Chapter 13: The Dragon and the Butterfly

 

As the dust settled - and Mitra's footprints vanished from the lands - the exiles began returning to the world one at a time. Those who had died before this time mysteriously returned. Those who returned found that they had little memory of what happened before, save for a great flash of light. One by one, they found each other and shared what little they could remember. One memory they found they had in common, however, was a single word - ‘Aquilonian'. The Aquilonians – as this group began calling themselves – took immediately to shaping the land, turning a hostile vista into a more hospitable place they could call home. They started at a small pond in the desert – which would soon become known as Turtle Abbey – and moved slowly north. Eventually, they founded their first outpost – Laughing Skull Village – which was quickly followed by a second outpost at the site of a massive statue of Mitra, which they dubbed ‘Mitras' Oasis'. Over time, the need for diplomacy arose, and they founded Silver Wolf Village, in an effort to foster good relations across the lands. As time passed, the land was tamed, and a great peace was fostered between its occupants… However, this peace was not to last – a great threat loomed on the horizon.

 

The Great Horde – a vicious and ruthless people – descended upon the land like a great and powerful ancient dragon, spreading malice and hatred anywhere they went. Over time, they took this moniker as their own – ‘Malice’ – wearing it as a badge of honor. Eventually, they grew mighty by attracting the dregs of the land – the low-lives, murders, thieves, and others of ill repute. They then began scouring the land like locusts, feasting upon the hard earned work of others until they were stripped clean of everything, taking pity on none. Often, after taking everything that was owned, they would ask for tribute from the poor souls, offering protection – but only from themselves, never from others. They would host banquets and arena battles in their own honor, simply to boast amongst themselves of their conquests, and to show each other the treasures they had plundered from those of the land.

 

Eventually, the Aquilonians heard word of the fate befalling the people beaten down by this great dragon the horde known only as ‘Malice', and they decided to take up arms. The Aquilonians had had enough of these wicked clans feasting upon its people, so they formed alliances with the other great houses of the land - The Watchers, House Asshuri, Publix, the Shakers and Risen, and the newest house to arise, E.H.T.C. With their combined might, they surely would be able to challenge Malice and restore hope to their lands. However, Malice themselves were not idle and had found kin in a group known as The Northerners.

 

The Great Alliance marched upon Pride Rock – home of the Mighty Dragon – in hopes of striking a deadly blow to the great scourge. However, as the battle appeared won, Malice struck with underhanded tactics! Indeed, there is no honor among thieves, and they set about culling the wounded of the Alliance, who had fallen back to the staging area to recover. They quickly wiped out the forward staging post and defeated the leader of the Alliance forces – General Argan. Seeing this, there was but one with the foresight and clarity of mind to recover a semblance of victory from the grasp of total defeat… Leithia, Queen of the Aquilonians and High Priestess of Mitra, reached out to the leaders of Malice and the Northerners, and through sheer force of personality and cunning, negotiated a truce that would see the brief but deadly war put to an end, with both sides retreating to their respective homelands. While they may not have won the war, the peace that was brokered would ensure that her forces would at least live to fight another day...

 

Of course, Leithia knew that the truce would not have a chance at lasting without some form of oversight. And so, she sent her most trusted friend – and newly appointed diplomat, Nisha – to the homelands of Malice, with the intentions of maintaining the peace between the two major factions. Nisha – who had joined the Aquilonians right before the Great Flash – was but a simple priestess when she first came to them, feeding and clothing the poor and maintaining the temples to the Gods. Leithia, wise as she was, saw in Nisha great potential, and knew one day she would blossom into a leader of the people; she need only be given a chance to spread her wings and grow. And so Leithia took her into her under her tutelage, with the aim of helping her reach her true potential. After much training and mentoring, it eventually became time for Nisha to stand on her own, and Leithia gave her an assignment most difficult – maintain a peace between the Aquilonians, and the ruthless barbarians of the south, Malice. It was Leithia’s intention and hope that this assignment would be the push to turn this once timid caterpillar into that of a butterfly forging Nisha into the great leader she knew she was destined to become…

 

Nisha said she would not fail her Queen nor her people so she went forth to them with an open heart and when they saw this most precious butterfly fly towards them in all her splendor they could not stop but wonder how they may entrap her to keep her with them. So the Mighty Dragon, that great Malice showed her their great treasure and their power so the beautiful butterfly became bedazzled by all their wealth and power. As she managed to maintain peace she also became entrapped within the dragon's hands, feeling soothed by the great shine of treasure and the dragon's sweet whispers of temptation soon she could not withstand the great hunger of wanting the treasure for herself as well. The dragon was successful in enticing this sweet creature so soon it forgot about the ways of its people the Aquilonians and those who were in an Alliance with them and betrayed them. She pointed out the weaknesses of Publix's base and helped them raid by assisting their fallen comrades in battle, she would carry their wounded and their bombs. The greedy dragon looked upon the butterfly with love and favor and granted her all the treasures of hearts desire to turn her heart away from her people.

