Post by iglw on Sept 16, 2011 1:46:59 GMT -5
The Book of Kovathak
*Plants a flag in IC boards*
Races of Kovathak: Asherati (Sandstorm), Bhuka (Sandstorm), Giants (Frost, Fire, Storm) [G-K veikanath] (SRD), Goliath (RoS), Merrow (Ogre, SRD), Raptoran (RotW)
Races of Kovathak: Asherati (Sandstorm), Bhuka (Sandstorm), Giants (Frost, Fire, Storm) [G-K veikanath] (SRD), Goliath (RoS), Merrow (Ogre, SRD), Raptoran (RotW)
~ ~ ~
Introduction. On the Subject of Kovathak:
Do not doubt you will be hard-pressed to find a world more harsh and demanding than that of Kovathak, whose sole purpose seems to be that of tormenting the lives of its inhabitants. Lava spews forth from all manners of stone, and that which is not covered in searing flame is reduced to a dull grey wasteland too arid for any but the hardiest plants to grow. The air is cooler on the alpine peaks, high up above the heated earth. But there, the jagged spires of rock rise up to frightening heights, striking fear into the hearts of even the most adept of climbers. Here the wind freezes and a slight slip or misstep will send one plummeting to their doom. Think not you will be safe by avoiding the land altogether, as the sea is none too kinder. For who can read the temperament of the waters whose massive waves will come crashing down without a second's notice?
Kovathak is constantly changing.
Mountains grow in months, canyons form in weeks. The earth trembles and quakes nearly every week, as do floods and tsunamis. An arid wasteland one day may soon become a lake, only to be replaced by a volcano soon after. Those hoping to survive must constantly be on the move, or find some way to keep themselves protected.
Those of other worlds would find little comfort on this ever-shifting globe of torment. The humans would not survive long in the extreme heat and cold, while the elves would take little comfort in the lack of sprawling forests. And where would a dwarf-lord build his halls of stone, when there is little to guarantee the stone will be there in a month, a week, or even a day?
Indeed, it takes a different kind of being altogether to survive the harsh environment of Kovathak: The giants, whose thick skin and tough constitution enable them to survive the heats and colds of the earth; the goliaths, whose nomadic lifestyle and adept climbing allow them to move with the turning of the earth; the raptorans, whose wings allow them to soar high above the clouds and avoid the harsh lands entirely; the merrow, whose monsterous forms allow them to survive deep beneath the turbulent waves; and the bhukua who survive only under the protection of Kovathak's four moons.
We shall not speak of the asherati.
This is the Book of Kovathak: a collection of their trials and triumphs.
~~~
I. On the Subject of Lamentation:
The Vattu tribe cautiously made their way through the alpine peaks. They were few in number, a small band, no more than thirty or forty members at most. They had been travelling nearly nonstop for days, yet still their Chieftain urged them forward. Every hour or so their Skywatcher would pause to converse with the earth to see if it was safe enough to rest. If not, they would continue yet again on their harrowing journey. Even with their small numbers the march was slow and difficult. They carried with them the wounded, victims of the most recent giant attack. The Lamenter had consulted with the Chieftain on the matter, of course, but the Chieftain was reluctant. They had lost too many already. It would not do to lose more. The Lamenter kept insisting it, though. Just one. The weakest whose broken leg was holding them back more than anyone. The Chieftain shook his head, but knew it had to be done. It was the way of their people.
The ceremony was conducted in a swift but solemn manner. The wailing dirge was quieter than usual for fear of being overheard by wayward ears. Most knew that, in time, his leg would heal, but for now he was a burden, too heavy to be carried by others during this trying time. He did not object to this. He knew what was expected of him: the same as expected of any other member of the tribe.
“Skywatcher Anamoke says the giants won't be here for another day or so. Our safest path lies to the west,” the Chieftain said to him, as the wailing began to die down.
Oleavamu nodded. “Then I will head east.”
The Chieftain placed a hand on the young Goliath's shoulder. “Aulak thala kaua gamala, Oleavamu.”
Oleavamu nodded. “Goli lenamaka nae, Kanaane-kan.”
The goliath turned around and slowly made his way out of the camp, limping off into the mountains.
All alone. Like a stone. With no moss.
~ ~ ~
II. On the Subject of Dawn:
The Dawncallers sing of a time when the world was young and our ancestors were newly awakened. As children they were weak and naive, not yet able to sing or hunt as we do now. Even then, Kovathak was a world of extremes. Searing flames spewed out from the earth, enveloping continents with smoke and ash – a veil of poisonous fumes, pierced only by the staggering mountain peaks where those who ventured too far high would find themselves a cold and icy shallow grave. Against the raw elements of the world, our ancestors stood little chance of survival.
