The Tale of Two Brothers

Before the fall of the Kingdom of Floret, Vasldor Raum was not of Baephian soil, but a wanderer from Arasaka, a distant continent shrouded in night. He arrived on Baephios long before the rise of Demon Lord Krane, seeking a life free of tyranny and the chaos brewing in his homeland. Unlike many who came with dreams of conquest, Vasldor’s ambitions were rooted in freedom and harmony. He cherished the natural world, with an almost sacred reverence for its beauty, flowers above all, which he viewed as emblems of fleeting yet eternal life.   Alongside his closest companion, Kaiser Vridi, Vasldor believed Baephios could be a new home, free of the oppression they had fled. But while Kaiser pursued growth and dominion, Vasldor followed a different calling. He became a knight of Floret, drawn to the kingdom’s queen, Celestia Orchanis, whose ideals mirrored his own. Their shared love of life and serenity blossomed into romance, and Vasldor swore fealty not only to her crown but to the people and land she cherished. Together, they cultivated a small flower garden intended for the children they would soon raise, Celestia was with child when the tides of war swept Floret into ruin.   The destruction of Floret came during Kaiser Vridi’s Baephian conquest, when his imperial forces, numbering in the tens of thousands, advanced northward. The kingdom’s armies were no match for Kaiser’s veterans and his near mythic champions, and Floret’s banners fell one by one until only a single soldier remained. That soldier was Vasldor Raum, standing alone before the last blue orchid buds of the garden he and Celestia had planted, with the banner of Floret at his back.   Amidst pouring rain and rolling thunder, Vasldor faced the approaching horde. An arrow tore through his collarbone, sending him to a knee, but he forced himself upright, blood soaking his armor, refusing to yield. Witnesses claim his mere stance stalled the imperial line, his presence alone halting the army’s momentum.   Kaiser Vridi himself arrived at the front, his young daughter seated before him. When his captains urged him to give the order to strike, Kaiser reportedly replied,   "If we fought and killed that soldier, we would lose. Not to his strength alone, but to what he represents. Our very own goliath champion, Mister Serge is a one man army, but Vasldor Raum… he is an army of one."   Kaiser led his troops around the hill, wading through icy waters rather than force a confrontation. As they passed, Vasldor, drained of all strength, drove the Floret banner deep into the mud and collapsed beside it. By morning, the orchid seeds carried by fallen knights had bloomed around him, forming a sea of red and orange. At the center, where Vasldor lay, one blue orchid stood apart, bright against the storm stained soil.   It is said this moment marked a turning point for Kaiser Vridi. Though he did not abandon his empire, he devoted himself to Mardros, Goddess of Nature, and vowed to ensure Vasldor’s legacy would not fade. To honor his former brother in arms, Kaiser decreed that the land Vasldor died defending would remain free, a sanctuary for those who sought peace. This territory would later become the nation of Vasldor.   Ten years later, Kaiser’s daughter visited the sacred site. Among the sea of orchids, she found that same solitary blue flower, partially weighed down by fallen leaves. Gently clearing the petals, she is said to have whispered:   "Even if he’s the only one, a single blue can make all the difference."   Today, the Garden of the Last Blue Orchid is a pilgrimage site for knights and wanderers alike. To stand where Vasldor Raum made his final stand is to remember the virtues he embodied, resilience, love, and a devotion to life over power.