Hello, Survivors!
Continuing on from last week, today I’d like to share the story of the tragedy that looms over the Guild District.
The Beginning of Georg: From a Gifted Bastard to the Embodiment of Distrust and Greed
As we talked about last time, Georg was a merchant from far outside REMORE. Born an illegitimate child to a wealthy merchant family, he never received much love at home. Still, his father recognized his talent and supported him in his own way.
But that “special treatment” soon became a curse. Rumors spread that Georg might be adopted and included in the line of succession. His father, instead of protecting him, chose to watch from the sidelines—believing that if Georg was strong enough to endure envy and hostility, he would prove himself worthy; if not, he could simply be discarded.
The merchant’s wife began tormenting Georg in ways that were cruel and stopped short of scandalous. She gave him putrid food that was barely edible, pressured the servants to neglect him, and insulted him openly. Georg endured it all, relying only on his own abilities. But eventually, she went too far—she tried to poison him.
Only then did the merchant step in. He removed his wife and tried to adopt Georg formally. But the damage had already been done. Years of mistreatment, capped by a brush with death, left Georg with a lasting scar. From that point on, he believed his suffering came from being “weak.” He convinced himself he could never trust anyone, and became obsessed with gaining strength—whether through wealth, power, or influence—to protect himself at all costs.
Journey to REMORE: Rapid Growth, and What Awaited at the End
Georg refused the merchant’s offer to adopt him. He could no longer trust anyone—not even his own father. Instead, he asked to be sent far away from his father’s stronghold, to another city. After much thought, the merchant agreed and sent Georg to Remore, a land still largely untouched by commercial development.
As mentioned in last week’s Dev Note, REMORE was known for its hostility toward outsiders. It was a place where foreign merchants like Georg struggled to establish themselves. The local trade networks were tightly controlled, and merchants from outside REMORE were usually limited to serving as middlemen at best.
Yet once he arrived, Georg combined his natural talent with relentless effort, learning faster and growing quicker than anyone around him. Supporting him in this journey was his guardian, Konrad—another foreign merchant whom his father had asked to watch over him. Konrad had carved out a modest foothold in REMORE through his own resourcefulness. He quickly recognized Georg’s skill and drive, and treated him almost like a son, nurturing and supporting his growth.
During this time, the Church began a massive expansion project. Seizing the opportunity, Georg quickly organized a large-scale freight transport system, and with it, he finally gained real influence within REMORE. His rapid rise drew suspicion and resentment not only from the local powers but also from the central authorities. Yet Georg pressed on, showing a hardline stance by even assembling a kind of “private guard.” Tension steadily grew—until, at last, an incident erupted.
The Hammer Rebellion: A Tragedy Born of Prejudice and Greed
As Georg tightened his grip on REMORE’s markets and bolstered his control with a private militia under the guise of “security,” resentment among the REMORE citizens reached its peak. Worse still, he exploited the craftsmen of the Guild District for his own greed, wielding his influence without restraint. The locals’ hostility toward outsiders, combined with the suffering they endured under his rule, finally boiled over. The craftsmen struck back—through violence.
This uprising, led primarily by stonemasons and artisans, would later be remembered as the Hammer Rebellion. It swept across the entire Guild District, leaving behind massive property damage. Normally, such an outbreak of violence would have prompted immediate intervention from the central authorities. But Richard, who at the time commanded the Inner City district, thought differently. The rebellion was aimed squarely at Georg, and Richard believed the longer it continued, the heavier Georg’s losses would be. Holding little sympathy for the foreign merchant, Richard deliberately responded to the Hammer Rebellion with only minimal effort, letting it rage on.
Meanwhile, although Georg suffered significant financial losses, he had enough guards under his command to suppress the uprising without much difficulty. In the end, the damage remained well within what he could handle. True to his calculating nature, Georg struck back hard after the rebellion, targeting the stonemasons’ and artisans’ guilds that had led the riot. Ultimately, they were forced to submit under his influence.
He also used the central authorities’ lack of cooperation—especially Richard’s indifference during the uprising—as justification to argue for an even greater need for his own private guards. Step by step, he expanded both his influence and his military power.
Thus Georg’s greed only continued to grow, while the prejudice and conflict rooted in the Inner City deepened beyond measure. And then—the Memolith exploded, and the Dark Shroud spread. From that moment, the struggles between Remore’s citizens and outsiders, between the military and the guilds, between Richard and Georg, all began to take on a new form within the darkness.
And it is here, at this turning point, that our band of Survivors first set foot in this district in the midst of turmoil.
Today was a look at the narrative background to the events players will experience during this act.
The rest of the story is something you’ll be able to discover for yourself as you play—so stay tuned!
Thank you once again, Survivors!
REMORE