Retrypes' Last Cry
A famous document from the city-state of Retrypes, this is the lasting legacy of the warrior city and its final hero, the Goblin revolutionary Kreng. In this letter, Kreng urges people not to trust the Stallbourne Court of Mercy, and begs for someone to help before his people and all others in Ishada are wiped out or assimilated.
Its last great warrior was a man named Kreng, who grew up in the days when the Helft Empire first began conquering western Elone. He did not get to know a free Retrypes for long, as it remained in a constant state of war and defense against the empire.
As the land around it was conquered, Retrypes remained a bastion of freedom, but this could not last forever, and Kreng knew this well. He was raised with a blade in his hand, fighting Halflings and defending his city, and he never stopped for a second.
Legend has it that Kreng fought every day against invading forces for twenty years straight, and that he only lost two of those battles (one resulting in the loss of his eye). By the time Retrypes began to truly struggle, Kreng had gained the respect of the city, becoming its leader (though he refused the title of King and denied any solitary power). Some claimed he was destroying Retrypian culture by rejecting the monarchy, but he said Retrypes had more to worry about than its monarchy.
A Warriors' Last Stand
The city of Retrypes was known, in the days of Ancient Ishada, for producing the greatest and bravest warriors in the world. They were unrivaled and dominated the region, and it is for this reason that they ended up outlasting most of their neighbors (save for Alzirgos and the settlement that would later grow to become Stallbourne).Kreng by Jarhed
Conquest of the Helft Empire
The Helft Empire started in the city of Stallbourne, on the southwestern tip of Elone, with the Fehm Dynasty first ruling it as a city-state like the rest of former Ancient Ishadan land. Under Estela Fehm, they formed the Helft Empire and began conquering under her daughter Adora. The goal was first to unite Ishada, then to conquer the rest of Elone. Lands that once were home to cities like Solonia and Epetros were conquered easily, with slight pushback and aid from the neighboring monarchs, but only Alzirgos and Retrypes truly stood a chance against the Halfling armies. Eventually, Retrypes would fall with the death of Kreng, and it wouldn't even be conquered. Instead, the city itself was razed and abandoned, as the empire's rulers at the time, the Stallbourne Court of Mercy, wished for it to die with its infuriating revolutionary leader. Even the Helft Empire had to fall one day, and it did, giving way to the World Court after it had lost much of its land and power. Retrypes itself served as inspiration for the Lawless City of Vitroveil, which was founded atop the site of Retrypes."It is the citizens that are at stake. We cannot hold forever... we must call for aid. Someone in the world will hear us, they have to."And so, with all the official authority of Retrypes behind him, Kreng wrote a declaration for help, copying it enough to send to every major city he could name. This letter was not just a plea for help, but also included a short manifesto of Kreng's beliefs about the evils of the Stallbourne Court of Mercy, Helft Empire, and a warning against tyranny. Below is the letter received by leaders around Totania in -91:
The Letter
It is in the midst of danger that I pen this plea, sending it to every corner of the world. While some are deaf to suffering, I am certain that somewhere in the world, there is one compassionate soul with the desire and ability to help a city in need. My people are being starved by the blockades around the Ethereal Bay, the numbers in our army are dwindling every day as we are forced to fight, and morale lowers each night with the sun. How cruel a force does it take to bring such things upon a people seeking nothing more than life in an ancient city? How unjust is it to tear down tradition in the name of progress, to toss aside decency in the name of lawfulness, to disregard common will for the sake of personal desire?All that I ask, all that I can ask, is that you send what help you can to Retrypes. We are known for working with a limited number of resources, and dire situations are where we thrive. Do you not wish to be part of history? To stand alongside the great warriors of Retrypes as heroes defending the world against conquest and tyranny? I hear tales of great heroes in Camor, of victories abroad in Udai, of great powers wielded by Korvians, of mighty Dwarven weapons and Draconian spells. Where is the evidence of this but bardic songs? Show it to the world in the greatest battle... this battle against tyranny.
Warriors must not beg, it is unbecoming of one who faces each danger head-on to prostrate themselves or bow their heads. However, I am begging for your support. That is the magnitude of threat that we face in Retrypes, the world's future in microcosm. If we do not win this fight, it is the end for Retrypes, and the end of Retrypes is soon to be the end of the world. Help us now, or Retrypes' final cry will herald the end of all free thought, and the name Kreng will become synonymous with common sense ignored by fools the world over.
Tyranny is the consequence if we fail. Not a kingdom to rival your own, but one to subjugate it. They do not intend to stop here in Retrypes, as they did not stop at Solonia or Tryria. Their leader, whatever power she has left, calls herself the Empress of Elone. The goal is clear: she means to take the whole continent. If even fabled Retrypes cannot stop them, can the Elves? Can the splintered Draconian villages or the Dwarven squads? Know that if you leave us to die, you set the precedent for a global response when they come for you. A threat ignored today is a demise predetermined tomorrow.
The Empress of Elone, however, is symbolic. She represents their goals, but she is not the threat. It is that Court of Mercy, sitting in Stallbourne, that truly threatens us. Faceless judges sitting in a tower, deciding what is best for everyone. Who gave them power but themselves, appointing new judges day after day. They want unity, but only under their rule. Let us call it what it is, not unity but tyranny, plain and simple. Leaders who demand absolute authority and claim all else in the world as an enemy cannot lead a people peacefully. They will always seek an enemy, and one day you will find yourself on the other side of the bench, judged by them as a threat even if you have done nothing wrong. One day, you will be the enemy of tyranny. Why support it now? Why bolster your own demise when you can, instead, support an ally in the good fight? Retrypes needs you.
-Kreng
Response
The letter was not met with positive responses by most world leaders. Guldin Nerifir, King of the Elves, sent one soldier with a letter saying:
Guldin Nerifir by Jarhed
May you find him suitable enough for your purposes. At the very least, he will die nobly enough that none of your rotten names will even register in the historical record. Then you will see the might of an Elven hero.The Dwarves, similarly, sent a single dagger and a letter detailing the purpose of the dagger in Dwarven battle and ritual culture. This dagger was made specifically for killing oneself, modeled after Kamejin traditional daggers made for the same purpose, and the Dwarves encouraged Kreng to use it if he wished to see how impressive Dwarven forging was. It is said that the Ophidians sought to come and help, but got lost or shipwrecked while trying to reach Retrypes, while the Mammen and Korvians sat back and made bets on how long it would take for Retrypes to fall, while also preventing any Orcs from crossing the Strait of Ildial to help. Brenvorth Taldis, leader of the Draconians, is believed to have visited Retrypes after receiving the letter, though he did not aid in battle. Instead, he bestowed Kreng with a gift (believed to be an enchanted weapon or magical tome), and then returned to Zephys. The Secci Gnomes sent a caravan full of food with Taldis, but no military aid. The only armies to support Retrypes were a handful of Crocution, Felid, Minotaur, and Centaur mercenaries from the Key of Beasts, as well as a small force of Southern Nereids. Everyone else watched as Retrypes was overpowered, Kreng surrendered (and was summarily executed), and the city was burned down. No one took Kreng's warning. No one believed that Stallbourne would become home to tyranny until Count Toll began warning of the same threat posed by its successor state, the World Court. And this letter would go on to be seen as much more prescient than it seemed at the time.
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