Warning: Mention of slavery.
Chapter 33: The Founding of the Alliance Part 8: At the Library Part 2
"Now let's get back te readin'," said Batu. "What else do it be sayin' on these other nations?"
"Actually?" Roland replied. "This next one is about you."
"Oh?" Batu and Tani chorused. "Do tell," she continued.
"You might get a kick out of it… or you might have to brace yourselves."
They exchanged looks and Batu folded his arms. "Let's be'earin' it."
"The people who soar through the sky. The aptly named Sky Pirates of Cloudcoil Canyon make their home in Snaketooth Ridge, the mountain range that separates the land controlled by Ding Dong Dell from the Heartlands. The Sky Pirates are descended from the Air Raiders, who were themselves the survivors of the fallen Kingdom of Falco."
"Falco?" They interrupted. "That's what it were called?" Batu asked.
"Apparently." He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know?"
"The name were lost to us o'er time, as were the knowledge o'ow te build and maintain our sky skimmers. What else do it be sayin'?"
"The Air Raiders took to the air on their small one-man flying machines, called sky skimmers. At the height of their power, they terrorised the land, stealing and pillaging resources and even people from the nearby settlements."
"People?" Tani objected. "That's ridiculous!"
"No," Batu said, surprising them all, his expression one of reluctant confirmation. "What they be sayin' is true."
"What?!" She shrieked, stepping back in shock. "But that can't be!" She threw down her arms in rejection.
He sighed. "It be a little more complicated than'ow it's bein' told'ere. There were different factions within the Air Raiders, we weren't just bein' one…" He frowned and scratched his head, "what be the word?"
"Homogenous?" Roland supplied.
"Aye, that. We weren't bein' one'omongous people. Some o'those factions were takin' people te be put te menial labour, while others were not agreein' with the practice."
"They were taken as slaves you mean," said Aranella.
"Aye… They were… It be castin' a black mark on o'us te be sure." He sighed, averting his gaze. "But that be the truth o'it."
"And are you descended from any of those factions?"
"Actually we be descended from all o'them. Slavers an' non slavers alike."
"But… but that can't be," Tani mumbled, tears now brimming in her eyes.
"It be the truth o'the matter, girlie, like it or no. Though it not bein' as if I don't know'ow ye feel. It were taken me an yer mother both some time te be comin' te terms with it as well, when we were told. But come te terms with it we did. An' so will you."
"But that's why everyone hates us, isn't it? Because of what we did."
"Per'aps so. But it can't be denied, that everythin' we were doin' as Sky Pirates weren't'elpin' none either." Tani hugged herself and began to cry. "I know, lass. I know," he said, gently. But when he moved to comfort her, she pulled away and went to Aranella instead, hugging her tight and burying her face into the front of Aranella's dress.
Aranella reacted with surprise before returning the hug and gently stroked Tani's hair with one hand. "There, there, Tani," she soothed. "It's all right."
"No it isn't," was Tani's muffled reply.
"I know," she sighed, certain she would be feeling exactly the same way if their roles were reversed.
The higgledies exchanged sad looks. "Higgle…"
Evan looked to Lofty, uncertain of what to do or say. "Pooer dab," said Lofty. "That's not the kind of think you want to learn about, is it?"
"I know how that feels," he mumbled, his gaze on the carpeted floor.
"Should I… keep reading?" Roland ventured.
"I suppose it be best fer the lass te'ear about the rest o'our history as well, while we're bein' on the subject," Batu replied.
"All right. There are conflicting accounts as to where the Air Raiders were most active, from central Autumnia, to the northern part of the Heartlands, to the northern part of the Summerlands, but all are consistent in one fact; That the Air Raiders operated from the heart of a dense forest, such that mounting a large scale assault against them was greatly impeded." He stopped reading to ask. "So I'm guessing those conflicting accounts are actually just the different factions?"
He nodded. "That they are. The Air Raiders were factions spread out all o'er the world, with strong'olds in forests all o'er the world."
"I see. But the people fought back against them regardless, and eventually their power over the region diminished, such that they were forced to abandon their base of operations and flee into the mountains away from the rest of the world, as well as the repercussions of their actions."
"Well that last part be a mite unnecessary," he grumbled. "But the downfall o'the Air Raiders were centuries in the making," he elaborated. "As we were losin' our knowledge o'er the years, it soon came te be that each skimmer lost were one skimmer less, until eventually, we simply lost our edge. An' fer some factions the dense forests what we were buildin' our bases in, were becomin' less dense, on account o'loggin', exposin' those bases to the likelihood o'a mounted attack. Those factions knew it were only a matter o'time before that were'appenin' and so one day, we reached out to each other, and eventually turned our eyes to the mountains. As we began our exodus one after the other, in each case the activity weren't goin' unnoticed, and so that attack came."
