Genib was the neighboring kingdom of Arcadia. Located to the east of it, they were both separated by the Rassan pass which circled Genib from the south. This was probably the bed of a river that had dried up hundreds of years ago.
This pass came to be considered over time as a natural boundary between the two kingdoms. King Ragan ruled Arcadia while Andora ruled over the kingdom of Genib.
The inhabitants of Arcadia were exclusively human; those of Genib, the Genibians, on the contrary, mixed all species: men lived in community with the barbarian peoples namely, ogres and dwarves.
Centuries and centuries ago, a small prosperous community of men had crossed the sea and settled on the lands that would later form the two kingdoms of Genib and Arcadia. The territory split in two by the Rassan pass was shared by two brothers.
Gradually, a civilized society was established, in Genib in particular with the support of those who were once called scholars. Pioneers in their respective fields, they had an unlimited intellectual curiosity and studied all known sciences in depth.
The kingdom demonstrated a radiant culture and benefited from technological advances that eventually made the neighboring kingdom envious. These men organized numerous expeditions intended to enrich their botanical, geographical, medical but also anthropological knowledge.
Thus, the day came when they encountered people different from what they could have imagined. They called them barbarian species. Men believed themselves to be alone in the world, but it was soon discovered, to general astonishment, that other species had evolved in parallel.
It was now necessary to consider dwarves capable of living a hundred years and ogres with out-of-the-norm stature and bestial strength. In a certain way, cultural exchange offered undeniable future advantages.
The scholars thought of a melting pot, final result of this mixing of species, which would combine all the advantages of one species to the others. They dreamed of a human brain in the imposing body of an ogre who would live a hundred years like a dwarf.
Fanciful considerations? No because hope was allowed given the evolution of man over the centuries... Yes, it was permissible to dream in this time when all barriers seemed to collapse one after another, where cognitive limits were constantly pushed back and where man seemed to have extended a certain grip on nature.
Finally, and after a certain number of negotiations, the highest Genibian authorities decided that the barbarian species could settle on their territory. The whole was more or less ironically named civilized species. The shock of civilizations took time to be assimilated and slowly smoldered by a kind of tenacious resentment which ended with the end of the scholars.
Over generations and despite economic take-off, it became very difficult for the inhabitants of Genib to live in such promiscuity. They accused the dwarves and ogres of stealing their produced wealth. The situation became critical when the barbarians wanted to settle in the kingdom of Arcadia.
The Arcadians ended up forming militias with the informal agreement of Alius the king of the time and father of Ragan, the current king. They first organized dwarf massacres and then launched a series of attacks in the kingdom of Genib targeting mainly barbarian neighborhoods and state representatives.
The categorical refusal of integration of allochthonous populations manifested by the Arcadians as well as the attacks perpetrated by its inhabitants in the neighboring kingdom resulted in a war, the Eltanin war, which saw the victory as quick as unexpected of the kingdom of Arcadia.
The impact of this surprising defeat led to the decay of the splendid multicultural culture championed by the kingdom of Genib. Arcadia then faced numerous invasions of barbarian tribes, all of which were repelled.
Indeed, the standard of living after the war reversed: logically, it became easier to provide for one's needs in the victorious kingdom than in the defeated one. That's why many Genibians wanted to emigrate.
Unfortunately for them, the Arcadians were used to only being around beings similar to themselves and didn't want to repeat the mistakes that led to the downfall of the neighboring kingdom. Their aversion to the barbarians extended to all Genibians, humans included, so they did not hesitate to chase and persecute them.
The fraternal ties that once closely united the two nations at their creation had withered over time, and now nothing connected them except their founders. The following sovereigns only shared their human race, and blood was no longer a determining factor.
Each sovereign had a distinct dream in mind, and the result of a new war would have had identical consequences: the victorious kingdom would utterly end the defeated kingdom.
A victory for Arcadia would result in the total extermination of the barbarian species and all those who sided with them; on the other hand, Genib would persist in its utopian vision of the multiracial homeland, thereby giving life to a Greater Genib.
This is how the armed conflict was again brewing in both camps.
The creatures living in the Eltanin Basin south of the kingdom of Genib were concerned about this resurgence of violence. Alarmed by the fact that a war never remained within the borders of its kingdom, they feared the consequences that such a threat could pose to their species, which already had considerable difficulties reproducing.
They decided to separate the two kingdoms by sending one of their own to watch over the Rassan pass. The beast was ordered to kill anyone, man or animal, who attempted to cross it.
The hopes of a final conflict were extinguished at the same time as the arrival of this gigantic creature named Ryuku, who controlled its forcefully annexed territory. It was ruthless, fierce, and voracious: all who had attempted to cross the pass did so at the peril of their life, never managing to take more than thirty steps, let alone set foot in the kingdom that taunted them across the way.
The pass glowed like a milky river on full moon nights. In an instant, the creature had put an end to all the fantasies that each side harbored.
This situation wasn't necessarily beneficial to Arcadia, but it didn't handicap them significantly either, as the kingdom could very well live in self-sufficiency. On the other hand, Genib could only rage in front of the unfavorable outcome of this aborted conflict.
The power in place had ended up convincing their population that the salvation of civilized species lay on the other side of the Rassan pass, in the fusion of the two kingdoms. This popular belief eventually became a custom. Invading Arcadia would give birth to a strong and prosperous nation.
To top it all off, the Genibians were exceptionally proud and didn't accept remaining defeated as recorded in their history books. They clearly wanted to wash away the affront of their debacle in the blood of the Arcadians. To conquer Arcadia was akin to wiping away the wound to their pride in one fell swoop.
Yes, an inexpressible bitterness lay dormant in each of those who desired this war, like those who had tried in the past to cross the pass and had been turned away like dirty beggars to their border.
Now, Arcadia was a wealthy kingdom covered with lush fields. The economy was strong, and the Arcadians, though they were not spared by the power in place, were in good health. The arable lands and the climate were favorable to the cultivation of various fruits and vegetables, and the summer season coincided with the harvest of wheat, radishes, tomatoes, onions, bananas, strawberries, cherries, and lemons.
The sea to the north and west brought temperate air towards the lands and made the atmosphere breathable, while the southern limit was marked by the mystical Arubi forest. Genib was only a few miles away and therefore enjoyed a similar climate.
Apart from the harsher winters due to icy blizzards brought in by the mountains to the east, the other seasons were similar. However, the previous conflicts had rendered the lands stingy with their bounty, and it was not uncommon for the population to protest in the streets, demanding food. Many rivers irrigated the fields, but their management, left to idle officials, was disastrous.
However, these were elements that did not affect the daily life of our blacksmith and even less his son.