EncyclopAtys - User contributions [en]

Cioi Ba-Nung, Tattooist for Homins

2014-11-19T10:55:22Z

Arturia:

__NOTOC__
{{quotation|''interview with Cioi Ba-Nung, a Tattooist for Homins.''|
[[Image:Cioi_Ba-Nung.jpg|thumb|right|Cioi Ba-Nung]]

:''Many homins ask themselves questions about the masks that the Zoraïs wear. After a long research, a Zoraï has accepted to lift a curtain on this so sensitive subject.''

'''Reporter:''' Good morning to you, thank you for accepting to answer our questions. Could you please introduce yourself?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' My name is Cioi Ba-Nung, [[Ma-Duk]] follower and tattooist for [[Homin|homins]] in [[Zora]].

'''Reporter:''' All the homins wonder about the passion of [[Zorai|Zoraïs]] for masks, tattoos and hairstyles. Can you give us some explanation for this keen interest in adornments?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' Let’s begin at the beginning. First of all, the masks are the only things to be really sacred in the eyes of our people. Tattoos and hairstyles carry out cosmetic functions, shared by all the homin peoples.

'''Reporter:''' Our subject is becoming clearer, thank you for this remark. What is sacred about these masks then?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' Our masks are the living sign of the alliance forged between our people and Ma-Duk. They are also the link that ties us to him and make each Zoraï one of its relatives. That is why we call our masks, the kinship masks.

'''Reporter:''' And do you know who forged this alliance?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' All the Zoraï children know that! This alliance was forged by the great and wise Cho. He was the first Zoraï to wear a mask and from then on, tradition has handed down the wearing of the mask, and that since 2201. This alliance follows the encounter between the Kamis and Cho.

'''Reporter:''' Well, why choose a mask as the tangible sign of your alliance with Ma-Duk?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' The Kamis refuse duplicity and lies; the homin face is not the window of the soul but a deceptive façade. For the initiated, kinship masks are the true windows of the soul, no lie, no dupery is then possible.

'''Reporter:''' You mean the mask you wear represents your… soul?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' As a matter of fact yes! I understand your astonishment. How can a soul be read on a mask? Do you think our kinship masks are only masks?

'''Reporter:''' Hum… After what you’ve just said, certainly not… By the way, where do your masks come from?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' Our masks are given to us by the [[Kami|Kamis]] at the end of the adoption ceremony. Our masks are a Kami creation and not the result of homin labour. The adoption ceremony marks the transition between childhood and adulthood for the Zoraïs.

'''Reporter:''' A ceremony…can you describe it to us?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' Sure. Each cycle, children old enough to take part in the ceremony are invited to Zora. This meeting is followed by a big celebration, the adoption celebration. It is a great moment of joy and communion. The celebration lasts six days and six nights during which access to the city is forbidden to strangers. At the end of the celebration, the Kamis take the children.

'''Reporter:''' You mean the Kamis take your children?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' Yes…Could you let me finish please?

'''Reporter:''' Hum yes, please go on.

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' The Kamis teleport themselves with the children into the Eternal Tree. It is a wonderful place where an everlasting spring reigns, animals live in peace; I still remember the raguses that played with us. It’s a pity [[Atys]] was corrupted by the [[Goo]] and the [[Karavan]].

'''Reporter:''' What about the children, what do they do?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' They take part in the adoption ritual. It is composed of four ceremonies.

The first one is collection. The Kamis ask each child to collect certain items, and then the children scour the Eternal Tree for them. When each child has filled his Hai-Phon, a bag weaved by his/her family, the second ceremony can begin.

This is the one of separation. The Kamis invite the children to make the collected items into a figure. The making up must bring the child to distinguish between truth and illusions. This ceremony is very long, every one of them taking their own path. Some achieve it in a few months, others in a few cycles.

The third ceremony is that of purification. The children meditate, focused on their making up in order to free themselves from illusions and lies. There again, this ceremony takes months, even cycles.

The last ceremony is that of adoption. The young homins then go down to the chambers of dreams, hidden deep into the roots of the Eternal Tree. They stay there for a few days, deep in a trance that enables them to initiate harmony with Ma-Duk. During this trance, the Kamis give each child their kinship mask. When the child wakes up, s/he is back in the jungle, not far from Zora and will wear his/her kinship mask forever. From now on, s/he is no longer a child but an adult.

'''Reporter:''' So many revelations! Do all the children succeed in passing the ceremony?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' They do. It can take years but all the Zoraï children complete these ceremonies. Some Karavan agents say that Zoraï children were eliminated by the Kamis because they refused the ritual. It is pure calumny!

'''Reporter:''' A question comes to my mind, are there Zoraïs who end up following Jena’s path?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' The path of each homin is known only by him/herself and Ma-Duk. Our brothers and sisters you are talking about have this passage written in their lives, in their selves. It is not a betrayal, only a necessary detour, an experience which will get them even closer to Ma-Duk and which will guide them towards Illumination.

'''Reporter:''' Your faith is admirable. I would like to come back to the masks, are they alive, as some say?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' Yes, they are alive and delicate, as much as the face of each homin. They are made of bone, of cartilage, of flesh and of sap. Kinship masks are obviously irremovable, who would want to mutilate oneself like that? Such an act would be suicide by the way, a Zoraï cannot survive without his/her kinship mask. Our masks are the reflection of our souls, our passions, our feelings, our fears and our hopes. They are certainly the most intimate part of our selves.

'''Reporter:''' What do the horns displayed on your masks stand for?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' I cannot reveal you everything, you are not initiated. Just know that these horns are there in honour of the great Kami-Ko of Equilibrium that [[Cho]] met.

'''Reporter:''' One last question, how do the Kamis make those masks and how do they fix them on your faces?

