In a World of Death, Fire and Ash...
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This is a passion project I’ve been building for the past two months. I’ve always wanted to create a world that felt fully mine, and this is the result. I’m sharing it here to see how people react to the tone, the history, and the style. It’s a long read, but I hope it’s an enjoyable one.
Enjoy "The Horrors of Tuma".
The Horrors of Tuma
By Max Terry
In a world of death, fire, and ash, where the rules of war go unchecked, where many rose and fell. Welcome to Orith…
War is one of humankind's biggest sins. It is no different for the continent of Orith. Orith is a place of many names: for some, it's glory; for others, it's safety; for most, it's fire and destruction. This will give light to the atrocities committed by the Tuma Kingdom, known to most as "The Black Destruction." But before we uncover Tuma's monsters within, let's take a look at what happened that made Tuma its ruthless empire. In 1898, the Adriana Republic forcefully annexed Eastern Tuma for themselves. Adriana threatened military violence to Tuma, and with the Tuma Royal Armed Forces being undermined and unprepared for a full war with Adriana, they removed all military presence from the region, leaving behind supplies and people which it so desperately needed. The eastern half of Tuma was now the Adriana Republic.
Tuman civilians were enraged by this humiliating event, sparking years of pressure on the Tuma Royal Family and Tuma government. The event was considered a disgrace to Tuman honor and a disrespect to the men and women who fought for that land. The government's response to this event was a promise to never let such an event happen again, resulting in increased military funding. The Adriana Republic, having just gained this vast, rich land, needed a way to supply its soldiers by feeding off the land. Homes were raided for supplies, livestock was stolen, and if any refused to give up their homes, they could be imprisoned and forced into labor. This could be seen in an 1898 diary entry by a young boy who wrote: “The men in green have taken Father. He did cry out at them, but they came inside and stole our victuals. I am afeared. Will they take my mother as well?” This boy remains unknown to this day, but his entry shows the hardship of civilians under Adriana control.
In the early spring of 1904, the Tuma Royal Armed Forces, totaling 74,000 men, crossed into Adriana territory via Route 48. Route 48 is a small dirt road used mostly for moving mining supplies through the gold-rich land. It winds through seven small mining towns, ultimately leading to Coleridge. Coleridge is the largest of the seven towns and is home to hundreds of mining families who supply most of the Adriana military, making it a vital town to the Republic. As Tuman soldiers marched down Route 48 and entered the town of Coleridge, civilians seeing these soldiers in black and grey froze in their daily activities. According to local marksman Frank Burgorn: “Upon witnessing those young men, my heart sank, yet it also leapt with great joy, for it seemed our boys had returned at last to deliver us.” However, Tuma had not come to liberate; they came to conquer.
Tuman soldiers were ordered to stop in the town square, and Tuman officers demanded that all civilians line up against the buildings. These orders were not given out kindly, as seen in a quote three years later by Thomas H. Hall: "The officers were exceedingly harsh. They proclaimed us traitors to Tuma. I was but eighteen at the time and could not comprehend; I held the belief they had come to deliver us. I was grievously mistaken." Many of the civilians did not comply, especially those who had grown loyal to Adriana. Some did not come out of the buildings and were forced out by Tuman soldiers. Little did the soldiers know that the 23rd Coleridge Militia regiment was taking aim from buildings and alleys. Officer Douglas G. Hartman, who commanded the 23rd, gave the order to open fire, officially starting the Battle of Coleridge. Three Tuman officers were hit in the initial volley, breaking command. One officer, later identified as Robert A. Jackson, gave a very controversial order to "Fire on the traitors!" The 105th Royal Infantry fired on the civilians who were lined up against the wall, killing 14 people: Emma J. Sinclair, Florence T. Pembroke, George L. Bennett, Elizabeth M. Hargrove, William J. Carter, Clara B. Winslow, Edward P. Sullivan, Henry A. Collins, John R. Hathaway, Anna C. Fletcher, William J. Carter Jr., Thomas H. Franklin, Mary E. Whitmore, and one unrecognizable male. These men, women, and children were the first casualties of the Battle of Coleridge, which many would rename in future documents as "The Coleridge Massacre."
The surviving civilians fled into the side streets and alleys in a panic, though many who escaped the first volley were caught in the crossfire. During the height of the fighting, a stray Tuman bullet struck a gunpowder crate in the local armory. The resulting explosion destroyed the building and ignited three other powder stores, and high winds quickly pushed the fire across Coleridge’s main street. Despite the spreading inferno, the fighting continued until Douglas G. Hartman was mortally wounded by a pistol shot. His death broke the resolve of the 23rd, and the Adriana forces began to surrender, ending the formal battle. However, the end of the fighting brought no relief; Tuman units marched captives to nearby clearings for systematic beatings and executions. One Tuman soldier’s diary recorded the brutality: "We took the traitors into a clearing about one mile from the smoak. The boy were no older than twenty; he screeched and pleaded. We all took turns with the bayonet upon him. Johnson then pulled his knife and scalped him. He gave but one yelp... only once." While these executions took place, the remaining civilians were forced to lie in the dust as their homes burned. When Tuman soldiers questioned the destruction, a superior officer reportedly replied: "The town was irredeemable; let it burn."
The aftermath of the Battle of Coleridge resulted in 130–160 deaths, including civilians. Many of the men who fought were never officially documented by name, since both sides commonly recorded only the age and day the soldier or civilian died. The result also left many without homes, jobs, and family, forcing many to move south into Adriana or even cross the borders into Tuma. In conclusion, the Battle of Coleridge was hard on all sides, but the civilians paid the hardest price of all.
While this engagement reached the Adrian Capital of Mareton, located in mid-Eastern Adriana, the public reaction was a mix of grief, anger, but mostly fear, despite the city being hundreds of miles away from the battlefield. The true nature of this engagement shook the public of Adriana deeply. The same can't be said about the Tuman people; the battle was seen as a show of power, not just to Adriana, but to the world. Thousands of young Tuman men and women enlisted into the Armed Forces. While both sides had different views of the battle, that didn't stop operations whatsoever.
A couple of weeks after the atrocities at Coleridge, the 105th and other units continued their advance deeper into Adriana. Unbeknownst to them, Adriana forces—a mix of civilians and soldiers—began encircling the Tuman forces, who were now located in a smaller town only two miles away from the smoldering Coleridge called "Amity."The Tuman forces had stopped there to regain supplies. The town's mayor, Gary L. Stompson, had submitted the town to the Tuman forces. Although the town was under Tuman control, Adriana civilians still faced discrimination from Tuman soldiers, as seen in an Adriana boy's notebook stating: "The men in grey do mock us; they push and shove our people as if we were but lambs for the slaughter. I cannot traverse the streets without being met by their cruel snickering."The writer of this entry remains unknown. As the Adriana forces fully surrounded the trapped Tumans in Amity, the Tumans realized the town could no longer be held. While the Tumans started planning, Adriana skirmishers moved closer to the town and increased pressure on Amity by tightening the "circle" on the Tumans.Skirmishing between sides began on April 22nd, 1904. We know this because of an Adriana soldier's diary describing "fighting in Bellu Woods near Amity" against "the scums." With fighting getting too close for comfort, a plan was decided: a smaller diversion force would be sent out to disrupt the Adriana lines and then roll up the line until a small opening was made for the Tuman troops to move through. On April 27th, 1904, the plan was initiated. By now, the Adriana lines were positioned on the hills surrounding the town, so it was now or never....
That's all...for now...