocracy. Julmurns live in a church-state, one that dwarfs even that of the Human Religion of Dust of the past. The Dust is ironically integral to the Julmurn culture as well, in a far less harmful form however. The Julmurns once surged from the wastelands of the south end of Primea, intent on dominating all “inferior” beings. They sought nothing more than to bring all of Primea under their theocratical and tyrannical yolk.

The Julmurns hail from the Zyst Einode (yet another Dust Wasteland), south of the Pienna mountains in the neutral lands. They have carved something of a state out of the savage lands of the southern edge of Primea. A Julmurn is typically regarded as a savage and loathsome creature, almost universally despised in the lands of mankind. Julmurns are something of a tribal race, primitive in terms of technology yet well versed in the occult. They prefer to live in villages scattered throughout the Badlands of the south, electing to live in smaller groups rather than erect grand cities. There is one exception to this rule however. There is a place deep within the Zyst Einode that is said to be something of a sacred city-cathedral. Julmurns rarely mention it. There are few depictions of it in Julmurn texts. Mankind has never set foot there, nor has humanity even bore witness to it. It is simply referred to as the “Unseen City”. Even Julmurns that have ventured out into the world appear to know nothing of it either. I have been unable to learn anything more on this firmly mysterious place.

The Julmurns are a truly archaic race. Tribal records even predate those of humanity. They are, therefore, believed to have evolved far before humans did. It is possible that the Julmurns are more aware of where the Dust came from too. An odd theory perhaps, but the Julmurns raise some interesting parallels to Dust monsters. You see, the Julmurns are a Dust-based race, yet are not created by any form of Dust magic. They could be referred to as a “natural” Dust creature. Also, unlike Dust monsters, Julmurns haves some measure of intelligence and are undoubtedly self-aware. They are primitive, yes. Perhaps even barbaric. But they are not monsters. They are simply another fascinating, albeit terrifying, race of our world.

Unlike Humans, Julmurns are a fairly unified people. They very rarely war with each other and appear to exhibit a certain brotherhood amongst themselves. They commonly trade amongst villages, they have even been known to trade with outside powers, such as Hauteclaire or Bulrin. There are Julmurns that venture out on their own, even settling in human cities, but these are the exceptions rather than the rule. This race-wide kinship can largely be attributed to the powerful Julmurn religion. The Julmurns refer to this as the “Topisulk” or the “Way of Dust”. The Julmurns worship the Dust, it pervades their very being, their very society. They believe that all life came from the Dust and that the Julmurns were chosen by the Dust as some kind of “Prime race” Julmurns view themselves was the prime examples of life in this world.  Flux and mutation are tenets of their religion, the Julmurns embrace Dust mutation as the will of their deity. Dust monsters do not harm the Julmurns and have even been known to serve them in some of their conquests. They believe that one day the Dust will perfect their forms into demigods. But first they must demonstrate their superiority over the inferior children of Dust. Because of this belief, coupled with the Julmurns chosen habitat, they are highly subject to Dust mutation. It is common to see Julmurns with extra sets of arms, secondary jaws, extra eyes or all manner of other shocking anomalies. They embrace these changes as gifts from the Dust. They are physically beings of constant flux. A Julmurns day isn’t complete without contact with the Dust after all.

The Julmurns were first encountered by humanity in the time of Emperor Otto Bulrin, when a Julmurn raid was initiate on the neutral city of Hauteclaire. A message of requested aid was sent to the Bulrin Empire, whom answered with an army built from the folk of Ontarfeld and Emperor Otto’s personal guard. The raid became a full siege, with an estimated total of 12,000 Julmurns present. The defense forces of Hauteclaire only numbered roughly a thousand, with the Bulrin reinforcements numbering about 3000. Upon Otto’s arrival, he witness horror like no other, civilians caught outside the city walls by the Julmurns were being butchered and even eaten in some cases. The Julmurns also appeared to conduct strange rituals on living and dead captives alike, spawning horrific Dust creatures. Otto took note that the Dust monsters appeared to treat the Julmurns as kin.

