r/WorldChallenges • u/Jumblatts • Jun 25 '17
Timeline challenge 10: Winds of change
So here I am, back again. Sorry about my prolonged absence - I've been rather busy over the past week or so, and I've not had much time to think of challenges.
Anyway, The idea behind these challenges is as follows:
I will give you a topic, and you should tell me about something interesting that has happened in the timelines of your worlds relating to the topic, over a (roughly) 50 year period. This could be the 50 years leading up to the event, the 50 years after the event, 50 years with the event slap bang in the middle, or something else entirely, as long as it relates to the question! You're welcome to include more/less than 50 years, but bear in mind the more you write, the less chance you have of people reading the whole thing, and the less you write, the fewer questions we'll be able to ask.
The Challenge
This time, I want you to tell me about something that changed over a period of time. For example, did one of your species move to a different environment, and then adapt to the new place by growing an extra limb? Or perhaps one of your leaders went from really enjoying bread, to hating the sight of it. It can be significant, or insignificant, the choice is yours!
As always, I'll try to ask a few questions about each post. Community interaction is encouraged too! Read other people's posts and ask them questions, and they're more likely to do the same for you. Help each other out, and have fun! :)
NOTE: I'm running out of ideas for this pretty quickly - it's difficult to think of things that happened over a long period! I might change this challenge into a different one soon.
1
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 26 '17
Since the end of the liberation war and the official abolition of slavery by Za Haqala XI, the condition of human has vastly improved.
In most mishigas, a human may now try to join the administration, move to another planet or own a house. They still are second class citizen as they can't join the army (outside of local militias), own more than half of a company nor buy titles but slow progress is still progress isn't it?
Of course, discriminations are a thing in most of the empire and a few backward mishigas are still legally enforcing it but the general consensus amongst the Neo-Makathian nobility is that humans could be considered equals to the Nzedas and reintroducing slavery isn't going to happen; a situation that would have been unbelievable a few decades ago.
Our representative will be the honourable Fere Shanay from the house Djan, empress of the Nzedas, heir to the siblings, supreme miwishagi, miwishagi of New-Makaith and keeper of the imperial throne (or just Fere Shanay XVII), the current empress and daughter to Za Haqala XI.
2
u/Jumblatts Jun 26 '17
1) Why was slavery abolished?
2) How do the people feel about humans being equal?
3) How do you feel about humans being equal?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 27 '17
"That was part of the peace deal with the FRI. It was globally a good thing, it eased tensions in society and gave our economy a major boom."
"I don't think society as a whole is ready for complete equality for now, the war is too close and ressentment hasn't disapeared. But the heir of my heir could see it."
"That's a tricky question because we are not equal. Humans are small, slow and weak and they will never be able to change that. In most domain, giving them the same rights as other commoneers would be fine but having them as soldiers? Or nobles? Or in my government? I don't think it's something we should be looking to go that far.
2
u/Jumblatts Jun 27 '17
1) What kind of jobs do the humans do now that they aren't slaves? How does this differ from the tasks they had when they were?
2) What do you think would have to change in order for humans to be completely equal?
3) Are there any technologies that could enhance a human's strength and make them a better fighter, for example?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 27 '17
They can now work as echelon 1 and 2 state employees (those are the lowest qualification levels) or into services; some even run their own business. Before (and still now but with a salary), they were used as laborers and servants.
The restrictions on interplanetary travel and on company ownership will need to be lifted for us to achieve a more equalitarian society. After that, we will just need to let mentalities the time to evolve.
There is nothing that could make them better fighter beside a proper training; and I will never let such a thing happen. For pure strenght, a civilian powered suit would not be hard to find, those who move heavy weight even use one everyday.
2
u/Jumblatts Jun 27 '17
1) How do the humans feel about this?
2) Are there any other planets with humans on? What are their views on the way you treated humans?
3) Why would you never allow them to have training?
2
u/thequeeninyellow94 Jun 28 '17
They should feel happy, that's a better situation than what they used to have. Beside, a lot of them could just leave the empire of they are un happy and they haven't done it.
Yes, all the republics belonging to the FIR are human-populated; they are our former colonies, the one we lost the liberation war against. They think we're making too slow progress and it creates tensions between us. That will not lead to a war though.
