Epic of Pufficus

✅

The Epic of Pufficus, also known as The Epic of Pofakos, is the Ancient Story about the hero named Pufficus of Paphos from Snowprus. Pufficus is the great ancestor of the Di Tremezzo Family as well as Piper J. Cub. The Epic tells the story of the young Puffle General who led the Snowpriot Army in defeating and crushing the Babbelonian Empire with his penguin friend named Omricon, the ancestor of The Three Masters (Ultimately the Hochstadt, Unki, Sensei, and the Flywish families). The Epic was written by Pufficus's good friend named Homer, who was a historian. The Epic is divided into two stories: The Yilad, which was the story of the fall of the Babbelonian Empire, and the Journey, which told the story of the rise of the Penguin Empire, Pufficus's death, Snowprus's fall, and Formosus's travels.

=The Yilad= The Yilad is the first half of the Epic. It tells the complete story of Pufficus, Omricon, the cause of the Snowprusian-Babbelonian War, and the Fall of the Babbelonian Empire. Th Yilad is completely written by Homer.

Prologue:The Judgement of Parie
Once, long ago in the final years of the Land of Asgard, which was approximately 109 BC, Sigurd held a magnificent Anniversary party with his wife. Sigurd was in a good mood, and decided to invite his brother, King Bacchus of Snowprus, and his children, to the party along with the other honored guests. Nevertheless, Sigurd welcomed all of Bacchus's children except for the younger neglected daughter named Heris, who was known to cause discord and unrest in parties and was unfairly kept away. Thus, all three of Bacchus's daughters, Aphrodite, Era, and Athenis came to the party while Heris was left behind with the sailors on the boat. Heris desperately wanted to join the party, so she devised a revengeful plot to rid of her sisters.

Heris went into the city of Asgard and discovered the Tree of Silver Apples, which was located in the center of the city. She took one and wrote a clever message in Greek on it. Then, Heris snuck into Sigurd's Palace, and threw the silver apple into the plain sight of the guests, right in the middle of the other three daughters. Aphrodite was the first to pick the siler apple. Together, the three sisters read the Greek words that were delicately written into the silver apple: To the Fairest Penguin of Them All

Each sister thought of themself first. The bossy Era was the first to speak.

Era:"Surely, brethren, I am the most fairest of them all. The most beautiful, no doubt!"

Athenis, the warrior-like hunter of wisdom denied her claim and responded:"You are wrong, Era. 'Tis I who is the fairest. I am not like thee, who just sits around the palace all day bossing away all the servants here and there. I'm surprised some of them are still alive! I am a high class warrior who fights for others! I hunt in inspiration for the hunters!"

Aphrodite interjected, delcaring:"Nay, step-sisters, 'tis I who is the fairest of them all. I am more beautiful than any girl penguin alive or dead, and I definitely deserve this apple of silver."

Era:"Preposterous! Thy blood comes not from father or mother at all! Thou art born from the foams of the sea where thy egg was found!"

Aphrodite:"'Tis why I deserve the apple more than thee."

Athenis:"I can fight both of thee for the apple in a wrestling match at any time."

Era:"Bah! Athenis, thou art like a man penguin! Thou doth not deserve the apple!"

Aphrodite:"Neither doth thee, Era!"

Era:"AAH! I have enough of this!"

Era snatched the silver apple from Aphrodite's flipper and the three daughters ran to their father, Bacchus, who was sitting at the table next to his brother Sigurd, who were both drinking Grape Cream Soda.

Bacchus:"What is it, my children?"

Era slammed the silver apple on the table in front of Bacchus.

Era:"Tell me, father, art I the fairest of them all, so it is written on this apple!"

Bacchus:"Why-"

Athenis:"Nay, father! Art I the fairest of them all?"

Aphrodite:"Nay to both of them, father! 'Tis I who is the fairest!"

Bacchus looked stunned, and Sigurd gave him a funny look and whispered in his ear:"This is why I'm happy I never had any daughters."

Bacchus:"Girls, 'tis a hard decision to make. I alone can not tell. I know who can, though. Go to the Babbelonean Empire to the fields of Babbelonia, those open spaces near the capital city. There you will find Prince Parie tending a flock of puffles. He will tell you who is the fairest of them all."

The three princesses looked at each other, but they agreed to Bacchus's idea and immediately took a ship to the city of Babbelonia to find the fields of Babbelonia.

Sure enough, Prince Parie was out in the fields of Babbelonia, tending a flock of puffles. His father, King Liam, who was the grandson of King Neverforever, was told by a fortune teller that Parie would bring destruction to his empire, so King Liam expelled the boy from the city into the countryside, where Liam believed he would be of no danger. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

The three Princesses and Aphrodite's son, Eros, came along with them when the met Parie, who was resting against a grey rock on a small mountain filled with fresh green pine trees and the regular white Antarctic snow. Parie immediately recognized the three princesses and Eros and greeted them heartily, but was very curious on what they were up to.

Parie:"Greetings, fair maidens and young chick. May I help thee?"

Era handed the silver apple to Parie.

Era:"Use thy wisdom, young prince, and tell us, who is the fairest of them all, as inscribed on the apple? Surely it must be one of us."

Parie looked at the silver apple and read the Greek writing that was carefully etched in. Although the Babbelonian Empire had it's own language of Cuneiform, Parie was of noble descent and had learned Greek from his tutor as well.

Parie:"This is quite hard to decide. All of thee are beautiful to me, fair maidens."

Era:"Look, I will present to thee a deal, exalted prince. If you choose me, I shall give thee all the gold, soldiers, and food that thy family desires."

Athenis:"Nonsense to her bickering! Choose me, and I will give you the inheritance to the Snowprusian Empire, and thou shall succeed Bacchus and take all of our possessions; all that land shall belong to thee. Thou shall become ruler of all Antarctica, including the land of the Vikings and Snowprus Island itself."

Aprhodite, the lover that she was, could only offer the prince her specialty:"Prince Parie, I shall give thee any girl in the Antarctic that ye desire. She shall truly fall in love with thee and will be for thee forevermore, and my Eros and I shall help thee reach thy goal."

Parie was not slow to choose. He already knew what he was going to pick. Despite the other great choises, Parie could not resist Aprodite's.

Parie:"Although the other choices are great, I like Aprodite's the most."

Aphrodite smiled in jubilee, and Parie handed her the silver apple. Meanwhile, the other two sisters were furious.

Aphrodite:"Fair prince, whom is it that thee like?"

Parie:"I have fallen in love with your sister, Heris, whom is the prettiest girl I have ever seen."

Aprhodite was shocked at the remark, but she had sworn to him to do as he wished. Despite her annoyance with her sister, Aprodite still cared for her sister, as the rest of the family did, and this action had a price. Nevertheless, Heris was to blame for her own folly.

Era and Athenis left Aphrodite behind with Parie in Babbelon, and the two sisters returned to Snowprus to find Bacchus and Heris back at the palace.

Bacchus:"Where is Aphrodite?"

Era:"The Babbelonian Prince has chosen her as the fairest, so we left her there with him."

Bacchus was furious.

Athenis:"Doth not worry, father. Thy daughter hath to do a favor for the Prince, and then she may return home."

Bacchus:"What is this favor of which she must do for him?"

Athenis:"She must give him the girl that he loves. That is all."

Bacchus:"That is not bad. Let us hope she makes haste and return home soon. I worry about her and Eros at times."

Reluctantly, Aphrodite, Eros, and Prince Parie sailed away to Snowprus. Parie was greeted heartily by Bacchus, who expected him as a guest, but was actually working with Aphrodite and Eros to capture Heris, who was, as usual, hidden away from the guest.

