The Gitny Clan and the City of Berne
Greetings, i am Easton Ghent, son of Ithyl Ghent. I was born in a Ylian town not too far from Hydlaa named Berne. Berne was a small town that was settled on the plains long long ago. It remained a fairly small town until a band of Stonebreakers came along. The Stonebreaker clan, named Gitny, came to the town council and pleaded with them to let their kind settle along with the Ylian in the fair city of Berne. The Gitny had a nice mining town for eons, however, a radical group of Kran came through and claimed what they felt was rightfully theirs. Since the Gitny are not a fighting clan, they could not defend themselves against the aggressive and radical group of Kran. So the Gitny fled... They traveled for years, rising up the levels until finally coming across the settlement of Berne. Upon hearing their story, the council of Berne allowed the Gitny to stay for as long as they\'d like. So the two flourished, and the small city of Berne grew.
The two Clans eventually interbred. Their cultures meshed and they began to share beliefs. The Gitny showed the Ylian how to mine and to forge weapons, while the Ylian taught the Gitny farming and battle tactics. It is fair to say that both sides found benefits in settling together. As the centuries passed, the younger generations were becoming more and more skilled with both the Gitny and Ylian skills.
The Ghents
I am the son of Ithyl and Ivina Ghent. My father, an Ylian, was well known in Berne as he commanded an arm of the Berne Protective Infantry. His loyalty was with the town council, and he loved Berne with all of his heart. He taught me loyalty and the basics of military tactics. My mother was of the Gitny Clan. She was known throughout Berne for her ability to listen and solve disputes between citizens. She loved to farm, and she had an extensive knowledge of herbs and alchemy. She taught me patience, and the science of alchemy. They both loved each other very much and dedicated much of their time to the family.
I had a brother and a sister. My brother, Trius, was my elder brother by four years. He was a strong man. He had incredible potential to become a great warrior, and could have risen to the top of the ranks of the Berne Protective Infantry easily. He spent a large amount of his time training with various weapons, and expanding his knowledge of battle tactics. My sister, Ladreah, was a beautiful girl. She was two years younger than myself, and i regarded her as my responsibility. I taught her everything i knew.
Easton
I was the middle child. I grew up looking up to my father and my brother, and protecting my mother and sister. I never particularly enjoyed being in the heart of Berne with all the traders and merchants and whatnot. I enjoyed the plains and the forests instead. I balanced my physical and mental training so as to not be unbalanced when i grew up. I got along well with my siblings, and my family was content living in harmony with the land in Brene.
The Coming of the Moroc
It was on a pleasant day in Berne that my life would change forever. I was about 20 when i first heard of the Moroc. I was outside of my house cutting some wood for the coming night when a council messenger came by asking for my father. I called him out and the two spoke quickly. When they finished talking the messenger left towards town and my father went inside to get his weapons and armor. He came out with Trius and said to me:
\"There is an urgent meeting being held in town, i need to go. Stay here with Ivina and Ladreah until i come back.\"
I remained with my mother and sister until Trius returned. I asked, \"Where is father? What happened at the meeting?\"
He answered, \"Do you know the legend of the Moroc?\"
I shrugged
\"You know, the Kran who forced the Gitny clan out of their underground city..\"
\"Ahh, yes, of course i know that story.\" i replied.
Trius continued, \"Well, apparently, that radical group of Kran call themselves the Moroc. They used the underground city for food. They feed on the mineral rich rocks there, but now they have exhausted all of the food supplies. They are moving on to other places.\"
I asked, \"Well what do we have to worry about? We don\'t even have enough minerals here to feed the smallest group of Kran.\"
Trius answered, \"They are going after the descendants of the Gitny clan. The Moroc think that the Gitny know where to find more mineral-rich caves. They are coming to kidnap every Gitny they can get. Worst of all, since we interbred with them, they consider all of us the Gitny.\"
I made eye contact with my brother for quite some time as i tried to grasp the concept. My mother sent Ladreah to pack her things. When she had left the room my mother asked quietly, \"What has the town council decided?\"
Trius sat down before answering, \"They are sending a few of the sqauds of the Berne Protective Infantry out to meet the coming Moroc. The rest will stay here to defend the city.\"
\"..and Ithyl?\" my mother asked.
Trius paused and then answered, \"He leaves tonight.\"
The Plan
My mother was devastated by the news of Ithyl\'s deployment. She hated when he would leave to fight, but he would always come back. Still she never was comfortable with it, and this time, she was particularly worried.
Her plan was to head for a nearby town called Hydlaa with myself, Ladreah, and Trius. We would wait there for news of the Moroc and we would then return to Berne to meet my father. We began packing our things..
The Destruction of Berne
Before we could pack our things, we began to hear the shouts... The screams of horror from the citizens of Berne and the roars coming from the Moroc. I went outside to see what was happening. All i could see was smoke and flames, the whole city was being burned into oblivion. I ran down the street and looked down the corner to find the council building being destroyed by the Moroc. I returned to my house only to find Trius and Ladreah. My mother had gone after me and was taken by one of the Moroc. I quickly gathered my siblings and anything we could hold and we escaped out of Berne. We stopped about halfway between Hydlaa and Berne. My sister had been badly burned, and despite treatment with several different potions, she could not fight the infection. She died that night. My brother and i went to sleep that night scared and saddened by what we had been through.
The Next Day
The next day i woke to find a note where my brother lay the night before. It was written by Trius. It read as follows:
Dear Brother,
I cannot help but replay the events of yesterday in my head over an over. I am sure Mother is gone, and we both know Ladreah has passed too, but i cannot live without knowing the fate of our father. I am leaving to search for him. Hopefully, i will return with him one day, and we can live together again. I\'m sorry, i cannot simply sit by and wait for him to return to us, i must find him. Take refuge in Hydlaa, make friends, and tell them of our wonderful town of Berne that is no more. Wait for me there, i promise to return, with or without our father.
Stay Safe,
Trius Ghent
So, i had no choice but to reside in Hydlaa. And that is where i will stay until i hear from my brother.
Thank you all for listening to my story.
Stay Safe,
Easton Ghent
