The Madlum Incident

[applelove]

First, please do not post to this thread unless you're contributing. If you wish to discuss this, please make another thread. Second, this is NOT the place to argue about Madlum or the events that transpired there, do it somewhere else. The account written below was provided by someone who was at the very beginning of the event, and has provided in good detail all the facts. Some parts have been excluded, embellished, or downplayed.

This thread is for those who were involved in the Madlum Incident to post their story. Please stay in character if you wish you contribute. This is for you to tell your story in a past tense, as you saw it, and as you see it now. You can embellish, but keep it atleast somewhat to the true story. Given that everyone had their own perspective, you can be pretty creative in what you write. Whether you saw NATO as a supreme force for good, or a cruel and vile monster, that's up to you!
You can tell your story from beginning to end. From the moment you heard of Madlum or NATO, to the aftermath, and every thing you did inbetween.
For the sake of continuity, we're going to assume anyone who's still around to tell their story was NOT killed, and only injured/wounded if defeated.

Oh, and keep in mind I am no great writer. This account is very matter-of-fact.

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In the early days of the world of Sanctum, the people scrambled together to form towns and communities—the only way to keep the dangers of this new world at bay. It was not long until towns became cities, and cities formed dreams of kingdoms. For the sake of this story, only three communities need be known: The Omniscience Project (TOP), The Kingdom of Edolas (KoE), and Madlum.

Sanctum was a good place to live. Violence was not tolerated, thieves were exiled, vandals were punished, and murderers were…taken care of. For those who were banished from the cities, life was hard. These people were marked, outcasts that few communities welcomed. One of these communities was a town called Madlum. The mayor of this town, Maikkywin, accepted everyone into his community. He brought lost souls to live quietly, and allowed thieves and vandals to take residence as well. Not a single coin was charged to new citizens. Each one was given a plot of land to build a home, and each kept themselves.

The greater powers of Sanctum saw this new town as a threat, a haven for thieves and criminals—a place that no lost soul should venture to. At first, KoE and TOP attempted to govern Madlum. Madlum was instructed to levy taxes, charge for land, and restrict citizenship. The mayor was not happy with the interference. Furious with their demands, Maikkywin forced the representatives to leave Madlum. News spread fast, as it always does, and the residents of Madlum were stirred. Where Madlum had been a hideaway for the devious, it became a stage for violence.

Seeing the changes in the citizens’ temperament, KoE and TOP decided more drastic measures would be required to handle Madlum. The two formed NATO, and a road block was put in place on the East road, preventing access to Madlum. The intent had been to redirect lost souls, and stop incoming supplies from entering the town, but when the citizens of Madlum began to attack and steal from NATO cities, the road block was transformed into a full blown blockade. Soon after the blockade had been created, Madlum took steps to fight back, finding ways to bypass the blockade and its tolls, smuggling in the supplies they needed. NATO took this offense very seriously, and declared that all Madlum members attempting to pass through the blockade would be killed on sight; non-citizens would be allowed to pass.

As the situation escalated to war, communities around the world became involved. Many called to the Zo to put an end to the violence, but as the often do, the Zo decided to let the world work out its own problems and resigned themselves to watch the events unfold. Armies were posted inside the walls of the blockade; patrols scoured the roads, and Madlum was pushed into a corner. With nowhere else to run, the citizens fought back. They were not without aid, as many outsiders saw NATO as an evil thing, only desiring gold and conquest.

After many battles, raids, and deaths, the revolution of Madlum reached its apex. The armies at the blockade were routed as their walls were breached. The revolutionaries pushed until NATO was forced to retreat—an overwhelming victory for Madlum and its allies. The blockade was entirely destroyed, monuments were built and signs were placed to mark the day that the outcast few had stood and defeated the overbearing many. This victory was not taken well be NATO, furious at the loss of their blockade. Only days after defeat, NATO returned with a second wind, constructing a new fortress in place of the old. The Black Fortress stood in the desert, surrounded by thorns and blood, taunting all who would approach.

Few attacks were made on the fortress, none were even marginally successful. While the death tolls in NATO had weakened its armies, the walls were unforgiving to those who tried to breach them. Knowing that the war had been won, NATO offered a peace treaty that required Madlum to pay 2000c in damages. Maikkywin, in his usual glory, was outraged. He refused to pay the fine, and would continue the war until one side or the other was destroyed.

