Mars is dying...

Mars is dying...

Not through fault or neglect or wicked reason, not even because of the Gods; though some would say this is so. Mars is dying because it is old.

For time beyond count, our world has floated with the orb of the sun god, basking in the everwarmth that it provides, the Martian brothers sailing around giving constant company.

The Ancients warned the death of Mars might be so. Long, long ago; before the Storm. It is said the Storm lasted for an age or more: I for one, do not believe this to be true even though the clan elders warn me against foolish words.

There are still some Ancient writings in the deep deserts for those who wish to learn and are willing to brave sandstorms and the creatures that live there. Most of our knowledge from before the Storm comes from stories told around the clan fires, told again and again, embellished ever so lightly with each clan teller so who knows what is true and what is not.

With each storm season, the Ancient houses and temples disappear and reappear so fast that is easy to loose them completely, Gods know how large their cites were or what final secrets they contain. Three whole clans have been lost searching for the chief city with no sign or call from them these long years past.

But now we have new troubles and concerns. The Earthers have come to Mars: to steal and pillage what they can and to take it away to their blue world. Curse them to the Gods! They have no right, no honour and no need to be here. Like parasites they come here destroying whatever they touch and leaving mayhem in their wake.

They must be sent back across the sky ocean to their blue world.

They must be stopped.

It must happen now!

Friday 21 September 2012

A short treatise on Martian history

Thousands of years ago, Martians lived a semi peaceful existence thriving on the rich fertile lands, building great cities along the vast canals which were the lifeblood of the planet and were quite possibly their greatest achievement. From these cities great riches were earned, traded and secured and the Martian culture grew and spread.

With any growing civilisation, technology developed and better means of transportation, architecture, art and science were developed. A fortunate discovery of a particular gemstone by a leading Martian scientist  enabled the Martians to develop flight and a golden age was born. Utilising the properties of these gems the Martians built flying vessels which propelled them into the skies. From these skyships they journeyed far and wide into hitherto unexplored regions of the red planet.

The vast mountain ranges, previously inaccessible and unoccupied, began to attract explorers and who eventually created homes and communities in the lofty peaks. Martian culture began to split and fragment between the traditionalists who believed in the riches of the soil and trade to sustain their lives and the forward thinking 'Sky' Martians who believed in the properties of the gems to be a gift of the neglected Martian gods. Taking to the sky was the only way forward. Even though their culture split, there was no real enmity between the two, they still traded and dealt with each other amicably. This was until the storms came.

Mars has always had severe dust storms; sometimes lasting for days on end and covering the entire planet but the Martians dealt with them without any major hardships and they were part of life on Mars. This was until the biggest storms the planet had ever seen. They slowly built up over the years to an alarming frequency until the entire planet was one massive storm without end. It lasted from for well over a century. Because of the continual bombardment, hardy crops failed and the Martians themselves had to go into hiding, many of them dying even as they sheltered in the caves of the mountains. Entire cities and clans were lost along with technologies, knowledge and priceless art works. The Martian way of life had changed forever.

By the time the storms abated the Martian population was seriously depleted and an effort was made by the 'City' Martians to try to gain what was lost. The problems arose from the fact that famine had struck even before the storms receded. Trade between Sky and City Martians had always been on good terms but now the City Martians were stockpiling what little was left or that they could grow from the ravaged land. Tensions started to fray as the Sky Martians weren't able to get what they needed to survive and so hostilities arose. Raids on the remaining cities became more and more frequent, first without bloodshed but soon the killing began and eventually war erupted across the planet.

The Sky Martians developed into a warrior culture, honing their combat skills and ways of war. They would sweep from the skies; usually out of the sun; in fast skiffs and steal whatever they could carry away to their clans back in the mountains, usually leaving before their frightened victims had time to react. The City Martians were quite slow to react due to their nature and lack of a need to fight for supplies but their retributions could be terrible. Any City Martian who was found to be sympathetic to the Sky Martians was immediately put to death along with their entire family. Whole outlying villages and it's population were burned if any suspicion of harbouring food was found out. Inevitably, the Sky Martians exacted similar retributions, swooping down and destroying the slow moving canal caravans, even if there was no food to be had and leaving no survivors. Their tactics evolved and soon whole clans would join forces and attack the cites, forming massive fleets of attack skiffs.

Then an unprecedented event occurred: a new race appeared on the surface of Mars. Humans had crossed the aether and landed on the red planet. At first the City Martians were cautious but eventually saw the opportunities for trade, advancement, military aid, food and advanced weapons technology.

The Sky Martians remained aggressive and did not seek to make amends with their cousins or the new invader...

Welcome to the Red Planet

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