Introduction

Fyros

From roots we crawled to burning day

Branding the mark of Fyros kind

Upon the deserts of our land

To bring again the times of gold

And live and die as folk of old

Respecting Kami, nature’s way

Zorai

In the jungles of the new lands

Masked we hide, in pride we stand

Here we live to fight the goo

Risking life and senses too

For the Kami, they demand

Homins live with nature’s plan

Tryker

We made our home with lakes and streams

Where falls run deep as rainbows gleam

And water forms our life and trade

Giving hope but bringing strife

When others seek to steal our life

But always Jena will prevail

Matis

Deep and deeper into forest

Losing all within the green mist

Jena guides us safe to Matis

Here, distrusting every stranger

Safe we dwelt remote from danger,

Karavan holds all our trust.

So were formed four lands of hope

Where four races built new towns

Politics and rumours ruled

Tales of olden times abound.

Alliances could ebb and flow

But sense prevailed to heal old wounds

And peace allowed us all to grow

We knew the Kitins were not dead,

Pushed far below our sunlit world

To languish deep in caves they fled

We knew our story was not told.

Still we hoped for years’ respite

From foul beasts of deepest night,

But few the harvests passed until

The click of claws bought winters chill.

Tale the First - Matis

The hidden Matis towns of wood

Complacent, dreaming stand aloof.

Such tempting targets for the foe-

One sleepy, dappled green-gold day

A harsh alarm cut through the haze

As swarming mass of gleaming shell

Advanced from nowhere as from hell,

Led by captains, fell and dire;

The Matis died in score on score.

Until the one prevailing strand

Became the need to save their land

Few there remained, for final stand

Yet on the Knoll of fate’s renown

They trapped the leader all alone

And dragged him down with spell and might

To vanquish once again the night,

Their homes were saved at bitter cost

The Matis people all but lost.

Tale the Second – Fyros

Time trickled past in seasons’ round

Few Kitins dared cross open ground

It seemed their might was spent indeed.

So Homins lived distaining fear,

Except one day news swirled in Pyr.

Reports were vague and no-one knew

Where or what or even who

Was snatching Leviers from their home

To hide them deep in desert grim.

The Fyros host marched out as one.

Rolling dunes and shimmering heat

Echoed the ring of marching feet

As war drums beat a steady tune.

But this was not a Kitin threat-

Some Frahar performed the evil deed

With vicious dogs to run to heel,

They fought the Fyros every step

As to their lair the army neared.

Defeating all, their friends they freed.

Returned to Pyr with flowers and cheers.

Tale the Third - Tryker and Zorai

Now troubles drift on winter winds

When goo can taint all living things

And Karavan lost science renew

To poison tribes of Zorai cutes.

And send the Gibbai screaming mad.

With rending claws and spells they fight

In Jungle camps they hide from sight.

From dreaming towers the army marched

To right things as the Kami asked

Zorai and Fyros, strong and sad

Together, fighting to the last.

Meantime the tribes that stayed in health

Through the prime roots came in stealth,

Their goal was fixed on staying free

The Tryker lands seemed fair and wide,

They built foul camps at Bounty side.

The Tryker and their Matis friends

Set out apace to make an end

But desperation leant great weight

Determined Cutes and Gibbai stayed.

In Zorai, fierce the battles waged

As slowly goo was forced aside

The leaders fell with all their tribes

Until not one was left alive,

And in the roots of ancient tale

More camps were found where goo prevailed

Once these again were razed and burned

The natural order was returned

Kami had stopped the spread of goo

The price was death – a day to rue.

Tale the Fourth – In the Nexus

One day as dusk was drawing in,

The Homins heard the strangest thing

A talisman of greatest power

Lay in the Nexus flowery bower

Both Karavan and Kami sides

Demanded aid to win the prize.

However, unbeknownst to all,

The Kitins too had heard the call

Of strange new magic, and were set

To hold and keep this artefact.

Fast and furious was the race

Both sides sought to win the chase

Kitins fought with claw and bite

As dead from all four races lay

Tossed and strewn as if in play.

Bravely Homins took the fight

To the camps of Kitin might,

And finally the Karavan

Destroyed the leader, scales agleam

With blue and gold -

A giant Kitin, as of old.

The way was free to reach ahead

At Destiny’s End, the hidden found.

The Karavan removed the token,

But Kami silence was unbroken.

Tale the Fifth – Cataclysm

Maddened by the smell of power

Furious with pain and hate

Kitin forces clothed in fear

Gambled with the winds of fate

Pouring from their holes and caves

All of Atys to enslave

At the time of harvest-tide

Swarm on swarm of evil came

There was no place for all to hide

The age of sorrow born again

This time the leaders rallied all

To fight and die, their only call

We needed guards, we needed men,

We needed armour swords and then

We’d take the battle to the foe

To die if needed but to show

That Atys lies in Homin hands

And Atys’ sun on Homins shines

Kitins should never have our lands.

For months we fought the fearsome things,

Through winter’s snows to green of spring.

Slow, oh so slow we found our way

Toiling in groups, through night and day.

Until at last the word went out

It was the hour of final throw

The Homins risking desperate rout

To strike a final killing blow

In every land they all prepared

To seek the Kitins’ final lair.

Fierce and long the battles gory,

But Kitin leaders set on glory

Proved no match for Homin hearts,

And Homin trust and Homin art.

The Kitins died but took their toll

The spring of Atys stained with red

Never will we forget their role,

Who slayed once more the Kitin threat.

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