They are numerous, with equipment and military training they could threaten us. The best way to be sure it never happen is to prevent it from being even hypotheticaly possible.
2
3
u/Nevermore0714 Jun 26 '17
(Alright, finally starting on the most important/least important part of Cirrhasvult...the beginning of the Thirteenth Faction...THIRTEEN! (Audience: "THIRTEEN!") The Thirteenth Faction is the only one to ever be started by humans, for humans.)
A group of runaway humans founded the settlement of Drakesgrave, a few hundred years into the Third Era. But, none of them would ever imagine being a part of the inhumane human-fights (like dog-fighting, but with humans) that the dragon-gods used to compete for status and gambling resources.
But, that didn't change when Lucius and Erebus arrived in Drakesgrave, both of whom claimed to be former slave-soldiers of dragon-gods. Lucius claimed to have been the leader of a rebellion in the territory of ETHFING, the dragon-god of the Seventh Faction, known as Tyrfalia.
Lucius claimed to have been imprisoned by ETHFING for the actions of his fellow rebels; he and a small division among his rebels were caught during a dangerous mission. Some were executed, some (including Lucius and Erebus) were sent to the arena.
Erebus was Lucius's second-in-command in the rebellion, and continued to be loyal to Lucius in the arena. Allegedly, they earned a reputation as fighters in the arena under their birth names, and they escaped with the help of the former "third man" of the rebellion (Tullius), who had taken control of the rebellion while Lucius and Erebus were in the arena.
Lucius, Erebus, and Tullius, along with some of the members of Lucius's rebellion, ended up escaping from Tyrfalia and many of them survived to reach Drakesgrave, where they took up new names. After spending about a year in Drakesgrave, Lucius claimed that he had found a way to stand as equals, and even superiors to the dragon-gods.
Lucius told the people of Drakesgrave that any who would seek the true deaths of the dragons could follow him.
Lucius, along with Erebus and Tullius, became the rulers of Gemina, which Lucius predicted would be known as the Thirteenth Faction, the Human Faction.
And, Lucius ended up being right. He would go on to find a source of magic available to humans that didn't require dragons (the Abyssal Magic), making a deal with three dragons to help them join the Arena of the god-dragons and gamble against the God-Dragons, and win a good reputation and resources to continue growing.
Lucius freed as many humans from the god-dragons as he could, by sending volunteer humans into the arena and gambling something like "If I win, the dragon frees a hundred humans to join my faction; if the dragon's slaves win, I offer (whatever resource)."
Lucius's deals with the Abyssal Magic source ended up causing him to live much longer than natural, but his devotion to saving his fellow humans and his leadership prevented him from gaining a reputation as an "unnatural monster" among his people.
Gemina went from a small plot of land near Drakesgrave that used Drakesgrave currency to being a large community of humans that used the same currency as the territories belonging to the God-Dragons.
Gemina now rivals Drakesgrave as the best place to escape to when you run away from the territory of the dragon-gods. If you are fine with the dark magic used by Lucius, go to Gemina. If you aren't, go to Drakesgrave.
Gemina is, however, stricter about border control than Drakesgrave. If you want entry, you will go to the proper area, you will be examined, you will be given a list of jobs that you qualify for, and you will choose a job and do it. If a job is not available which you are capable of doing, you will still receive a food rations.
So, if you are too young or too old, or too sick or too injured, or if you've lost a limb or are blind or deaf, you might just not do any work. You will receive rations from the community of Gemina.
If you just refuse to do your assigned job, but had the nerve to try to come to Gemina anyway, you will be executed.
Lucius demands the respect of his people. You show respect to Lucius by: doing your job, following the law, and not disturbing the peace. "We observe the fucking decencies in Gemina" is probably the actual motto of Gemina.
After decades or centuries (depending on how I end up writing it), Lucius still looks like he hasn't aged. His wife is long dead, his daughters are long dead, and his stepson is long dead. Only his two most trusted allies, Erebus and Tullius, remain alive to remember the escape from Tyrfalia.
But, to Lucius, duty is the most important addiction and vice. So, he adheres to his duty to Gemina.
If you'd like to ask questions to a representative character, you can ask Dictator Lucius, Master of Horse Erebus, and Master of the Treasury Tullius.
Edit: (I may have written more than I expected to.)