The Founding of Belava
- By Lucius Licht / 801, 4E
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The Genesis of Belava
Prior to the coming of the 4th Era, Sicherheit, the capital of Belava was among the many other fierce cities and even villages that managed to defend themselves against the plague of the Invaders, also named Khuurai by northern cultures. After centuries of having to protect and cultivate safety at the price of their blood, their culture was moulded into putting a huge emphasis on protecting their land and strengthening their people to withstand the never ending onslaught of creatures whose sole purpose was to wreak havoc in the whole of Tellus.
It should be mentioned that nearing the end of the terrible Dark Era there were only three cities left standing: Beoga, Lowe and Sicherheit. It would come to these to serve as stalwarts for the reclaiming of Altera brought to life by Ava’s Crusade. After the establishment of the Fourth Era under the declaration of Ava’s Peace, it was time for reconnecting the now fractured lands of Altera.
After the departure of Ava, her beloved children set out to establish themselves within the region and solidify her legacy of peace and prosperity. Such was the legacy that the Brave King Remus, first son of Ava, set out to Sicherheit to achieve at the age of 22, which led to the founding of the Kingdom of Belava.
Upon his arrival in Sicherheit, Remus was met with a city whose leaders were in disarray. The old houses fought among themselves for the throne and control, each vying for the newfound profit to be made with peaceful times, paradoxically enough. At first he decided to withhold his identity, wanting to learn about the city and its people, using the alias of Ludwig.
He lived in Sicherheit for a year, learning as much as he could about the populace and their culture. During that time he noticed that the king of Sicherheit, Arden of House Stahl, genuinely craved for peace to be found in these lands, holding many peace talks between the houses. But Remus found that the people weren’t as keen on that as it seemed. While they knew that these skirmishes and battles weren’t the best solution, they had been taught from birth to fight, to protect themselves and to never falter in their convictions.
It seemed like a fool’s errand to try and teach these warring people what peace was about, as it was a strange concept for their warring culture, forged for centuries in the heat of their battles for survival. Remus was puzzled as well. How to sow peace when all you’ve learned in life was war?
In his journals he mentions the one who managed to clear his mind on the subject. One fateful day he ventured out to the beaches facing the weißefelsen on the outskirts of the city, and there he met the one who would follow him to the rest of his life, his eternal shieldmaiden, Elena.
15th of the High of Achia’s Reign, 22nd of the 4th Era.
Today I met a strange fellow. She sat on the beach where I do my walks during the sunset, clad in full armour and tinged with blood from a recent battle. We exchanged names and I sat beside her, Elena. She asked me why I wandered, and to be honest I could not give her a proper answer. “I seek peace,” was what I could reply, “peace for this land.”
“I pray you find it.” She answered. “My blade was not honed to kill people. I honed it to protect them.” I heard anger in her words.
We sat in silence for some time, watching the waves go by and the sun set among the waves to the west. After some time, I asked her what her trade was. “I came from the north. I fought against the Khuurai that were left behind. Now I fight for food and a place to sleep.” She turned to me with teary eyes. “My duty was to protect us.”
And mine is to bring the peace Elena sought to protect, the one that I promised my mother I would spread. It hurt me to see a protector of the people be turned into one who brings harm to them. I asked her why she sat on the beach by herself.
“I wished to clean myself of my sins. I prayed to Her that I could find a path to do so, but still…” I could feel that she had no one to speak these words to. Maybe the gods made it so I was meant to hear them. “It takes time. And effort. It’s a heavy weight to carry, much like yours.”
“Indeed, these are dangerous times. To seek peace, I might need protection. Are your services available?”
I don’t know why I did this. I had to rent a bigger room. She sleeps on her own bed. At least now I have someone to keep me accountable on my goals.
Journals of the Brave King, compiled by Queen Iris, the Wise - 38, 4E
And so she did. At first, Remus and Elena worked as adventurers, setting out to make a name for themselves. While registries are scarce from that period, it is well recorded that within a year Remus and Elena were already seen as local heroes of Sicherheit. Archivists scrolls mention of his brave deeds on restoring peace between warring houses, justly punishing outlaws and making his vows of seeking peace be true to his now loyal companion and shieldmaiden, Elena. When he found himself worthy to be listened to not as the son of Ava but as himself based on his own deeds, the Brave King thought it fitting to reveal his identity.
On the 16th of the Dawn of Dea Lexi’s Reign, 23, 4E, during one of the few festivals where a peace treaty would be effective due to it being in honour of the Protector, he sat alongside the then King Arden and enjoyed the festival as an honoured guest, still under the name of Ludwig. At the call of blessings to warriors, his name was chanted and he was asked to perform a speech representing his fellow adventurers. And so he did.
Hear, people of Sicherheit. For over a year have I serviced you as Ludwig, the Peacebringer, with Elena at my side. I’ve bled for this land, and I would do it a thousand times over if need be, yet now, after proving my worth, I wish to do it under my own name.
