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The east coast of Meridia gave Trepani settlers a welcome change from their cold and barren homeland, but although their crops thrived in the rich, dark soil, their livestock struggled to adjust to the warmer, wetter climate. Pigs fared better than most other creatures and in time two distinct strains emerged. Trepani nobles hunted the much bigger, stronger, fiercer beasts they released in game reserves while smaller, weaker, tamer breeds were raised on farms for mass consumption. As Trepani populations grew the nobles kept their vast estates but the common folk were forced to live in overcrowded city slums. The pigs they ate lived their whole lives without seeing open fields; they were kept in concrete pens and pumped full of chemicals that accelerated growth but placed so much strain on their joints they found it hard to walk or even stand. Their plight was further worsened when their genes were modified to make their organs more compatible with Trepani recipients, some of whom ironically might have never needed transplants if they had eaten fewer pigs.

The Trepani nobles had other concerns. The pigs they ate were healthier, but hunting them grew easier as weapons grew more powerful. Some landowners responded by breeding even fiercer pigs, but they were still no match for guns. Trepani bioengineers suggested breeding smarter pigs, and the first examples showed such promise many new strains were developed and released into the wild. Trepani hunters soon had to contend with pigs that could stand upright, make tools, set traps and stage ambushes. Many sported extra limbs, eyes or secondary heads that improved their sensory awareness. Though the obvious risks discouraged some, most Trepani hunters relished the chance to test their skills against these dangerous new opponents. Even the poor slum dwellers gained some vicarious enjoyment from watching hunts on live TV. They had their favourite hunters’ names and faces tattooed on their skins and hung their portraits on their walls. The most successful hunters even appeared in commercials that promoted processed meat, and some claimed it was no different from the meat they ate themselves.

The eventual collapse of Trepani society was horrific but perhaps deserved. An enormous solar flare destroyed satellite communication and with it all live broadcasting and electronic messaging. As serious withdrawals set in, angry mobs took to the streets and surrounded seats of government. The officials who faced them were torn apart and disabled technology crippled attempts to impose martial law. The sparse records of these terrible times describe mass lynchings, acts of cannibalism, and even babies sacrificed beneath satellite antennae to win back the blessings of the great broadcasting gods. While some might be exaggerations, all historians agree the Trepani population was reduced to a few thousand in the space of forty years. The jungle has reclaimed the land that supported mighty cities, and the last of the Trepani live in constant terror of the mutant pigs they once called prey.

(This image was generated in Neural Love and edited in Photoshop).

Description

The east coast of Meridia gave Trepani settlers a welcome change from their cold and barren homeland, but although their crops thrived in the rich, dark soil, their livestock struggled to adjust to the warmer, wetter climate. Pigs fared better than most other creatures and in time two distinct strains emerged. Trepani nobles hunted the much bigger, stronger, fiercer beasts they released in game reserves while smaller, weaker, tamer breeds were raised on farms for mass consumption. As Trepani populations grew the nobles kept their vast estates but the common folk were forced to live in overcrowded city slums. The pigs they ate lived their whole lives without seeing open fields; they were kept in concrete pens and pumped full of chemicals that accelerated growth but placed so much strain on their joints they found it hard to walk or even stand. Their plight was further worsened when their genes were modified to make their organs more compatible with Trepani recipients, some of whom ironically might have never needed transplants if they had eaten fewer pigs.

The Trepani nobles had other concerns. The pigs they ate were healthier, but hunting them grew easier as weapons grew more powerful. Some landowners responded by breeding even fiercer pigs, but they were still no match for guns. Trepani bioengineers suggested breeding smarter pigs, and the first examples showed such promise many new strains were developed and released into the wild. Trepani hunters soon had to contend with pigs that could stand upright, make tools, set traps and stage ambushes. Many sported extra limbs, eyes or secondary heads that improved their sensory awareness. Though the obvious risks discouraged some, most Trepani hunters relished the chance to test their skills against these dangerous new opponents. Even the poor slum dwellers gained some vicarious enjoyment from watching hunts on live TV. They had their favourite hunters’ names and faces tattooed on their skins and hung their portraits on their walls. The most successful hunters even appeared in commercials that promoted processed meat, and some claimed it was no different from the meat they ate themselves.

The eventual collapse of Trepani society was horrific but perhaps deserved. An enormous solar flare destroyed satellite communication and with it all live broadcasting and electronic messaging. As serious withdrawals set in, angry mobs took to the streets and surrounded seats of government. The officials who faced them were torn apart and disabled technology crippled attempts to impose martial law. The sparse records of these terrible times describe mass lynchings, acts of cannibalism, and even babies sacrificed beneath satellite antennae to win back the blessings of the great broadcasting gods. While some might be exaggerations, all historians agree the Trepani population was reduced to a few thousand in the space of forty years. The jungle has reclaimed the land that supported mighty cities, and the last of the Trepani live in constant terror of the mutant pigs they once called prey.

(This image was generated in Neural Love and edited in Photoshop).