"Guess everyone had the same idea," Roland commented. "That they could catch you while you were preoccupied."
"Aye. That be our read o'it as well. The idea was fer each faction te be makin' our'omes in our own parts o'the Canyon, but in each case we were forced te pack as many o'our people an'our belongin's onte any remainin' skimmer as they were able te carry, an' flee te Cloudcoil Canyon afore we were properly ready. An'anyone that weren't bein' takin' with us…" He hung his head. "They were left be'ind."
"So… did those people become bandits, do you think? Like Tyran and his people?"
"It be possible I s'pose, if they were evadin' capture or…" he glanced to one side briefly, "otherwise. It also be possible that they were integratin' inte the nearby settlements as well."
"So it's possible that there are people in say, Ding Dong Dell who are descended from the Air Raiders, without necessarily knowing it?"
"Aye. I reckon so. Maybe Aranella'ere be one o'em," he added with a toothy grin, gesturing towards her with a thumb. "Ye certainly be'avin' the ferocity n'tenacity o'an Air Raider, lass."
"Well, thank you for the complement, Batu," Aranella replied. "But I'm not sure how I'd feel about that, if that were true."
"Some would find it a difficult truth to swallow, I'm sure," Roland commented.
"Indeed."
He turned back to Batu. "So when your people arrived in Cloudcoil, they found the wyverns waiting for them?"
"Aye. An' that were forcing us te come together an make our peace with each other in order te survive. Since it were bein' us against the wyverns fer so long, those factions are naught but a distant memory. Now we all be seein' ourselves as Sky Pirates."
"I see. Nowadays, the Sky Pirates are a shadow of their former glory, being far more of a nuisance than the threat to the peace their ancestors posed, though they are admittedly not without some clout of their own.
They control the pass that runs through Snaketooth Ridge, connecting the Heartlands to the Summerlands, so that anyone wishing to make this journey must first pay a fee to the pirates, before they are allowed passage. And they have been known to steal wealth and resources from nearby settlements." He snapped the book close. "And that's everything."
"Well, that weren't bein as painful as I were expectin'. It were lackin' a few of the details o'course, but I suppose that were te be expected."
"Right. Well, for what it's worth," he said as he reshelved the book. "Whatever your people did in the past, it's not something you can control. All you can do now is be better than they were."
"Hear, hear, mun," Lofty agreed.
"You really mean that?" Tani sniffled as she wiped away her tears.
He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I do. And I also think you've already made a start on that as well."
"Thank ye, Roland," said Batu. "That be meanin' a lot."
"Are you all right now, Tani?" Evan asked.
"I just found out my ancestors were slavers. What do you think?" Tani replied.
"My people haven't been very nice to the mousekind either, but I've always known that, even if I didn't really know how much. But I think if I'd been told about everything that happened all at once, I wouldn't be feeling very good either."
Her expression softened. "I didn't think about that, sorry."
But he just smiled. "That's all right. But um…" He clutched a fist to his chest. "I wanted to say that I'm here for you, Tani and… I know how you feel."
She sniffled before managing to return his smile. "Thanks, Evan."
"So, it looks as though we've learned about all the other nations of the world," said Roland. "Or at least all the ones that are still standing. Is there anything else we want to read up on before we call it a day?"
"What about Falco and that other kingdom we were'earin' about?" Batu asked. "Be there anythin' written on either o'them?"
"Let's have a look. I'm guessing it'll be in something about old or fallen kingdoms of the world… Like this for example." He pulled out a book titled Fallen Kingdoms of Ages Past and flipped it open. "The Kingdom of Yule was a peaceful kingdom in the cold north of Autumnia, in what is now called Jack Frost's Playground. The kingdom was populated by tomtes – beings covered from head to toe in thick white fur making them well adapted to the cold, and its Kingmaker was a large hound-like creature with fur made of ice named Cerboreas,Kingmaker of the Cradle of Crystal.
Yule narrowly survived the calamity of the Northern Rift, only for it to be tragically destroyed by a great battle between two warring kingdoms, during which a great war machine was shot out of the sky. The wreckage landed on the nation, killing most of its inhabitants, and destroying its King's Cradle.
Consequently all knowledge and information regarding its culture was lost, but there are rumours that the nation wasn't completely wiped off the map, and that many survived and simply went into hiding.
