Hello everybody, It’s a new week, so that means we have more story details to share, but not only that, on the 23rd, everyone will be able to download and play The Exiled! We’re looking forward to sharing our game with all of you and we can’t wait to get all of your feedback. This week’s story reveal is part 2 of last week’s timeline of the history of The Exiled. Just like the previous weeks that we’ve done this, make sure you follow our official Facebook page as we will be randomly posting a question this week regarding the information in this post. Those who answer the question correctly will be entered into a random drawing to win a free Steam key for The Exiled. Below are links to all the story timeline posts until now: - Story Introduction: http://www.the-exiled.co/post/156941147702/story-introduction-and-pre-launch-giveaway-news - The Past - Part 1: http://www.the-exiled.co/post/157199335479/story-timeline-the-past We hope you’re as excited as we are for the upcoming launch (February 23) and remember, The Exiled will be free to everybody for 7 days! See you next week! Fairytale Distillery Team

The Past - Part 2

Link to Part 1: http://www.the-exiled.co/post/157199335479/story-timeline-the-past

The Flux

The Outcasts banded together to protect each other, forming small communities where they could. There was still some fertility in the land, in places; there was even the occasional pool or spring of untainted water. There was something else, too. In some places, at some times, often after a long cold night, we found a fine glittering blue dust speckling the stones or earth. We had no notion of what it was; some attempted to collect enough to place in a fire to melt, thinking it was a form of metal like tangam, but it did not act like metal - it did not melt as expected. With no other idea what to do with it, some used it for what it was - a glittering blue pleasing to the eye - and worked it into decorations alongside other pigments, perhaps on stones, or on garments. It became known as Flux, and it became a desired trade item.

The Sigils

Some amongst us occasionally bring back flat disks of metal from our scavenging. These are thin, flexible, about the size of a person’s palm. They seem manufactured, and are wholly new - nothing like this was ever seen before Starfall. We first thought that they might be tangam, but it seems not. They are decorated, although at first, they look like plain metal - if you tilt them towards the light, silver-blue shapes dance on the surface. Symbols in an unknown script. These disks we now call Sigils, and they were at first sought after as curios, or by some people as messages from the gods. Perhaps the latter is closer to the truth, but as you shall see, that is not all they are. We learned, much later, that these things are to be found all over the world; some in the City have gathered them from trade with lands around, but have found no use for them.

The Exile Walks

Six years ago, things changed. Dian was at the height of her reign when a young Katakani commander led a patrol into the valley. It was routine; the patrols through the valley were seen as a way to blood new recruits. Sometimes against the Outcasts; sometimes against Revenants. What she saw horrified her. She saw our way of life. We had precious little fresh water to drink, we had no medicine, and we scrabbled for food amongst the filth-heaps of Katakan. We were as likely to die of a minor illness as we were at the hands of a Revenant. She took her arguments back to Katakan and the Merchants’ council. If this was simply another young commander, she would have been dismissed or upbraided. But this was Rukh Batari, daughter of Dian. Ah, I see you know the name. She found herself head-to-head with her mother. Factions formed around them amongst the guilds; it became a very public split. One that Dian could not tolerate. ‘Evidence’ was uncovered that Rukh was guilty of treason. She was tried and convicted. As Dian’s daughter she was given a choice; to lose all rank and remain in the City as a prisoner, or to take exile. She chose exile and was cast into the valley with nothing but the clothes she stood up in.

The Exile’s Banner

Rukh was trained and trained well. Seeing no other alternative for the Outcasts and seeking a place in the valley, she decided to approach a small band of them and try to lead them, with the intent of taking on some of the Katakan patrols; that would mean that they were then better armed with tangam weapons, and better armed meant there would be more chances against the patrols and perhaps - one day - they might find some means of freedom from Katakan’s yoke. But we Outcasts had no desire to follow a Batari. She was scorned by us. What attempts she made, by herself, to hamper the Katakan patrols and take weapons and armour from them failed, resulting in the crippling loss of three fingers of her left hand. She became dispirited, another among the Outcasts, nameless, and perhaps that is how things would have remained. However, then came the Hollow. It was a small settlement which she was staying in overnight. It was attacked by a Katakan patrol intent on slaughter. The patrol was led by a young commander seeking glory and to test his troops. Rukh called out the commander in front of his force, challenging him to single combat. He laughed, refusing to fight a crippled wretch. Rukh then revealed who she was. The commander saw his chance to make his name and win Dian’s favour, so he accepted Rukh’s challenge. And died. The Outcasts of the settlement rallied, and the patrol was driven back, with only a small force escaping to Katakan. Buoyed by this success, some of us started to take her at her word. A small band grew around her, and they successfully surprised and overpowered several patrols. The Katakani decided to deal with her and sent in a much larger patrol specifically to eradicate her force. She was taken by surprise and lost several followers. She would have lost all and been killed or captured, but at the last moment, she was saved by a strange group of warriors, their skins painted with blue sigils. These were undisciplined but incredibly quick and strong, driving back and destroying the Katakan force. These newcomers led her north, to a hidden grove near the northern ruins, where several hundred Outcasts had made their home. And there they showed her their secret, a secret that has spread far since. I see from your faces that you know of this already. Flux, for some of us, can be worked into the skin as a dye - and if you follow the patterns on the sigil disks, those symbols change you. They can heal you. They can give you strength, or make you swift. We can reshape our bodies and our minds through the use of this wondrous material. Armed with this new knowledge, and this new strength, Rukh began to put together an army. She called those in it her Talons.

The Treaty of the Hollow

Two years ago Rukh and her Talons met with representatives of our three major settlements and came to an agreement: raiding and warfare between them would gain nothing when the true enemy is the City outside. It did not end all aggression, but strict conduct rules were put in place in case of disagreement, so if there was fighting, it would abide by certain rules or those taking part would be destroyed by the union of all the others. Healthy competition was encouraged, and counted as training against a true enemy. The treaty brought another goal to the attention of all - Rukh’s plan. Those living in the valley now hold a loose alliance while they prepare an effort to strike at the City. They also gather funds, and forward those to Rukh’s old allies within the City itself; those funds are spent on bribery, on political campaigning, and on resources - everything possible to stall Dian Batari and her allies in declaring all out war on the valley.

The Keepers Come

This is the way it has been for five years now. Two armies building: one the great war machine of Katakan; one a scattered group of rebels under the Exile’s banner, nimble, devious, and slowly growing. It is unclear how or when Dian Batari or Rukh, the Exile, will make their move. But something else has changed. Mysterious figures have appeared in the valley in recent days. Grey wraith-like creatures, robed and cowled. Those who have glimpsed their faces report in horrified tones that they are faceless - the skin is smooth, no eyes, no mouth. They drift through the world, seeming not to touch it or to be touchable. They do not react when challenged or spoken to or even attacked - merely drift around the valley and observe. Some think they are spirits. Some think they are some new form of Revenant. Others hark back to old Mekari legend, believing them to be the gatekeepers of the nether lands, here to carry away those souls lost in the coming struggle. They are called, in the absence of another name, the Keepers. Whatever they are, they are here. Change is coming.

[ 2017-02-20 18:36:02 CET ] [ Original post ]