Purmenus, first Guide to the Degraded
Purmenus worked as a simple carpenter in a small village. He knew he had Absence's sickness in him, but he didn't think much about it. Until his tragedies happened. First, he lost his wife at childbirth, and he lost his daughter when she was five years old. Everybody in the village feared that might happen because it was clear that she was in worse condition than anybody else they saw. Purmenus was devastated. His job no longer interested him, and he didn't seek out his friends. He just left the village on a quiet night and wandered the world aimlessly.
He visited many settlements, villages, and cities, and he became painfully aware of the scale of the degradation sickness. The realization that he was not alone in his pain pulled him out of his despair, and he tried to help those in need. He couldn't do much, but everybody was thankful when he fixed a leaking roof or an unusable chair or when he created small wood toys for children.
He was at the docks when a ship arrived with the news that a new continent had been found south of Grimbor. He thought that maybe this new place would be a blessing for those who were affected by the sickness, but it took a while to find a ship that would travel to the new continent and take Purmenus with it. Finally, a captain saw the possibility of trading between the two continents, and he needed a new shipwright. Purmenus was on its way to discover his potential new home.
However, on the new continent, a couple of sentient and dangerous species already lived there. Lizardfolk, bugbears, ogres, and lupians. Of these four, only the lizardfolk saw the same opportunity of trading between the nations and growing together. Of course, being lizardfolk, they had ulterior motives, too. They told the sailors many things about the continent, including Purmenus, its potential, and its dangers. Purmenus thought that although it wouldn't be an easy life, hard-working people with dedication could live here without the fear of constant hounding by the new, younger species. Unfortunately, Purmenus didn't know the whole story.
He was highly enthusiastic about the new continent but lacked the necessary persuasion skills to convince others about his idea. It took him years to finally persuade his own village and find a captain willing to move that many people between the continents. Finally, he succeeded, and the people, who at this time started to be called Degraded, arrived at their new home. The lizardfolk landed them a helping hand, but it was only a ruse. Village by village, more and more people traveled to the new continent, and as the news of the new place spread within Grimbor, many wanted to follow them.
That was the time when the lizardfolk proceeded to the next step in their plans. From the start, they intended to use the newcomers as slaves and foot soldiers in battles against their enemies. However, they miscalculated. When Purmenus arrived with a fleet of ships bringing hundreds of new people, he saw what was happening and easily convinced his people to rise up against the lizardfolk, leave them, and find their own place. After months-long struggle and bloodshed, the survivors escaped from the lizardfolk and, at last, within the swamps in the south, they found their home. It was a dangerous place, filled with wild beasts and natural disasters, but they were free. They still fought the lizardfolk for a while, but mostly to free those who arrived later until they could build their own port.
They elected Purmenus as their first Guide. Purmenus knew their life would be wrought with danger and hardship, but after many years of struggle, he was finally happy.
He was a flawed man, but he came through when it mattered the most
Children
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