colonization
Altamira has been in Tethe'alla's control for as long as anyone can remember. Even Mithos knows this, and he doesn't consider himself part of any kingdom, much less a part of Tethe'alla. The people there are fairly well off; they earn their living as farmers and miners, but they live a life of simple contentment. It's hard not to envy such an existence. As they are so isolated from the world, not only geographically but also because the only ships that visit them are the occasional Tethe'allan trade vessels, news of the war can take years to reach them. Some of them even believe that the war has been over for nearly a hundred years.
Mithos finds himself at ease for the first time in a long time when their ship docks at Altamira. They've heard that at the base of the mountain lives an unusual group of people: a town made up of any and all races on the planet. There was a ship bound for the island colony, and Martel insisted that they pay a visit to this extraordinary village. After all, it's a perfect model of the ideal world they're trying to achieve.
They venture across the island in search of the legendary village of peace, asking around at every farm and mine they come across. All four of them are greatly disappointed when they are told, like other idealists before them, that the village is a myth, a story created to please the dreamers. They depart the next morning, stowing away on a trade ship to northern Tethe'alla.
For a while, Mithos forgets that they are at war. When they leave Altamira, headed north, he doesn't even remember what they're supposed to be doing. Even though they didn't find what they were looking for, he doesn't care to leave behind the simple ways of life of the island colony.