The Decemvirate and the Open Sea
The Legend of Nootopia would, in later years, persist long after their age had ended and indeed the world was returned to the primordial Antarctic reservoir from which it was drawn in the uncounted years since. The feats of Nootopia’s own Pengus — and indeed, of their archnemesis Gargolon — would be woven into the shining fibers of the global monomyth; Nootopia’s heroes were the world’s heroes and its villains, yours and mine.
Yet for the purposes of this tale we will roll back the wheel, unspin the yarn, rereel the skein until the tapestry of Nootopia’s golden history is as yet unwoven. We resume this story in media res — or rather, Interregnum, as the period of time following the catastrophic Battle for Nootopia was known. For the Emperor of Nootopia, at the nascent empire’s most critical moment, had perished doing battle against occult forces of the Demonoot horde. The intervening months were the grimmest Nootopia had known. Rudderless, rent, and reeling, they struggled to rebuild the City on a Snowy Hill that lay in ruins around them.
Though the miasmic horde had been vanquished, Nootopia’s erstwhile and one-time magus ally had resumed his assault on their wounded huddle. In the months following Nootvember’s grisly end Gargolon continued his reign of terror, outsnuffing from fivescore more wartorn pengus the flickering flames of their lifeforce. Nearly four hundred Pengus now lined the Halls of Nootlysium, gone but forgotten not and naught forgotten.
From within this context of Ruinous Moments Known and Made that was borne forth an idea:
Rebuild the Empire, and Every Noot Within, a King Within a Kingdom.
Thus was incepted a new era of governance amongst Noots; one in which the fate and fecundity of an Empire lay not entangled nor ensorcelled in the doings of an Emperor or a Magus, but indeed in the very hands of Every Pengu, who could for themselves build the success to come. This is that History...
Nearly four hundred Noots (including the Emperor) perished to the misdoings of Gargolon and his Snowball; this calamitous outcome would shape the Legend of Nootopia in the age to come.
Self-Governance
And so it came to be that among themselves the noots of Nootopia desired a form of government in absence of an Emperor — not so much a Decentralized Autonomous Organization as much as a Centralized Representative Assembly of Penguins — hereunto and hithertoafter known as ‘CRAP’. Yet there was much bickering to this accord, for indeed each noot did verily differ from their neighbor, as some matters unto which the Robots of Nootopia ascribed great weight were of little import to the Orange pengus who thronged in the city streets.
After much discord and not a few squabbles unbecoming of Nootopia’s pengus, an alien stepped from among the crowd to address his brethren. His true name was lost to us as it was indeed unpronounceable by the terrestrial penguins of Nootopia and her historians, but he was called on that day Toonfeh Gue and later known in the ages as Hew. It was said of Toonfeh Gue, latterly called Hew, that he had arrived to Nootopia by spanning the deeps of 37 concentric portals from worlds unknown that he would coyly call Ivory. It was thus he stood before his quarreling kin and said:
“My fellow Noots: though we have our own interests and each pengu is like unto the others as equals — crazy hair to big shades, bathrobe to blunt — we should choose among ourselves electors to orchestrate the motions of the CRAP, and it is this I propose: that every noot should find themselves represented by a singular noot of of their type, robots to a Robot, oranges to an Orange, and forth. In this manner every noot can be the master of her own fate and shall not see his needs overlooked by the desires of another penguin. You ought now to gather with your nearest kin and among you produce produce an Avatar of your kind, that we might better govern to address the whole of wants of Nootopia.”
At this the bickering penguins grew silent, for they recognized in the wisdom in Hew-nee-Toonfueh Gue’s words and fell thereafter into a contemplative huddle. For ten days and ten nights the noots of Nootopia convened a Concordat — known in later ages as the Diet of Decision — to choose a seminal Avatar among themselves; at the end of the Diet they returned to Toonfeh Gue and named their representatives. The ceremonies of coronation and inauguration therein have been lost in the fickle pages of history but their names have remained emblazoned in the annals of time, and are herein listed:
The Decemvirate
| Type | Name | Pixel | HD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alien | Toonfeh Gue |  |  |
| Black | Mango |  |  |
| Blue | Tanner |  |  |
| Demonoot | Belfagor |  |  |
| Green | Emerald |  |  |
| Orange | Florida Man |  |  |
| Purple | Kim |  |  |
| Robot | XR-2000 |  |  |
| Skeleton | Leonard |  |  |
| Zombie | Zoc Efran |  |  |
Woe unto the enemies of Nootopia and indeed Gargolon, for the might of this Decemvirate was fathomless.
Toonfeh Speaks
The election of the Decemvirate at that time was considered transcendentally fortuitous, for soon after the dread magus Gargolon — their eternal foe — would unleash another catastrophic Snowball. Though they grieved the loss of nine more pengus, Toonfeh Gue-called-Hew would gather the Decemvirate unto himself in that moment and speak.
“My fellow nooters, I see the words writ on your face and hear the voices in your hearts; ‘we must do something’ you say, and yea, you are not wrong. Many leagues away on the snowy shores of Antarctica there beats The Open Sea — it is there will shall find the fabled Army of Diamond Hands to augment Nootopia’s own corps of unfailing Diamond Hands. In their conjoining we shall find reprieve from the evil doings of Gargolon and his Snowball.”
These words gave heart to the Decemvirate, who would traverse the blizzardy plains to board a ship on Antarctica’s frozen coast. In later years this would be hailed as the Voyage of the Open Sea, though the penguins of Nootopia knew not what fortunes awaited them.
The Decemvirate and fellow brave pengus of Nootopia board a ship on the Voyage of thee Open Sea to seek their fortune and the aid of fellow Diamond Hands.
Long was the Voyage of the Open Sea and so Nootopia’s Decemvirate dedicated amply their time to the determination of how best to serve their fellow penguins. The capacity to noot resided already in every pengu, but the Decemvirate desired to empower their kin with the ability to create, to own, to build.
“Every noot shall have a Stake in Nootopia,” said Mango. “Nootopia is not just yours, or mine, or even ours; Nootopia belongs to anypengu who has ever uttered the word ‘noot.’ We must create a society underpinned by this inalienable — apologies, Toonfeh — truth, and give each noot the means with which to build their own best version of a life in our city. Nootopia will be as a home to them, and to anyone who desires it.”
And they each of them nodded on hearing Mango, even Tanner and Florida Man, for even they recognized the sagacity of her words. To this end and on that day they founded the three entities that would be central to the process of building Nootopia: Public Works, Social Services, and Delivery Services. And the Federal Reserve Bank of Nootopia began to print a new currency for all pengus, $PESKY. Each day, or hour, or week, the penguins of Nootopia were able to claim a Stake of $PESKY — and thus a stake in Nootopia itself — and with it they would build a Nootiverse of their own design.