The Walkers, updated 9-28-03

[chewy027]

Though most of you will not remember me, I used to be very active on these Boards. I have always lurked around, but I have once again caught the SE4 bug. So I decided to start up another game tonight with one change to my usual foray...I am going to attempt to enhance my experience with a little story-telling. Now I realize there are many of these threads floating around this board, in fact i enjoy reading most of them myself, but for my sake i think i'll try to keep myself interested in this game by writing a bit. Understand, I have never written like this before, with no due date or pressure, but i think it will be entertaining for myself. Also, understand that my classes here at Princeton start again very soon so I probably won't be able to update as often as I would like, but I will try. So without further ado, i present the first installment of my tale...please, criticisms encouraged

Prologue

So many years have gone before my time, and there is so much to tell. Perhaps I should simply start from the beginning. Yes, that would be the wisest place to start, for wisdom is the virtue prized above all else in our society, so indeed the beginning is where I must start.
Our glorious civilization has been in existence for 8,400 years by our records, though some scholars claim that we were conceived further still in time. However, I don’t believe I can assert that our civilization can lay a legitimate claim to that long of a heritage. You see, much of our early history is unknown to us, though we are aware of the fact that we were a warring society of sovereign nation states for the first 4000 years of our existence. Many battles were fought, and many of our people died vainly for the pursuit of money, pleasure, and most seductive of all, power. It was directly before the time of the eighth Great War, around 6888 that three powers emerged: the Cindron, the Eldron, and the Vandron. These three peoples had succeeded in consolidating their power and making themselves strong enough to lay claim to complete mastery of our world, though it was not fated that all should Last.
The Cindron hailed from the west. They were a society who thrived on combat and the glory of victory…at any cost. They were an advanced power who made as much use of guile and treachery as they did their physical power. It was the Cindron who ignited the eight and final Great War.
The Eldron made their home in the East. The largest of the powers, though the least advanced, they had more resources then both the Cindron and the Vandron and used this advantage to survive. The Eldron were not risk takers, but made calculated decisions to maximize their gains. They won many key battles early in the war for this reason, though, in the end, they could not stand up to the might of the Cindron.
Finally, the Vandron were caught like a city between two armies, neither of which was concerned about the city’s fate. The Vandron prized wisdom and honor above all else, and vehemently tried to stave off the inevitable onslaught between the Cindron and the Eldron. For the first 5 years their stance of neutrality and cooperation served them well. It was during these 5 years that the Eldron won many victories and looked to have the Cindron defeated. The Vandron urged a peaceful settlement of the conflict and litigated a truce between the two powers, but the Cindron’s victory would not be denied.
As the peace summit came to a close, a lone Cindron death squad succeeded in igniting a single thermonuclear weapon and in the process destroyed the Eldron High Command and any hope of a peaceful end to the Great War. The use of these weapons had been Banned since the close of the fifth Great War, and both sides had abided by these commandments…until now.
The loss of their High Command sent the Eldron into a precipitous spiral downward. None had the wherewithal to rise up and lead the people, let alone organize an adequate defense against the newly embroiled Cindron. The Eldron summarily fell to the onslaught of the Cindron though both sides continued to weaken themselves to the point of dysfunction.
Throughout these middle years of the war the Vandron persisted to sue for peace. Having had their capital city destroyed in the initial thermonuclear bLast, and continually having to scrounge together every resource and penny to sate the thirst of the Cindron, the day drew near when the Vandron would be drawn into the conflict as well. The Eldron were falling and the Cindron was eager to usurp the mantle of total world domination. They struck quickly and overran half of the Vandron’s territory. They continued to push the boundaries further until they were within grasp of terminating the Vandron. It was then that the ever calculating Eldron decided to break their self imposed ban on using their weapons of mass destruction in the hopes of guaranteeing their survival. For they had many more of these weapons then the Cindron did, and succeeded in weakening their enemies enough to drive them back. Having been pressed to action the Vandron then joined forces with the Eldron, but it was to no avail. The Cindron redoubled their efforts and burned with a great fire to quell the world of the taint of the Eldron, and in the 14th year of the war, the Eldron fell. Now the full forces of the Cindron were turned on the fledgling Vandron in the final push for supremacy.
The facts of the final years of the Last Great War are not fully understood, but what is known is that as the Vandron were once again falling to the Cindron onslaught a being of immense power and wisdom appeared to lead the Vandron. This was the Almighty, and under his watchful eye the Cindron’s forces stood no chance. Though the Vandron detested violence, the Almighty forged them into an overwhelming force whom the Cindron could not contain. As the Cindron lost battle after battle, they grew more and more desperate. It was decided that the use of their final thermonuclear bombs was the only means of defeating this new and enigmatic force, though they new that their use would render their world unusable. As the weapons fell, so our ethos teaches us, the Almighty transformed his people so that they could survive in this radically changed world, and led his people on to victory over the Cindron. Having defeated the enemy, the Almighty then began to lead the remaining Vandron on a quest to rebuild their embattled world.
Under the leadership of the Almighty, new cities were built and the Vandron established themselves well enough that their future was no longer in doubt. It was at this time that the Almighty left as quickly and quietly as he had appeared. By then, the Almighty had already come to be worshiped by the people, and none doubted that his guidance had saved our world. That was in the year of 6,000. Thereafter, we began keeping track of time anew. We slowly progressed and advanced over the course of 2000 more years without the taint of war. We concentrated on those virtues we held most dear: wisdom, honor, and trust, and in time we surpassed the technological marvels of even the Cindron. However, we have never forgotten that our survival was made possible through the Almighty’s hand, and that knowledge without wisdom is for naught. It is with this creed in mind that I, Lord Chagnon, the 27 Lord of the Vandron, turn our glorious civilizations gaze to the heavens in the hopes that we may one day come face to face with our savior the Almighty. We are the Vandron, the Walkers and we are coming…

[ September 29, 2003, 01:55: Message edited by: chewy027 ]