Fragile Chaos

by Amber R. Duell

  FOR MORE, VISIT:

  WWW.AMBERRDUELL.COM

  Island of Kisk

  Population: 1,657,000

  Language: Kisken

  Symbol: A yellow sun

  Between two warring countries, in the middle of the Bluohm Sea, was the Island of Kisk. Rocky cliffs lined the western border with picturesque views of the sea while low, sweeping plains in the east gave way to crystal clear beaches. Winters were mild with comfortable days and cold nights, and the summers were hot and dry. Paired with savory food and welcoming cities, Kisk had long been the largest vacation destination in the western hemisphere before the war began.

  After nearly eight hundred years of oppression from their northern neighbors, a newly crowned Asgyan king offered Kisk a treaty to regain their freedom. The royal lineage was no long clear, so the Kiskens appointed a prime minister, and began resurrecting their culture. While values placed on family and friends survived, others hadn’t. The connection ancient Kiskens felt to nature was lost across the generations, as was the tradition of tattoos to represent certain milestones. Most knowledge of the gods vanished in the recent centuries, crushed under Asgyan monotheism and scientific discoveries, but the six god and goddess temples still circled the country. Less than one hundred believers were left to worship in them.

  Unfortunately, Kisk only enjoyed sixty years as a free country before being pulled into the war. The Kisken military was efficient, but too small to stand on its own. They quickly fell when soldiers from both sides of the conflict began using their island as a battlefield. Their government officials were missing or dead, and their cities destroyed. Anyone that could, fled east. Those that couldn’t either joined the militia or formed groups of survivors to wait out the conflict. None of them turned to the temples for salvation.

  Temple of War

  Once, when the entire world was devoted to the gods and goddesses, every country hosted six temples—one for each deity. Centuries passed, borders changed, and countries were left with an uneven balance. Natural disasters destroyed more temples while others fell into disrepair. But, against all odds, all six of Kisk’s temples survived—none in better condition than the Temple of War.

  Looming atop cliff, overlooking the sea and a bustling tourist town, was a round three-story building made of grey stone. Five turrets were evenly spaced between narrow windows. Behind massive wooden doors was a cavernous room with red banners running down the stone walls. A round pit tunneled into the center of the floor with an altar on the opposite side where followers would pray. The turrets housed alcoves for each of the god’s siblings. They allowed followers of Theodric to still pray to the other deities, and offer tokens of appreciation during a ritual to their brother. The mortal Temple of the War God was a direct link to the temple in Theodric’s realm, so anything offered to him would be delivered. In turn, Theodric was also able to travel from his temple to any of the mortal sites.

  Lead by a High Priest, and governed by a Temple Mother, fourteen Kisken men and women devoted their life to Theodric, God of War. They lived in the lower levels of the temple, burrowed into the rocky hillside, as a way to prove they believed themselves below their god. Upgrades also made the underground rooms better suited to withstand a bombing, and supplies were stockpiled. A special room was reserved for chickens, which served both as a food source and for ceremonial sacrifices. In case of emergency, traditional supplies were also set aside for a different kind of sacrifice.

  * * *

  Gull Island

  Population – 1,038

  Gull Island, a 200-square-foot Kisken island, was home to 302 families. The entire island was used for agricultural purposes—mainly dairy farms, and regional crops. A portion of land was sold to beekeepers from the smaller Kisken islands, and seeded with wild flowers. With honey being the largest export before the war, they were having a hard time keeping up with supply and demand.

  With so few children on Gull Island, they were either home schooled or sent to a boarding school on the main island during the week. Those that stayed home were also expected to help their parents around the farm. Those that attended the mainland school returned every weekend to do the same.

  Most travel back and forth from Gull Island to Kisk was done with individual motorboats, but a small ferry made round trips twice a day. If there was room, small cargo ships transporting produce allowed a limited number of passengers to catch a ride. Few stores were scattered across the small island with every day necessities, but trips to the mainland were a must for any large purchases. One doctor’s office served all of Gull Island, restricting their cases to emergencies.

  Despite the wide berth the pirates of Shadow Cove gave the island, a small unit of soldiers were stationed along the eastern border to ease fears. Once the war began, the soldiers were able to evacuate the entire population to the main island on an empty cargo ship without a single casualty.

  * * *

  Bluohm Sea

  The Bluohm Sea was famous for the legend of the Pamurine—an enormous horned serpent with fanned gills, and a penchant for dragging down ships that sailed near the caves on the rocky Volk shore. Despite the old stories, visitors and locals alike carried no fear of the fabled sea monster.

  Cruise ships brought tourists by the hundreds to Kisken and Asgyan shores. There, they could snorkel through the cool blue water, and view an assortment of colorful sea life. Whale watches set out each afternoon, and guided scuba tours took a daily trip to ancient ship wrecks. Old statues, now covered in barnacles and sponges, rested on the seabed in deeper areas. For those that wanted to stay closer to the pristine beaches, jet skiing and surfing were a popular past time.

  While cyclones were rare, they did occasionally hit certain parts of the sea. More often, tectonic plates beneath the sea caused low-level tremors with little damage. Infrequently, high magnitude earthquakes would hit the region, resulting in devastating tsunamis.

