Jackal Among Snakes

Epilogue 3.4: Uncertain Future

At the time I write this, 97AC, there is both tremendous optimism for the future and a growing sense of caution. After the Last Calamity, people had nothing to lose but time. After 92 years of labor, many people feel as though there is far more to lose than there is to gain by continuing to test the boundaries. Others, especially the younger generation, approach new innovations eagerly.

Some believe it too early to call an end to the Age of Revolutions, as the most prominent historians among us have. While largely dictated by the arbitrary date in which the crown vested its remaining power in the prime minister’s office, some nonetheless believe that new fields will continue to experience new and revolutionary advances. I count myself among such cautiously optimistic people.

Others suggest that the good times cannot continue on forever, and posit that curbing optimism might be the best course for the future. Most can safely say, however, that the philosophies of the age have ceased to expand as rapidly. It was the change in attitude and approach that led to rapid advancement, and most agree that the ideas of the age can carry civilization forth for a long way.

To reflect the formative movements of the age, and to conclude this volume, I shall write out their views toward both how society should be, and how they believe society will be.

Rationalism

Formed by Arcanists who transitioned away from the religion, rationalists believe that it is the moral duty of every living person to be as rational as possible. In particular, they eschew short-term thinking, focusing instead on long-term consequences that will benefit society as a whole. They both embrace and despise ignorance—in other terms, they’re quick to admit what they don’t know, yet they strive to remedy that as quickly as possible.

They earned a great deal of ire from all directions after their founding. Deemed pretentious, absolutist, and unfailingly arrogant, some dub their movement an extremist reaction to the faiths of the previous era. Decried as a ‘cult of reason,’ pressure came from all walks of life. Rationalist artistry—be that satirical literature or caricatures of prominent priests—mocking faith in all its forms nevertheless reached great prominence, especially after the religious conflicts of the prior age.

Card-carrying Rationalists remain relatively uncommon due to their poor reputation, but their philosophies permeate the Blackgard Union. Their ideal society would be a totally rational one, wherein actions are divorced from subjectivity. Their general consensus on society’s direction, however, is both that of pessimism and optimism. They acknowledge that people will continue to be irrational, but they believe their continued efforts will eventually win out and reshape society into a better place. In part, that’s already happened. Only time will tell if that remains to be the case.

Mysticism

Mysticism can be viewed as a very loose movement—a subtle modernization of faiths of the past, wherein intense religious fervor was moderated in favor of a growing trend toward secularism. Its simplest tenet is the acknowledgement of a higher power. Whether that’s a god, an intangible force, or something else entirely, mysticism is united by the idea that there’s something beyond mortality. The Word of Law is, in essence, the largest factor driving people toward mysticism. Its writings don’t deny the existence of a higher power, merely suggest that secularism should take precedence.

In practice, mysticism may be considered the most prevalent ideology throughout Vasquer, although most wouldn’t describe themselves as such. It represents the interweaving of faiths in search of spirituality. What spirituality actually entails differs between each faith, but the prevailing idea is that of pluralism. Indeed, some don’t truly practice any faith at all, but take facets of each in search of a nebulous idea of enlightenment.

Mysticism lauds spiritualism, and laments the trend of secularism to veer into excesses wherein people are disconnected from the spirit. They predict society will continue on with this trend, and lament growing innovation as a departure from genuine happiness. They can be considered a moderating force, testing the steady march of progress to ensure it doesn’t lead to ruination.

Communalism

Last Calamity, subterranean mountain tribes lived in enclaves underground called communes. Back then, they had the ability to create automatons capable of fulfilling all of their needs. That, coupled with a strong tradition of solidarity, created an environment where ownership of

consider the idea of the nation being the property of the people, and consequently something

on multiple occasions that government power would need to be centralized to the point of absurdity, and that advancement and innovation would stagnate as people lose incentive to endeavor for the

and radical personages persisted. It was most influential in morphing some political parties subtly. In particular, their advocation for anti-monopolist practices

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resonate in people. In particular, prominent writers promoting theories of a just society draw in more and more admirers. Attempts to establish pockets

Unionism

the foundation of the Blackgard Union. Their voice has always remained someone prominent. Largely traditionalist, they advocate for stronger oversight from the educated

firsthand both the devastation of the Last Calamity, and the rebuilding following it shortly after. Many view them as the

due to the enormity of the wealth they’ve accumulated. They prove to be a cyclically prominent political party, rising in prominence when the populace sees excesses of change resulting in worse

Autonomism

given true ownership of land—as the true reason for the Blackgard Union’s

regions in the Blackgard Union came to have different ideas about how things should be run, but the autonomists bridged this gap by suggesting everyone be given more liberty to decide how things should run. They achieved

imperial court waned in power. The elimination of taxes and the total abolition of the central government in all its forms are the most glaring culprits, leading some to dismiss the autonomists of today

I’ve included only the five most prominent ideologies of the age. These short descriptions cannot adequately do justice to the endlessly complex political debates that occurred in the Age of Revolutions, but the vast majority of them take their ideas both from the history of the Blackgard Union, and these

come to serve as fuel for the engines of tomorrow. It marks the turn of an era where the crown has totally separated itself from governance,

I move on to the bibliography,

#####

processing the word ‘bibliography,’ Argrave shut the book. He set it down on the table beside his chair, then leaned back in quiet reflection. It was a very peculiar thing, to see one’s life talked about in this fashion. He couldn’t quite place how he felt about it. He’d avoided it entirely until his son informed him that he was a contributor. Then, there wasn’t any

text. Argrave walked through the library of dark wood bookshelves, holding the book in his arms. His slippers were barely audible on the carpet as

to have a bedroom this large. A canopy bed, a walk-in closet, a grand bathroom with everything from a sauna to a tub more adequately called a pool, even the personal library just adjacent

hair wreathed around her like a cloak. “Hey,”