Upon witnessing this travesty, Otto ordered an attack. The Bulrin forces battle tooth and claw against primitive (though effective) Julmurn melee weaponry, Dust monsters and destructive Dust magic. Unfortunately in an unforeseen flanking charge, Otto was slain by an unusually large Julmurn with four arms. However the typical Bulrin discipline won out in the end, with the Bulrins successfully managing to meet up with the beleaguered Hauteclaire forces. Reinforcements from the Nordfeld 2nd legion and a detachment from the Kingdom of Riefe border forces arrived at this time and together the Humans managed to push the Julmurns back south to a previously unknown pass in the Pienna mountains, evidently where the Julmurn horde had initially poured from. Here, the Julmurns began to flee en masse, cursing as they went. The day was won. From that day onward the pass, which is now known as Union Pass (in honor of the Bulrins, Hauteclairians and Riefans who fought there), is kept under close guard and watch by neutral forces, in case of future attacks. There would be further, yet smaller, raids from the south but these were always beaten back by the staunch defenders of Union Pass.

Perhaps you now see why Julmurns are almost universally hated and reviled where ever they go, almost treated in the same way those innocents at Hauteclaire were treated by the Julmurn horde. However, as mentioned before, not all Julmurns are like those butchers. Not all Julmurns follow the Topisulk and indeed not all are savages. There are Julmurns within Human and Demien circles, often hidden, taking employment as guards or strongmen. These same Julmurns ofttimes find a form of kinship in the criminal underworld, utilizing their strong bodies as leg-breakers or robbers.

The average Julmurn is roughly 7ft for males and 6”5ft for females, dwarfing any average Human. They have roughly humanoid bodies, sporting two arms and walking on two legs. The head is always lizard-like, oft even complete with crests. Their bodies are hairless and instead are scaled. Julmurn skin tones can range from grey to a fleshy/pink color (like a Human) to near greens. They have a tendency to slouch, which tends to mask their true height somewhat. It is a scientifically agreed fact that almost every Julmurn is something of a physical powerhouse, musclebound and durable. Unfortunately, they suffer for this strength in the mental department. Though often cunning, Julmurns are naturally dim-witted and notoriously stupid. They struggle with Human speech, electing instead to speak in their native tongues. It has, however, been known for Dust to give to give individual Julmurns unnatural intellect. I even once heard a story of a Julmurn inventor. Take that with a grain of salt though.

Julmurns who follow the Topisulk view all other non-Dust based creatures as inferior and unworthy of existing. Theirs is a traditional and superstitious race, with countless traditions and customs, from war-dances to mating rites. Their entire culture revolves around the Dust or “Konigcyste”. Their creation story, which is well known to scholars all over, is a strange tale of an intergalactic being, Dust, a lost people and something that the Julmurns call the “Pilczar” or “Weak God”. It is unknown whether this Pilczar is the intergalactic being or the lost people however. It is a mysterious story, even the Julmurns are ignorant of its true meaning.

It would not be unreasonable to think that the Julmurn culture may hold clues into the nature and creation of the Dust. Let us hope it is not our doom…”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.

 

Daetrolos: The Plague Envoys

“There are many stories and folkloric tales where the power of Dust magic was used with the best of intentions. It makes sense, great power should be used for good. However, even the most pure of intentions cannot halt the corruption that stems from the Dust. The tale of Thistle-Knoll is one such story. Thistle-Knoll was a Human built town that rested in the hills on the edge of the Taklik region, also known as the Swamp of Contagions. It was founded about two years after the War of Perspectives as a collaborative effort between the Bulrin Empire and the Kingdom of Riefe. The purpose of the towns position was twofold. Firstly, to act as lookout point into the Taklik region. This region was largely unknown at the time and both nations feared what may lie within. Secondly, it was created as a diplomatic gesture between the two nations. Both nations would have a presence in the neutral lands thanks to this towns position.

As it was a collaboration between these two Human countries, the population was predominantly Human, with a minority of Demiens. Settlers from both countries rolled in day by day until the population was really quite large, particularly for such an out of the way area. At first there was disagreement between Riefe and Bulrin over who should be left in charge of the settlement. It was eventually decided, however, that Arrick Nils was to be left in charge. Arrick Nils was a well known Bulrin scholar. He proudly took the mantle of mayor of Thistle-Knoll. Riefe insisted that Jean Bruel, an adviser from Riefes court, was to be added to Arricks entourage to add a little Riefan weight to the decision making process. These two men proved to be a superior partnership, they loved and respected the people under their charge. Both noble men, they dedicated themselves wholly to ensuring the stability of the fledgeling settlement and the safety of its citizens.