  With Bluohm Sea standing between Volkana and Asgya, the war quickly turned the waterway into a battlefield with Kisk at its center. The ocean fed into the sea in the west, and exited again to the south through a narrow straight, making it one of the largest trade routes in existence. Business quickly reduced with the increased number of warships, though, and sailing around either country added weeks to a journey. With few eastern imports coming in, and no exports going out, all economies took a hit. As the war continued, trade shut down completely.

  * * *

  Shadow Cove

  Population: 73,284

  Three decades ago, Shadow Cove in south-western Asgya was little more than a fishing spot for a nearby town. Then a famous pirate and his crew claimed it as their own. A watch tower was erected first on the highest strip land, followed by a dozen buildings held off the ground with stilts to protect them against high tide. Steep cliffs with hanging vegetation cut the cove off from the mainland. Water stagnated around the base all year, but the cove quickly became the largest pirate town in the west.

  As the population grew, care of the homes became nearly impossible to maintain. The cove only grew larger when the granddaughter of the founding pirate inherited her legacy. With twenty-three fleets owing her their allegiance, and thirty ships under her direct control, business boomed. Men and women came from all over the world to join one of the formidable crews. Some returned home years later, having made themselves rich. Others loved the lifestyle and their comrades more than they hated the stench of overcrowding, and made Shadow Cove their permanent home.

  The larger the crews grew, the more the nearby populous complained. As a solution, the granddaughter ordered no one in the Bluohm Sea to be harassed so the locals wouldn’t pressure the government to step in. The order worked—port cities learned to coexist with Shadow Cove, and tradesmen sailed around the Kisken islands to avoid potential contact. The Asgyan Navy understood the amount of weaponry both the pirates’ modern brigantines and frigates held, so as long as the pirates limited their activities in international waters, they
were left alone.

  * * *

  Asgya

  Population: 213,998,000

  Language: Asgyan

  Symbol: A blue circle with a red triangle in the center

  Twelve hundred years ago, before Asgya was a country, the land was conquered by men from the north. Their campaigns continued for another five hundred years before the northern continent was divided equally among the king’s four sons to avoid a civil war. Asgya was given to the youngest son, and slowly drifted away from the gods. A majority of the country turned toward monotheism over the last two centuries, and more recently, they began to make reparations to the people they conquered. Unfortunately, the war brought all efforts to a halt.

  Known for their rich, fertile soil, the Asgyan economy relied heavily on agriculture. The mild climate and sprawling plains suited a variety of fruits and vegetables. Grassy hills fed an abundance of livestock while miles of coast along the Bluohm Sea served dozens of fishing villages.

  With such an overflow of resources, the Asgyans weren’t used to using them conservatively. There were few reserves to fall back on when the crops suddenly failed. Livestock withered as the grasslands became barren. The famine left the country with little to feed their people, let alone export.

  When greenhouses failed to produce a single seedling, many turned to their long tradition of music and art to keep up morale, but even the most inspiring ballad couldn’t combat their aching stomachs. The Asgyan king soon had to swallow his pride, and reach out to uncertain allies to survive.

  * * *

  Volkana

  Population: 289,742,000

  Language: Volk

  Symbol: Four squares: top left and bottom right—red, top right—white, bottom left—black

  Volkana had long owned the entire south-western continent. Boasting multiple landscapes from mountains to deserts to grassland, they preferred to be self-sustaining instead of relying on imports. On the other hand, iron mined from the mountains, multiple oil lines throughout country, and being a front-runner in technology had kept Volkana one of the richest countries in the world.

  Unfortunately, the Volk Princeps kept taxes so high the citizens couldn’t afford much more than the necessities. They lived mainly on hearty stews, and dense bread. Few homes were owned by private citizens, and nearly half of a farmer’s crop was claimed for the government employees upon harvest. With a formidable military presence in nearly every city, any hint of a rebellion was crushed before it began, securing the authoritarian regime.

  The corruption in the government only spread over the centuries. Once the International Committee of Warfare was created, Volkana was forced to step back from their aggressive movements. Instead, they had to resort to scheming so any invasion appeared to be defensive measures. No new lands had been conquered in nearly two hundred years. In fact, eastern commonwealths had reclaimed their independence, leaving Volkana without a foothold on the other side of the world. But the current Princeps was determined to leave behind a legacy. When the opportunity arose to return Volkana to its former glory days, they wasted no time laying down the foundation for a hostile advance.

  Ubrar

  Population: 356,129

  Covering a low-peaked mountain on a Volk peninsula was the city of Ubrar. Government buildings stood above the seedy city, each district becoming more squalid as they spread down the windy, cool mountainside. While it had been considered the capital city since the early days, the high crime rate drove the regime to conduct official business in a safer locale. The state buildings were now used solely for hosting foreign diplomats. Shut off from the rest of the city by a dense pine forest, the truth of the city could be safely hidden for short visits. To avoid exposing foreign leaders to dirty streets, crumbling buildings, and a growing mafia, they were brought to a secure location on helicopters from a nearby airport.

