There was once a small and isolated tribe. They lived in the shadows of a sacred mountain, on gentle rolling hills, hunting small preys in the near forests.
Life was simple and good, but the yearly winter avalanches took great toll... they decided to cross the ancient river they bordered to settle a new life at a safe distance from the wrath of the icy god Boreas.
There they mastered the new art of growing plants and a new era of abundance started.
Many young were born; many males grew strong and bold. Not all were kind to a peasant life, and many wanted to show their force and courage.
Fearing the unbalance in the exploding society, the elders and sages of the tribe suggested that was time for a great expedition: they formed two groups of young men, armed with strong wooden clubs, and sent them to explore the wilderness.
Generation passed, and slowly the tribe accumulated knowledge of their surroundings with the reports coming: vast deserts, forests, hills, mountains, rivers, and seas. They met a few peaceful small encampments that were easy prey, and a strange but friendly tribe that seemed to love the yellow color.
The warrior's groups grew bolder, without any real challenge, and voiced to the sky and the goddess of hunting Diana claiming to be invincible.
She was intrigued, and in the same night, the two far, far away groups were tested.
One was on a hill by the shining sea, encircled by rivers and mountains, and feel so safe that even when they spotted sleek and fast animals, they did not worry.
They drank and told stories, and went to sleep putting just a few guards: they did not knew that those feline predators could swim and move in the dark silently and with clear vision.
The onslaught was fatal… only a few survived, able barely to come back and report the humiliating demise.
The other group was in a dark forest. They heard howls, and saw the beasts encircle them.
They understood that their short clubs would have put them in the range of the animal’s jaws, so they promptly took the long branches they had prepared for the camp's fire to fight off the beasts and, with courage and luck, prevailed.
They come back to report what they found: that the world was not a safe place and that a long weapon is better that a short weapon. Even better if you have a shield.
The great expedition's era was over; the newborn civilization was now focused on growing and consolidating. A new militia was formed, tasked in defending the ancestor’s land.
