[ɹoɹǝdɯƎ oʇɐʇod uǝplo⅁ ƎHꞱ's (aka Hxpno's) Lore]

THE GOLDEN POTATO MONARCH

"...and we are done!" wheezes a young mage, as she finishes drawing a magic circle. She uses mana to wipe away her sweat and clambers upon an armchair, amidst an unruly room. An up-and-coming mage studying in the imperial Strauia Academy, Katherine Maes was drawing a magic circle. She thought back to the times when she bullied by other students, who were nobility, for being from a commoner merchant family. "But that will change now," she thought. "This teleportation circle will be ground-breaking if it succeeds." The idea was that it should teleport anything that stands/is put on it, to the designated location written in the circle. The location written on it was her bed at the corner of the room. She wanted to immediately test it out. She looked around the slovenly room and found a potato. She had accidentally spilt a mana restoration potion on it, and didn't know what to do with it, so she had taken it back to her room, but now it had now grown sprouts. Sprouted potatoes are poisonous, she thought. If I'm going to throw it away anyway, let's use it as a test. She placed the potato on the teleportation circle. It immediately disappeared...but didn't appear at the designated site. Katherine was devastated. 

Above: the potato in the Barren Wilderness

Meanwhile, the potato had been teleported to a wilderness unclaimed by any country. It was called the Barren Wilderness. It was unclaimed because nothing could grow on that land, besides, there were many carnivorous monsters living there. It had its border cleanly isolated by the rich vegetation growing around it. At this wilderness, the potato somehow began to grow, and as it did, it slowly became sentient. The potato also grew at a faster pace, entering its Vegetative Period within only one week, though after that its growth slowed down. Yet, by then, the potato had grown completely sentient. It also gained the knowledge of various topics, such as the art of war, the existences of Skills, various monster species, & swordsmanship...even though it had merely been absorbing nutrients from soil, which caused it confusion. It also gained the ability to freely manipulate its roots as well as move through soil. 

After another week, it gained a Skill called 'Absorb', which was the ability to completely absorb anything that its roots completely bound. For example, the potato wrapped its roots around a rock just for fun, but it was surprised to find that it got absorbed. Also, unlike normal potatoes, it became more gold-colored. 

Deciding to experiment, it used its roots as a trap to lure hungry monsters. It stuck its roots out on the surface of the soil, and when a monster got near out of curiosity, the now-golden potato immediately wrapped its roots around it, killing & absorbing it. However, this time the golden potato also absorbed the monster's Skills. Because of this finding, the golden potato continued to devour monsters in this fashion. 

Above: a root puppet

Within 2 days, it gained the ability to create 5 puppets out of its roots & leaves. The golden potato shaped these puppets to look human-like, and controlled them to always surround him pentagonally (but on the surface, above the soil, while the golden potato itself comfortably dug around in the soil) as a defense formation. These puppets were essentially modified clones, and could use the golden potato's Skills, as long as the potato willed it. Moreover, after devouring a significant amount of monsters, the golden potato gained a Skill called 'Mana Sense', where it learned to use mana to gain the common five senses. This included the ability to convey thoughts directly using mana, which conveniently meant any language barriers were eliminated ('hearing' was also a similar case, however reading was not included). At one point, the golden potato devoured a Doppleganger monster, which gave the golden potato the skill 'Mimic', which allowed it to transform into anything that it had devoured. Some time later, the golden potato found a ancient stone monolith, which, except for the word 'Hexpeñol', had all the words faded out. It was found half-buried in the soil. The potato could feel that the monolith was special, as it radiated a powerful magical force, but had no clue as to what it was, except a slight feeling of connection. Through the basic phonetic knowledge gained during its inital growth stage, the golden potato (mistakenly) read the word on the monolith as 'H-xp-no', which it decidedly chose to be its name from then onwards. 

Above: Two Red Orcs in the village

Another two days later, Hxpno was roaming around the Barren Wasteland when it discovered a large group of Red Orcs being attacked by voracious bull-like monsters. It should be noted that while most monsters in this Barren Wilderness were mindless, there were some exceptions, such as Orcs, who had a certain degree of intelligence. Upon further examination, it appeared that Red Orcs were slowly being killed off by the bull monsters, who outnumbered them greatly. Feeling pity, Hxpno trapped the bulls, before wrapping them up with its roots, and devouring them. However, before Hxpno could leave, the Red Orcs begged Hxpno to stay and become their leader. The previous leader perished, and as their fighting force was greatly weakened, they were in no position to choose (as orcs always chose the strongest to be leader). Considering the village to be a useful future base-of-operations, Hxpno agreed, and named the village 'Solania'. From then onwards, Solania started to expand. 

