The Ark--History
When the Progenitors first came to Alyria, they had need of dwelling places that would keep them safe from the dangerous environment until the atmosphere was breathable. Domed Kryshana was one such place. The Ark was another. Built to be totally self-sufficient, many of the most learned of the Progenitors dwelt within the Ark’s mighty walls. Even after the air became breathable, many scholars chose to remain in the Ark, pursuing their studies. Many flocked to the Ark, drawn by the promise of knowledge. The Ark was at peace.
This was not to last. When the dragon cultists rose up against the Progenitors and released the ripper plague, the Ark was attacked. As the ripper plague ran its course, the leaders of the Ark saw their only course. The infected were expelled from the Ark, and the doors were sealed. An abortive cultist uprising was stifled quickly, and the inhabitants of the Ark settled in to wait out the Rape. External sensors were programmed to keep the doors of the Ark locked until the plague was no longer detected in the air. It was not supposed to be a long wait.
But there was a slight malfunction in the sensors. Nothing too impressive. Nothing too deadly. But the doors did not open. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. And still the doors remained shut. Within the Ark, life became increasingly challenging. The emergency supplies of food ran out. Equipment began wearing out and could not be replaced. And the population just kept growing. They were running out of space. They were running out of food.
And so the inhabitants of the Ark made some very difficult decisions.
A thousand years passed.
Then one day, the unthinkable occurred. A freak malfunction triggered the locking mechanism on the airlocks. For the first time in a thousand years, the doors of the Ark opened to the outside world. Those that emerged were nothing like those that had entered.
The Opening of the Ark stands as a pivotal moment in Alyrian history. For the Ark has embarked on a policy of aggressive colonization that has brought it into direct conflict with the rest of the known world, especially the Citadel. War is coming, and the masked warriors of the Ark may yet prevail.
This was not to last. When the dragon cultists rose up against the Progenitors and released the ripper plague, the Ark was attacked. As the ripper plague ran its course, the leaders of the Ark saw their only course. The infected were expelled from the Ark, and the doors were sealed. An abortive cultist uprising was stifled quickly, and the inhabitants of the Ark settled in to wait out the Rape. External sensors were programmed to keep the doors of the Ark locked until the plague was no longer detected in the air. It was not supposed to be a long wait.
But there was a slight malfunction in the sensors. Nothing too impressive. Nothing too deadly. But the doors did not open. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. And still the doors remained shut. Within the Ark, life became increasingly challenging. The emergency supplies of food ran out. Equipment began wearing out and could not be replaced. And the population just kept growing. They were running out of space. They were running out of food.
And so the inhabitants of the Ark made some very difficult decisions.
A thousand years passed.
Then one day, the unthinkable occurred. A freak malfunction triggered the locking mechanism on the airlocks. For the first time in a thousand years, the doors of the Ark opened to the outside world. Those that emerged were nothing like those that had entered.
The Opening of the Ark stands as a pivotal moment in Alyrian history. For the Ark has embarked on a policy of aggressive colonization that has brought it into direct conflict with the rest of the known world, especially the Citadel. War is coming, and the masked warriors of the Ark may yet prevail.
posted by Seth Ben-Ezra at 1/01/1990 01:35:00 AM
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