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Lore: The Kobai Tribes
Posted: 04 Jun 2006 07:06 AM |
((The following was written up by Mykal))
((KNOWLEDGE LEVEL: The following is Specialist Knowledge. Unless your character actually originates from the Kobai tribes, or is a scholar specialising in them and has spent a great deal of time with them and earned their trust over many years, you absolutely do NOT know this information. The Kobai are very leery of outsiders and do not share this information with many. The exception is the note below by the mage of Ka'azim. Therefore please RP accordingly.))
Overview
Even the eldest sages of Kobai's nomadic tribes cannot remember exactly when their people first arrived in their unyielding land. The elders know the stories, however, and repeat them frequently to an eager audience. They tell of the Ancient Ones, called The Dila'maan, of whom all Kobai are descendant. The Ancient Ones, the elders say, claimed power over death itself. They had found a way to free themselves from Gukathul's icy grip, and they lived in peace and prosperity in a land where water flowed freely and food grew on trees.
The young would sit, wide-eyed at the story, while the older men would nod at one another. Of course no one believed that water could flow freely, or that food could grow on trees in such abundance. But the stories were important, and everyone recognized how they unified the Tribe. In these stories a common history was found in the stories of the paradise their pepole had once resided in.
But the story did not end there. The elders would then speak of the Downfall, of how Gukathul corrupted some of their number, and the gift of immortality was lost. Gukathul was never mentioned by name, and he is unknown in the Kobai faith. Those lost their immortality were banished from paradise. That is how the Kobai came to be, exiled to a harsh and unforgiving land because of the transgressions of their fathers.
The children would weep at the loss of paradise, and the men would listen with granite jaws and unmoving expressions. There were lessons for all in the story. Someday, perhaps, they could return to paradise and reclaim their immortality. Until then, they gave homage to the undead around them, in reverence to their past and in hope for their future.
The worship of the undead in the Kobai desert gave rise to a new class of people - The Devoured. But that is a story for another time.
Those exiled from paradise found themselves in a sun baked and death filled land. The desert is a harsh master for any man, and hundreds died the first year. But the Tribe perservered; learning where to gather food and how to find water.
Soon, all the artesian wells in the desert were discovered. The men learned how to hunt panthers and other animals for food. They even developed a taste for stingers when food grew short. They learned which plants that grew in the shade were edible, and which could be used for medicines. They entered a union with the desert, and so they took a new name, Kobai, meaning "The Exiled" in their old tongue. The Kobai grew, and after many years (no one is sure how many) there were several small tribes in the desert.
Each tribe is small, containing anywhere from 20-100 men, women, and children. The Kobai have domesticated dogs that are used in hunting parties or, in difficult times, for meat. Outsiders are welcomed with suspicion, and rarely do they see the inner workings of the Kobai.
Each tribe has a Warden, or chief, who is the nominal leader of the tribe. He (the Kobai are a strictly patriarchal society) has little say in the day-to-day matters of the tribe. The Warden's power extends to telling the tribe when to move to a new location and deciding when the tribe must go to war. Tribes often raid one another, but fighting near water sources (called Asnora meaning, holy place of water) is forbidden.
But desert was not empty when the Kobai first arrived. Another, even more ancient tribe of nomads lived in the blasted lands. This toughened people were descendants of a race that once worshiped Vilyave back when the region was lush and green. Naruth, jealous or her sisters people, waged war against them. She scorched the land with fire, creating the harsh desert known today as the Kobai.
These nomads are small in number, but their faith in the Goddess of the Four Winds is still strong. They have learned to find the beauty in the desert and from the fire forged a new existence.
They realize they are small in number, so they avoid the Kobai when possible, leaving them to fight amongst themselves. They find the practice of the Kobai offering themselves up to Undead to be repulsive. The descendants of Vilyave also live in the mountains around the desert, a place the Kobai fear to tred. Here is where they hold the most power.
The Devoured
Religion plays a large role in Kobai society, and no ceremony is more sacred then the Devouring. Twice a year, a special class of people are summoned to the Kobai Crypts. Here, they offer themselves as food to appease the undead. The Devoured, as they are called, must endure the undead ripping the very flesh from their bones without making a sound. When the undead's hunger has been satisfied, the surviving Devoured leave the Crypt. They are nursed back to health by the shaman of their tribe.
