The conflict

"Oh, so ye finally know who them Thalarians are, eh? ’Bout bloody time. Here, take this ale and park yer arse. Lemme tell ye a tale—happened not too long ago. It ain’t pretty, but it’s worth hearin’, so shut yer gob and listen close."

"So, them Thalarians, as ye likely read, ain’t just one big group of folk. Nah, they’re split into all sorts—different nations and cultures. Here in Syndar, we’re called Syndarians. Proud lot, we are. But it weren’t always like this. Long ago, back in the old days, all of us were Wild Thalarians. We lived rough, like beasts, takin’ what we could from the land, huntin’, fightin’, survivin’. But then somethin’ changed. Some of our ancestors looked around and said, ‘There’s gotta be more to life than livin’ like wolves.’ They chose to settle, to build homes, to plant crops, to make somethin’ that’d last.

Not all agreed, though. Plenty o’ Wild Thalarians scoffed at the idea. Said it weren’t natural. Said we were betrayin’ our roots, turnin’ our backs on the old ways. They clung to the forests, to the wild rivers and mountains. Said they didn’t need walls or villages, ‘cause the land itself was home enough. And so, the ancestors split.

Now, let me tell ye, it wasn’t no peaceful partin’ o’ ways. There was blood spilled over it, right from the start. But those of us who chose to settle—we grew stronger, faster, at least technologicaly because what we lost in physical way we got in different areas. We built tools, weapons, learned to fight like armies instead o’ clans. We built villages that became towns, towns that became cities, and soon enough, we had walls to keep the wild ones out. Decade by decade, the Syndarians grew more advanced. Our armies marched stronger, our defenses were sharper, and we learned to rule lands instead o’ just wanderin’ ‘em.

The Wild Thalarians? Well, they went the other way. Livin’ in their clans, they stayed in the forests, in the mountains, in the hard places no one else wanted. For a time, they were a thorn in our side—raiding farms, killin’ travelers. But slowly, we drove ‘em out. We pushed ‘em beyond the borders o’ Syndar, into places like Krallhage, Skiaga, Rovashk, and Skallvork—places too harsh or too wild for us civilized folk to care much about. We Syndarians took the best lands, the fertile fields and the rivers. And the Wild Thalarians? Well, they were left with the scraps. Now, don’t get me wrong. They hate us for it, and we hate ‘em right back. We call ‘em barbars or wildfolk. They’re nothin’ but raiders and thieves to us, barely more than animals. But the gods be praised, they’ve always been divided. See, Wild Thalarians don’t trust each other. They fight amongst themselves more than they fight us. Clan against clan, blood feuds that go back generations. And so long as they stayed like that, we didn’t have much to fear. Sure, they’d raid a village or ambush a caravan, but they’d never unite. Never.

Until now.

There’s a man among them—Drogod Rakhal, chieftain o’ the Rakhal clan. Big bastard, ruthless as they come, but smart too. Somehow, he’s managed to do what no other barbar has ever done—he’s united the clans. Don’t ask me how he did it, but now all those Wild Thalarians, from Krallhage, they fight under one banner. His banner. And he’s got his eyes set on Syndar. The war’s already started, ye see. They’re pourin’ across the borders like a plague, burnin’ fields, takin’ villages. For the first time in livin’ memory, the Wild Thalarians ain’t just a nuisance—they’re a threat. A proper threat. And if we don’t stop ‘em, gods help us all, ‘cause Drogod Rakhal won’t stop till Syndar is ashes.
And you know what? Do you know what’s the most vile, disgusting thing about them? They went and mixed their blood with the orcs. No shame, no honor—just filth in their veins."

Wars... they’re a curse on us all. They bring naught but suffering—pain, hunger, death. But ye know who bears the worst of it? Not the soldiers with swords in hand. No, it’s the innocent. The ones who never asked for the fight, yet lose the most.

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List of articles in this path

1.Welcome
2.Look Around
3.Thalarians
4. The conflict
5.Wild Thalarians
6.Krallhage
7.Syndar
8.Back at home?

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"Maybe I’ll take your interest and turn it to the wild ones instead. You think you know them? You don’t. So go now... go, and see with your own eyes. Look for them. Watch how they live, how they fight, and then tell me—are they really the beasts we call them? Or is there somethin’ more?"

Follow the path of commoner!