Kazdel

Notes to myself

I'm writing this in 1086. It's June now, but I don't know the exact date.

My name is Ray Tanka, I work as a history teacher in the eighth and most likely the last nomadic school in the history of Kazdel. I have seen with my own eyes the Leithanien Academies surrounded by flowers and music, so I wouldn't dare call this shabby nomadic plate a "temple of knowledge". However, when our school came under gunfire, I decided that I must save those little bits of knowledge our people still have.

Twenty children have followed my escape, the oldest of them is only fourteen years old. They are most likely the last surviving students of our school. I have no way of knowing whose artillerymen dared to fire on school belonging to Her Highness, but I hope to avoid the warzone as much as possible and find a safe place for my students. The funny thing is, I've never told them that for the most of my life, I've been holding the battleaxe instead of the piece of chalk. If I were twenty years younger, I could've easily thrown them all up in the air with both hands and then caught them one by one. I didn’t want them to take up arms before they were old enough to put down their books. I thought that under the rule of Her Highness Theresa, at least one generation of Sarkaz would be spared such a childhood. After we fled, we had to walk along hidden trails during the day and throw textbooks into campfire to stay warm at night—I couldn’t risk the children falling ill in our circumstances. It's just that these books should have ignited the flame of knowledge and become the guiding lights of their future, instead of being burnt in the middle of nowhere.

Our past is so majestic and vast, the lights of our homes filling the night, like stars falling to the ground by the command of black crown. Our present is so narrow and insignificant that a thin metallic piece of our dog tags is enough to tell everything about us. The only thing in this ever-flowing river of hatred that others try to remember is not our name, but our worth.

The Originium has cursed our bloodline, causing those of impure blood to succumb to a early death. That's why I will never allow ignorance to become death's accomplice and continue tarnishing the innocent souls born to this damned land. Otherwise, how can we tell future generations that our Kazdel, our people, our history, and our future are all priceless? Is hatred the only legacy we have? Can it be that our only destiny is to continue throwing more blood-stained iron into the furnace and forge new shackles for our people, so that generation after generation of Sarkaz would still be prisoners of eternal war?

Don't I help the war by burning these books?

No. I refuse. I cannot allow such a future come to be. There's still another thing I can do, one more thing to alleviate my sin. Before the artillery fire interrupted my history class, I was about to tell the children about the rulers in Kazdel's history, their lives, and the shadows of distant history that followed them throughout their lives. I have a duty to finish this class before I leave this land.

The Last Lesson

I know, I know, everyone has been waiting for this class for a long time. How can anyone not like the amazing heroes and sages, cruel tyrants, and earth-shattering gladiators? However, why on Terra do we need to understand Kazdel and learn the history of Sarkaz King? It is not easy to find the answer to this question, and it has always troubled me — why should I tell you this history, is it only because Her Highness pays me? On the contrary, every child of Kazdel must know its history. We were born to this land and we had lived under the rule of the Sarkaz King and the Royal Court since childhood. I hope everyone will remember this question and will be able to find their own answer after this class.

Well, unfortunately, I think we just used up our last history textbook. It's okay, hey, little one, help me pick up that bone from the ground. Well, you just happened to pick up a very interesting clawbeast rib bone. Pay attention to these interlaced bite marks, here, and here. It is obvious that this clawbeast was hunted by its own kin. Cannibalism is a natural phenomenon that can be found thoughout the wild. Now, back to our lesson, assuming that the circle we're forming around campfire is whole of Terra, I will try to use this bone to draw Kazdel.

Our Kazdel, Kazdel of Sarkaz, is... here.

As you can see, Kazdel is hardly vast — it's just a vague, small circle compared to whole Terra. I can't even outline a clear boundary for it. Yes, this is the entire territory controlled by Sarkaz King. It is barely stitched together by the fragile alliance between the clans of Royal Court. It is always exposed to catastrophes and turmoils. This is where the home of Sarkaz is located. To the west of Kazdel, the Spires of Leithanien stand proudly in their "Golden Rhythm". To the north, the warships of Ursus stand in dark clouds, To the south, the mines of Rim Billiton drain the lifeblood of all industrial civilizations. In the east stands Great Yan, surrounded by lights of lanterns and endless music. As for our Kazdel, it will always wander in the narrow cracks, keeping a distance from those powerful empires whose very names shine with glory, while our homeland has never even been regarded as a country.

No, my dear, it's not all out of ignorance. While other nations are singing triumphant songs after entering the Originium Age, we are still struggling, caught between a rock and a hard place. The expeditions of Victoria, Gaul, and Leithanien left ruins in their wake. It wasn't until Her Highness Theresa became the Sarkaz King that under her orders, the Royal Court began to dismantle the ruins of the old Kazdel City and build Kazdel's first and only nomadic city. According to records left by a court scribe, the Gargoyles carved the blueprint of future city into the ground, the Goliaths dismantled the remains of the old city, and the Vampires and the Banshee collected the reactor parts from all around the Terra. Wendigos and Nachzehrers were patrolling the plains surrounding construction sight, so that even featherbeast couldn't reveal the secret of a rising nomadic city of Sarkaz. Even the Liches who had been always hiding in their libraries, decided to give their wisdom to Her Highness, while the Confessarii reminded Her Highness of our long-lost compatriots, incorporeal Revenants, damned to suffer forever, and suggested that new nomadic city must be suitable for their residence. Although the unity forged by the war did not last long, at that time, every Sarkaz in Kazdel was hoping that the rise of this city would change their destiny.