The town was at its peak roughly fear years after it was initially founded. It was something of a model town, especially considering it’s unconventional position. Happy citizens, well supplied, well protected by its militia and it’s landscape. It was proudly paraded both in Riefe and Bulrin as a example to follow. It was seen as a symbol of Riefan and Bulrin cooperation. How ironic that it would soon turn so very rotten.

How did it all go so wrong? Halfway through the sixth year of the towns life, reports began coming in of hunters and wild animals being found dead, Stone cold with entire strips of skin and flesh hanging off or missing entirely. For some reason, this dismemberment (if it can called as such) usually occurred on the victims lower jaw and forearms. It was far from restricted to those areas though. A frightening development, by all reports! Understandably there was a panic as the “plague”, as they called it, appeared to be leaving a swathe of death and destruction literally directly towards the town. As you’d expected, citizens began to fall ill all over the town. They complained of immense pain, visions of snakes and the sound of incessant and uncontrolled laughter.  Men of science and medicine began to look for a cure, including Jean Bruel, who was an experienced alchemist. These learned men gave the plague a name, a name that is remembered as a horror of science. They called it the “Morbid Laughter”.

The story becomes a little bit odd now. It’s not entirely clear who wrote the reports I now have but it makes for pretty fascinating reading. A year passed, bringing the towns life to seven and a half years. Only a small number of citizens remained, most have perished from the plague, even the mayor passed away like the others. Only Jean Bruel and a handful of patients remain, and yet, as if driven by some kind of insane logic, he continued to try and find a cure. Jean Bruel had a secret. It was known to nobody save himself, but Jean was in fact a Dust mage. He had been as such for his whole life but despite this, he was a good man. He studied for days, trying to find a cure, a way to bring the town back. As he studied, the few remaining patients went cold, also succumbing to the Morbid Laughter. Jean too, began to feel the intense agony wracking his body and heard the ever increasing bestial laughter. The same evil laughter the others had heard. I think it’s fair to say Jean was on the verge of insanity by this point, driven by the disease and his Dust magic.

His mind was bent on bringing the town back, no matter what. Jean called to it, begging it. As it often does, the Dust obeyed. With his final breath, Jean cast an immeasurably powerful spell before exhaling his last breath. The effects were  not immediately felt. The town lay silent for several hours. Corpses lay everywhere, on the streets, in the hospital, in the homes, nothing stirred.

But over time, the corpses began to stir and rise again, with green-yellow corpse-lights in their eyes. Looking disgustedly and in terror at their new forms, the former citizens of Thistle-Knoll were reborn. Their new bodies, despite how they abhorred them, afforded them several unseen (at the time) benefits. Jean Bruel had brought back the town, but in turn had afford them a horrible form. They lived, but they were abominations and they knew it. And thus, the Plague Envoys were born. They took this name as they believed that the plague had power over them still, in a visual sense at least, they were emissaries for it.

The Plague Envoys are a race of undead creatures were were once Human, brought back to life with Dust magic. Obviously, many of them despised their new forms (some even attempting suicide), while the majority decided to carry on with their “unlives”. The town of Thistle-Knoll is now a dark, dark place with an unshakable pall of death hanging over it and the stench of the plague looming like a cloud above it. Meetings between the Plague Envoys and their former countrymen from Bulrin and Riefe were often met with horror, their former friends forsaking them as undead monsters that should be purged.

The Plague Envoys look much like an ordinary Human being, with a handful of significant differences. They almost always will have decayed flesh and a pale look to their face. They are quite often missing flesh on their forearms and lower jaws, exposing bone (which quite often is morphed slightly into claws and fangs respectively) but the reason for this specific deformity is unknown. Plague Envoys also always have yellow-green glowing eyes, giving them a fearful appearance in the dark. Presumably this light is from the Dust magic that was used to animate them. Plague Envoys are one of the only undead beings in Daetrolos that have retained free will, putting them firmly in the “High Undead” category. Another feature of a Plague Envoy is the green musk that seems to follow them, bringing with it a terrible odor. This musk almost certainly comes from a combination of their decayed flesh and the plague. Which highlights another point, Plague Envoys no longer decay and appear to be able to pass on diseases to others with frightening efficiency. This often gets them labelled as “Plaguebearers” and “Diseased Rats”.

