Fantasy Draft (NO AI USED IN MAKING THIS) "Gods of Eurasia | A Goblin's Curse" Any thoughts?
“Sing to me, oh goddess, my words frail in your stead
Grant me breath I can’t make my own.
Ten-thousand leaves mark the foray for which you have left us
All made in your image, leaving us behind to wonder
For what bears your mark are we meant to trust,
And all else left for civilization to plunder.
Breathe in me your wind, return to your slumber
Come again when needed,
When all other options hath conceded”
The Gods of Eurasia | A Goblin’s Curse
By Christian Aguilera
“Hark! Pillage ahead, yonder, further! We know not what lies beyond the Aurelian, but it’s better than Port Hugo!” A captain barks from his perch tower over what remains of his crew. As roars of thunder pass over, he gazes upon the sullen horizon, seeking abundance of the highest accord, left to none but himself. Allowing his eyes to settle, amidst the endless sea of water, he notices a notch amongst the chaos, taking his focus from an impossibly large wave, overtaking his ship at once. He cackles in perfect attunement with the thunder just beyond them. As the boat is torn asunder, his crew looks to him in confusion, as their only source of light, soon tracking his unmoving focus to what lies ahead of them, seeing at last…
“Land, ahoy!” The captain remarks to his crew as each man begins manning his oar respectively.
Unbeknownst to each of them, they all had their plans of riches once they reached the island that didn’t involve the others. Of the 120 men who embarked on the original voyage of the Santa Aitana, only 30 remained once they managed to approach the island at hand. Landing by mid-evening within the next few days, each man began to spread out, some attempting to leave the group in secret, but all were gathered around a fire by the Captain. Words were said, toasts were given, and a feast was held with what little they had left of the ship, fish collected from the shores, and a wine the captain harbored for a moment like this. As each man gathered nearer and nearer about the captain their voices began to crowd, speaking over each other without thought. The crew drank and sang as the captain urged them to throw their clothes in the fire as they would make new ones more fit to the new environment of the land they’d discovered.
As proceedings soon fell quiet, and only waves could be heard from the coast of where they had landed, all of the crew was huddled up together except for one led amiss. An aethereal light awoke every crewmember, igniting every area of vision. Upon a moment’s thinking did they realize the Santa Aitana lit ablaze, sinking off the coast of where they had landed.
“Captain! Where art thou? Enemies lie afoot and hath set our ship alight!” The crew yelled out in the dead of night. Each member became on high alert in case of possible attack when they saw a figure out in the distance…
“Fools! All of you! Rest easy knowing just where your trust led you!” The captain mocked as he floated off into the distance in his passenger boat.
The crew screamed at the Captain, alarmed by his betrayal, attempting to throw rocks and sink his boat. Alas, a curse was dealt on that day, for as each man lie wasting away in the following nights, their fates were sealed alongside the captain, as they bare him these words:
Born upon the sea, a plague fills the land
An inferno illuminating all skies at night
May all powers divine before you stand
Their judgement containing your eternal light
For until this wrong be wrought
Your soul to heaven shan’t brought
May the winds curse your sails
The waves demand you shan’t return East
May all further generations of yours pale
Them granted the mark of the beast
Until your mark dispelled of its greed
May you be sat at the helm of Satan’s feast
Prelude & Praeludium
Just atop a stone by a fire, a Goblin, named Athanasios ponders how his day may continue. Athanasios came from the Goblin Kingdom in the golden city of Himenspire, known for its vast riches, armored walls that surround the city, and diversity in the hustle and bustle that filled each square meter of space. The Goblin Kingdom, otherwise known as Chryos, dominated in land, wealth, and culture among the native races of Eurasia, controlling nearly the entire Northern half of the continent.
The Goblins of Eurasia are a greedy kind of people that worship the God, Dionysus, praying one day they may be granted the boon of fortune and wealth granted to Midas many millenia before. Goblins were derived from ogres of a similar nature in looks alike, instead choosing wits and use of magic instead of raw strength alone to make it alive. Goblins specialize in stealth, making it in the wild by hiding in tall grass before pouncing on small prey they could get their hands on. The first of Eurasia to create melee weapons, specializing in daggers. Due to their strength in numbers, Goblins were quickly able to conquer every corner of Eurasia outside the reach of their bigger counterparts.
Due to mistakes involving mistaking anything slightly yellow with gold, Goblins were able to discover large deposits of sulfur scattered all throughout Eurasia, quickly leading to the acquisition of gunpowder, and subsequent conquest of all wildlife surrounding them. The fastest way to a Goblin’s heart is through a surplus of a surplus of a surplus of gold. Their love of the bright, shiny metal persists despite anything and has been found to be instilled within the mind of every Goblin of Eurasia. No one really knows quite why or how this love of gold came around in the first place, but the corruption it instills in every facet of Goblin life holds back the people from any chance of true prosperity.
