Jackal Among Snakes

Epilogue 3.1: Preface

Ultimately, though the Age of Fury had its troubles, there’s no denying that the Blackgard Union emerged from the other side of it better than they did the years before. The Great Chu had been cemented as an economic dependent, and trade agreements were made that favored the Blackgard Union. The population continued to boom under the imperial court’s stewardship as the children of the last age began families of their own. Advances in technology permitted such large families, and new, burgeoning fields rose up to offer new opportunities just as old ones died.

The Blackgard Union was highly dynamic, and its younger generation were open—even pursuant of— changes far unlike those seen before the Last Calamity. A great many traditionalist values had been rejected—the notion of staying in the same farm generation after generation, tilling the soil until one day your children pick up the plough had died. The Age of Revolutions was the great explosion that brought to attention this trend, which before had been bubbling under the surface.

Cities in particular became larger than they ever had been. Large urban centers—the most prominent of which is the city of Blackgard—came to dominate society, in stark contrast to how rural landholders once did. No longer did nobles claiming vast tracts of farmland have unilateral influence on society—rather, things were spread out among a far larger number of people, each of whom could pursue amenities that were only the privilege of nobility. Cities were the highest expression of that change.

If what Argrave said all those years ago in the Age of Reclamation is true—that he and his wife had always intended on stepping aside—then the point could easily be made that the Age of Revolutions is the crowning achievement of their government’s reign. If that was merely something he said to persuade people, then the fact stands that the people made his words manifest. This time period marked a shift where power was increasingly stripped away from the imperial court, and the Blackgard Union turned to a different manner of governance altogether.

This came to be from a myriad of factors, foremost among them being the notions of philosophy and culture sown in the last age and the rapid advance of technology supported by the crown. Productivity increased tenfold, allowing one man to do what once would take ten, or taking one hour to do what once would’ve taken ten. The Age of Revolutions is named thus because it is not merely one revolution. Rather, it encompasses the cultural, political, financial, and industrial changes of the age that buoyed not only the nation itself, but the entire world.

Age of Revolutions, 38-92 AC

down by the might of the imperial army. This time of unprecedented

Blackgard Union became better connected as infrastructure improved in quality. The Great Chu had canals allowing high-speed transfer, but these were laborious, expensive to maintain, and not necessarily cost-efficient. Conceptualized in the early 40s, the first railroad was laid in 51AC, bridging the major urban centers of New Relize and Blackgard. By 60AC, railroads had become so prominent one could travel

a seafaring tradition that still lived strong, and intimately understood the terrain of the Great Chu; their virtues were natural. Their polygamist practices had essentially died

Stolen story; please report.

largest instruments for change, facilitating the transfer of ideas, goods, and wealth. Vital trade arteries, as Blackgard was, grew by virtue of the volume of traffic. The growth of trade also allowed the pet project of the crown to come into fruition: namely, paper currencies. Bills of credit—or more simply credits—came into prominence in a major way. These papers, imbued with a particular magic signature, could be exchanged for gold coins around the nation. The ease at which these could be used propelled

production methods or putting creative talents

unusual for the children of farmers to know how to read. Farms required less labor, while opportunities arose in cities every single day.

monopoly charters were given to certain factions to placate, win support, and promote stability. The Blackgard Union had no such practices—indeed, competition was a lauded virtue, provided it was done within the realm of what was legal. It

time. It marked the creation of entirely new classes in society—classes that would prove to be infinitely more productive than those of the past, but also vastly larger. Society in the Berendar of

side effect of changing the mindsets of the malleable youth. The Age of Fury in the Blackgard Union stood as an example of standing up to the authority

all that takes place between those two states of being. This represented, once