The Year Of Ash

As time passed, chieftans died and rised, each with their own take on how to run the tribe, and their own opinions. Proper names were given to each settlement. The mountain village, now named Umbran Mons, flourished in the grassy and fertile plains. The ocean village, now named Favus Opem has become one of the biggest cities in the southern continent, their numbers have swelled to nearly one thousand Eleni, not only that but they are also the central hub of trade besides Eden itself. The lacorra outpost had been turned into a full fledged city since a clear path has been made through the lacorra fields, the city was named after the dangerous path itself, Morus Tran. Gorm's berry farm had also grown into an entire city of it's own, focusing on farming berries mostly. The city is named after him, Grom, the Grom family is quite famous for their berries, and over the generations they have perfected their growing methods. Their berries are the tastiest in all of Primordia. On the tallest mountain in the southern continent the monks are few, they have abandoned their previous ideals, they no longer walk the dreaming nor do they try to contact their ancestors, they now search eternally for nirvana, inner peace, and the meaning to life itself.

The new leaders and researchers are as follows.
Irrogo - Wind Chief: Irrogo was childhood friends with the fire chief, they are both close friends to this day, however both are as different as day and night, Irrogo is a reserved and calm man.
Dannam - Fire Chief: Dannam is a brash and reckless man, he is heavily invested in the old ways, which have since been weakened since the union formed.
Ceno - Head Researcher: The previous researchers, over the generations, mixed  their bloodlines until one family was born, from it Ceno was born. He is now the head of all research and scientific advancements, a brilliant man, he stays out of political quarrels, as long as he is allowed to continue his research he is happy.
Garold - Eden Construction Councilman: Self explanatory.
Mulgon - Eden Military Councilman: Self explanatory.

The fertile lands have given the Altume something they had only dreamed of since now, prosperity and peace. They no longer must migrate to new hunting grounds, nor do they have to eat their dead elders, now they merely burry them and pray to them near their graves. Berry groves have been planted nearly everywhere, and it's part of nearly every Altume dish, even going as far as to squeeze the juice out of it to create a sweet syurpy drink, and using the dry remains as rations for travellers. But not all is well in the Altume lands, the more traditional Eleni have long since harbringed a hatred towards the Iminye, the Nod, and even the wind chiefs, they have always believed that the Altume armies have grown soft in prosperity, and the Iminye have corrupted them with their weak ways. However they have not been adressed for generations because of the small numbers of their group. But they have been preaching, telling all passerbys about their beliefs, and over many years they have convinced many Eleni, specifically in Favus Opem. The shift in ideals were so heavy that there became two classes of Altume villagers in the country, there were the the Ador, those who welcomed the changes, and believed that the old ways were harsh and meant for desert life, and they were no longer needed when the desert was made into a lush fertile land. Then there were the Odite, those who believed that the Altume had grown weak and for that they blamed the Iminye. The two social factions disliked each other greatly, the Ador mainly living in Umbran Mons, which was under the control of Irrogo, and the Odite who lived in Favus Opem, which was under control by Dannam. Any Ador Elen or Odite Elen couldn't even visit the others town, they would either be beaten to near death or just killed entirely. The military was forced to garrison inside the two cities, letting Gorm and Morus Tran stay unprotected, which was unfair for those citizens because most of them remained neutral towards the whole conflict. Dannam was a reasonable man, but after several attempts were made on his life he resorted to torture to try and gain information from his would-be assassins, they all told him the same thing, that he was weak minded and couldn't see that the Iminye were a threat to the Altume as a nation, they told him poisonous words that took root in his heart, despite him denying it on the surface. They were lies, he knew it, but somehow...They made sense. If he were to let the Iminye flourish, they would eventually become much more powerful than their Altume counterparts, and eventually the Altume would fade away, become engulfed by the Iminye. Altume were raised in a harsh world where your neighbor would kill you to save himself without a second thought, thus many of the Altume had disagreed with the union that formed, thus explaining why the previous fire chiefs had so many assassins after them. Dannam realized that he was truly the only one that could stop the Iminye and the Nod before they grew too powerful, but he kept telling himself that he trusted them, he knew they were his allies, his TRUSTED allies...He kept telling himself that, over and over, for many years...

