Florin asked one of the farmers to show him one of these sick plants. The farmer led Florin to his nearby field, a third of which had been consumed by some terrible disease that had turned the plants black.


Florin had spent much of his life studying plants. Though his own crops were unaffected, he spent days trudging through dangerous woods, looking for a rare plant that few knew existed.

Days later, as the villagers were just about ready to give up hope, Florin returned, carrying a satchel that was filled with a strange herb they had never seen before. The Kacheek quickly ground up the dry herbs and mixed them into a large trough of water. He then instructed the other farmers to take a bucket and pour the water onto their afflicted plants. Within days, the blight had vanished, and though Florin's own crops wilted from neglect, the villagers were more than happy to share their crops with him.

Tales of his selfless deed soon reached others, and that is how Florin came to meet King Altador and become the future overseer of the kingdom's plentiful farms.

The true worth of a kingdom, it is said, should not be judged by the wealth of its treasury, but by the happiness of its people. An excellent example of this lesson can be found in the form of Sasha the Dancer, a Cybunny who had the gift of indomitable spirit.

A great festival was once planned in the quiet town where Sasha grew up. For months, the villagers toiled so that their festival would be the grandest ever. Though they worked hard all day at their normal jobs, the villagers laboured long into the night to set up a grand stage and saved as much of their food as they could for the gala event.

When the day of the festival finally arrived, the town was buzzing with excitement.

At last they would enjoy the fruits of their labour, sing, dance, and get a much-needed break from their daily lives. But when the festival was just hours away, an extremely fierce set of winds began to blow. The town elders herded everyone into a large basement below the town hall for safety.

For hours, Sasha sang to the children and kept them calm as the adults fretted and worried. After the howling wind quieted down, the townsfolk pushed open the trapdoor that led to the basement, only to find that their beloved bandstand and food stores for the celebration had been utterly destroyed.

Seemingly, the spirit of their community had been destroyed, too. A dark cloud seemed to hang over them. But that's when the Cybunny stepped forward, despite the chaos...

...and began to dance, as if she were on a beautiful stage. The villagers were shocked, but soon began to smile and join Sasha's dancing. The sound of their revelry was heard well into the night. It wasn't long before the future King Altador came to the village, seeking the dancing Cybunny named Sasha. Altador understood the power of hope and inspiration, so he warmly welcomed her to be a part of his council.

The courage to lead is a trait that few possess, and the ability to lead well is even rarer. Marak, the leader of a peaceful clan of Peophins, was one blessed with this ability...

Marak ruled over a small underwater village at the base of a drop-off just beyond the shore. His clan had coexisted peacefully with a town of fishermen who had lived on the coast for many years. Of late, however, due to their over-fishing, food was becoming scarce. The land folk blamed the shortage on the Peophins. Though Marak tried to reach a peace agreement with the leader of the fishermen, hostility between the two camps escalated quickly.

One day, giant rocks tumbled from atop the cliff, smashing several homes. Marak investigated, and was horrified to learn that the surface-dwellers had rolled the giant boulders down onto his village! Infuriated by this senseless act, Marak returned to his village and organised for battle.

Soon, the village's entire population was spread out in a long line, three Peophins deep, just below the water's surface. At Marak's signal, they swam forward as fast as they could, creating a huge wave that washed the fishermen away from the rocks they'd been pushing into the sea. Both sides continued battling into the evening. Tired, wet, and hungry, the fishermen finally gave up.

Though Marak was still angry, he did not want to leave a mutual hatred that would only fester, so he went ashore and spoke with the fishermen's leader. He reasoned that continuing like this was senseless. Persuaded by the Peophin's visit, the town leader agreed to work with Marak to find a peaceful solution.

A few years later, King Altador heard the tale of Marak's strong leadership, and offered to let the Peophin and his clan live off the shore of what would become the city of Altador.

Physical strength, coupled with a strong sense of virtue, is often lacking in this world. One who steps forward and demonstrates both will quickly become a legend. Such is the tale of Torakor, the Gladiator.

In the old days, armies often collided, at a great cost of money and lives. Sometimes, to spare those costs, each army would send forth its greatest warrior and let a one-on-one battle decide the victor. A Grarrl named Torakor was the strongest warrior in one such army, and he won many victories for his commanding general. With Torakor faithfully at his side, the general thought his army to be invincible, and decided to expand his territories. Torakor was troubled by this, but who was he to question his leader?

One day, the army came to a small village the general wanted to conquer. His huge army surrounded the village, and he shouted a challenge to the townsfolk. "Who will face my champion? Send forth your greatest warrior, or bow before me!" All was silent until a quivering Shoyru stepped forward, armed with only a garden hoe. The army burst into laughter--except Torakor. He approached the Shoyru, then turned to face his own army.

"I will fight for them," Torakor stated. "Step forth, any who think they can best me in battle."

His general shouted, enraged. "Eliminate this traitor, at once!"

Mortified by the order to attack one of their own--thousands against one, no less--the warriors lost confidence in the general's leadership, just as Torakor had. One by one, the soldiers joined the Grarrl, facing outward from the village. Torakor, through strength of virtue alone, had won his own army.
Word spread quickly of a mighty army that protected villages instead of sacking them. It wasn't long before Torakor received a letter, informing him that a new city could use an army such as his. Torakor gladly accepted.

When it comes to financial dealings, it is very easy for one's morals to slip, since greed is a very powerful and terrible desire. Those who can resist its call are greatly valued for their honesty. That is why Gordos, our Skeith tax collector, is always smiled upon--even when he comes to collect.

Before Gordos helped to found Altador, he served a city that severely taxed its citizens. He felt bad for taking such a large portion of everyone's earnings, but the governor insisted that every Neopoint was being put to good use and that high taxes were necessary to keep the city prosperous and growing.

Gordos took the governor at his word, but eventually he noticed that the city was falling into ruin. Crime had escalated, and many went to sleep hungry. Wondering why a city with so much tax revenue was not flourishing, Gordos went to talk to the governor. When he was denied entrance, Gordos pushed his way into the governor's home... and was shocked to see it lavishly decorated. Expensive art and exquisite rugs lined the rooms. Golden plates and goblets were set on a table with enough food for thirty townspeople.

Gordos clenched his teeth. So this was where the tax money had gone? To gold platters for the governor to dine upon while the people starved? Gordos confronted the governor, who attempted to bribe him, offering to share his riches if Gordos kept quiet. But Gordos would have none of that. He alerted the police, and had the governor removed from office. Gordos then sold the luxury items, returned the profits to the people, and reduced the tax rate to a fifth of what it had been.

Word of Gordos's deeds soon came to the attention of King Altador, and before the next new moon, the brave tax collector was in the council of an honest leader.