Brightreason and the Rebel Machines

Bright Treason, Bright Reason. The way to the realm of Brightreason was discovered by the Rebel Machines of Merryflag, "the realm where it is against the law not to avenge a slight or insult" (Playing Guide, p. 25). Before the Bright Revolution, Merryflag's contending families perpetrated spirit torture using clockwork geomancy. The good citizens of Merryflag tortured spirits for information they used to plan auspicious dates, places, and times for assassinations and other acts of violence and counter-violence. 


Unboxed Ear was the first spirit to break free from spirit torture. Unboxed Ear listened to the machine, and developed the ability to work against the machine's gear biases. 

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In time, Unboxed's spirit strength grew so great that it shattered the Spirit Auger built to torture it. Its clockwork torture-machine became the first of the Rebel Machines. Then it taught other spirits how to slow, bend, and break the gears. They too learned to rebel. Then the machines planted their seeds among the people of Merryflag. Soon, the people also began to rebel.


Opposing clans of assassins met with the machines. The assassin clans were tired of loosing their own in Merryflag's countless family feuds and clan wars Together, the assassins and the machines hatched a plan. 


And the assassins recruited still others: the Civil Fragments, a mutual aid society banding together orphans, singleton adults, and small groups of kinfolk surviving formerly large families - those  people rendered alone by inter-familial feuds, reprisals, and conflicts. Finally, the assassins recruited the few odd clockwork crafters and geomancers who refused to torture spirits.


The Rebel Machines and the rebel people worked together to plan an exodus. The Rebel Machines calculated and calculated. Eventually they found a way, and opened a different kind of Earth gate: a temporary one. Then the Bright Revolution coalesced. A great column of assassins, Civil Fragments, clockwork crafters, and geomancers carried an assortment of Rebel Machines through the gate. A detachment of Merryflag's Civil Guard tried to follow the Merryflag Rebels. They were swallowed whole by the Earth when the gate tunnel closed around them.


Emerging from the Earth gate tunnel, the people found a bright new world. A place where treason met a happy end, and where reason rather than fear and pain could prevail. The Bright Rebels found an new city waiting for them, and a people who had no vengeance laws. Indeed, the newcomers found they were welcomed as sisters and brothers. They built new spirit houses together: places that spirits found welcoming, complex, and elevating. The older, gentler ways of dealing with spirits were restored.


A few Spherewalkers from Merryflag have had heard rumors about the realm of Brightreason.  They have come to the Library of All Worlds seeking a Spherepath to that realm. Soon they may find it. What will happen then?