Marinelle (meə'ɹinɛl)

"So, do you want to hear the story behind it?"

"No. The tone you ask that in implies it's about genocide or something."

"Are you sure? It might not be."

"Fine. You've piqued my curiosity. What atrocity is it about?"

"Well... you got it in one."

"Felm!"

"Marinelle" is a popular children's song and clapping game in the region of Astra. The most commonly known version goes as follows:

Marinelle is at my door
She says she wants to play
But if I went to play with her
I'd have to go away.

Marinelle, Marinelle,
I don't want to play today,
Marinelle, Marinelle,
Won't you go away today?

Marinelle's in town today
And I am stuck at home
I could sneak out, but if I did
Then I would have to go.

Marinelle, Marinelle,
I don't want to play today,
Marinelle, Marinelle,
Won't you go away today?

If I played with Marinelle
Then I would have to leave
So I'm in here and she's out there
We never get to meet.

Marinelle, Marinelle,
I don't want to play today,
Marinelle, Marinelle,
Won't you go away today?

Other versions of the song exist, usually adding more verses with the same syllable pattern. The verses generally stick very closely to the same theme—"Marinelle" is nearby, and either she or the narrator wants the two to meet. However, the narrator affirms that if they were to fulfill that desire, the narrator would "go away."

The song is often played as a clapping game. Participants will sit or stand in a circle, taking turns singing either a verse or a chorus. Each participant will replace up to three syllables in the song with a clap, which the rest of the participants must remember. The next participant to sing that part of the song (either the next chorus or the next verse) copies the claps from the last participant and adds their own, giving the one after them more to remember. If any participant is caught misremembering the claps, they must leave the circle. The game continues until either the entire song is replaced with claps or only two participants remain in the circle.

Historical Basis

The origins of the song and game are much darker than most would guess, though the references to "going away" provide a hint at its true beginning. Marinelle Du Rim was a human from the Astral city of Rim, of the now extinct Du Rim noble family. In the year 134 3C, she rose to power as the Lady of Rim after the death of her mother, Maria Du Rim. Maria's death is considered highly suspect, and many believe that the "illness" which killed her was actually a case of poisoning by Marinelle.

Whatever the circumstances of her rise, Marinelle ruled Rim as a benevolent leader, if tough on crime. She reached out to many of the towns near Rim, offering trade in exchange for loyalty to her, and Rim quickly grew into a powerful city-state. Gradually, she began to turn her sights onto cities with their own independent noble leaders, offering to combine their powers and leadership. Many accepted.

Once the Rim Alliance, as her coalition of cities and Rim-loyal towns was called, was sufficiently powerful and sufficiently loyal to her, Marinelle began to tighten her policies. While the deals she cut with other cities may have seemed fair at first, she always ensured herself the greater political power and quickly won over the hearts of the citizens. The other Rim Alliance nobles found themselves powerless to counteract her.

By the year 139 3C, Marinelle had control of nearly a quarter of Astra, with the other nobles under her acting more as figureheads than anything else. This was when she began to show her true colors, denouncing the gods and their Third Course creations. Rim became an antitheistic city, and those within its newly-built walls who continued to worship the gods were put to death. Others in the Rim Alliance soon followed suit.

Marinelle would go so far as to "draft" children from their homes in smaller towns, taking them from their families and bringing them to families in her cities who would raise them to hate the gods. These events are referenced in the children's song today.

In 141 3C, Marinelle began a campaign to rid Astra of the newest mortal species, Ren, which she regarded as "abominations... straying from the correct mortal plan." Fortunately, by this time other cities in Astra had banded together and begun to fight back, culminating in a battle wherein Rim was stormed, its citizens brought to uprising, and Marinelle forced from her castle and shot with magical darts.

Marinelle's body was originally going to be buried in an unmarked grave on a hillside outside Rim, but residents from a nearby town, feeling betrayed, stole her body, tore it to pieces, and burned it. What they did with the product is unknown, though it's considered most likely that it was thrown in a ditch and left to merge with the soil. Marinelle left no descendants, and the few surviving members of her family had long fled Rim and had no desire to return. Lamell Legrand, cousin to one of the nobles Marinelle deposed, took over rulership of Rim, dissolved the Rim Alliance, and went on to be a respected leader.

Due to Marinelle's actions, alliances between Dean cities have been controversial ever since, particular to citizens of Astra, who remember the event clearly even now. House Pluma was once accused of trying to recreate Marinelle's legacy, though through its structure it has in fact done its best to explicitly avoid such a thing.

Date of Setting

134–142 3C