Post by indicolite on Jul 21, 2013 22:59:25 GMT -8
For as long as we can remember, the land in the air drew us higher. In the distant past, many made their attempts to claim them, trying to climb on the islands with chains and ropes when they drew close, using wild plans to leap on them when they crossed under a mountain, but none of them caught on, and the legends remained as they were for centuries.
That is, until someone built the first balloons. Now, we could come and go as we wished, and that's what we did. We climbed to the islands, we made them our home, and life went on as usual. Some colonists got organized, built up brand new countries there. And they still needed stuff; they used to ask people on the surface nicely for it, but that didn't always work. So the balloons turned into airships, rigged with cannons and more, to improve their results. Then they decided that some of the other countries were easy pickings. One of them took this to heart - that was the Empire of Sarem. They brought the world in the sky, and a good portion of the world below, under their control. After everyone who opposed them was shot fulla holes, it wasn't that bad, really - all the history books said it was the golden age, and based on what's left of them, I'd say they're right. But all things must come to an end - over the years, the empire grew decadent. Parts of it peeled off, one by one, feeling they could rule themselves better than the people up top could. Mostly, they did.
And that's where we stand now. A bunch of scattered states, ruled from the islands. If you're on the islands, life's all right, you control a wide area for a while until the island drifts to somewhere else. They pull this off using quick operations, setting up temporary governments on the ground to "help" out the people in the area. Depending on who's doing it, the ground dwellers might help out - some of the countries above help build up their roads and buy their stuff, in exchange for promises loyalty. A few of the islands, though, they can be nastier, indiscriminately pillaging and looting. As you can probably tell, life on the ground's not quite as pleasant. But just wait until those skylanders get carried out over the ocean by the currents for a few months, then we'll see who's sitting pretty.
So. What have we got left? Down on the ground things have been pretty quiet lately, but there are things happening topside. Word's coming in that Bolain's been gathering a force, getting a little more aggressive with their collection, building up planes and war-rigged dirigibles, and it sounds like a couple of their neighbors are trying to keep up. This has been going on for a few months. People are getting worried, think someone's going to try something, but nobody's sure who's going to go first.
But for us normal people, life goes on. We work the land we're on, we explore, we get married, we die, etcetra, etcetera. Petersborough's overhead right now, and word is there's an aerofreight company in the south strips looking for a few good hands, if you're looking for something to keep you busy.
That is, until someone built the first balloons. Now, we could come and go as we wished, and that's what we did. We climbed to the islands, we made them our home, and life went on as usual. Some colonists got organized, built up brand new countries there. And they still needed stuff; they used to ask people on the surface nicely for it, but that didn't always work. So the balloons turned into airships, rigged with cannons and more, to improve their results. Then they decided that some of the other countries were easy pickings. One of them took this to heart - that was the Empire of Sarem. They brought the world in the sky, and a good portion of the world below, under their control. After everyone who opposed them was shot fulla holes, it wasn't that bad, really - all the history books said it was the golden age, and based on what's left of them, I'd say they're right. But all things must come to an end - over the years, the empire grew decadent. Parts of it peeled off, one by one, feeling they could rule themselves better than the people up top could. Mostly, they did.
And that's where we stand now. A bunch of scattered states, ruled from the islands. If you're on the islands, life's all right, you control a wide area for a while until the island drifts to somewhere else. They pull this off using quick operations, setting up temporary governments on the ground to "help" out the people in the area. Depending on who's doing it, the ground dwellers might help out - some of the countries above help build up their roads and buy their stuff, in exchange for promises loyalty. A few of the islands, though, they can be nastier, indiscriminately pillaging and looting. As you can probably tell, life on the ground's not quite as pleasant. But just wait until those skylanders get carried out over the ocean by the currents for a few months, then we'll see who's sitting pretty.
So. What have we got left? Down on the ground things have been pretty quiet lately, but there are things happening topside. Word's coming in that Bolain's been gathering a force, getting a little more aggressive with their collection, building up planes and war-rigged dirigibles, and it sounds like a couple of their neighbors are trying to keep up. This has been going on for a few months. People are getting worried, think someone's going to try something, but nobody's sure who's going to go first.
But for us normal people, life goes on. We work the land we're on, we explore, we get married, we die, etcetra, etcetera. Petersborough's overhead right now, and word is there's an aerofreight company in the south strips looking for a few good hands, if you're looking for something to keep you busy.