It had been only twenty-four hours since the Aethelgard envoy fled without looking back, but the news we expected had already arrived: The King had officially declared Essence Haven a "Traitor Settlement" and raised his banners to march upon us. However, there was one thing the King had failed to calculate; the people were tired of his endless taxes, of being left to die in the cold, and of his suffocating pride.
The news of our defiance spread through the frost-laden forests and surrounding villages like a wildfire. Within the first three days, small groups fleeing the King's tyranny arrived at our gates. By the fourth day, these groups turned into massive caravans. The whisper grew into a roar: "The Mayor will feed us! The Mayor will protect us!" By the end of the fifth day, our population had surged to 500 people. As the stories of our overflowing grain silo and the miracles of our infirmary spread from ear to ear, the number exploded to a staggering 2,000 people by the end of the week.
The perimeter of Essence Haven became a sea of thousands of tents and newly erected makeshift huts. Everyone was incredibly satisfied to be here, walking on the famous heated stone paths and sleeping with full bellies for the first time in their lives. In just seven days, these 2,000 souls had transformed Essence Haven from a small garrison into a massive city of resistance.
Meanwhile, at the Palace of Aethelgard, the very foundations were shaking. Upon receiving reports from his spies that "Essence Haven has reached the size of an army," the King struck his throne in a fit of rage. "A handful of peasants and a few deserters dare to defy me? Burn that city to its very foundations! Let no one survive!" he screamed, ordering his elite knights and heavy siege engines to prepare for war.
Eliz and I stood atop the battlements, looking down at the thousands of campfires flickering in the dark. We were no longer responsible for just 30 lives; we had 2,000 souls to protect.
"When they come," Eliz said, gripping my hand tightly, "they won't just find walls. They will find thousands of people who have finally tasted freedom."
As the energy of the Blue Essence crystals hummed beneath our feet, the shadow of the Great War had officially fallen upon us.
ESSENCE HAVEN
CITY STATUS: CAPITAL OF THE REBELLION / FREE CITY
POPULATION: 2,000 PEOPLE (REFUGEES, FARMERS, DEFECTOR SOLDIERS)
STATUS: GENERAL MOBILIZATION DECLARED
EXTERNAL THREAT: THE AETHELGARD GRAND ARMY IS MARCHING