With Hxpno's help, they quickly conquered the majority of the Barren Wilderness. As potatoes do not need sleep, Hxpno slaughtered any monsters that posed a threat to Solania, and after taking their Skills, Hxpno would move on. Other intelligent species' settlements were encountered along the way, such as Blue Orcs and Ogres, and most agreed to join under Solania. Those who refused surrrendered after a show of strength. The main village - now a lively town - built fortifications using adobe bricks, under Hxpno's guidance. It was not a far cry to say that Solania had taken over the Barren Wilderness.

Meanwhile, in the nearby Kingdom of Strauia, an army of 10,000 had set off for their decennial Barren Wilderness expedition. These included mages, knights, footmen, cavalry, and archers. When scouts alerted Strauian generals of the various changes within the Wilderness, the generals immediately seeked approval from the royal family, and when they did, they started marching towards Solania.

Above: Strauian Knights marching
towards Solania

[While the soldiers believed they were simply subjugating monsters, the real reason was because a hundred years ago, it was discovered that the Barren Wilderness was barren only because it was fully soaked with the life force of the Strauia Kingdom's royal family's ancestor, the founding emperor, Hexpeñol Von Strauia. Because the life force of the founding emperor contained the immense magic power that he had accumulated throughout his life, this meant the soil could only grow plants that had an extremely high concentration of magic power. This also meant the long-lost corpse of the founding emperor was also somewhere in the Wilderness, so from then on, the Strauia Kingdom sent an army to the Wilderness every 10 years to find said corpse.]

Soon, Solania was sieged by Strauia. At first, Hxpno attempted diplomacy, however all efforts bore no fruition. A messenger was sent by the Strauian camp, who declared a message from a general saying:

 "Hear ye, enemies of mankind! Surrender to us, the kingdom of kingdoms, sovereign over sovereigns, the knights of justice, the never-defeated, the hope of mankind, and ruler of rulers! We command thee, ye heretical beings, to submit voluntarily and without resistance! We guarantee we will not kill you, and you will all enjoy the benefit of being slaves and servants of our kingdom! If you refuse, only death awaits! Ye monsters shall be slain, dying thine deserved mutt's death! All you need to do is open the gates, and bring us your leader's head! We shall give you three days to capitulate!"

To this, Hxpno angrily replied:

"Do you rule the world? Do you believe in your bravado more than I believe this sword that I hold will separate your heads from your bodies? We have no fear of your army, for what knights are you, who cannot even kill a hedgehog with your naked buttocks?! Your horses excretes, and you army eats. You scullions, swineherds, goat-f*ckers of humanity! Mine breath is wasted educating lard such as yourself; if ignorance were bliss, it would explain how you all are in such pompously high spirits. Thus we of Solania declare!" 

Above: Siege of Solania

Hxpno's message was met by cheers and laughter from inside the fortress, until the Strauians suddenly sounded their war-horns, signalling an attack. Clearly, they did not take kindly to the message. Using the now-upgraded Root Puppet Skill, Hxpno deployed 20 puppets on each wall. Through the conquests, the Solania army now numbered roughly 2,500 (about four times less than the Strauians) and were only slightly superior in quality. The walls could not be relied upon, as the enemy mages could easily pierce the weak adobe brick walls with magic. Civillians had long been evacuated, so the fort was going to be used as a distraction. One by one, soldiers left for the tunnels underneath the fortress that were prepared beforehand, while Hxpno's roots puppets would continue fighting. The tunnels diverge and converge to exits just outside of the Strauian army's camp. When the walls fell, the Strauians charged forward, only to find an empty fort guarded by sacrificial puppets. 

Above: Black  = Fort, Red = Strauia Army,
White = Solania Army

Now that the Strauians were all gathered in one spot, Hxpno commanded the Solanian army to counter-siege the Strauians, encircling & then ambushing them, and effectively routing them after surprising them. Hxpno's existence was something the Strauians did not account for; the collection of absorbed Skills caught opponents off guard, balancing the two sides out despite being outnumbered. The winged dragonewts launched an aerial bombardment from above. Moreover, Hxpno blocked any survivors from escaping using roots, so when the battle was finished, the Strauian army had been completely annhilated. On Hxpno's side, there were 218 killed, and about 700 were injured, however, considering they were both outnumbered and had lesser quality troops, it could still be considered an overwhelming victory. 

