29 Kingdom of Aachen (1/2)

The great and first wizard of this World of Agatha, Rumpelstiltskin, was a man of admirable foresight.

Of all places, he chose to build his settlement on this island, after being kicked out of Azov.

Aachen stood at the intersection between east and west of the Nirvana Continent.

On the south, the Azure Horn, a medium-sized sea filled with small islands watered is shores.

While on the north, there was Azov, a great forest, majestic and dangerous in equal doses.

In other words, unless someone would be willing to go through great hassles, this island in the middle of the Anawasi was the gate which controlled the route connecting the entire continent.

The gnome wizards made use of their considerable powers and magical knowledge. As such, Aachen became extremely prosperous and safe from pillagers.

As time progressed, members of other races heard of the gnome's fabulous wealth and decided to live here as well, under their overlordship.

Halflings, some orcs, but mostly humans poured into the island, causing the population to boom.

The result was a caste society, where all other races lived under the tutelage of a gnomic nobility that detained a great mastery of arcane magic.

Aachen became the first and biggest full-fledged city in this world, an exotic specimen that flourished by the river's margin.

Eventually, Rumpelstiltskin decided to step back from political life to focus exclusively on honing his craft and William, his eldest son, was appointed as the new leader.

However, even though he was a capable wizard and an astute man, his position as the lord wasn't secure for quite a while.

That's because, just like their relatives who still lived in Azov, the gnomes of Aachen also believed in the superiority of the Firstborns. After all, they were not only older and more experienced but also were personally created by the goddess Agatha.

The second and third generations were born in a much weaker and fragile state known as ”childhood”. Only after many years, they would become full-fledged members of society. This was a strange flaw which sparked the Firstborns' disdain.

But William proved them all wrong by demonstrating his great strategic mind.

And he did this by defeating Aachen's most bitter rivals, the orc tribes from the Eastern Steppes.

A great supply of livestock sustained by the massive amounts of grass was the Steppes's gift for the orcs.

Some even said that an orc child would first learn how to ride, even before being able to walk.

It was probably not true. Yet no one would ever deny that horses were an indispensable foundation for the orcs' nomadic lifestyle.

But, as the settlements by the river's thrived, those tribes began to covet what its inhabitants possessed.

Be it by looting or forced tribute, the tribes established their supremacy on the eastern Anawasi. From the source until the Chokehold, between the forest and the sea, no power could challenge them.

Eventually, they decided to expand west, but unfortunately, there was one major hindrance on their way.

Lord William took this opportunity to broker a deal. The tribes would be allowed free passage to the other side of the Nirvana Continent. However, there were two conditions for this.

First, no settlement under Aachen's rule should be touched by their rampage.

Second, the city's market would have an absolute preference for buying all the products obtained through the tribes' campaigns, especially slaves.

For more than ten years this deal was kept and, while other settlements dwindled and declined, Aachen grew ever more wealthy and powerful.

The orcs also found this to be a profitable relationship, as the pillagers gained a new place to sell their goods.

They also managed to avoid having to assault a fortified island city. That was a target which they would be poorly equipped to deal with.

But in the year 203 a.t.a., this agreement was broken, as Lord William denied them the right of passage.

The reason for this was simple. The orcs had outlived their usefulness.

Aachen had everything to become an absolute powerhouse, but one thing stood in its way.

That was the short number of gnomes when compared with their subjects from other races.

As such, they couldn't afford to fight long and demanding wars as the wizard nobility was too precious of a resource to waste carelessly.

For years, William made use of the orcs to fight this war for him.

As the tribes looted the riverside villages, they grew ever weaker and ripe for conquest. Many even took the initiative to pay Aachen tribute in order to avoid the terror represented by the mounted hordes. While others had to be made submissive by ”force”.

Although, at this point, little resistance could be offered.