THE WORLD OF STEEL & BLOOD

THE REALMS BEYOND DRAGOS, PART II

KINGDOM OF THE DESERT: THE HISTORY OF RYGIEL

    Between the time when Dragons still reigned over the lush continent of Dragos and the continent of Korath was still Tai'Ahar, Rygiel sat across the Trident Sea, with its majestic desert landscape and shining kingdoms. The greatest of these kingdoms was Kabal, the seat of power to the Kings of the Desert and eternal resting place for the wealth of all Rygiel.

Kabal stood for thousands of years as the pinnacle of Rygielian civilization, with its many advancements in weapons and art.

Sadly, Kabal's prosperity wouldn't last another thousand years, for a mighty sandstorm that would be known as the Storm of Sand, engulfed all of Kabal and all the kingdoms of the Desert, lasting for an entire year, leaving thousands to die of hunger and thirst. And thus, the wealth of Rygiel was lost forever.

Legend has it that the Cobra goddess Meleena brought down the Storm of Sand upon the desert, as punishment upon the last King of Kabal, who's lust for gold was too great, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Rygiel's people.

After the Storm of Sand ended, a handful of survivors rose up from the smaller townships, as well as the Prince of Kabal, who was trapped in the canyon town of Ma'Are, when the Storm of Sand fell upon the Deserts. Together, this caravan of survivors migrated from their vast desert home, until finding a hospitable stretch of paradise along the shoreline of the continent. It's as if the goddess Meleena had saved this stretch of paradise as a fresh start for her followers.

Under the guidance of Prince Nasir, the new capital of Rygiel; Mesantius was built from the ground up. The city included a harbor town, where merchants from every corner of the Known World would come to trade and sell exports and imports.

It also included a temple dedicated to Meleena, numerous housing structures and the citadel known as Sunfort, the seat of power for the Prince of Rygiel.

It was decreed by a high priestess of Meleena that only a Prince or a Princess would lead the people of Rygiel into the future and not a King or a Queen. The Rygielians believed that a Prince/ Princess serves the people and the country, while a King/ Queen served only themselves and greed.

It was a King that brought destruction upon the Old Kingdom, and it was a Prince that led the survivors into the New Kingdom of Rygiel.

A couple hundred years later, Princess Venyra began construction Rygiel's first naval fleet; the first line of defense against invaders.

According to the accounts of Princess Venyra, a hundred years before the Storm of Sand, a Prince of Kabal ventured beyond the borders of Kabal for many days and nights, until he came upon the lush land that would become Mesantius.

It was also noted that this Prince of Kabal claimed to see men on wood vessels, sailing passed the continent of Rygiel. When the Prince returned to tell of his discovery, the King of Kabal just laughed at him, concluding that whatever the prince had seen was nothing more than his own imagination.

Thus, no other person left Kabal, until after the Storm of Sand and the great kingdoms of the desert were buried forever.

During the construction of Rygiel's navy, a second city was constructed by Lord Ramos, the Prince's personal advisor. The city would be known as Navaro and Lord Ramos was installed to lord over it.

In time, two more cities were built after Navaro. Constructed along a river known as the Snake's River, Kazim became mainly a distillery where the famous liquor known as Meleena's Kiss was born.

The final city Razuul was constructed a few miles west of Mesantius. It became the first mining city of Rygiel, as the treasury of Sunfort was nearly depleted, leaving the Crown Prince powerless to allow any further investments in constructing or restoring homes in Mesantius or feeding its people.