Those preparing to be Devoured are not required to participate fully in the day to day activities of the tribe. They spend their time preparing for the next Devouering. Devoured are identified at birth. They are raised as a special class citizen, all the while understanding what they must someday face. They usually face their first Devouring at the age of twenty, but youth as young as twelve have been known to suffer a Devouring and survive. Devoured that try to flee their obligation are considered lost. The warriors of the tribe hunt down the offending person. When captured, the person is bound and offered to the Undead of the crypt. To be devouered while so bound is considered the highest disgrace.
Those that survive the Devouring are considered the most honored of the tribe. They receive the choicest meat, the freshest water, and the finest clothes the tribe can provide. The wounds of the Devoured are marked with negative energy and can never fully be healed by the Shaman. It is not uncommon for Devoured to be missing limbs, or large pieces of flesh from various body parts. Their appearance is, to most outsiders, horrific. To the Kobai, however, the Devoured wear badges of honor. They are much sought after sexual partners (the Kobai have no system of marriage and a rather promiscuous society) as it is believed bearing the son or daughter of a Devoured provides the blessing of the undead to the child.
The Devoured to not often live past twenty-five. The remains of the Devoured that are killed are carried across the desert to the Desthdes Tomb and offered to the dread arch-lich. If the offerings are found to be acceptable, the arch-lich turns the bodies into blessed undead. This is done for most of the Kobai dead, however, it is believed that an undead Devoured holds a special place in the realm of death.
The Culture
The Kobai Tribes have lived in the desert since before anyone can remember. The legends of the Kobai speak of an ancient civilization known as the Dila'maan. The heratige of the Dila'maan is present in the tribe today.
The tribes pride themselves on their jewlery and bead work. They are experts glass makers, intricate and delicate glass sculptures are considered high art among the Kobai. Glass is also used in religioius rituals in the form of glass bracelets and necklaces of various colors.
The Kobai have perminate structures made out of adobe. They usually have their houses built into the cliff face ((like the ancient Anasazi ruins of the American Southwest)).
There would be little contact outside the tribe, though the occassional merchant from Port Royale or Brandibuck may do minor trading. The people have a subistance existance. What little farming there is occurs in shaded rocky areas, where irrigation canals allow small amounts of wheat and barley to be cultivated. Lichen and moss is cultivated near the underground river, which is also eaten by the Kobai. Meat plays a major role, and the hunting of large game animals provides the tribe with needed food. In scarce times, the tribe has been known to eat stingers, manticores, and in the more primative tribes, even resort to cannibalism.
Gender roles are clearly defined in the Kobai tribes. Men are the hunters and protectors while the women are the farmers and gatherers. Men are the only ones allowed to perform religious duties save for the preperation of the Devoured bodies. That task is given to the women.
The Devoured are the holy chosen of the Kobai. Every year, at the spring equinox, three men (though this number can vary) are choosen from the tribe to be Devoured. The following six months are spent preparing these men for the Devouring. Their skin is bleached white, to simulate the pale of the dead. Tattoos are carved into their arms and torsos while the Devoured meditate on their upcoming ordeal. Some, in a fit of religious extacy, even go as far as to bite and consume their own flesh in preperation.
When the winter equinox comes, the Devoured are sent to the Kobai Crypts. There, they offer themselves to the Undead, whom they consider holy. The Undead are allowed to consume their fill of the Devoured's living flesh (hence the name Devoured.) If any member of the Devoured survives and makes it back to the tribe, they are considered annointed by Undeath. They are given the title of "Warden" and made a chief and elder of the tribe.
Religion
*Excerpts from the writings of Jared Rallian, High Scholar of Anthropology and Lost Cultures at Ka'azim Tower*
I was fortunate to spend one year in the presence of the Kobai. Some of the things I saw there I cannot repeat, as the Warden (that is, one of the elders) swore me to secrecy on pain of death. Oddly enough, the very things I was sworn to secrecy over are the things I cannot repeat, not without retching in revulsion. But I am getting ahead of myself....
It is impossible to stress just how important religion is to the Kobai. Every aspect of a Kobai tribesmen's life is spent in the shadow of their faith. All of their efforts are focused not on their mortal life, but on the dream of eternal life in the embrace of Undeath.
It is very odd, then, that the name of Gukathul is not once mentioned by the Kobai. The Dark God of Undeath is not present in their holy stories or rituals. There are no written texts upon with to research, the faith of the Kobai is passed down by word of mouth.