Today, two hundred years later, the city also named "Kazdel" is faring in the middle of a circle that once was Kazdel's only urban sewerage. I happened to walk on the streets of that city twenty years ago. I thought I would see a majestic palace comparable to Londinium, the stern headquarters of the Military Commission, and the ancient monuments of Kazdel. But what I actually saw was a steel moving monolith, its living quarters piled at the base of the factory, wrapped in metal. The forge filled with Originium and iron was screaming day and night, spewing glittering dust into the air, leaving imminent Originium thunderclouds in its wake. It's like the city itself was rumbling and roaring. I wept quietly on the roadside until Kazdel's beating steel heart became blurry in my eyes. Standing there stunned, I felt as if I was right next to Her Majesty Theresa two hundred years ago, witnessing her personally drawing a blueprint for the future of Kazdel.

My dear students, how I wish I could take you to see that city with your own eyes. I will never forget that magnificent sight. I hope that you will remember this scene I described for the rest of our class: while learning the history of Kazdel, we must look beyond the majestic swords and arts of Sarkaz Kings, and beyond their Black Crown. The true power of that Crown is to observe current era and understand the true potential of Sarkaz — that is the power enough to change history.

The Rise of the First Demon King

So, let’s start with the first the First Demon King.

Although we are too far away from our original homeland and we can neither rely on any archaeological evidence to confirm his existence, nor can we rewind the thousands of years of Sarkaz history to find reliable records that have been lost forever, we still are able to pick up the little fragments of history and piece them together to recreate the image of the first Teekaz Demon King. We believe that the first Teekaz Demon King who was responsible for the rise of Teekaz civilization and built the original Kazdel — "the place where home is" — was also the first sinner recorded in the history of Teekaz civilization. He is known as "The Outcast".

Originally there was neither Kazdel, nor its Demon King. The members of the species we came from lived in a very dangerous environment and as far as we know, were hunting in packs. During the day, they ran and crawled through the underground "Silver Mountains" , collecting clean water and hunting members of other packs, but when night fell, they had to quickly return to the surface, otherwise the looming metal and invisible fire would kill anyone stranded inside. Can you believe it, children? The environment back then was even worse than it is now. Just imagine how fragile were those hunter-gatherers. How they were struggling for survival their entire life.

During a year of famine, which were commonplace back then, one man committed a crime: a hunter suddenly decided to stop feeding on his own kind. He was still willing to provide for his fellow packmates, but he refused to eat his prey. Yes, that's it. In our prehistoric days, killing and eating each other was as common and necessary as breathing the air. It kept you and your packmates alive, while conscience could bring you death. If you think this is too cruel, take another look at this bone. If an extremely hungry clawbeast is unwilling to join the pack in gnawing on its kin's bones, will it still have the strength to participate in the hunt? If it does not participate in the hunt, why should the pack share its prey with it? This is the logic of beasts, and then we were no different from them.

Because of that, his packmates decided to put the hunter on trial. It was called a "trial" because they decided not to devour the hunter's body, but to drive him away, as he was considered poisonous. The hunter was exiled, slowly droven beneath the plains under the watchful eyes of his former pack towards the Silver Mountains below. They would not allow him to return to the plains, and no one believed he would survive even a single night. However after daylight came to the plains for third thousandth time, a sinner appeared with a black crown on his head. He had withered down to his bones, hungry and thirsty, walking in unsteady steps, with his suffering body transformed and mutilated. However, we all here can see very well what kind of transformation he has gone through. The barbaric days of cannibalism were about to become a thing of the past.

The Outcast came to the hunter-gatherers who preyed on each other, and taught them how to survive the night unscathed and become its masters. His former packmates that once banished him, conquered the Silver Mountains together with him. They were no longer growling and screaming uncomprehesibly but were learning to speak a true language to soothe the underground raging spirits. A new word, a new name spread with the birth of the new language. This word was "Teekaz" — their new name, that meant "those own the homeland". The crowned hunter became King of Teekaz and the very first Demon King in history. We don't how exactly Demon King influenced those ancient Teekaz. How exactly people that were hunting each other just yesterday, managed to change themselves and start building their new home together in such short period of time? The first city in history of Terra named "the homeland" stood between the mountains hidden beneath the plains. This city was not only the starting point of the bloodlines of the Royal Court and a symbol of the heyday of the Teekaz civilization, but its name would also be used in subsequent history, Infused with our blood and soul. The completion of Kazdel heralded the beginning of Teekaz civilization and its final emergence from the barbaric state. The First Demon King's rule lasted for thousand years. He ordered the construction of more towns and conquered more "underground mountains". However, the Outcast also ordered to tightly seal them and strictly prohibited anyone from entering. The Demon King warned his people that not all mountains could be soothed by Teekaz words, and going there could lead to dire consequences. This taboo was strictly enforced during the reign of the first Demon King, until the Great War... Yes, it was that war, the first battle between Teekaz and the Elders and Ancients. It was the starting point of Sarkaz life in exile.

The First Great War and Fall of Kazdel

The history of this war is more complicated than the life of Demon King. There are countless legends, poems and ballads describing that era, enough for anyone to study for a lifetime. However, we have never been able to accurately summarize the beginning and end of this war, and there are countless story versions that have been pieced together. Nowadays, expressing an opinion on this ancient war is equivalent to declaring your political stance. If someone particularly dislikes your stand on the matter, then you'd better completely dissapear from their sight and go somewhere else. For example, become a teacher in nomadic school.