The first contact with any sort of Human came with the appearance of the Barbarians, and their longboats armed by men that could rival an ogre in sheer fortitude. Unprepared for creatures burly as an ogre yet smart enough to tell their rights from left, the Goblins collectively fell back, allowing the ogres to bear the collective weight that the Goblins couldn’t. What persists now between the ogres and Barbarians, spans a multi-century spanning conflict of countless deaths and constant violence. Although the ogres have since pushed back the Barbarians back towards the Eastern Coast of Eurasia, their eternal war persists till this day, occasionally erupting in large battles that devastate both sides until one overtakes the other. Neither side could articulate the real reason they continue to fight, only that they have known no other life for generations. It is a common saying by Goblins that if war between the ogres and Barbarians were to end, Dionysus would descend, granting every native to Eurasia a boon of their choosing with no limits on what could be attained.
In more recent history, closer to the time of Athanasios, the first Soricians arrived at the Eastern Coasts of Eurasia, gathered in mass fleets of ships, rivaling anything they’d seen before. However, at this time, the late king Estevan II came to power, following the death of King Horatio IV, causing a change in Chryos for the better. United under a common enemy, the kingdom worked better than ever before to combat the Soricians from out East. Opposed to the Barbarians of a bygone era, the Soricians were what man is accustomed to in the modern day. Soricians were fast and agile, often boasting chainmail compared to the knights that led their armies, aiding them against the constant use of bombs by the Goblins. Soricians became the first real threat to Goblins they had ever faced, serving as a warning of ruin.
King Estevan II led his people into more uniform tactics of warfare to combat the advanced Soricians, utilizing battle lines, and immense numbers to have a fighting chance as opposed to the stealthy ways of old. The artillery of Chryos dwarfed whatever the Soricians had brought from Eurasia, however, things began to change as they pushed further West and captured their first sulfur mine. This advancement made by the Soricians drove them to inventing gunpowder themselves, giving them a fighting chance against Chryos, and inspired a campaign further out West. With heavy focus on conquest, the Soricians proved to be an enemy like no other, who quickly began developing the lands of Eurasia more fit to the ways of Soricia.
Following the advancement of the Sorician military within East Eurasia, things took a turn for the worse on both sides, following the Muejanaen discovery of Eurasia. Suddenly, a people, smarter than Soricians, bigger than Goblins, more mystical than the Elves of Alicia and the forests that surround Eurasia, appeared right North of the Soricians. However, in spite of their immense potential in conquest, they spread through common-settlement and peace treaties with small settlements along the North Coast of Eurasia. The Kingdom of Chyros hoped to gain them as an ally in their conflict with Soricia, but their final decision remained maintaining civility with both sides of the war. Despite their lack of involvement in the war, their appearance only seemed to fuel Sorician armies into their onslaught out West.
Eventually, the ogres stepped into the strife, as the Soricians began to push South past Lake Divido. In the midst of the centuries war between the Barbarians and ogres, they were able to collectively push back against Soricia in their attempt to conquer land down South. This pressure from the ogres in the South and from the Muejanaens in the North, caused Soricia to commit atrocities so large, and violence so deep that the King had to put a stop to it at once. It was here that King Estevan II invoked the Equal Conscription Edict, resulting in every able-bodied, male Goblin to enlist in the army to prevent a march on Himenspire from Soricia. This action tore apart Chryos from the inside, as children were stripped from families due to the endless fighting.
Riots for peace to be made with Soricia were demanded, and uprisings to the monarchy began promptly. Everything changed one day, when King Estevan II died, leaving Chryos without an heir, and the society at further risk for invasion of their capital city, Himenspire. What was once a shining city of gold, ivory, and bronze had been brought to ruin on the inside, only for two men to step up, and bring about change when no one else could. The Goblins Marqaen Quincy and Grudo Borulin acted as stand-in government officials amidst the chaos, forming a meeting with Commanding General of Soricia, Diego Peja, to resolve for peace.
During this meeting, finally speaking with Soricia directly caused Marqaen and Grudo to discover the weakness of the Sorician Empire, that being their lack of charisma to the Goblins. With subtle, suave styles of speaking, each Goblin was able to convince Commander General Peja to come to a peace agreement, giving them land up to Himenspire, with the agreement that the Muejanaen Empire would be monitoring, by given land, now established as the city of Zanoths. However, no further land could be conquered beyond Bowli, leaving a diverse zone of culture and land, leaving forest Elves to the North, Chryosian Goblins to the West, ogre tribes to the South, Muejanaen Wizards to the East, and Sorician Humans right in the middle, where entry by any people is allowed provided the proper documentation.
It is here that we are able to zoom in on our story, beginning around the campfire it all began, with the adventures of Athanasios, the Goblin of Himenspire, Malachi, the Human of Soricia, Ai’asta, the Elf of the Woods, Clotuali, the ogre of Fryemos, and Lazarus, the Wizard of Muejanae.
The scope of the scene narrows on the young Goblin, Athanasios, early into the evening, preparing for supper after a long day’s work selling bread in the town center of Bowli. He shifts a few coins into his pocket bag, counting the money he made carefully so as not to miscount inadvertently. His demeanor completely changed following a Human approaching him, contrasting Athanasios with his taller stature, smaller ears and nose, alongside his beige skin. Athanasios stiffened as the man came closer, making an attempt to hide a few copper coins in a pocket before sealing the bag of currency.