Shortly after denying the treaty, the population of Madlum was shaken. There was no will left to fight the uphill battle presented by NATO, and the resentment of this war was released when the citizens of Madlum toppled the government, banishing the former mayor Maikkywin forever. With Maikkywin out of the picture, the war ended, leaving the Black Fortress as a monument to countless lives lost. The citizens of Madlum scrambled to reform a government, but being formed almost entirely of criminals and outcasts, infighting caused the group to dissolve.

The Zo had seen enough. The Elder Zo themselves stepped in, summoning monsters and demons into Madlum. The remaining residents were killed or ran from the town as it was destroyed. Some brave souls ran to Madlum to help fight the creatures, other arrived to loot and pillage through the remains. The Black Fortress, situated in a vast desert, was shaken. The Elder Zo wished it, and the fortress sank below the sands, never to mark the land with the lives it took and the memories it contained.

This is the end of the story of Madlum. Ages have passed, NATO has dissolved, and the tales of the Madlum Incident exist only in the minds of its survivors. But as the story has been told, the memories of it haunt those who remain. And so we are here, in the room that hosts the Madlum Incident Support Group, where those who could not cope with the stress come to share their stories. So please, sit down, tell us of your nightmares and of your triumphs, and remember, Madlum was in the past, and a new story waits for those who are willing to make it.

 

[applelove]

When I first heard of Madlum, I was running a small bakery in Silverwyn, just outside of Fiore. I had heard that the higher ups in Fiore were having issues with the town, but I just passed it off as politics, something to be ignored. It wasn't until I was thrown out of Silverwyn that I really saw what was going on.

At the time, I was living on a farm with an old friend. News made it into the wilderness pretty slowly, so by the time I heard the citizens of Silverwyn were going to be posted at the Madlum blockade, the battles had already begun. I didn't really know why the blockade was there, but knowing that Silverwyn was there, I wanted to do what I could to help. After preparing a large shipment of supplies I set off for the blockade.

I had never been on the East road before, and after my first trip, I regret that many more would follow. Already, the road was covered in the scars of battles; Swords and armor could be found off the road, segments of the road were destroyed, and the path was littered with bandits and looters. Madlum was a small town on the farthest end of a very large desert. Although it was a terrible journey, it wasn't long before I set my eyes upon the blockade. It was an odd construction, with tall stone walls going far in all direction. Wooden walls lined the road leading to the gate house—a funnel for travellers. While I had come lightly armored, I never expected I would have to fight here. As I got closer to the gates, I could see a small group of people gathered there. Some were armed but most didn’t seem to have anything more than what they were wearing, which itself, was not very much.

When I had passed through Sanctum on my way to the blockade, I had heard that Madlum citizens were being killed at the blockade, and that non-citizens were allowed to pass. With this knowledge, I had anticipated what would happen next. After a few short words, soldiers jumped down from the gates and walls, and decimated the crowd. The warriors at the bottom were slain of course, but the unarmed were killed as well. I could hardly believe what I had seen. People were killed all the time in Sanctum—good people; but not here, and not like this. At the top of the gate I saw her, the mayor of Silverwyn, Soundmaniac. While we hadn’t talked much in my visits to town, we had managed to become friends. As I walked into the funnel, where only moments before I had seen innocent people slaughtered, she jumped from the gate.

I can’t say now what I expected when I travelled to the blockade, but I never thought the people I knew would turn their blades to me. Several of the soldiers ran at me, including Soundmaniac. I had come armed, but I wasn’t prepared to fight these people. My hands shook in fear, or anger, or shock, I don’t know. I knew I couldn’t fight, so I ran. I ran back into the desert as fast as I could, leaving everything I had brought with me behind. I doubt I would have escaped if it weren’t for another group of travellers coming down the road. I ran from the road, only looking back long enough to see my attackers turn on the travellers, who were apparently well prepared for the ambush.

It took nearly 2 days to get back to the farm. I had heard more rumors about the blockade, and a term that was new: “NATO.” I can’t say if I had heard news, or simply heard the same regurgitated rumors through the terrified ears of the betrayed, but on the trip home, I came to a realization. While the orders at NATO were kill citizens only, they were out of control. They were killing anyone who came near, and anyone who tried to bypass the blockade. The soldiers there were playing the part of bandits, robbing caravans and slaying unarmed lost souls who had only just stepped foot into the wilderness. I don’t know why I did it, whether it was in anger, for vengeance, or for justice or whatever you want to call it, but a few days after I had come to my senses, I made a plan.