I have always believed that it is not accurate to use a term "war" to summarize the thousand year period spanning from the "descend" of Elders and Ancients (around 9000 BC) to the destruction of the first Kazdel (around 8000 BC). I think this simple term obscures the complexity of that era. Yes, the Elders and Ancients have brought us indelible suffering, taken away our homeland, reduced us to Sarkaz, started calling us "Devils". These are all irrefutable facts, but it was not so simple. In a series of early encounters that occured soon after the "descend", ancient Teekaz ballads call the leaders of the "divine people" as "overlords" and the Ancients as their docile servants and soldiers. The Elders were as intellegent as Teekaz during the first contact and were able to "steal sunlight." The Ancients were simple-minded but numerous and reproduced very quickly. No one knows where these invaders came from, and why after ruling the Terra for generations Teekaz suddenly found themselves surrounded by a group aggresive neighbours.

In the next thousand years, the Teekaz civilization became increasingly unable to resist the invasion of "overlords". The Teekaz clans repeatedly had to abandon their homes and retreat to Kazdel or begin their journey into exile. On the surface, this does look like a war that we were losing. But we must realize that although the Teekaz civilization shared a common language, our ancestors still lived in scattered and isolated clan settlements. Full-fledged unification and mobilization were impossible in such circumstances. At the same time, we have every reason to believe that there were more than two sides in this conflict — the disputed over blood, culture and land occred not only between Teekaz and Elders, but also between Elders themselves. Among all those conflicts, perhaps only the siege of Kazdel can be compared to the "ancient total war". But even during that battle, the forces of each side only consisted of "several dozens Elder overlords" and "Teekaz clans guarding the Demon King." I think rather than Teekaz civilization losing an ancient war, it was a competition for survival that lasted for thousands of years My point of view contradicts to my former colleagues, who believe that "Teekaz were defeated in noble battle against filthy invaders".

Why, faced with the plight of the Teekaz civilization, The Outcast couldn't do anything, you ask? Why the first Demon King who created our civilization allowed it to fall? What was he doing during the Fall of Kazdel? From this point on, the story we have pieced together begins to fall apart as the historical records decrease with the fall of ancient Teekaz civilization. Some scholars wrote that The Outcast once again committed a deadly sin, awakening the "suffering one" sleeping in the cradle and subjecting Teekaz to eternal damnation. Some ballads sang that in his wisdom he enlighted the Teekaz and created ancient witchcraft to figh Elder invaders. This witchraft later became the basis for modern Sarkaz rituals. There are murals suggesting that he had lifted the seal and sent warriors to the silent Silver Mountains to explore the areas that had been sealed by his own strict orders. For a thousand years, The Outcast made countless attempts to change Teekaz fate, but history still ruthlessly crushed the Demon King and his kingdom.

In Kazdel last days, the Demon King did not leave his city, but disappeared in a sudden and terrifying whirlpool along with Elder overlords and their armies that besieged the city. The Elder armies covered the sky, and a wise man among them came to The Outcast and asked the Demon King to hand over the city in the language of Teekaz. In exchange, Elders promised to spare fleeing Teekaz. They had no longer needed to kill anyone, because they became the new masters of this land. Elders' target was the source of Demon King power, and they believed that they could find it in Kazdel underground. The Outcast had a long conversation with enemy's envoy. Finally, said to Demon King that he and his people must "leave towards the eastern sky" before the war drums sounded for the third time. The earth trembled in the echoes of the battle, but it was soon overshadowed by the emerged catastrophe and disappearance of the sun. Teekaz, who managed to flee form Kazdel, walked through eternal night until their toes and claws were polished and the newborn baby learned to walk, and only then they saw the light of sun again. When they looked back to where the city once stood, all they could see were dark soil and boiling darkness, surrounding everything.

Don't worry, I know all of you have a ton of questions to ask. But while learning the history of Sarkaz, we must have the courage to admit that events so ancient are akin to a roll of gauze filled with riddles, which can be easily torn apart. It has been suggested that in the era of ancient Teekaz, our ancestors probably believed that history should not be recorded in its entirety. The history of ancient Teekaz is the epic they wrote for themselves: "what should be should trump what is", and "the ballad is better than the fact". They thought that there is no future in the truth. So what was the first Demon King's name? Which Teekaz bloodline did he belong to? Who was that "suffering one" that slept in the cradle? Does "eternal damnation" refer to Oripathy? Maybe some kind of curse that made us susceptible to Originium? What are those "Silver Mountains" that appeared in ancient historical records? Where are they now? What is the fate of Teekaz warriors who were sent there? Why was the unyielding Kazdel destroyed by an unprovoked catastrophe? How big a catastrophe could cause an eclipse, lasting until "the newborn learned to walk"? Or maybe that Kazdel is just a fiction, and the Demon King who created our civilization but lost it is but a symbol our ancestors created to carry the painful history of Sarkaz?

No, my dear, I'm not saying that our history is a fiction. Instead, I hope that you will always ask questions after every lesson I teach — unsolved mysteries that are vital to the study of our history don't only belong to our ancestors, they belong to us as well. It is also important to understand how ancient people described the flow of history. By studying numerous sources that have been faked and slandered countless times, we can supplement the scarce historical data and grasp the truth of history. For example, one would think that the disdainful name of The Outcast would be erased when he became the Demon King. Instead, it has become a cultural image with remarkable staying power in our fault-filled history. This remained the case even during the times of the Second Demon King.

Two thousands years of Exile

1

"I also want to help you, brave travelers." said the voice in the darkness, "but I have been thirsty for two thousand years, and you have to fill my cup." — Sakaz fairy tale

No matter how many unsolved historical mysteries remain about the final days of the Teekaz civilization, the fall of Kazdel has left a painful scar on our history. Hundreds of clans perished during the Fall of Kazdel, but at least they were remembered. Much greater number of clans faced the fate of quietly disappearing in a span of centuries. Teekaz have not only lost their cities: they have lost all the glorious achievements of a civilization that once dominated Terra.

