part 2

OTHER REGIONS AND NAIM
PART 2

Naim region wasn’t that great compared to any of its surrounding regions, which all ended with the letters NAIM. The name was inherited from a long gone assassinated great king called Nainiack. As the elderly preach his tales, he was a well respected king who had ruled with liberal wisdom. His deeds had been passed from generation to another, but now, wanly his fame was fading off, and his tales were being taken for granted. There was only little left of him. His morals were vanishing; it all had started great years latter on after his death, actually, when what was Naim parted into different divisions of hostility.
Gonaim on the south east was the largest and believed to be a cursed land due its many water sources especially rivers that contained salt. The stones which were found in the shallow grounds of most of its rivers, if you could gaze at them when the sun’s overhead, they looked much like twinkling stars, sometimes like diamonds or piecing multitudes of eyes. In the vast stretches of its wood, they were a lot of strange unearthly sounds which were head when close to dawn. Some say, they were witches chanting to start their night schemes or chores, some that, it has been like that for years.
Ronaim was on the north where high mountains and vast stretches of canyons can be seen if one has the guts to climb up the Jada Mountain, the mountain which is the boundary between Naim and Ronaim. The stream that flows behind it, on Naim side, was always full throughout the seasons, they regarded it a mystery and was named, Hirashi Tears.
Gonaim was the smallest and was located on the eastern thick forest of Naim, a small defenceless region, with a small population of people. All of these regions shared the same heritage and customs but customs had long started to change. Trade was the basic scheme carried on to survive. They traded animals, meat, eggs and vegetables to those who were not fit enough to hunt, especially woman traded beads, precious stones, clothes and several other things they could make or find and suits the market. Partly man, they traded weapons, animals and other various things which a woman didn’t have access to. The use of money has not yet totally developed, some people not strong enough even refused money for their products and so it could be product to product.
The rulers were not accustomed to visit or make affairs with one another; there seem to be an old hatred vale hanging between them. The new majority didn’t care, it seem they knew less of their history. However, they knew of the war that had taken place twenty or more decades ago, the war which had left unresolved errors which the people didn’t clearly understand. All they’ve thought was that they went to war to fight for what was theirs before. But it was the other way round. The state rulers had this in common; they knew a great history of their forefathers. They were secrets untold to the public. The bare truth prevailed amidst those who were close to the rulers and few elderly amongst the majority. As a matter of fact, some of the stories which the new generation regarded as fork tales or lore’s were the legendary deeds of their forefathers. The rulers had done all they could to diverge and strip apart the immaterial wisdom from people, they had done pretty well, but not to the least.

In those days of Naimiack, Naim was a richly flourishing land, filled with milk and honey. The people were so attached to one another in all matters. Justice was there for any man. You could go anywhere and be treated like part of the family; no one could starve without being offered food with neighbours by. The people who were against them were so far away in unknown lands and were seen in great length of time, they rarely fight.
There wasn’t need to prepare an army for any attack, the soldiers and warriors, who were there, were beast slayers. Beast were very common during that time, heroes were only known through rumours and stories told with those who had encountered them or were involved in fights against them.
However, since the throne of kingship passed only from Father to son, a conspiracy rose up from the king’s own noblemen.
The noblemen gathered a mutinous army in secret. They slaughtered the king, his family, his advisors and close relatives. All the heroes who were known were executed; some of them galloped away to far away lands with few others to start their own clans and if chance given, to come back and fight.

Naim was divided, by carving it up into four regions.
However, this brutal killing of an innocent king and his close relatives caused enmity across the regions.
Seventy years after Naimiack’s death, the cruel rulers still were living, however old they were. They gathered in secret and came up with a massacre strategy of killing all the elderly folks of their time. It was the only means they find in order to strip apart history. Elderly were gathered together, in four regions, to them it was assigned that it’s a meeting to gather up some of the lost history of the lands. The executing armies were mobilised in the four regions and as ordered they had to go and kill the gathered group of elders in another region. It would seem that the ruler’s controversial assassin has been successful, but what they failed to realise was that in these seventy years a lot has been passed to the prolonged offspring’s. The truth was to unfold either way.