I opened a chest in my basement, which held my best armor and sword. This wasn’t the cheap stuff that breaks after a few hits. I gathered food and supplies, and briefly said goodbye to Amatol. I hadn’t told him the details, but he knew I was going back. As soon as the sun peaked out from behind the trees, I began my hike to Sanctum. It was a quiet trip, a little less than a day’s walk. Compared to the East road, this path was pleasant; Trees and birds, small lakes to the side, the sound of clashing weapons was replaced with that of running water. It had reminded me why I lived in the middle of nowhere, rather than in a town.

When I arrived in Sanctum, it was bustling. Crowds had formed in the city for protection against the increased number of bandits running through the roads looking for easy prey. I couldn’t stand to stay in such a crowd, so I left for the East road immediately. This time, the walk was eerie. The East road at night was like being the only person left in the world; desert on either side, the road only partially lit by torches. When I saw the flickering lights of the blockade, the sun had already begun to make its ascent. I had planned this mission for night, but I had also planned to stay in Sanctum for the night. I leapt down from the road and into the sands, staying below the dunes to keep hidden. After a short look, I found a position that I would be able to see the gates and watch towers from, and dug myself into the sand.

For 16 hours I hid under the desert, rubbing sand out of my eyes and fighting away vermin. I watched as group after group approached the gates, and as each one of them was killed. Their bodies were stripped of valuables, weapons, and armor, and then were taken into the desert and left for the birds. It made my stomach churn thinking that I could be right under a pile of bloating corpses. I watched as patrols traded places, and guards took their posts. Even though my vision has never been so great, I could see as the sun fell that Soundmaniac was leaving for KoE. I was briefly happy, thinking that I may not have to fight her, but that was quickly replaced by the awareness of my stiff and sore muscles.

As the moon rose into the sky, I slumped out of my hole, stretching my legs to bring back some feeling. I started into the desert valley, keeping as far to the side as I could. A few times, I thought I might have been spotted, but I made it to the wall without incident. I dug in here, just out of sight of the top of the gatehouse. I waited. I needed the perfect opportunity to get inside. It wasn’t long before another of the many groups trying to make it through crested the hill. I knew this was my chance, and I began to peak out at the gate, hoping to time it perfectly. I had expected the guards to be distracted by the incoming group of warriors, but one man standing on that gate saw me. I wasn’t sure he saw me ofcourse, but when he came searching the area, my heart stood still. He came from the corner, and just like that, I had stabbed him.

When it happened, I thought nothing of it. I had slain bandits before, but I had expected this to be different, these were people I had met before in KoE. The faces and names are a blur now, but surely I knew who they were then? I was fortunate that the warriors had arrived—none of the guards noticed their missing ally, as they leaped from the walls to take care of the new arrivals. I didn’t have time to think now, so I ran. I came to wall, outside of the funnel and began to climb. The guards were battling inside, and not a soul saw me. When I made it to the top however, I was greeted with steel. The only person I recognized on that wall was Zellis, a man from Fiore, I think. I was glad that they were all strangers.

Zellis was a large man, carrying one the biggest axes I’ve ever seen. The battle on the wall was quick. The strangers were split between helping their allies below or dealing with me. When only Zellis remained on the wall, he was furious. The only thing I can think to compare his anger to is a demon. I knew I was outmatched, so I was looking for a way out. I saw a thin wall of bricks connecting to the gatehouse, and made my escape. I had hoped to run into the desert, but when I heard the footsteps behind me, I knew I was going to have to fight. I turned sharply on the wall as a sword came down at me, giving my arm a glancing slice. Zellis was a fierce fighter, but his size made him clumsy. I could never have slain him, and was happy to see him stumble from the wall after only a few clashes of our swords.

I took the chance I was given, with no one else on the gate; I pulled the lever that would open it. By this time, the soldiers occupying the blockade were being driven back. I knew that reinforcements could come from Sanctum at any moment, so I fled into the tunnel that led to Madlum. I don’t know why I thought the tunnel would be safe. After maybe a couple of hours, I came to a stop. Looking ahead in the dim light, I saw a small group of people. They were lightly armed, maybe four or five of them in all. Fortunately, my expectations were wrong, and these people came to me with their weapons put away.