'''Cioi Ba-Nung:''' I cannot reveal this piece of information to you either, but your curiosity is a gift from Ma-Duk. I invite you to follow the Kamis’ teachings; you will find the answer to this question and to many more. May Ma-Duk give you the serenity of the sage.}}

{{The Chronicles of Atys}}

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Chronicles of the New Beginning]]
[[Category:The Chronicles of Atys]]
[[Category:Chronicles of the Witherings]]

[[fr:Chronique:Cioi_Ba-Nung,_Tatoueur_pour_homin]]
[[de:Cioi_Ba-Nung,_Homin-Tätowierer]]

Hiaoi, seeker of Elias

2014-11-19T10:32:23Z

Arturia:

__NOTOC__
{{quotation|''Excerpt from Volume 1, "In the Shadow of Tao Sian", written by Kuangi Wu Shi in the winter of 2574.''|
==Part One==

:''Hello. Today, our meeting is a little bit unusual, because I am not authorized to tell you where I am. The person who is coming was only willing to meet with me anonymously, because she wanted to talk about her guild, the [[Guild of Elias]].''

'''Interviewer:''' Who are you?

'''Hiaoi:''' Call me Hiaoi. As a member of the guild, I unfortunately cannot reveal my real name, because of the ban on the guild in [[Zoraï]] country.

'''Interviewer:''' What do you do in life?

'''Hiaoi:''' I am a peddler. My business takes me on the road all the time, from one region to another, to find new goods and sell my merchandise. Because of my constant travels, I take on a parallel function as a "seeker of Elias" for my guild.

'''Interviewer:''' What is a "seeker of Elias"?

'''Hiaoi:''' Seekers of Elias are both messengers and informers. You see, the [[Guild of Elias]] is extremely scattered all over Atys and tries to stay as discreet as possible, ever since it was banned by the Karavan. So the guild needs [[Homin|homins]] like me, who can discreetly carry the message from one cell of the guild to another. Since I am called to travel between countries regularly, I also try to keep the guild informed about the political and religious situation in each of the major countries. So we seekers are the eyes and ears of Elias.

'''Interviewer:''' You said that the guild has to remain discreet. Yet I have the impression that there is a certain degree of tolerance.

'''Hiaoi:''' Perhaps in [[Aeden Aqueous|Tryker]] and [[Burning Desert|Fyros lands]], yes. They understand our desire to find the truth. And although they do not support us, they have also not declared a merciless war on us. But among the [[Matis]], the prohibition of 2504 has never been lifted. And even though they have given up burning our Guild members at the stake, they continue to hunt us in the name of their sacred [[Karavan]]. As for my own country - few are aware of it, but we are not welcome there either. The problems really began under the madness of Fung-Tun. We tried to oppose the slavery, but Fung-Tun was intolerant of our ideas about the equality of different people, as well as our opposition to his regime, and he has not hesitated to massacre us in the name of [[Ma-Duk]]. Today, the sages still look at us with disdain. They do not like the idea of a united hominity that we promote, because they continue to see the Zoraï people as the elect of the Kamis.

'''Interviewer:''' A united hominity? Is that the guild's credo?

'''Hiaoi:''' In a way, yes. We believe that the homins are the genuine strength of Atys. Jena and Ma-Duk are only imposters. I hope with all my heart that I will live to see the day when all homins will realize the destiny that awaits them in the name of hominity, rather than in the name of false gods. One day, I know that Elias will return to liberate homins and show them the true path, the path of free will.

'''Interviewer:''' So you reject both Ma-Duk and Jena. Does that mean that Elias is your god?

'''Hiaoi:''' Well, it's hard to say. Some of us believe that. They see Elias as the creator of all things and consider Ma-Duk and [[Jena]] as minor gods or mere imposters. Others think that he is a homin like the rest who runs the guild from the shadows. Still others believe that he is a homin of the ancient lands who has mastered great powers and mysterious technology. Personally, I think that this debate is unimportant. I joined the Guild for Elias for his ideals. When I hear my companions get upset over vain arguments, I start to wonder whether Elias isn't a myth invented by the ancients to stir up new hope among the homins during the war with the [[Kitin|Kitins]]. Which is exactly how I think the [[Karavan]] invented Jena and the Kamis invented Ma-Duk, to justify their oppression of us. But at least we don't use Elias to try to get some kind of control over homins!

'''Interviewer:''' Forgive me for asking, but certain "events" have shown that you do in fact collect a lot of information about various homins. What is this information and what is it used for?

'''Hiaoi:''' Hmm, well, this is information that is supposed to let us find individuals in the population who might be of interest to the guild. So we observe influential homins, what they do, where they live, etc.

'''Interviewer:''' But - that's spying!

'''Hiaoi:''' It would be if we misused the information! But we are only seeking to assess the forces at work in order to protect ourselves, while making it possible for those who appear worthy to join us. Now if you keep twisting my words like that, I am not sure that I should continue this interview.

:''I ran after Hiaoi to hold her back. She angrily replied that she had things to do, but that if I insisted, we could resume the interview in two days.''

==Part Two==

:''So we are speaking with Hiaoi again, in order to complete our interview on a calmer note. To avoid upsetting her again, I decided to continue the interview with a more neutral topic.''

'''Interviewer:''' What made you decide to become a member of the Guild of Elias?

'''Hiaoi:''' I joined the guild in 2506. My sister had been a member for a long time, but she died in 2504 while trying to defend one of our [[Tryker]] members, who the Fung-Tun slave masters had come to capture. Some homins came to see us the next day to tell us that she had been punished by Ma-Duk for infringing on the laws of his representative, the great sage Fung-Tun. My sister was not the only victim; the reign of Fung-Tun made me aware of how dangerous fanatics can be. That is why, two years after my sister's death, I decided to follow in her footsteps.

'''Interviewer:''' How did you become aware of the existence of the Guild of Elias?