But Plague envoys are Human in every other sense apart from physical appearance. They feel love, hate, happiness and sorrow like any other Human. However, all of these feelings tend to carry a melancholy taint with them. Time and age mean little to them now, as they outlive their relatives ad friends in their home countries with ease.

Many Plague Envoys search for the cause of the Morbid Laughter or a cure for it, leading many into the path of the alchemist. Many follow the path of their savior (or corrupter, as some call him) and learn to wield Dust magic, their corrupted bodies giving them a measure of protection from its effects. They also make ferocious opponents in combat, being nigh-on impossible to slay and possessing natural weapons in the form of their claws and tough decayed bodies. They have an uncanny ability to continue to fight even as they are dismembered and decapitated, much like other undead creatures.

Unlife is a unique condition, leading to many benefits and detriments. Some embrace “the change” while others see Jean Bruel as another Dust mage bent with insanity who cursed them to this dismal existence. The Plague Envoys are melancholy parodies of mankind who harbor a hatred for those who forsook them and a dogged determination to research their condition and its cause, as well as the origin of the plague and slaughter those responsible…”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.

Daetrolos: The Religion Of Dust

“Nobody knows where the taint came from. Nobody knows who or what created it. Nobody knows why it exists. Nobody even knows what it truly is. Amazingly, a little over 2000 years ago (during an era of time known as the “Olden Days”) our ancestors worshiped the taint. Seeing it as a means to greater power. Indeed, the “Dust” as it is known IS a means to a greater power. The power of magic.

Those who learn to manipulate the Dust can give rise to horrifically powerful magics. They can create fire from thin air, they can transmute one object into another, they can slow their own aging, they can even raise the dead to serve them. These are just grains of sand in an immense desert of possibilities. Magic is raw power. A “Dust Mage” can do anything, given practice and patience. This power comes at a tremendous cost though. The Dust will destroy your mind. Maybe tomorrow, maybe many decades from now. But it will.

You see, the Dust is like an invisible poison. It is almost everywhere, sailing around in the atmosphere. It seeps in and out of everything, corrupting and distorting. It behaves erratically. Impossibly. As a Dust Mage can do anything, so too can the Dust itself. Dust breeds madness it all life it touches. Minds shatter and bodies mutate. It even breaths disturbing life into abominable creatures. Beasts of Dust come seemingly from the aether.

Dust monsters, as we call them, can look like almost anything you can imagine and some things you cannot. I saw a Dust abomination once that appeared almost indistinguishable from a child, save for green glowing eyes and a second enormous gluttonous maw on its abdomen. I saw a Dust monster that resembled a regal knight of old, but sprouting from its back was what can only be described as a set of gallows with a maiden hanging low from them. These beasts of Dust appear to represent concepts that the Dust has corrupted. It corrupts the very concepts the world relies upon. They are happiness turned to gleeful murder, they are the family of twisted amalgamations of flesh, they are faith turned to obsession, they are love turned to bondage. Dust simply creates living nightmares.

With all this said, why would anyone choose to walk the lonely path of Dust? The raw power of course! A Dust Mage can outdo any normal man. Magic is the great conqueror, I’m afraid. My word, i seem to have gone on something of a tangent. Forgive me!

Our ancestors founded the “Religion of Dust”, the worship of Dust and all of its manifestations. Madness, true, but magic is also the great persuader. How were they to know it was the Dust causing men to go insane? How were they to know that it was the Dust causing their fields to wither? How were they to know it was the Dust creating the horrific beasts that ravaged their travelers? Perhaps they were too blinded by the sermons and commandments of the so-called Dust clergy. The Dust Mages were the ones who held the power, they were the ones who fooled the frightened populace. They fashioned themselves into priests and clerics. The Confederacy of Dust was founded.

Those were dark times indeed, when those zealous or made enough to undertake the rites of Dust to join the religion proper were turned into mindless, heartless servants of the priests of Dust. Anyone who didn’t show their faith were exiled, killed or worse. The so-called “Army” of the Confederacy was a horde of zealots and maniacs, nothing like the disciplined military of today. Our ancestors were xenophobic to the extreme, slaying outsiders who did not show fervor on sight. The economy too was a shambles, it was a truly corrupt system controlled by the bigots of the church. Education was heavily dictated and controlled by the priests, creating new generations of believers.

