Spatially, the frozen realm of Polaris is one of the most remote worldlets in the
Spiral. It is ironic, then, that such a remote world came to cast a shadow over the
entire Spiral.
Pingouin Power
Polaris may be remote, but it is a well-connected world, with threads connecting it
to many other Spiral worlds. For centuries Polaris has enjoyed brisk and thriving
trade with countless other worlds. For centuries cargoes of ivory, amber, and
jewelry have flowed from the glaciers of Polaris, the hungry Walrusks and
Pingouins have been eager to trade all manner of goods for them.
The Walrusks were the traditional rulers of Polaris, oppressing the Bears,
Pingouins, and Mooseataur with whom they share their ice fields. The Walrusks
were wealthy beyond belief, living in imperial decadence and filling their armies
with Polar Bear and Mooseataur enforcers. The Pingouins, oppressed workers who
were responsible for generating all the Polarian wealth, could only take so much.
Entire libraries could be written about Napoleguin, architect of the Pingouin
Revolution and most dangerous military mind in the Spiral: how a postal clerk
organized a revolution, built a new Grande Armee the likes of which the Spiral had
never seen, and toppled the Tuskenov dynasty. Fleeing Walrusks generated
sympathy in the Great Powers of the Spiral (all of whom, it must be noted, are
monarchies), and before long the armies of Marleybone, Monquista, and Valencia
attacked Polaris, aiming to put an end to La Revolution.
The Polarian war was long and brutal, and finally ended when Kane and the newly forged Armada defeated Napoleguin, imprisoning the Pingouin and returning
peace to Polaris – peace, that is, in the form of Empress Antuskette, distant cousin
to the dethroned emperor who was propped up by the other powers of the Spiral.
But the Pingouins, having tasted freedom, would not be denied: the Revolution
reconstituted itself, this time without Napoleguin, and managed to accomplish the
same end: the Walrusk regime fell a second time.
The Uncertain Future
Strife between Marleybone and Valencia soon ripened into war, and Napoleguin
managed to escape his confinement at Fort Elena. Upon his return, the arrogant
general suborned the new republican government to his will, declaring himself
“Emperor of the Republic” and leaving the minutia of government to the
revolutionaries who once sang his praises so loudly. Some say Napoleguin is as
selfish a tyrant as the emperor he toppled.
What is next for Polaris? Will Napoleguin resume his great war against the entire
Spiral? Will the Great Powers try to topple the Pingouin Republic and restore the
monarchy? Can Napoleguin cement his grip on power, or will the Pingouins sour
on his rule? The last time the Pingouin moved against the Spiral it took Kane to
defeat him – but Kane is no more. Whatever the future holds for Polaris, it
probably is not peaceful.