'''Hiaoi:''' The first person to tell me about Elias was our neighbor. He traveled a lot, but he was always sure to visit us whenever he returned home. I was still very young, but I loved to listen to him speak of his travels. And then, one day, he spoke of Elias. My mother, who was a kamist believer, didn't like him talking about Elias and always looked for a way to interrupt the conversation. I barely paid attention at the time, but this only piqued my sister's curiosity. She spent more and more time with our neighbor, to our mother's despair. When I decided to join the guild, I tried to make contact with him. I thought he must have helped my sister get into the guild. But it took me two years to find him, because he had fled from the repression that came after the guild's fight against slavery. But I have never regretted it.

'''Interviewer:''' How does one join the guild?

'''Hiaoi:''' Well, to tell you the truth, it isn't really that you join the guild, but that it comes to you. When it was first created, the guild recruited everyone on the basis of their good will, but today, with the tensions between Kamis and Karavans, the guild cannot take the risk of recruiting everyone indiscriminately. The risk of a new round of repression, at a time when homins need us more than ever, is far too great. When a homin seems suitable to us, we contact him. If he shows an interest, then we give him permission to learn the teachings of the guild. If he is still interested at the end of this learning period, we put him in the position where he can be the most useful. But even though we limit our recruiting to avoid drawing attention to ourselves, we need sympathizers now more than ever, to spread the message of Elias. I hope that this interview will give homins a chance to know us better, and make up for the risks I am taking by speaking with you.}}

{{The Chronicles of Atys}}

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Chronicles of the New Beginning]]
[[Category:The Chronicles of Atys]]
[[Category:Trytonist Chronicles]]

[[fr:Chronique:Hiaoi,_Chercheuse_d’Elias]]
[[de:Hiaoi,_Sucherin_von_Elias]]

The Assassination of Loria

2014-11-18T15:34:07Z

Arturia:

__NOTOC__
{{Quotation|''Excerpts from the journal of Dissan Mac'rinin, entered (2436) II, Harvestor 28.''|
As expected, the target has left the royal palace in the middle of the night, quickly leaving the city of Matia to head south. As agreed, we made a cautious advance; we were warned repeatedly to not underestimate her abilities.

It has been a year since Loria started to taunt the forces of the Duke di Tylini organizing numerous attacks and releasing more and more slaves, who then swelled her ranks. Today, this dark farce would stop, and I was finally able to establish an enduring position for myself amongst the Matis.

As [[Loria]] broke through into the forest, my [[Matis]] companion silently signaled to me: we had to wait an hour before moving to the ambush site by another route, so that we could be waiting for them. Having monitored them for some weeks, we knew her path perfectly, and even her shortcut into the [[Prime Roots]] was now well known. More than that, traps had been set in the hiding place that she had made in case of any problems.

Under the visor of his parok helm, Rocho whispered softly into a [[Karavan]] communicator to prevent the others from leaving the target. Although I had my doubts about the identity of our sponsors on the [[Tryker]] side, those on the Matis side must be extremely powerful to have two of these very holy relics.

The hour had passed and our mektoub now raced through the forest, toward the shafts that lead down into the Prime Roots. This entry was not as convenient as those with a vortex, and despite their prehensile feet we left our mounts on the surface, descending along a vine recently moved by the weight of a petite homin. She had definitely been past here; the net was tightening around her.

When we finally caught up with her, the others had already surrounded her in a narrow passage that she generally used to avoid being detected by predators. Although she appeared ready for combat, the confusion on her face was plain to see when she realized that there were Trykers amongst her assailants. Our chief, Pebre Freldo, simply announced to her that it was time to pay for opposing the great ones of this world, the craftsmen of [[Jena|Jena's]] design, and that her soul would rot forever for her many sins.

When we attacked, we could truly see what heroes are made of. She was an exceptional fighter, but refused to land fatal blows on the Trykers among us. That earned her a helping pike in the side, but by some miracle she managed to escape the ambush. After all, it was her excellence at escaping that had led us to this in the first place. Leaping astride a nearby mektoub that didn't even have a saddle, she quickly outdistanced us.

As might be expected, she fled to her hiding place; with her injury she could not leave the Prime Roots as the smell of blood would attract all kinds of predators from miles around. Pebre ordered everyone to put filters in our helmets, and to start heading to Loria's refuge.

When we arrived, she was crawling out towards the exit, trying to escape the cloud of gas our trap had released. Even the great Loria could not survive the deathly vapors of the largest Prime Roots yelks after all. We all looked on as she painfully crawled, unable to even leave the harmful green tendrils; finally, Pebre declared her practically dead.

While everyone else had turned away and left her to her fate, I took a last look at the one who had caused us so much trouble. Lifting her head, she appeared to be transfixed by a ray of light that had broken through the darkness of the Prime Roots. Finally, she looked at me, and asked with her last breath: "... Why ...? "}}

{{The Chronicles of Atys}}

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:The Chronicles of Atys]]
[[Category:Fire of Coriolis Chronicles]]

[[fr:Chronique:Le_meurtre_de_Loria]]
[[de:Die_Ermordung_von_Loria]]

The Siege of Karavia

2014-11-18T15:10:52Z

Arturia:

__NOTOC__
{{Quotation|''as told by Pergio Vasti, a Matis military-chronicler''|
==Part One==

[[Karavia]], the [[Matis]] fortified city built on the site of the first [[Karavan]]-Matis encounter, had fallen to barbarian [[Fyros]] forces during the reign of [[King Noblis]]. Situated at midpoint along the water route linking the [[Aeden Aqueous|Lake Lands]] to Fyros territory, the city had become a vast garrison town providing armed cover to Fyros outposts running north and south. Three generations had not sufficed to quell our deep-seated humiliation wrought upon us by the infidel invaders that continued to grow fat on the holy land, our land.

But at long last, out of the ruins of our revolt-stricken dominions, came a new hope in the guise of the valiant warrior-king, [[Aniro III]], second son of Danido the Decrepit. Aniro set out on a campaign with a contingent of faithful knights to reconquer the hearts of the people and to forge a new army to fight under the one banner against the common enemy.

