The Dark War, Kastosian History

[Elterio Delgard]

Hello everyone! I just downloaded Gimp today and I am Learning to use it. Still, I wanted to start a new thread in which I can give you a tour of my vast universe, I will be starting by this map that I am currently redoing (if you go to my thread about six maps open for critircs you will know that I am redrawing 12 maps of which only half is done [*sob* so much work]).

[Elterio Delgard]

And here is, for those who would like to know my style of writing, a poem in my book that relates the events of the dark war.
Dark War

Part 1

Kastos ruled with a peace that none could disturb,
In that time, the little ones were playing without fear.
The merchants went to and fro on the many roads,
For their travels were without lurking threats.
Justice was almost a word unknown to the Kastosians,
Such was their righteousness that it was for them natural.
The joyful song of the fiance traveled along the wind,
For no song of darkness stood between the lovers.
In the purest white of the snow she dances,
In spring’s flowers he smells the perfume.
In the colored leaves of Fall she advances,
In the summer’s grass he, too, advances.

Elzakis was an emperor of grace and of goodness,
For that, by all he was loved with a genuine love.
Beautiful was the sword that his right hand would firmly grip,
For valiant and without fear he was for his people in face of danger.
Alas! Valour could not avail him against the words of war,
From the Cursed Land an emperor lusted after domination.
Elzakis rode for the sake of his people and for the nations,
His hatred of the cursed creatures forced him to act.
In the lands of Eikar he challenges the dark and damned creatures,
In his love for freedom he is risking his own life.
In the Brown Hills he kills many enemies,
In his piety and righteousness his golden sword is unsheathed.

The Kastosians were powerful warriors,
Such was their heart that they were firm like none other.
As heroes in fables of ancient lore they were,
For high and incomparable was their determination.
Even so, every war, though they may be little, have their sadness,
And the hero may fall and his wife shed a river of tears.
Elzakis lost in that fight his brother pierced by a lance,
And he himself was found wounded and deprived of his sword.
In the bloody skirmish the kastosian emperor is wounded,
In the red stained snow lie many man.
In the weak spot of his cuirass rests an arrow,
In the trampled and dirty white, many broken weapons.

The Emperor of Kastos survived though he was injured,
Heaven's grace had a will to spare him in such dire days.
But nonetheless, the war did not went better in any ways,
In the Demiory mountains came evil creatures.
The shadows in the woods troubled the thoughts and imagination,
In such times many rumours traveled the lands.
Unknown enemies attacked the fortifications,
Their will was to erase every foundations.
In the mountains the castles are under siege,
In the sieges come the norvinduntrahïms.
In the heights mans are defending humanity,
In the woods are gathering the beings of cruelty.

[Elterio Delgard]

Sigh... The poem is better in French (and longer as well!), but o well.

[foremost]

What you are attempting to redo sounds like a massive project. Kudos for making it this far... some give up after they give themselves monumental challenges.

As I understand it, the attachment in your first post is an old map you are remaking? I would consider adding a texture/symbol for the ocean to make it more differentiable from the land. Since the rivers can appear like coastlines, it's easy for the observer to try to turn one of the empty planes into an ocean. Other than that... that's a lot of trees.

[Elterio Delgard]

Yyeah... *glup* coastlines... Still on my things to work on list. At least I have a way to do them, just need to practice it.

[Elterio Delgard]

I won't be working on this map for several days though, my work Schedule will be quite a challenge (six days in a row from 12:30 to 21:00) and client care service is quite demending. However, I will post here the french version of my poem


Kastos régnait et nul ne pouvait déranger sa paix,
C’était un âge où les enfants, sans craintes, jouaient.
Sur les routes les marchands partaient et venaient,
Car point de menaces ne les attendaient.
La justice était un mot presque oublié des gens,
Tant la justice était chose normale en tout temps.
Le chant de la fiancée était transporté loin par le vent,
Car aucun chant de malheur ne séparait les amants.
Dans la pure blancheur de la neige elle danse,
Dans les fleurs du printemps il sent la fragrance.
Dans les feuilles colorées elle avance,
Dans l’herbe de l’été à son tour il avance.

Elzakis était un empereur de grâce et de bonté,
Et pour cela tous l’aimaient avec sincérité.
Sa main droite tenait avec force une belle épée,
Car il était vaillant et bravait pour les siens le danger.
Mais la valeur ne sut le protéger d’une conflagration,
De la Terre Maudite un empereur voulait domination.
Elzakis chevaucha pour aider son peuple et les nations,
Sa haine des créatures sombres le poussa à l’action.
Dans les terres d’Eikar il affronte les êtres maudits,
Dans son amour de la liberté il risque sa propre vie.
Dans les Collines Brunes il tue de nombreux ennemis,
Dans sa pieuse droiture, son épée dorée est brandie.