Eventually that dinner, Bacchus became intoxicated because he had drunk too much Grape Cream Soda again, as usual, and was caught off guard. The other two sisters went off into their chambers to prepare to bed. Meanwhile, Princess Heris wandered into the garden and began tampering with the plants.

Prince Parie:"Aprhodite, are you ready?"

Reluctantly, Aprodite replied:"Yes, fair prince. Eros is too."

Prince Parie, Aprodite, and young Eros waddled into the garden of the Snowprusian Palace, where they found Heris.

Heris:"'Tis the prince! I finally get to meet him!"

Prince Parie:"Yes, Heris. I have found you attractive. Please come with me, and become my wife."

Although this was a brash statement, Heris came into his arms and kissed him. She would do anything to get away from her controlling father and sisters.

Aphrodite, although feeling a bit betrayed by Heris, continued helping Prince Parie.

Aphrodite:"Now, Eros."

The young Eros took out his magical bow and arrows and shot Heris. Unlike the regular bows and arrows that kill, Eros's made one penguin fall in love with another, which was magic from Valnor.

Immediately, Heris deeply fell in love with Prince Parie.

Heris:"Come, we must leave...Bacchus will sober any minute...we must escape..."

Prince Parie:"Yes, we shall immediately!"

Prince Parie and Heris was escorted by Aphrodite and Eros, who led the couple out of Foccasia and down a small river boat down to Aphrodite's favorite city of Paphos, where Prince Parie's ship was docked. Immediately, Parie and Heris departed at the break of day, and left the island of Snowprus with Aprodite and Eros watching in tears.

Nevertheless, there was none other than a regular young soldier named Pufficus who had seen and guarded the ship the whole time, which was Bacchus's orders. Pufficus was nothing but a scruffy yellow puffle who lived in a two-storied house with his wife and son nearby. Pufficus stood before Aphrodite as she wept and while Eros quietly watched Heris sailing away with her new husband.

Pufficus:"Princess Aprodite, please do not cry! Come with me, take thy son too. Stay in my household for now, for thou must be very tired."

Aphrodite:"Oh, noble puffle, I have never heard such kind words from a creature like thee. I would gladly accept thy offer in this desperate time of need."

Pufficus led Eros and Aprodite to his humble home, where his young son, Formosus, who was the same age as Eros, was waiting.

Formosus:"Father, hast thou brought the Princess of the city to stay with us?"

Pufficus:"Yes, she wishes to stay with us in her time of need."

Pufficus led Aphrodite and Eros into Pufficus's humble home, which consisted of beautiful vases, carpets, and hanging vegetables in the kitchen. Pufficus led them upstairs to the upper room, which was for guests. Aphrodite thanked him, and he left her alone. Eros went down to the lower part of the house and played with the young Formosus, who were both 9 years old of age.

That next morning, Bacchus immediately discovered Heris, Aphrodite, Eros, and Prince Parie missing. He finally realized what Prince Parie had done, and angrily headed for Paphos. To his disappointment, he found Prince Parie's ship long gone.

Bacchus:"NAY! Both of my daughters are now taken away from this wretched man! Curses be upon him 'till he rots in his grave!"

Then, a young penguin, a soldier of the same rank of Pufficus, approached Bacchus and bowed to him.

Penguin:"My lord, my name is Omricon of Paphos, and I know what happened."

Bacchus:"Omricon of Paphos, rise and tell me."

Omricon stood up, and explained:"Prince Parie stole Heris away, but Aprodite and Eros were kindly taken in by my good friend Pufficus, who has offered them shelter for the night."

Bacchus became distressed.

Bacchus:"Please, take me to the house."

Omricon bowed and led her to Pufficus's house.

Pufficus bowed before Bacchus also.

Pufficus:"Thy daughter Aprhodite and her son are here, my lord, safe and sound."

Bacchus:"Thank you, young puffle. Your kindness brings great tidings to my heart as well as Eros's. In honor of your great kindness, as well as you, Omricon, I would like to appoint you both from here on out to become the Grand Generals of my Snowpriot Army, second in command to me!"

Pufficus and Omricon looked at each other in disbelief and bowed to Bacchus.

Bacchus:"So where is my daughter?"

Pufficus:"In the upper room, weeping."

Bacchus hurriedly went up the stairs and waddled into the upper room and found his daughter crying in the guest bed.

Bacchus:"Aphrodite, my daughter! What bothers thee?"

Aphrodite looked at him with tears all over her face.

Aphrodite:"I have betrayed thee, father. Heris is in the hands of Prince Parie because of my promise to him."

Bacchus:"I understand, child. I understand. Do not weep for your sister. It is our fault we neglected her, but she will be redeemed. We will get her back, and the Babbelonean Empire will pay for their wrongdoings to the Snowpriot Empire, my love! I promise."

Bacchus wiped away Aphrodite's tears with his flippers and kissed her cheek. Eros and Formosus entered the upper room together to see what the commotion was all about. They had now become best friends.

Bacchus turned to the two boys:"Formosus and Eros, be prepared to help fight in the battle to save Heris from the clutches of the Babbelonean Empire with the guidance of your fathers when you two are older."

Chapter 1:The Snowpriot-Babbelonian War
Six years past, and now both Eros and Formosus were now 15 years old, and Pufficus and Omricon became renowned Generals. Pufficus took the job of training his son, Formosus, while Omricon volunteered to train Eros. Nevertheless, Eros was also trained with Neoptolis, the son of Omricon as well. After six years of preparation, King Bacchus was ready to fight the Babbelonian Empire and finally steal back Heris from Prince Parie.

General Pufficus, General Omricon, Neoptolis, Formosus, and Eros stood before King Bacchus at the royal palace, where he was about to wish them luck on their Odyssey to the city of Babbelonia and start the war against the Babbelonian Empire.

Bacchus:"Greetings, my brethren. The time of war is right. I smell victory, and I wish thee all well."

General Pufficus:"I wish thee good tidings also, my king."

Bacchus:"Thank thou, Pufficus of Paphos. The rest of thee, Formosus son of Pufficus, Prince Eros my grandson, Omricon of Paphos, and Neoptolis of Paphos, I wish thee all well on thy journey. Do what thee must to save my daughter, even if it means to destroy the Empire itself."

Pufficus's face was solemn as he rigidly stood on the tip of the ship's bow. He was in a good mood, and he was sure he would be able to free Heris, but his aspirations were greater. The demise of the dreaded Babbelonian Empire was his goal, and he knew he would do anything to reach it. The journey to the city of Babbelonia would take a couple months to do since it was on the other side of Antarctica, near the coast heading towards The Land of Khanz.

Everyone else was silent during the journey, not even the sailors said much. Pufficus had with him 100 ships when he left Snowprus. Later, he would receive 1,000 more ships once he reached the Snowprusian Colonies on the mainland.



As the annoyance she once was, Parie and Heris's marriage did not last long. They only lasted to have two chicks together, but because of Heris's typical behavior, Heris was banished from Parie's sight. Resolving not to kill her in fear of a Snowprusian invasion, Parie locked her away in the ancient and incomplete Tower of Babbel, which was built not too long prior to the creation of the Babbelonian Empire and was where it was said diverse languages developed. Thus, before she was banished, Heris put the two eggs into a large basket, and sailed them down the West River, then known as the Biber River. Little did she know that her children would survive, hatch, and be raised by a puffle as infants near a small village which would become Penguin City, named after Penguinus, one of the twins.

