...And a Pestilence of Gods... (The Twisted Earth‪)‬

Welcome to the twisted earth that arises from the wreckage of a global war, a place where the modern exists with the anachronistic, where fiction is dogmatic fact, and where facts are often disavowed with a vengeance. The Chusann Empire is a product of the new reality versus an exception. The Chusanns strive to gain the fabled place of Hyannisport to gain the favor of thier gods It starts with a chance meeting between two couples; while the Eagleton’s are of high society, the Schwerin’s are lower class workers. They are of little consequence though in the scheme of things; it is their sons who define this tale. Both sons will eventually seek freedom from the lot they have been given in life, but divergence now occurs due to their vastly different perspectives and economic standing. Hiram Schwerin enters a hell beyond all belief as he is forced to mine the darkrock that powers the empire lands. As his life is defined by the years of age he attains, cruelty is heaped upon cruelty until even the Conductor’s whip brings him no pain. Eyes as hard and cold as can be plot only freedom from where he toils and vengeance upon his tormentors in no merciful way. Confronted with the knowledge of a plethora of religions from those established long ago to any number of modern day perversions of that concept, the belief in any God rings hollowly upon his ears, but the thought of freedom never is fully gone from his mind…it will only be a matter of time until his tormentors pay dearly for the hatred they have brewed... Eric Eagleton aspires to be one of the Hoovers, protectors of The Chusann faith and the front line against her enemies within and especially without. A Hoover’s work involves various confidence levels and the solving of dossiers. As his life is also defined by his age, he learns that what he aspires to be is nothing but hollow lies and propaganda created by the Chusann priests... The Chusann society is itself controlled by a nefarious cabal whose real motivations spell doom for The Hoovers upon its attainment. Eric is young enough to be resilient and old enough to take action, but it remains to see if he is wise enough to survive the coming war, because war there assuredly will be. While Eric can violate protocols and consort with Traders, a type of person The Chusanns ban from their demesne, all that Hiram has is some purloined books that circulate through the cages and the beatings that often come for possessing them. The truth comes at a staggering cost to both Eric and Hiram but they both reach an understanding that transcends their regimented existences. In a society plagued with a pestilence of Gods and false icons, freedom may be the only thing that has any value…provided you can survive to enjoy it...