A Look Backward

For uncounted centuries societies have unquestioningly accepted that certain men were created to be slaves, whose natural purpose was to serve priests, kings, nobles, great lords, men of substance and property that were appointed slave masters by the very gods themselves. Further, this ideal was reinforced by systems which were founded upon the established doctrine that all men and women were owned, their minds by the temple, their bodies by the state and their souls by the gods. This dogma, rather convenient to those established at the top echelons, has been supported by a considerable body of authority, morals, religion and philosophy.

Every kingdom, every institution of the so-called intelligent beings of Agon has supported this view and has in turn been based upon its precepts. Throughout the recorded history of our world there has been nothing but conquest, chaos, death and destruction. Every race has heralded this system of thought, has been led by their 'masters' through it, and ultimately has been crushed under its boot heel.

In rumors and hints from a distant and lost past, there was a time before this monstrous insanity befell the peoples of our world. It was a time when the hearts, minds, lives and souls of the peoples were sacrosanct under the great goddess of providence. A time when the established order maintained that all men were created equal and with certain individual and innate rights. These rights belonged to individual men and women as their birthright.

This idea of innate liberty is so powerful, so dangerous to those seeking temporal power in this world that it was subverted, subjugated, and utterly crushed by every trick of expediency and reaction imaginable. It has been all but wiped out of the minds of all races in all parts of the world by the ancient usurper gods and their brutal minions. The world has groaned in abject terror and suffering ever since. Although liberty has been forgotten, it is not utterly lost. It's sword is always ready to be wielded by the courageous spirit. It's blade is perpetually sharp against the forces of tyranny and oppression.

A Look Forward

The time has long overdue that individual men and women of all the races awaken and realize that the goddess of providence is not dead, as the guttural voices of wicked tyrants, the dogmatists of slavery and the weak of heart and mind have screamed across the great land of Agon and all four of the sub-continents. Nay! She lives on in the bodies, minds and souls of all her creatures, great and small! She is and shall always be alive so long as there are those with the courage and will to strive for the greatness she created within each of them. We are one nation and one world! We must claim our birthright as a whole for all, for we cannot suppress our brothers' liberty without murdering ourselves. We will stand together as men of all races and creeds for freedom, for dignity, or we will fall, savage beasts all, back to darkness. We determine the course of our own destiny given us by the goddess long ago. We are her image remaining in this world, and through us she and liberty as one may yet reign over all the world.

Now is the time! Now and henceforth, the time for resurrection; hers and ours. It is time for liberty to be reclaimed, revived, and renewed. Only the spirit of liberty has the power to cleanse the world of the taint that has infected it for millennium. Let the tyrants of the lands tremble in fear, for the goddess comes again to wipe their stain from the pages of history, and to take up her hand to write a new book with the free lives of her creatures! A book of freedom of body, of mind, of spirit, and of a new era of greatness for all living beings.

We are Exillium, exiles of all peoples, lands, kingdoms and creeds. We are assembled together, sharing a common bond and a common fate.

Exilium, A nation of Free-Men and Women.

I looked over the bow of the ship and watched the waves crash against the shore in the distance. The cool breeze hits my face with the familiar aroma of salt and sea. On this ship men do not ask questions. What I was and what I've done means nothing. On this ship, I'm a free-man. I have faced myself and let go of what I was, a slave to tyranny. I have erased what men in power made me be and have re-created myself. This is my home now, aboard the Exilium, bound for freedom.

We men are but whispers in the wind, our future should be unset. Only a truly free man can live as the wind lives, free of constraints. The wind whispers to me, it's cold breath speaking truth in place of thousands of lies.

Blood

The first cold whisper of the wind. Blood is a price that must be paid. For only the blood of free-men can guarantee the freedom of others. Freedom isn't free at all, it comes at the highest of prices. That price is our blood. But blood isn't only a price, the wind reminds me. It's a bond, a single truth that bonds all men together in a common cause. A blood bond....The wind howls, my coat whipping in it's wake. It's words are harsh, crude, and spiteful.

"You will kill many men, some will be innocent and others guilty. But their blood must stain your hands for freedom to be obtained"

Liberty

Still, much time passed as we sailed our ship towards freedom. The days grew shorter as we sailed north. I stood on the bow again, keeping a keen eye out for ice flows and ice burgs which could harm us. The wind came, cold and sharp. It cut into my skin like a thousand knives. The second whisper of the wind fills my mind with understanding.

"Whatever our world is we are either all of it or part of it by virtue of existence. We do not know which. There is no philosophy, religion, theory or other system of thought that is absolute or infallible. They are relative only. One man's opinion is just as good as another's. There is no absolute justification for emphasizing one individual way of life over another. Every man has the right to his own opinion and way of life. There is no system of thought which can successfully refute this."

Responsibility

Voices called to me from far away. I sat up in my bunk, the ship remarkably still. I was drawn away from my warm bed. Last thing I knew I was running from my door, ascending and ascending until I hit the frigid air. I walked casually, out of breath, to the bow of the ship. All around me were the corpses of my shipmates, frozen in agony. Their blue bodies covered in ice and snow. The ship sat still, as if the wind refused to move it. Looking upwards I saw the rigging and mast were frozen solid. I reached the bow of the ship and looked outward. Beyond was a wasteland of ice, the ocean was frozen solid. Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light. My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim. Voices called out as the frozen wind hit me full force with righteous might. I sunk to my knees, darkness overtaking me. The voices were that of my shipmates, warning me.

"A free man of any race, accepting the rights of liberty, must guarantee these rights to all others at all times, regardless of personal feelings or interests. He must work to establish and protect them, live in a manner commensurate with them, and be prepared to defend them with his life. He must refuse to compromise these principles on any issues or for any reason."

The voices grew silent, I reached out hoping to feel the warmth of my brethren. As the voices faded away, saddness overtook me with their final words.

"Heed our words brother. Fail to be responsible and you will face the horrors of unending cold. Men with cold hearts die as we have died."

The Sword of Freedom

I awoke, tears streaming down my face. It was not a dream as I lay on the bow of the ship with the bodies of my shipmates around me. But it was not cold. Instead I found that our ship was in a warm sea. The warm sea breeze rejuvenates me as I stand and get a view of where I am. I look out over the bow, and still see the shimmering light in the distance. I call out for it, wanting to hear the voices of my shipmates again. But there is no sound but the songs of pelican birds circling the ship and the sounds of the warm sea crashing against the ship. Yet the shimmering light grows as if it's moving towards me. It was not a light at all, but an object. The sun shone off it in splendid beauty. The sword hovers above the bow of the ship. It is coated in blood. As I reach out to touch it, a voice speaks out.

"Freedom is a sword, and like most swords it has two edges: the one liberty and the other responsibility. Both edges are perpetually sharp and this weapon is not easily wielded by casual, cowardly or treacherous hands. Though it is a weapon for true men, always ready for use by the courageous and high-hearted, it will not remain when the spirit that forged it is not well represented and fully present in those who seek its purpose."