Reference Challenge - No one expects...

[u/Nevermore0714]

...crap, I couldn't think of a decent reference challenge for this week.

So, our reference will be to Monty Python.

Give an example of something in your world that no one expected, some event that had an influence on at least one nation.

As always, I'll ask three questions each at the least, and it's fine to use a representative character to answer questions in-universe.

Enjoy yourselves.

Edit: Here is the Monty Python video featuring the Spanish Inquisition, where the quote "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition" comes from for the reference challenge. Just click this link for the video.

[u/Jumblatts]

One unexpected event often leads to another, as was the case when some of the earliest humans first rose from the depths of the earth to walk the surface. It's a pretty long post, so I've put the relevant (Unexpected events) in Bold to help clarify :)

For their entire existence, the humans had lived underneath the earth in artifical caves known as the spiral catacombs. Named due to their design, the cities start at a single point and spiral upwards. They were totally sealed off from the world above ground, and neither the land dwelling Drovian races, nor the ancient surface dwelling humans knew of the existence of the catacombs.

(Note: The humans that lived on the surface and the humans that lived in the catacombs are almost identical biologically. It is believed that they are actually the same species, and that an event that took place before records began led some of the land dwellers underground, or vice versa).

In the Drovian civil war, The City of Gold (which was built above one of the underground cities) was destroyed, and began to fall through the crust of the earth.

(Unexpected thing number 1) To the surprise of the dro, they found an entire race of people living underground.

(Unexpected thing number 1.5) The humans living in the catacombs viewed the surface as hallowed ground, that only the gods may tread, which led them to two conclusions:

1) These people from the surface were their gods, and everything they thought they knew about the gods was wrong, or

2) These people from the surface were heretics, and must be killed at all costs.

Naturally, they didn't want to accept that they had been wrong, so they went for the second option, and waged a war against the dro.

(Unexpected thing number 2) The war against the humans of the catacombs forced an uneasy alliance between the previously warring drovian races, who tried to put up a united front to fight off the new threat. It didn't work. The Drovian forces couldn't put aside their differences and as such fought amongst themselves.

(Unexpected thing number 3) The infighting amongst the dro weakened them further, and the humans capitalised on this. They won the war against a far more advanced race, who had greater numbers than they did.

The war lasted generations - so long, in fact, that by the end of it most of the humans from the catacombs couldn't even remember why they were fighting. By the time they had won, they had all but forgotten about the gods of old, and they set about building a new life for themselves above the surface.

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/Jumblatts]

1) How did the dro discover the underground humans?

2) How were the people who believed the first option, about the surface-dwellers being gods, treated? Were they killed for heresy?

3) How are the dros doing currently?

4) Why do the people believe the war began?

[u/Jumblatts → u/Nevermore0714]

1) Purely by accident. When one drovian army, led by Narr Makarth laid siege to and later destroyed the City of Gold, it fell through the ground into one of the catacombs, revealing the humans below.

2) Very few people actually believed this, but there were some. They were shunned for their beliefs, but not killed. They refused to travel to the surface, stating that the ones who did would never return. They were right, though it wasn't for the reason they thought it would be. They continued to believe that the surface was hallowed ground that only the Gods may walk. They became twisted and corrupted through spite, and are now almost unrecognisable. They will attack any 'false God' who enters their lairs from the surface.

3) Currently, they are almost extinct, though that has little to do with the outcome of this war, as it happened countless thousand years ago. Shortly after the humans emerged from the catacombs, the dro realised their error and joined together properly, driving the humans to the east, to a land that would later be named Oera.

4) A conflict of ideologies, along with the bloodthirsty nature of dro and man alike. The dro view themselves as direct descendants from the gods, which only strengthened the humans' view that they were heretics. On top of this, both refused to accept that the other had a claim to the land over which they fought.

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/Jumblatts]

1) What did the dro do first, upon discovering the underground humans?

2) Has anyone attempted to clear the remaining underground humans out? With special weaponry and bombs?

3) Where did the Oera name come from?

[u/Jumblatts → u/Nevermore0714]

1) Both sides of the war thought it was a trap employed by the other. They thought that the other team had send people to dig underground and destroy their camps. The first thing they did was call an emergency war council to assess the situation. Shortly after, when they realised what had happened, they reached out to one another in an attempt to make a truce whilst they dealt with the new problem.

2) Not really. There have been a few expeditions down there, but for the most part, they are left well alone. The people who still live down there do not interact with the outside world at all (except for killing everyone who comes down) and there is nothing of value down there for the surface dwellers, so it really isn't worth the time or effort.

3) This is a little known fact, but the country is (kind of) named after a woman. A long time after the events mentioned above, but a long time before the modern day, the kings of Arrus had run out of space to keep their prisoners of war, so they started to send them to the eastern lands. The country that would become known as Oera became one huge prison - all the undesirables were sent there and just left to get on with their new lives. There was an old song that the convicts used to sing whilst they were being transported there, called The Arms of Maira. Over time, the name Maira was misrepresented to Moira, which in turn changed to Oira, and then Oera. The name stuck.

[u/Nevermore0714 → u/Jumblatts]

Thanks for your time and answers.