A story of the protectors of Paceica
By Craig Allan, Staff Writer
On the flat planet of Paceica lies the highest peak in the land, Kernel Mountain. Within the bowels of Kernel Mountain resides the location of The Philosophers. The Philosophers are a group of women who, through their powers of defying convention and servitude to the downtrodden, help the world with their outlook and their powers. One of their greatest minds is a woman who goes by the name of the Philosopher Daralis. She is one of the strongest, and one of the brightest souls that The Philosophers have.
The people of whom The Philosophers help primarily is a group known as The Marginals. The Marginals are a people who, for one reason or another, have been kicked out of the surrounding towns by their family and friends. They now reside in the land known as The Margin, where they are eternally at risk of falling off the face of the planet.
The Philosophers are the only supporters of these souls, bringing them food, water, protection, and kindness. They have saved many Marginals from falling off the planet. Not just from their enemies, but from their own loneliness and lack of acceptance.
Besides the shunning from their family and friends, the greatest risk to The Marginals is The Nordics. The Nordics are a group of cold blooded creatures that live on top of Kernel Mountain. They are a frequent threat to The Marginals. They live for one goal. To push The Marginals off the face of the planet. It is the job of The Philosophers to keep The Nordics at bay. Every time The Nordics come down from the mountain and reach the point where the snow turns to grass, The Philosophers are there to push them back.
When confronted by The Nordics, The Philosophers disrobe and release their Aura. The Aura is a being of pure light energy. As The Aura flies in front of The Nordics, it blinds The Nordics, leaving them stumbling around in the snow on Kernel Mountain. They retreat back into the mountains, eternally looking for a new way to combat The Philosophers. However, when The Philosophers let out their Aura for war, it weakens them. The Philosophers need to recharge their Auras so that they can fight another day.
Every Philosopher recharges their Aura differently. For some it’s meditation, for others it’s resting with friends. For The Philosopher Daralis, she has a more unique way of recharging her Aura. In one part of Paceica lies a beached shipwreck of a large scale. This ship crashed from an outer star system more than 1000 years ago with the loss of hundreds lives. For many, this place is feared for the souls that still inhabit the ship as ghosts. It has been given the name of The Wreck.
This fear though does not reside within Daralis. For her, she views The Wreck as her place of healing for her Aura. When she arrives at the beach, she disrobes to let her Aura free. It is here that the Aura is able to frolic, dance, and play; recharging for the battles to come. When she and her Aura have recovered, she puts her robe back on and rejoins The Philosophers.
The Philosophers are thoughtful fighters. They are fighting not just to keep The Nordics at bay, but also to educate the people in the town that the people at The Margin are not bad. They are their sons, daughters, friends, and relatives, who have merely taken a path that, while not expected, is not bad.
The Philosophers do not view the townspeople as dumb, mean, or selfish. They view the townspeople with respect. Respect that their thoughts on the people in The Margins is based on fear, ignorance, and lack of understanding others who are different.
The Philosophers face some fierce opposition in the communities, but they always maintain their composure, strength, beauty, and respect in the presence of anger and resentment.
The job of a Philosopher is difficult. They require a lot of strength and energy to do their work, but for them, there is nothing more rewarding that they would rather be doing. They fight for freedom. Their work as Philosophers put them in the best position to help people, which in turn helps themselves. While they may live in the bowels of Kernel Mountain, they view themselves as the ones who are truly free.
