Pyramid Review
The Shadow of Yesterday (Revised)
Published by Anvilwerks
Written by Clinton R. Nixon
Cover by James V. West
Illustrated by Andrew Navaro, Jennifer Rodgers, Keith Senkowski, & James V. West
220-page undersized b&w softcover; $24
Near is a world recovering from a disaster. Centuries ago it was dominated by the Empire of Maldor, known for its cultural diversity and universal tongue. A century (or is it three? The book is unsure) ago, the "Sky Fire" fell, shattering Near, causing years of darkness, and placing a moon in the sky where there had been none. Without the universal language's unifying factor, new nations have arisen along cultural lines and rivalries, leading to war, famine, and enslavement. Primarily, this is over valuable resources such as the metals needed to create weaponry, but the ownership of the ruined cities of Maldor and the ancient secrets they hide, are reason enough.
Near is not without faith nor religion, but there are no gods. Most religions concern themselves with the "Sky Fire's" true nature. Nor do monsters exist in the traditional fantasy gaming sense. Instead the focus is upon Near's four races. Humans are known for their emotions, primarily fear and aggression mitigated by love and passion. Near has several different human cultures, each very different, and whilst you can draw analogies with our own history, they definitely lean more to weird rather than Tolkien-esque fantasy. The five cultures are not just different in terms of society, but . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: September 21, 2007
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