From that time on, we were no longer called Teekaz, “those who own a home”.
After generations of exile we have become Sarkaz, "those who own nothing".

The following era of exile was characterized by the period of drastic changes in the distribution of Sarkaz population. The exile era lasted between 8000 BC and 6000 BC. The Sakaz who were expelled from their homeland migrated long distances across the Terra, and most of the population came to the area most know as Kazdel today. This unprecedented migration lasted for a hundred generations. Modern historical studies have added a stricter definition to the beginning and end of this period and say that it lasted from the fall of the first Kazdel until the establishment of the Royal Court by the Demon King Kollam. We call two thousand years during this period the "Era of Exile" of Sarkaz. Many believe that Sarkaz time in exile is still far from over, a view that is apparently extremely popular among supporters of the Millitary Commision.

Children, while we are wandering, a war is going on, and Kazdel shows its cruel side again. I don't know if you can imagine that the sufferings Sakaz endured during exile were a hundred times more severe than what we are experiencing now.

During my previous... I guess, you could call it a job, I went to Leithanien, where I happened to meet quite a few Caprinae who were very proud of their knowledge. One of them asked me: why are Sarkaz so keen on fabricating the history of their suffering, especially the history of their exile? In order to prevent me from seeing this question as a provocation, he also given the Nightzmora conquest as an example: If Nightzmora Khan could raze whole Terra from east to west in a few years, why did the self-proclaimed powerful Sarkaz spend thousands of years in exile? Weren't Nightzmora also considered enemies by whole world?

Was I angry? No, I was relieved. He proved that ignorance has nothing to do with race or nationality. Kharanduu Khagan is said to have promoted levies from among his enemies to help the Nightzmora control conquered lands, demanding everything he needed to support an army. Historical records say that the warriors who were accompanying the Khan thought nothing of battle, and that traveling to the end of the Terra was their only dream. So what about the Sarkaz clans who narrowly escaped the catastrophe?

During the archaeological boom at the beginning of this century, Gaul archaeologists unearthed a series of ancient metal utensils and ancient stone settlements in southern Columbia and western Leithanien. Judging by their style and manufacturing method, it was obvious that they were created with Sarkaz witchcraft. According Originium erosion dating analysis, the age of these utensils and buildings was exactly between 8000 BC and 6000 BC, the farther west the ruins were unearthed, the older they were. At the same time, the vast majority of these ruins showed clear traces of violence, and archaeologists could often find highly crystallized Sarkaz remains scattered throughout the strata where the ruins were located. In Victoria, the Royal History Museum also has an important piece of evidence regarding the fate of Sarkaz during the exile period. The Victorians called that speciment: "Prayer for Forgiveness" — it was a crystallized Sarkaz skeleton half-kneeling on the ground with hands stretched upwards. This is the best-preserved ancient Sakraz skeleton discovered so far in originium sediments. The Originium dating analysis results showed that this skeleton belonged to Sarkaz male from the end of the Exile Era. Through further inspection of the excavation site where he was found, archaeologists found that this Sarkaz experienced forced labor during his lifetime and was likely to have been enslaved for his whole life. The large layer of crystallized remains found near the skeleton may have come from the same Sarkaz clan — it is believed that an entire clan was enslaved and eventually buried alive underground.

Although Originium is devouring the secrets of the past at this very moment, archeology still provides us with sufficient evidence. From the ruins of Kazdele to today's Kazdel region, Sarkaz experienced this cycle countless times: the birth of a settlement — its gradual development — its destruction — and exile of its Sarkaz residents. It happened over and over again during thousands of years of exile, as if the Terra itself no longer allows us to continue existing. Having said this, we cannot help but raise questions, only Sarkaz living in Kazdel today would ask: what ended the sarkaz exile? Who is responsible for turning the gears of history with his own hands?

"The Architect", "The Firelord" and "The Cerulean Flame"

The Retribution Clan

Unlike The Outcast who did not leave much information in historical records, we can confirm that the second Demon King of Sarkaz, Godu, belonged to Gargoyle bloodline. Godu's ancestors once built a magnificent stone gardens of Kazdel and shed their blood during the siege. It is said that his ancestor used Gargoyle witchcraft to curse the land with his blood before he died in battle, making it impossible for the Elders to approach the Demon King's throne. During the long years in exile, the stoic and selfless children of earth and stone were also changed by fate. They were once a group of benevolent craftsmen who were proud to provide shelter to their Teekaz compatriots. However, as they migrated east, with time, Gargoyles became more and more stubborn, suspicious, and conservative. They no longer built homes for all Teekaz, but erected monolithic and cold clan fortresses to keep out all outsiders.

The Demon King, whom we now call "The Architect", "The Great Cartographer" and "The Chalk Caster", was born in a Gargoyle clan fortress. Ever since he became apprentice mason with the ability to skillfully manipulate earth and stone, Gedu spent all his time learning how to become a fortress master. This was the most respected status a Gargoyle of a wandering clan could achieve — the master architect of a clan fortress, the true leader of the Gargoyles. He grew up listening to stories about ancient Kazdel, and dreamed of building a fortress that would never fall, to defend his people against barbaric invasions, and to build them a home that could withstand even the catastrophes.

We all know that his dream did not come true. A powerful Elder overlord destroyed the clan's fortress, and the stone walls reinforced by generations of fortress masters melted in the flames, as if they were just sugar cubes. Just as the flames were about to sweep through Gedu, another equally blazing flame offset it. Two figures of similar age to the apprentice appeared in front of him: a prideful Diablo Caster and a confident not-pureblooded swordsman. The Gargoyles were really lucky. If the Retribution Clan had not came to their help after seeing the fire, we might have never seen the Demon King that changed the fate of Sarkaz.