Lonely and mistreated, Heris watched the lively city of Babbelonia party without ceasing. Although long gone, the city of Babbelonia had much to do for an Ancient city. The city was located between the small strip of coastal land that divided the Land of Khanz and the farthest boundaries of the Snowprusian Colonies. Babbelonia always had some sort of festivity going on, whether it be a feast at the palace or a bunch of musicians playing in the streets. The smells of delicious foods from the various kitchens of the city drove Heris mad for good food once more. By now, Heris greatly regretted getting revenge on her sisters and regretted accepting Parie's marriage, even though she would be forced into it anyways.

Months later, General Pufficus arrived on the coast of the Babbelonian Empire with 1,111 ships at the Biber River delta, with the city of Babbelonia several miles inland, but still visible.

Pufficus:"Men, set up camp! Today, we prepare for battle! Tomorrow, we FIGHT! FOR SNOWPRUS! FOR KING BACCHUS!"

Soldiers:"FOR KING BACCHUS! FOR SNOWPRUS!"

The Snowprusian presence was not unknown. The sight of the armada arriving at the shores immediately caught the attention of many traders, and by the time the Snowprusians began to set up camp, King Liam, King of the Babbelonian Empire knew immediately.

King Liam:"I find this news disturbing! Servants! Summon Heltar!"

The Servants bowed, and brought in King Liam's younger son, Heltar.

Heltar:"I am here, father."

King Liam:"I hath a task for thee. The Snowprusian menace is among us, and we are close to a great war with them. Protect the city walls. I sense that they attack tomorrow at dawn, so be prepared for the worst war this city has ever seen."

Heltar:"Surely, we should reason with them? After all, the Snowprusians are very negotiable type."

King Liam:"Very well. Send a diplomat to them at once, and work something up!!!"

Heltar:"Yes, father."

Thus, the diplomat was sent to the Snowprusian Camp. The Diplomat was immediately captured and taken to General Pufficus.

Pufficus:"What do we have here, men?"

Snowprusian Soldier 1:"We haveth a spy from the Babbelonian menace, sir!"

Diplomat:"No! This is lies! I am but a simple diplomat! Hear my plea!"

Pufficus:"Very well, let him speak."

Diplomat:"King Liam of the Babbelonian Empire wishes to know why thee wish to attack our beloved capital city. We wish to maintain good relations, so we will do what we must to keep it that way."

Pufficus:"What do we want? WHAT DO WE WANT? We want Princess Heris back with us in Snowprus! For six years we have aspired for her return, but nay, we hear she is locked away in the dreaded Tower of Babbel."

Diplomat:"Very well. I will return and ask for her release to thee."

Pufficus:"Then GO! Make haste and don't make us wait!"

The diplomat immediately rushed back to the city and told the King what happened.

King Liam:"So that is all the Snowpriots want? Well then, my son has neglected her. Set her free from her prison and return her to her people."

That moment, Prince Parie walked into the room.

Prince Parie:"I beg to differ, father. She knows too much about this city. She might betray us and tell that army our secrets."

King Liam:"What point is there? If we do not set her free, the Snowpriots will invade us with a bloody battle!"

Prince Parie:"But hark, I sense that they will still attack even if they get their maiden back."

King Liam:"Diplomat, who was leading that army? Was it King Bacchus himself?"

Diplomat:"It was not, sire. 'Twas a puffle general."

King Liam laughed loudly that could be audible throughout the whole palace.

King Liam:"Ha! A puffle! The lowly furry creatures who beith my slaves?"

Diplomat:"Yes, sire. He is of the color yellow."

King Liam:"HA, HA! A yellow puffle! The Yellow Puffle, famed for their artistic talent! How could a yellow puffle be a general?"

Diplomat:"It appears he has learned the art of fighting. Your Majesty, this puffle is well known through all of the Snowpriot Colonies. His name is Pufficus of Paphos."

Prince Parie:"Oh yes, I remember him. He was the soldier assigned to protect my ship! He is of symbolic importance to the Snowpriots, no doubt. We must not let her go."

King Liam:"Very well. Diplomat, go to the Snowpriot camp and send them this letter that states that we will NOT free the princess. Once you give it to them, run for your life and keep running."

Diplomat:"Yes, sir."

The Diplomat made his way back to the Snowpriot camp once again that same day. This time, he was not detained, for he gave the sealed message to Pufficus at once and sped out of the camp as fast as he could. Pufficus knew better and he didn't need to look at the message to know the answer, and he immediately took out his bow and arrow, and like the speed of light, Pufficus shot the running diplomat, who fell face down to the ground, dead.

The Snowpriot Army cheered.

Pufficus:"Silence your cheers, men! I have news."

Pufficus unraveled the sealed message and read aloud:"His royal highness, King of the Babbelonian Empire, King Liam the First, has declared that he will NOT set the disgraced Princess Heris from her prison."

The Snowpriots booed and hissed at the terrible response from the Babbelonian King.

Pufficus:"Tomorrow...no doubt....WE FIGHT!"

The next day at dawn, before the sun was out, the Snowpriot Army were roused and they quickly ate their hearty meals of pita bread and small morsels of Fish or Puffle-O's. Once they finished their food, the soldiers put on their armor, and several of the soldiers lit some torches. Once everyone was ready, Pufficus stood on top of a larger puffle, used back then as a Pack animal, even by the regular sized talking puffles. Pufficus drew his sword, and everyone lifted their spear as everyone charged out of the camp and towards the city of Babbelonia.

Behind the safety of the city walls, the Babbelonian Soldiers waited for the Snowpriot army when they arrive. Prince Heltar was there at the walls to command the troops.

Prince Heltar:"Open the gates and release the footsoldiers!"

Babbelonian Soldier:"Yes sir!"

The gates of the city opened, and a horde of Babbelonian footsoldiers appeared, who immediately charged towards the Snowpriots and the two opposing armies clashed in a full blown battle. Dust and smoke were kicked up as the fighting became more and more and as some of the penguins with the torches attempted to light up some of the Babbelonian Soldiers on fire.

The battle went on for hours, and the tide seemed to favor the Snowpriots, for they pushed the Babbelonian Soldiers to the point until they had to close the city doors and they had to assault the Snowpriots from the top of the walls. Immediately, they dumped whatever they could get their flippers on; they dumped rocks, scalding water, pieces of metal, broken weaponry, and even shards of vases.

Several Snowpriots returned from the camp bringing tall ladders, and several Snowpriots who survived the assaults were able to get on top of the wall and begin fighting the Babbelonian Soldiers.

Omricon was one of the first to go up, in his fine suit of armor that was given to him by his mother, Tactis, who was a "Water Penguin", a penguin who had the power to manipulate water like a Water Ninja, and his father was a blacksmith who forged mighty metal crafts by using fire taught to him by Hephaestus himself. Thus, Omricon was given by his mother the best suit of armor ever seen in Snowprus, and with it on, he was practically invincible. After all, because his mother was a type of immortal penguin and Omricon was not, Tactis attempted to make him immortal by dipping him in a magical spring of immortality when he was a chick, but she did not put her in completely, for his penguin foot was not covered. The spring dried up immediately when Omricon was taken out of the water. Ever since birth, it was predicted by Bacchus to Tactis that Omricon would die in battle, which was one reason why she attempted to make her son immortal. Nevertheless, today would be his last day on earth.

When Omricon appeared brutally attacking the Babbelonian Soldiers on the wall, Prince Heltar appeared behind him and took out his bow and arrow. With a swift motion, Prince Heltar shot the arrow in Omricon's heel. Immediately, Omricon screamed in mortal pain, and tried to pull out the arrow but was heavily weakening. He then collapsed and died on the spot. Prince Heltar kicked Omricon off the wall and he fell on top of several Snowpriot Soldiers attempting to climb up the wall with the wooden ladder.

Pufficus was immediatly alarmed when he saw his friend fall off the wall, and delcared:"RETREAT! RETREAT! A HERO HAS FALLEN! REINFORCEMENTS ARE ARRIVING!"