One of those knights was Gioni di Tylini, a sure-handed colossus of Karavian stock, and a fervent believer in [[Jena]]. Tylini went on to distinguish himself in the battle of Thormes where he converted his tribal prisoners into loyal subjects. His return to Matia, the Matis capital of the old lands, was marked with great pageant and no sooner had the fanfare died down than he was summoned by the king. Time had come for the spurs of Matis knights to drive the heathenish imps from the holy land.

Moreover, victory at [[Karavia]] would open the road to the sea shores further west as well as giving a virtually unhindered passage to the proverbial riches of the Tryker lake lands to the south. However, the walls of the fortified city were strong and high, the occupants could hold out against a siege at least till Fyros divisions of relief troops brought support, which would reasonably take them a little over forty days.

- "But, my liege," said Tylini, "by the time we have taken up our positions the Fyros will surely have sent the full brunt of their army from their homelands to [[Karavia]] to relieve the city. We shall be outflanked and caught between two armies..."

- "Worthy Tylini, you would acquiesce that an essence to victory is knowing how the land lies. You shall be the bait to lure the Fyros to a battlefield of our own design!"

- "With all due respects, my Lord, we shall be unable to maneuver and our strike force shall be reduced to half..."

- "You would believe your King would lead you knowingly unto the jaws of death, Gioni di Tylini?"

- "No, my Lord!" protested the knight.

- "Then hear me out." The king rolled out a map on the long syre wood table. "You shall lay siege to the city of [[Karavia]]. Our informers tell us there is a permanent contingent of but 5000 spears. But even if you outnumber them, remember, you will first let time wear down the enemy's spirits, no Matis homin must be needlessly lost, wounded or even fatigued by futile raids. Our force of strike will depend on their good condition and by consequence the outcome of the greater battle. Now, you conclude as will Abylus that the Fyros shall have no choice but to rally to their defense taking the long march south from their northern homelands or face losing their vital water link to the Lake Lands. But your king shall be lying in wait in the forest set well back from the road. Our scouts shall watch them as they pass..." As the King's leather gauntleted finger traced the route over the map Tylini began to fully take in the king's plan.

- "Mmm, and once they are past, your highness would send me word, close in on them from the rear and push them on to where we would most desire them." The king gave the great knight a comradely pat on the back.

- "Have our battleground carefully prepared by your engineers, good Tylini, and the rest shall make noble reading in our history books!"

==Part Two==

There was one major obstacle to the king's plan, the march to Karavia would reasonably take two months meandering between the great trees, clambering through the dense vegetation; a march that would leave nothing of the benefit of surprise. However, Tylini, renowned for his resourcefulness, enrolled an extra company of two hundred craftsmen. Then, instead of heading northwestward straight for [[Karavia]], the king and he took the three day march east to the great falls of Ria where the vast river widens out. In little more than a week, working day and night, engineers and crafters had felled over seventy tall bolka trees and turned them into fabulous rafts for transporting the army smoothly down the Ria. Between the vales of Bero and Ronda, riverside tribes stood amidst the luxuriant foliage in marvel at the awe-inspiring fleet of 300 vessels floating over 30000 homins, provisions, [[mektoub]]s and 150 trained [[ragus]] tranquilly down the Ria to war.

Within the week the army had arrived at the confluent of the Darone where they were forced to disembark because of the rapid waters there. The king, at this point, led his army north, Tylini headed west. The forest from there on became less dense and barely two days later Tylini had his army positioned at but a day's march north of the holy city. The whole journey had not taken twenty days!

Outposts and villages on the water route going south were surrounded, neatly silenced and razed in short sharp night attacks. Any enemy fleeing to the woods was systematically tracked down by ragus and executed. It was vital that Abylus did not get wind of the extent of the army that was awaiting him, else he would deploy double the force.

Before coming upon the holy city Tylini split his army into three divisions each consisting of upwards of five thousand homins. Moreover, Tylini was careful to display only a portion of the force, just enough to encourage the [[Fyros]] to stay put. At last, standing on a flat hillock where his tent had been pitched, Gioni could cast his eyes upon [[Karavia]], the grand wooden towers, the elaborate edifices, and the massive living wall of prime roots that had so often played on his mind as a boy. All was as his grandfather had depicted and portrayed in landscapes on the walls of the family residence. That is, with the exception that the ground immediately surrounding the city walls had been cleared of vegetation and that the road leading into the main gates lie straight as a bolt. To preserve the city, and so as not to attract needless curiosity of the [[Kami]] things, Tylini decided that no fire lancers would be used for the assault. When the time came the city would be overrun by stratagem and pure force! Engineers devised siege engines, crafters began felling trees while soldiers set to work preparing the stretch of turf land leading some way beyond the city walls to the north. Thousands of spears were planted in the ground devised to spring up at a forty five degree angle to meet the Fyros relief warriors from the north in their course of attack.

The besieged Fyros in the fortified city were at first content enough to bide their time believing that an army would be sent in as soon as the administrators saw that the water convoys had ceased. But on perceiving the battle ground being carefully prepared as aforementioned they began to realize the extent of our determination. Underestimating our forces, they began making forays which they came to quickly realize could only result in mass suicide. Though the harassing ceased, many a Fyros was captured endeavoring to get through our water tight ring with the aim of making for Fyros homelands with tidings of our preparations. The culprits were invariably sent back to the city gates tied to a [[mektoub]] with their heads set in their laps!

It should be said that at this epoch the Fyros, having manifested disobedience as to the given Law, had fallen out of favor with the [[Karavan]]. Thus Tylini knew there would be no chance of any teleportation unit within the city. What is more, Jena, having given all homins of Atys the freedom of thought, her disciples had no right to interpose in homin affairs.

By the second week of the siege the battle field preparations were finalized, the homins were growing restless, news of the Fyros army was expected any day. But a twist of fate was soon to change the course of events.

