Leon and his companions trudged forward, leading their weary horses through the dusty port of Kantadar. The horses seemed as listless as their riders, each step dragging, mirroring the long journey behind them. As they stepped onto the land once again, Leon's eyes were immediately drawn to the harbor, where a fleet of massive ships loomed in the distance, their black sails billowing ominously in the breeze.
He couldn't take his eyes off those ships. Compared to the merchant vessel that had carried them across the sea; a pitiful little thing that barely kept afloat, the giant vessels with their ebony sails seemed like sea monsters, far too grand and intimidating. The merchant ship that had brought them felt like a makeshift raft in comparison.
What truly fascinated him, though, was the flag fluttering atop each of these ships. It was black, with a single, striking symbol at its center: a golden eye, staring blankly out across the ocean. It was a flag unlike anything Leon had seen before, a stark contrast to the banners he was familiar with in his homeland. Curious, he turned to Brandon, his noble-born companion who was usually well-versed in such matters.
"Do you know what that symbol means?" Leon asked, half-expecting a confident answer.
But Brandon, usually so sure of himself, only furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I have no idea. It's not from any kingdom I know. Definitely not from Kantadar."
Leon, puzzled by the mystery of the foreign flag, turned his gaze away from the ships and towards the bustling docks. Groups of Kantadar soldiers patrolled in pairs or trios, their armor gleaming in the sunlight. Beyond them, the city stretched out in all directions, with buildings that bore a surprising resemblance to those in Orland, Leon's home.
The thought nagged at him, how different could these Kantadars really be from the people of Orland or Serion? Before setting out on this journey, he had been curious about how these supposedly brutal and savage people would compare to his own. Orland and Serion were lands of the Feru people, united by blood and culture, just like several other central kingdoms Leon had heard of, such as Dineshien and Aurelia. The Feru were a people of shared ancestry, spread wide across the continent.
Since arriving in Kantadar, Leon had noticed that many of the locals spoke Uriah, a language foreign to him. Yet, despite the linguistic differences, the Kantadar noble knights who strolled by with their human-faced helmets and elaborate armor didn't seem all that different from the Feru, at least at a glance. In fact, some of them could have easily blended in with the knights of Orland or Serion, save for their distinctive helmets.
The regular soldiers were even more of a mixed bag. Some wore gear almost identical to that of the Feru people, while others were dressed in a haphazard mix of nomadic styles and armor that Leon couldn't place. The entire kingdom seemed like a patchwork of influences, a blend of different cultures and appearances, all stitched together by history and conquest.
As Leon and his companions made their way further into the city, he found himself studying the civilians who walked the streets. To his surprise, if it weren't for their accents and occasional differences in attire, these people could easily pass for Orlanders or Serians. It was as though the boundaries between these lands were thinner than he'd thought.
Fortunately, Brandon had already given Leon and their companion Liam a crash course in the strange and varied history of Kantadar during their journey. Long ago, this land had been home to several small kingdoms of the Feru culture, much like Orland. Back then, neither Orland nor Kantadar existed as unified nations. The entire western region of the continent was a chaotic landscape of fragmented states, constantly at war.
Everything changed with the rise of the Uriah people from the south. They had swept northward, conquering the small Feru kingdoms that now make up present-day Kantadar. In the process, they drastically altered the cultural fabric of the land. The original Feru traditions were heavily influenced, perhaps even erased in some places, by the Uriah conquerors.
During their peak, the Uriah people didn't just stop at Kantadar. They had marched even further, invading Serion and other neighboring lands, leaving their mark on the region's history.
Brandon admitted he didn't know as much about Orland's history, but he was well-versed in the tales of Serion, the ancient kingdom that had stood in defiance of the Uriah invaders. Serion, under the banner of the Holy Sun Church, had fought against the Uriah people for generations. It was a land with a long memory, having witnessed both the rise and fall of the Uriah conquerors.