A small portion of the bodies of the killed Strauian army was given to the people of Solania as food. Barbaric as it may seem, the Barren Wilderness had no food alternatives apart from the meat of monsters. The rest, Hxpno decided to absorb out of curiousity as to what would happen. Immediately after absorbing nearly 10,000 humans, Hxpno began to transform. In the soil where Hxpno dwelled, a golden aura descended, and limbs started to grow, forming a body resembling a young male human. He had evolved into a Golden Potato Mandrake.

Above: Hxpno's new
human form

After managing some domestic affairs, Hxpno turned his sights on the next agenda: conquering the Strauia Kingdom. "We must now migrate westward!" he announced, to a crowd of people as he stood upon a pedestal. "Our home, Solania, has been ruined by humans, beings who think themselves superior to us. Are we not all living beings? If we remain here, in this kill or be killed wasteland, they, the humans, will perpetually send more armies to harrass us. Our future livelihood depends on this pivotal moment. Solania has been destroyed, but it lives on in our hearts. We will resurrect a Solania of might, power, and magnificence. Remember the bloodshed of our 218 comrades, who were cut down without mercy. Strauia believes they have destroyed Solania, but they have been proven mistaken! Solania will rise from battle all the more!"

While the civillians stayed behind in the underground tunnels (accompanied by 100 soldiers), the rest of Solania's army followed Hxpno to conquer the capital of Strauia, Wachenstadt. They travelled by cover of night, eventually infiltrating the city with relative ease, as security of the city was low; their main force had been deployed for the expedition. They concealed their faces with cloaks and helmets (looted from the army that had sieged them prior) so that witnesses would not realize they were monsters. The plan was simple: slaughter the royal family, kill some soldiers in the barracks, flee if an ambush cannot be achieved, and escape as soon as the main objectives are complete. The idea was to start a succession crisis by taking advantage of the political power struggle between the two Archdukes of the kingdom, and then take over the country when things die down. A significant portion of the Strauian military had already been annihilated by the failed siege, so by adding fuel to the fire, the country would essentially become crippled. Moreover, the Strauians would least suspect Solania as the perpetrators; all the soldiers who had sieged Solania were killed, so no one had the chance to deliver news of their crushing defeat to the capital, leaving them to mistakenly assume the destruction of Solania. 

Above: Wachenstadt at night

Hxpno quickly penetrated the palace, and promptly came face to face with the Strauian king, who was indulging in carnal desire. Hxpno suddenly felt himself speak in an ancient forgotten language.

"Naruhodo..."

"Who are you?! How did you get in here?! Guards! Guards!!"

"OMAE WA MOU SHINDEIRU."

"Wha- KEUK!" 

In one night, the entire royal family was massacred. The central government was thrown into chaos, with no clue as to who was the murderer. As planned, the two Archdukes started a succession war, (both of them being carriers of the royal family's bloodline) justifying it by accusing the other as the perpetrator of the massacre. Foreign forces were introduced, and the country was thrown into chaos. In the meantime, Hxpno and the soldiers retreated back towards Solania. When he killed the king, he had also taken the crown as plunder, and presently he donned it upon himself. 

En route, Hxpno was presented with a prisoner that his subordinates caught. 

"Lord Hxpno, she caught us in the act when we were leaving Wachenstadt. What do we do with her?"

"Hmm...take her with us. She'll have some intel, so she'll have some use."

The prisoner, a young woman in mage robes, was trembling in fear, but when she saw Hxpno, she appeared more astonished. "Can I...say something?"

"Fine, but make it quick."

"I won't pry about what shady business you did in the capital, but I will ask, how is your existence possible?"

Hxpno narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The space around you...you're giving off the aura of a genius swordsman who has honed their magic power for a hundred years, yet you appear to be no more than 20 years of age. You also have the spirit constituation of a plant, yet you somehow also have the constitution of a human. What's more, you're somehow able to command all these monsters to do your bidding. Someone like you cannot be possible."