==Part Three==

A bloody sun was rising and gradually cracking its ruddy hues upon the leafy high boughs above Tylini's tent and upon the vast green and brown sward yonder where the battlefield lay in wait. A rude hullabaloo was rising from the citadel where the pagans, peculiar to their inferior station, were giving themselves to summer solstice festivities as if to mock our heritage further. Tylini was contemplating the skyline and the thickening clouds when there came a galloping from behind accompanied by some commotion. Gioni turned to see a mounted mektoub give a heave of the head and collapse in shear exhaustion. The messenger, who had leapt off the mount just in time, true to [[Matis]] breeding, straightened his green and crimson tunic, gave a bow before stepping over to the great knight handing over a scroll whose seal was embossed with the flower of the baylona and tagged with a crimson silk ribbon. Tylini took the royal billet with slight agitation which visibly increased as he perused the contents. He then looked around at his entourage of knights.

- "Sirs, by the love of [[Jena]], our King sends us word: Today [[Karavia]] shall regain her dignity! Today we unsheathe our blades; today we ride on the winds of fortune!" He then pointed to the northern sky at the confirmation of the king's message: thick trails of smoke carried by the warm summer solstice winds were straggling over the sky from the northern frontier. "Fyros lands are raging with a conflagration of castigation! Providence is on our side today!" vociferated Tylini.

Indeed, what came to be known as the great Fire of Coriolis was raging over the Fyros wastelands, had cut off the water route and by consequence impeded Fyros troops from reaching [[Karavia]]. The great battle, for which the ground had been laid, would come later. Meanwhile, the smaller poultry was fatigued and cornered, now was the time to roast it!

Tylini sent in a mock siege engine force early that evening to hassle [[Fyros]] archers while a company of knights with trained ragus managed to get close to the wall where Tylini knew from his grandfather of a shallow part in the prime root foundation. The ravenous hounds dug away the shallow soil making a gap under the prime root wall. On the given order they then poured out on the other side creating havoc while the knights crept in and cut down the great wooden drawbridge.

The battle horn was sounded, the drums rolled in the dimming light and the [[Matis]] army charged down in a colossal, dark and glimmering wave to take the city by storm. Tylini spear-headed the surge hacking and thrashing his way perilously, boldly through the milling heathen mob which all night long put up resistance to the last. But by the light of the misty morn, once again Matis colors flew high and proud over the holy city of [[Karavia]].

Standing triumphantly upon the steps of the keep, Gioni di Tylini turned his face to the heavens in thanks to Jena and large drops began to splatter upon his forehead. A deluge then broke the silence, he turned his bloody palms upward to cleanse them as all around heathen blood that swamped the holy city was being flushed away in rivulets. Tylini's heart swelled in the knowledge that these lands were now his as his gaze wondered south over the road to the Lake Lands...}}

{{The Chronicles of Atys}}

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:The Chronicles of Atys]]
[[Category:Fire of Coriolis Chronicles]]

[[fr:Le_siège_de_Karavia]]
[[de:Die_Belagerung_von_Karavia]]

Yi Be-Pian, Old Zoraï of the Company of the Eternal Tree

2014-11-18T14:14:37Z

Arturia:

__NOTOC__
{{quotation|''interview with Yi Be-Pian, an old Zoraï of the Company of the Eternal Tree.''|
:''We have travelled deep into the [[Haven of Purity]] to meet the homins of one of the Bark’s most important tribes, the Company of the Eternal Tree. Having made contact with Bian La-Viang, the welcome host, he finally directs us towards an old Zoraï stooped over an earthenware vase.''

'''Reporter:''' Hello, who are you?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' Ssh… Just a second if you please…

:''He taps the vase for a moment before putting it down.''

There you go, isn’t that better? Thank you for waiting. Patience is a great virtue. What are a few minutes at my age? No doubt not more than my life in proportion to that of the Progenitor… They call me Yi Be-Pian. They say I’m a sage, but no doubt that’s just a polite way of saying I’m the oldest in the [[Company of the Eternal Tree]].

:''He smiles.''

'''Reporter:''' Let’s talk about the Company. When was it founded?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' I may be old, but I’m not so old that I was around when our company was created by the revered Mai Loo-Kai, may we all follow her example, in 2364. Few like to remember that time. [[Zoraï]] society had developed and, despite its devotion to spiritual matters, it began to turn away from the [[Kami]] to concern itself with much more… material matters. Seeing the Zoraï put [[Homin|homins]] before the Kami more and more often, Mai Loo-Kai, may her spirit guide us for a long time, gathered many of her friends around her and decided to found a guild entirely dedicated to the Kami. In its great wisdom, the council applauded her initiative and gave her its full backing. So Mai Loo-Kai created the Company of the Eternal Tree. Along with those who soon came to be called her disciples, she preached respect for the Kami and regularly called the Zoraï to order.

'''Reporter:''' But aren’t you a tribe?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' [[Ma-Duk]] didn’t create [[Atys]] in a day, I can’t tell my story in a sapbeat.

:''He smiles.''

So there came a day when Mai Loo-Kai, may her sap flow through the veins of Ma-Duk, realised that those who called themselves sages weren’t following the advice that they encouraged her to give. So she turned and addressed her reprimands to them as well. They didn’t appreciate being called to order in the slightest and so the guild’s problems began. The council began to criticize it, accusing it of trying to spread trouble with the aim of obtaining power for itself. Feeling that if she stayed in [[Zoran]] the power of the homins would end up corrupting the guild and its ideals, Mai Loo-Kai gathered those who had remained faithful, dissolved the guild and left to establish herself far from the authority of the council which was perverting her noble design.

'''Reporter:''' And the central power of Zoran left her alone?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' Mai Loo-Kai, praised be her wisdom, stopped preaching, preferring to devote all her energy to those she revered, the Kami. In so doing, she proved the council wrong and the example set by her devotion had more effect on Zoraï society than all her preaching. By distancing herself from homins she led them along the path of enlightenment. Ashamed, the council asked her to return, but she refused. Nowhere in Zoran could she live in such symbiosis with the Kami. Not long afterwards she disappeared, the first to have attained the Kami Age. Her sap is now one with Ma-Duk. Soon, I know, it will be my turn to rejoin her.

