For Those Who Have Yet to Arrive: New Karthos

Special report by S.S.

I climbed the sandstone steps, following right behind him. I had no idea, no clue of what I was yet to see. I had no expectation or thought. I could only look down at my pathetic feet, which silently ached, and follow him.

Mountain in New Karthos.

Stairs up the mountain. [Molten_Lord]

I didn’t know.

To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought when he said, “You don’t really know till you’re there.”

But he was right when he said it.

When I flickered my eyes open and looked beyond his shoulder, the world seemed to swallow me whole. I was surrounded by the colors I used to ignore. They were vibrant. I guess I could say that I had been lucky that day. The sun had sunk just right, sending warmth throughout my entire body, just as he said it would.

Sunset in New Karthos. [Molten_Lord]

“The warm air on your skin,” was what he had said to me.

I closed my eyes, and I could feel it.

“Sweat beading on your brow after a hard day’s work.”

It felt that way, too. But it wasn’t gruesome or exhausting. It felt like a reward. For a single moment, I forgot everything. The world above the clouds felt still. The land beneath my feet kept me steady, long enough to understand, to feel what he meant.

Standing here, on this mountain beside him, made me realize something simple yet undeniable: it was worth it. This is what made New Karthos worth it.

The land of New Karthos. [Molten_Lord]

Mountains that seemed to reach the sky, a nation laid within its depths, New Karthos. Led by Molten_Lord, the development of New Karthos wasn’t impressive in infrastructure or shape. But to him, it wasn’t ever meant to be that way.

“It may not look like much,” Molten_Lord refuted, “but it was just a barren rock with a pond when we first arrived.”

New Karthos. [Molten_Lord]

New Karthos steady development wasn’t calculative nor deceitful. It was just a feeling. It is a wonder as to why anyone would want to build a nation on land that was so hard and dismantled. But to its leader, it wasn’t a difficult question.

“We decided it was perfect.”

New Karthos. [Molten_Lord]

Perfection is a feat that, to most, is impossible to reach. Molten_Lord believes that perfection is not something someone can plan for; it can only be reached without thought, without precision. The nation of New Karthos was built through long days of labor under a warm sun, surrounded by the view of the mountains. It was a sneaky, silent reward. The land of New Karthos seemed to be touched with peace and tranquility.

However, it seemed that the past told a different story.

“There was a time we were building an army,” he told me. His eyes and gestures felt as though he were in another distant world. Another time. He said, “[We thought] we were being beset on all sides.”

New Karthos, which seemed to be a territory filled with hard work and love, was filled with an unknown history. “Before your time” is what Molten_Lord stated when pressed further.

However, these mountains, which were now in peace and silence, were once silently preparing for war. There was a belief in New Karthos. A war was coming. A war that was filled with grief and fear. At the center of this fear was a man named Devovo.

Molten_Lord‘s tone when speaking of this person was filled with defeat, with distance. It was said that Devovo was set on a war incoming. In a world lived in by so many, Devovo saw clarity. He saw enemies. However, through effort and time, he and those who followed his beliefs were captured, tried, and executed. Their names were struck from history and the books themselves. It is a wonder why Molten_Lord decided to open up about this dark past today.

“He’s just a ghost,” Molten_Lord whispered. “One I see too often.”

[Molten_Lord]

It is a mystery whether this ghost is a figment of imagination or a sliver of guilt. It was unclear.

But it still was here, haunting New Karthos.

When asked about the citizens of New Karthos, MoltenLord responded faintly, “They go westward. To new lands. To new adventures.” New Karthos was not a land that people left in defeat and anger. It was a place people left to continue, to end. It was a starting point.

Yet, the seemingly distant leader remained.

“For Tom,” he replied.

TomBlack, New Karthos’s co-mayor and second in command.

“Though I think he no longer requires me.”

Time moves forward. There seemed to be a moment of clarity in Molten_Lord. When asked what his next move was, his answer seemed to finally show hesitance and confusion.

“Who knows? I will keep going west, until all of this world falls to wayside and I find myself alone again.”

Whether his end goal was solitude was undetermined. Yet, in this silence, it was clear. Molten_Lord did not seek the Meraki Gazette out of curiosity, but out of an ambition to be heard. It was clear from the slowly developing land that New Karthos’s history was slowly being forgotten by the citizens. The stories told in these lands were slowly disappearing. The leader, Molten_Lord, wanted not to be heard, but for New Karthos’s history not to be forgotten.

“This place will be developed.” Is what he said. “Even if it takes Tom a long time to do it. He’ll get there alone if he has to.” This was a clear sign of support and trust from a leader. However, there was a desire left, “I only hope he doesn’t have to do it alone.”

This tiny wish was something the leader of New Karthos wanted to happen. The nation, while being developed by so few, had land for so many. When asked about a plot of land, the response was quick, immediate even.

“If there’s one thing New Karthos has plenty of, it’s land.”

New Karthos.

The land of New Karthos was filled with rich history. From the new tree growing in the dirt to the grass lying under our feet, New Karthos has so much to offer.

-SS