Apparently, they fight against some kind of eternal threat similar to the Blighted Kingdom of Rhir. Some sworn enemy of the world is enough to keep nearly a million Minotaurs in a constant state of war and peace. Well, a million is the number the book I read touted, but it was written using information decades old. But the Empire of Minos has its own strange culture Humans and other races don’t want to learn about for some reason.
“I’ve heard that from every Antinium—I mean, what do they want here? The Antinium have made war for two decades. They never leave their Hivelands—except during the last two great wars, and they only settled one Hive in one city in the entire world. The Blighted Kingdom hates them, and no one knows what your people want except to conquer. The Antinium are united as far as I’ve heard. Completely. You’re all loyal to your Queens. So…why did this Ksmvr take you and—and question you?”
However, multiple eyewitness accounts confirmed the worst fears of the Drake leaders. Although magic could not locate their hives, these attacks matched the first ones suffered by the Blighted Kingdom in Rhir, and the previous reports of Antinium sightings only confirmed this fact.
The Antinium had successfully bypassed four of the Walls built by the Blighted Kingdom in Rhir, but they found the superior construction of the Walled Cities a different challenge*. A huge army began to lay siege to Zeres, but after a week of day-and-night warfare, the Antinium found themselves rebuffed with extreme casualties on their sides and virtually no losses by the defenders.
The Black Tide had swept across Issrysil much as they had done on Rhir, but unlike the Blighted Kingdom, the Drake and Gnoll species had no great enemy like the Demon King to fight against. And in the face of the Antinium’s invasion, in time the warring Gnoll Tribes and Drake cities put aside their longtime rivalries to unite against a common enemy.
Anyways, the Demons and monsters that come from the corrupted part of the continent are so dangerous that four walls were built to hold them back, and there’s almost always fighting somewhere or other. The Blighted Kingdom gets aid from the rest of the world to hold the Demons back, apparently in the form of soldiers as well.
“Search me. It’s one of the things you Humans do. Sorry, I mean, the people of the Blighted Kingdom do. They like reminding themselves what the enemy looks like, I guess. Drakes, we just kill our enemies. But it’s worth memorizing these guys. Know what a Fearless is?”
That voice is real. I nearly jump out of my skin as I whirl around. A young girl wearing a violet dress takes a step back. She stares up at me. I blink down at the youngest [Princess] of the Blighted Kingdom.
“If she says something, Mister Tom, it’s because she’s worried. The [Princess] understands war, I’m afraid. And his Majesty, the wise and tragic King of the Blighted Kingdom…does not understand how much his children hear, I am afraid.”
Politics. Intrigue. Wait, are those the same words? They’re here even in Rhir, in the Blighted Kingdom. People vie to become the most important person, the most valuable asset to the Blighted King, or to control more power. Naturally, my friends and I are all small fry, but again, saving a [Princess] is usually a big deal no matter where you go.
“It’s an official title. You slew an Adult Creler. That means you’re allowed to claim the title; the Blighted Kingdom itself sent a commendation and the reward this morning.”
“There’s a bounty from Rhir on all Crelers the world over. The Blighted Kingdom pays it on top of whatever local bounties are in place. Izril’s Adventurer Guilds have standard rates too. So…there’s gold for killing the adult.”
He paused. Again, no one responded. Lord Hayvon sighed, his eyes going north and west, his voice growing dark. In the distance lay one of Rhir’s walls. The second wall of Rhir that few enemies had ever crossed. Four sheltered the Blighted Kingdom from invasion, and a fifth was being built. Attempting to be built. Hayvon went on.