Or, should I say, three Demon Kings.

In his new clan, the apprentice quickly became friends with caster and the swordsman. The three young men happened to come from three main bloodlines of Retribution Clan: the newly joined Gargoyles, the Diablo who founded and ruled this clan and many regular Sakaz whom we now call "not-pureblooded" Sarkaz. Ba'al-zephon, in chapter 13 he was called Ursa by MTL, but I don't think it has that hebrew feel to it. Same shit with Ursula/Er'Shula and Bozokati/Buldrokkas'tee. Anyway, you should know that these Kollam, Godu and Baal-Zephon are the same from ch13 and ch8 was a proud and powerful Diablo. His father was the leader of Retribution Clan at that time — a tough avenger and the thorn in the side of many Elder overlords. Ba'al-Zephon shared the same beliefs as his father, and was even more radical than the old Diablo: he believed that Sarkaz cannot share this land with any invaders, and only by returning to the era before "Descend", can Teekaz civilization rise again. Kollam, the sword-wielding bodyguard of Baal-Zephon, was the youngest of the three. He was a not-pureblooded Sarkaz with no roots, but his swordsmanship was unparalleled, and he was responsible for ensuring the safety of Baal-Zephon when the latter became overconfident. Kollam loved the stories of ancient heroes, no matter which side they belonged to — even heroic Elder overlords evoked his reverence.

Yes, children, the three future Demon Kings met in the Retribution Clan and even became inseparable friends. One king wanted to protect his kin, the second vowed to destroy the enemies of Sarkaz, and the third dreamed of becoming a hero. I know you won't like the following story, but please remember: today's Kazdel exists only because these kings lived in the same era, and precisely because they lived in the same era, the tragedy that followed was inevitable.

King of Earth and Stone

Whether Diablos expected that or not, the addition of Gargoyles brought changes to the Retribution Clan. Even after the fall of their fortress, sons of Earth and Stone still had influence comparable to that of Diablos, something that the numerous but fragile exiles of impure blood could never match. Now, there were two factions inside the clan: one thought that the clan must continue their crusade in the same way as before, and any changes would lead to cultivation of weakness. The other faction thought that as the clan expanded, they had to eventually settle down. Even Sarkaz were not born warriors.

Just like in the past, Godu, the former apprentice mason, continued his work of mending, but this time he was mending the relationshop between the factions, becoming de-facto the clan mediator. He agreed that the clan must continue their its crusade against the Elders who were responsible for the fall of the Garcgoyle clan Fortress. However, he also pointed out that as the clan grew, supporting its increasing population became more of a burden, and the clan should have at least one strong stronghold. Godu received support from his friends: Baal-Zephon agreed that the clan could not rely on an army of nomads to achieve its goals. Kuilon confessed that although the clan had been destroying Elder settlements, he could see that land of Elders continued growing more prosperous, while the clan paid an increasingly heavy price for its attacks.

As a result, three friends obtained the approval of the clan leader, formed an exploration team, and headed eastwards, to the land where Kazdel stands today. This place seemed deserted, and terrain was even worse to the south, but in the north there were plains, abundance of the water sources, and lack of any Elder presence. Legends called that place "Land of Sorrow", and said that anyone who came there would inevitably become infected, be it Sarkaz or Elder. Godu realised that he had finally found a place where he could continue his childhood dream. He would establish a stronghold for the clan here... Despite the fact that no matter how strong the fortress was, sooner or later it would still fall. Retribution Clan inspired Godu, and he decided to bend the earth and stones again, to continue the lost tradition of his brethren, to create a new home for his Sarkaz kin.

When he laid the boulders into the ground and completed the first foundation for future Kazdel, a black crown emerged between Godu's horns, but he didn't even notice that. Diablos, who had been loyal to the first Demon King until his last moment, became a witness to the birth of the new Demon King two thousand years later. Even proud Baal-Zephon had to kneel down in front of his friend. He once believed that he could become a Demon King himself. Kollam was more elated. He couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to witness the birth of a hero, not to mention that this hero was his friend.

The Blazing Betrayal

Time passed by, and a gray city was born in the land of sorrow. Hundreds of clans anwered to Godu's call and gathered at the feet of the city. As the bodyguard and messenger of the Demon King, Kollam got a good-paying job and started his adventurer career. Baal-Zephon became a new leader of the Retribution Clan. Although his clan refused to settle in the city, the warriors under his command still defended the newly born Kazdel, shielding it form the greedy gaze of the Elders.

However, under the guise of prosperity, an unavoidable conflict was brewing. Baal-Zephon's beliefs made the Punishment Clan even more radical. They were dissatisfied with the Demon King's delay in launching a crusade to regain Sarkaz's homeland. In the hands of Godu, a talented craftsman, every building in the new city was resembling a Kazdel of their dreams, making Diablos grieved. Every time Baal-Zephon looked at the city made of gray chalk, he felt the increasing anger and disappointment in his friend. The proud Diablo knew that he should swear allegiance to the Demon King like his ancestors, but why hadn't he become the Demon King? His clan has been fighting for the fate of Sarkaz for thousands of years, and he has personally killed more than a dozen Elder overlords. Why did the Demon King's crown appear on the head of a Gargoyle mason who was building the walls all his life?

