Reverberation
The Conflict
Prelude
When the strangers arrived, the bidaddous were nothing but curious. What came after was a conquest like no other in their world. They didn’t complain when their lands and treasure were taken away, nor did he tried to hide their knowledge, since they didn’t really care about owning anything. They didn’t mind “helping” the new neighbors to gather the resources they wanted, because they were used to collaboration. They did mention, at some point, that these people were lazy and weren't collaborating much, but they didn’t know how to deal with that other than letting them know that they need to help more. When the newcomers tried to teach them their ways, they were happy to learn but failed to understand that they were supposed to adopt them until the first of them were beaten or executed for breaking the strangers’ rules. Their curiosity and tolerance finally turned into fear, and they tried to do what they always did when they found any dangerous creature in the forest: flee. Imagine their despair when they find out that they would be executed for that too. During the next couple of decades, the bidaddous evolved. Some became used to slavery, others turned resentful. All of them learnt to hide secrets and move in the dark to preserve their customs even if they were against the law… Well, either they learnt, or died trying. Which takes us to ’s parents and older sister. There was a friend, or a friend of a relative, who made a small mistake. I can’t quite tell you what he did, because my source didn’t know. Does it really matter? Someone said the wrong thing, or didn’t make sure that there were no witnesses before entering their secret temple, and less than a day after, a lot of people were dead and 42 orphans were taken to a care facility to be taught nothing but the law and how to extract white fire from a dangerous cave. Katerina was too old to forget the old ways of her people, even if she struggled to remember the names and, eventually, forgot most of her mother tongue. Yet, she was too young to not learn the ways of the enemy. Enemy. That was a word her people didn’t have. But it was important for her. That, and Revenge. That’s the word she said when a asked her what she wanted the most.
Deployment
Battlefield
The Engagement
Outcome
Aftermath
Revenge. They turned our home into a prison, forced us to abandon our farms and our ways so we could focus on getting them their precious white fire and now I want them to drown in it. Not just the rulers and guards in the mines city, but all of them, every single person that allowed this to happen to us. Can you really make it true?
Involved parties
The bidaddous
A pacifist culture that never learnt the ways of war or commerce, focusing on medicine, agriculture and the study of the stars. That knowledge saved plenty of lives once the Racionala exported it to the rest of the world. They never fought the invaders, they just tried to adjust, but the only thing they wanted to keep was too much according to the conquerors, so they were often hurt and murdered.Katerina
One of many victims of the invaders, a good child until the age of ten or so. Then all her family was slaughtered and she spent the next 18 years learning the ways of the enemy, and hating them for killing her parents. When she had the chance, she murdered as many of them as possible.The voice in the void
Did a granter hide in a small cave under the cliff? Did he use magic to hear and be heard from that place? Who knows. Katerina and her friends only heard the deep, slightly raspy voice saying that they could have anything they wanted.The Racionala
A flourishing culture, very respectful of nature and the laws their rulers formulated to grant that every citizen had equal opportunities as well as respect for each other and the ecosystem they lived in. They were scientifically advanced, which allowed them to travel great distances by air and sea in a world where everybody else was struggling to build good roads. As they explored the world, they shared their knowledge and customs with everyone. They had found the secret to prosperity and peace, after all. Most of their citizens and neighbors didn’t know that those ways were imposed by violence and cruelty to those who “didn’t appreciate” their benefits.Everybody else in that world
At this point, most of them had been found by the racionala and, whether they hated or loved them, they used what they had to offer and paid the demanded price one way or another.Historical Significance
The few witnesses of these events that didn’t die with their world, can now be found in the company premises.A couple of them aren't employees, so they don't start the day in an assigned room but in any place they were when the cycle started. Nevertheless, they are welcomed in the village whenever they want to come and for as long as they want to stay. Half of them don't like to talk about the past, and those who do prefer to avoid this particular event. Yet they all have described it sometime, as a warning for somebody else.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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