"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke
"There cannot be any gods," Natalia hypothesized before the council of Kyretsa, "for if they existed, they would have long since struck us all down for what we are doing."
"Enough of that foolish talk. Such talk is insufferable from a High Priestess of Kyretsa. Should you continue... perhaps the striking down you seek will occur." admonished Marius, the Council Elder.
Natalia smirked. "And if it does, it will be at the hands of a force-hammer, not a god."
"To most in this city, they are one and the same."
Kyretsa, the city of dreams. Kyretsa, the city of nightmares. Built on the steppe of Kye between-- and in the middle of-- the constantly warring barbarian hordes of the north and south, called the Aku, the Theocracy of Kyretsa was protected from annihiliation by these bloodthirsty enemies only by the protection of the gods, channeled by the High Priestess of Kyretsa, and served dutifully by all in the city.
The god, of course, was technology. There was no divine protection for the city of Kyretsa-- there were covertly manufactured weapons, covert surveillance, advanced armor, and bizarre experiments. The "spears of the gods," as they were dubbed by the common folk, were force-hammers, advanced projectile weapons that created a nearly invisble mass of ultra-dense neutron matter and accelerated it to relativistic velocities.
The secrets of this technology were learned long ago, in an age long forgotten. Being alone in the wilderness, it advanced slowly, but surely, new developments easily explained as ever-greater "gifts from the gods." The gods, of course, demanded sacrifices as payment for their gifts, offered up eagerly by the people. This part, at least, was no lie. Human subjects for the bizarre experiments going on underground were always needed.
The problem was that the hordes, too, were learning, advancing, growing. And much faster.
There was a time when Natalia had believed the stories, too. She had been one of the most faithful adherents, in fact, which is why she was chosen to be High Priestess. She knew the importance of the Kyretsan religion to the city. She knew that without it, the barbarians would sweep up from both directions and the city would be destroyed.
Still... occasionally she wondered if just all of the deception was necessary. She wondered if the truth, also, could not protect the people. They were in possession of amazing things, after all; things the barbarians would never have.
"High Priestess, you are needed." Her servant's voice broke her reverie. "The peace negotations are due to begin."
Peace with the barbarians. It had happened before, on and off. They, too, believed the stories of course. All at once, they admired, feared, loathed, and yet vaguely disbelieved in the Kyretsan gods. They had their own gods too, after all.
The Aku chief was new, too. He was a more learned man than his father, which, for a barbarian, could be anything. There were rumors that he could read, though, and that he was genuinely interested in the Kyretsan religion, and putting an end to the war. To Natalia, any interest shown by a barbarian beyond simple war would be more than welcome.
She stood, straightening out her long, white dress, covered with deep red and blue symbols, elaborately rising up the sides of the dress and converging at the dress's plunging neck, where they met intricate gold jewlery. The white fabric was in pleasant contrast to her light brown skin, and in complete opposition to her long, straight, jet black hair, though it was adorned with a single bleached streak of white, to symbolize the light in the darkness that was Kyretsa. It was a common fashion. She wore sharp, high heels, for it was believed that the High Priestess should stand above all, and they clicked on the floor softly as she walked towards the door.
"Wish me luck," said Natalia as she placed her hand on the ornate handle of the door, "for I shall surely need it." With that, she stepped through, to meet the new chief of the barbarians-- and her fate.
<A male or female servant for Natalia would be nice, as well as a male barbarian chieftain. I will post further openings if/when this thread takes off, or, feel free to PM me with character ideas.>
"There cannot be any gods," Natalia hypothesized before the council of Kyretsa, "for if they existed, they would have long since struck us all down for what we are doing."
"Enough of that foolish talk. Such talk is insufferable from a High Priestess of Kyretsa. Should you continue... perhaps the striking down you seek will occur." admonished Marius, the Council Elder.
Natalia smirked. "And if it does, it will be at the hands of a force-hammer, not a god."
"To most in this city, they are one and the same."
Kyretsa, the city of dreams. Kyretsa, the city of nightmares. Built on the steppe of Kye between-- and in the middle of-- the constantly warring barbarian hordes of the north and south, called the Aku, the Theocracy of Kyretsa was protected from annihiliation by these bloodthirsty enemies only by the protection of the gods, channeled by the High Priestess of Kyretsa, and served dutifully by all in the city.
The god, of course, was technology. There was no divine protection for the city of Kyretsa-- there were covertly manufactured weapons, covert surveillance, advanced armor, and bizarre experiments. The "spears of the gods," as they were dubbed by the common folk, were force-hammers, advanced projectile weapons that created a nearly invisble mass of ultra-dense neutron matter and accelerated it to relativistic velocities.
The secrets of this technology were learned long ago, in an age long forgotten. Being alone in the wilderness, it advanced slowly, but surely, new developments easily explained as ever-greater "gifts from the gods." The gods, of course, demanded sacrifices as payment for their gifts, offered up eagerly by the people. This part, at least, was no lie. Human subjects for the bizarre experiments going on underground were always needed.
The problem was that the hordes, too, were learning, advancing, growing. And much faster.
There was a time when Natalia had believed the stories, too. She had been one of the most faithful adherents, in fact, which is why she was chosen to be High Priestess. She knew the importance of the Kyretsan religion to the city. She knew that without it, the barbarians would sweep up from both directions and the city would be destroyed.
Still... occasionally she wondered if just all of the deception was necessary. She wondered if the truth, also, could not protect the people. They were in possession of amazing things, after all; things the barbarians would never have.
"High Priestess, you are needed." Her servant's voice broke her reverie. "The peace negotations are due to begin."
Peace with the barbarians. It had happened before, on and off. They, too, believed the stories of course. All at once, they admired, feared, loathed, and yet vaguely disbelieved in the Kyretsan gods. They had their own gods too, after all.
The Aku chief was new, too. He was a more learned man than his father, which, for a barbarian, could be anything. There were rumors that he could read, though, and that he was genuinely interested in the Kyretsan religion, and putting an end to the war. To Natalia, any interest shown by a barbarian beyond simple war would be more than welcome.
She stood, straightening out her long, white dress, covered with deep red and blue symbols, elaborately rising up the sides of the dress and converging at the dress's plunging neck, where they met intricate gold jewlery. The white fabric was in pleasant contrast to her light brown skin, and in complete opposition to her long, straight, jet black hair, though it was adorned with a single bleached streak of white, to symbolize the light in the darkness that was Kyretsa. It was a common fashion. She wore sharp, high heels, for it was believed that the High Priestess should stand above all, and they clicked on the floor softly as she walked towards the door.
"Wish me luck," said Natalia as she placed her hand on the ornate handle of the door, "for I shall surely need it." With that, she stepped through, to meet the new chief of the barbarians-- and her fate.
<A male or female servant for Natalia would be nice, as well as a male barbarian chieftain. I will post further openings if/when this thread takes off, or, feel free to PM me with character ideas.>
