Fiery Chronicles - Flaming Queen

Ornes

On the icy plains of the kingdom of men there were thieves, murderers, monsters and beasts that even the gods feared. Even so, who would say that in the most hostile of hostile places there would be such a cheerful village.

Ornes was between the Southern Marshes and the Edge of the World, to the south it was surrounded by suffocating cliffs and rocks that would destroy the strongest of ships. To the north a dense forest awaited whoever was going to walk there alone.

It was a place forgotten by the world, even if just a few minutes from the village at the top of the highest cliff was what was once the dreaded Helheim Gates, it was ages since anyone had really heard a legend or history from those parts.

Ornes was founded by warriors who wanted to protect the kingdom from the creatures that left Helheim, the legacy of this was the once majestic Palace of Allend, a black palace that today lies abandoned and haunted to the east of the village.

Since the last dragon left Helheim, no one has ever heard the name Ornes or the heroic legends about the village that once was so stunning. The city that five hundred years ago was the symbol of protection for the Kingdom of Men, today is a poor village, with houses ruined by heavy rains and monsters that commonly attack the place.

For the few who know or have heard of that place, all the stories told were just folklore, fairy tales or the delusions of people who were embraced by the screams of howlers, common in the region.

Even if it was what it was, there were many happy people in Ornes, perhaps it was the happiest place in the whole kingdom, because, even though they were poor and without any assistance from the king, they did what they knew best, celebrated.

There is no place in Midgard with more lively parties than Ornes. As a feast there were mollusks and some seafood that were easy to find amid the rocks, to drink there was hot water with herbs and fruits common in that region, all very simple, but very cozy.

Adam, a black-haired orphan, was perhaps the happiest of the residents of the happiest village in the Kingdom of Men. He was an exceptional boy, very polite and happy, even though he did not know who his biological parents were, many people in that city considered him as a son.

Since he was seven, Adam had always been at the same time at the edge of the world, at the Gates of Helheim. He believed in all the legends and stories told about his city and those gates, so in the morning he took courage, puffed out his chest and went to check that nothing bad was once again coming out of there.

One day, when he was still eight, the boy ran through the streets of Ornes shouting that he would have heard something coming out of the gates. When the people went to check, they discovered that the reason for the misunderstanding was an imp that tried to scare him to get some laughs, it was certainly the biggest event in Ornes in a long time.