The Ballad of Bridge Valley

The Ballad of Bridge Valley was written by 341 just after the conclusion of Event 2. It references the early World 3 settlement Bridge Valley (South), which was formed in Session 1 but fell to griefing attacks by 751 "The Bridge Valley Slasher" in Session 3, resulting in a flood of refugees to other nations that continued for some time even after its formal dissolution in Session 4.

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Note: should be sung to the tune of "Jim Jones at Botany Bay," an Australian convict folk song from the mid-19th century.

Oh, listen to my story, lads, and hear me tell me tale:
how o’er the deep and cruel sea we were condemned to sail.
Our chests they all are broken and our farms they all are dry;
our hopes have flown away, me lads, into the stormy sky.

When first we came into this world, we had no food to eat;
and lacking wool to make our beds, we had no place to sleep.
Though we at length might leave the plains, we ne’er could flee the night –
the monsters would come out, me lads, to give us all a fright.

Then three-four-one looked round at us, and sounded out the call:
“It’s time to leave; we must move on before the sun does fall –
we’ll build our home above the bay, upon a bridge,” said he,
“or else, me boys, we’ll spend our lives in pain and misery.”

We followed him, and slowly built a place to call our own
with farms and mines and growing vines, enough to call a home.
We called the town “Bridge Valley,” built it up for all to see 
with three-four-one our king to lead us on to victory.

Well, night and day we grew the place, despite our lack of food
despite the savage caverns deep, despite newcomers rude.
We toiled and strived, and slowly built a place we all could stay
but we didn’t know how all our dreams would be dashed the following day.

Our downfall didn’t come from thieves or raiders in the night;
Instead the threat came from within, ignored and out of sight.
The Slasher slipped right through our lines and soon took out his knife;
he torched our fields, he broke our chests, and took our leader’s life.

Bridge Valley was abandoned then, and we scattered into the wind;
to other distant lands we sailed, bereft of kith and kin.
Our comrades were forgotten and our lives, they turned to mist;
the mighty keep had fallen, and Bridge Valley ceased to exist.

But one dark night, when Earth herself scarcely seems to breathe,
I’ll find the Slasher’s lair, me boys, I’ll go with sword unsheathed.
I’ll take from him what he took from us, and make him feel the same –
how empty it is to wander the world with neither hearth nor name.