Oppression vs. Ambition

[MacConnell]

The giant burning orb, commonly called the Daylight, slowly rose in the sky, climbing above the far horizon, on the other side of the river. The other side of the river held the parts of the city that were important to those that mattered, the parts where the residents were free to move about the districts, at least most of the districts, most importantly to entertainment, the Moonlight District.

The Burning Sun, as the god was called whose representation was the Daylight, was not even full in the sky, but those of the Flats could already feel the heat, especially since it was the season called Stasis. The Burning Sun was known to be a cruel and petty god. Animal sacrifice was regularly and often given in an attempt to appease her in hopes of easing the burning heat that could sear a person’s skin and even blind a person’s eyes. The laborers in the Flats all wore loose garments made of cotton and flattened, cone-shaped hats with wide brims, as a means of protection. The residents here were called slaves, but the labor was hard, the conditions were terrible, the pay was paltry, and there was no real means of escaping the Flats. It is often from such oppression that heroes are born.

GM: By some quirk of fate or divine intervention, should anyone wish to play a beginning, adolescent character, any gaming system with which I am familiar will do. Send me a PM; I can further explain the parameters. No physical materials are needed. Having read many threads, all of which died, and hosted some, since 2016, I am fully prepared to simply entertain myself, at least until I, too, am dead.

 

[MacConnell]

The city of Ansylim is built near the mouth of the Crystal River, which flows across the desert known as the Burning Sands. Its head is in the mountain range called the Dragon’s Footprint. Aside from the vein of life provided by the river, the desert, as a whole, is inhospitable dunes of sand. Where the river meets the ocean, the cut bank has a rocky substrate and supports the walled districts. The other side washes over the bank creating a vast, muddy, brackish water marsh, called the Flats. The river is too wide to swim, especially with the current and the movement of the tides. The Flats provide the impetus for the existence of the city, but its residents, often called mud grubbers, are disdained by the others, especially those who have been branded on the face and remanded there after being caught as petty criminals.

The higher areas of the marsh have been reinforced with fired brick, made from clays collected in the marsh, to create a maze of walkways that transverse the area for the cultivation of various crops and the collection of differing viscosities of clay. Most laborers are paid for the collection of materials used in other districts. Older residents who are no longer capable of such labor can earn some coin for the manufacture of straw hats. Residents are not specifically forced to work, but the alternative might be starvation, and it is natural for people to desire a sense of belonging. Nearly everyone is afraid to venture outside of one’s comfort zone.