 

The butterfly feeling full of delight and love flew back to her people in earnest, hoping to share her newly acquired treasure thinking that is where the desire of her people looked but she was mistaken. She came to Silver Wolf Village in hopes of praise but all that befell her was a tragedy. Leithia looked upon her once trusted friend with nothing but disappointment for she knew of her deeds before she ever stepped forth in the village for her spy had brought that information to her beforehand. As the butterfly flapped her wings and spilled all of her treasures before her feet in hopes of praise she received absolutely nothing but disgust from her people. Leithia did not say a word to her but turned her back on Nisha and demanded that her General escort her to the village's boundary and banish her.

 

While the butterfly wandered the desert in search of her dragon to clear her name and prove her innocence of the situation a larger threat was rising from the desert sands. Mischievous Panda was not pleased with the fact that he could not take the great dragon down so while Leithia was trying for peace Panda and his clan Risen resulted to dark magic to raise an army of the dead. He searched the lands trying to find any who might be able to translate a great and powerful evil book of old created by  Rotath of Lemuria an ambitious sorcerer of ancient times but none could help him until one from the clan of the East Hyborian Trade Company assisted him Ulrich Von Liechtenstein. He knew of the ancient tongue of the Atlantians. With this knowledge, the Risen was able to create a massive undead army to stop the advancement of the Horde.

 

The Great Dragon looked down from his perch and seeing the lands filled with the undead decided it was better to leave when you were ahead than having to fight to maintain power so they fled taking all their treasure with them. So as the undead army of the Risen and their newly acquired allies E.H.T.C. raided their keeps and outposts the Mighty Dragon looked behind him and laughed as he left nothing for them to take. With the thirst of vengeance not quenched and the hunger for loot not fulfilled the great army of the undead marched upon the land of the living destroying all in its path.

 

 

While the lands were about to be taken down by a massive new threat Nisha still combed the desert in search of Malice but to her demise found their bases empty. Losing all hope in her ability to be able to redeem herself to her people she decided to give up on her life and let the thirst of the desert take her but House Asshuri found her and took her in. They brought her back to their home and nurtured her back to full health remembering all the good deeds she had done before. Imun Khan and Zanjil had hoped they would be able to heal the wound between her and her people but as she looked across the lake at the broken aqueduct and saw the Silver Wolf Village before her ...her heart became twisted and her hate of abandonment grew. So the butterfly went in search of the sweet nectar of revenge hoping to entice the enemies of the Aquilonians to carry out her wishes. While she pretended to be on the mend and brought forth plans for creating a new market to House Asshuri she was in secret talks with the Northerners who remained in the lands.

 

Leithia on the other-hand was meeting secretly with House Asshuri in hopes of healing the wound between them. She felt extremely guilty for the banishment of her friend and after having many talks with her old adviser Brother Yig questioned herself as to if she had made the right decision. Overall, she had regretted her banishment of Nisha and had hoped her friend would find happiness once more. But even though there was little Leithia could do to remedy the situation of Nisha she realized the threat of the Risen was a much larger problem and an even bigger threat to her people than Malice.

 

While Leithia went on a pilgrimage to Mitra's Oasis in search of advice from her god Mitra, Nisha put her plan into place knowing that Argan would escort Leithia to the Great Lift. She then led the Northerners to Silver Wolf Village pointing out the weaknesses in the village's defense. She asked them to do just one thing, burn the village to the ground and so they did. As Yig desperately tried to rally the villagers to defend their homes it was not enough to fight off savage barbarians because most of the guards were escorting Leithia to the lift, there was very little the villagers could do but either die or run off and watch their homes burn to the ground. As the smoke ascended to the sky the once beautiful and kind butterfly just cackled and laughed from a distance wrapping herself up in a disguise and fluttering off before she could be caught again. This time the butterfly would not be caught but be free from all.

 

It was not long before the smoke was present from afar and just as Leithia was to descend the great lift that she saw the smoke off in the distance and so did her general ArGan. She pleaded with him, run, hurry, do not worry about me go defend our village. So he ran off with what guards could keep up with him and once he arrived at the village he slew as many Northerners as he could find but his vengeance could not be fulfilled so he grabbed as many soldiers as he could and marched upon all the Northerners holdings and left no stone unturned.

 

In the end, there was nothing left of them and a bounty was placed upon any who managed to escape the massacre and they were hunted down like the vermin they were and were eradicated throughout the lands. While her General unleashed his army on their enemies Leithia still looked to the bigger threat of the south and even though her heart was broken over the ultimate betrayal of Nisha and the destruction of the village she still looked to Mitra for help.

 

As if Mitra answered, Queen Jupy was brought back to life under mysterious circumstances and as this filled her with joy, Leithia was still saddened by the destruction of the village so her people built a new city and with the winning of one war realized they must be more than just a people but an empire once more. The Risen and their undead army were on the march to the south and news of a lost forgotten Queen echoed in the North.

 

The fate of all who lived within the exiled lands hanged in the balance....and soon the Aquilonians now an empire once more would have to act.....