Les Kastosiens étaient des guerriers redoutables,
Car leurs cœurs étaient d’une fermeté sans rivale.
Ils étaient comme les héros dans les anciennes fables,
Tant ils avaient une fervente détermination incomparable.
Mais toute guerre, même la moindre, a ses drames,
Même le héros peut périr et sa femme verser des larmes.
Elzakis perdit au combat son frère percé par une lame,
Et lui-même fut blessé et privé de son arme.
Dans la lutte acharnée l’empereur de Kastos est blessé,
Dans la neige ensanglantée des hommes sont couchés.
Dans la faiblesse de sa cuirasse une flèche y est plantée,
Dans le blanc taché et piétiné reposent des armes brisées.

L’empereur de Kastos survécu à la blessure,
La grâce divine voulu l’épargner dans les jours si durs.
Seulement la guerre n’avait pas pris une meilleure tournure,
Dans les montagnes de Demiory vinrent des créatures.
Les ombres dans les forêts troublèrent l’imagination,
En ce temps, beaucoup de rumeurs firent irruption.
Des ennemis inconnus attaquèrent les fortifications,
Cherchant à en détruire toutes les fondations.
Dans les montagnes les châteaux sont assiégés,
Dans les sièges les norvinduntrahims viennent participer.
Dans les hauteurs les hommes défendent l’humanité,
Dans les bois se groupent les êtres de la cruauté.

[Elterio Delgard]

Hello everyone! still working on my maps and I FINALLY have something for my coastlines so I should post in the following days my maps with the coastline on the thread related to that subject. Here I just want to say that aftertomorow I will start to label things on my new version (remember that what I have posted here is the old version) and I will be also labeling two maps to the South (which will give you the Eyassendil Sea). For now, I will only post the continuation of the poem so you can see the places I named in my maps. Oh! I forgot! I will also be working on having an actual system to show the territories of my civilization and I will be also adding roads, trade routes, sea commerce and so on. Anyway, please enjoy and feel free to comment on my world ! Like I said once, I have twelve maps so if you tell me something it may take time before you see me applying it (because I have 12 maps....)

The Assionique Empire decided to enter the conflagration,
The man rose up to defend their lands.
The emperor Sieftfunt gave orders to protect the borders,
For he wished to keep in safety his people from the malice of the enemy
His battalions did not fear the dark creatures,
And their banners stood proudly though the wind was violent.
However, the wrath of the Dark Emperor was on them,
For he did not wait to strike a painful first strike.
In the flames the castle of Nimerquim falls,
In the ashes mans find their burial.
In the red of the fire the towers crumble,
In the smoke the enemy makes a massacre.

Though the heavy loss, the Assionians kept courage,
For they were a people determined to face the storm.
They vowed to punish the one behind this blood spilling siege,
And to make him drink their cup of absinthe and fury.
The sixteenth of July horseman went with trumpets,
So that in the night they would play festive song.
In enemy land they blew a song of conquest,
Alas, it only made the Dark Emperor strike sooner again.
In many villages the tombs were violated,
In the night some orcs came to give affliction and sorrow.
In the rural areas the burials were targeted,
In the darkness the widows wept.

The Assionian Empire gave shelter to refugees,
For the kingdom of Eikar fell alas.
In order to avenge his neighbour, Sieftfunt formed an army,
For that purpose, soldiers and Eikarites survivors were conscripted.
To that army of irregulars Sieftfunt sent some of his infantry,
A thousand if brave soldiers to help in case of necessity.
Sadly, the counter offensive only produced a reason to cry even more,
So many woman became widows the following day.
In the forest many proud man died,
In the woods the traps are deadly.
In the vegetation they find a bitter slumber,
In the shadow of the trees the traps are blood spillers.

Eikar fell for good, but the Assionians resisted nonetheless,
Though the sadness was great, the defeat did not blind them.
In their righteous emperor the people had faith,
For he was a man of justice and they knew he was so.
Having gathered his troops he went toward the enemy,
For he wished to keep the danger away from his people.
At Quim he blew in the trumpet of war,
Such was the hatred he had that he had to fight them.
In the night he gives the signal to charge with a loud cry,
In the anger of man the weapons swing and dance.
In the twilight Sieftfunt advances with might,
In the human's wrath the lances clashes.

So went the first five years, those who troubled humankind.
May all remember of which in the past almost murdered humankind.
Many perished pour in order to protect the existence of humankind.
And this humankind is our humankind.
We are it's children.
Many were killed to keep the beautiful life of humankind.
May none forget which threatened in the past humankind.
So went the first five years that deeply disturbed humankind.

[Ilanthar]

Very nice poems! It provides a lot of ambiance. And, yeah, of course a lot better in its original version (la poésie doit beaucoup au rythme et aux rimes, qui ne fonctionnent vraiment pas pareil entre anglais et français).
Your Middle-Earthy style is very pleasant too.

[Elterio Delgard]

Hehe! Thanks! Yeah, I beleve that poems are important in Fantasy. In my novel project, I have several pillars: 1-Map 2-Time line 3-Folklore and litterature and songs.