Though people questioned amongst themselves about the killing of the elderly, in the four regions and it all happened in one day. It was somehow a complicated subject that went from generation to another. And this subject brought hate amongst the regions, causing a great shift in terms of customs and living style.

In the decades that latter on followed, a civil war started with a Ronaim mob of the strongest hunters, the Ronaim state failed to calm these men and latter on decided to send the army to join the hunters cause.
The war spread across Naim and the west portion of Gonaim and lasted for several months and if it wasn’t of Gonaim’s monstrous blood army the war could’ve taken two or more years, it left a massive massacre on both regions and a longing for vengeance.

From then onwards the spark was still getting ignited, especially in weaker defenceless regions, there were reports of looting and murder. People were taken as slaves and were forced to surrender all their beliefs and customs, serving as slaves, virgins were shared amongst the army. Children were forced to look after animals, horses, cattle’s, sheep’s, pigs and goats; some were tamed to be soldiers. Young girls not old enough could serve in the lord’s houses and some were given tasks of sewing, knitting, and beading. There had nowhere to report the ill treatments they endured. Rape cases could take place anywhere, someone could get killed anyplace and any time. People didn’t know that amongst them, some were very close at blood. They were being raped with their brothers, killed with their fathers and brothers.

In Naim, the Roots were dust roads by the middle of the wood. There were thick stretches of different trees, mostly, grapevines, mustards, orchids and willows. Mostly elders, believed that a willow tree consist ancestral supernatural powers. They say, you could talk with it and ask anything, eyes closed and the moment you open them, your wish could be waiting. In most tales, elders say that specifically they could ask for food.
A wide tributary river that meandered through the eastern forest of Ronaim took most of its waters from the never drying stream, Hirashi Tears. Hirashi Tears, the mystery stream, also served its waters to many rivers across the regions. You only need to be firmly strong to see how this stream operates around. As a matter of fact, no one knew whether it was the same stream that had a waterfall on the west of Gonaim. People knew less of what lay within the thick woods and forests, you only have to be a beast yourself to roam around exploring.
Across the regions, most fishermen had reported the existence of mermaids in rivers, dwarfs, gnomes and treasures and other funny names resembling what they had seen. As well as people disappearance, bones of the dead from long ago—probably of Naimiack time as well.
Those who had never encountered all these events found it hard to believe.
Most of these stories were known by elders from their elder’s, elders and were not quietly accepted as truth—for there was the fear that this might cause war, hate and vengeance.
In all regions witches and wizards existed as well, and people were less afraid of them. In each and every region the ruling party consisted of great shamans who were learned men and women knowing all the arts of dark and light. They were considered as the security against the dark elements. But it crossed other people’s minds that within these people, they were those pretending, those who were on the dark’s side.

To come across the Roots, one has to use a narrow winding dusty road and when this road reaches the midst of the wood, the Roots emerges from various directions from the wood attaching to the main winding one. These small roads were mostly used by hunters and fishermen and came to be known as the Roots because of their shape. They looked like tree roots that had been pulled off the ground.

One without the knowledge of this area might have become lost, ending up wandering around for a way to the winding road – this might depend on luck which most folks regarded as omens.
The wood kept most of its secrets. The sheriff of Naim had been given permission with Lord Voster, the Naim ruler, to investigate after some hunting men reported what they had seen.

He returned with nothing to tell and that was why the sheriff got tired of these complaints and allegations. In his view, people were making it up and Lord Voster had completely supported him on that point.

It had been seven years since Lord Voster had inherited the throne after the death of his fellow king; he had been a great soldier and one of the richest noblemen of Naim and also the king’s right hand advisor.

And before his king’s death the high priests crowned him king, with the king’s permission. All the complaints started to be viewed from the sheriff and it was his will to take it high to Lord Voster. That’s how the politic issues work in Naim.

When someone committed a terrible crime, the punishment was burning on the stack, one of the practiced methods of death. But many criminals didn’t fear that since many illegal activities weren’t investigated that well and besides, the woods were a good place to hide in.
By now, some elders were passing on their tales and deeds to their children, especially during the night for entertainment, even if they were true or not.
They were just taken as bedtime stories and things went on– without records or corroborating history. Without much of clues of what’s within or what’s to come or what’s been.