Whether there is some truth to these rumours is hotly debated amongst academic circles, but as Jack Frost's Playground is frequently battered by fearsome blizzards, any expeditions into the area are extremely dangerous at best, and so the rumours remain just that."
"Do you think the rumours are true?" Evan asked.
"I'm sure there were those that survived the initial destruction of their kingdom," Aranella replied. "But I cannot see that any would still be around today."
"And who were the warring kingdoms?" Tani asked.
"It looks like the answer to that question is in this next entry," said Roland. "And I don't think you're gonna like it." Tani and Evan exchanged looks at that. "The nations of Falco and Hamelin were two kingdoms that eschewed magic and Kingmakers for industry, but while Falco took to the air, Hamelin buried into the ground. Their pursuit of the field of technology led these kingdoms to become rivals, and eventually that rivalry led to war as they competed for resources to keep their industries – and their kingdoms – going.
Near the end of this war, the Emperor of Hamelin made the decision to turn to the nearby King's Cradle, the Cradle of Wisdom and formed a bond with the Kingmaker within. The Kingmaker, a mighty machine called Porco Rosso entered the fray and succeeded in bringing down Falco's largest and most powerful war machine, though at the cost of its own life."
Tani clenched her fists, her expression both devastated and enraged. "So we're the ones who killed Yule?"
"To be fair, it wasn't just you. And like I said before, you can't control what your ancestors did."
"It's still another thing to add to the list of things we've done," she objected.
"Tani…" He and Evan chorused and then exchanged looks.
Batu hung his head. "I were knowin' our kingdom were lost te war, but I weren't knowin' that another kingdom were lost because o'it."
"It's possible they weren't even aware of what had happened at the time," said Roland.
"Well that be makin' it worse."
"But what became of Hamelin?" Aranella asked. "I would've thought they had won the war from that account."
"But the victory it secured was pyrrhic as Hamelin exhausted the resources necessary to sustain its way of life soon after," Roland continued. "Having no other choice, the people abandoned Hamelin and began a peaceful life in the forest."
"Ah…" she said simply, allowing her gaze to fall. "I see."
"But it seems the descendants of this industrious nation have started a second technological revival centuries later, with the founding of Broadleaf. The survivors of Falco on the other hand, used their technology to form the Air Raiders, a notorious band of thieves and kidnappers, before they were forced to abandon this way of life for a secluded life in the mountains, as the Sky Pirates of Cloudcoil Canyon."
"And that be the end o'that sorry tale," Batu remarked.
"That part at least, though I wouldn't say it has an entirely unhappy end. Falco and Hamelin both survived through your people and Broadleaf."
"Aye," he folded his arms as he continued, "though it be sounding like the survivors o'Hamelin were'avin' a better go of it then our lot."
"Yule didn't," Tani muttered sullenly. Her fists were clenched still, and her gaze was firmly in the carpet.
"Aye," he sighed. "I suppose they were'avin' the worst go o'it outta all o'us."
"You said it, mun," said Lofty. He shrugged. "But they weren't the only ones now were they, see? More kingdoms beside Yule have been lost."
"But how many kingdoms were lost the same way they were?" Tani asked, gesturing in a random direction. "They weren't even in the fight!"
"Perhaps you should read on, Roland," said Aranella.
"Sure," Roland replied. "This next entry is about the Kingdoms of Halcyon and Cornelia."
Lofty stiffened. "Halcyon?" He repeated.
"Yeah. You heard of it?"
"… I might have. What does it say?"
"The Kingdom of Halcyon was a peaceful kingdom located in the northern part of the Heartlands, arising from the shadow of Ebbswane, the kingdom that stood there long before. Their Kingmaker was a long, serpentine, red dragon called Draigfawrlanlofft, Kingmaker of the Cradle of Light."
"That must've been the Kingmaker before you, Lofty," Evan remarked.
"Could be, mun," Lofty agreed. "The King's Cradle was empty when I showed up, and that was centuries ago like."
"The kingdom was established over a thousand years ago, but itself stood for only a few centuries, as peace eluded that kingdom as it did so many others," Roland continued. "The Kingdom of Cornelia was one of many other kingdoms that arose in the northern part of the Summerlands, in the region now controlled by Ding Dong Dell. It is believed to have been a nation of humanfolk, but it was not known to have had a Kingmaker to protect it, placing them at a significant disadvantage in the long battle for dominion over the region that eventually erupted, but also one that caused them to be overlooked for the most part by the other kingdoms. Although it was not alone in this regard, those other nations overcame this disadvantage by choosing to ally with nations that did.