“Might I procure that bag so I can organize it with the rest of the money?” The man requested of Athanasios. His demeanor towards the young Goblin differentiated them further, giving his complete trust in how open his stance was towards him. With an arm outstretched, this moment was like any other for the Human, not knowing the internal struggle going on in the Goblin’s brain on what was the better option for him.
“Of course, Malachi, however, allow me to finish filling it with every copper piece I earned today,” Athanasios replied, quickly opening the bag and dropping the rest of the money in the pouch.
Despite his struggle battling with greed, Athanasios seldom failed to conquer it, and resolved to do what he knew was right. Time and time again he’d seen the love for gold collapse the lives of the people around him, and understood the steps he had to take to ensure he wouldn’t reach that point. Regardless of his biological nature, he lacked no wit.
“Made quite a bit of money I see,” Malachi said, opening the pouch to see the contents inside, before closing it again and hanging it on his waist. “How much did you manage to sell this afternoon?”
“Twenty-three people in two hours since I got there a bit late,” Athanasios replied.
“You’re getting quite good at this peddling, I must say. Someday you might be able to outsell my butchery—But as long as imports on meat remain high-priced, I’ll be ahead of you,” Malachi remarked, speaking of his butchery that ran out of his small house on the outskirts of Bowli.
Foregoing the hustle and bustle of the town center where business would be easier, Malachi’s house stayed near the unmarked forest, right beside the borders of Zanoths and Himenspire to have the quickest vantage point relative to the forest. Due to the winding nature of the path to Bowli, from the rest of Soricia, imports stayed high from the danger that lurked near the marshes, resulting in Bowli being secluded from Sorician information, resources, and culture. As such, residents of Bowli became forced to resort to native Eurasian resources.
“Thank you, sir,” Athanasios humbly replied, simply due to his knowledge that Malachi enjoys talking.
“You are very welcome, and while I would love to continue chatting, what Clotuali caught in the forest needs to be prepared. Ever since Lazarus and I brought him into the forest with us, hunting’s been a breeze!” And with that, Malachi was off to the back of the house where his butcher’s stand lies, as well as the group’s finances.
With their exchange over, Athanasios began to get bored waiting for food, and he went into the house while he could. As he stepped to the door, he straightened his demeanor compared to when he was by himself, before opening it and stepping in. Malachi’s house always stuck out to him due to the sheer size difference in everything, but as time passed living there, he became used to it. The inside space greatly contrasted his own back in Himenspire with his parents in how Malachi’s only had one room and was illuminated by a single window and lamp. Inside, sat a lonely desk and chair, with a single bed, all incredibly dark due to the window being covered by raggedy sheets. As Athanasios entered, he could see a figure sitting on the bed, with a certain air of mystery around them.
As he turned the corridor into the only room of the house, he approached the elusive Ai’asta sitting on the bed, appearing to be praying to something while her musical pipes rested by her side. Facing away from the bed, Athanasios believed she hadn’t noticed him yet, being so deeply focused on her prayer, and instead decided to watch her, due to his lack of knowledge surrounding elves. The mystical people of Elves tended to keep to themselves, not concerning themselves with the needs of Goblins or Ogres when called out for. Due to their close communion with the Gods on high of Eurasia, they were believed to have gained immortality and control of the nature they surround themselves in. It was very rare in Goblin history for Elves to appear, instead handling matters of the beasts and fowls of the lands as opposed to the Goblins that decided themselves above those.
Before the days of separation amongst the Goblins and Elves, Elves introduced each of the animals and beasts of the land, the birds of the sky, and the fish of the seas to the powers that reign divine over the land. Acting as shamans and communicators between both, Elves were the most valuable and unique amongst all else, with every other creature coming to them so they might fix their issues with the powers of the Gods. Their closest disciples were the Goblins, causing so much chaos amongst themselves, that they were forced to speak with the Elves the most of any other creature. It was due to this, however, that they had separated themselves connivingly from the beasts, learning their own prayers to get what they wanted from the Gods. Despite their lack of proper knowledge of these otherworldly arts, the first Goblins tried to teach their ogre counterparts the rituals needed to contact the divine powers.
Following their lessons, the first ogres attempted to contact the Gods to fix their issues of a lack of food, and were granted the knowledge of fishing. However, it was then that they left without proper sacrifice for what was given, insulting the Gods and becoming cursed with perpetual rage to blind them and hardship in any attempt to develop. Going to the Elves to fix their issues, the ogres unintentionally reveal the Goblins' involvement in the situation. Enraged by their risky actions, the Elves severed all ties with the Goblins and ogres, due to their hubris and belief that they were above the beasts and creatures of the land. It was past here that only when the land called for it would Elves interrupt any conflicts involving Goblins.
As Athanasios continued to watch Ai’asta pray, eventually, he watched as she changed positions, and began to sit still, looking at the wall while doing so.
“I’m rather surprised by your patience in waiting for me. I wouldn’t normally expect that from you, Athanasios. Is there anything I can do for you?” Ai’asta asked the young Goblin in an elegant voice.