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z28lwyQjuTY&feature=related )

Then came the dream, Dannam had a dream of great importance, it was almost like a prophesy. In his dream he saw the legendary demons, the black creatures with no eyes that spilt out from the ground to torture, kill, and drive the Altume from their home lands. He saw them..And the Iminye working together, he felt his ancestors speak to him, tell him that this was indeed the future, that Eleni and demons would work together eventually. In a fit of rage he sided witht he Odite's, and told his people of his next decision.
"My fellow Altume, I have seen a vision, the demons and the Iminye working together." Many gasps could be heard among the crowd.
"I know this is the truth, for the ancestors have told me so! I have decided...WE, ARE THE TRUE ALTUME. The Ador have become too content, they have grown weak and feeble, their minds clouded by the tricks of the Nod and the Iminye."
"I too was once like them, but now I have seen...My mind has been cleared, WE MUST DESTROY THE NOD CAPITAL, THE CITY OF LIES..."

"EDEN!!"


" The saddening time when the sons of the desert spilt their own blood. "


The crowd cheered madly, and within a few days a massive army of nearly eight hundred hardened Altume soldiers marched out from Favus Opem and towards Eden. But not before torching the grand tree that was used as living quarters, they would watch the monument burn and laugh and cheer. Armed with ent suits, cedya suits, shambler suits, and even spore rifles along with all of the other weaponry. The movement was instantly noticed by Irrogo, at first he was unsure of the meaning of it, but so many soldiers marching towards Eden, it could only really mean one thing. Madness. Irrogo sent a courrier to seek the Nod and the Iminye for help, but he was eaten by one of the many wild animals of the desert. Irrogo cursed Dannam's name and assembled an army of three hundred Altume warriors, it wasn't much compared to Dannmans army, but it would have to do. He told his soldiers that their fate would likely be death, but they would be fighting for a just cause, and their sacrafices would save hundreds, maybe even thousands. The two armies skirmished for many months, constantly returning to their own cities to resupply, all while the Nod and the Iminye went about their business as usual. Only a few managed to reach the other cities and tell them of the Altume spilling their own blood, but there were not enough reports for it to be filtered up to the leaders. So for many many more months the two armies fought each other, the Ador employing ambush tactics, mainly in the shrublands as in the desert there was no cover to hide or retreat in. After many months Irrogo was forced to retreat back to Umbran Mons, it had nearly been a year since the conflict had started, and many lives were lost. The Ador army had dwindled to a mere fifty soldiers, while the Odite army stood weakened, yet still strong at 450 men. At the heart of Umbran Mons, Irrogo rallied his troops...

"My kin, my brethren, my friends. Many of you I have known in peace, many of you I have shared drinks and jokes with, many I have worked with...I know your souls ache for peace, after so much death and despair whose wouldn't?"
"But my brothers, we must make one last stand, we must make one last charge before we die out in a glorious wave of fury. I will not force any of you to march with me, but I will go, with or without my brothers behind me, for if Eden falls, if any innocence is lost, all will be lost."
"So I ask you, I plead, join me in one last stand against madness." A few of the soldiers forsaked Irrogo, and left with their wives and children, fleeing into the deep mountains where they would live out there lives in peace. Irrogo was left with 40 veteran soldiers, who were honed in firery combat, and drenched in the thick blood of their old comrads. They marched to Morus Tran to recruit, when they arrived they found that the entire village had been burnt to the ground, and those who reamined lived in the rubble, hundreds were killed. Only then did Irrogo realize the true extent of the madness that had posessed Dannam. From the few hundred survivors they recruited sixty young Eleni, vengance burning in their eyes. Irrogo reviewed his army, one hundred men with unbreakable wills and hearts full of resolve. The brave army marched to Eden to face off with Dannam, the mad chief.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BnFHaVpy_o&feature=related )

" And then came the day when the warriors of light fought against the warriors of darkness. When madness and reason collided to decide the fate of thousands. "