So when a group of Caprinae disguised as Sarkaz were captured while trying to enter the Kazdel territory, Baal-Zephon became extremely excited. He personally escorted the prisoners into the city, believing that this would be enough to make Godu launch a war. However, the Demon King listened patiently to the speeches of prisoner before him. These Caprinae claimed that they were driven from their homes because their horns resembled those of Sarkaz, and, desperate, they decided to come to the Land of Sorrow. Although the Demon King executed them, Godu also told Baal-Zephon that the crusade Diabo was looking forward to would not happen — the Retribution Clan could claim to be invincible, but Sarkaz who came here had just received a new home. He forbade Baal-Zephon from risking his people.

We don't know at what moment the innate rage swallowed up Diablo's reason. When Kollam received the urgent message and returned to Kazdel, he saw Sarkaz's new burning in the night. In front of the Demon King's collapsed palace, the swordsman encountered the ambush left by Baal-Zephon. From them Kollam learned that the thing he feared the most had become a reality: the Demon King was dead — Diablo had cut off the arms of "The Architect" and drowned him in the water. According to historical records, when the Demon King died, most buildings in the city collapsed and shattered into powder and the Retribution Clan broke into the city on a path of flames. Many clans answered to Baal-Zephon's call for war and joined the traitors.

Kollam didn't know that the plot to kill the Demon King would be staged many times in subsequent history. He only knew that Baal-Zephon's betrayal must be punished. It is said that the furious swordsman killed all the ambush soldiers and saved the lives of countless Sarkaz in the city. He handed the city over to the surviving Gargoyles, and at dawn followed the blazing path left by Retribution Clan. The Cerulean Flame began his hunt. One of his friends killed another, so he was forced to avenge Godu.

Adventurer King

Kollam's path of revenge has left us with countless amazing legends. His story has been turned into ballads, adapted into novels, arranged into stage performances, and even produced unexpected influence in lands other than Kazdel. In Leithanien, the playwright adapted Kollam's story into a play about revenge of a kurfursten's son, adding an emotional context to the protagonist, as well as a delicate and profound inner monologue. It has become extremely popular in the lands of Ancient races. I heard that Columbia planned to remake the play into a TV series. I wonder if viewers will still be able to tell that they are watching an old Sarkaz tragedy.

At the end of his hunt, Kollam stood in front of Baal-Zephon with a blood-stained sword in his hand. He finally met his former best friend and worst enemy. It is said that the location of their final confrontation was close to the original Kazdel, where there were no longer any Elders. Only the Originium clusters that had stood for two thousand years after the first catastrophe were left, discharging the lightnings into the skies. The leaders of the clans that joined the Diablo and followed Baal-Zephon's crusade have all fallen by the adventurer's black sword. Kollam knew who would be his next prey, but when Baal-Zephon came towards him, he could barely hold his sword. He saw the Black Crown hovering above the Diablo's head, which was the proof that he had become a Demon King.

"The Incenirating" Baal-Zephon, the Firelord, the Horn-melter, the Feather-burner, the One Who Conflagrates — he left a terror wherever he went, and was the first Demon King to use his powers to carry out destruction. After brutally killing the first Demon King Sarkaz people welcomed after their two thousand years exile, his close friend Godu, Baal-Zephon finally got what he wanted and returned to Kazdel's original place where the thousands lamented. The Firelord ended the era when the Elders ravaged Sarkaz, and deeply burned the fear and hatred of Sarkaz into memories of Elders and Ancients. He knew this old friend of his had been chasing the scorching path and would one day come to him with a sword.

No precise records of this duel left, but you can just imagine that fierce fight. It is said that Kollam's beloved sword broke under the blow of Baal-Zephon , but the adventurer still used the broken sword to pierce the throat of the Diablo Lord — Kollam payed no heed to the Diablo's last curse and ended his life. He finally avenged his late friend. As the survivors of the Retribution Can gathered behind him, the swordsman raised the head of Baal-Zephon and told them the fight was over. But he soon realized that there was another reason for people to kneel in front of him — the Black Crown had already appeared on his head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBnV3tK9eZQ&ab_channel=serzya

As descendants, we have no way of knowing whether Kollam missed the time when the three of them talked about their wishes, and whether he remembered that he used to strive to become a hero. Perhaps the journey of revenge has worn away the adventurer's nostalgia for the past, allowing him to kill his former friend. If this guesses indeed reflect the true face of history, it is not difficult to understand why Demon King was always full of doubts about his powers and was unwilling to rebuild his beloved sword. The history's evaluation of Kollam is always full of contradictions: sometimes records call him a "benevolent monarch", sometimes they describe his rule as violent and cruel. Kollam banished the Retribution Clan and forbade them from returning to the city, but allowed them to leave with Baal-Zephon's body. At the same time, he spared those clans who joined the crusade as they were loyal to the Demon King at the time.

After that, "The Adventurer King" Kollam, the first not-pureblooded demon king in the history of Sarkaz came to the ruins of New Kazdel. Kollam dedicated his life to repairing the scars left by Diablo betrayal. He established the prototype of the Royal Court from clans that didn't join the crusade, such as the Gargoyles, determined the principles of the Demon King's inheritance, used strong rule to suppress the revenge fanaticism left by Baal-Zephon, and began to rebuild the city. In later years of Kollam rule, the western Elder overlords who had been bloody swept by Baal-Zephon came back, but Demon King refused to follow the Firelord's steps. Demon King personally led some of the Sarkaz clan eastward to leave Kazdaele, trying to explore new lands and coexist with those Elders who had never invaded Kazdel. We don't know what happened to them. According to the existing records left by succesive Demon Kings, historical circles generally believe that Kollam didn't have an honorable death.

As such, the story of the three Demon Kings comes to a sad end. Two eras, two murders, three friends, and three Demon Kings. Their destinies combined into whirlpool of history and impacted Sarkaz for generations to come. No, children, I’m not going to add a commentary to this period of history like I did to the fate of The Outcast. I hope you will learn to think about why similar betrayals and tragedies have haunted us forever.

