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~ Planet Verdamnt ~

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Humans were the first to inhabit what would be known as planet Verdamnt. The planet contained a mystical water source that turned fantasy into reality. Books were tossed into the water, first by accident then by intent, and out of the books arose the creatures from within.

Kings, queens, princes, princesses, dragons, trolls, griffins, ogres, unicorns, mermaids, nymphs, seahorses, giants, and every fairytale character, all sprang out of the water and landed on the green lands of opportunity.

More and more spread over the land, occupying various parts of territory. Many of the bad creatures were killed and destroyed by the good creatures, and the land became peaceful again.

Then came the vampires. A romanticized horror, they were everything but a fairytale. People feared the undead that fed on the living. Nightmares couldn't amount to the horrors the vampires had done since their arrival. Much of the human population had fallen prey to these creatures as they fed to satisfy their thirst.

There had been numerous attempts to rid the planet of vampires. Though humans failed countless times, some still stubbornly continued to fight, arming themselves with spades, crosses, garlic, flashlights, mirrors, silver, blackthorn, and everything else that was used to fight the vampires.

Some of the population fled the planet, seeking safety on fairy planets Monshalow and Natvolo. The planet earned its name 'Verdamnt' as the galactic word for 'Damned' because of the vampires that dominated the planet.

The population that remained on the planet had dried up the water source, burning it up on purpose to prevent any further creatures from coming to being. Armies were gathered to combat the impossible force. Generals spent day and night evaluating every possible detail about vampires, in hopes of figuring out new ways to fight their deadly foes.

One such general, Keresi, the general of the East lands, suggested a different approach: eradicating the vampire thirst for blood.

"Their thirst is their weakness," Iérti told the other generals seated at the garlic-laden tent in the silver fortress. "Perhaps we ought to find a way to break their thirst. They won't feed on us if they no longer need to drink blood."

Norwan Isosceles, the general of the North lands, scrunched up his nose as he considered Iérti's suggestion. "Vampires are like mosquitoes. There's no good in them. They need to be exterminated entirely."

"I see some reasoning in Iérti's statement, though I don't see how there is a way, if at all possible," said Eluro Crye, the general of the West lands. He spit seeds out of the pomegranate he was eating and reached for the cask of cider.

Theose Cassini, the general of the South lands, frowned thoughtfully as he considered what the others were saying. "That would be like trying to lead a mosquito to water," Theose said, reflecting on the near impossibility of the situation.

"Speaking of water, here comes the bringer of water," said Eluro, motioning forward.

The generals looked up to see a little girl. She was about five years old, wearing a simple homespun dress, and had her brown hair in a braid over her shoulder. She was holding a hug of water in both hands, walking carefully to not spill it.

Iérti smiled at the little girl as she came up to them. The kindest of the generals, Iérti had long sleek black hair, gentle brown eyes, fair skin, and wore dark red clothing that looked elaborate in warrior design. His emblem was a white garlic knot, sewn on top of his clothing and on his saddle and gear.

Norwan was a big heavyset man with a long beard, serious face, and a sword always within reach. He liked to drink mead and ale, beer and alcohol of traditional sort. He was dressed in dull blues and greys. He wore armor without any embellishments, seeking practical use for things. His emblem was a sword and a shield.

Eluro was dark skinned, had short black hair, light brown eyes, wore silver and red clothing, and liked to experiment with weapons, using javelins and sticks in addition to swords and lances. Eluro was one to think outside of the box and come up with new things. He embraced change and was like the wind, never one for routine and stability. His emblem was a red horse.

Theose wore blue eyeliner over his dark onyx eyes. He dressed exotically in Middle Eastern influence and old-time fashion. His dark brown hair was elaborately streaked with gold paint to make it look like there were streaks of gold running through parts of his hair. He had a mustache and a goatee. Theose dressed more outlandishly than Norwan liked, his choice of clothing often causing disagreements with Norwan. His emblem was an oasis flower.

The little girl came to Norwan first, carefully pouring water in his cup, spilling a little as she did so. Norwan spoke softly to her, placing his big hand over hers, as he taught her how to hold it steady. Norwan helped her pour Eluro's cup, then he let her go over to Theose.

When the little girl came to Iérti, he patted her on the head and gave her some orange slices. Iérti smiled as the little girl ran off, sharing the orange slices with other kids. His own little daughter appeared in his mind, reminding him of her. She was safe with his wife and other civilians in another fortress.

All four fortresses were entirely encased in silver, built in such way so that a vampire couldn't come near. Forests of wooden stakes were placed around each fortress. Pure, undiluted silver and garlic made up most of the fortress material, along with iron and mortar.

Garlic was the most important thing to these people. They cooked garlic in food, wore garlic necklaces, even had garlic cloves sewn on their clothing. They grew loads of garlic, valuing it more than gold.

Silver was the preferred metal, since it deterred vampires. Large quantities of silver were forged into giant circular mirrors that fanned out around the fortress, placed in such a way as to try to blind any vampire that dared venture near. The mirrors were arranged so the moonlight hit on it and bounced back on the facing landscape.

It was said that these fortresses could be smelled from multiple distances away, so strong was the scent of garlic. Garlic was the prevailing plant in the land. Garlic farms were everywhere, covering the land like cows used to cover the land. The very sight of garlic was a comfort to people. All swords, stakes, and weapons had garlic oil running down it, dipped in crushed garlic before use.

People in the land are indeed obsessed with garlic, but for a good reason, Iérti thought, looking over at the fortress. It reeked of garlic and had silver mirrors facing outward, located on the outside of the fortress. The inside of the fortress had tents everywhere and wooden stakes nearby.

The emblem of the four generals, a mix of all their individual emblems, was emblazoned on the flag that hung high in the middle of the encampment. The four generals had gathered in the North fortress to discuss their next move.

There was only one entrance/exit out of the fortress and it was made entirely of pure silver. Garlic oil was squeezed over it daily to provide a reeking stench to ward off the vampires. Wooden stakes surrounded each tent, laid out and ready to use at any given time.

The weather above displayed a warm cloudy day. It was the only view of the outside world, surrounded by the high walls of the fortress. A lookout tower was placed in the center and built higher than the walls, with lookouts assigned to keep a constant watch over the fortress surroundings.

There was a bell that sounded whenever a vampire was sighted. The bell would alert everyone to their presence. Garlic was shot with wooden arrows at the vampires; wooden stakes and silver swords were thrown as well. Thus far, humans have remained safe in the fortresses, but they faced danger if they ventured out.

The four generals and their armies were the only ones that ventured out. Civilians were not allowed anywhere outside the fortress. To venture out was tantamount to venturing out in a tornado's path. The entrance/exit stayed shut until the armies decided to go out, then they stayed shut until they returned.

As the day ended, the generals looked over the scrolls that outlined the locations of known vampire nests. They marked the safest paths, making note of other issues to avoid, like quagmires and lake monsters. Vampires weren't the only dangers in the land, though they were the most dangerous and frequent.

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Music:

"Origin (Full Mix)"
by Volta Music

[when fictional characters become real]

"Immortality"
by Volta Music

[kind of a recurring 'theme' for this story]

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⚔️  How to pronounce Iérti Keresi: 
     E-yehr-ti Keh-reh-see

🏰  How to pronounce Mallen Zalić:
     Mallen (like fallen) Zah-leets

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