I speak as Remus, first son of Ava. I came to these lands to plant the seeds of peace my mother so valiantly carved in history. I found hatred, greed and the loss of a guiding light. I found those who were once brothers and sisters in arms against a threat to their own existence clashing swords over power.
But I also found hope. Hope for a new life, for a new beginning. One where the tools of war can be used to safeguard peace, and not dismantle it. I found the happiness of those who could now live without fearing for their lives at each waking hour, and by all the gods I will protect that happiness. I will protect that hope.
You call me Peacebringer. The Words of Light speak true when they say that one must be brave to face the shadows that plague the world. I have yet to face all of them, but I needn’t do that alone. And Sicherheit needn’t face its shadows alone either.
And so I pledge a Golden Oath, and may the gods bear witness to the truth in my words.
My voice will unite the people, for I am the Light that guides the way. My actions will serve the people, for the Protector guides my hand. My sword will protect the people, for I am the one who brings Peace. Heed my call, and follow me into a new era. Follow the Light, and I will give you prosperity!
A remarkable demonstration of his devotion to Belava, his first act as the King was to pledge a Golden Oath to always protect and provide to his people, which he did until his last breath, after working endlessly to develop a robust and well rounded meritocracy system within his government. For him, every single person had the potential to achieve greatness, and he wanted his legacy to be one that others would look up to and aspire to replicate in the future.
And as his future, his one and only child was adopted from one of the slums of the now capital of Belava, Sicherheit, raised by Remus himself and his trusty shieldmaiden Elena, for he had lost his one and true love to an unknown sickness before she could gift him an heir. This child would grow to be known as Queen Iris, the Wise.
Iris made true the words of her father, for anyone can achieve greatness, no matter where they start their journey. In her own way, she was also a brave warrior of Belava. She was known to walk to the Great Library of Sicherheit every single day, be it rain or sun, to learn and study to one day become a worthy ruler of Belava. In her studies, she learned the ritualistic ways of old, and deepened her focus on studying the Essence of Life.
Some stories mention how she would say that she could always "see" her people by who they were on the inside, and not just the outside appearance, which some believe to be the birth of the most common way Belavans greet each other: "I see you". She would also study ways to better improve the lives of her people, and would always be open to listen to whoever wanted to voice their opinions, for she always craved to discover more ways to make things better.
On the grim day of the death of Remus, Iris stood tall at the centre of Hoffnung Plaza with her father in her hands, and with tears in her eyes made a ritual whose markings are still present to this day. No one knows what incantation she conjured, and some believe that she herself created it, but many accounts tell of how she gently put her father on an altar and spoke in what they could only presume to be language of the gods.
In that moment, golden rays of light came from the skies, and the gates to Light's Abode opened. The accounts say that Dea Lexi herself rose from the light and proclaimed:
In the Light's name, the Golden Oath of Remus has been fulfilled. May the First Son of Ava claim his seat at the Banquet of the Gods, and may his daughter inherit the Flame of Hope, a gift bestowed by my Word as Warden of the Spirit. Rise, O, brave spirit. Walk with me into Light.
- Dea Lexi, Goddess of Protection, Warden of the Spirit, 76 of the 4th Era.
... And the Soul of Remus rose from his mortal body, and after bowing to the new Queen of Belava, walked with the goddess towards the Light of splendor so magnificent that it blinded those of sinful lives, his body turning into a bright light and fizzling into nothing.
To this day the Hoffnung Plaza still bears the rune markings created by the Light that tore through the heavens, and Remus' last resting place is still there, a reminder of his fulfilled promise, one that still resides within every monarch that may bear the title as the Crown of Belava.
On the day of her coronation, a week after the events of Hoffnung Plaza, Iris stood in front of the same altar where she put her father to rest, and took the same vow her father once did.
To every living being under mine rule. I apprise thee mine honest vow. May the Flame of Hope be inherited solely by the deserving. For in the remembrance of the Brave King, all possess the mægen to awaken greatness. I solemnly swear, under the Golden Oath.
From hereon, to all rulers of Belava, may thy virtue be akin to the Flames of Hope. For the Essence of our kind is one of resistance and conviction. For Belava stands tall as a Bastion of Life and Light. Now cometh an age of Hope, under the aegis of Dea Lexi, and the Patronage of the Brave King.
Hark! Invaders of our lands. Thy offences shall be met with our steel.
Hark! Mine fair kin, for we stand strong, united.
Hark, O, father! For thy dream hast becometh a reality.
I solemnly swear, under the Golden Oath.
Mine efforts shall be for the betterment of mine home. Mine own actions shall be the testament of mine own strength. And mine legacy shall be to honour mine Belava.
-Queen Iris, the Wise, 76th of the 4th Age.
This is the story of the birth of Belava. Many try to maintain and uphold the values and virtues that the Brave King once settled, chanting “may the Flame of Hope never falter, for it is the light that guides Belava towards the future.”
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