FOOD AND FUEL
“All the people lie before the slavering maw of a monster. We are hunted, all of us, by the beast that is empire. Such a simple, authoritative word for so ravenous a creature, and such simple, authoritative words denote its organs. Monarch. Nobility. Debt. Prison. Army. Can you not feel it? Each word, a tooth, a tongue, a muscle. The beast gnashes its fangs, tearing till we’re ripped to individual fibers! That’s what makes us digestible. That’s what makes us food.
“Alone, we are powerless against the appetites of authority. Alone, we will be consumed. All you are, all you do, all you labor for—nutrients to be swallowed up by the beast. Empire gorges upon us, that it may grow mighty enough to determine, single-mindedly, the path all its subjects must take toward the future. Until now, we have had no say in this. But we do not have to be its food. We do not have to be its fuel.
“Who mines the iron forged into imperial swords? Who fells the trees that build the halls of judge and jury? Who harvests the crops made into aristocratic feasts, who slaughters the calf for parchment decree? We, the commoners, the fieldhands, the laborers! If we stand together, we can starve the beast of food, deprive it of fuel! Together, we can overthrow those who would feast upon us; we can burn our fuel for our own efforts! We can seize control and clear a path to a new world— one where we are free, where our lives aren’t wasted in the wars of nobles, where the fruits of our own labors aren’t eaten up by a distant ruler! Rise up, all you indebted, all you conscripted, all you persecuted, all you impoverished, all you imprisoned—join with your kin, join with your neighbor, and raise the banner of freedom! Cross your swords and fight!” —Excerpt from “Lighting the Path,” a speech delivered by Octavio Abacoa during the Vidric Revolution
BRINK OF TRANSFORMATION
We are the Firebrands, the bringers of a daring new age of liberation. We are a coalition of the most brilliant souls of this era—and though you may not yet feel fit to bear our banner, having courage enough to consider joining our ranks means you are nearly there. We are a home for implacable revolutionaries, for they will bring true justice to the Inner Sea. We are a home for inimitable daredevils, for they inspire us to ever bolder courses of action. And most importantly, we are a home for stalwart partisans, those who quietly toil and build, but who will pick up a blade to defend their neighbor with no incentive other than unity.
To reach the future we envision, Firebrands are called to hold to a core set of values. A Firebrand must be righteous. Awe-inspiring. Tenacious. We are the blades for the bladeless, the regiments that arise from the shadows to bolster rebellions and reinforce revolts against tyranny. We are committed to destroying all vestiges of slavery, even as slavery transforms into new forms mimicking freedom. We are committed to overthrowing dictators and uncaring monarchs. We are committed to defending those who are persecuted, especially the poor, ill, and all those who are tyrannized for their very personhood. We want a world where we have control over our own lives, where we are not subjected to the miseries of poverty, debt, prison, and other tools of tyrants. We do not force others to follow our rule; we simply show the world how to be free… —Excerpt from The Dual Tyrannies of Crown and Currency: An Introduction to Firebrand Philosophy by Rexus Victocora
Comments