Although some may think it would be silly for Pufficus to order a retreat because of his friend's death, Pufficus was smart enough that this death was a significant excitement for the Babbelonians, who were already summoning more reinforcements.

Omricon's body was brought back to the Snowpriot Camp and was immediatly cremated on the traditional Snowpriot Pyre. A deep mourning and a fasting occurred for him that night.

Neoptolis:"I will avenge my father's death."

Pufficus:"Please, Neoptolis, take your father's armor. He wants thee to have it."

Neoptolis:"But why? I am surely not worthy. Give it to the fair Prince Eros, for he is more worthy than I."

Eros:"Please no, I have my own armor, given to me by my father, and I am content with it. I do thank thee for thy noble offer."

Pufficus:"Neoptolis, thou deserveth this armor for thy outstanding performance in battle. Thou MUST take thy father's place as the General of the Army."

Neoptolis:"Very well, Master Pufficus."

Pufficus:"Good, General Neoptolis."

Neoptolis:"Master...I mean General Pufficus...tell me, may I also suggest to thee some strategies for this war?"

Pufficus:"Of course. This is why thou art a General."

Neoptolis:"General Pufficus...this is of a waste of time, to no offence to anyone. 'Tis folly to fight this country over a mere princess who has never caused goodwill in her own household! It is in our best interest if we retreat...we are of no match for their skills!"

Pufficus:"Do not be of low hopes, young General. Thy king will not be pleased if his task is not fulfilled. We will be executed and become symbols of shame throughout the country if we return without a princess. Therefore, it is better to die in battle for thy country than to die from the gallows of shame."

Neoptolis pondered the words of Pufficus for a moment and replied:"Thy wisdom has convinced me, General Pufficus. Nevertheless, I fear that our fate is to die to the hands of the Babbelonians."

Pufficus:"I do not see it that way...we have fought too much with our weapons and fists, but we should really fight with our intellect, something the Babbelonians would never think of."

Neoptolis:"Surely, General Pufficus, we can not defeat the Babbelonian Empire with our heads! Only brute strength of a hundred Dragons from Pengolia could defeat them!"

Pufficus:"Perhaps, but it is possible to defeat our enemy with just our intelligence."

Neoptolis:"Doth thou have a plan?"

Pufficus:"Yes, I do. I have concluded that the only reason we can not defeat the Babbelonians is because of the great wall that surrounds the city like the shield of a warrior. We must find a way to get past that shield, and I have an idea. We shall build a giant wooden statue with wheels as a gift of surrender to the Babbelonians...."

Neoptolis interrupted:"Ridiculous! Snowpriots never surrender; we die in battle!"

Pufficus:"No, we do not surrender for real, General Neoptolis. We hide inside the wooden statue, of course."

Neoptolis:"Oh...what for?"

Pufficus:"We shall hide inside the Wooden Statue, for the Babbelonians will bring the statue into the city. Then at night, when everyone inside begins to feast on their success, we will come out of the wooden statue and raid the city, kill the king, save the princess, and burn the city to the ground."

Neoptolis:"Genious plan, General Pufficus!"

Pufficus:"Yes, but we will need to start construction tomorrow immediately! We will build a statue of King Liam himself as a gift and we will build in some secret trap doors for us to get into."

That next week, the Snowpriots went into the woods and destroyed a couple of their ships to create the giant statue for the Babbelonians. Prince Heltar watched their progress from the City Wall from far away, impressed with the notion of their surrender. He immediately told his father and Prince Parie.

Heltar:"Father, thy kingdom and city is safe. The Snowpriots are surrendering because of the fall of their leader, Omricon of Paphos. I am seeing that they are building a gift for us for their surrender, and it appears to look like thee."

King Liam:"Splendid! Did thou also have the chance to slaughter that oppressive Puffle beast who calls himself Pufficus of Paphos?"

Heltar:"No. He was still on the ground when Omricon was killed and Pufficus sounded the retreat. I saw their funeral pyres go off for Omricon and the other soldiers who witnessed our power."

King Liam:"Good. Goood."

Prince Parie:"Now, I suppose this could mean that we can finally slaughter Heris."

King Liam:"No, do not lay a flipper on her. Her death may cause these soldiers to come back more furious than ever. After all, we already killed one of their prized leaders, Omricon."

Prince Parie:"True, true."

Several days later, a group of weary Snowpriot Sailors carried in the giant wooden statue of King Liam to the city gates. Prince Heltar stood from the top of the wall to greet the Sailors.

Sailor 1:"Oh great Prince Heltar, we Snowpriots surrender to thy nation's power! We present to thee a gift for thy king, Liam, the great."

Prince Heltar:"King Liam commends you, wise sailors. Come bring the grand gift of wood inside the city, so all may be able to see it."

The city gates opened and the soldiers dragged the statue into the city. Heltar commanded the sailors to place the statue in the city square that was right next to the Tower of Babbel.

Prince Heltar:"Ah, beautiful. Now, all may see the grand statue of King Liam, even the accursed Princess Heris. Today, we shall have a feast and today will be a national holiday and festival!"

That afternoon, the whole city celebrated it's victory against the Snowpriots, and like every great festivity in the Babbelonian Empire, a lot of Cream Soda is always involved. Thus, almost everyone, especially King Liam, Parie, and Heltar became intoxicated from drinking too much Cream Soda. Thus, at Dead night when everyone was still intoxicated, the Snowpriots opened the secret hatch and came out of the statue with torches.

Pufficus:"Light up some of the buildings on fire, quickly! General Neoptolis, bring a couple men with you and free Heris from the tower!"

Neoptolis:"But there's no time..."

Pufficus:"YES there is time..."

Neoptolis:"And you, General Pufficus?"

Pufficus:"I'm off to the palace!"

Neoptolis:"WHAT??"

Pufficus and a whorde or soldiers charged to the capital, leaving Neoptolis and a couple other soldiers with him. Neoptolis, who was in shock, decided to carry out the order immediately. He led the soldiers to the tower, where the guards were gone. They tiredly marched up the tower and it's multitude of steps until they reached the top floor, where Heris's quarters were. The door was locked, but Neoptolis and the soldiers used their spears to break open the door. Heris was lying by the window in her Snowpriot styled bed.

Neoptolis:"Hark, men! 'Tis the fine Snowpriot Princess, Heris."

Neoptolis and the soldiers who were there bowed to the Princess, who was in shock.

Neoptolis:"Fair maiden, my name is Neoptolis of Paphos, son of the late Omricon."

Heris:"I have been told of thy father's terrible fate. I, too, mourn for him. Thank thee all for rescuing me. However, I have not left the tower for a long time, and I am of no shape to climb down on my own without falling..."

Neoptolis:"May I carry thee down, princess? Time is of the essence! General Pufficus of Paphos has ordered the destruction of the city of Babbelonia and the fall of the Empire."

Heris:"What?!? Is he mad?"

Neoptolis:"I do not know. Thy father only asked for your safe return, not for the end of the Babbelonian Empire."

Heris:"We must make haste and stop him!"

Neoptolis:"I agree!"

Heris jumped into Neoptolis's flippers, and they descended down the tower quickly.

Pufficus and his large army marched to the Palace without question. No one noticed them as they entered the Palace. Naturally, they found all the palace guards, the servants, the princes, and King Liam himself at the feast table, who were all madly drinking Cream Soda and gorging themselves on the finest fish they could lay their flippers on.

Pufficus:"Vile Penguins. I will never understand how they can eat that atrocious creature that they call fish."

Pufficus drew his sword, and approached the intoxicated King Liam. Thinking Pufficus was a mere illusion, he ignored him. Pufficus notably took offense. One minute King Liam was laughing loudly because of his intoxication, the next minute he was sober, and he saw Pufficus's spearhead sticking out from his chest.

