The Dying Light: Latveria

Welcome To Latveria

A/N: Thanks to those that read the first chapter! The first couple of chapters are a bit of a dry read, but they set the stage (or at least that is the intention) for the rest of the story. Honestly, this story has been going around and around in my brain for months, I'm glad to be able to put it to "paper". Anyways, I am excitedly waiting for a first review! Thanks all!

Despite the majority of the Kingdom being based in the desert, the people of Latveria had long ago learned to work with the land and alongside the creatures within it, magical and non magical. Latveria was a small country, but the majority of its stretch bordered the eastern side of Alegasia. Had the people of Alegasia been able to make the trek through the border, they would find the typical wasted landscape of a desert end abruptly, making way to tall golden grasses with the scattered cluster of oddly spined trees that offered both shade and large crimson fruit that satiated hunger and thirst with its sweet, tangy and juicy flesh. Tall rocks and sanded ground still remained, and throughout the land there was a distinct silent hum, a tingle through the limbs that the inhabitants had long ago grown accustomed to. After all, the base purpose of magic was never intended to give ruling power to any individual, but to help sustain life and manage the ecosystem.

When left to its own devices, magic wove its way into the air, grass, land, and all the inhabitants within; although some displayed the ability to maintain and channel a larger amount of it than others-ie the dragons, the elves, and others. And as such, the near inhabitable desert wasteland that existed in Alegasia, though it was the same land, ended abruptly in its harshness when it crossed the border to a land where magic still properly remained. Hydra, though little in the desert compared to their legendary sea sized counterparts, still had a role to play in the desert, and such they were the reason the vast expanse within Latveria was broken up so often by several oasis, and their water tending magics were the reason the Great Lake existed in Latveria's eastern border-a span of fresh water so large and so deep you couldn't see the end of it from shore and couldn't swim to the bottom of it if you were not a hydra or otherwise known resident water creature.

Latveria did not have the scores of elves nor any of the dwarves that Alegasia did, however it's other residents more than made up for it, though surprisingly, humans were the governing factor of the land. Uniquely, this was not because the humans of the land were exceedingly violent or dominating, but because the humans of Latveria had integrated their culture so deeply into working alongside the base nature of the land and residing residents' ways of living that they all had a common goal, and thus were not enemies (and some perhaps were even called friends, sans the creatures that were naturally so territorial that they would still eat, kill, or maim any that came onto their territory. Most of those species had a tenuous treaty with the human kingdom of the land.) Also, perhaps, because humans were the only species that had a thirst for exploring and traveling on a regular basis outside of their decided home area, besides the dragons. The land and human population, relatively small as it was, were able to coexist and thrive for many a generation due to the strict guidelines and respect for the world around them.

All understood, though perhaps the elder generations cherished it more, that what Latveria had in terms of peace and seamless integration with magic and creatures there of was unique, and as such all residents became protective of it to at least some degree. Creatures of magic helped the humans patrol the borders of the country, all knowing that war with other zones was always a stone's breath away. In every day life, the humans would trade what they farmed, the beasts they hunted, or helped build suitable homes in exchange for access to clean water from the hydra's home, wild grown plants in a magic beast's territory, access to clay, or other necessities. The land's differently formed dragon population allowed the humans to mine within their caves in the mountains, granted whatever human mined could offer something useful to the dragon that owned it. Sometimes it was a fresh meal, sometimes it was a riddle or a new story as living too long bored the dragons out of their minds. Sometimes, though rarely, the dragons would even offer the strength the horses didn't have and help carry the goods back to the human capital under the strict protection order of the King and Queen.

Though not many magical creatures would bend that far outside of Latverian borders, it was understood throughout the land that in order to maintain peace one must put aside their pride at least occasionally. The devastating results of not doing so were often told of with the wild dragons that had fled Alegasia to seek safety within Latverian borders, as well as neighboring countries that held strenuous and segregated relationships with different races. The devastation did not just end at skirmishes and wars with loss of life, but also threw the lands out of balance and made living and thriving harder or impossible for future generations of all species.

And so with this balance so carefully and strictly kept in place, Latveria was a country with more than enough resources for all. Help could usually be found a stone's breath away if one needed it, presuming one had something to offer in return. When natural tragedy struck, such as high winds, storm damage, or earthquakes/anything of the like, magical beasts and different races alike banded together to rebuild and repair the land because the end result would benefit all. There was still a predator and prey balance as in all things nature, but regulations were kept tightly in check through peace treaties and negotiations when necessary.

And all this, the Latverian population kept quiet. Sure, there was a whisper here or there that left the borders, but most rumors flew away like dust in the wind, carefully regulated by those who could work land and mind magics. When neighboring royalties came to visit to negotiate trades, they would leave with no recollection of anything out of the ordinary seen, leaving with only the knowledge necessary.

It is truly unfortunate that the King and Queen of Latveria had made a well intended, but foolish mistake in angering Galbatorix. This would, though not immediately, throw many things that had been carefully constructed over centuries into utter chaos and leave their children to clean up the mess.