“Off the west coast of Primea is the treacherous Great Divide, a nigh-on endless ocean. It’s possibly the grandest mystery on this world. Few dare to traverse its waves, fewer still have actually managed to locate any new landmasses or anything of note. It’s desolate, to say the least. Even decorated explorers such as Renault Tserra, Klaus Transuppe and Magnus the Sequined have all attempted to map the waves, to little success. One lady though, discovered something truly fascinating. Rene Jerla was a Riefan Lords daughter turned explorer who used her fathers money to buy a boat to roam the Great Divide, in hopes of making a name for herself. She discovered something fascinating, yet terrifying in the same measure. She discovered another continent, far larger than Primea. She discovered the Amber land, the continent of Demes.
Rene Jerla made contact with many inhabitants of Demes, crossing the dunes in search of this new lands secrets. In time, she discovered a realm of Humans. The Migran Empire, they called it. A terrifying behemoth of a nation. The details of these years of Lady Jerlas exploratory career are hazy, even to me. It’s possible she simply disappered into the Demes dunes, never to be heard of again.
The little we do know our western cousins on Demes comes from the Riefan expeditionaries who followed in the wake of Lady Jerla. They tell of a harsh land, where Dust is rampant and unchecked, and the most common sight is that of wasteland-like desert. The people of Demes, our cousins, are equally harsh. They are a warlike people, bred to conquer and dominate all that they survey. The Migran Empire covers a large portion of Demes, though the exact amount of land is unknown. The land the Migrans have swallowed is said to dwarf even the entirety of our continent of Primea. I suppose that gives you an idea of the scale of this domain. The Empire is stained with blood and echoes with the sound of countless shrieks of pain and dismay. War appears to be a way of lie for the Migrans, who naturally have a colossal military. Using this steely arm, the Migrans appears to have wiped out any other nations that may have shared Demes with them.
The Migran army is large, however unlike we enlightened Riefans and Bulrins, the Migrans appear to shun discipline line combat and drill training and instead have opted for a somewhat more crude yet undeniably effective doctrine: sheer weight of numbers and brute force. Their armies appear to be drafted from the innumerable towns, cities and villages that span Demes. These peasant armies occasionally volunteer, but more often than not are forced by the Migran elite. Their armies are made up of the poor, the weak and the helpless. These peaseant armies can be conscripted quickly and can be “summoned” from anywhere the Empire requires. These peasants are usually forced to find a cheap weapon; an old musket, a rusty sword, a table leg, what ever they can muster. It is ironic that for people who discovered Demes in search of peace, we find only war. In fact, we know almost nothing about the Migran Empire that doesn’t pertain to warfare and the military. We know nothing of their economy, leaders and politics, for example.
Despite the barbarism displayed by these Migran armies, the Migrans are far from primitive. In fact, what we’ve seen of their progress in alchemy and engineering dwarfs our own by some measure. This progress is displayed in a huge way.
They call ‘them’ the Djinn. The Djinn are the armoured fist of the Migrans. Massive metal things on legs, draped in livery and carrying a number of marksmen and big guns. They have been observed wading through hostile armies, akin to walking buildings, crushing everything in their path. Tearing through infantry and cavalry alike, belching smoke and steam as they go. They shrug off musket-fire and cannon-fire alike. Bandits and hostile armies have been observed fleeing in utter terror upon feeling the ground shake as a Djinn approaches over the dunes.
It is unknown, even to the Migran people, how these towering weapons of war are built or function. It’s even a mystery what metals are used in the construction process. Perhaps they are even created with some kind of mysticism? Migran peasants appear to see the Djinn as protective demi-gods, annihilating any who show hostility to the Empire. They worship these creations as if they were beings from the heavens. The funds and resources required for such a marvel of industrial might must be astronomical.
What little is known about the Djinn can be listed fairly easily. Little is known after all. Firstly, the machine is allegedly controlled by an “Arcanist” somewhere on board. This general, engineer, or perhaps sage, rules over the machine through unknown means. It is even rumored that these arcanists have some kind of connection with their machines, but where this is physical, spiritual or just conjecture is a mystery. These arcanists are rumored to be drawn from the scientific branches within the Migran Empire, bestowing their genius to the cause.
Secondly, the Primean expeditionaries were told that there are literally hundreds of Djinn, each and every one unique and special. The Djinn could be modified and specialized to different kinds of battlefield duties. Some, they heard, were lumbering platforms laden with cannon, others were designed to carry elite soldiers while allowing these same warriors some protection and a vantage point. Others still were said to be designed for close-quarters combat, equipped with automotive arms or blades, allowing the machine to be a walking hurricane of blood and gore. Finally, there are Djinn with more bizarre uses, from walking Dust shrines to promenading hospitals.
These facts barely scratch the surface of the vault of knowledge that is sure to exist about these extraordinary mechanical wonders and, of course, their owners and builders. The discovery of these weapons by the Primean expeditionaries was met with equal parts disbelief and terror back at Riefe and Bulrin. Indeed, nothing in the arsenal of either country had the clout to take on these juggernauts, let alone destroy one. The discovery has led to an arms race recently, with Bulrin and Riefe trying to strengthen their militaries and technology. This has come about as fears rise of an invasion from the Migrans, the scale of which could destroy all of Primea. Ironically, as Riefe and Bulrin strengthen their sword arms, so too do they practice their silver tongues. Both nations have attempted to begin diplomatic negotiations with the Migran Empire. This too has problems of its own of course. This, however, is a story for another time…”
From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.
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