You may wonder how our great Bulrin Empire came to be from such a state of zealous idiocy. When the Religion of Dust was founded, it was small scale as you would expect. It was simply a sect of Dust magi who sought true power. Despite all of their wisdom, even they could not see the corruption in their souls and on the their bodies, the corruption of the Dust. Greatest among them was the Primarch, Garin Moldavic. A mage of extreme power, he claimed to have journeyed from a land far to the west, across the sea. A land were Dust was common and easily wielded. He led the mages to silently and effortlessly murder the previous chiefs and leaders, regardless of their devotion to the Dust. Then the Primarch declared himself and the other magi the true leaders of the land.

Oddly, the people willingly fell to their whims, perhaps out of fear or maybe out of genuine curiosity. Over time the small kingdom of the old chiefs became a great empire. The Confederacy of Dust was growing. At this point, it was close to the size of our modern day Bulrin Empire. The Primarch and his clergy ruled the people with an iron fist. Utter faith was absolutely required of everyone in the empire. But in every dictatorship, there will be mavericks…

There was a group of soldiers who had endured enough. Their families butchered and friends either dead or insane, this group rebelled against the magi. They declared war upon their own masters. Records of this rebellion are few and far between I’m afraid. All i know is that the soldiers were cunning in the extreme. One by one, the magi were cut down, until only the Primarch remained.

The people were joining the soldiers in droves, they were to be slaves no more. The Primarch fled to his grand temple in the capital. He surrounded himself with the few truly zealous guards and various fanatics. The rebellious soldiers, led by the man known as Conrad Bulrin and aided by the peasantry, fought their way through the fanatical tide. Up the mammoth stairs of the grand temple they fought, cutting down legions of Dust worshipers. As his soldiers held the worshipers off, Conrad Bulrin and give of his closest officers charged the temple itself. Tragically, two of the officers were killed in the charge. Conrad led the remaining officers into the prayer chamber where the Primarch awaited.

As soon as the group had entered the chamber and set their eyes upon the cornered Primarch, the entire chamber became a swirling vortex of Dust and created a barrier between Conrad and the Primarch himself. Helplessly, he watched as the mage vanished into thin air. The storm subsided, along with the fury of the battle outside between the soldiers and the fanatics. The fanatics lost the will the fight upon learning of their lords disappearance. Conrad and his men claimed victory. Conrad reclaimed the country back from the Confederacy of Dust in the name of the people. He ended up becoming their new ruler, ironically.

He took to the role enthusiastically, by all accounts. He began to reform the country, into what is today the Bulrin Empire. The went through a large scale transformation as the Religion of Dust (and to some extent, its followers) was abolished and removed. The Confederacy of Dust became Bulrin, the land named after its liberating hero. It was not until Conrad’s son, Ulrich, took over from his father that Bulrin became the Bulrin Empire as under his leadership surrounding regions were brought under its yolk. The Empire was split into four provinces, each partly named after the officers who fought at Conrads side. It was a time of great change, but also great joy.

And so, the Religion of Dust was crushed. But alas, its taint was never completely expelled, the wastelands created by the magics the Dust magi had used remained. Also, even to this day it is a mystery what became of Garin Moldavic and there are always whispers of secret covens of Dust worshipers all around the continent. Dust itself remains, as it always has. Perhaps the Religion of Dust isn’t as dead as we think…”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.

Daetrolos: A Short Study on Forns

“Like walking, grass-covered hills masquerading as a sentient race, the Forns are an imposing species of elemental and statue-like beings. A truly ancient and primeval race, the Forns originate from the High Mountains at the northern end of the Nordfeld province of the Bulrin Empire. The Forns regard themselves as the wise protectors of nature and are generally respected by races of smaller statures. The Forns are something of a lonely race, they do not often meet with other members of their race and this sometimes causes observers to see them as aloof or feral. Most definitely, this is not the case. Forns merely do not crave the company and protection of others, like Humans do for example. Indeed, a Forn is not a being that has much cause to fear other creatures or races in the mountains. Their sheer size and stature affords them much safety. Because of this same stature, the Forns are held in great reverence by the people of the Nordfeld province, who view them as spirits of nature.

