Political turmoil in the Five Worlds conveys ominous foreshadowing
The Renegades Epic comprises the Five Worlds, each with its own history and political turmoil. How bad have things gotten for each world?
Six series. Five worlds. One epic. That’s how one can describe the Renegades Epic shared universe. And it’s set in five different locations scattered across the galaxy. Or, at least that’s what I would like to believe.
But nobody knows where each world resides apart from our own. Terra, as Elementals call Earth. We can see the other four worlds in the night sky if we care to look closely enough. And if we dig deep, we can even see that they’re orbiting a star that’s not much different from our own.
Well, except in the World of Terrene, where I’ve implied throughout the trilogy and even in Wind Master that the planet orbits a red giant. It also doesn’t give off much heat, much like Charn in Chronicles of Narnia, which is where I came up with the entire idea for Terrene, arguably the most interesting of the Five Worlds, and a strong warning to those of us who care to listen.
The tragic tale of Terrene
My Sentrys of Terrene trilogy might hand off Star Wars vibes, at least from a plot perspective. But I dug deep for the message. Here, we have a superpower nation called Avarice, historically called the Avarian Republic or even the High Avarian Republic.
That superpower, through time, became a warfare state. One that wished to keep watch over the world, while notably provoking its biggest rival over in its eastern hemisphere, Vranom. As Avarice’s leaders sought to conquer the world with the nation’s Sentry Order going along with it, domestic issues sprang up.
While the warfare state surged, severe infighting at home became the theme of what was to come in Terrene. Violence spilled onto the streets of its capital, Vora City, and attempted assassinations became commonplace.
With so much fighting at home and abroad, it set the stage for Avarice’s eventual collapse. The People’s Republic of Vranom and the Sith-like Venn Order rose from the ashes, leading to the trilogy’s events.
Is the World of Rondure next?
Rondure’s fallen into a similar trap, with the superpower nation of Bastille wreaking havoc worldwide. Bastille’s become such a military superpower that it’ll conscript anyone at any age if they display Elemental ability.
Just ask Mina Hirai, whom Bastille snatched from her mother before she even knew what war was. Having grown up living the military life, Mina discovered a thing or two about Bastille: they love overthrowing foreign governments, starting forever wars, and acting like they’re saving the world from the bad guys. Sound familiar to you?
Somehow, saving the world translates to leaving destruction in their wake. And nobody’s exempt, or else they wouldn’t be destroying their own nation’s 500 Cities in a civil war against the Insurrexxion faction.
Hidden agendas plagued the World of Eidolon for centuries
It all started with an ambitious girl named Morgana, who invaded Tamuria 1,000 years before the events of Wind Wielder. Fast-forward a few hundred years during the events of Spirit and Fire, and Morgana’s descendant, Rus Magnu, spread Tamuria’s sphere of influence across the continent.
That sphere expanded by the time we meet Sion Zona in Wind Wielder. And while Tamuria’s the global superpower, nations all over the globe were looking for ways to unseat them. No, they didn’t care about freeing anyone and making the world a better place to live. Instead, they craved Tamuria’s power. Even nations you may’ve thought were the good guys.
Even the most blissfully ignorant can’t ignore political turmoil in Catenary
If political turmoil with regard to warfare isn’t your thing, then the Catenarian Chronicles is your series. You hear about the superpower nation of Vimsinew’s antics overseas, but it takes a back seat to more domestic issues. Something Kaija Jokiharju learns the hard way first in Cursed Mage, and those ideas explode in Astray Mage.
Kaija, who’d grown up on Vimsinew’s west coast, never paid much attention to the constant infighting between the Mercenary and Augury Parties. Well, at least until she realized that for one, most of those in the ruling parties are secretly Mages, and two, that she’s also a Mage. It should go without saying that Kaija’s likely entering the deadly game of domestic politics.
Do I really need to talk about the World of Terra?
I doubt I need to elaborate on where I got so much inspiration for the world’s relentless political turmoil. I go to the gym every day and occasionally, I’ll see Fox News on one TV and MSNBC on the TV beside it.
And yes, talking heads covered the same issue alongside one another multiple times, delivering similar headlines, albeit different angles: “My side is right and the other side is trash. People on my side are angels and anyone who even remotely disagrees with me is trash.” You’ve heard something similar, I’m sure.
That’s pretty much the storyline in Terrian Chronicles. Tarja Titan thinks the Machis are the bad guys, and the Intrepid are the good guys. If you’re a libertarian like I am, you’ll probably call Tarja naive, and say there are no good guys amidst Elemental Society’s most notorious political factions.
Five worlds in political turmoil
Six series, five worlds, and a whole lot of turmoil. Whether it’s foreign policy, the two-party system, or infighting among their minions, you now have more than an inkling of where I concocted these ideas. So, if you love stories that pertain to real life, you might like the Renegades Epic shared universe.
Want a lighter dose? Chances are, Arcane Awakenings will suit your tastes. This young adult academy fantasy prequel novella sets the stage for an issue that’s gained traction in recent years. Maybe the one good thing that came out of those draconian COVID restrictions.