As Leon continued to observe the city around him, he couldn't help but reflect on the strange mixture of cultures and histories that shaped this land. Kantadar, once a collection of Feru kingdoms, had become something else entirely under the Uriah's influence. Now, it stood as a testament to the relentless march of time and the shifting of borders and identities.
The more he saw, the more Leon realized that the world was far more connected than he'd ever imagined. Kingdoms rose and fell, cultures intertwined, and the lines between "us" and "them" blurred with every passing generation.
The coalition forces from the western continent had finally succeeded in repelling the Uriah conquest, reclaiming the ancestral lands of the Feru people and restoring their nations. It was a hard-won victory, but not entirely due to the valor of the Feru Alliance. The real blow to the Uriah dominance came from an unexpected quarter; the land of Kantadar, which had risen up more than a century after the initial conquest.
Several factions within Kantadar joined forces, unraveling the Uriah's grip on the territory and rallying the neighboring Feru nations to push the invaders back to the grasslands they had come from. However, those who had aided Kantadar were caught off guard. After generations under Uriah rule, the newly formed Kantadar nation had adopted the aggressiveness of its former oppressors.
Under the leadership of a brilliant first king, Kantadar swiftly defeated rival factions and established the Kingdom of Kantardar. Almost immediately, it began to clash with its neighbors, including the Kingdom of Serrian, which felt the sting of betrayal.
Leon listened intently as Brandon recounted the history. "The Holy City of Rolandar used to belong to Serrian, you know. It wasn't supposed to be a border city at all. The loss of that territory has haunted us."
Leon frowned, surprised by this revelation. "So, Kantadar was established long before Orland? That's unexpected."
Brandon nodded, his brow furrowed with concern. "Yes. The history of our lands is a tapestry woven with threads of betrayal and alliances, all soaked in blood and fire."
Leon reflected on this tangled history. Ironically, after centuries of conflict, Kantardar had become almost indistinguishable from the Uriah people, with mercenary cavalry galloping across its plains, many of whom were Uriah themselves. Leon pondered the implications. The Uriah and Feru shared more than just cultural differences; they were kin in blood. To him, the distinction felt trivial.
As they walked through the bustling streets of the port city, filled with a cacophony of languages and accents, Leon and Liam felt a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Thanks to Brandon's intensive training, they could grasp the basics of Uriah, although speaking fluently remained a challenge.
"Look at all these different accents," Liam mused, observing the throng of merchants. "We don't stand out as much as I thought we would."
"True," Leon agreed, scanning the crowd. "But let's not test our luck. We should leave the talking to Brandon."
They eventually found an inn buzzing with traders from all over the western coast, a perfect place to gather information. Once they settled their belongings, the trio wasted no time in diving into the local gossip.
After buying rounds of wine to loosen tongues, they learned that the affluent Fercon family was notorious for their involvement in the slave trade, purchasing captives from various sources to serve in their lavish estates. This wasn't exactly a secret, but what piqued their interest was the increased demand for slaves following the arrival of the mysterious black-sailed ships.
"The Falcon family is deep in the trade, and those newcomers seem very interested in it," one sailor revealed, his voice low.
Leon's heart sank at the implications. If Rohak's sister had been sold off to some far-flung place overseas, locating her would be nearly impossible. He shared a glance with Liam and Brandon, the weight of this grim reality settling heavily upon them.
Yet, after a long moment of somber reflection, they managed to rally their spirits. "Instead of wallowing in uncertainty, we need a plan," Leon said, determination seeping into his voice. "We have to make contact with someone in the Falcon family."
The question of how to infiltrate their castle loomed large. Just then, Brandon's eyes lit up. "Count Fercon's son is about to hold a wedding! That could be our chance."
Leon felt a spark of hope. The Baron Kantadar armor and seal ring he had brought with him might actually serve a purpose. "Let's use that to our advantage. If we can get into the wedding, we'll have a chance to gather intel and possibly make contact with someone who can help us."
With a renewed sense of purpose, they set their minds to the task ahead, ready to navigate the treacherous waters of Kantadar's court and uncover the truth behind the Falcon family's dark dealings.