Forgotten Roots

For centuries the beautiful country of Aurumhold was kept hidden from the rest of the world. For decades, adventurers and historians from all around the world tried finding this mysterious country to no avail. The only way in and out of the country was via the treacherous sea route, the path which was known only to a select few trading companies, who had sworn the oath to keep the location a secret. Aurumhold was known as the gem of the northern hemisphere as it exported the highest quality of metal, leather, and wood to the rest of the world. Although people had a rough idea of its location, the country remained untouched to the outside world due to its treacherous landscapes of dense forests and steep hills, in which one could easily get lost, never to be found again.

But old conditions were bound to change when the two most prominent families of the country the Wulfgars and the Eders decided to open up the country to the world at the dawn of the 19th century as they announced the construction of a railway line joining Aurumhold to the neighboring country of Wostrad. As the construction was finally through by the end of 1974, the first train that rode from the capital city of Aurumhold, Cerium to Tront the capital of Wostrad created quite a bangarang amongst the explorers and journalists alike. On the day of the first train ride, people flocked in 1000s to get on it and see for themselves this mysterious land. Soon enough this beautiful country ended up becoming quite a popular tourist spot from the picturesque portside cottages to the intriguing natural landscapes that surrounded the land. Although people were free to roam about Cerium, two places were banned to the public, the northmost side of the city where at the top of the mount Drungard where the Eder estate was located and the eastern edge of the forest Varenrich where the Wulfgar estate was located.

Although a lot was known about the country as a whole, the same could not be told about the two families that basically owned the country. Around 80% of the businesses run by Aurumhold were owned either by the Eders or the Wulfgars and although it was a democratic country, there were a lot of speculations that the majority of the assembly members were either the members of these two ruling families or the member of families who had been loyal to these families for the past two centuries. The mystery surrounding the families had always intrigued the people visiting Aurumhold to that point that even in the year 2015, there were a lot of forums on the internet speculating the origins of the Wulfgars and Eders.

It was the spring of 2016 when an eccentric young girl disembarked from the train at the majestic railway station at Cerium with its intricate archways and long hallways. Although dressed smartly in a semiformal suit, hair tied up in a bun, and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, a look of restlessness and excitement spread across her face as she scanned the station in search of someone. As soon as she spotted that person, a man in his late 30s, dressed in casuals, with disheveled hair, lost in his mobile phone. As she approached him she started spiritedly, "Hello, I'm the new intern. My name is.." "Katrina Andrei..the new intern to join my production crew. You're late." he interrupted as he slowly looked away from his phone. " Ohh, I'm sorry...I kinda got lost in this station...It's quite big, you know." she said as she tried coming up with an excuse, whereas a matter of fact she was instead roaming about admiring the beautiful station. This was the first time someone from her family had stepped into the land of Aurumhold. Although originally from this area, the great grandfather had migrated to Australia in search of work and had settled there with his family. As she again found herself lost in thought, she was snapped back to reality by her superior as he waved his hands in from of her. "We don't have time to daydream. Let's get going. Ohh and by the way, my name is Felix Smith. You can call me Mr. Smith. I'm the head of production." Katarina and Felix worked for a Lifestyle channel that made travel shows. As part of the production crew, they had traveled to Cerium to scout the location and gain information about this area for the next episode of their travel show "Across the Lands". "We'll be meeting up with a historian today to get some info on the history of this place and tomorrow you will be visiting the market place along with Anna, she's going to be your supervisor, you'll be reporting to her," said Mr. Smith as he started the car towards the historian's place.

