Pexas

Adam, Benjamin, Charles, David and Edmund are all citizens of the newly formed United States. Having all started their young adult lives together, fighting for their freedom from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, they formed a bond unbreakable. After the war ended, the five men stayed together, building families of their own within a small village. With it being 1803, talk of the United States acquiring thousands of miles of uncharted land from France was on the rise. More land than imaginable just sitting and waiting to be found. The five men prepared their families for survival without them for the next couple weeks, supplying them with enough meat and coal to keep them fed and warm.   The men set off to explore the lands. Being careful not to raise awareness of their exploration, they left little evidence of their presence in the wilderness. For six days, these men traveled by horse, mapping out their routes. On that sixth day, they came across a cave, now known as Crawlway Chasm, along a mountainside. As it rained profusely, they decided to take shelter for the night in the cave. As they set up camp, Adam disappeared from the group for some time. He went exploring in the cave, hoping to come across some hidden treasures.   Unbeknownst to him, he was about to come across the biggest treasure of his life. Walking deeper and deeper into the Crawlway Chasm, he was surrounded by darkness. The only light that illuminated his walk was the torch he lit from the fire pit the men had created. As he continued to walk deeper into the cave, it suddenly became clear to him that this cave was not ending. Before wandering too far, he turned back, but knowing he would make a return with his friends.   The next morning, instead of continuing their exploration of the wilderness, the five men made the venture deep into the cave. They walked for hours through this cave. Just as they were about to call it and head back, having wasted a whole day on nothing, a dim light appeared in the distance. They continued their trek and the dim light grew bigger and bigger, until they were thrusted upon a vast opening. The sky was filled with stars. They had walked all day through the cave. There were trees and mountains; animals big and small; clean air and it was quiet. They walked further into this land. This was no place they had ever seen. It was on this day, April 5, 1803, the five brothers discovered Pexas.   After the men traveled home and gathered their families and packed their Conestoga wagons with all their belongings, they headed to their newly found land. They also brought their small village of people and sent word to other trusted comrades from the war of this land. Upon weeks of further exploration of the new land, the five men discovered different terrains and resources it offered. Pexas was filled with different treasures, from coal and gold to plains, a large freshwater lake with a tributary leading to a river filled with fish and forests.   The five men decided to recruit more men into Pexas and make it their own land of living. They ventured back out into the lands of the United States and France seeking out old friends from the war. While the U.S. negotiated with France on land purchases to expand the country, they were leaving out an area of land with vast resources. The people of Pexas wanted to keep it this way. No longer a part of the United States, Pexians now govern and support themselves.   As time continued, the five men, now referred to as the “Founding Brothers,” found themselves arguing about how to use and preserve their land. Fights ensued. People were coexisting well, but resources were dwindling quickly and survival was becoming an issue. To solve their issues, each of the brothers decided to move to different parts of the world. They split Pexas into five sects, with each sect having a different terrain and responsible for a main resource. Adam took on the mountain sect with the abundance of coal, bighorn sheep and bison; Benjamin moved to the plains sect, growing crops like corn, wheat and tobacco; Charles is in the forest sect, cutting down lumber and providing elk and moose meat; David is placed in the lake sect, responsible for catching fish and collecting freshwater; and Edmund is protecting the river sect, providing gold and precious stones. They each took a group of men and their families. The first thing the men in each sect built in their new homes was their church. Being men and women of faith, the House of God was pivotal to their style of living.   While the “Founding Brothers” live apart, they were able to maintain their relationship and live in peace in this land. They built barriers from lumber, rock and clay, separating each of the sects from one another. They then agreed to meet on the first of every month. Each of them would bring wagons full of resources to share amongst the other sects. This monthly event became known as “The Big Trade.” A group of 20 or so men from each sect would join together at the Meeting House at the center of Pexas and make trades. Because of the civilized nature of the trade, the sects are able to all live in peace.   One thing remained constant through the birth and growth of Pexas: the eminent danger the United States and France posed on the other side of the Crawlway Chasm. Along with the “Big Trade,” the sects all stood by each other on this front. If and when the outside forces discovered and raided Pexas, the sects would join together and fight to protect what is now theirs.   Pexas remained peaceful for the next ten years in their own little world. The “Big Trade” occurred timely every month, trades were made and people were happy. Or so they thought. Over the course of the last two years, Adam of Mountains had some resentment towards his “brothers” as he felt the sects were uneven. He felt that because his sect was home to Crawlway Chasm, the entrance to Pexas, that he was always in danger of being found and taken over by the U.S. and France. He has tried to bring it up with the other brothers before, but their argument is he has the biggest sect. Adam needs to take a stand. He knows his neighbor, Benjamin of Plains, has the smallest sect, so he goes to him first and together they plot a raid.