Hxpno appeared thoughtful. "You seem well learned. I have a vague memory of being suddenly thrown into the wilderness." (To this, the young woman seemed to realize something.) "You see- (here, Hxpno transforms back into a golden potato) -I am a potato, and so-"

"Ok, so this might sound crazy of me, but...I was probably the one who teleported you there. Should we move to my cottage? It's only a bit away from here."

Above: Katherine Maes in her cottage

Soon they were in the cottage. Hxpno had his soldiers set up camp nearby for the night.

"Sorry for the mess and making you come here, my dorm room just can't contain all my research material, so my father had this cottage built, outside the city. Ah right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Katherine Maes."

"No, it's fine. So what did you mean earlier?"

"Ah, right. So tell me about everything that's happened."

After Hxpno told her about his life thus far, she seemed to contemplate it for a bit. Her eyes suddenly widened with realization.

"You said Hexpeñol, right? If my guess is correct, then that monolith is probably the burial site set up by the founding emperor of this kingdom for his own entombment. That would mean the reason why the Barren Wilderness is a wasteland, is because his overwhelming life force - after all, he was supposedly the greatest warrior of the ancient world - was absorbed by the soil, meaning any plant without a significant amount of mana (magic power) in them could not grow there, as the life force would stop nutrients from being absorbed. But you..." She turned to look at Hxpno. "When you were just a normal potato, I spilt a mana restoration potion on you, so when you were somehow teleported to the Barren Wilderness, you had the capability to absorb the nutrients AND the life force. Since life force contains a part of a person's traits, power personality, and memories, it would explain how you suddenly had an influx of knowledge, and became so powerful so quickly. It would also mean your temperament is influenced by that of Hexpeñol Von Strauia, the owner of all that life force. As for your lifespan, I suppose that when you evolved into a Golden Potato Mandrake, you also gained the lifespan of a human."

Hxpno sat there, dazed. It was now dawn. He took off his crown and looked at it. "This is all...I don't know what to make of this...it's really weird, knowing that much of my being is inherited...in the end, I supposed I'll just have to put this legacy to good use." 

Katherine didn't seem finished though. "What I don't get is, how did my teleportation circle send you all the way to the Barren Wilderness? Unless, those nobles' kids...the materials I used for the circle..." She slowly put two and two together, becoming more and more vexed by the second.

"Well, it seems you have your own business to attend to, so I won't bother you anymore. I thank you for the hospitality." With that, Hxpno left her to her own devices.

Steeling his resolve, upon returning to Solania (or the ruins of it), he immediately crowned himself king of Solania. He began recruiting soldiers, rebuilt Solania's fortress walls, made the underground tunnels more complex and rigged with traps, and formulated an attack plan with his generals. Sentient monsters flocked to Solania from all across the world, seeking refuge, which helped greatly bolster the military. In terms of food and logistics, Solania had undercover agents secretly buying supplies from other countries, and shipped them over. A mage corps was established. Hxpno's root puppet skill could now prepare 5,000 puppets at once. Using a Skill that could merge and mix two different Skills, that he had absorbed, he prepared a special attack as a trump card. While the Barren Wilderness had no fertile soil, it was rich in minerals and ores, so smithies and mining corps were formed en masse. With weapons, logistics, and battle plans laid out, Solania was now ready for war.

Above: Hxpno, in human form & ready for battle

As soon as the succession war was over, under Hxpno's command, they quickly invaded and conquered the weakest territories, before merging the feudal armies of the captured territories to the Solanian army. They were mostly merciful; surrenders were welcomed, as it would mean another member joining their forces, in a situation where Solania was still somewhat lacked a sufficient amount of forces. 

After regrouping, the next step was surrounding and conquering the larger and more powerful territories. The only problem was their number and quality of troops; if they were to encounter foreign forces (which were marching fast towards them from the other side of the country), the invasion would lose momentum, which in turn, would cause a stalemate, ultimately leading to failure. This meant that the speed of the invasion take precedence, where capturing the capital would be the goal. In the end, Hxpno decided to take a gamble. He summoned all 5,000 root puppets, and, followed by another 3,500 soldiers, he ignored all obstacles and immediately laid siege to the city. Then, he used the trump card that he had been saving up: a powerful decimating attack, but with the risk of leaving him completely vulnerable to attacks. 