The Undead are reveared by the Kobai. They are considered to be perfect beings, yet they are not holy in the traditional sense. The Kobai do have a word for "holy" or "profane" in their language. It is hard for an outsider to udnerstand how the Undead are viewed by the Kobai. They simply are the thing to aspire to, despite how they look or how evil they may seem to outsiders, to the Kobai the Undead are far superior to the living....
Legends speak of a race of people called "The Dil'maan." It seems the Dil'maan, according to legend, had eternal rules. These wisemen were respected by the Dil'maan and all the surrounding tribes. Perhaps this is where the Kobai derive their faith in the undead. |
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Re: Lore: The Kobai Tribes
Posted: 15 Feb 2007 07:15 AM |
((The following was written up by WickedArtist))
((KNOWLEDGE LEVEL: The following is Specialist Knowledge. Unless your character actually originates from the Kobai tribes or Aeolian tribes, or is a scholar specialising in them and has spent a great deal of time with them and earned their trust over many years, you absolutely do NOT know this information. The Kobai are very leery of outsiders and do not share this information with many. The Aeolian tribes, as is evidenced in this write-up, are also very protective of their culture. Therefore please RP accordingly.))
Overview:
Little is known about the reclusive people of the Kobai Desert and their worship of undeath, and even they themselves know their barren home as little more than a wasteland of rock and sand. Only legends bordering on myth tell of the Kobai being a lush jungle teaming with life where water flows freely and food is in abundance; more than just tales are the people said to have once belonged in such paradise.
While the nomadic Kobai become known to the populace through small trade, the existence of the ancient denizens of a lush and living Kobai is heard only by those who have explored the Kobai themselves. Few have ever met these reclusive people, whose very name is known to few others than the Kobai elders themselves.
The Kobai elders speak not of them, for in Kobai folklore, these former jungle-dwellers are often blamed for the downfall of the Dila'maan and the loss of immortality for the Kobai people.
What little is known of the ancient Kobai among scholars and explorers is that the ancient people of the "Kobai Jungle" were and are still followers of the goddess Vilyave who had lost their home when her jealous sister Naruth seared the lands with flames, leaving a few survivors to cope with a new existence within a barren desert.
The Aeolus:
Those who had spent time with and studied the Kobai would hear the name of these distant people; the Aeolus, who keep themselves to the mountains and away from their neighbours.
Those few who had ever encountered the Aeolus in their homes know them to be a warm and kind folk to those who gain their trust, in contrast to the overly suspicious and superstitious Kobai. Their worship of the winds is apparent in the process of their daily lives, though few know the goddess by name; the general populace refers to her as the Guardian, the Guide, the Lady, the Wind Goddess and the Artist. One of the most apparent tributes to the goddess is their practice of all forms of art, from music and dancing to tailoring and jewel making.
The Aeolus, in another contrast to the Kobai, is a matriarchal society. Though men are not considered to be of lower class than the women, it is the chosen women who lead the different tribes of the Aeolus. The leadership is passed down from each matriarch to her daughter, or if there is no daughter, to the adopted pupil. These matriarchs are the only priestesses of their tribe, with the only exception of their daughter/pupil. Only these priestesses and their pupils know their goddess by name.
There are four Aeolus tribes in total, each dedicated to the different winds; the north, the south, the east and the west. Each of the priestesses is known as the priestess of her village's representative wind. The four tribes vary in size but all consist of an approximate of 100-200 people.
They consider "Kobai" to be a misnomer to their ruined homeland, knowing their lost jungle as the Aeolus Jungle, and object to naming it in any other way. Tales of those lost times are often told to children, and much of the known Vilyavian associations actually originate from those stories.
On Life, Death and Afterlife:
Principle of Liberty:
Though the Aeolus people are strong followers of Vilyave, they hold freedom as the basic principle which guides their life. For this reason they hold little in the way of religious customs and rituals, believing that by living freely they pay the greatest tribute to their goddess, whose influence spreads over that which is essentially boundless. Their spiritual leaders, the priestesses and the elders, often refer to their people as unbound, and strongly object to placing any form of shackle on their lifestyle.
Occupations:
Aside from seeking mastery in arts, the Aeolus also possess many skilled hunters and explorers among their ranks, who challenge even the elves in stealth and detection, as well as the use of bow and spear. Hunting is an essential profession for the Aeolus as it provides substantial sustenance for the tribes, but not unlike the followers of Tarik, they see hunting as a form of art – though not at the ritualistic and (as some would judge) cruel extent of these elves. Exploration is a rare profession picked only by the bravest that travel across the face of Vives to return with fantastical stories to tell their people.
