Introduction
Deep in the heart of the world lies a verdant valley – the Fertile Valley.
A circular valley, embraced by deep forests and enclosed by towering mountains.
The Great Lake mirrors the sky and divides the valley in two – yet it also binds their fates together.
The lake’s crystal-clear waters are the lifeblood of the valley, the source of all life.
Two factions rule: in the west – the Pigs, in the east – the Swine.
In the west stands the statue of Lord Oldsnout, its founder, his gaze turned toward the sky.
At his feet, four words are carved in stone:
”Act Like Pigs!”
During the great war of the Revolution, a war over differences, this phrase became a banner of unity.
It reminded the Pigs of their origins, of the wildness that had shaped them – of the pride of rising up free, of learning to walk on their hind legs.
The words united them.
Enemies became brothers, bound together by the strength of community.
From the ashes of hatred, the western Fertile Valley was born, with Lord Oldsnout as its founder, leader, and the phrase as its eternal message.
But from that success, a darkness rose in the east.
A Swine.
Lord Bloodsnout, with his terrifying motto:
“One Swine. One Snout. One Valley.”
He spoke of bloodlines.
Of purity.
Of a realm where the Swine would rule – Pigs would be exterminated, and those who submitted would be enslaved.
He called the Pigs weak.
Yet they were all made of the same flesh and blood. The difference lay not in flesh, skin, or snout – only in the mind. Only in the belief of what it meant to be a Pig – or a Swine.
The war between west and east raged on.
Epic battles erupted throughout the Fertile Valley. Lord Oldsnout fought for freedom. Lord Bloodsnout for world domination.
When the war finally subsided, and before he fell, Bloodsnout swore a curse.
One day, his spirit would return and force the Fertile Valley beneath his iron rule.
His name is still whispered with fear, a dark shadow echoing through generations.
Since then, Swine and Pigs have lived in peace, with their borders running along the lake.
Cooperation has blossomed between them – at least on the surface.
Together, they have developed the Fertile Valley.
But some believed that the peace was merely an illusion...
Decades pass, and the valley bears both wounds and hope.
Technology advances.
But two things remain sacred: The water – the pulse at the heart of the valley, the foundation of life. Gold – an object of faith, desire, and power. A currency in the Fertile Valley.
On the northern edge of the valley lies the Great Glade – a wild and open no-man’s-land, where no one lays claim, no one asserts ownership, and nature reigns free.
There, Professor Pigeinstein works on the Great Filter – a shield he developed together with the finest engineers from both the Swine and the Pigs, designed to protect the valley from the Great Fire.
Now, after decades of fragile peace, Snoutelect – the newly elected leader of the Pigs – stood at the foot of the statue.
He had heard the story thousands of times.
The same words.
The same silence, whenever Oldsnout’s statue was mentioned.
The same feeling, whenever the four words passed from his lips.
And so begins the tale of:
Act Like Pigs!
