the uprising.chapter 1

7/28/2019 The Uprising.Chapter 1

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A brutally honest story of what used to be, and how Tembusu as we know it

today, emerged. Revealing the history behind what made, and continues to

make, Tembusu a place characterized by a strong sense of togetherness, this

story will change your outlook on life, what it means to work together, and what

it is to belong.

Simply stunning Multi-award winning Singaporean artist Jared Koh

Im moved beyond words, left speechless. I have no speech. Monil SJ

The Uprising


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Chapter 1 Invasion

1.1Humble Beginnings1.2The Landing1.3Battle ofLal Pahar1.4Elaan

Chapter 2 Habituation

2.1 Silent Cartographers

2.2 Time

2.3 Growing Deviance

2.4 Hope

Chapter 3 Secrets

3.1 Realisation

3.2 The Imperius Curse

3.3 Houses of Tembusu


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Chapter 1 Invasion

Humble beginnings

Hidden in the world of Arda was a magical placed labelled Tembusu

home of the Browns. Exactly why Tembusu was magical was something

that nobody, not even the Browns, had actually established. Not

formally at least.

Perhaps it was the crisp, clean air that greeted you every day; perhaps

the pure, sparkling water; or perhaps it was the people warm, friendly,

and welcoming to everybody who came.

The rest of Arda was sparsely populated. Tembusu was the only visible

sign of civilization in the explored parts of the planet. Immense

segments of Arda remained untouched simply because what resourcesthe Browns had was plentiful and sufficient to sustain them.

They were highly intelligent beings, but the Browns were not the only

ones that lived on Arda. There were a few other races that dwelled in

small numbers on the resource rich planet. However, instead of typically

marginalizing and governing these minority races, the Browns included

them in their society, and they bonded together as one cohesive

community. Everyone was happy and content the harmonious

equilibrium that existed in Tembusu was indeed one of a kind.


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The Landing

One night, a night that seemed just like the countless nights that

preceded it, there was a bright flash in the sky one quite unlike those

meteors or comets that occasionally passed by, lighting up the night sky.

This one was different it lasted longer; it was brighter too, and had an

eerie after-glow to it.

As the Guardians neared Arda, they huddled together in the assemblyroom of the Albatross. It was an ancient ritual that had been practiced

before every invasion theyd embarked upon. This wasnt much

different, except maybe the stakes were higher. As the Albatross

elegantly glided through Ardas outer sphere and into the stratosphere,

the green and brown land was easily visible from the blue bodies of

water.

Slightly less than a month ago, the Guardians had commissioned the

Albatross a state of the art battleship with unmatched capabilities in

comparison to the rest of all known civilization across the universe.

Arda had recently been discovered by one of the Guardians Scouts. It

was a rare

find. So many minerals and in such vast quantities, especially the

precious vauxite. Vauxite was depleting rapidly due to its intense

mining in the other Guardian kingdoms and they were desperate to

replenish their reserves.


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Hence, capturing Arda was classified a high priority task. The Guardians

had no idea if the creatures on Arda were intelligent beings or mere

minions who would bow down and allow themselves to be taken. But

failure was not an option, not this time. The decision was made to err on

the side of caution and the Albatross was built specifically for this

mission.

Tembusus vauxite fields sparkled in the sun. The massive ship slowed

down and docked itself on a plateau, the vertical take-off and landing

gear scorching the grass in four neat, circular patches. After a cursory

scan for hostiles and other threats, the Guardians unloaded themselves.

They savoured the environment theyd just slipped into. Inhaling air

that could actually be described as beautiful, they basked in the soothing

ambient temperature. There was not a soul to be seen for miles. The

Guardians exited the Albatross and brought out their mobile command

base, nicknamed the Ranger.

Vendetta, the head of the Guardians contingent directed his elite guards

to pile into the Ranger. According to the report from their scouts, there

was an academy where the largest community of Arda resided. It had an

odd name Tembusu.

Decrypting the name was not foremost on Vendettas mind. With one

final glance at the docked Albatross, he directed his men towards


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Tembusu and the Ranger silently moved off without undue fuss, leaving

a barely-noticeable dust trail in its wake.


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Battle of Lal Pahar

There were signs after that night. An odd sense of foreboding was

brooding in the hearts and minds of the Brownian population they

sensed danger. It wasnt even a a full day before the Ranger entered

Tembusu Academy. Confirming the scouts report and map sketches,

Vendetta directed his reinforcements towards a rendezvous point just

outside Tembusu.

It was an open grassy space flanked by a hill. The Browns had no

weapons or ammunition. They came to what they knew as Town Green

to see half a dozen airships flying in. It was like some sort of dystopian

future playing out right before them.

The intruders wore a sort of armour that covered their faces with a

ridiculous smile. Some of the more nave Browns had brought fruit and

flowers to welcome the new (insanely smiling) faces.

Then, brutality reigned. Without any warning, Vendettas Guardians

fired mercilessly at the side-lines. A few tried to run for shelter. But few

escaped. The Guardians gunned down anybody visible. Blood started

flowing endlessly. The hill bordering Town Green was re-coloured

crimson red, henceforth to be known as Lal Pahar, or Red Hill.

As night fell, so did the Browns. And so too, the life and spirit of

Tembusu.


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Elaan

Vendettas clean-up crew had the hardest job of picking up what his

militants had taken apart. Nevertheless, by dawn, the Town Green had

been restored to its original pristine condition. It looked as if nothing

had ever taken place there. Except

that something had.

While clean-up operations were on-going, the scouts were scouring therest of Arda. Throughout the rest of the night, they patrolled and

rounded up the rest of the inhabitants that were living in secluded

pockets of the planet the fortunate ones who chose not to go

anywhere near Town Green.

They were brought down to the study, where Vendetta was lazily

browsing Brownian literature. As the door of the reading room opened,

Vendettas eyes gazed up and an evil grin curled up on his face

underneath his mask. Ten creatures stood before him. They were all

from different races. However, none of them was a Brown.

His second in command handed him a clipboard with the list of races:

Bloodelf, Beast, Naturekin, Warlock, High Elf, Shifter, Ogre, Orc, Dwarf,

Fallohide. The grin on his face grew wider. Vendetta addressed them in

a calm yet unnerving voice.

Their lives would be spared if they managed Arda for the Guardians

polite words when what he really meant was they would work for the


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Guardians. It was either that or they would face the same fate that had

befallen rest of the Browns. The captives nodded in unison. After all

what choice did they have.

Tembusu, once the harmonious and peaceful capital of Arda was now

ruled by a bunch of masked brutes and slavery, the way of life. Every

day would consist of toiling, mining vauxite, and getting it to the

Guardians. That earned them the right to live another day so that they

could do it all over again a thoroughly hopeless situation, if there was

ever one.

the uprising.chapter 1

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