Principle of Unity:
The Aeolus also give special importance to the principle of unity among the people of the tribe and the different tribes themselves, and social events are a common sight in their lives; from various displays of art and showmanship to the fabulous tales of the explorers when they return from their long voyage and other such personal or grandiose events. Aeolus legend warns that lack of unity breeds the devils that were struck down in the Devil's Backbone long ago. The Devil's Backbone is considered a hallowed ground for the Aeolus, the blue dragon that dwells within a sacred guardian against all trespassers.
Storytelling:
Aeolus storytelling is one of the most unique and important features in their lives, and can be considered a customary habit, though not particularly of religious origin. Their stories are in one part the foreign tales as told by the tribe's explorers, to which telling most of the tribe gathers to hear; these tales range from personal experience and adventure to outsider lore, the general happenings of the world are thus not hidden from their ears. On the other part, Aeolus stories are of personal experiences, factual of fictional, which always hold a moral to learn from; it is important that these stories are told by mouth, never written, and each teller, be it adult or child, tells the story in his own unique version, thus the nature of each story and its moral changes from person to person.
The moral stories are always passed from one another in private, and are never the same from each telling and from each person – much can be learned on the individual tribesman from the way he/she passes the story. On the other hand, the adventure tales are often told in large gatherings of nearly the entire tribe, and are considered almost a celebration of sorts.
Regardless of its nature, be it moral or adventure, storytelling is an important characteristic of the Aeolus culture.
Death and the Afterlife:
The only true religious custom the Aeolus people possess is in regard for their dead. The deceased are always cremated and their ashes preserved – the custom mainly originating for the nearby presence of the undead-worshipping Kobai, whom are found repulsive, much like the elven custom with the purpose of preventing the necromantic defilement of the deceased. When a family member or a person of great importance passes away, it is customary for the family to wear black for as long as the ashes are preserved. Four times a year, the black-clad families and friends of the recently deceased travel to the Devil's Backbone to spread the ashes over the wind, believing that then the spirit departs from the tribe and travels towards the limitless heavens, as symbolized by the black clothing that represent the endless expanse of the night sky.
While the spirits of the Aeolus tribesmen are said to spend the afterlife with the Lady, the deceased priestesses are believed to hold a different fate. At the end of the year in which a priestess passes, the entire tribe gathers in blue and spreads her ashes in the Devil's Backbone, believing that the spirit of the priestesses become part of the wind itself and continue to guide their people even after death – as an eternal part of Vilyave.
Aeolus Worship and Legend:
* Excerpts from the writings of Anthony Rhiles, retired minstrel and explorer *
In all my lifetime wandering the land, never have I met a religion that appeared as empty and superficial as that of the Three Sisters. That is why it struck me so odd when I came upon a desert tribe when wandering the Kobai – a tribe that follows the sister Vilyave.
Most of what I have learned I am compelled not to tell, as I swore an oath before their leaders. Though they are welcoming to those they trust, they are also reclusive folk and prefer to keep themselves secret, as their very existence borders on extinction.
It is important to stress out that, like the Kobai, religion plays a foundational role in the lives of these people, whose very name is kept secret. One could find their goddess' influence in every aspect of their lives, and they revere her greatly as a guide and protector, though only their matriarchal leaders, their priestesses, call her by name.
Storytelling plays an important role in their lives, and I was fortunate enough to hear some of their local tales, the most important of which were two legends regarding the Kobai, citing days when it was not a desert but a jungle teeming with life.
The first of the legends speaks of the day when their people, much more numerous at the time, faced a split in their population, as those whom they call the Sundered went to make war with warriors of the Mazadhi. It tells of how Vilyave first became known to these people and punished what they call 'Devils' – both their warring split and the Mazadhi whom they had faced.
The second legend speaks of the day when Naruth became known to these people, and in jealousy of her sister she seared their home with fire and forced them to cope with a new existence in a harsh and unforgiving desert.
After witnessing the culture and history of these people, I've come to see a much deeper face to worship of the Three Sisters, in particular that of Vilyave. What is commonly seen among her followers and passed as superficial and granted is almost, no it is very deep mystical for her desert followers.
It became apparent to me that modern worship of Vilyave is based on mere fragments which had leaked from the much deeper culture of these people. Even the common use of the Hippogryph as her symbol is actually based on legend only these people know of, yet it is still used worldwide. Who knows what else, or even how, aspects of worship reached from them to other followers.
