Transcription of the inaugural class of the subject "History of Acalia" in the Faculty of Humanism (University of Eporedia) for the course 563/564.

Taught by Professor Everard Well, and captured with a dwarf-crafted psycho-phonograph, thurumian in particular. (Written by GuiaDeMinecraft)

 

All right, welcome to this new course, you projects of humanists. This is going to be your first stone on the road. My subject is not foolishness, nor will you profit of all the old wives' tales your mothers told you while they were breastfeeding you. Acalia is an ancient kingdom, an entire millennium looks at us, and I assure you that in a millennium of history there is a place for some heroics, yes. But there is also a lot more place for misery, disasters, incompetence and stabbing in the back. Well, let's see, does anyone wish to tell me how the history of Acalia begins? You? What's your name, sir?

Ripp, Professor. The history of Acalia begins with the Decade of Disembarkation, as it is written in the Annals of Ripias.

Ah, yes, the Annals of Ripias. A beautiful novel, but entirely uncertain, Mr Ripp. Luckily for historians, this land was already inhabited when our kind arrived. In the archives of Kal Thurum is documented the presence of humans in what today is Acalia since the year 629 before the Avatar. They watched us closely, the dwarfs, fearful of the threat we could mean, and which we meant in the end. For about a decade there was a fairly intense arrival of humans, right. But that arrival continued to occur throughout the century. Acalia was not born at once. And the role of Acal the Brave is just debatable. Yes? You? Your name?

Lorna, professor. What do you mean when you say "debatable"? Acal is our national hero, the original seed of our nation. We call ourselves "acalians" because of him!

You'll learn in my course, Miss Lorna, that many times the history we know is not the one that really happened, but, let's say, the improved version of what really happened. The improved version written by those who rule, it is intended.

So, wasn't Acal the Brave the founding father of our kingdom?

Yes, he is, or he was. But did you know that before being called "the Brave" he was known as Acal the Melancholic? He felt a great longing for the lost land, and during his first decade of leadership, he organised the population to prepare a great maritime force with which to retake the old Rohenya from the invaders. That was all that worried him, these new lands were for him only a temporary base from which to arm and prepare for the counterattack.

And what happened? Why did he change his mind?

Actually he did not change his mind, but his people had changed itself. Around the shipyards, so many families had settled down that real towns were created. Military camps were surrounded by growing populations first formed by the wives and children of the warriors, then by merchants who took advantage of the need for goods, and then simply by all kinds of people. Cities grow like this at first, unexpected, it's just as simple as an attractive place for some groups. But it took a lot of effort to get Acal to understand. At the end it was Tirmud, his best friend, who got it in the simplest way: he took him to walk around every town and city they visited. Knocked out by reality, Acal realised that these folk were trying to rebuild their lives after a traumatic defeat and an infernal crossing. And that a new war would destroy them. Only then did Acal begin to organise the population with a colonising sense. But listen, we are getting ahead [...]

(For a few minutes a white noise interrupts the sound of the disc).