'''Reporter:''' Observing your camp, there’s something I’ve been wondering. There are many different peoples here, and yet you have only spoken to me of Zoraï…

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' Observation. A great quality for those who know how to see. My people remained very inward-looking for a long time through fear but, also, I think, through ignorance, ignorance having led to vanity. But when the Kami recognised us as their most loyal servants, we were induced into bringing the sacred word of Ma-Duk to other peoples. Meeting souls desirous of following our path, we opened our doors to all homins that the Kami considered to be worthy of serving. Then came the great wave of kitins which swept away all civilisation, including much of ours. The Kami fled, all the better to return after they’d gathered their strength, as we later realised. Once the Bark was accessible to us again, we retook our place beside the Kamis in 2483. The tribe had lost many members, so we opened our arms wide to all those who wished to rebuild a world of harmony with the Kami, whether they be [[Zoraï]], [[Tryker|Trykers]], [[Fyros]] or [[Matis]]. It’s time for me to perform my devotions to the eternal Ma-Duk. Hold on to those questions you’re dying to ask, the answers will come in their own time.

:''I left Yi Be-Pian to his meditations and made the most of the time to soak up the atmosphere of calm which reigned in the tribe. As I silently observed the camp, I didn’t immediately see Yi Be-Pian sit down beside me. Smiling, he finally broke the silence.''

Your respect for our traditions honours you. It seems that the day hasn’t yet come for my return to Ma-Duk. So some of your questions will be answered.

'''Reporter:''' There’s something I don’t get. You swear by the Kami and yet you don’t seem to have that bad a relationship with the Matis.

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' We may condemn their tendency to help the Karavan, but we respect their love of plants and the research they carry out in that field. We only hope that one day we can open their eyes and convince them to use their immense scientific learning for the good of the Kami and the fight against the Goo. No, those we consider to be real fools are the Fyros. They’re worse than children. We can’t tolerate their government’s acceptance of their dangerous games with fire. They say that they’re devoted to the Kami but, like the sages of the past, they put their own personal interests before those of Atys.

'''Reporter:''' How does one become worthy of serving the Kami in the Company?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' The Kami alone decide. Those who respect the sacred rules most faithfully and learn to know all the Kami have the immense honour of being chosen to serve. Before, when the tribe was respected for its immense valour, its members were considered by all to be sacred beings and, although there existed many religious orders, the Company of the Eternal Tree was considered to be the elite and we were regarded as the most pious of the pious.

'''Reporter:''' How do you serve the Kami?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' There are a thousand ways of serving the Kami. Dedicating prayers to them and looking after a corner of the land is already a way of honouring them. However, the tribe’s most important task is spreading the teachings of Ma-Duk, may her sap flow eternally, and making homins aware that they must safeguard Atys. Those who have been chosen to serve the Kami directly have the honour of serving as their spokespersons. They go to live with the Kami in order to familiarise themselves with their way of life and to better learn their language. These elect will be the first to attain the Kami Age, I’m quite sure, because they understand the word that they bring to us better than anyone. Our devotion also requires lots of practical action to safeguard Atys. We work the land to remove harmful things or, conversely, to resow the springs which have been dried up by unscrupulous foragers. Finally, we try to protect Atys from its most dangerous enemies: The [[Karavan]] and the homins who have debased themselves to serve them, the [[Kuilde]]. One of our encampments is situated just inside Nexus in order to try and restrict their harmful actions.

'''Reporter:''' But why in [[Nexus]]?'''

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' There you go again, asking questions without thinking. Consider the geographic location of Nexus, which is strengthened by the three vortexes. You see, the answers are sometimes closer than you realise, you just need to take the time to think about it. Nexus occupies a central position on Atys. Nowhere else are you so close to all the regions at once. The Kuilde tries to use it to strengthen its control over all of Atys’ resources and in particular those of the upper Primes. The Karavan cares little for the equilibrium of Atys; we have to stop them from using those stinking, toadying ragus, the Kuilde, to devastate the regions. Mind you, at least by concentrating on Nexus, they leave us alone to carry out research into our ultimate enemy, the [[Goo]].

'''Reporter:''' Tell me about the fight against the Goo. How can it be that with all the time the Kami have known about it, they still haven’t found a way to eradicate it?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' The Kami are powerless against it. What’s more, they are extremely vulnerable to it. I’ve seen with my own eyes a Kami being sucked up by the Goo before I could intervene. No, I tell you, it’s up to us to protect them. Did you know that homins have a better resistance to the Goo than most other living creatures? Our latest findings seem to bear this out.So the Kami protect Atys and we protect the Kami. There is equilibrium in everything.

'''Reporter:''' How do you explain the fact that it’s only in the jungle that the Goo is to be found so persistently?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' Despite all our research, unfortunately we haven’t found the answer to that question. However, our most recent observations lead us to believe that if the Goo attacks Atys in the [[Witherings|jungle]], it may be due to the greater presence of plant life. The Goo attacks any living matter. If it feeds off it, it makes sense that it will take hold where life is most flourishing…

'''Reporter:''' Does the upcoming conflict risk compromising your fight against the Goo?

