A Clash of Serpents

Description

There's nobody alive today who remembers freedom.

Freedom is a legacy we pass on to our children through the whispered memories of a different world, memories we inherited from our own parents. Freedom is a dream we look to the stars to imagine, but the stars are obscured by the wings of our masters, and by the sky-wheels that hold aloft the broken bodies of those who spoke too loudly of freedom. They say their victims are 'given to the sky', a sacrifice made to purge the soul so that it will be an obedient servant to the dragons in its next incarnation. I'm not sure what broke my heart more: The nights when my daughters used to cry because the screams kept them awake, or the day they stopped.

Freedom is a legend: The legend of Aquitania, the empire that worshipped the waves.

Before the dragons came and purged our kingdoms with fire, we were all worshippers of Ada, from here to the rich sultanates of Raktatora and the alpine forests and frozen wasteland of Jenoktora. Those of us who lived in the shadow of the Spire were the first to fall from glory, turning from our guiding faith to the worldly matters of politics and material wealth, but in the end, each nation abandoned the worship of the elusive and intangible Sea Queen. All but for one land, a legendary -- nay, mythical? -- empire of white ships and emerald towers that pierced the thrice-bedamned sky, isolated from the rest of humanity by the greatest of oceans.

When the Spire awoke and the dragons answered its call, men died by the thousands and swore allegiance by the millions. Denash and Inorash were the last to throw down their weapons and kneel, when their neighbouring kingdom of Etarik was obliterated, city by city, in waves of fire. Ada did not come to help us, then or now. Our goddess abandoned us as we had abandoned her.

But beyond that great ocean, Aquitania remained loyal. As the dragons amassed and soared across the skies to claim that final bastion of human independence as their own, the world shook, the seas thrashed, and Ada's serpents rose from their depths to tear out the hearts of the invaders and guide the white ships back home. Men and women from every corner of Aquitania -- the decadent Beluen, industrious Deronor, arcane Sulmire and wild and untamed Itiquari -- took to the decks of their ships and the backs of the serpents, and fought fire with fire, driving the dragons back to their scorched lands and broken citizens. Back to us.

Or so the legend goes. Few nowadays even believe the tale of Aquitania is more than a bedtime story, a hollow comfort for children coming of age in a shattered world, but as my final days draw to a close, I have to believe that in my next life, I will taste freedom and the sea breeze, and my children's children will control their own destinies.

-- Excerpt from the journal of Robert Belok, great-grandson of the former Duke of Tiernafal, three days before he was given to the sky.

In a world where the human race lives in slavery, you play the last free men and women in the world. Aquitania is an empire seemingly in its golden age; while the world around it crumbles, its sprawling lands boast liberty and education, hermetic magic and powerful spirit-talkers, industry and revolution, untamed and savagely beautiful wilderness, white towers and green crystal spires, and ships that sail the ocean under the escort of gargantuan sea serpents. But can such a diverse collection of nations, brought together under the banner of mutual protection, really forge a lasting alliance amidst the clash of ideologies? Have you sold your souls to the devil in accepting the patronage of the sea serpents? And if Aquitania breaks apart, who will keep the dragons at bay?

The world of Spire is a rich Renaissance-style setting developed by a GM with ten years of experience running online fantasy games. This game is in its early stages and will take place on a PHP bulletin board, as part of a welcoming and expanding online gaming community that's been together for more than a decade. We have an expectation of high-quality writing and commitment to the game. Now's a good time to get in on the ground floor; we have room for Princes and Dukes, sailors and serpent-riders, mages, shamans, inventors, Beluen university students and intellectuals, priests of Ada, courtiers, criminals and peddlers of various vices, city guild leaders and their flunkies, explorers, and just about anything else you can think of.

Please e-mail a sample of your writing to receive further information on joining.