It was the hottest summer anyone could remember. The days had been getting hotter and hotter, as if the sun was being magnified by some invisible magnifying glass. The very sand seemed to sizzle on the rocks as the sun baked down on the landscape.
Recent discoveries of gold and other rare elements had brought droves of city dwellers out to the Northern Wilderness to seek their fortune and a chance at a better life. Thousands began to gather in a secluded valley, forming a settlement that would evolve into the city-state of Highrange in the coming years.
It was at the peak of this miserable and sweltering summer that the Visitors first began to make their presence known. First with strange lights in the sky and rumblings in the earth. Then came the reports of strange structures popping up in the mountains, of tunnels deep in the earth, and menacing metal creatures moving earth.
Reports from across the land echoed the accounts from others. The Visitors were everywhere, but seemed to be content with staying within the walls of their compounds. Fortifications which seemed to be in desolate, mountainous regions far from the concerns of man.
Mankind watched…and waited. It was on the 48th day that the Visitors finally broke their silence, and thus began a new era in human history.
The Visitors, never seen outside of one of their many wondrous creations, revealed they would only stay long enough to “replenish and refuel” their machines. How long that meant, no one knew exactly. Time passed, and the presence of the Visitors was a constant wonder, but a relatively peaceful existence was maintained.
Then, as suddenly as the Visitors had arrived, they were gone, without warning. In reality, it had been nearly 50 years since the beings from the sky first appeared. The beings left behind the shattered shells of their mysterious outposts, and broken, lifeless pieces of their wondrous technology.
Mankind was left to pick up the pieces and move on, but its course had been fundamentally altered forever by the guests from the heavens. The arrival, and sudden departure of, the Visitors left an indelible mark on human society; a permanent wound of sorts on the face of mankind that overtime could either heal, or fester…
In The Wake… is about the gritty, day-to-day struggles of humanity in the face of the sudden departure of the Visitors. When those uninvited beings from the sky departed, they also left broken remnants of their technological wonders behind. However, they never shared the secrets of their own technology with the minds of men.
The mysterious source of power that fueled the machines of the Visitors also went dark upon their exit. Those strange glowing crystals that were seen sometimes being taken in and out of the mechanical wonders must hold great power, and also great mystery.
Over time, some ingenious men were able to back-engineer Visitor technology and make Earthly wonders powered by stream and gears. Seemingly overnight, cities across the globe were lit with strange new lights, coaches moved without horses, and suits of armor moved without men inside. The New Age of Wonder had arrived!
As with any major shift within a society, there are power struggles and vacuums. Groups and individuals strive to establish their influence over each other in the constant churning of political and technological powers. Gradually these initial “skirmishes” devolve into all out wars for dominance.
Factions rise and fall, along with territories and city-states. Will the battles be won with technology, strength, or reasoning; or will mankind be returned to the old ways of the world before the Visitors? This is what players will decide In the Wake… !
Hosted and narrated by:
Jeremy Gilley (Staggothi)
Started 03/27/19.
Scenes played: 3
License: Community License