Age of heroes and Saviour Twins

The reign of Kollam and his successors

Since the birth of our civilization we have known that a demon king should be the ruler of the entire Kazdel and our only Lord. All kings of Royal Court should kneel down before his authority. At the very least, we hoped that the Demon King would become Kazdel true ruler after "The Cerulean Flame" established his authority over the clans and prevented another Blazing Betrayal.

During his reign, Kollam weakened the power of the nomadic clans, preventing them from becoming an uncontrollable force simillar to Retribution Clan. The Cerulean Flame mended the relations between bloodlines and created hierarchy within different clans by creating bloodline king position within the clans. It especially helped him in dealing with those huge clans composed of multiple Sarkaz bloodlines. In the process, Kollam personally created the Royal Court as we know it. The adventurer on the throne allowed anyone to climb the long ladder of power be it a wasteland dweller or a city resident. The clan strucure was eventually replaced by the Royal Court, where the bloodline kings resided.

In that era, the royal bloodlines we know today were just a few stars on the night sky. There used to be much more Sarkaz bloodlilnes. Kollam said to them that every drop of nobility contained in their bloodlines came from our collective suffering. Kollam hoped that this would be the reason for all bloodlines to accept the rule of Demon King and build new Kazdel — at least that's how it should be.

During the three hundred years reign of Kollam, the Demon King's influence evolved from the tradition of nomadic clans revering their hero into a real ruling power. However, when the "Adventurer King" disappeared on his final adventure to the east, people became dissapointed in him, and the order Kollam had established in Kazdel was quickly replaced by chaos.

For more than 6,000 years after Kollam, war and turmoil became commonplace in Kazdel. The "Sanguinarch" once drowned the sunrise with the wails of his subjects, but died at the hands of his kin plot. The "Elegy Singer" tried to control the Royal Court from the shadows, but in the end, elegies were sung for her; "The Great Collapser", or "The King of Decay" was kind and generous, but his body continued growing the more he ate so he suffocated to death. The edicts of "The Oracle" were full of wisdom, but after he was assassinated, the Cyclops gradually left Kazdel. "The Whispering Shadows" have created another weird era. It is still unclear whether the Damatzi Cluster have ever become Demon King. "The One who Knocks" summoned the Confessari to his court and their dark cloud-like robes covered up all Kazdel in the shadows...

During the rule of The Outcast, in times of three kings, in the chaotic era after Kollam, we see that each generation of Demon Kings was the embodiment of the fate of Sarkaz in that era. History of Demon Kings showed us that anything was possible: that Black Crown once appeared on the heads of members of the Royal Court, on the heads of not-pureblooded Sarkaz, on the heads of scholars, and on the wasteland dwellers. Finally, history takes us to the heroic age of nearly two centuries ago, where a pair of not-pureblooded Sarkaz twins finally took the stage.

Seamstress and Swordsman

In 898, the continuous military conflicts between the countries of innter Terra and Kazdel finally evolved into an intervention agains Kazdel. A coalition of Victorian Dukes, Kurfursten of Leithania, and several Gaul nobles came from Leithania and marched eastward to capture Kazdaele. Over the past millennia, Kazdel has gone from being the most dangerous enemy of Elders, to a nuisance on the borders, and at last, to an irrelevant threat in the eyes of these empires. Princes and nobles saw the "Devils" as brutal and bloodthirsty barbarians, that still didn't have neither a nomadic city nor a warship. They had no idea how we survived in that land full of catastrophes and other dangers for so long. To them, the land of Kazdel lacked value, and so did the people living on it. Only Sarkaz mercenaries who were good at fighting could bring the meaning to the existence of "Devils" in minds of Terran empires.

This hastily formed coalition had almost no cooperation, but their strategy showed a clear intention — they came to imprison a Demon King. The Demon King Elesh at that time was a puppet in the hands of the Royal Court, a mediocre and harmless king. However, unlike most residents of Kazdel, he was clearly aware of the unusual nature of this war. He saw the war rolling toward him. Could it be that someone hoped to put a pair of eternal shackles on the unruly Kazdel by controlling a demon king? Since when had they care about the inner policies of "devils"? What kind of person came up with such a strategy? Before Elesh could come to any conclusions, the Royal Court thrusted him into battle, hoping that his powers would be enough to stop the coalition powers.

Elesh spent a mediocre life as a Demon King, acting as a puppet of the Royal Court, and failed to die as a hero in his last battle. The artillery of Gaul, the Spire Casters of Letania, and the Steam Knights of Victoria, every achievement of Originium era trampled the Sarkaz's armies. Kazdel has experienced countless civil wars and invasions. Our cities have been destroyed by Catastrophes, burned by fire, and crushed by invaders. But that time, we've lost almost every battle.

Almost.

Among the Sarkaz leaders who were later known as the "Six Heroes", Her Highness Theresa and General Theresis were not the first to step forward and try to save Kazdel. People at that time were unlikely to care whether there were insignificant not-pureblooded Sarkaz siblings in Demon King's entourage — a royal seamstress skilled in tailoring, and her brother who served as a bodyguard. However, Her Highness and General soon emerged into the war. They regrouped the Demon King guard and persuaded the soldiers that were sent by the Royal Court to oversee the Demon King to maintain the battle line. When some people laughed at the commands of seamstress, General stood in front of Her Highness and cut off their horns. Together with Her Highness and General, the Six Heroes of Kazdel, including the Banshee, Goliath, Nachzehrer, and old Lich, formed six lines of defense to block the advance of the coalition forces. The arrogant Royal Court leaders were impressed by the millitary prowess and extraordinary talents of the not-pureblooded twins. They agreed to temporarily put aside their differences and build a line of defense together under the command of the "Six Heroes". Did they forsee the future Her Highness and General would bring? We don't know that.