The Forns, by their own admittance, are moderately cold creatures. They even claim to eschew emotions altogether. The few conversations i have actually had with Forns do indeed show that they don’t publicly display emotions, even to each other. Their words do, however, belay a certain great wisdom and intelligence. They pick up different languages very easily.  Because of this coldness, they do not act as a Human would in a given situation. They believe in the “greater good” and do not usually view individuals as particularly valued. A Forn will think little of sacrificing itself to save allies or innocents.

The average Forn is huge, standing at about 10-12 feet tall. Their large bodies are made up of stone, grey fur and ashen muscly flesh. Forns can come in several shapes, from wide shouldered brutes to towering, slender giants. The stone body parts they own, usually the arms, legs or head, give further credence to the elemental spirit theory held by the Nordfeld peoples. Forns survive on very little matter, even eating rocks or gravel. They do not even appear to require to ingest liquids of any kind. This enables Forns to survive up in the forbidding High Mountains with little trouble. Other than these precious few facts, very little is known about the biology of these legendary creatures. They certainly don’t appear to be particularly willing to speak of such things.

The original meeting between Mankind and the Forns unfortunately ended in a hefty measure of bloodshed. The first Human settlers of the Nordfeld province saw the giant Forns as monsters, perhaps beings of Dust, and hunted and attacked them on sight. Large parties of Human hunters even tracked the innocent Forns for days before attacking en masse. These first few encounters almost always ended in the retreat of the hunters under the awesome physical strength of the Forns. Indeed, an individual Forn could shrug off arrows and blades with little trouble and each swipe could topple whole groups of Humans.

It was not until the full Bulrin army marched into the mountains that the Forns finally banded together to protect themselves. The martial discipline of the Bulrin army matched against a wall of Forns.  However, the ensuing battle was interrupted by the truly colossal frame of the “Meistari”. If a Forn is a walking hill, then the Meistari is a walking mountain. This near-mythic member of the Forn race, who is held in reverence by the Forn people, individually stormed through the Bulrin army demanding an audience with its leader, the now late Emperor Augustus Bulrin. After a brief exchange, the Bulrin empire had unexpectedly made an alliance with the Forn race. The exact circumstances of this negotiation are lost to the annals of time, they died with the Emperor on his death bed. The alliance had the sole aim of ending the bloodshed and to forge a new understanding of each race. Shortly after the agreement was sealed, the Meistari vanished back into the mountains and has never been seen since.

Ever since that time, the Humans of the Bulrin empire have honored their Forn allies, and the Forns have often marched to war under the Bulrin standard. Lending their large frames and tremendous physical strength to the cause. They often act as walking supply caravans, battering rams and ‘one-Forn line-breakers. Forns don’t really appear to trust many Humans outside of the Bulrin empire and as such, seem to have developed a particular dislike for the Riefans. I hope that the future of the Forns lies in peace, their peaceful temperaments do not suit war and intrigue, in my opinion…”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.

Daetrolos: The War Of Perspectives

“Roughly 100 years ago, a war began between the Empire of Bulrin and the Kingdom of Riefe. This bloody conflict was known as the “War of Perspectives”, although occasionally it is referred to as the “Great War” or the “Brutal Romance”. The war raged for approximately 45 years and even then the tension did not entirely dissipate. The wounds inflicted on each nation are still felt to this day. Never before had Humankind fought so viciously (and in some cases, so mercilessly) as they did during the war.

The war began when a leading member of the Bulrin parliament and a dear personal friend of the emperor of the time was assassinated. This man was Sir Klaus Tainsturm, a much adored member of parliament and a highly respected politician. Sir Tainsturm had been visiting the Kingdom of Riefe as a diplomat. A member of his entourage returned, gravely wounded, to the capital of the Bulrin Empire Highdon. Managing only to say the politician and his guards had been kidnapped, tortured and then murdered before passing away himself. Naturally, the people of Bulrin were outraged at this betrayal and demanded their emperor, Terminus Bulrin, declare war on Riefe. After much deliberation between the parliament and Riefan diplomats, who utterly denied any wrongdoing, the Bulrin Empire declared war on the Kingdom of Riefe. These two powers were fairly matched in military strength however and many strategists expected a total stalemate. The forecast for the war was grim.