'''Yi Be-Pian:''' We fear so. All our forces will be mobilised to defend Ma-Duk, revered creator of everything, which will stop us regulating the Goo. To that is added our fear of seeing the Karavan try to use it to attack the Kami and, in doing so, hastening the end of Atys. We hope to be able to stop those fanatics before they resort to such extremes. Part of me, though, is happy to know that I will soon join Ma-Duk. I no longer have the strength to take up arms and it would eat away at my soul to witness an event, one which is likely to be a major turning point in the history of hominity, and not be able to take part in it. May I attain the Kami Age before the arrival of [[Jena]]!}}

{{The Chronicles of Atys}}

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:Chronicles of the New Beginning]]
[[Category:The Chronicles of Atys]]
[[Category:Chronicles of the Witherings]]

[[fr:Chroniques_d'Atys:Yi_Be-Pian,_Vieux_Zoraï_de_la_Compagnie_de_l’Arbre_Éternel]]
[[de:Yi_Be-Pian,_Alter_Zoraï_von_der_Gemeinschaft_des_Ewigen_Baumes]]

The Company of Loria

2014-11-18T13:48:46Z

Arturia:

__NOTOC__
{{Quotation|''as told by Derry O'Darren, Tryker chronicler''|
==Part One==

For many a year our people prospered in the ancient lands of Trykoth in the force of the peace that our alliance with the [[Fyros]] procured.

The original deal was we'd supply Fyros cities in the north with water for their expansion, and they'd provide us with protection against our [[Matis]] neighbors who'd been blatantly casting their greedy eyes over our lands. Incidentally, this was about the time that the Matis had dammed the great Munshia river that takes its source in their territory and rolls on to the Fyros wastelands. So as it happened, not only would we be running a route through a sliver of their land but also nudging them out of the water business, hah... Still, I say it served them right for overtaxing their water in the first place. Just like the Matis to spite their own noses, no sense of commerce...

More than ten thousand free homins, [[Tryker|Trykers]] and Fyros alike slogged away four and a half years solid carving a twenty foot wide aqueduct through 500 miles of flat bark along the Matis coastline. Thirty great mills along the way churned the water along feeding it in an endless flow from the Trykoth lakes to the Fyros desert dunes in the north. Settlements sprang up along the way many o' which grew into protection outposts or trade towns, it was the beginning of a whole new way of life.

The North-South water route paved the way for new trade, anything from silverweed sap and moon linen to auberwood resin and [[prakker]] grease. Those were the glory days as old pa used to say, bless his soul... Oh, no doubt it weren't all glad-rags `n' lily-paddlin' everyday, I grant you. There were some troubles, in the shape of the Matis mostly, as green as a sap-pickled toad, they were, and biting their fingers for being so greedy! But all in all folk lived a merry enough life; plenty of food `n' drink, dancing and dallying and not to mention bags of work all year round, what with upkeep, repairing and peddling...

Yep, everything was swell as a clam in a shell when the Fyros - never happy with their lot - as per usual went poking their noses where they shouldn't and inadvertently set off a huge fire stretching from Coriolis to Destranon.

Well, to cut a long story short, the new Matis king, [[Aniro III]], took advantage of the Fyros being all caught up in fire and swept through the city of Karavia at midway on the water route killing everything that so much as raised an eyebrow! Everyone dead, gone, all in one night. Horrendous, it was, unthinkabubble... I get a lump just thinking about it...

T'was indeed sad times that befell our fathers. Well, after ploughing his way through water route villages and outposts, razing everything in his path, the dark Duke, Gioni di Tylini sent an ultimatum at our mountain gates for us to lay down our arms or have our wives and children cut to the marrow. Well, true to our life-loving spirit and always quick to adapt to a tricky situation, the Tryker tribal chiefs thought it best to stay with the livin' so as to fight another day!

That notwithstanding, though, many a Tryker took their chances in the hills that backed onto the great impassable wall of the [[Zorai]]. But once the Matis closed in on them they were like sitting game for the picking and the Matis made examples out of most of them.

We were herded off like yelks in our thousands, driven to the Matis territories where we were divided up and dispatched over the lands. We were set to hard labor making arms and general skivvying for over fifty days and fifty nights till the answer to our prayers came, not from the sky but from underground : Loria and her company of intrepid Trykers were to change our way of thinking, and bring out our true colors in a way that we would never have dreamed...

==Part Two==

Loria was the daughter of a [[Beachcombers|beachcomber]], a slight built but hearty maid who knew the underground caverns better than any who ever lived. Legend has it that before beginning the forced march under armed escort out of the lagoon region of Trykoth, one night she slipped out of the stockade, unshackled a burly bunch of beachcombers and led them clean past the Matis watchmen into the hills south. But no sooner had the sun began to rise and dissipate the summer mist than the Matis chief got wind of the escape and sent out a search party twenty strong on mektoub-back, spurred on by the incentive of reward if they brought back every head before nightfall.

Despite the Trykers wading up and across streams whenever possible to avoid leaving tracks and dropping their scent, the Matis were soon on their tails. By late morning, whenever the breeze lifted and shifted inland the unmistakable sounds of steady mektoub canter and Matis tongues came into earshot, meaning the pursuers were but an hour's ride behind! Still Loria pushed her company on keeping true to her initial course south by southeast, though not without having to give the company some reassurance. "Mountain to the left, Zorai wall ahead, Matis behind, to my mind we'd stand more chance heading west!" said Bodley Shaines, a stout fella who [[Loria]] knew from childhood.

- "No, our only sanctuary lies where the Matis dare not tread," she replied, "where you see the great root springing forth yonder from the belly of Atys. From there we follow the galleries east under the great mountain into Matis land, to free our brethren!"

- "We'd be more help to our brethren if we saved our own skins first, I say!"

- "No, Bodley," said Bremen Layley, "Loria's right, the west of Trykoth is riddled with Matis gingo handlers hunting down runners." As if to second Bremen's reasoning there came a sickening howling echo from a hunt somewhere afar in the west.

- "Well I'm stickin' with Loria," said Ticker O'Flaney.

- "So am I," seconded Binney Torly.

- "Trust me, Bodley, another hour's march and we're safe!" Loria insisted.

- "Oh, well, I s'pose I ain't leaving you now. Besides, someone's gotta look after you, little princess!"

