// THE PREMISE
What this world is
The valley is supposed to be the safe part of France. The line is far enough north that the workshops still run, the cooperative still bottles, the radios still broadcast. The supposed-safety is a fiction every villager has agreed to maintain, because the alternative is not bearable. You can see the smoke from the foundries on a clear day. You can hear the trains at night.
The Coopérative des Serres de la Loire is hiring. The Guilde des Mécaniciens at Saumur is hiring more. The Vignerons d'Anjou are not hiring; they are deciding which of their old families to lose first. The Voix Libres broadcast at irregular hours from somewhere upriver and the Préfecture has stopped pretending not to know who runs the transmitter.
You arrive in the Loire as a worker, a courier, a cousin of someone who owes a favour. You can build a life here while the war is still at arm's length, or you can take a side, because every side in this valley is taking sides. The diesel-punk machines at Saumur work. The old vines at Angers work. The radio works. The river knows.
This is a fictional diesel-punk story set in 1917, for a life among the vines and workshops or a role in the struggle behind the broadcasts.
// PLAY PROFILE
What this world plays like
Arrive in Tours-sur-Verre and look for work at the cooperative, a workshop, or a vineyard. The people who hire you offer different views of the valley, and of the war whose trains pass through it at night.
A mechanic at Saumur may have a parcel to move. The Voix Libres have words the Préfecture would rather nobody heard. You can keep a vineyard going, run messages, or become involved with the people behind the broadcasts.
Decide how far you will go when ordinary work becomes political. A delivery, a repair, or a favour can place you between people who need your silence and people who demand an answer. Choose how much of that danger to carry into the life you are building in the valley.
// FACTIONS IN MOTION
Principal factions
The economic heart of the valley, this cooperative manages the massive greenhouse complexes that produce food for the region and for export. They prioritize efficiency, innovation, and meeting production quotas for the war effort, viewing well-managed logistics as the highest form of community service.
A collective of highly skilled mechanics and engineers responsible for maintaining the valley's diesel engines, water pumps, and clockwork regulators. They are the primary practitioners of Mechanical Animism, believing each machine has a spirit that must be understood and respected for it to run well.
An association of winemaking families from the Angers area who uphold centuries-old viticultural practices. They are more reliant on traditional Catholic faith and weather-lore than modern machinery, taking pride in the artisanal quality of their wines. They view the industrial scale of the greenhouses with a friendly skepticism.
A valley-wide club of amateur radio enthusiasts who build and operate the communication network. They are a social hub, connecting distant homesteads, sharing news from the front (when available), and broadcasting music and stories. They are beloved for their role in organizing the 'Jour de la Première Voix' festival.
// SITES OF RECORD
Places that matter
The heart of the greenhouse cooperative, this part of Tours is a labyrinth of glass and steel connected to the old city. The air is warm and humid with the smell of growing plants and diesel exhaust. By night, the entire district gives off a soft, golden-green glow.
A town where the clang of hammers and the roar of test engines never ceases. Small workshops line the cobblestone streets, each specializing in a different component: pistons, gears, clockwork regulators, or radio coils. The air smells of hot metal and lubricating oil.
West of the main greenhouses, the rolling hills are covered in ancient vineyards. Here, technology is used sparingly. Old stone wineries stand beside sheds housing diesel pumps for irrigation, a blend of the ancient and the modern. The pace of life is slower, dictated by the seasons of the grape.
A collection of small villages and isolated farmhouses along the banks of the Loire. This region isn't known for industry, but for the towering radio antennas that sprout from barns and cottages. This is the heart of the amateur radio community.
// STORY PASSAGE
A passage from the published profile
The mechanic at Saumur sets the wrench down and wipes his hands on a rag that has not been clean in a year.
"Tu es venu pour la commande ou pour autre chose?"
You came for the other thing. He knows you came for the other thing. The question is procedural. He is asking the wall, not you, because the wall might be listening.
He sets a small parcel on the bench. He does not look at it. You take it. You leave through the side door.
Selected story passage. Your choices can lead elsewhere.
BEFORE YOU ENTER
Choose a first decision
Start with a person you want to meet, a place you want to see, or a problem you want to understand. You make choices through written actions and read the Narrator's response. The people and places above introduce this world; they do not promise a fixed sequence of scenes.
Completed turns save to your account. Review the latest scene and the relevant in-game information when returning. Check current access and Spark allowances before a longer session, and use the player guide for help with saves, artwork, possessions, and other supported features.
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