Irrogo and his one hundred men reached Eden, they warned the small fifty-man garrison of the coming hordes of maddened Altume, a messenger was sent on a kirunna to tell the main army (who was fighting the Katumoiset) of this threat. With any luck they would arrive in four or five days. Irrogo knew that it was only a matter of a day, maybe two before Dannam's army would arrive, but even if they could hold them off for the remaining days, the Altume armies were the brunt of the Nod's forces, even if the Iminye and Nod armies combined, it would be up in the air which army would be victorious. Irrogo knew of the True Sons and the Death Guard, and wondered if they could help. Sadly the true sons were helping in the war with the Katumoiset, as were most of the Death Guard (protecting strategists and such.) He could find five Death Guards, clad in iron armor and helmets, wielding swords, spears, and shields. These five Death Guards would command 20-man squads on the field. Irrogo would not hide inside the town, for it would provide little protection from a prolonged siege with catapaults. He left the fifty Nod warriors to keep the towns people safe, while he and his five vengance driven squads readied themselves for the final stand.

In the distance there could be seen hundreds of Altume warriors, an ominous pressence filled the air as they approached, every soul in that town knew that the enemy intended to kill every last one of them. The warriors were coated in dried blood, an old traditional custom for warriors that had been abandoned by most current generation warriors. The 105-Man army rushed to the field just outside Eden where they prepared to make their final stand against the approaching army of madness. Irrogo was a good ten feet infront of the rest of his soldiers, Dannam and his army approached, the two of the armies a large distance away from each other.

Irrogo approached Dannam, as did he approach Irrogo. They stood infront of each other, not as friends but as sworn enemies.
"Dannam. Stop this madness, turn yourself in and you shall recieve a swift death, spare all of us the death and sorrow that will result of this battle." Irrogo said.
"Irrogo, my old friend, you are a fool. Why do you fight for the tricksters that are the Iminye? Why do you fight for their lies, why do you fight for weakness?" Dannam replies.
"I donot fight for the Iminye, I fight for my people." Irrogos retorted.
"Then we have one thing in common, I too fight for my people, Irrogos, can you not see what the Iminye have done to us? We are a strong people, we are not meant to live comfortably in lush homes with three wives, we are meant to live in the wide harsh plains and deserts, we are meant to live as rugged and strong men, like true men should. Have you been pampered so much that your mind has become weak aswell?!" Dannam's voice began to raise.
"You fool...You would accuse me of foolishness and yet you slaughter a defensless village. You slaughtered YOUR OWN PEOPLE! YOU HAVE KILLED YOUR OWN COMRADS, BETRAYED ALL OF US!" Irrogo took a step forward in agression and planted his foot on the ground.
"...Irrogo, I betrayed noone but the accursed Iminye, those in Morus Tran were too weak to save, they had forsaken their own origins and refused to join me. Have you forgotten the tales that our grandfathers used to tell us? Of the old times? When we roamed the free deserts as a strong people? When we lived for noone but ourselves and did whatever it took to survive? The Iminye are a threat, and we must destroy them before they destroy us." Speaking more calmly than before, Dannam didn't react harshly to Irrogo's agression.
"YOU ARE BLIND, OLD FRIEND. The Iminye are our comrads, they were just like us before the demons drove us from our home? Shall we so simply forsake them, and in the process our OWN HONOR?!" Irrogo yelled,
"DONOT SPEAK TO ME OF MATTERS OF HONOR, IRROGO, YOU ARE THE HONORLESS ONE." Dannam roared back.
"THEN IT IS SETTLED. LET US SPARE OUR SOLDIERS AND SETTLE THIS CONFLICT IN AN HONORABLE DUEL, TO THE DEATH!!" Irrogo jumped back a few feet, falling into his combative stance of choice.
"I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY!! PREPARE YOURSELF!!" Dannam retorts and also falls into a combat stance.

 ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ-QLl5qjLg&feature=related )

" True strength is to sacrafice ones own needs for the benefit of the majority. "


Irrogo took the first move, running forward and attempting to punch Dannam in the chest with a speedy jab, however it was a feint and instead he rotated his torso to the left, the fist sailing right past Dannam's chest, he then used this momentum to raise his left leg and spin himself around, his left foot swinging around to kick Dannam in the torso. Dannam was slow compared to Irrogo, he made a motion to grab Irrogo's fist, but since it was a feint he was left standing still for a split second, which was all the time Irrogo needed for his kick to connect, cracking his boney chest. He stumbled back a little before grunting and running back into the fray. The two fought for many hours, each fighting for everything they're worth, their sweat and blood flowing wildly like the ocean tides itself, their armies watched in awe as the two cheiftans fought for what they believed in. The battle continued for more hours, ten, twenty, thirty, fourty, so many hours past, days past even. At one point Dannam ripped off Irrogo's left arm, blood gushing out onto the dirt like nourishing rain. But he struggled to become free, and continued to fighr Dannam, eventually the wound would clot up with dried blood, Irrogo was faint, he had lost so much blood. But he continued to fight, not to win, but to buy time for the Nod and Iminye forces to arrive. Finally after three days Irrogo struck the final blow, a punch to Dannam head that shattered his skull, he stood for a few moments, the two figures suspended into time, Irrogo breathing heavily. Dannam slowly spoke,
"You have doomed us all, Irrogo...You have doomed...Us...All..." With that he fell back, a loud thud sounding victory as the mad chief finally died. Irrogo turned around and started limping back to his comrads, his left eye hurt beyond repair, many bones broken and many cuts and bruises, aswell as having one arm less. He remained emotionless however, he had killed a dear friend for the sake of all Eleni, a part of him had died. That's when he felt a slight sting in his back, and his soldiers stopped celebrating, they looked just stared at Irrogo.


" True honor is to follow your own principles even if your heart weeps. "


Irrogo stopped walking and looked down, a cold, black arrow head sticking out of his chest. A red liquid oozing from it slowly, he felt his mind begin to fade, he felt faint, but at ease, as if his job was done. He touched the arrow head with his single hand, expressionless.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASj81daun5Q )

" To preserve the peace, to preserve inocence, to preserve prosperity. That is the duty that all soldiers must follow, even if it make cost them their lives. "

Irrogo fell over, dead before he hit the ground. Truly the 'true altume' were the very essence of madness, they had killed the winner of an honorable duel, to do so is to forsake all of their honor, and betray all that they know. Only now did the 105 Eleni now realize what they were fighting. They were fighting chaos, despair, and insanity in it's purest form, they were fighting savagery at it's most base level.

Only now did they realize what they were fighting for. It wasn't for revenge, nor was it for glory. It was to protect all they knew and loved, and all that their comrads ever knew and loves. They would be the first and last line of defense, they would not fail, they could not fail.

Both armies charged towards each other, and with unbreakable resolve the warriors of Irrigo cut a path right through the center of the crazed Odites, they stood together and died together, the two armies fought for six hours, when the battle should've been over in a matter of minutes. Despite the overwhelming odds they held off the forces of madness with their own blood.

They held on to all they knew, clawing and biting to their last, they held the line long enough for the Nod and Iminye forces to sweep through and assure the safety of Eden. And as they did the last soldier of Irrogo stood up with wounds all over his body, he stood among the corpses of his brethren and foes alike. The remaining two hundred crazed Altume were slaughtered by the hands of the Iminye and Nod armies. The town garisson had witnessed the whole event. The last soldier of Irrogo told his people and Iminye/Nod of what had happened, the year was documented as...

' The Year Of Ash '

And was put into the history books for all to remember the sacrafice of the 105 soldiers that took a stand for the greater good and spilt the blood of their own brothers to save the innocent. The remaining soldier went on to become an influencial man that would become the temporary leader of the Altume, he was named Kogal. Over the next few months he lead the Altume into a new age.

The Altume forsaked their old traditions and looked forward to bring forth a new age of peace, prosperity, strength, duty, and honor. The new populace would now be much more accepting of the Iminye and the Nod, as well as the other races such as the strange small creatures that the Nod traded with. They combined the wind chief and the fire chief into one. The Earth Chief, who is both in charge of warfare and peaceful affairs, The Earth Chief is designated by a test of speed, strength, and honor. The Altume were renamed Virtum, which means strength, vigour, and maturity in the VIrtum language. Finally, to completely burry the past Kogal ordered that the prophesy mountain be torn down, the black eyeless creatures would be forgotten, all hatreds would be forgotten, this is what was needed for a new age to usher forth. So the prophesy mountain was torn down, and so it was done.

Kogal died sixteen days later from internal injuries.