((Hello there. My name is Varnish, and I build bridges.
Actually, I don't. What I've tried to do... a few times, is start a fortress where two separate continents meet, and build a bridge between them. It hasn't always gone too well. But I intend to succeed this time.
Here we go.))
The History of Greatbridge, as written by Cog RainbannerOur king is a merciful man. Believe me, I know.
My name is Cog Rainbanner, and this is going to be my record of whatever it is that's going to happen to me in the years ahead. I hope it's a good long record, for obvious reasons.
Because I want to be alive for all of them, ok?
Ok, so it all started when I was born in... No, that's not the right way to do this. No one needs to know that much about me. It
really started when I was arrested, for nothing at all, really. It happens. The unfortunate thing is to have it happen when you're visiting family in the Mountainhomes, because the law in the Mountainhomes begins and ends with our all merciful king. That meant that I was brought in chains into the throne room for sentencing. It was by far the grandest room I've ever seen, appropriately. The walls were run through with smoothed and polished veins of kimberlite and diamond, and the floor was made from steel blocks, which still seems like the worst waste to me. I don't know what the ceiling was made of.
Because the ceiling was far too high to actually see.
Our king is not at all humble, understand?
The king... I didn't see him, because no one sees the king. Certainly not a lowly peasant from a hill town! Instead, my sentence was handed down by The King's Voice, who is also the hammerer. A nice little time saving arrangement.
The King's Voice wears a mask of gold, and speaks from a balcony cast from pure adamantine, at least that's what they say. It was a very bright blue balcony, I know that much, but I doubt that the mask was really gold. Whatever it was, it gave the Voice a very unearthly sounding... voice, when he said "The King Speaks. He has looked upon your acts, and pronounces the Judgement of Death."
So that was it, I thought. Except that he continued.
"The King Speaks. The time has come to begin a great construction that will glorify the name of Domas Bannerhomage for all time. The one called Cog Rainbanner will travel to the Sea of Permanencies and construct there a Bridge over the Sea of Permanencies to the land at the edge of the World.
She shall not return until the task is complete, except as bones to be thrown into the pits of magma! This is the King's Judgement of Death, and he awaits your joyful thanks."
And then I was drug back out and thrown into a waiting wagon, the end.
But not the end, actually. That was the mercy, you see. Rather than kill someone outright, and dirty the hands of the king, they just arrange things so that they'll die anyhow. Apparently open executions are falling out of style. I'm sure they think that this way is very neat.
And I'm actually glad that they think that. Because I'm
not going to die out there. There's always a way to turn something that seems disastrous and life-ending to your advantage, if you just think hard enough, and never, ever stop moving.
No, they messed up. Because, imagine this! In trying to have some inconvenient peasant killed for whatever reason, they've given me power, status, and, most importantly, distance between me and them. Let's see how quickly I can make them regret it.
We embark tomorrow for the Sea of Permanancies, and I'm taking that name as a good omen.
.......................
Next: A mechanic, a madman, and a new home.
((I am serious. I am going to finish this thing.))