Though only superficial to us, worship of Vilyave holds a much deeper, mystical meaning for them. |
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Re: Lore: The Kobai Tribes
Posted: 15 Feb 2007 07:20 AM |
((The following was written up by WickedArtist))
((KNOWLEDGE LEVEL: The following is Specialist Knowledge. Unless your character actually originates from the Aeolian tribes or has earned their trust over many years, you absolutely do NOT know this information. The Aeolian tribes are also very protective of their culture. Therefore please RP accordingly.))
The Sundering of the People:
Thus goes the legend, as it passed from priestess to daughter and from them to the tribes, of how the people lacked unity and became unto devils, and how the Wind Spirit became known as Vilyave and punished the devils and those who have corrupted them...
It was in the ancient days that the people lived in prosperity in peace under the guidance of the Wind Spirit. In these days their home rose high above the forest, for the wind favored them, and it let them stay among the nests of its harbingers, the great Gryphon beasts, which was known as the Gryphon Plateau of the southern jungle, which was the Aeolus, and the people were called in its name.
But while they lived under the watch of the four winds, the Aeolus were not a united people. Thus they were easily swayed when the northern winds had brought with them the calls of the Mazadhi, who were a wicked people with desire for war and lust for blood.
With the Mazadhi turning their attention towards the Aeolus, the people became fearful and thus turned to the Matriarchs for guidance. But the Matriarchs of the people were unlike those of the Mazadhi, and while those called for battle they called for peace, to ignore the calls for war and remain prosperous under the protection of the great Gryphons. Such was the guidance of the Wind Spirit, who was kind and gentle in nature, and such carnage was abhorrent to her.
As the days had passed the Mazadhi had given up on their chase for war, fearing the great Gryphons that would descend upon them should they invoke their anger. But as some of the Mazadhi gave doubt, a few grew ever bolder, and those cast an even darker cloud upon the Aeolus for they moved against them – but the Gryphons did not react.
"Lay down your bows and spears," spoke the Matriarchs to their people, "The Wind Spirit had whispered to us through the currents, and she tells us of her anger against these Mazadhi whom had become like devils to her, for they had become so bold that they would upset that which is greater than they."
Unconvinced, the greatest warriors of the Aeolus took stance. "And what shall the Wind Spirit do, ere these devils gather armies and move to wipe us out, while the guardians lay in apathy? Shall we wait in apathy like them, while our foe grows ever bolder?"
And the Matriarchs answered to this, "The Wind Spirit puts our wills to the test, for if we prove ourselves loyal to her nature she shall ascend us to great heights above the devils, and send a harbinger unlike anything we had ever seen to protect us with outspread wings."
But the warriors mocked this, "Then while you hearken to the whispers of your spirit, and wait in apathy as your people are murdered, we shall take up bow and take up spear and protect what is ours. But there it shall not end, for we shall exact upon the Mazadhi the fate they seek to exact upon ourselves, and after their forces are scattered and leaders dead, we shall claim their homes in the name of the Aeolus. Thus we shall prove our might!"
Struck by those words, the Matriarchs were silenced, while the warriors spoke to the people and swayed them under their banner of war, as they themselves were swayed by the devils. These warriors had made themselves into Warlords, and as the armies of the Warlords gathered atop the plateau, the devils had gathered their own. Thus the Warlords and those who had followed them left the plateau and marched to the Mazadhi, and the Matriarchs saw that they were no longer of the people. These people were the Sundered, who were weak of will and became akin to the devils that had corrupted their spirits.
While the Sundered and the Devils moved against one another, the Wind Spirit spoke to the Matriarchs. Under her guidance the Matriarchs gathered the people and had abandoned their protected home, for their trust was complete, their loyalty unquestioned. Led by the winds, the people reached upon a field of battle, for they had witnessed the Sundered and the Devils charge towards the other.
But as the armies came close upon a clash, a great thunder had shaken the lands as dark clouds covered the bright sky. The wind became tempest and the sky raged with thunder and cracked with lightning. From these clouds descended a beast unlike none have ever seen, for while it bore the appearance of a great eagle such as the great Gryphons did, its other half was not lion but horse, and it had matched in size the wyrms themselves. Thus it became known as the Hippogryph.
The Hippogryph descended to the earth and stood between the two armies, turning its back to the Sundered to face the Devils, and in its arms it held a great spear – shaped like lightning, its head shaped like the beak of the predator birds, its bottom shaped as an eagle with outstretched winds – and thundering above the storm the voice of the Spirit Wind had turned to the Devils.