That moment, Pufficus drew his sword and slaughtered everyone in sight, along with the rest of the Snowpriot Soldiers who were there. Immediately, the intoxicated penguins feasting were immediately killed, while some that became sober tried to fight but were easily caught off guard. In a matter of minutes, the confusion ended, with all the enemies dead.

Pufficus dragged the body of King Liam out of the palace, where he met Neoptolis and Heris, who were very shocked.

Neoptolis:"You...you slayed the king!"

Pufficus:"I did. Unfortunately, Parie is dead too."

Although Parie mistreated her, Heris still had some compassion for him, and she buried her face in Neoptolis's arms, who comforted her.

Neoptolis:"And Prince Heltar?"

Pufficus:"He too, is also dead. His head took a blow from my sword."

Neoptolis:"Good. And thus, not only are we going to return to Snowprus with the Princess, we bring to Snowprus the land of the Babbelonian Empire!"

Pufficus:"Yes. Thus ends the Era of the Babbelonian Empire."

Neoptolis:"So what now?"

Pufficus:"We shall return to Snowprus immediately, as soon as we set this city to flames. Burn everything in sight, except for King Neverforever's Hanging Gardens, one of the wonders of the Antarctic that would be a great gift for King Bacchus. Also, keep that gate...the Gate of Ishtar, the accursed son of Bacchus and first King of the Babbelonian Empire, because that is the gave that the statue was brought in to."

Neoptolis:"Thy wish is my command, General."

Chapter 2:The New Era
Pufficus, Neoptolis, Formosus, Eros, and a few Snowpriot Soldiers returned to Snowprus while the rest were left behind to raid the rest of the broken Babbelonian Empire. Bacchus and Heris had a tearful reunion, and Bacchus eventually held a grand ceremony for the Generals who helped in the battle.

Bacchus:"Pufficus, Neoptolis, I commend thee both for thy cunning wits, strength, wisdom, and courage."

Pufficus and Neoptolis replied together:"Thank thee, sire."

Bacchus:"Neoptolis, I would like to thank thee for helping my daughter to get out of the tower and thy kind words to her. The time thou hast met with her and the time thou and her sailed on the boat together, her love for you has grown. I would definitely allow you to take her hand in marriage, young Prince."

Neoptolis:"Yes, I accept her hand in marriage, your Majesty."

Bacchus:"You are excused, General Neoptolis."

Neoptolis:"Thank thee again, sire."

Neoptolis and Heris left the Snowpriot throne room and went into the garden.

Bacchus:"As for thee, General Pufficus, thy faithfulness to Snowprus hath serve thee well. I can no thank thee enough for your cunning plan on destroying the Babbelonian Empire, even though I did not ask of thee to do so! Thou hast brought glory to our country and to our heritage! Now and forever, I know in my heart, that thy action has helped Snowprus gain cultural power over all the penguins and puffles of the Antarctic, and we will forever affect them."

Pufficus:"It is my honor to serve thee, my King."

Bacchus:"And to you this day, I give thee the land that thy armies hath conquered during this war. By the way, thank thee for the gift of the Hanging Gardens. It is very impressive."

Pufficus:"May I have thy permission, sire, to rebuild the city of Babbelonia? However, it will no longer be called Babbelonia, but Aegea, a city that will become the splendor of Antarctica, maybe more so than Asgard itself!"

Bacchus:"Do what you wish, Pufficus. For now, you are Governor-General over the Snowpriot lands of the Antarctic for good."

Pufficus:"Thank thee, King Bacchus."

Bacchus:"No, thank thee, Grand-General Pufficus of Paphos, for thy devotion for the country."

Babbelonia, now known as Aegea, was immediately rebuilt into a new Snowpriot splendor and with Snowpriot Architecture. Pufficus had palace built for Formosus and himself that was grander than the older one that once stood in it's place. Soon, Pufficus became very rich along with Formosus, who had all a puffle could ever ask for; there was a giant bath, a large table that always boasted a feast, mountains of gold and coins, and a well trained Snowpriot army Legion.

Nevertheless, Pufficus and Formosus, as well as King Bacchus himself, were not aware of what was happening in Penguin City, which was located at the South Pole.

Penguin City, founded by Penguinis, the son of Heris, eventually grew tremendously. Penguinis wanted to start his own country, thus he made Penguin City a city state and he crowned himself King, which he called a Caesar. Caesar Penguinis immediately summoned a loyal and powerful army, and they quickly gained supporters from nearby villages and cities and the Penguin Empire rapidly grew. It was not until the late summer when Pufficus and Formosus were warned by one of their servants about the rise of the Penguin Empire.

Servant:"Lord Pufficus, thy territory is at risk! The Penguin Empire is growing! The Snowpriot Colonies are collapsing!"

Pufficus, who was now unaware of the news since the day his palace was complete, said:"Oh, we will just call in Asgard and the Khanz to help us!"

Servant:"We can't do that anymore, Lord Pufficus! Asgard is in a civil war and the Peninsulan Slav'ens are gaining power!"

Pufficus:"So?"

The servant, half crazed, shook Pufficus wildly and screamed:"THE ANTARCTIC IS IN DANGER WE NEED YOU TO DO SOMETHING OR WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE TO THE PENGUIN EMPIRE MENACE!!!!"

Pufficus shook his face and finally returned to his normal self. Nevertheless, Formosus was still indulged in his pleasure, but Pufficus decided not to bother him.

Pufficus:"OK. We will have to use whatever armies we have left."

Servant:"We only have the armies from the cities that are affiliated with this city...the Aegean League."

Pufficus:"Ah, the best of it's kind. We will go to war and kick some Penguin Empire butt!"

Servant:"I hope."

Pufficus assembled the Snowpriot army without question, and they all set out from the city to confront the Penguin Empire's army, which was also heading towards them.

Pufficus and his troops met the Penguin Empire's army at the Valley of Ishtar, a fertile valley about 50 miles away from the outskirts of the city of Babbelonia (Babbelon). The two armies clashed against each other, both showing an impressive amount of skill. However, the Penguin Empire was a lot more organized, and their rectangular like shields protected them very well when they were together in groups. Meanwhile, the Aegean League was fighting it's hardest against the Penguin Empire the best they could.

A noble poem was written about the battle.

Hark cometh the Aegean Army from Snowprus,

Gallantly fighting the treacherous

Penguin Empire feared by all,

 'Tis a shame if Snowprus would fall.

Pufficus rides gallantly,

On the pack puffle steed,

For as he rides he screams:

The Penguin Empire is mutiny!

However the Snowpriots die

Oh woe to their wives who would cry

Only a handful left of soldiers remained

Now they feared that they would be captured and chained

But Pufficus as bold as he was then

Kept fighting until he only had an army of ten times ten.

At that moment, that was when

Pufficus wished to negotiate with Caesar, who was nearby

Caesar looked at Pufficus with contempt for he had to despise

The Puffle brave enough to fight.

Pufficus and his men, soon stood in front of the enemy Ceasar

Ready to meet their displeasure.

Thus, Pufficus and his small amount of soldiers left stood behind Caesar, hoping to find an agreement with him. Caesar was standing on top of a large throne on the top of a cliff at the edge of the valley. The dreaded Penguin Empire soldiers and Centurions stood before their Casear, daring not the Snowpriots to go near him.

The Grand Centurion of the Penguin Empire boldly spoke for Caesar, saying:"If thee all wish to have thy lives spared, bow down to Caesar, your TRUE KING!"

Pufficus looked back at his men with great sadness. He was not intending to betray King Bacchus or his country. Nevertheless, he stood there, motionless and did not move.

