| abstract
| - Mazhar Mateen sat quietly at his favorite table. As his aged hands carefully turned the page of the fragile looking tome set out before him, a faint grin touched his weathered old face. There were few things he enjoyed more now than taking up residence in the royal library of Ahgram for the day. He'd seen much in his many years. A lifelong scholar, his studies had taken him to nearly every corner of Qalia. Now though, he was content to live a quieter life. It was peaceful in the library, and it suited him well. The old man felt a weak tug on his simple robes. Glancing down next to him, he saw a young boy stood at his side. "Sir?" the boy asked. Mazhar frowned slightly, his dark brow creasing. He looked around the room, hoping to spot the boy's guardian. A few other robed men sat scattered throughout the area, each seemingly lost in their studies. There did not appear to be anyone looking for the child. "Yes?" Mazhar replied. "Are you the librarian?" Mazhar smiled, and scratched at his short, scraggly white beard for a moment, then replied. "No, I am not." "Oh," the boy said. "What are you looking at?" "I am reading a history." "About what?" "Trees." The boy nodded. "Oh," he said, sounding somewhat disappointed. "Do you like history?" Mazhar asked in a serious tone, as he set his book aside. The boy shrugged. "I don't know." "You don't know?" the old man asked, "How is that?" "Because I don't know any history," the child explained. "I see," Mazhar said, nodding, "Well, we can't have that, can we?" The boy looked confused and gave him a peculiar look. "Can we?" The old man chuckled quietly. "No, we can't. Tell me, what is your name?" "Erol, sir." "Well young Erol, it is a pleasant thing to meet you. I am Mazhar. Now," he said, with a slight twinkle in his eye, "pick a place and I shall give you its history." Erol's face brightened a bit. "Any place at all?" he asked. Mazhar nodded. The boy thought hard for a moment. "How about here?" "Ahgram?" the old man replied. Erol nodded. "An excellent choice." Mazhar said, leaning back as the boy took a seat. "There is more to our city's history than most know of. You are in for a treat." "Our great city has a history rich with heroes and wrought with disaster. It is often said, that without one you cannot have the other. Ahgram, as we know it, has stood proudly amidst a land in turmoil for hundreds of years. Empires have rose and fallen, the world around us has changed and we have been challenged countless times but no matter the threat, we have prevailed. "But our story begins long ago," Mazhar continued, as the boy settled, an eager grin on his face. "...Long before the great rift was torn, Qalia was a much different place. Two vast human empires competed for dominance. The proud Qaliathari and the noble Mordebi - two peoples with strikingly similar hopes and goals but who sadly remained unable to work as one." "Why?" Erol asked. The old man leaned back in his chair and gave the boy a contemplative look for a moment. "Perhaps while they both had similar goals they, as a people, were simply too different. The Mordebi came from various tribes scattered throughout the west. After many years, they banded together and began to build cities. However, change did not come quickly for the Mordebi. "The Qaliathari were a slightly fairer skinned people who constructed some of the largest and most magnificent cities the lands had ever known. They were by all accounts more advanced than the Mordebi. So it is ironic that in the end, it was war that kept the two people apart -- not against one another but a civil war within the Qaliathari Empire." "What were they fighting about?" the boy asked. "A great many things," Mazhar explained, "They fought amongst themselves frequently. Though much of it culminated in one particular war. "Shidreth Ahgramun, ruler of the Qaliathari Empire was slain by a Vizier named Jathred Shazarethen. Many viewed Ahgramun as a despot and with the support of the lower classes and the powerful sorcerer Khelium Ak'Zel, Jathred had planned to assume command of the empire after the coup. Khelium, however, turned on the Vizier after Shidreth was killed. "Further complicating the situation for the Vizier were Ahgramun's sons. Upon hearing the news of their father's death, they banded together to avenge him. Many of the empire's nobles backed the sons, as they had the 'legitimate' claim to the throne. "A third faction then arose in support of the sorcerer Khelium Ak'Zel. Khelium believed only the most intelligent should be entrusted to lead the empire and many mages and sorcerers of substantial power rose up in his support. "The resulting war raged on for years. Thousands upon thousands of lives were lost and many of the Qaliathari's great cities were destroyed during these times of strife. Many of the dangerous creatures from the southlands, once kept at bay by the imperial army, again made their way into the empire's lands. The Mordebi wisely chose to stay distant from their neighbors during these years." "Who won the war?" Erol asked eagerly. "Nobody wins in such a war, young Erol," Mazhar replied, smiling patiently, "but in the end, Fassethi Ahgramun, eldest son of Shidreth regained control of the empire. Vizier Shazarethen and the sorcerer Khelium Ak'Zel were put to death, along with their followers." The boy's eyes widened. "All of them?" The old man nodded seriously. "Just about, yes. It was a very unpleasant time in our history. Fassethi's first act as leader of the Qaliathari Empire was to rename it the Ahgramun Empire and he began construction on a new capitol city, which he called Ahgram." "That's us!" Erol chirped excitedly. Mazhar grinned at the boy, and shook his head slightly. "But there is much more to our story, for it was not the Ahgram you and I live in today." "Then what happened?" "The empire could not withstand another prolonged civil war. Fassethi was not like his father, and he knew this. He instead concentrated on rebuilding the imperial army and driving back the beasts, which had began to invade his land. The citizens of the Ahgramun Empire soon grew to love their leader and he ruled over the beginning of an age of prosperity for his people. For many generations his descendants lead the empire justly and fairly. But as with all things, it would not last..."
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