Emil Bogdan was a well-known historian and was the 4th generation of Bogdans to have lived in Aurumhold. He had researched a lot about Aurumhold and was the best subject matter expert when it came to their history. As he sat down in his worn-out chair holding a cup of warm tea, he started, "The history of Aurumhold goes well beyond the two centuries that have been documented. As far as the legends around the two families go, along time ago the land of Aurumhold was ruler over by the Goddess Kresis, and man was given the responsibility to protect all the living things created by the goddess. In exchange, man could use some of the lands for constructing their homes and for harvesting their crops. Every full moon they were supposed to offer some part of their harvest to the goddess. The ancestors of the Wulfgar family were lords of the southern parts of Aurumhold and were very diligent when it came to taking care of their subjects and being devoted to the goddess by visiting her temple deep in the forest and keeping her offerings every full moon night. The goddess was very pleased by this family and granted them the status of the protectors of the forest and the lands near-by. So that they would perform their duties well, Kresis also granted their family with a blessing with which they could protect the forests and their inhabitants from harm. So that they would be able to protect the entire forests of Varenrich, they were granted the powers of the great wolf. They would transform into these mighty creatures at nightfall so that they could patrol the area with ease.

Meanwhile, the Eder family were the lords of the northern port and the mountains. While they did worship the goddess, the heir of the second generation Lord Andrei Eder, insulted the mighty goddess by hurting her creations intentionally, going on frequent hunts, torturing the smaller animals for his amusement. The goddess was enraged to such an extent that she cursed the entire family that they would not be able to see the light of the day, they would have to survive only on the blood of the creatures that gave them consent. The family was then banished to the top of mount Drungard where they would stay for generations to come." Emil took a sip out of his cup, his eyes animated from the excitement of talking about these old legends. The evening passed by fast as they talked about the general history of the place and they were back to their hotel rooms by nightfall with tons of reference materials to go through.

The next day Katarina woke up with a start as today she was going to survey the marketplace along with her supervisor Anna. As she got ready with her recorder and camera, she glanced out of her window to see a man standing in the street opposite to her hotel, staring right at the building. He somehow seemed out of place with his all-black outfit which included a black facemask, cap, trousers, and a hoodie. As she inched closer to the window to get a better look, she saw him just standing there and he did not look like a homeless person either but as soon as the man noticed her looking at him, he simply turned around and left as though nothing had happened. "That's odd", she thought to herself but shrugged it off as she was getting late.

As she reached the market place, she found Anna waiting for her near one of the fruit stalls. "Katarina... over here." Anna waved at her as she made her way towards her. Amma was quite a laid back person to work with. Although she was very particular about the details of her work, her easy-going nature made it enjoyable to work with her. As they were talking to the owner of one of the antique shops, Katarina noticed a black shadow at the periphery of her sight. She quickly turned to see as she saw that same man turn a corner and head down one of the alleyways. Curious as to who this man was, she decided to follow him, keeping a safe distance between them, but the man knew the streets well and soon enough she lost him in the crowd. As she tried navigating through the crowded market place, she somehow found herself in a different part of the town. "Anna will be really worried about me, I should call her." She thought to herself as she dialed Anna's number. Before she could process anything a scooter which had lost control rammed into the bus stop near her, making the roof of the bus stop collapse and crash towards her. As she watched the roof fall towards her, she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her away from the wreckage.

Still dazed and in shock she turned to see the face of her savior, only to find herself standing in front of a very handsome looking man with a stoic face looking down at her in confusion. As she tried making sense of the situation another man, who seemed to be working under this person approached him. "Mr. Wulfgar are you alright sir?", the man inquired. Mr. Wulgar nodded as she spoke to his assistant and left quickly after in his car. Still dazed by the turn of event Katarina just stood there trying to make sense of the entire situation as the secretary approached her. "Mr. Wulfgar would like to set up a meeting with you. Will tomorrow afternoon be fine for you?" he asked as he handed out his business card. Flustered, all she could do in response was to nod at as she handed out her business card as well. "Very well miss...Miss. Katarina, we shall see you tomorrow then," he said as he read out her business card and gave a little bow in acknowledgment as he left. As she looked down at the card in her hand she still found it hard to believe that she had just met a member of one of the most prominent families of Aurumhold.