Grand Centurion:"EITHER BOW, OR DIE!!!"

Pufficus looked behind at his men once again, and saw that they all were covering themselves with their shields, ready at any time to attack or defend if necessary.

Pufficus finally made his decision, and kneeled to Caesar.

Caesar stood up and looked at Pufficus with an evil grin. His face was dark and shadowy. Pufficus's golden helmet shone from the sun, and his yellow puffle hair was shaggy from the tiring battle.

Grand Centurion:"Good....Goood! Now! Put down thy weapon, mighty Pufficus!"

Pufficus did not listen.

Grand Centurion:"I SAID, PUT DOWN THY SPEAR, PUFFICUS!"

Pufficus threw down his spear and continued to kneel. Then, the Grand Centurion, the soldiers, and Caesar laughed cruelly.

Immediately, Pufficus got up, picked up his spear, and threw it at Caesar. However, it barely hit him, but it injured his beak. At that moment, the Penguin Empire went wild, and Pufficus ordered for his soldiers to retreat down the Valley. However, once they reached the bottom, they discovered an unfriendly surprise. The Penguin Empire had cornered them; all sides of the valley were surrounded. Pufficus looked bleakly up at the cliff that they descended from.

Now, the black cliff was lined up with archers. Pufficus just stood there; he did not move from his place and his eyes were fixed on the Archers on the cliff. Meanwhile, the rest of the Snowpriot soldiers were shot at by the other archers who were behind them.

In a matter of minutes, all of Pufficus's men were on the ground, mortally injured or dead. Only he was standing up, looking at the black cliff of a hundred archers.

Pufficus screamed his last:"I, PUFFICUS OF PAPHOS, HAVE DONE MY DUTY FOR MY COUNTRY, SNOWPRUS! I HAVE NOW FULFILLED MY PURPOSE! TAKE ME NOW, FOR I SHALL DIE A HERO! FOR KING BACCHUS! FOR SNOWPRUS!!!"

That moment, the archers released their arrows, and a multitude of arrows fell from the sky and onto Pufficus and his soldiers, ending their lives.

The End.

=The Journey=

The Journey was the second book written by Homer, Pufficus's friend. Homer now writes of the accounts of Formosus, his travels, and of Neoptolis and Heris, and their transition into slaves. The Journey explains on the founding of the Tremezzo Family and the town, and who were the Ancestors of The Three Masters. Shown above is a stone sculpture of Formosus himself on an ancient building in what is now Dellaroma, Liguria.

Chapter 1:The Dark Times
Push came to shove, for Formosus sensed Pufficus's death in the midst of his luxury, and he realized the confusion going on in the city. Immediately, Formosus called for his servants and the Snowpriot Soldiers who were left, and they immediately arranged for a ship out to sea, in hopes that they could escape the Penguin Empire's clutches and find a new life. Formosus was very sad as he stepped onto the brown ship, watching the grey smoke of the Penguin Empire soldiers in the far distance. That moment, two servants who were left behind arrived at the ship late; he was carrying the remains of Pufficus in a boxlike coffin. One of them was holding Pufficus's helmet.

Formosus:"My fears have come true! My father is dead!"

Servant:"He died gallantly in battle, young Formosus. His heart was for his country. He wished you to have this if he ever died."

The servant handed Formosus the legendary helmet of Pufficus. Formosus placed the helmet on his bare puffle head with pride.

Formosus:"I will wear this helmet with pride."

Servant:"Thou art a spitting image of thy father, young Formosus."

Formosus:"How did thee bring my father?"

Servant:"'Twas a Penguin Centurion who took pity on him. The Centurion himself brought Pufficus's remains to our gates, for he said himself that this puffle was a gallant warrior who fought well."

Formosus:"I will never forget him. How did he die?"

Servant:"He was unstoppable; Only a thousand arrows could stop him."

Formosus:"Impossible."

Servant:"'Tis true."

Formosus:"We will take him with us. Seal the box very well, for we do not want the ship to rot."

Servant:"Yes sir."

Formosus:"To all, I say, Today we will leave the poor city of Aegea, and we will go off on a journey for a new home somewhere else."

Sailor:"Hath thee not an idea where we shall go, young Formosus! Please do tell us that we have a place in mind!"

Formosus paused. He didn't.

Formosus:"No...I do not...anywhere must do, my friends. I don't care where, as long as it's livable and safe."

The sailors looked among each other, but one sailor, who was from the Snowpriot colony of Sicilia, spoke up.

Sicilian Sailor:"Yes. There is a place, perhaps. There is a beautiful land next to our beautiful island of Sicilia called Hisperia. It is home to beautiful and fertile land."

Formosus:"Hisperia? It sounds like a great opportunity! Very well, then! To Hisperia, bretheren! We shall colonize it for Snowprus, then!"

With their destination set, everyone boarded the ship and set sail out into the sea, heading for Hisperia, the land later known as Liguria.

Nevertheless, Formosus never knew of the difficult journey he was about to face. Formosus's ship arrived at one of the most major cities on the Eastern Coast of Antarctica, a Snowpriot colony city. Nevertheless, when they arrived there, they discovered the city run by the Penguin Empire, and quickly left without question. Then, the next Snowpriot city they visited was also part of the Penguin Empire, but they were desperate for supplies so they hid their identities and they got as much supplies they needed without interrogation. They soon set sail to the country of Snowprus, hoping to find guidance and refreshment of troops from King Bacchus, but it was too late.

They sailed unknowingly into Formosus's old hometown of Paphos, expecting a hearty welcome. Instead, he found more Penguin Empire soldiers marching around the city. Formosus was so angry he had a fit in the ship's hold. Nevertheless, he would not dare try to attack; he learned from his father's death that the Penguin Empire was too powerful.

Formosus was very concerned, so he set his ship to the capital city of Foccasia, and he also found it under Penguin Empire control. Formosus walked alone to Bacchus's palace and left everyone else behind to see if Bacchus was still around. Sure enough, the royal palace was still there, still in the same condition it always was. Formosus wandered in, and he found that there were no guards.

Formosus found Bacchus sitting on his throne alone, looking very depressed.

Formosus kneeled in front of King Bacchus.

Formosus:"Thy majesty, thou art still alive!"

King Bacchus:"Pufficus? Is it thou?"

Formosus sighed.

Formosus:"No, 'tis Formosus, Pufficus's son. Pufficus has died in battle against the Penguin Empire."

King Bacchus gasped.

King Bacchus:"Even the mighty Pufficus could not withstand the clutches of this empire!"

Formosus:"Tell me, King Bacchus...what has happened to the world? Who are these invaders? Pufficus and I were never aware of anything, all of this is confusing!"

King Bacchus:"'Tis a long story, Formosus. 'Twas the Penguin Empire that was our problem. They almost rose overnight, brought supporters, and now they rule almost all of the Antarctic."

Formosus:"When....when did they invade Snowprus?"

King Bacchus:"Four months ago."

Formosus:"Where are your guards...and your Daughters? Where is my old friend Neoptolis?"

King Bacchus began to cry.

King Bacchus:"They are all gone, my boy. All gone..."

Formosus:"What happened, my King?"

King Bacchus:"The Caesar had my guards killed. He stole my daughter, Aphrodite, her husband, Hephaestus, he also stole Eros. They are all now servants to him, and have new names."

Formosus:"And your other daughters and Neoptolis?"

King Bacchus:"The other daughters except for Heris were also servants for the Caesar in Penguin City."

Formosus was impatient.

Formosus:"...and Heris and Neoptolis??"

King Bacchus:"I am sad to say....they were sold into slavery. We will never be able to see them again."

Formosus's heart was downcast.

