A New Tyrannia: Is It Here?

Our journey into Tyrannia begins to the west, where there lies the village of Tyrammet. A bustling village that's home to the native fruit Citrusquash (which is great in fruit smoothies and juices, by the way!), we find an atmosphere of peace and serenity as the entire village works in sync. In the midst of all the commotion at the entrance into the village, the name of their leader, Kyruggi, is thrown around. Her kindness is known far and wide, and everyone admires her ability to keep the peace--not just in Tyrammet but in all of Tyrannia. In the past, Kyruggi has made it no secret that she despises war and would much rather see everyone's smiling faces than their battle-ready frowns heading to the battledome.

I found myself naturally drifting towards Kyruggi's hut, not because I've been looking forward to this meeting for weeks, but because of the large crowd getting louder and more rambunctious as the minutes went on. In the center of the village lies a large hut, larger than any in the surrounding areas. Kyruggi didn't need more space, but her house was used also as a meeting place for the diplomats of Neopia, a place where she can do her business as well as eat her dinner. The hut was not made of some spectacular stone, and it did not look incredibly fancy, but it did look important. Maybe the Tyrannian Lupes guarding the front entrance had something to do with that, though...?

As I drew near the hut, it was obvious that the crowd was not pleased. By my estimate there were fifty or more Neopians standing around Kyruggi who stood on a stone chair in the center of them all. Finally, a villager's voice rose above the rest and called out, "Ugg Kyruggi, ugga our village grrr with all the ugga battling?!"

Although hard to decipher, I decided the villager must be worried that the battling was getting a little too close to home. It was quite clear that the rest of the villagers were all in agreement: they did not want the war to come any closer than it already has. A look of worry came across Kyruggi's face, but left as quickly as it had come. She needed to stay strong for her people and not let them see that she had any sort of doubts about the safety and future of their home.

"Fellow Tyrannians, I have great news for all of you. The war has subsided now and the battling around the Obelisk has halted. Peace will soon return to our village. It must!"

Standing on her chair with her fist raised to the sky, Kyruggi commandeered the crowd and their triumphant cheers caused a wide grin to spread across her face. "We are a peaceful people and I hope that for all of us it continues to stay that way. Now please, return to your homes, to your businesses and to your loved ones. With the war over it is time to reflect and to be with the ones who matter."

As the crowd began to disperse, it was easy for an outsider like myself to feel the camaraderie that the gentle leader so easily inflicted on her citizens. I began my walk to her hut, thinking about all of the questions I had and all of the answers I knew I probably wasn't going to get. As politely as I could, I mustered a hello and introduction, being sure to congratulate Kyruggi on her impressive speech. Being as gracious as she is, she embraced me in a hug, making me feel right at home in the heart of the village. It was nice to see a leader so kind and so thoughtful, as I've certainly dealt with far worse. (King Skarl, I'm looking at you!)

"Welcome to our village, I'm humbled to have a reporter of your tenure amongst us."

Kyruggi led me into her hut where her advisers already were, waiting for our meeting. Introducing myself to all of them, I noticed that they all looked stern. I imagined it was because they were worried for their home--not unlike their villagers were just moments ago, the only difference being that the well-being of all those villagers lies directly on their shoulders. It is their sole responsibility to make sure nothing happens to Tyrammet, or Tyrannia for that matter.

I took a seat just outside the "round table" (which really wasn't that round--the edges looked as if they had been gnawed on by creatures of several sizes, but it was perfectly flat), and observed the scene unfolding before my eyes. Kyruggi took her seat and cleared her throat. She sat for a few moments with her eyes to the table, thinking of how she should begin.

"Our people are scared. With the War of the Obelisk over, what will happen? What will come of the Obelisk? We do not have these answers. It is impossible for us to know what to tell our people, but we must tell them something."

"Ugga ugg we can't ugga lie to them, though!" A Tyrannian Tuskinanny bellowed out, looking rather out of place being a species who doesn't normally dwell in warm climates.

"You're absolutely right, Bortugga, and I won't. In reality they know just as much as we do, and there's not much we can do about it as this point."

The evening went on in a similar fashion, where Kyruggi found herself answering questions regarding the Obelisk and what may be inside of it... but she had no more clue than any of the Neopets sitting at that table. Writing my notes furiously the entire night, I grew tired of sitting at the table, and after a few hours had gone by I decided to step outside.

Night had fallen on Tyrammet and without any industry to block their light the stars shone bright like beacons. A crisp wind had picked up and took with it most of the humidity. Stretching, my eye caught the Obelisk in the distance. A monument reaching so high into the sky you would think that it never stopped growing. As I began to squint to get a clearer view of the impressive structure, it seemed as if something started to radiate from it... a glow of sorts seeping through the cracks created by the massive battles that took place there. It was almost as if it were... alive....