Long ago in the faraway land of Acirema there lived a people who loved their families and worked hard to provide for them. Many of the people raised cows and pigs, and the crops that fed them. Some of the people helped by building houses and other useful goods.
The land was ruled by the good but elderly king Cilbuper who cared for the people of his realm. But he had always been a little corrupt. And now in his old age, he had become quite forgetful and unable to make sound judgments. As the king lost control of his faculties, various families of the aristocracy vied for power. Above others, the family of Pog had gained the king’s trust, and they seized control of much of the kingdom.
The Pog family had so much gold that they couldn’t remember where it came from. But they always wanted more. So they took over the land that raised the crops for the cows and pigs. Then they took over the cows and pigs themselves. They paid the people a little to raise their cows and pigs, and they sold milk and bacon to the people. The people paid with the coins they earned by their work. Sometimes they had to borrow from the money changers to pay the Pogs.
The Pog family understood the importance of that new invention, the printing press. They bought the biggest press in the land and used it to print posters and pamphlets. They spread the word that the Pog family was good and right, and that all others – including King Cilbuper – were wrong about everything. They did their best to convince the people that their own poverty was right and just.
And there was poverty. Many of the people couldn’t afford to buy houses and other useful goods. But the family of Pog took good care of the people who were loyal to them. These people got to share the gold of the Pogs because they were useful to the family. Border warriors, bloodletters, apothecaries, money changers, and cults served the Pogs well and kept them in power.
Border warriors were favorites of the Pogs. They helped keep the people afraid that others from outside the land of Acirema might come and take what little they had. Warriors gave the people great comfort and the people loved them. But the people didn’t understand who gave the orders to the warriors.
The Pogs liked the bloodletters and apothecaries too. The family let them charge the people as much as they wanted to heal them and give them potions to make them feel better. For a fee, the money changers made it easier for the bloodletters and apothecaries to take the people’s money. Bloodletters, apothecaries, and money-changers gave part of their fees to the family, and always spoke highly of them in the taverns and town squares. Their words were often quoted in posters and pamphlets.
Mysterious cults arose among the people, and the Pog family courted their support. One cult worshipped the fine steel axes that the border warriors used. Many cult members owned dozens of these weapons. Some said that the measure of a man could be counted in the number of axes he owned. Cult members would sometimes carry their axes to town meetings and even to taverns and cathedrals. Some say that members had pledged to defend the Pogs against the king himself if the need arose.
Another cult had been around for centuries. The Legnaves were a mysterious group that wanted to control the kingdom. They worshipped an invisible man they believed created everything. They always tried to convince others to join them, and considered all others an enemy and a rennis. They always thought they knew more than others because of the insight their invisible man gave them – even if what they saw and heard was different. They were very fond of Nod.
Ah yes, Nod. A man named Nod arose as a new leader of the Pogs. Nobody knew exactly where he came from, but he was accepted into the family. The family needed him because the poorest and neediest people of the kingdom loved him. Nod was a friend of thieves and scoundrels of all kinds – people the Pog family had been trying to control for a long time. The family also liked Nod’s new idea – that the kingdom didn’t really need a king at all. Nod convinced other Pogs that the Cilbuper kingdom could be brought down and replaced by the Pogs themselves.
One day, the Pogs decided to organize their friends and storm King Cilbuper’s castle. At first, everybody came – border warriors, bloodletters, apothecaries, money changers, and of course the cults. But as the crowd grew, the only ones left were the border warriors, the Legnaves, members of the axe cult – and thieves and scoundrels of all kinds. And they became more violent. The mob swarmed into the throne room and killed the king and his family. They sacked the castle, taking everything in it.
The Pog family watched, at first thrilled that they would finally rule the kingdom by themselves. But then, the mob began to sack the homes and shops of the bloodletters, apothecaries, and money changers. They rampaged through the countryside, burning the humble villages and farms of the people. They even sacked the cathedrals of any cult that didn’t accept the Legnave theology.
And then it happened. The rabble came for the Pog family, torches burning, pikes held high. And who was leading the mob but Nod himself!
Nobody knows what became of Acirema. Its legend is folded away in the dusty pages of a long-lost history. And that’s too bad. We might have learned something.