- Hugo Tarblatt, Head of the Engineers
THE ERA OF FEAR
Unprecedented to 1794
Monsters, they were called. Demons. Hell-spawn. They had been a part of the world since time immemorial. Whereas they started out as myths, legends, and horror stories, they grew into something known. Something feared. They were given names, such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, and many more. A new threat would always make itself known. Somehow, mankind survived through years upon years of coldblooded murders and widespread massacres. They would hunt the monsters down on their own and, whilst occasionally successful, would often be met with fatal retaliation. Time went on, and humans began to advance themselves, but monsters didn’t change. They continued to kill, while their prey continued to build, and instead of making futile attempts to fight their oppressors, they focused on defending themselves, and advancing their technology. And in the end, that very goal became their method of salvation.
The Industrial Revolution began, with an emphasis on the latter part of the name. The Era of Fear, as men called it, came to an end.
THE ERA OF REVOLT
1795 to 1870
The tides began to turn. Roles were switched. The hunters became the hunted. With the dawn of industry, humans began to direct much of their attention to machinery. And from machinery, to weapons. And from weapons, to monsters. Fear suddenly ceased to exist in a man once he had a rifle in his hands. Mobs were formed, bearing cannons and firearms rather than pitchforks and torches. When once a monster would laugh heartily or retaliate violently, now the mobs were successful. They formed hunting squads and laid siege to wherever they found inhuman beings, piling up their bodies and burning them in the dark. The sense of hubris was transferred from monsters to mortals, with no signs of impending downfall. There appeared to be no stopping the hunters as their weapons grew in power, while the monsters stuck to their old ways.
This became known as the Era of Revolt. A time of greatness for mankind. A time of despair for all else.
THE GREAT INVITATION
1871 to 1880
In their darkest hours, as they hid in the wilderness from the hunting squads, the monsters were confronted by those who would become their saviors. Humans dressed in hooded garbs hewn from a strange black flesh, bearing odd tools and instruments unknown to them. They called themselves “the Engineers”. They spoke of a place they saw to the construction of, a city hidden away from the modern world, high up in the northern mountaintops. They offered the monsters safe haven there, promising it would be untouched by human hands save theirs. While many were skeptical at first, they deigned to trust the Engineers and follow them to the city, which they called “Voldoa”. Within a mere few years, great migrations were made to Voldoa, as word of it spread to all regions of Europe. Hunters heard rumor of it as well, and attempted to follow the traveling monsters there, but the Engineers eluded them with their strange and mystical devices, concealing them from the hunters’ vision and driving them away with misleading illusions.
It took time, but eventually, virtually every nonhuman being in Europe, and lands nearby, ended up in Voldoa. The monsters were greeted by the Engineers, and their creations, the Flesh Golems. Giants made of desecrated skin, akin the Engineers’ garbs, and fitted with gears, plating, and contraptions that allowed them to move. The monsters marveled at these creatures and their work. Voldoa came across to them as a modern city, free of humans, and fitted with everything they would desire. Houses, gardens, taverns, anything they wanted. The Engineers saw to the maintaining of the city, while the Flesh Golems protected it from the threat of mankind. There was no sense of poverty, as all residents were cared for and provided with whatever they needed. No one was charged for anything, but the residents were allowed to run their own businesses. The Engineers told the residents they were free to come and go as they saw fit, and that they should consider Voldoa their new home. And they did, as few ever left once they settled in there.
Life for the monsters, or Voldoans as they came to call themselves, finally seemed to reach a point of peace in their lives. Grateful towards the Engineers, the Voldoans held a celebration for the founding of the city, and deigned to hold it again every year onward, on the ninth of November. The Engineers were pleased to see their efforts paid off, and continued their work with happy hearts.
THE VOLDOAN DECADE
1881 to 1891 (Present Day)
Voldoa still stands to this day. The residents have settled in and made a home for themselves with the help of the Engineers. Everything they asked for, they were given. The Flesh Golems walked along the outside walls, watching over the city and keeping it safe from harm. The Engineers did not discriminate, nor did they ever attempt to leash the Voldoans from their natural desires. They gave them blood, flesh, and meat, as much they desired, bringing it from their many halls dotted around the city. Where it came from, no one knew, and no one asked. They would make trips to and from Voldoa, up and down the mountainside, bringing things that the residents requested, such as alternative food, drink, toys for the children, and many other things. All that the Engineers ever asked of the Voldoans was that they never harm one another, the Engineers, or the Flesh Golems. And the Voldoans agreed.
It has been ten years since the initial founding of the city. The Voldoan Festival draws near, and the residents are joyed to celebrate it once again. A safe haven from mankind, who were once thought the weaker, in its due commemoration.
The Engineers and the Flesh Golems made something great. Even with all their secrets and mysteries, the Voldoans consider them their saviors.
No questions asked.