Formosus:"This is the end of our beautiful nation."

King Bacchus:"I am afraid so. I am lucky enough to have been spared. I will live in this palace alone."

Formosus:"King Bacchus?"

King Bacchus:"Yes?"

Formosus:"The remnant army from Aegea and I bid thee well. We wish now to find peace and stability as we find new hope in the land of Hisperia."

King Bacchus:"Not to disappoint, Formosus, but it too is of the hands of the Penguin Empire."

Formosus:"I do not care, my lord. We will settle the land anyways. I believe that the world is going into a new Era, and we will do whatever we must to find peace and start a new life."

King Bacchus:"Well then, I wish thee well, my Formosus."

Formosus:"I wish I could repay thee for thy gift of giving my father and I the Babbelonian Empire remnants."

King Bacchus:"Perhaps there is."

Formosus:"I beg of thee, I will do anything."

King Bacchus:"My daughter, son-in-law, and grandson were moved from Penguin City to Dellaroma, and they now are servants that maintain the Caesar's alternate palace. Rescue them, and in return, they will give thee a great gift. Nothing more is required. Thy father's grand leadership was already a gift to me."

Formosus:"Very well. I will do this task for thee, King Bacchus."

King Bacchus:"Take care, Formosus of Paphos!"

Formosus:"Good bye, King Bacchus! Until our paths meet again!"

Formosus walked out of the palace and immediately went to the ship, content with the new mission and a surge of hope flourished inside himself. The sky was bare from clouds and the sun was golden; Formosus knew he would have a great future ahead of him that would emerge from the dark times.

Chapter 2:To Liguria
Formosus and his band of Snowpriot soldiers sailed away from Snowprus, and immediately headed for Hesperia, also called Liguria. They first came upon the island of Sicilia, a former Snowpriot colony. However, they were unaware of the nasty cannibal cyclops penguins who lived there.

Sicilian Sailor:"Please, master Formosus! We should not land here in the wilderness!"

Formosus:"Doth thee actually believe in that gibberish? 'Tis folly to think Cyclops Penguins exist; those are only wives' tales."

Sicilian Sailor:"No, no! It is true! The cyclops penguins are the decendants of Bacchus himself! They are High Penguins just like him only bigger and with one eye!"

Formosus:"Bah! Ignore him!"

Sicilian Sailor:"They eat puffles too!"

Formosus didn't seem to care. Formosus and a group of other Snowpriot soldiers took a rowboat to the land, while the Sicilian Sailor stayed behind. The island's shores consisted of cliffs with some dark green brush on top. Nevertheless, there were some rocky areas where one could climb inland. The land was green and had a couple bushels of trees here and there.

Formosus looked around with admiration, and he suddenly saw a scraggly figure in the distance approaching them. It was a penguin with a ragged and torn tunic on. He apparently recognized Formosus, and Formosus recognized him; it was one of the sailors who sailed one of Pufficus's ships.

Beached Sailor:"Heavens be! 'Tis thee, Formosus!"

Formosus:"Gyros? What art thou doing in Siclia? Why art thee on this island?"

After the siege of the Babbelonian Empire, several soldiers and ships went back to Snowprus, although some ships, like Gyro's, were caught in a storm and washed ashore.

Gyros:"We must flee this island, Formosus! There are Cyclops on this island, for they eat any penguin they can get their nasty flippers on!"

Formosus:"Bah, ridiculous! Hath thee also fallen for the wives' tales of those creatures?"

Gyros:"Nay! 'Tis true! They tried to kill me many times!"

Formosus:"I don't believe this folly one bit."

Then, Formosus saw a cloud in the distance and saw a group of large, muscular one eyed penguins racing towards him.

Formosus:"BACK TO THE SHIPS! BACK TO THE SHIPS BEFORE THEY KILL US ALL!"

Formosus, Gyros, and the soldiers ran back to the boats, and began to row back to the ships before the Cyclops came. By the time the Cyclops came, the Snowpriots were too far away to be caught; the cyclops did not know how to swim.

Gyros:"Hurrah! I am now off of this island for good!"

Formosus:"And finally, off to Dellaroma, Hisperia!"

Formosus and his soldiers sailed into Dellaroma, Liguria, and were shocked at the sight of the grandeur of the city. All they could see from the distance was a lot of white marble and the red of the terracotta roofs. Nevertheless, Formosus forbade any of them on entering the city, and he only bade Gyros and the Sicilian Sailor to come with him into the city. There, they were amazed at the organization of Dellaroma, but among all the other monuments like the Penguin Forum, the three found the Hisperian Palace of Caesar.

Formosus:"They are in there, men."

Gyros:"How can we get in? There surely must be guards!"

Sicilian Sailor:"I agree. It's not like Bacchus's palace. This palace is still in effect."

Formosus:"Well, perhaps only if the Caesar is there. If he is not, I am sure there is not as many guards."

Sicilian Sailor:"It appears today that the Caesar is not in the palace. He must be in Penguin City."

Formosus:"Then we must go in. Please bid me a favor, both of thee."

Gyros:"What is thy wish, Formosus?"

Formosus:"Distract the guards the best you can. Perhaps as performers."

Gyros:"We can do that. I can juggle."

Sicilian Sailor:"And..well...I suppose I can sing..."

Formosus:"Good enough. Anything will work as long as it distracts the guards so I can go in."

Gyros and the Sicilian Sailor jumped in front of the Guards in front of the Palace, and began their act. The act eagerly amused the guards, who summoned more to come watch and ultimately mock them. Meanwhile, Formosus stormed into the castle and bolted across the marble halls.

Formosus finally reached the throne room, and he found Princess Aphrodite, Eros, and Hephaestus scrubbing and washing the chamber.

Formosus:"Eureka! 'Tis I, Formosus of Paphos! I am here to rescue all of thee!"

Aphrodite:"Why Formosus, 'Tis you! It has been a long time!"

Eros:"Formosus! Doth thee remember me?"

Formosus:"Yes. I always have. Come and make haste, we must leave! I have come to thy rescue! I was sent here by thy father!"

Aphrodite:"Where to will we run?"

Formosus:"To the open spaces of Hisperia. The Snowpriot remnants and I wish to find a new life. King Bacchus said that you would reward me if I rescued thee."

Aphrodite:"Of course I will! We will give thee thy land that thee desire the most, Formosus. Now we are ready to go."

Formosus and the three royals immediately ran out of the palace from the back. Formosus brought them safely back to the ship, where he returned to the palace and brought Gyros and the Sicilian Sailor back to the ship.

Before the ship departed Dellaroma, Formosus stood at the ship's bow, gazing at the phenominal city of Dellaroma, which seemed to glow a golden color during the sunset. Aphrodite joined him.

Formosus:"I suppose I shall return thee and thy husband and son back to Snowprus to be with thy father once more, Princess."

Aphrodite:"I can not return to Snowprus again, Formosus. They will know I was gone and the first place they will look is at my father's palace."

Formosus:"Then, where shall thee and thy family go, my Princess?"

Aphrodite:"I think it is time to show thee the land that thou shall settle. Thy ancestors will live there for many centuries to come."

Formosus:"Where is this land?"

Aphrodite:"In the very north of Hisperia, where the land is peaceful and quiet, where the Penguin Empire is quiet. Nevertheless, we shall submit into the Penguin Empire's rule, for they now rule all of Snowprus."

Formosus:"Yes, Princess Aphrodite."

Aphrodite:"My name is no longer Aphrodite. I was renamed by the Caesar, with the rest of my family. My new name is Venus, my husband's name is Vulcan, and Eros is now called Cupid."

Formosus:"All right, Queen Venus. Thou shall lead the ship's course to the new land that awaits us."

