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 memoir on Primea

“Primea is a continent on our great planet of Daetrolos. It is one of the most populated continents in terms of how many varied civilized races reside upon it, second only to the continent of Demes. It is, however, the second smallest continent that is known thus far, only larger than the ravaged continent of Lenisca.  Primea rests east of the southern portion of Demes, across the vast ocean known as the “Great Divide”. Primea is often called the “Land of Factions” due to the fair number of different forces that inhabit and war over it. It has seen monumental, bloody wars. Primea is often pointed at to illustrate how warlike the race known as “Humans” can be. There have been several bloody conflicts between the two Human powers on Primea; The Empire of Bulrin and the Kingdom of Riefe. Despite this, oddly few point to the aggressive posture and invasions carried out by the Migran Empire on Demes. That is a story for another time however.

Primea is shaped much like a cross, albeit a slightly awry one. The southern ‘prong’ tapers off to the west slightly. In the western portion of Primea, we have the lands of the Kingdom of Riefe. Vibrant grasslands here dominate the often bleak mental image of Primea, making Riefe one of the more picturesque regions of Primea. The Riefan capital is closest to the southern coast of the west ‘prong’ of the continent. Riefe is dominated by lush grasslands known simply as the “Plains of the Dragon”. All is not perfect however, as in the north of Riefe is the “Zyst Foret”, which is at the base of the “Guardian Mountains”. This corrupted forest turned wasteland acts as a stark reminder of the corruption that plagues Daetrolos. As we move east across the Plains of the Dragon, towards Riefes eastern border, we come to the Vert Plains. Stretching into the neutral lands that hold the centre of the continent. These considerably unremarkable grasslands were once the battlefield between Riefe and their eternal rivals: The Empire of Bulrin. They are now largely empty save for recovering nature, of course.

As we come further east we come to “Hauteclaire”, a neutral merchant city and home of commerce on Primea. Hauteclaire rests at the base of the “Pienna Mountains”. Roughly a half mile west of “Union Pass”, where Hauteclaire, Riefan and Bulrin forces once stemmed the tide of Julmurns, a menace from the south. The pass stretches south from near Hauteclaire to the “Badlands” at the other end, on the southern ‘prong’ of Primea. The Badlands consist of dry, nearly barren grasslands with the occasional dead forest and canyon. In the north-east of the Badlands is the “Zyst Einode”, another fell wasteland and home of the barbaric Julmurns. The Badlands stretch all the way south to the coast, encompassing the entire southern ‘prong’. On the west coast of the Badlands, another sinister force have carved out a home however. This area is punctuated by strangely formed mountains. It is known as the “Coast of Dogs” by the Riefans and is a dark, dangerous place.

If we head back north, beyond Hauteclaire, we come to a small mountain range called the “Ragfez Mountains”. A well known Demien stronghold. On the west of the mountains, between Ragfez and the Guardian Mountains, is the “Vanaire Plains” which span from the north point of the Vert Plains north to the “Loreur Steppe”, which in turn span the neutral border to the northern ‘prong’ of Primea: “Taklik”.

Taklik is a mysterious realm, practically unknown to outsiders. It is believed to be the home of the Grendel race, a bizarre race of humanoids that span the gap between mammals and reptiles. Of little that is known about Taklik, a few rare factoids are certain; firstly Dust behaves strangely there, passing between the plant life in aerial streams but never touching and never corrupting. These aerial streams are formed as Dust floats to the border of Taklik and forming into literal filters or funnels. Secondly, the region is an odd amalgamation of marshland, swamp and jungle riddled with vines the length and volume of city streets. Thirdly, it is a lethal place. Few survive there, either due to vicious and deadly flora and fauna, or through the vast host of plagues and diseases that seem part and parcel to Taklik air.

If we leave the region of Taklik and return to the Loreur Steppe, we can find the accursed town of “Thistle Knoll”. An old Human town, brought to its knees by a mysterious plague. Little is known or spoken about Thistle Knoll, it is a dark place. If we leave the Loreur Steppe and head south again, we come to the “Fell Marches”. East of the Ragfez Mountains and north of the Pienna Mountains. These vast marshlands were also known as a battleground during the great “War of Perspectives”, acting as the resting place of countless Riefan and Bulrin soldiers. The Fell Marches span from the Ragfez mountains eastward to the mountains of “Ontarfeld”, also known as the border of the Empire of Bulrin.

These castle-like mountains of Ontarfeld act as a natural wall for Bulrin, riddles with myriad forts and keeps, daring enemies to approach. Bulrin is a land of variety, containing grasslands, wastelands, forests and tundras, not to mention mountains. The Bulrin Empire is split into four provinces: “Ontarfeld” in the west, “Nordfeld” in the north, “Golus” in the south and centre, and “Highgard” in the north-east. Each of these provinces has its own customs and peoples, from the aristocratic halls of Highgard to the naturalist festivals of Nordfeld. Bulrin contains people of all walks of life. Bulrin has been hit by Dust hard in the past, so it is unsurprising to know that three wastelands are present, one of which being the very worst on Primea. There is the “Zyst Tradator”, which is in Nordfeld, the “Zyst Demente”, the worst wasteland on Primea and is in Golus and lastly the “Zyst Juntar” which span the border between Nordfeld and Ontarfeld.

On the south coast of Bulrin, Golus in particular, is the “Resting Giant”. An extinct volcano that explorers are only just beginning to investigate recently, discovering strange caverns in its base. Off the Bulrin southern coast are three islands, each containing a set of identical ruins left by Dust cultists many years ago. These are, amazingly, open to exploration. If we continue south, further out to sea (the sea being the “Sea of Roses”) we come to a large island called “Isla Rosa”.  This island is a well known pirate stronghold, specifically for the “Rose Consortium” who are one of the prominent and prolific criminal groups on Daetrolos.

And so ends our tour of Primea, there is much that i have missed and indeed much that is unknown about this land, i strive for a day that will come when this is not the case…”

From the memoirs of Hermann Maestra.