penumbral
New Member
- "My people are tired, but do not mistake weary for weak. I am here to negotiate, not surrender," a voice called out, starting the hostile negotiations.
The leader of the brutal rebellion to the left, the once-gentle monarch of an ancient kingdom to the right, and in the center, a diplomat from the damned Middle Territories. Across, an envoy from the empire stood in full regalia with attaches from the island colonies, blocking the view of the smaller kingdoms and independent states that sided with the empire. Behind the rebellion's hero, some scattered nobility, and those without title but with a great hunger for opportunity that always arises in chaos, watch eagerly for a chance to join the winning side. Scattered about, some independent mercenaries stand imposingly. Security, for all four sides to come together and negotiate an end to the most deadly war in known history.
Once the Midlands were a peaceful, uncontested collection of small kingdoms, rural, unorganized territory, and a nomadic tribe of herders. That was, until the rebellion. An old, formerly traditional kingdom to the east was inherited by a younger heir than ever before, all too eager to please a progressive foreign spouse. This ancient kingdom, which relied heavily on both elven and human slave labor, freed all the slaves overnight. The economy crumbled, and the people rebelled. The former slaves were quick to join a side. Many felt abandoned, often the elven house slaves who led fairly decent lives as exotic servants to be paraded at dinner parties, and were upset at their sudden homelessness. Others were grateful for a shot at a better life and fought against the rebels. The empire to the west saw an opportunity to extend their territory and invaded. Neither the rebels, who wanted a new democratic regime installed to prevent executive orders like that one from upending the entire economy, nor the loyalists, who believed the Crown should be forgiven, wanted to be annexed, and so they began to wage a horrific three way war. Now, as if that wasn't disaster enough, the Middle Territories formed an alliance to drive both the empire and the divided kingdom's forces from their lands. The peaceful people were nearly totally annihilated, with some calling the battles little more than genocide.
In general, it's kind of a crapsack world right now, and war crimes abound. The Midlands, mostly peaceful surface dwarves, are barren, and food shortages are beginning as the most fertile cropland was razed and salted by the empire. Though, most of the deaths of skilled laborers who might have been able to salvage some crops can be attributed to the wildly mismanaged rebel forces. Leaders of the rebellion take their positions by force, and with only one clear leader, the "hero" who first called for a democratic response to the slave crisis, middle management was left to the strongest, and often the most violent. The empire, which has been ruled by three deeply intertwined families of elves for written history, broke international law and began to use magic for violent purposes after the loyalists announced their intent to form a temporary alliance with the rebels to survive the invasion, and sort out their differences later. The envoy was assassinated, the first peace treaty fell apart, and it has been three more months of chaos. Winter has ended, and the people coming out of it are exhausted and hungry. The empire, ever since the invention of bagged wind, has been expanding to nearby islands and hoped to claim the rest of the continent by whatever means necessary, under the banner of unification for scientific and magical advancement and free exchange of ideas. In what has become a battle of attrition, their offshore colonies have proved their greatest asset. However, many of the native people are considering their own rebellion, as native people tend to do when their colonizer is weak, as the natural human desire tends towards freedom. Governors have been going missing, and the empire has been forced to contend with domestic issues, decreasing supervision and increasing the destructive tendencies of their armies.
So who are you? Maybe you're a disgruntled peasant, at this meeting to exact revenge for your child's untimely death. Maybe you're a diplomat, with little authority to stray from your script, a leader who deigned to appear in person, an advisor, here to shepherd your naive leader away from surrender.
What do you believe? Most people on the continent don't give a damn about who is or isn't enslaved, even though it was ended as a principle of civil rights. The price of slaves has been going up, magical technology has made a lot of manual labor obsolete, and hiring skilled labor is getting cheaper than housing and food for slaves. Had it been done right, the ending of slavery would have been a controversial but passable decision. The rebels fight for less centralized power, to prevent a single bad decision from spiraling the world into chaos ever again. The loyalists fight for the Crown, and tradition, to be given a second chance. The Midlands fight to restore their peaceful way of life, though it may prove impossible. Some from the Middle Territories speak only of revenge. The empire demands expansion, and many believe in their desire for freer exchange of technology, though not their methods.
What kind of person are you? Where are you from, and who are you loyal to? Are you a rare underground dwarf, drawn to the surface to help your bretheren? An empire elf, or a freed slave? A human, even? There are so many questions on this form... All to get admission to the peace talks.
