The Phoenix Tree

Martsuin is a land covered by forests. Trees used to dominate the entire land save the snowy peaks, rich south coast, and deposits rich with iron in the west. They were kings until man came.

A small group of explorers arrived led by one man who had recently fallen from a high position. Most were noblemen who found themselves poverty-stricken because of a recent war in their homeland. Though not used to a high degree of work each and every one them was desperate. They came carrying swords, the few clothes they had left, all the supplies they could scrounge up,  and one unusually beautiful thing.

They brought with them a bird. Her feathers were the color of a sunrise and her talons were a brilliant gold. The bird's long tail and plume, which curled from the top of her head, blazed like fire. An aroma of burning wood and spicy cinnamon always seemed to suround her make her seem as regal as the queens of old. The bird was a phoenix, a mythical creature made from flame and born from ashes. She had grown fond of the humans and had seen the rise and fall of many civilizations. Man's constant ingenuity and curiosity astonished her and though she had seen the worst of man she had not given up on their best.

The men believed her to be a prophet, for it had told them where to find the land and convinced them that it was uninhabited. She had also told them of the riches she foresaw at its center. Even though the phoenix did not know exactly what wonders were to be found she urged the group forward. And so the men began their journey to the center where they would build a city to rule the newly found land.

They began their journey in the northwest and were blessed with luck when, as they had just started to explore, they found vast deposits of an assortment of metals. A large portion of the group stayed behind to build a permanent settlement and craft various tools and weapons to help establish their control over Martuisn. A group of thirty others, however, left, still in search of what the phoenix had foretold.

The group burned trees as they went and continued on without a second glance. Smoke billowed up as they smoldered and blanketed much of their path in a thick, grey haze.  Soot and ash rained from the clear sky as the moved on. Men in the back choked on the sour, foul smell, but continued without complaining. The aroma of greenery had been replaced by the stench of desolation.

Eventually, they reached the middle of the arbor's land, expecting some sort of natural riches. Instead, they found yet another tree, the largest tree. A tree that dwarfed every other and stood at the crossing of two rivers. Its branches reached high into the sky and spread to the end of the horizon. Birds flitted from it's branches and it seemed to house the heart of life in Martsuin. As the phoenix looked upon it she saw beauty, one like no other she had ever seen before. The bird had never been fond of trees, but this one stood before her as a monarch, a noble king watching benevolently over its green land. To her, it suddenly seemed that earth and fire could live together without harming each other. The phoenix did not want to harm this tree.

However, the men had different ideas. Where the phoenix saw beauty they saw oppurtunity.

" We have come to the center of this land, a land rich in resources, and found precisely what we have been looking for. A place to build the mightiest kingdom in the world." The leader called out to his men. " Look around you," He began motioning towards the many natural features around them. " A river connecting to the sea and supplying us with water, fertile soil to grow our crops and help our cities flourish, trees to build our kingdom and various supplies, and a vast amount of minerals in the west to be used. There is nothing more we need to build a prosperous empire. And how better to rule this utopia than at its center!" The men's faces were changed by this excitement and new hope. The thought of ruling a powerful kingdom consumed them.

A dark haired man stepped forward. " A new era can begin in this land. One with us as its rulers!" Cheers rung out and each man's expression became contorted by greed.