  For Ubrar’s citizens and common visitors, there was only one way in and out of the city—a winding road that passed through the surrounding mountain range, before reaching a deep gorge. A suspension bridge brought drivers straight into the outer limits where crime was the worst.

  While Ubrar used the limited access through the mountains as a natural defense, the city also housed a military garrison of thirty thousand men and women. The military presence helped keep organized crime to a minimum in the past, but in recent decades, the leaders became embroiled in the corruption around them. Ubrar quickly became a city rife with drugs, prostitution, and violence. When the Princeps ruled to cut back the city’s funding to finance the war, and began recruiting the most educated citizens, matters only got worse.

  * * *

  Asgya and Volkana

  Tensions between Asgya and Volkana had always been high. Before the International Committee of Warfare was formed, the Volks made several attempts to invade Asgya with little success. Recently, Asgya was forced to accept assistance offered by Volkana out of desperation when the famine tighten its grip. It didn’t take long for the Volks to use their foothold to further their true agenda. The Asgyans were starving, and the government seemed to be incapable of finding a solution. The Volks were seen saviors for the first time. So, when they exerted their influence over the Asgyan people, it seemed like a good thing. The Asgyan government wasn’t fooled, however. They knew what the Volks were doing, but with nothing to fall back on, they were forced to seek clandestine backing to cast the Volks from their nation.

  Kisk and Asgya

  When Asgya granted Kisk their independence sixty years ago, they also promised to back Kisk against any international threats. Neither of them expected Asgya to need Kisk’s help, but the Kisken government knew their freedom depended on Asgya’s. With a military force approximately 100,000 strong, there wasn’t much Kisk could do to defend or defeat either of their neighbors. The help had to come secretly using a highly-trained special task force. If Volkana learned Kisk was supplying extra food, sabotaging Volk propaganda, or contributing to Asgya’s intelligence, they would no longer be dealing with a quiet takeover, but a full-fledged war.

  Volkana and Kisk

  Previously protected against raids under Asgyan rule, and currently protected by International Warfare laws, Kisk was safe unless they provoked hostility with Volkana. When Kisk agreed to help Asgya, they underestimated Volkana’s network of informants. Volkana moved quickly to spin the situation to their advantage. Soon, the world thought Kisk helped Asgya instigate a war against them—however irrational it seemed. The first Volk attack seized a Kisken prison under the pretense of rescuing false-POWs, and the country fell to ruins within a year.

  Realm of Ebris, King of the Gods

  While the brilliance of Ebris’ earthly temples had diminished greatly, the one mirrored in the realm of the King of the Gods’ was as pristine as it did the day it was created.

  Ribbed pillars surrounded a smooth marble exterior. Light shone into the temple through an enormous domed skylight, and the gold walls gleamed as brightly as the sun.

  The walk from the temple to the eight hundred room castle led through elaborately designed shrubbery, manicured lawns, and gardens brimming with colorful flora. A symmetrical courtyard boasted a dozen fountains with a gazebo showcased at the center.

  Inside the castle, gold mosaics covered every ceiling, spreading down the walls to meet with embedded diamonds. The windows in the wing leading to the throne room comprised of stained glass. The sunlight used the reds, yellows, and blues to paint a vivid design on the opposite wall, continuing into the throne room with twenty foot ceilings.

  Nearly five hundred wives still remained in Ebris’ realm along with over two thousand servants. The male servants slept six to a room while the wives slept two. There were exceptions of course; four favorite wives had their own chambers, and the six lead servants only had to share with one other person. One hundred rooms were set aside for recreational purposes—a ballroom, painting rooms, libraries—while a dozen rooms were off limits to anyone other than Ebris.

 
; Everyone was encouraged to associate with each other as they saw fit as long as no one ever forgot who was in charge.

  * * *

  Realm of Drea, Goddess of Life

  The realm of the Goddess of Life was home to all manner of living things. Insects hummed over flowers surrounding a large stone cabin, and birds sang in the sweeping trees. Thin vines crept along the mortar, turning the exterior walls into a maze of gray and green. Lily pads floated above fish and frogs in clear pools. Further from the house, the neatly designed gardens gave way to a sea of trees where rabbits and deer roamed freely along with other herbivores.

  With only fifteen rooms in the cabin, Drea’s one hundred sacrifices lived in a row of smaller stone houses behind the main garden. There, the women kept a vegetable garden and small orchards for their personal use. Domesticated animals were also permitted as long they hurt nothing and no one. Sacrificial husbands stayed in the main house, but the last one asked to pass on years ago. A new husband hadn’t been offered in decades.

  The round temple hadn’t been used for more than Drea’s passing to the mortal realm or visiting her siblings for almost thirty years. Behind the stained glass door, ferns spread along the walls. Climbing flowers curled along the floral designs carved into green granite walls. Her altar was hidden beneath the overgrown roots of the tree planted behind. Mice now nested in the flower boxes hanging outside the windows, and birds in the eaves. With the lack of prayer, Drea had no intention of destroying thriving life to honor her connection to the mortals.