And so following a great calamity that struck the world, Cornelia watched as the peace that had existed in the region slowly crumbled. Sides were drawn, battles were waged and all the other nations fell one by one until they alone were the last obstacle standing in the way of Ding Dong Dell and total control over the region.
With Ding Dong Dell's army bearing down on them, in desperation they sent out a call for aid through the pass running through Snaketooth Ridge, to the Kingdom of Halcyon, and Halcyon made the ill-fated decision to answer.
For even with their armies combined, they could not withstand the power of Ding Dong Dell's fighting force, nor the might of its Kingmaker, Oakenhart, and so Cornelia eventually fell with Halcyon following soon after.
With no further challenges to its authority now remaining, with this victory Ding Dong Dell's control of the region was now secured, and Cornelia and Halcyon became the last known kingdoms to fall," he finished. "Looks like you and Lofty were right, Evan. Doesn't seem like there was another kingdom or Kingmaker after Halcyon and Draigfawrlanlofft, so that must make Draigfawrlanlofft, Lofty's predecessor."
"Do you think the skeleton next to Lofty's King's Cradle was Draigfawrlanlofft?" Tani asked, now having assumed a thoughtful posture.
"It's possible. It was certainly long enough at least."
"But that means that Draigfawrlanlofft died just short of reaching their King's Cradle," said Evan. There was a sadness to his tone.
"Even if it isn't Draigfawlanlofft, assuming it was a Kingmaker of the Cradle of Light, then yes, it does," said Aranella. Evan and Tani both hung their heads at that and Aranella and Roland exchanged looks.
"Why don't we move on?" Lofty suggested. There was an unusual strain to both his tone and expression. "Seems like the littlies could do with some cheering up."
"Well this is a book about dead kingdoms," said Roland. "I don't think there's gonna be a lotta cheer to go around."
"All the more reason to get on with it then."
"Uh, sure. This next one is about Ebbswane. The Kingdom of Ebbswane was a kingdom situated in the northern part of the Heartlands. Studies of the ruins in that area have revealed building materials and architectural design from a number of different time periods, indicating that many have used the ruins as the foundation of their own kingdoms, the last of which was the Kingdom of Halcyon.
The oldest of these ruins is believed to be that of Ebbswane, which was a grand and sprawling kingdom in its time, before its fall some two millennia ago.
Its Kingmaker was Elegia, a beautiful bird-like being with plumage of the most vibrant red and Kingmaker of the Cradle of Light. She was beloved by both her nation and her rulers for her fair temperament and enchanting singing voice.
One day twin sons were born to the royal family. The elder twin was named Romulus and the younger, Remus. The twins grew up under the watchful eye of their parents, Elegia herself, and the people of Ebbswane, and the day of Romulus' Kingsbond Ceremony in which he would join with Elegia in a kingsbond and become Ebbswane's new king soon arrived.
One would have expected the ceremony to proceed like any other, but this is one of those rare instances where that was not the case. For Elegia rejected Romulus and chose Remus instead. Romulus fled the kingdom in a rage and was presumed never to return, but return he did and he did the unthinkable. Using some manner of dark magic, he stole Remus' kingsbond-"
The others reacted instantly in shock, throwing up their hands and taking a step back. "He did what?!" They exclaimed in unison as the higgledies shouted. "Higgle pig pig!?"
"-and took it for his own."
"This must be where Doloran got the idea," said Aranella.
"That's what I were thinkin'," Batu agreed.
"It's possible," Roland conceded. "But it doesn't explain where he got the power."
"Same place as Romulus did I suppose," said Lofty with a shrug.
"Right. Wherever that was. But the hatred and jealousy he felt at being passed over corrupted poor Elegia and transformed her into a dark dragon that ravaged the nation. Seeing the destruction that he had wrought, Romulus came to his senses and, working together with his brother, they sealed the dragon away, a feat that cost them both their lives. With their kings dead and their Kingmaker lost, the survivors scattered to the four corners of the world in order to start anew."
"Hey, do you think…" Tani began. She was staring thoughtfully at the carpet, twirling a lock of hair around one finger.
"What?" Evan prompted when she hesitated.
She looked up. "Um, so do you remember that weird dragon statue we found, in the bandits' camp?"
"Oh!" Aranella exclaimed, a hand going to her chest. "You think that might be Elegia?"
She nodded. "Yeah!"
"You know I think you might be right," said Roland. "We can all agree that it was definitely no ordinary statue at least, and it is in the right place."
