The Disillusion Mountains

Chapter 4

The Disillusion Mountains were painted orange and red as the sun went down. Nimma sat on the balcony of the second story of her home. Since the firm was no longer operating in such a way that she was needed, Nimma had a lot of time to fill. If there was one thing Nimma hated it was a big blank space about what to do next. She had a cup of tea, Regina's journal, and was pondering an idea that seemed insane.

She'd done insane things before. Of course that was when she was in the military and had a squad of people to back her up. For this she would be going solo.

The reasonable side of her kept trying to talk her out of it. The rest of her kept asking, well why not? She would need permission unless she wanted to risk getting arrested, which she didn't, and from the poem in the journal she even had a good idea where to start.

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"The festival spirit is already gripping the citizens of Star City." The newscaster said in a bubbly voice. Nimma groaned. She'd fallen asleep with the TV on again. Not being a morning person and too lazy to get up and find the remote she decided to just listen. She hoped the drivel they were about to spout, which they did every year with only slight variations to the speech, would lull her back to sleep.

"The Festival of Towering Progress was founded in 1825 by Almonzo Towers. As many of you know the Towers family has been a driving force behind many industries in this town for two hundred years. Their humble journey from local miners to a powerhouse of local industry is an incredible one. After the family found a silver vein under the original location of Star City, they struck a deal with the mayor to relocate citizens while they acquired the land and worked the mine.

The Towers family quickly became rich and shared the wealth with their community for the betterment of us all. They brought in businesses and created jobs that turned us from a small town into a booming one. Progress always has its detractors. The most famous of them all was Regina Rigel.

Regina Mustang, later Rigel, was a woman who immigrated to Myras at a young age while her country was suffering the ravages of war. Her husband had recently died in a shootout and devastated she sought to place blame on someone. She couldn't have chosen a bigger target as Regina began to steal silver, bank notes, and many other items of valuable property from the family.

Regina must have had co-conspirators, though none were ever named, as it's unlikely that one person could have pulled off all the elaborate robberies she's credited with. After taking the stolen goods witnesses spotted her as she rode for the mountains. Regina even sent multiple letters to the newspaper, which at the time was run by her late husband's family, speaking about the dangers of letting the Towers have so much power. She accused them of truly awful misdeeds that could never be substantiated. Regina's letters also had some positive impacts. One gave her mountain range refuge, which up to that point had no other name besides 'the mountains', the name we still use today; The Disillusion Mountains.

     It was perhaps her most famous letter. We have a sample of the passage here: 'I sit in these mountains disillusioned by the promises the Towers are making. Do not forget they once promised we would be treated fairly and peaceably; but when some refused to move, which was required that we go in peace so they may buy the land, they burned what was left of our town and shot those who tried to fight back. Among the dead was my husband, Royce Rigel, who many of you knew and were once friends of.'

Not long after this the people of Star City began calling the mountains, The Disillusion Mountains. The name was later ratified by popular vote. The incident to which Regina is referring happened on a stormy night and the fire she speaks of was later agreed to have been caused by an unfortunate lightning strike. The gunfight began as a misunderstanding. Samuel Towers, who fired the first shot, mistakenly believed he was about to be robbed. His shot lead to a larger gunfight amid the chaos of the fire.   

Regina's Reign as some took to calling it lasted only four years. During which time she gave birth to a daughter some months after the death of her husband. For reasons we don't understand Regina gave her daughter to her husband's parents and walked back into the mountains never to be seen again.

The next year the Towers put on a festival to celebrate how far we've come. Now we mark the occasion with a three month technological expo, from Morik through Msak, where people bring their ideas to investors in hopes of getting their projects funded. The last day of the expo is Msak 31st. That night huge banquets take place while we celebrate the inventors whose ideas will be funded; taking special notice of those lucky few the Towers have decided to invest in. This year is exceptionally exciting as it marks the bicentennial of this celebration. The Towers have promised to make it one we will never forget."

Msak 31st. To some that's just the end of spring. Nimma and her family knew it as the day Regina walked into those mountains and never came back out. She'd always found it odd Almonzo Towers had chosen that day to make a holiday honoring the legacy of his family. She couldn't prove he knew it was the day Regina was last seen but it'd be one hell of a coincidence if he didn't. Nimma had privately thought he knew about it because he had something to do with Regina's disappearance. Of course she knew that wasn't true now but still. The picking of that day in particular always seemed like it was meant as a slap in the face.