The Rising (Part 2 - The Trade Lords)

Across the world, the Trade Lords were contemplating their future.

The Empire, that had once served them, was now trying to rule them. It was an unacceptable situation, and the Trade Lords needed to address the situation.

For one, they found their own direction and innovation being constrained by limitations and taxes that the Empire used to control both the markets, as well as their own financial wellbeing.

And the Trade Lords, who had in the past been accused themselves of such tactics, now found themselves facing their own creation on the battlefield.

Alignment with the rebels was not possible. Goals and methods often differed, but one thing was clear - the rebels had clearly found favour with the public, and their cause was an avalanche cascading down the mountain slopes, a tidal wave pounding the shores, a storm sweeping the plains and the forests.

More and more people, Small and Medium people of Enterprise, as well as huge trade houses spanning nations, found themselves trying the tools and the knowledge that the rebels were offering them for free and without strings attached.

And they found themselves liking them, and using them on a regular basis.

"Sure", said they, "these tools are not as yet as refined and glossy as those of the Empire. But they have grown more and more so, and at the functional level, they offer almost the same services - and sometimes even better!"

For it was the truth. The Rebels' Tools were indeed wondrous things to behold. People, used only to the offerings of the Empire, found that there was in fact nothing magical about them. The rebels readily shared their wisdom and knowledge with all those who wished to understand the inner workings of these tools - raising the confidence in the people wishing to use them.

And seeing the inner workings, the "magic" that the Empire had tried to hide from others, opened the eyes of many a disbeliever. Suddenly, they understood that what they had presumed to be way beyond their ken, was instead there for their understanding.

And not just that - the rebels were encouraging others to take the tools, and change them, improve them - to bend the metal into shapes best suited to peoples' needs!

This was unheard of, and found great favour.

The Trade Lords did not miss this tidal wave hitting their shores. They too had sampled the rebels' wares, and found them to their liking.

But how could they benefit from these wonderful gifts, and ensure that the rebels cause would continue to flourish?

One by one, and over many a year, they quietly, and sometimes loudly, began offering aid to the rebels. First it would be with support for a particular tool, then they advanced to more broad-based support, allowing the rebels to decide how to apply these gifts.

And then, just as everyone thought that a balance had been achieved, the Trade Lords did what no one had expected them to - they started providing tools themselves - in the spirit of the rebellion.

Across the world, the armour of the Empire began creaking and growing uncomfortable. Their Warrior, who once led them into battle, now served the purpose of attrition, going from land to land, trying to quell the uprisings.

He would return from these journeys, only to find his own stables in disorder, and holes and cracks were found in his own fortresses, and exploited by others.

"Enough!", cried he, "it is time to secure my own fortress, lest it be overrun by the people we are trying to rule!"

And so he called for the great cleansing, with every man, woman and juvenile in his service throwing themselves at the task of securing their walls.

While the Empire was so engaged, the rebellion, now with greater and greater support from the Trade Lords, encouraged people to do that what the Empire was so desperately trying to avoid - they encouraged others to examine the "magic" of the tools they were giving people. They asked for, and received, help from others in flushing out and squashing the flaws that remained.

The Empire shook. Never before had they faced an enemy who struck so deeply at the very core of their existence - the "magic" of their tools. And the Empire realised that it could not possibly match the number of people whom the rebellion had to improve their tools, and to secure them.

"We must find a way to appear as open as the rebellion", said the Warrior, "but without losing control over our magic".

And so they did. They selected a few Trade Lords, and offered them an inner view of their "magic". They called it "Shared Magic", but it was anything but that.

For the Empire carefully ensured that no one other than them would benefit from the improvements that these privileged few Trade Lords made. The Empire would then embrace these changes, and extend them to their own, secretive, inner workings, then charge a heavy tax of everyone for the use of these improvements.

For a while, it appeared that the strategy was working. A few Trade Lords went with it for a while, but it soon became clear that the motivation from the shared magic was not just improvement, but profit for the Empire.

At the same time, the rebels, with their open "magic", endeared themselves more and more to the people. Their strategy was simple - if nothing was hidden, then nothing could be hidden. If there was a flaw that could be exploited, then it would be found quickly, and fixed.

And in one land, a band of these rebels, who were now being called "citizens" again, were quietly putting together a coming together of like-minded people, of knowledge and of understanding.

This was the thing that the Empire's Warrior had so feared. He knew that this coming together would unleash not just more knowledge, but acceptance by the Lords that ruled the land. It was this that he attempted to squash, by making it unattractive to support the coming together of the people and the rebels.

He understood that to destroy this coming together, he would need to do two things - bring the ruling Lords on his side (which was easily done with the giving of gifts and promises), and threaten the Trade Lords, who had the power within their coffers to make or break the coming together, with loss of business, with loss of support, with more taxes, and the cross of license.

The cross of license. The one thing that made mortals shiver in their boots. They knew that they had encouraged the making of this cross, but little had they imagined that they would find themselves impaled upon it some day.

But now it was there, being held over their heads like the sword of Damocles, and they realised that their coffers were now just temporary storage for wealth that must eventually go to the Empire. For as long as the Cross of License could be used as a weapon against them, they would not know peace, freedom or prosperity.

"This far and no further", cried the Trade Lords. "We must free ourselves of this tyranny, to be allowed to reap the fruits of our own work."

"And we must side with the people who have shown us a way out, with the people who have the open magic that is now helping us so much!"

And so, despite the threats of the Warrior, they offered aid to the coming together.

As the day drew closer, and it was evident that nothing could prevent the coming together, people started filling the streets, calling out to the rebels, asking them to show themselves.

"Come forth, do not hide any longer!"

One by one, the band of rebels that was responsible for the coming together emerged from the shadows of buildings, of trees and of clouds. They drew back their cowls, revealing themselves to be ordinary people one saw every day and never gave a second glance.

There was the King of Sly, and there was the Lady Jess, and yonder the The Pair of Sane, and from amongst the crowds stepped forth the Mahe of Endra, with his faithful friend Kart'k at his side. There rode in The Carter of Sid, on his faithful steed, the Green Bull. And from amongst the trees stepped the Wal of Jais, smiling his toothy grin as he stepped forward.

The people milled around, and in unison cried

"Reveal to us who the Trade Lords are who have so generously opened their coffers to us! Let us thank them, and let us take them into our midst"

And the little band of rebels smiled, as they turned to face the huge gate that was guarded by their two faithful, old, gray-haired gnomes.

And the gray-haired gnomes understood the signal - that it was time for the revelation.

And so they grasped the handles of the tremendous doors, and slowly, and with a loud creaking sound, threw them open, to reveal to the people who had dared to snub the Empire by supporting the cause of the rebels, and aiding them in putting to gether the coming together.

And even though the Empire's Warrior was not present (having departed from the land just the day before), one could hear his bellow of pain as he realised that efforts to suppress the rebellion had failed, that the quest for freedom was stronger than the might of the Empire.

And the doors swung open....

...To be continued