The Books of Blutora

7 : The Crest Exile

The year C-102 held many events of importance, specifically in the southern provinces of Mariteia and Odelia. It was during this year that the town of Goldcrest would see massive change, and one of the only incidents of conflict the peaceful settlement has known.

For over a thousand years prior, the town of Goldcrest would take almost no part in any conflict, remaining true to their ways of peace. Prior to this turning point in their history, the Ezeru had kept their settlement small and quiet at the base of the mountain range looming to the north. They had no walls, they allowed everyone into the town to visit, trade, or meditate in the Aestisic Temple. Despite remaining a very small town, Goldcrest flourished in trade and wealth due to their lucrative Iron and Gold mines. Their leadership council had been very successful up to this point in keeping the town prosperous and away from conflict.

Those who oversee the town of Goldcrest are known as The Crest Council of Eight, remaining unchanged from its origin back at the start of the A era. Many believe Goldcrest to be the oldest standing settlement in Blutora, as its founding was prior to A-1, when time and history began being properly tracked and logged. The CC8-for short, is the ruling force over Goldcrest seating eight of the most renowned citizens within the town. These people get a seat in the council based on their merit and character as seen by the population of Goldcrest, as well as the other council members. Members of the CC8 are in the position for life, until death or retirement. When a spot opens up, the council will choose a person to fill the opening, so long as the citizens of the town agree with majority vote. Some previous council members have been selected based on scientific advancement, agricultural advancement, architectural advancement, medicinal advancement, and many more instances of many different reasons making them popular amongst the settlement. Every member of the council has equal input and power, however there is only one who speaks openly and frequently on behalf of the council to the population, known as the Voice. 

Over the course of the few years leading up to C-102, there was growing tension and differing beliefs among the people of Goldcrest. Many of the citizens had come to believe that drastic change was needed, that they had been stuck in their old ways for too long. Led by an outspoken man and council member known as Cobalt, they decided much of their culture needed to change, getting rid of the passive mindset, and growing the city outwards. To the surprise of many, who still believed in the old ways of life, there was a large number of citizens who supported the ideas of Cobalt. For the years leading up to C-102 Cobalt would actively try and encourage change as a member of the Council, to no avail. 

Things finally reached a boiling point when Goldcrest was sacked in C-102 by a group of bandits, who stole a large sum of wealth from the inner city, and burnt many houses to the ground along the way with ease against the passive population of non-fighters. It was at this point that Cobalt decided that change had to be forced, and waiting wasn't going to change anything. Rallying his supporters, Cobalt marched to the steps of the hall of the council. While at the base of the hall, he demanded that the council members currently seated turn over their positions in order for a new way of life to take over, under the leadership of Cobalt. When the council refused, Cobalt began to climb the steps with his supporters behind him to forcibly remove the council members from the hall. To the surprise of everyone however, halfway up the stairs he began to find it hard to breathe, with every step more and more air would leave his lungs until he couldn't breathe. Returning down the steps brought back his ability to breathe, and every time someone tried to climb the stairs they would meet the same struggle. 

Eventually, one of the council members came forward and claimed that Uzra was looking over their people and would not allow the town to fall to a usurper. Cobalt's group would attempt other ways of seizing power over the course of the following days. They tried to burn the hall, but the flames went out instantly. They attempted to throw rocks at the council members but the rocks would always fall short no matter how much strength behind the throw. They attempted to starve the council members by blocking the only exit from the hall, but the council members would remain perfectly healthy while the protestors would get hungry at an accelerated rate. 

After a week of attempting to take power, Cobalt and his people were surprised to see a division of the Mariteian Army march through the streets of Goldcrest all the way to the hall in the inner city. Outnumbering Cobalt's people three to one, they proclaimed all of them banished from the town of Goldcrest and province of Mariteia, offering them the ability to leave then and there or face imprisonment. Deciding to lead his people no matter the obstacle in his path, Cobalt decided that they would leave the province and head north. 

Once they had left the town of Goldcrest, it held only two thirds of the population it had prior. Cobalt and his group would make their way north past the mountain range overlooking the overgrown settlement and into the desert wasteland of Odelia. A number of days after they departed initially from Goldcrest and set path into the desert, they came across a strange figure laying in the sand in a tattered red, black, and orange robe.

In Goldcrest after the events of the exile had passed, the council decided that they would take some minor measures for protection and safety in response to the bandits. They ordered walls to be built scattered about the outskirts of the town in the midst of a dense forest they would plant and tend to, making any conflict heavily favorable to the Goldcrestians.

It was at the end of this journey of exile from Mariteia that Cobalt and his people would come across an intersection of a river where they would settle down and begin life anew under the beliefs they had come to follow. Over the hundreds of years following since the occurrence of the Crest Exile, the newer kingdom founded in the desert under the leadership of King Cobalt I would blossom into an extremely successful force in Blutora, the kingdom of Schium.