The Historical Storyline of Age of Zalmoxis
Age of Zalmoxis is a Play-to-Earn (P2E) MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) designed using Unreal Engine 5 on the Elrond blockchain. This game by Wenmoon Studios Ltd stands out not only because of its team of experts or its fair reward distribution to players but essentially the piece of ancient history embedded in the gameplay.
The storyline of Age of Zalmoxis was inspired by the history of the Dacian Kingdom and its first King Burebista. The Dacian Kingdom was situated in present-day Romania and Moldova, as well as parts of Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine. It is possibly a kingdom you have not heard of, so why make a game out of it? What is interesting about the Dacians?
The Folklore of the Dacian Kingdom
Studies have shown that the Dacian Kingdom primarily consisted of the Dacian and Getae people. The Dacians were Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia. At the same time, the Getae inhabited the Lower Danube areas, presently known as northern Bulgaria and southern Romania.
Although both the Dacian and Getae people were of a cognate tribe and even spoke the same Dacian language, many researchers still acknowledge a distinction between them, especially by the region of occupancy. However, the relationship between the Geto-Dacians people improved following the rise of King Burebista in 82/61 BC.
Burebista was the first king to successfully conjoin the Dacians and Getae, to form the united Dacian Kingdom. Under his rule, the Dacian Kingdom warred and conquered neighbouring tribes, which led to a massive expansion of their territories, successfully annexing parts of Greece. The force of the Dacian army was such that Burebista would catch the attention of Rome and Julius Caesar. The conflict between the two would never play out. However, both rulers were murdered by those close to them in close succession.
Complete mayhem broke out among the Dacian people following the assassination of King Burebista around 44 BC by political rivals. The Dacian aristocracy was threatened by a centralised authority that may look to reduce their privileges. The killing of King Burebista eventually resulted in the separation of the Dacian Kingdom into a collection of smaller territories which mainly focussed on preserving their lands from Roman invasion. After several tussles, another ruler, Decebalus, succeeded in reuniting the divided Dacian kingdoms around 86 AD.
How Age of Zalmoxis Brings Life to the Ancient Dacian Period
Age of Zalmoxis incorporates the storyline of the Dacian Kingdom. The game begins from the moment King Burebista gets assassinated. Seeing the contention for power among Dacian nobles, impending supernatural threats, and invasion from Celtic, Roman, and Sarmatian armies against the Dacians, the “Great Wolf Zalmoxis” sends heroic souls down to the Realm of Earth to assist the Dacians in overcoming the opposition.
Using the heroic souls of the Great Wolf of Zalmoxis, players are equipped to counter the threats and monsters seeking to disrupt the Dacian Kingdom even further.
“Players take the role of a proud Dacian champion, whose body merges with a heroic soul. They will fight otherworldly monsters and mortal foes who seek to further fragment the Dacian Kingdom,” according to the whitepaper.
In order to ensure consistency with the Dacian storyline, the development team of Age of Zalmoxis partnered with Prof. Dr Alexandru Berzovan, a Doctor in Ancient History and Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology in Iasi. Prof. Berzovan will advise the game designers in re-creating the ruins and environment of the Geto-Dacian territories.
What Are the Geto-Dacian Ruins?
Ruins, in this case, refer to the remains of devastated ancient structures. Below are some of the known fortresses of the ancient Dacian Kingdom.
Sarmizegetusa Regia
The Sarmizegetusa Regia was built on the 1200 m high Orăștie Mountain (modern-day Romania). It was the capital and a location of high military, religious and political importance to the Dacians.
Costești-Cetățuie
The Costești-Cetățuie fortress was built during the reign of King Burebista in the 1st century BC as a defence against the Roman armies.
Piatra Roşie
Piatra Roşie, translated to English, means Red Rock. It was a Dacian hill fort west of the Costești-Cetățuie fortress.
Căpâlna
Căpâlna was built during the second half of the 1st century BC. It served as a military defence that guarded the entrance against the Sebeș Valley to Sarmizegetusa Regia, the then-capital of the Dacian kingdom.
~ By Ibiam Wayas ~
This article was written by a Crypto Saving Expert Cryptocurrency Researcher and commissioned by Age of Zalmoxis. This article is meant for informational purposes only, not to serve as investment advice, and you should always perform your own research before making any investment decision.