We paused for a moment to share news. I learnt that they were Madlum citizens, going to the blockade to try to break through. I remember thinking that 5 men going there alone would be a death sentence, but then I realized that I had just come from there alive. The realization brought back the pain in my arm, which was shortly bandaged. When I told them of the retreat from the blockade, they were shocked, but ecstatic. After a bit of persuasion, they dragged me back in the direction I had come—we were going to destroy the wall.

When we arrived at the end of the tunnel, we were unopposed. Creeping slowly into the sandy courtyard of the blockade, I stopped only shortly to watch as Soundmaniac and a group from Silverwyn passed right by me. I don’t know what stopped me from attacking, but I sat there as a stone, unmoving as I watched them survey the damage, and leave. We were the only souls left inside the walls. The walls were still in good shape, despite being somewhat ransacked. We set to work immediately with pickaxes in hand. We dismantled the walls piece by piece, until only a long pile of rubble lay in the footprint. It took until the next night to tear down the blockade, at which point we celebrated our accomplishment. I was taken quickly to Madlum to let the news be known.

When we arrived, the sun had fallen yet again, as the cold ocean air of Madlum hit me. We were greeted by Maikkywin, the mayor of Madlum. We were treated as heroes for the night, and I was granted a stay in the town while I recovered from the battle. After a few days, I heard that the NATO forces had moved in and were building a fort. I had hoped this war would be over; after fighting at the blockade I realized I wasn’t cut out for heroics. Not long after this news arrived—and it arrived slowly in Madlum—I was privileged to hear that NATO offered peace to Madlum, in exchange for a large payment. From where I stood, this was laughable. NATO was a monster. They killed the innocent, stole from anyone daring to step foot on the Eastern road, and now they were demanding a payment. I didn’t stick around to hear the reply, but I later heard that Maikkywin denied it vehemently.

I returned home, taking a very long detour to avoid the Black Fortress that had taken the place of the blockade seemingly overnight. I sat in my home thinking about what had occurred. We had won the battle for Madlum, but NATO would not let the war end so simply. I tossed my now ragged armor into the chest it had come from, and decided I would not be returning to the battle. From then on, things moved fast. I heard Maikkywin was thrown to the wolves, and that NATO backed off, leaving the Black Fortress as a monument for the citizens of Madlum. I remember hearing when Madlum fell, and I was there in the light house when the Gods called down fury on the city.

I’ve never truly fought since the battles of Madlum. I’ve been keeping life as simple as possible, moving from place to place, living alone, usually. I still farm, but Amatol has long since left. While I continue my life as a farmer and a hermit, every day I’m reminded, deep inside my mind, that I enjoyed fighting on that wall. I’m terrified by the thought, that I could walk those roads and see the death and somehow desire to go back.

 

[Amgroma]

Play this music while reading. It sets the mood.

It was a cold and cloudy day, December the 23rd, 2010. Our men set out to erect the first kingdom ever - The Kingdom of Edolas (KoE)- on the northern edges of the map. We had planned the kingdom before the map wiped, and were eager to start building and gaining wealth and power. On the total opposite side of the map, the The Omniscience Project (TOP), another slightly smaller kingdom that was rising just as quickly as ours was. We decided not to be foes, and formed an alliance of agreement. We had our leadership circle, and they had theirs. The fearless leaders of the kingdoms were called the Heads. In meetings, the Heads would discuss what cities were allowed to rise in the lands of Sanctum, and which would be abolished from the face of the earth.

Now a few things you should know about those times:
-Gold was very valuble, but the economy wasn't as inflated as it has become nowadays. It was a good, honest era, where every man would contribute and help their kingdom grow.
-The main powers of the map were KoE and TOP, and we had most of the money that would flow through the world.
-There were a few smaller cities like Cliff Haven, Vault 101, and the dreaded Madlum.

The night of December 24th, 2010 was a particualrly busy day for gold buying and selling. I was the banker of KoE back then, and was out buying gold from people all day. Normally, people would sell gold for 5c, as both TOP and KoE agreed to keep prices at 5c. But a small foolish leader - MaikkyWin - decided to challange my banking, and buy gold from anyone for 5.5c each in the town of Madlum. This enraged the Heads, calling an immediate meeting. They discussed it, and decided we should just ignore him and move on, because his customers would slowly migrate to our kingdoms and sell gold to us.