"Wait ere blood is spelt, you of the Mazadhi who had become as devils and not mere beasts. In your boldness you have moved against that which was under the grace of a god, and in that I judge you for your hubris and find you weak for it. Turn your backs from this place and bother my people no more."
And though the Sundered hearts were then filled with triumph, the Wind Spirit then spoke to them, "And you, who were once of the people, you I judge as well. In your arrogance, you had chosen to abandon the grace of a god and your people, believing yourselves to be greater than they. Thus you succumbed to the wicked wiles of these devils, and had become akin to them. Turn your backs and regret of your actions, and let no blood be spilt this day."
And though their lust for war and victory was great, the two people stood before the presence of the great Hippogryph and shrank before it, for they could not muster the forces required to attack that which was exalted.
But as the hearts of the two people grew doubtful, and the Matriarchs of the Aeolus were filled with hope, the Warlords of the Sundered rose and raised their spears high towards the sky, calling to the Spirit Wind.
"Too late you have come, O Spirit! The blood had already been shed and war already made, thus not today it began but today it shall end as we destroy the Mazadhi and lay claim to their lands! Neither you nor your beast shall stand in our path."
Thus the Sundered had proven the greatness of their fall, for they were the first to rise and sway the doubtful Devils as well as their own to march not only against one another but also the Wind Spirit, and the two people moved towards one another, intent on slaying the beast that stood in their path. But the Hippogryph ascended above them and the Wind Spirit spoke again as the tempests grew ever more violent in her anger.
"Know that the chance that has been given shall not be given again, for here I must judge you once more before my people. In your arrogance, you have each abandoned your brothers to defy the will of a god, for the Devils are no longer of the Mazadhi and the Sundered are no longer of the Aeolus; in your profanity, you have drew weapons against that which was exalted, and thus made war upon the divine; in your darkness, you have plunged into war that shall ravage my people, whom are innocent and had won my protection. To this I say... never!"
And with that, the great Hippogryph thrust its spear into the ground, and the spear became unto lightning and it sundered the ground before the people. The earth crumbled beneath the feat of the Sundered and the Devils, who had become akin, and all were buried underneath.
Thus was the judgement of the Wind Spirit, who had now spoken to the people, who were untouched by her wrath, and had been made known to them.
"For this act my heart aches; many are those who had died here by my will. Here the devils had made themselves known and here they were punished for their wickedness, but they were a living people and their deaths I regret. Therefore I shall make it so that the tempests shall continue to whip at this place in memory of these events, and I set upon it one of the wyrms, who and whose descendants shall guard these hallowed grounds to the end of days."
The people watched as the words of the goddess came to be. From the sky a great lightning smote the edges of the great pits and delved a cavern within to be a home to the guardian wyrm. This place became known as the Devil's Backbone, for there the devils rose and fell; and none shall defile them under the watch of the guardian wyrm and its descendants.
Then the goddess spoke again to the people.
"Know that I am Vilyave, goddess of the Four Winds, and I have not forgotten the promises I have made to your Matriarchs, for while among you the devils had grown, you yourselves remained true. For this sundering of your people, I shall sunder that which was your home and the guardians of mine which are nested within. Henceforth the plateau shall become a broken land, and I shall take the first half of the guardians and set it within; these shall become the Manticores, in memory of the Sundered who had separated themselves from my grace and became unto devils and monsters."
Thus it came to be, and the great Hippogryph descended to retrieve its spear, and once again thrust it against the distant plateau in the south. The people had watched as the plateau was shattered and became canyon, and to it the Manticores had descended to make their home.
"Thus was the fate of the Sundered, who were once of the Aeolus, to become unto monsters and dwell within ruin. But as one half as descended, the other shall ascend, and I shall take that part of the guardians and make it unto the Roc, who shall remain my harbingers until the end of days. Like the Rocs so have your people ascended, as I had promised; to you I have made myself known, and to your Matriarchs I grant the power of blessing so they shall temper it with their wisdom and guide you still."
Once again the words became reality, and from the canyon ascended the great Rocs, and to them joined the Hippogryph as the goddess had spoken her final words.
"Know, however, that it was not by my hands that you have ascended, but by your own, as was the downfall of your brothers."
Thus the Aeolus left the Devil's Backbone and made their new homes, and through the Priestesses they had learned of Vilyave and her ways. They had made the Hippogryph and the Great Spear as symbols of their faith, in remembrance of the day the people were sundered and the goddess became known. |
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