Venus:"Set your sails to the north then, Formosus."

Formosus's ship sailed north up the coast of Liguria until they reached the northernmost city of Hisperia, the city of Yenoa. The Snowpriots agreed to abandon their ships and that they would continue on their journey on foot more north to the land Venus called "Lombardia."

The land was beautiful; it was very hilly and green sprinkled with a couple farms around the area. The more inland they went, the more hilly and mountainous it became. For three days, everyone walked into the unknown, until Venus stopped at a Y shaped Lake.

Formosus:"Why...it's beautiful! Is this the place?"

Venus:"Yes, it is. This lake will be where thee and thy descendants will reign forever."

Formosus:"What is the name of this lake?"

Venus:"The lake is nameless, for only very few have seen it. Thou may give it a name, Formosus."

Formosus:"I will call it Larius. It was a Latin name I had heard in Dellaroma."

Venus:"Very good. Henceforth until the end of time, this lake will be known as Larius, also to be called Lario in latter years."

Formosus:"Where shall I settle here? Every spot looks amazing."

Venus:"You will have a very special place of your own, and only a few lucky penguins and puffles who have served thee will reside in thy town."

Formosus:"I will not have a grand city to live in?"

Venus:"No. There will never be any major town on this lake at all."

Formosus:"Then where will everyone go?"

Venus:"Everyone will go to the tips of the Y shaped lake. One side of the lake will have the town that will be called Lecco, and the other side Lario, after the lake."

Formosus:"Very well. I will tell my soldiers and their wives to disperse and start the towns."

Formosus gave the orders, and almost all the soldiers, mostly penguin, went off to start the towns of Lecco and Lario. Meanwhile, Venus led Formosus, a small band of puffle soldiers with their wives, Pufficus's Coffin, The Sicilian Sailor and his wife, Gyros and his wife, Eros, and Hephaestus made their way north along the western side of the lake. They stayed near the coast and they embarked at sunrise to find Formosus's town.

Finally, sunset arrived, and Formosus stopped at a point of the lake, right across from the peninsula that divided the lake into the Y shape. The soft light of the setting sun bounced on the sparkling water and gave a spectacular view of the lake.

Formosus:"Here...here is the land I will live..."

Venus:"Yes, Formosus. Welcome home."

Formosus:"It's beautiful..."

Venus:"Not only doth thee have a new land, but thou will now have a new name. No longer shall thee be called Formosus of Paphos, but thee shalt be known as Formosus di Tremezzo, because thou settled in the 'Middle Land'. Therefore, thy town shall be called Tremezzo also."

Formosus:"Thank thee, Princess Venus. I, Formosus di Tremezzo, will keep this name forever."

Formosus eventually began building the town of Tremezzo with the small band of puffles who had accompanied him. Meanwhile, Formosus also buried Pufficus properly in a stone coffin and buried him in what would later become the town's cemetary, with Pufficus's tomb still there. However, Formosus was still single and he needed a wife so he could continue the family line, thus once the village was built, he prepared for another journey, hoping to find a wife and to finally reunite with Neoptolis and Heris.

Chapter 3:The Search
With the profits and wealth he earned as the mayor of Tremezzo, Formosus later swore his allegiance to the Caesar, although he kept Venus, Cupid, and Vulcan in his home. He brought the three with him on his ship journey, which would take him to the Antarctic mainland. From there, he and the three royals trekked across the well maintained roads made by the Penguin Empire to the capital city of Penguin City at the South Pole.

Formosus:"So Heris and Neoptolis are in Penguin City?"

Venus:"No, they are in the outskirts. Outside the city walls in the countryside."

Formosus:"Then to the countryside we go."

Cupid:"Formosus, we can't free them. That would make you a traitor to the Penguin Empire."

Formosus:"I know. I only come to visit. Maybe I can reason with the slave owner and buy them."

Cupid:"That might be hard. You do not have that much money."

Formosus:"We can only hope for the best. Come."

Formosus and the three royals went into the countryside and arrived at a large farm with a beautiful and large villa. They were greeted by a man named Autodorus, who was the slave master. He greeted the travellers with genuine hospitality. He invited them for lunch at his table, and everyone relaxed on the couches as they ate.

Formosus:"Dear Autodorus, I wish thee and thy household good tidings, but I have come for a deal."

Autodorus:"What shall it be?"

Formosus:"I would like to buy thy slaves, Heris and Neoptolis. In exchange, I shall give thee a chest full of gold, or a year's supplies of Hesperia's finest grapes."

Formosus was skating on thin ice, and he knew it. He did not have that much gold at all, nor did he have so much grapes; the grapes produced by the villagers were not much.

Autodorus:"No. I will not budge. They are way too valuable."

Formosus:"I would give thee my village!"

Autodorus:"NO! That is final!"

Formosus:"Then please, give me enough time to talk with them."

Autodorus:"Fine. Make it quick."

Pufficus:"Cupid! Now!"

Cupid dashed out his bow and arrows and immediately struck Autodorus. However, the rush made him lose target, and the arrow struck into Autodorus's tiny penguin knee.

Autodorus:"Aaaaaah!!!"

That moment, all the servants dropped what they were doing and quickly began to pack up their belongings for their escape. Formosus and his company left the hurt Autodorus to die. Among the fleeing slaves, Formosus finally found Heris and Neoptolis.

Neoptolis:"Formosus? 'Tis thee?"

Formosus:"Yes, 'tis I."

Neoptolis:"Thou hath freed me and my wife from slavery. Thank thee a hundred fold."

Formosus:"There is nothing to be paid back, my friend. Doth thee and thy wife desire to come live in the lush land of Hisperia? I have my own village now."

Neoptolis:"Nay, but thank thee, my friend. Heris and I have sought to settle in the rumored beauty that are the Trans-Antarctic Mountains."

Formosus:"Then we part for good, then, my friend. Good luck."

Neoptolis:"Good luck to you too, Formosus."

All the Slaves parted the building and parted to the mountains, where they would never be slaves again.

Autodorus moaned:"I was once a wealthy landowner that had many slaves but then I took an arrow to the knee!"

Formosus:"Pipe up, heathen!"

Formosus threw his sword at Autodorus like a dagger, and killed him on the spot.

Formosus:"Let us return to Hisperia. There is nothing here anymore."

The group returned safely to Tremezzo in due time before the harvesting season. The grapes were beginning to be picked, and Formosus had to begin to pick the apples from his orchard. That moment, the Ghost of Pufficus appeared to Formosus for the first time.

Pufficus:"Formosus! I hath an opportunity for thee."

Formosus was frightened and dropped the basket of apples.

Formosus:"Father, 'tis really thee?"

Pufficus:"Yes, 'tis I. I hath an opportunity for a girl that you may wish to marry."

Formosus:"Continue."

Pufficus:"I do not know what she looks like, but Venus and Cupid do. I only know that she lives in a peaceful village on the neighboring lake of Maggiore."

Formosus:"I hath heard of it."

Pufficus:"Maggiore is also a jewel like Lario, but be warned, Maggiore will turn her back on thee and thy descendants."

Formosus:"Will we triumph in the end?"

Pufficus:"Semper."

Formosus:"Good, then I am not afraid."

The story ends in a poem about Formosus's jouney to Lake Maggiore, meeting his love, and marrying her.

Formosus and Venus and Cupid,

Travel under the sun so torrid

To the waters of Maggiore so placid.

The village they seek is busy at work

Formosus meets a farmgirl with a smerk

They talk and get to know each other well,

Somehow both come under some spell,

They fall in love and are merry,

To Village Tremezzo is young Vera carried,

So with Formosus she could Marry.

So ends the story of Formosus and Pufficus

Their contributions are clear to us.

The End.