Above: The breached walls of Wachenstadt,
burrowed out in a cylindrical shape 
resembling a finger

Sticking out his middle finger at the city, Hxpno shouted "Ultimate attack, 'F**k-You of Destruction'!". A massive outstretched finger of glowing white light shot through the ground, before pressing down and flattening the gate and nearby wall of the city. Exhausted, he fell and sat down, as his puppets and soldiers rushed forward to take over the breached city, with a small squad staying behind to protect him.

 After rapidly conquering Wachenstadt, the enemy became despirited, and bowed out of the fight, along with the foreign forces. Hxpno made sure to also absorb as many corpses as he could, to strengthen his Skill bank. The capital city's name 'Wachenstadt' was changed to 'Friedenstadt', in hopes of a peaceful and prosperous future. Following the conquest & annexation of the country was the stabilizing of the state. Placing emphasis on making the national identity that of 'Human & Monster co-existence', Hxpno introduced many new regimes and laws, such as lowered taxes, that placed the priorities of the people first, rather than the leading figures of the country (as the former Strauia had done). These were done to improve the general populace's impression of Solania, and nearly took a year to achieve, and diplomatic relations with other countries were soon the next on the agenda. Personally leading a delegation, Hxpno held trade talks at a conference in the nearby dwarf Kingdom of Sargon, which was interested in Solania's extensive ore supply. 

As he made his way back to the now-Kingdom of Solania in a horse-drawn carriage, a worn and torn soldier rushed to meet him.

"Is...Lord Hxpno...here?"

"I am here, yes. What happened?"

"They...those elves...they suddenly appeared...they have sealed the city inside an unbreakable barrier, and are setting up siegeworks...I managed to escape...before the barrier was made..." The soldier careened and fell, fainting from blood loss. As the delegation party took the soldier into the carriage, Hxpno silently rushed off on his own, travelling at light-speed towards Friedenstadt. 

Above: A battalion of hooded elves

At the outskirts of the city, he found a battalion of elves guarding a hill. He quickly killed them, but spared the battalion leader for questioning.

"You elves are usually secluded, barely interacting with the world, so why are you doing this now?!"

"Heh...lowly beings such as yourself should never have challenged us." 

"What do you-"

"A nation of human and monster co-existence? Don't make me laugh. Monsters are born as prey, and they die as prey. Humans are lowly too, but they are tolerable since they know to submit to the World Tree and Elvenheim. Yet now you want monsters to mingle with humans? Such acts are abominable, abhorrent, DISGUSTING. How to break the barrier, you ask? Kekekek...it's impossible! That barrier is directly tied to the World Tree, and as we speak, all your other major cities are going through the same. Only we, the direct spawn of the World Tree, can disable the barrier. And guess what? A massive army from Elvenheim will soon be here to kill everyone in your cities. Ah, I see you getting ready to kill me. Sure, do that, and see how that helps you- KEUK!" Without another word, Hxpno killed the elf, and absorbed the slain battalion. He stood there for a moment, considering his options, and decided to consult Katherine. He quickly made his way to her cottage.

"Ah! Your majesty-"

"Now is not the time." She stared wide-eyed as Hxpno quickly explained what was going on to her. 

She seemed to be on the verge of tears as she said the following. "I'm afraid to tell you this, but what that elf said is true. The World Tree is the core of the world, without it the world would end, which is why Elvenheim is so respected, because they are the direct spawn & proxies of the World Tree. I doubt they only targeted this country due to purity; the life force-rich soil of the Barren Wilderness seems to caught their attention due to your existence. There's also a prophecy saying that the World Tree will one day fall, so it's been their habit to crush any country that becomes too united or powerful. You can try killing off all the invading elves, but that won't remove the barriers trapping people inside the cities. Only loose settlements and houses will be spared, since it's the cities that are your main bases. This country is doomed to fall, unless you can somehow eliminate the World Tree without eliminating the World Tree. In the meantime, let me mourn for my family trapped inside Friedenstadt."

"Don't mourn for your family if they're still alive. Just tell me, where is the World Tree located?"

"Look at this map. The World Tree and Elvenheim are located right here. But why do you want to know? Don't bother going, the security is very tight, and I already said, this can't be solved by just killing off the elves."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Just stay put, it's dangerous outside."

