The Reaping of Naeve
There was something in the air that day. Something that gave us an unsettling feeling. We did not know what it was though and just stared at the fog rolling in from the main land. I had never seen a fog like that before. None of us knew what it was hiding from our eyes. By the time we did it was already too late.
Of fog and beasts
The Nightmare Begins
It was a warm summer morning like so many before that fateful day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Guards patrolled the perimeter of Naeve to keep the citizens safe, and the 2 meter high wooden fence stood firmly in place keeping Inflicted out. All seemed well except for the dense fog rolling in from the main land. As the fog reached the town the nightmare started. The guards who stood at the gate were the first to fall to the ravenous horde of Inflicted who had been advancing upon the town obscured from view by the fog.
I remember guards trying to close the gate. It was useless though. The Horde flooded over the wall as if it was not even there.
No Way Out
The town quickly became a battlefield. Although that word suggests the people of Naeve had any chance to defend themselves against the hungry beasts. They did not. Equipped with supernatural strength and speed the Inflicted beasts ran amok, tearing humans apart with their claws and teeth, only pausing to satisfy their hunger. Doors were ripped from their hinges just to get to those hiding inside their homes. Some people fled to the Ageless Tower at the edge of town, hoping it would be able to keep them safe. They could not get the massive doors closed in time however and the Horde forced their way in. In response the people started running in all directions, fleeing into rooms or up the stairs. The beasts managed to find everyone inside though leaving no survivors.
The one who got away
Miraculously one eleven year old boy managed to reach the docks and escaped on a small boat that belonged to his family. Why no one else managed to escape remains a mystery. Remnants of boats were later found however suggesting that some people did reach the boats but were still caught by the beasts. Presumably before they managed to set sail. The boy who did manage to escape the massacre was offered sanctuary in Sajhdula and was taken in by the Oracle. There is very little we know about this boy besides a few manuscripts who mention him and one eyewitness report about his survival that day. Some belief the trauma of what he went through broke his mind and the boy had to be locked away to keep himself and others safe. But there has never been any proof of that.
I can not get the screams out of my head. The sound of flesh being torn apart. I ran in blind panic. How I reached the dock in one piece I do not know.
Conflict Type
Battle
Battlefield Type
Land
Start Date
502 AP
Ending Date
502 AP
Conflict Result
Only one person survived.
Location
Belligerents
People of Naeve
The Horde
Strength
5000
Estimated at around 50.000
Casualties
One survivor
Minimal
Objectives
To survive
To feed
Aftermath
By the time ships from Sajhdula reached Naeve two weeks later the Horde was gone. No survivors were found. But among the many human corpses two dead beasts were found. It is believed they were killed by guards who had given their lives in an attempt to save their town.
Building the Walls
This battle, which later became known as the Reaping of Naeve, was what spurred the rise of the walled Cities that still stand today. An attack of this scale had never been seen before, and no one wanted for it to happen again. Small settlements disappeared as people migrated to the growing cities. City walls were built on a scale that no one had ever thought possible, or needed. But it is thanks to these walls that those cities have survived for thousands of years.
Eyewitness report mystery
The eyewitness report that is said to have been written by the boy who survived the massacre has since been subjected to a lot of speculation. The language in the report is clearly not that of an eleven year old boy. Some historians have suggested that the report was written by one of the Oracle's chroniclers who used a language more akin to that of an adult. Others however question wether the survivor was really a child. They question how a child would be able to get away while no adults managed to survive.
Entry for WorldEmber 2020
In response to the prompt Write about a conflict in your world known for being unprovoked or unfair.
Awesome article! It has a very dark mood and captures the dispair of those people well. I am curious now what became of that poor boy though.
Thank you very much. I think the boy was traumatized. Who would not be, but he did go on to live a nice life in Sajhdula. He probably became a guard, and might have even made it into the Oracle Guard.