Although Kazdel was not completely defeated, the coalition forces still managed to methodically reduce our homes to dust. Soon, Kazdel was once again besieged, and armies from Gaul, Victoria, and Leithanien aimed their guns at "devil's" hearts. Every Sarkaz who could take up arms went to the battlefield, ready to fight to death for the fate of their homeland. At the same time, the "Six Heroes" gradually found clues to the end of the war. They believed that behind the nobles, there was a mastermind hiding in the shadows who truly led the war. That person managed to persuade these nobles to form a coalition and besiege the Kazdel. General believed that this masterminds was very likely to appear on battlefield in order to coordinate the actions of the coalition forces during the siege. This moment would become an important opportunity to defeat the coalition forces. Therefore, Her Highness Theresa spun a net with her own hands: she ordered the newly recruited soldiers to be deployed outside the city as a bait. Maybe the mastermind would not be easily deceived, but in the face of easy victory, the coalition nobles would launch the attack. After that, Kazdel City was completely abandoned, and she herself helped Liches turn the city into a large witchcraft altar, that turned into a deadly trap for invaders. Finally, General personally led the elites of the Banshees and Vampire royal bloodlines to act as blade of the assault, and when the main forces of the coalition forces swarmed towards the city, they launched a surprise attack on mastermind that appeared.

This battle was resembling blood beads, slowly sliding along the yarn spun by Her Highness. In this battle alone, the coalition lost nearly 30% of their combat forces, more than their combined causalities in all previous battles combined. At the same time, General defeated the leader of coalition forces in a legendary sword duel, decapitating the opponent with his own hands. Thousands of enemy soldiers were devoured by witchcraft the moment they entered city, and their bones became buried under the ruins of collapsing city.

After that, coalition forces began their withdrawal from Kazdel. It was once again destroyed, but this time we stood our ground.

The course this war has been faithfully recorded by various sources.

It is said that the Black Crown chose both Her Highness and General, but General voluntarily gave up its powers and chose to continue holding the sword for his Demon King. As a result, Her Highness Theresa became the legitimate Demon King's, and she remains one to this day. They took advantage of the end of the war to establish the Millitary Council together, hoping that a round table for negotiating war affairs within and outside Kazdel would allow the unity of the Royal Court to continue. At the same time, Kazdel as a city once again began its reconstruction. As I told you at the beginning of this lesson, Sakaz first nomadic city would be built in the next two hundred years, becoming the industrial heart of Kazdel. During the two hundred years that Her Highness ruled Kazdel, although the Sarkaz homeland was still in turmoil and catastrophes occurred frequently, nomadic hospitals, nomadic farming, nomadic pastures, as well as nomadic schools began to appear in our lives. When I was a child, I didn’t know about professional teachers, and I had never heard about Sarkaz living in Kazdel who could support themselves with this kind of work.

In 1031, the fall of the Gaul Empire shook the Terra as the "capital of the world" Lingones was completely wiped out by artillery fire. Her Highness and General in Kazdel also learned of the news through messengers. In the same year, the Millitary Council that had a history of more than a hundred years, was officially reorganized into the Kazdel Military Commission. General Theresis, who had gained outstanding respect in a course of many wars, became the supreme leader of Commission. After that, Her Highness continued to focus on construction of infrastructure, promotion of education and medical research. She was committed to alleviating the ignorance and oripathy of her Sarkaz. General devoted all his energy to the modernization of Kazdel military forces. After building a nomadic city, we now have artillery and modern communication equipment. I hope to see Sarkaz high-speed warships sailing through this wasteland in my lifetime.

By then, I believe that the rumors that Her Highness and General haven't spoken for a long time will be disproven.

History Reference

For those who find these notes

Teacher failed to finish the lesson. I noticed that he was injured by an artillery shell. After we wandered for a few days, he got a fever and started talking nonsense in his sleep. He had to be carried us older children. He still kept writing and asked us to read it out for him in front of the class. He would correct any mistakes we made. The teacher taught us the lesson at night, and he was telling us a history of Sarkaz Demon Kings for several nights. Then he continued to write on the paper. When the paper was finished, he wrote on his clothes, and then on the bandage, as if he wanted to spit out all the knowledge he has. He didn't allow us to clean his wound, but I think the teacher just didn't want us to see the identification tag he had been hiding on his chest.

I took it away from the teacher and now I'm wearing it. Byrds wants it, but I won't give it to him unless he beats me.

Actually... we also hid some things from the teacher. When Byrds and I went to find water, we met soldiers — soldiers wearing the Millitary Commision uniform. Their artillerymen were firing flares from mortars. I had seen the mortars, but none of us could see what they were shooting at. They were wary at first, and their squad caster wanted to attack us, but the others immediately gave us a little food, and then told us that General was at war with Her Highness. But how could General go to war with Her Highness? It's because Her Highness was deceived by bad guys pretending to be friends. We asked soldiers if they will reconcile, but they answered that they have no idea.

We buried the teacher here, and Byrds said we should take the things the teacher had written on paper and clothes, which were the teacher's legacy. But I still buried them with teacher. We are going to war, so we can't bring anything too valuable with us. The soldiers told us that some mercenaries needed light children to help them clear landmines, and they would pay was enough to feed the others. If I wear a teacher's id tag, maybe they will treat me as an experienced veteran and give me more food.

If read this, it means you are literate, so read it. We can't take away the teacher's legacy, so it all belongs to you.