Hxpno left her cottage quickly. Suddenly, a wave of mana erupted from his body. This was his fury. He reined himself in, and began sprinting at break-neck speed in the direction of the World Tree. After 2 days of non-stop travelling, he saw the army of elves marching towards Solania. Gritting his teeth, he ignored them, and continued on his way. It was now a race against time. After another day of travelling, he arrived at Elvenheim. 

Above: Hxpno, ready to slaughter some elves

He quickly summoned his 5,000 root puppets, and ordered them to attack, distracting the main defense force. He himself then snuck his way to the base of the World Tree, silently killing any elves that came his way. As battle raged all around Elvenheim, he transformed back into a Golden Potato, and planted himself right beneath the World Tree. Then, he began absorbing. 

It was an excruciatingly painful task. It was like trying to swallow a whale, but the whale is also thrashing about, resisting being eaten. He lost track of time, only concentrating on taking everything from the World Tree. As if to defend itself, the World Tree spawned dozens of titans, which began to wreck everything, looking for Hxpno. These titans were supposed to be the immune system of the World Tree, yet ironically they failed in the one job they were supposed to do. Hxpno could not be found, as he had tucked himself, a Golden Potato, inside the corner of one of the World Tree's roots, like a sentient tumor, siphoning away at the main body.

Above: Hxpno's evolution
into a Primordial Monarch

Meanwhile, the elves were struggling against Hxpno's root puppets, which each had power almost equivalent to Hxpno. It was only after a significant amount of time that someone shouted "Look! The World Tree is shrinking!" The great foliage, which formed a dome around Elvenheim, was slowly thinning out, wilting, shrivelling, until it slowly disappeared to dust. The great branches that served as the foundation of their homes started to crumble, and the elves scurried about in panic as Elvenheim started crumbling beneath their feat. Blood-curdling screams were suddenly let out, when some of the elves started to likewise wither into dust. This was because the elves were directly linked with the World Tree, meaning, if the World Tree disappeared, so would they. The titans started crumbling the minute they spawned, and eventually, the once-great World Tree was no bigger than a bonsai tree.

Hxpno finally released himself from the World Tree, and turned back into human form. He stared at the World Tree, and knowing it could hear him, he started. "You proud being, who once stood above millions of people, now look at you, a mere shrub. You tried to take everything from me, now I will take everything from you." With that, vines shooted out from his right hand, enveloped the remains of the World Tree, and absorbed it. Suddenly, a golden aura surrounded him. He could feel the weight of the world upon his shoulders. He realized instinctively, that he had become the new World Tree, the new Core of the world. He didn't know the name at the time, but he was becoming a Primordial Monarch.

Meanwhile, the elf army had already finished setting up siegeworks around the major cities of Solania, and were ready to begin their main attack. Suddenly, every elf felt their heart shudder. Screaming in agony and foaming at the mouth, they all began to blacken & dissolve into nothingness. The Solania defenders of each city who watched this unfold, were shocked by this sudden development. They were sure that they were going to die, but as they watched the barriers shatter and elves disintegrate, they rejoiced, as they felt a great burden lifted from their shoulders.

Above: Hxpno, the
Golden Potato Emperor

In the following days, a great change occurred across the world. Hxpno revealed and proved himself as the one who absorbed the World Tree, becoming the Core of the world himself. All the countries across the globe submitted to him, causing the whole world to be united under the banner of Solania. Intelligent monsters were no longer persecuted, instead, they were legally to be treated as equals as all other humanoid species. Katherine, with the support of Hxpno, was able to graduate as the top student, and she became Hxpno's imperial court mage. Thus, Solania thrived under Hxpno's magnanimous rule.

One day, a mysterious hooded being appeared through a portal, and told Hxpno of the universes upon universes, and all about the Primordial Monarchs. The hooded being then promptly left, but not before telling Hxpno that "the world is vast, and one should do whatever they can to integrate themselves as best they can". From then on, Hxpno started doing something that would earn him, in the future, the title of 'Recruitment Maniac': rapidly recruiting Primordial Monarchs into his alliance.

Hxpno walks out onto the platform. Far and wide, people as numerous as the sands by the seashore had gathered. Red Orcs stood beaming next to humans, Dragonewts cheered alongside dwarves, Ogres chanted his name with Beastpeople. His eyes saw a mirthful, vibrant array of colors, flitting about. As he felt his heart truly smile for the first time, the people exclaimed, 'LONG LIVE THE KING'.

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