The next day, MaikkyWin continued buying at 5.5c, even sometimes going to 5.8c to enrage me and Zellis, the banker of TOP. Late at night, he started buying gold for 6c each, which haulted profit for both kingdoms. At that moment, I knew this had to stop. I tried to reach the Heads of KoE, but non were online. In a rash decision, I met with the leader of TOP, and got him to round up troops to help me take back our profits. I was put in charge of leading the troops, as it was me who suggested the rash action to be taken against Madlum.

Over the next few hours, over 25 of TOP's and KoE's citizens gathered in the east desert to begin building my most ghastly creation: NATO. Armed with over 5000 blocks of cobble, and over 500 cactus, we started working on the Black Fortress. The fortress had 25 block high walls, streching over 100 blocks in each direction. Though the walls were made of cobble, they were 5 blocks thick, the inner 3 blocks being solid lava. The fortress was impossible to dig into from the walls. Surrounded by a thick forest of cactus, it was hard to get near the walls without being hurt. Being built in the great plains, not a single person could get past the army of archers.

The floor was also a threat, as one tried to dig in through the ground, so we built an artificial floor a few blocks above the actual floor, and flooded it with lava. This way, nobody could dig in either. After the outer walls were erected, the inner headquarters was being worked on by our group of bored warriors with nothing better to do. A solid obsidian 25x25 tower, going down two stories, and up two stories. This was a truely inpenetrable tower. Later in the night, AussieDingbat retired from the fight, and I brought jwplayer0 to be my second in command of the operation. The fighting continued for days, with no stop in sight. A weak push by Madlum citizens penetrated our front gate, but nothing of value was lost, and we were back up in no time.

After a fortnight of fighting, MaikkyWin gave up and surrendered his town to the forces of the Edolian Kingdom. His citizens left out of fear, the city set in ruins, and victory was declared for KoE and TOP. Later in January, 2011, the fighting had fully calmed, and we went back to our kingdoms. I was declared the General of the Edolian Army, and was given a seat in the Council of Heads, and later leading to me becoming the King of the Kingdom of Edolas.

​

The Battle of Madlum will forever be remembered as a brave battle, fought by brave soldiers.​

It will never die in the literature,​

it will never be buried in our minds,​

and it will always live on in our hearts.​

-NATO-​

​

P.S. - During the building of NATO, fuckingsoup89 and I buried a chest full of wooden hoes underneath the Black Fortress. Later in July-ish 2011, I noticed that admins tried to bury and fix the location of NATO, so I decided to dig it up. I found the underground ruins of the Black Fortress, and found the chest full of wooden hoes. Bitches love wooden hoes.

 

[HelsEch]

"This is the tale of the merry men of Madlum, their pride, and the injustices that befell them."

The bard laid his fingers upon his lyre and gently pulled at the strings.

"Oh when I was a youngin' fresh from the spawn,
There were no signs of e'il goin' on.
I went 'bout my business deep undergroun'
When our ol' Maikky brought me into town.

We tired and we tussled to make good what we earn
And our ol' Maikky asked none in return.
Each type and each kind, big or small,
Were always allowed inside our walls."

"Now, they say that we were all thieves and cut-throats, but in truth we were mostly new-spawned kids lookin' for a home."

"Now none did expect that we'd be betrayed
By our ol' Maikky and mercenaries he payed
To punish the tyrants who wished us to fall,
but little did he know that 'ould be the end of us all.

The tyrants blinded by hatred of Maikky
Did not take this punishment kindly.
They went into a rage,
Stuck us in a cage,
And hatred breeds hatred till everyone bleeds.

Our captors hired vagabonds to keep us in check
While our homeland was bloodied and wrecked.
Me and my brothers of old Madlum
Decided we'll rout them with only our thumbs!

As we went out an adventurer arrived
From lands to the west where everything thrived.
She told us of her battle and the state of the wall
Thus we did set out to free us all.

With blood on our swords and triumph in our hearts
That is where our battle did start.
We tore down their trappings and with holy rage
It was not long 'fore we broke down the cage.

That night we did song, the song of Madlum
Yai-dada-dai-dada-dee-diddy-dum
We'll rout them out with only our thumbs!"

"While we did struggle against our captors, Maikky never did show his face till not too long after we had our triumphant stand upon the dunes. When he reappeared he continued this senseless war that none of us wanted, though none of us wanted that Fortress to stay either. Maikky then shut himself in and we begged for his help, but in his selfishness he wouldn't provide any aid."

"Then as we slayed ol' Maikky, we all did sing -
Yai-dada-dai-dada-dee-diddy-dum
We'll take him out with only our thumbs..."