Prologue 2: The Kingdoms

The wars of the humans were great and occasional. They limited the sense of poverty and prevented uprisings against the rich. They were a way for the nobles to secure their position, and the poor to make a name as warriors. The wars allowed the people to dream.

However, over time, the reasoning of wars became quite simplistic. As winter began, the kingdoms realized they were running out of resources, and thus began plundering and looting the riches of the other kingdoms. And with that, the rise of greed began. Like thieves, they snatched and sniveled from the poor and the rich alike. Of the 4 kingdoms, 3 had already accepted this sense of battle. On the other hand, in the Kingdom of Jarasth, the Wise Old King, Arbid had decided to fortify his stronghold.

A great wall was built around the Jarasth Kingdom while the fighting continued to weaken their country. The four kingdoms had connections to both land and sea, and in that, no kingdom lacked potential to build. However, the kings chose to fight wars over lands, as all kingdoms were easily accessible.

King Arbid was the first to put battle strategies to good use. As the wall was being built, he maneuvered his people to fish and introduced aquatic life to diet. Food was no longer a limited resource, for the seas and oceans were vast.

In 20 years, Jarasth became a self-sufficient kingdom, and had built strong defenses in their neutrality towards the other kingdoms. Meanwhile the Kingdom of Nar, had gained power outside of the walls. The ruler of Nar was changed every couple years. The barbaric nature of the country made it so, that only the strongest would rule.

In Nar, those who could not fight were seen as cattle, and those who were once kings and queens were brought down by the very soldiers they had trained. With the lack of governing rule, resources were used up by the strong without any limitations. The strong grew stronger, while the weak, began to starve.

In these 20 years, the ecosystem of the 3 kingdoms had changed drastically. Lush-filled meadows were now dry as dust. The air was polluted and the animals began to decline. Nar, being the biggest kingdom, decided to invade their neighbor and take reins of their power once and for all. The great war between Nar and Wrak began, and ended in 3 years with Nar as the ruling kingdom.

Nar and Wrak now merged under the name Narwrak. The last small kingdom left outside of the walls was Kinsha. Though they had adopted a similar logic to the kingdom of Nar, the Cowardly King, Leon, bent the knee by giving away his subjects every time Nar invaded. And now, worried of his head, he chose to confront King Arbid of Jarasth. King Leon yelled at the tall walls of Jarasth, "Let me in, for I have a proposal! I shall offer you great wealth in return for your goodwill! I shall offer you subjects! I shall offer you slaves!"

The great wooden gates looming above King Leon opened as they creaked. Walking through the kingdom, the King saw wealth, prosperity and knowledge; things that were lost 20 years in the process of barbarism and thievery. A public bath was available to all, and no man was seen to be poor. Fruits were distributed across the streets and rose petals garnished the stone roads. The smell of sizzling meat filled the air, and the soothing sound of harps made the word heavenly seem unworthy as praise. King Leon was escorted by soldiers dawned in metal armor to the palace of King Arbid, which was plated in gold, silver and marble all over.

The pouch of gold attached to his waist, was now so insignificant, that the King now trembled in the awe of King Arbid. As he stood in front of the gold steps that led to the throne where the Wise King Arbid was seated, he could see the difference in the two of them. King Leon had worn a gold-threaded tunic over his pot-belly. He had a pouch of gold attached to his waist band of white silk, and an unused sword sheathed in sturdy leather. Above his head, he had a crown of gold, with ornaments such as red gems and diamonds. His long, black hair and clean-cut beard had brought a sense of elegance to his face and stature; enough for the Kingdom of Nar let him hold his position.

However, on the other hand, King Arbid required no such appeal to make him significant. He merely wore a white robe that covered his body from his neck to his feet. He had white, long hair and a long pointy beard. His head held no crown, and there was not a spec of gold on him. His dreary eyes and twig-like hands made him seem frail and weak. He was strong enough to present his weakness in front of his court, he was strong enough to show how powerless he truly was in form, in the presence of another king.

Tears ran down King Leon's face, his eyes widened. "What have I... done?" He regretted what he had made of his kingdom, looking at what could have been, and what currently was, Kinsha in his mind.

Before a word was spoken, King Leon took off his crown and placed it below the gold stairs as he bowed his head. "I do not deserve to be a king. My kingdom is yours; for you are the true king, Lord Arbid!"

King Arbid looked at the pitiful man in disgust. In a scratchy, stretched voice, the Wise King spoke, "I have no interest in your qualms and your kingdom. I have seen over the years what was made of it, and found nothing of value in it. Is this the offer you have come with? What am I to gain from your ruins? You don't even hold control to what is supposedly yours."

Still bent down, King Leon offered a counter-proposal in his bold voice, "If you do not see value now, let me make the land valuable for your feet to step on! Give me knowledge, my lord, and I shall ensure I provide you with all the benefits! I simply need your protection, Lord King, and I will do as you ask!"

Staring down at King Leon, King Arbid spoke once more, "Loyalty. I see that in you; courage, I do not. Your people see no value in you, so what use do I have of you to place this task? I could use someone far more wise instead."

"That is true, Lord King! But I have the resources, I know the land best, and I can serve of value!"

"So be it. I shall send my men to construct a war-front surrounding your kingdom. It will be to your advantage. If you truly know your land well, you will triumph in the coming battle against Narwrak. If you win, I shall give you a fraction of the knowledge that I have gathered."

"I am truly grateful for your mercy, Lord King!"

With an end to the diplomatic discussions, the war between Narwrak and Kinsha soon began. With every battle, Kinsha gained more and more knowledge, and with it, came their victory against Narwrak. Order was established outside of the walls, and the bloodline of King Leon continued to show loyalty to the supremacy of Jarasth.

As time passed, 3 kingdoms remained; Narwrak, the kingdom of the barbarians, Kinsha, the kingdom of order, and Jarasth, the kingdom of knowledge.

The people began calling the ones behind the walls as Gods as they held knowledge of the Old Humans. The Gods gained ultimate rule over the continent, and after 200 years of the term begin coined, the Demon King came into existence.

The Gods did nothing to counter the Demon King, but in essence, helped with the introduction of magic to the people. With magic, logic and reasoning grew, and a new era started. Wars were now frequent as different people held different levels of magic. A new order was created, and kingdoms were divided.

Now, 680 years later, with the civilization of the Narwrak Kingdom, order was observed. Kinsha was divided into Kinsha, Resha and Zath between the heirs of King Leon over the continual sessions of infighting, and Narwrak remained the same. Meanwhile, the Jarasth Kingdom was now known as the Pantheon.

In present time, a hooded messenger from the Pantheon approached the current king of Kinsha; a hero was to be summoned. This hero was to stop all wars, and would be the key to a better world order. And so, with the command and the knowledge of the Gods, the summoning began.