At first, they were wrong. Countless battles were fought over the neutral lands in the centre of Primea, with the Riefans taking the brunt of the casualties. The Bulrin Empire dominated the battlefield for a good 10 years, during which the army utterly crushed the 1st Riefan army led by the feared General Touclaire at the battle of the Fell-hill. After this victory, the Bulrin pushed the Riefans back across the Fell Marches and the Vert Plains, therefore invading the Kingdom of Riefes lands. This was the longest portion of the war, with countless skirmishes and sieges within the Riefan lands, spanning the course of 20 years. Though massive damage was dealt to Riefe, including the razing of their great fortress Kerys, the Bulrin army made extremely slow progress towards the Riefan capital. Even by this point, losses to both sides were incalculable, far too numerous to deduce. In truth, the Bulrin army never made it to the capital of Riefe, but instead were made to retreat after three major defeats; the Battle of Hauteclaire, the Battle of Painsley fields and the battle of Agaire pass. The latter is still taught to novice strategists as a perfect example of a small force in a exceptional position defeating a much larger one.

Over the remaining fifteen years of the war, the Riefans (with the help of their new allies the Hauteclarians) managed to push the tattered scraps of the Bulrin army to their borderline province of Ontarfeld and its castle-like mountains. The Ontarfeld mountains proved the deciding factor in the defense, proving almost impregnable to the Riefans inferior siege technology. The defense by the Bulrins was brutal but undeniably heroic. Of particular note is the siege of Bulrin fortress Helmgrund, where a force of nearly 20,000 Riefans was defeated by a force of a mere 500 Bulrins. It was about this time, during the last two years of the war, that negotiations began between the monarchy of Riefe and the government of Bulrin, aiming for an end to the bloodshed.

Naturally a great deal of these negotiations involved investigations of the murder of Klaus Tainsturm and his entourage. The incident was still a mystery, as the Riefan officials denied any involvement. The investigations were conducted by the Bulrins Tern Street Runners and the Riefes own agency, the Masques. This investigations and the diplomatic negotiations continue for two years until the officials on both sides signed a ceasefire. The War of Perspectives was over.

The 45 year long war had taken its toll on both sides, with countless dead and miles upon miles of land destroyed. Not to mention damage to defenses and property. The terms of the ceasefire were never openly discussed, the murder of Klaus Tainsturm was never resolved and so many people of Bulrin do feel somewhat cheated and feel they didn’t the revenge they desired. They ignore the enormous amount of damage dished out to the Riefan military and land. There have been numerous conspiracy theories surrounding the ceasefire and indeed, the war itself. Some believe the war was planned along, to test military might. Some even stipulate that another outside force was responsible for the whole thing, to weaken the two nations. Some believe that Sir Klaus Tainsturm is still alive out there somewhere and that it all was set up. There are too many theories to practically list here, some far more radical than others.

But regardless of the reasons, the War of Perspectives will always be remembered. Acting as a reminder to mankind of more war-like and barbaric times. Let it never happen again…”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.

Daetrolos: A word on Bulrin

“Depending who you talk to, Bulrin can go by many different names. Some positive, others not so much. The Blighted Jewel. The Empire. The Eastern Power. The Home Of Alchemy. The list goes on. Universally however, Bulrin can be known both as an economic and martial powerhouse. Few lands on Primea have not been affected by the Empire, whether it be through conflict, diplomacy, trade or exploration. It is a leader in industry, mining and science. Many say it is ahead of its main rival by quite a margin.

Bulrin is a large empire on the eastern ‘prong’ of the continent of Primea that has lastly nearly a thousand years now. Although primarily of human stock, the empire is far more accepting of other sentient races than its rival: the Kingdom of Riefe. Demiens, Forns, Mawkins and even Julmurns are usually welcomed with open arms.  The Empire formed after a revolution which liberated the Bulrin people from a thousand years under the corrupt and wicked “Church Of Dust”. The Empire has enjoyed almost unrivaled wealth and power almost exclusively due to its mighty leader, Walter Bulrin, the 16th emperor. A venerable and just man who looks upon his realm from the great city of Highdon in Highgard.The Empires status is also sustained by its impressive military which boast the most disciplined men in all of Primea. Vast numbers of experienced line infantry, backed up by steam powered cavalry and some of the most advanced artillery in the known world.

The people of the four provinces live in peace and prosperity under the Emperor and there is very little on this continent with the capability of unseating that.  The Empire will likely keep its position as a Primean superpower for years to come. Though i hear of a distant force far to the west, across the sea, that looks to these lands with hungry eyes. Something catastrophic may happen soon, if my instincts are correct.”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.