The Tale of the Five Kingdoms🔊

Once upon a time, nestled between the mountains and the sea, lay the Patavian Peninsula, where five ruling kingdoms formed the Heart of Patavia. These were Kodomare, Sentoza, Ithrenia, Portara, and Azuluna. Each kingdom had distinct characteristics, Kodomare for its soldiers, Sentoza for its farmers, Ithrenia for its scholars, Portara for its merchants, and Azuluna for its artisans.

In the heart of the peninsula stood the Tower of Wisdom, a magical place where representatives from each kingdom met annually to discuss about peace, prosperity and other pressing matters. The Tower of Wisdom was placed under the cloak of neutrality, a sacred ground that bore no bias. It was a symbol of republic democracy that balanced power among all kingdoms.

However, a wave of calamity hit the Peninsula, the abundant harvests began to fail, countless soldiers fell sick, and trade routes dried up, the knowledge of the scholars failed to explain these phenomena, even the mastercrafted works of our artisans lost their beauty. All the normal life of Patavian Peninsula was a mayhem.

Countless meetings were held at the Tower of Wisdom as panic spread. Yet, kings couldn't agree on a solution. They blamed one another, pointing fingers, causing the relationships between the kingdoms to strain. Then, a prophecy from the high priestess of Azuluna warned of a powerful darkness spreading across the land, a curse that could only be broken by the Heart of Patavia. However, no one knew what exactly this heart was.

Then, a young scribe from Ithrenia, Elysia, had an insightful vision, The heart of Patavia was not a physical entity but the unity among the five kingdoms. She believed the darkness was nothing else but the manifestation of the growing hostility and disunity among the kingdoms.

Elysia knew she had to convince the kings of the five kingdoms but being a mere scribe, she was dismissed by most. She then devised a plan to prove her theory, she had to unite the kingdoms herself. And so, hidden in the mask of night, she stole the five distinguished symbols of the kingdoms, with each wish and hope of its respective kingdom infused inside them. She brought them to the Heart of Patavia, at the centre point of the five kingdoms, the Tower of Wisdom.

At the stroke of midnight, Elysia placed the stolen artifacts carefully in a circle. She whispered prayers, pleading for unity and peace. As the first glimmer of dawn appeared, a miraculous thing occurred. The artifacts began to glow brightly, a light radiant enough to replace the fading moon. It began merging, forming a beautiful entity, beating like a heart and illuminating the entire Patavian Peninsula.

The five kings, startled by the sudden glow, arrived at the Tower to find the glowing heart and a radiant Elysia. The glow from the heart spread, engulfing each king, images of the hardships faced by the people of each kingdom, their interdependence, and the damage caused by their disunity, flashed in front of their eyes. Seeing this, the kings bowed their heads in shame and pleaded for forgiveness accepting Elysia's wisdom.

With unity restored, the curse was lifted. The fertile ground of Sentoza began to yield once again, the soldiers of Kandore were restored to health, the trade routes of Portara flurished, and once more Azuluna’s crafts gloried. Ithrenia’s scholars continued their researches with more vigour than ever. The tale of Elysia and the Heart of Patavia spread, reminding everyone of the simple yet profound wisdom: unity is strength.

And so it was, Elysia, a simple scribe, led the mighty kings towards the path of unity. From that day onward, the Heart of Patavia no longer referred to the landmarks, but to their undying unity. The kingdoms stood united, their harmony resonating throughout the lands, living on for eternity, as a testament that the darkest of curses can be lifted by the purest of hearts and unity.