"So what do that be meanin'?" Batu asked, his frown one of concern. "Is it dangerous?"
"Not anymore dangerous than it was before. If it is Elegia," he shrugged, "then she's been sealed away for thousands of years, and I don't think that's gonna change, at least not without a reason."
"And we've already instructed the others to stay away from it," Aranella added.
"Aye. That be true," Batu conceded.
"But maybe we'll keep the details of its true identity to ourselves," said Roland.
He frowned. "Why be that?"
"We'll be spreading word of an imprisoned Kingmaker, or ex-Kingmaker at least. It's possible that a certain someone may find that piece of information interesting, if you catch my drift."
Understanding blossomed on Batu's face. "Oh. Aye."
"But would Elegia really be of any use to him?" Aranella asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Well something's protecting Elegia's statue from the effects of time and the weather, so my assumption would be her Kingmaker magic. And if that's true, and that's what Doloran's after, even whatever she has left may still be useful to him."
"Ah, that's a good point."
Tani suddenly sucked in a breath as an idea suddenly presented itself. "Wait!" She shouted, loud enough to draw shushes from other parts of the library, as well as startle the higgledies.
"What?" They asked, blinking at her in surprise and bafflement. "What is it?" Evan continued.
She lowered her voice to ask. "What if Doloran is trying to bring back Elegia?" They stepped back in shock and the higgledies shouted. "Higgledy pig!"
"Wow," Roland uttered, though his expression was blank. "That is… quite the suggestion."
"A good one, right?"
"Oh yeah, it's a good one," he nodded in assurance. "A really good one. We were working under the assumption that Doloran's gathering all those kingsbonds in order to make himself a brand new Kingmaker, but maybe the real reason he needs them is because he's trying to restore Elegia?"
"Would'e really be needin' so many kingsbonds if that be the case?" Batu asked, scratching the back of his head.
"The sealing spell cost Romulus and Remus both their lives, so it must've been pretty powerful to do that. Breaking that spell could be just as costly. So if he's using the kingsbonds to substitute the cost, then, well… how many he'll need is gonna depend on how much that cost will be."
Aranella raised a hand to chin, looking thoughtful. "That would certainly explain why he would need to acquire so much magic if that's true," she agreed.
"It's also possible he could be harvesting all the available kingsbonds as a precaution," he added. He put a hand on his hip as he turned to Lofty. "What do you think, Lofty?"
"Sounds plausible, mun," Lofty replied with a nod. "Not sure it's such a good idea though, like."
"Well obviously," Tani snarked. "Given that stealing the kingsbonds makes the other Kingmakers go mad."
"I know, mun. I was speaking more in terms of bringing Elegia back herself. Don't forget, she didn't just "go mad" like, she was transformed as well."
"So what does that mean?"
"Well I don't know see," he shrugged, "that's the problem. Seems like there was more going on than just the kingsbond being severed, but as for what that something was," he shook his head, "I couldn't tell you."
"So we'll be needin' te place a guard on'er when we get back?" Batu stated more than asked.
Roland raised a hand to his chin and hummed. "I don't think that'll be necessary. If Doloran had intended to move her before he'd initiated his plan, then he would've done so already. She seems pretty safe where she is, so my guess is he'll show up to break the spell once he's acquired all the necessary kingsbonds. And we're trying to prevent that."
"Aye, true. But we should be checkin' on'er te make sure she's still there."
"Sure," he nodded. "That much won't hurt."
"If we do find that she has been carried away, that will certainly confirm our suspicions," said Aranella.
"It sure will," he agreed with another nod. "But her still being there won't mean we're wrong either."
"Right," they chorused. "Should we tell Master Pugnacious what we think?" Evan asked.
Roland assumed a thoughtful posture again. "Good question. To be honest it's pretty much more speculation at this point, so it doesn't really change anything about what we actually know. So I'll leave that decision up to you," he said, gesturing to Evan.
He nodded. "All right."
"Is there anything else?" Tani asked.
"Yeah, there's… whoa…" Roland trailed off as he read the name of the next kingdom.
"What is it?" Evan asked.
"This next one? It's about Allegoria."
A/N: The library was like the perfect place to do a whole heap of worldbuilding as well as foreshadowing.
Instead what actually happens is ton of crap is hidden away and only unlocked once you've cleared that part of the story. And as Roland, you run around the library, read some stuff on the other nations and then there is zero engagement with what you find.
So I changed all of that by having a whole bunch of stuff already unlocked, and having the party engage with what they find. But as for whether or not they're correct in their hypothesising, you'll have to wait and see. ;)