- "Good, now let's save our breath for striding!" Without further ado Loria dug in her heels, lengthened her stride and fixed her sights on the high plateau yonder followed by Ticker O'Flaney, Bremen Layley, Binny Torly, Jeffy Payne and last but not least Bodley Shaines keeping up the rear. On they trekked, threading through the dense bushes and shrubs of the lowland forest, over grassy ridges and down slopes in the early summer sunshine that warmed the magnificent irin flowers deliciously enhancing their fragrance. T'wasn't always an easy thing to concentrate on escape and murder and such like in a land blessed with such natural harmony. At one point, Ticker O'Flaney couldn't help a whistle but was then rebuked by Loria when he broke out into song, you can't blame the fella, such is the Tryker love of free living, is it not?! Another time Bodley Shaines got a good scolding for picking scrath berries and general dawdling.

At last they found themselves at the top of the plateau in the middle of which was a deep cleft where the great stalk reached down into the forbidden bowels of Atys. All six Tryker homins stood in wonder at the great root that weaved its way up to the canopy, then they turned in unison to take in the view of the blue lagoons shimmering in the distance like silken spreads `neath the midday sky.

- "Look yonder to the sea," observed Bremen Layley, "looks like our salt vessels are on course for Karavia."

- "Maybe our folk are fleeing to Fyros lands..." added Binney.

- "To join them to wage war against the invaders!"

- "Three cheers for freedom!" rejoiced Ticker, but Loria held up a hand.

- "Look again," she said solemnly, "the royal flags you see are of no tribe of Trykoth!"

- "Matis!"

- "See the water route, see the droves down there being driven away to slavery..." As Loria pointed out the dark masses representing the thousands of Tryker prisoners, her ears were suddenly alerted of the galloping of mektoubs coming up the trail not nine hundred yards on the other side of the plateau behind them. The Matis knights must have spotted them and had taken the bridle track round to take the Trykers by surprise.

- "Quick, to the cavern!" cried Loria.

- "The slope's too far, we'll never make it in time!"

- "To the edge of the cleft, there's a vine we can climb down!" shouted Loria. The Matis were but three hundred yards away as the Trykers grasped the vine, all swung over the ledge and began to slip down the fifty foot scarp, that is, all except one.

- "Come on, Bodley! What are you doing?!" called Loria from over the ledge.

- "Keeping the Matis from our backs, you follow the lads now, Loria, you'll be down by the time I've cut this through enough!"

- "But Bodley!!"

- "I trusted you, now it's your turn to trust me! Go on now, I'll be alright long as you get a move on." Bodley continued slicing the vine with his penknife as the Matis closed in.

==Part Three==

The first knights wielding their swords were but ten yards from Bodley when he turned and threw a pocketful of prickly scrath galls in their road. The mektoubs reared on the prickles and threw their riders giving the bold Tryker an instant to see that the company had touched the ground and that Loria was already two thirds down the scarp, and then he too slipped over the ledge. A furious knight scrambled after him but on seeing the state of the vine turned to his chief.

- "The wretch has cut the vine, it won't hold us, sire,"

The Matis chief advanced to the ledge. "Get back on your mektoubs," he ordered and swiped clean through the remaining strands of vine. "They're heading for the cavern! To the path on the other side!" he bawled before making off in a lightening gallop. Bodley was halfway down when the lifeline was completely severed. But the artful little fella kicked from the scarp wall at the last second to fling himself on a leafy flowering irin branch, so breaking the fall, but which then delivered him to the ground with a thud smack in the middle of a generous pile of dung! He got to his feet, pretty disgusted but none the worse for wear amid some laughter and cheering now that the Matis had been foiled. For the slope running down into the bed of the cleft was some three hundred yards on the far side, whereas the Trykers had just thirty yards separating them from the Prime Root entrance, and they all knew the Matis would never go against the Law and venture in after them. But Loria, the only one without a grin on her face, took the Tryker by his dung stained lapel, and gave his arm a sniff.

- "Torbak, and fresh..." she uttered with a dark glance to the cavern of their haven. At the same moment there came from within a horrible roaring yawn that numbed their senses.

The Matis were racing across the plateau to the far slope and Loria knew they would be within the arena outflanking them in less than a minute. Bodley sank to his knees as much through moral exhaustion as despair.

- "Get up, homin!!" cried she, "we're not done yet, get up, there's a greater battle awaits us. Now swallow your pride and do as I do, all of you!" She took a large Prime Root leaf, smeared it into the torbak dung and proceeded in rubbing it into her clothing. The others reluctantly did likewise as the Matis mektoubs came thundering down the slope. "Now, brace your hearts, remain calm and don't run, the scent you now wear will cover you." Loria then stepped forward as the Matis came charging over swords outstretched with the captain crying: "Only their heads!"

Unperturbed by Matis cries of slaughter, Loria continued her sure and steady progress towards the dangerous Prime Root haven with her company close behind all in one block. The Matis were but twenty yards from their heads as they came into the shade of the gaping cavern entrance when all at once, there was an appalling roar and a pack of five great torbaks pranced before them. Even one step from the jaws of death Loria did not falter in her stride, and led her company between the formidable creatures without them giving the Trykers so much as a sniff! The galloping mektoubs stopped dead throwing the first astonished riders into the path of the awesome predators who then lunged their saber-horns into the soft Matis bellies to secure each unexpected morsel before going on to the next in a frenetic binge of killing.

Only two Matis out of the whole party made it back to tell they had been trapped by a witch, claiming that not only had she the power to conjure evil creatures and set them on her enemy, but she dared breach the Law and descend into the forbidden caverns of the underworld!

The Company of Loria didn't hang around for the feast but continued on to meet their heroic destiny through the Prime Roots under the great mountain to the greater battle.}}

{{The Chronicles of Atys}}

[[Category:Lore]]
[[Category:The Chronicles of Atys]]
[[Category:Fire of Coriolis Chronicles]]

[[de:Die_Gemeinschaft_von_Loria]]
[[fr:Chroniques_d'Atys:La_compagnie_de_Loria]]

The Company of Loria

2014-11-18T13:48:23Z

Arturia: