Day of Triumph

Legion Valley.

It is a small, ordinary piece of land, carefully tucked between two giant mountains that are identical in every single aspect. ‘Twas said that the mountains are there to protect this little valley from intruders, for anyone unfamiliar to the forests will only get lost in the trees and the greenery. ‘Twas said, also, that this valley is also the source of dispute between the two protectors of the mountains, for each one wishes that the parchment of rich soil between their mountains could be considered as solely hers. Throughout time, this little spite is never resolved, and so Legion Valley remained free and was considered on its own, separate from the identities of both the Mourn and Myrrh Mountains.

As it is surrounded by the unending trails of forests filled with animals both tamed and wild, and with trees both big and small, the people of Legion Valley – Legionairs as they are called – thrived on cultivating their land, and especially in producing hearty amounts of fruit and vegetables. It is considered normal for the young Legionairs to become farmers as they grow up, for nothing would have made their parents prouder than having their son or daughter continue their way of living. Of course, there are also those who defied what was normal. These individuals bravely went out of their home and sought for other places to go to – like Argoth City, a place popular to its peoples’ practice of blacksmithing, or like Populous Town, a place popular because of the variety of people living there, or even to Witching Beards, a place popular for its sorcerers and sorceresses. When these wandering Legionairs returned to their valley, they brought with them the knowledge they have acquired from their adventures. From then on, farmers are not the only workers in the area. Blacksmiths, traders, and even learners of the White Power began to populate the valley. But in some corners of the valley, like in Sierraville, the people remained faithful to their land and tended to it in every way they can.

It is a remotely peaceful community, undisturbed and harmonious for the past centuries. Rarely is it visited by mayhem and other forms of chaos, and this is often contributed to the presence of the protectors, who are christened with the names Majestic Moureane and Majestic Myrrha. Twin sorceresses they are, just like the mountains in which they reside in – Majestic Moureane lay dormant in the very heart of Mourn Mountain, as was Majestic Myrrha in the depths of Myrrh Mountain. The two Majestics seem to have none in common, except their fierce desire to keep Legion Valley and its inhabitants free of any harm upon them. For all their worth, the Legionairs are profoundly and eternally grateful to these two protectors, and they have gone to great lengths just to show how appreciative they are of the care that is being given to them. Animals and trees in both mountains are considered holy and sacred, and it is considered a sacrilege to hunt and kill just for the sheer pleasure of it. Old farmers are also fond of leaving their crops in the forests, claiming that, each time they left a basket full of their offering, a woman in flowing white robes and rippling black hair will appear. She will sweep the basket into her arms and disappear, her departure as fast and as silent as her arrival. Considered as goddesses, the two Majestics are thought to have been the reason behind the freedom of the Legionairs, as they have not been exposed to slavery and forms of harsh, inhuman treatment…

… until the very day that Cedric Triumph arrived. Bringing with him a league of about one hundred men, Triumph was able to use the tunnels and roads that lead straight to the center of Legion Valley, where the oldest and the wisest of the inhabitants reside. They seized the land, proclaimed Legion Valley as their own and forced the Legionairs to give up all of their possessions and belongings in exchange for their lives. The Legionairs are reluctant to do it, but faced with weapons they could not comprehend, what are they to do? And along with these weapons, Triumph also brought forth with him the Black Power, a magic so potent that none of those that know the practice of White Power could ever compete with. Faced with terrifying and dire circumstances, the once free inhabitants of Legion Valley are now slaves to the whims of Cedric Triumph. He used these slaves of his to build himself a throne, deep within the hearts of Legion Valley, and began to rule the land as King Cedric Triumph, the first of the Triumph clan to sit on the throne and become king. In a span of one week, everything in the valley changed. No longer is it ordinary, or small, for King Triumph began to expand his territory, never caring about the sanctity of the forests that lay just outside the land.

The protectors are far from being pleased, especially when King Triumph began his abuse of the rich, fertile land and its humble, submissive people. Yet, Majestics Moureane and Myrrha remained watching, with an ever finite patience, as these foreigners ravaged Legion Valley and its Legionairs.

But the ravaging of Legion Valley halted and eventually ceased when Lady Justice Triumph took the crown from her father. Being the only child and heir to the throne, Queen Triumph was a witness to the cruelty that their family imposed on the people. Not only did she took into her heart the rights of the original inhabitants, she also married one of theirs. Her husband, Diethren Duster, was no more than an ordinary blacksmith, yet this Triumph did not mind. They were wed, but the name remained hers, and she ruled over the land with a heart of gold instead of the iron hand that her father exposed it with. Now, the name Triumph was met not with hatred and bitterness, but with a renewed sense of respect. The pain and the suffering that was once associated to it lessened immensely.

For many years, decades and centuries, Legion Valley was a witness to the different heirs of the Triumph throne, each individual either lifting the land on a pedestal or plunging it into the very depths of despair. But none of the Legionairs was ever prepared for the day that Castor Triumph received the crown from his father, Augustus. King Castor Triumph was an abusive, uncaring man, his greed and gluttony unknown to anyone. He seemed to have continued from where Cedric Triumph halted, and at many times could be considered the embodiment of the deceased Triumph’s soul. Also a practitioner of the Dark Power, he was not afraid to use it on anyone who dared defy him in any way. Though she has the blood of Justice Triumph within her veins Queen Lyda, wife of Castor, does not have the same fair heart, the same kind soul. On the contrary, this Triumph only supported the activities of her husband, and even encouraged his actions. The Legionairs became slaves once again, pushed to the very brink of insanity by their King and Queen, who always demanded more from them: more food, more weapons, more wealth. More.

They deeply abhor the way they were treated, but what could the descendants of the Legionairs do? They have not the courage, or the arms, or the power to overthrow the hated Triumph Kingdom. Besides, who were they supposed to place in its stead?

Their answer came in the form of Gelion Pride. A direct descendant of Seinhed Solemn – the wisest and the first Legionair ever to be killed by Cedric Triumph – Pride has just the bravery and the means to display it. Recruiting about a hundred men – none of them ever tainted by the abhorred blood of the Triumphs – in absolute secrecy, he led them towards the unsuspecting castle and, while holding a sword to his head, forced King Castor to denounce the ownership of the Triumphs over the valley, and announce the end of the Triumph tyranny. Very much threatened, for he knew that if he was to refuse then he would be risking his life, as well as the lives of his wife Lyda and their son, Kendrice, Castor bitterly proclaimed the land as free of the Triumph reign. But just as the townsfolk were rejoicing the beginning of their freedom, Gelion Pride did something he was never expected to do. Just before he slit Castor Triumph’s throat, he told the fallen King to announce that he would be the next heir to the throne, that he would be the next king of Legion Valley.

And so the Day of Triumph over Legion Valley came to an end, for it is now the time of the Pride family to rule.