It was Kavaki Ram-Lord who woke our people and led them from the perilous wastelands to the peaks of great A'agathou where the first Skywatchers learned to listen to the voice of the mountains. Naki-Uthai taught them how to climb and survive the trials put forth to us by Vanua the Mischievous. From Manethak and Theleya they learned how to hunt and scavenge for plants to sustain themselves. But even then, our ancestors suffered from a lack of water.
For that was the task of Kuliak, who had slept overlong on the Misty Plains and had forgotten to show our ancestors the path to the mountain springs. Many of our ancestors died of thirst then, and their Lamentations could be heard echoing throughout the mountains night after night. So great was their wailing that Kavaki Ram-Lord soon heard them and approached the First Chieftain, saying, “Those of my kind came across your people deaf and mute in the throes of death. Taking pity we fed ye, sheltered ye, and taught ye much, that ye may fend for yourselves when we departed on matters greater than that of your understanding. For what reason dost thou now makest such tumultuous noise as thunderous as the quaking earth itself? Dost thou yet demand more from the Ram-Lord and his flock?”
To this, the Chieftain held his ground and wavered not from the Ram-Lord's accusations of ungratefulness. For the lives of his people weighed more heavily on his heart than the dread he felt standing there beneath the chief of gods. “O Ram-Lord, the Kolmioutha have given us much in knowledge, skill, and wisdom, without which we would have long perished on the barren wastes ere we woke from nothingness, yet still we have need for more. For we are of a frail kind. We have food enough to feed our tribe, but without water I fear that we shall wane ere the waxing of the second moon.”
On hearing the words of the Chieftain, Kavaki realized what had transpired and quickly held council with the rest of his kin. There, Kuliak admitted her guilt and hung her head with shame, swearing to redress her wrongs by leading the ancestors to her mountain springs. “So it shall be done,” boomed the Ram-Lord, “yet still it is not enough.” And it came to pass that after our ancestors were taught the ways of water-finding, the other gods shunned Kuliak (as she had shunned her task before) and was no longer counted among the Kolmioutha, forever driven from the thoughts of our people save only in times of death and exile.
For the first time in his life, the morning greeted Oleavamu with silence. There were no Dawncallers to herald the rising sun; no melodies to mark the day's beginning. He was alone now. And his first thoughts turned to finding water.
~ ~ ~
III. On the Subject of Frost:
Since time immemorial the lives of our people have been plagued by the veikanath: hulking monstrosities of frost, fire, and storm. The songs we sing warn of their cruelty and treachery, for in the history of our people only the land itself has been a greater threat to us. We do not know much about them, save only that they worship strange gods and have wandered this land long before our ancestors were awake. Of all the races we have encountered on this world, none other has been a better reflection of its harsh and unforgiving environment than the veikanath.
In the early days, when the Kolmioutha had left our ancestors to their own devices, the King of the Veikanath came down from his throne to ask for their help in the building of his ice fortress, Haladath. In exchange, the King offered precious metals and gems, unlike any our ancestors had yet laid eyes on. Being still young and trustful, the First Chieftain agreed to the giant's terms and sent his finest atisans and craftsmen to the north. While construction went on, messengers would pass between Haladath and the tribes, bringing news and blessings from the workers' kin. When the fortress was finally completed a year later, however, the gates of Haladath slammed shut, and the workers were never heard from again. Our ancestors were dismayed at disappearance of their kin, but any attempts to communicate with the veikanath ended ultimately in vain.
In time, a single member of the lost work crew who had escaped Haladath staggered out from the north and told the tribes what had happened in the great fortress. Word spread among our people that the workers of Haladath had been brutally chained and enslaved, and were forced to endure a terrible march north into the Everlasting Darkness. Many died to starvation, thirst, and cold. Some were forced to eat the corpses of the fallen to survive. Where they were headed, or why the veikanath were doing this, the survivor could not say.
To this day the gates of Haladath remain shut and we do not know the purpose of the continuing atrocities committed by the veikanath.
~ ~ ~
IV. On the Subject of Tides:We are the bhuka. Riders of sand. Shapers of elements. Wielders of song. But we did not always hold such power. Here is the story of our beginnings.
When our people first entered this world from Beneath, we found ourselves lost amid the choking ash of Atu, the fire-mountain. We dared not take refuge in the giant-lands of the north, nor could we climb to such heights as the goliaths and raptorans did in the south and west. Being the least suited of all the races to endure this world's harsh environment we headed east, following the stars that the Wokuhoo had set amid the sky. Across the Misty Plains and Barren Wastes we traversed, until we reached Kovathak's eastern edge. Here we settled where the air is clean and cooled by the ocean breeze.
We soon realized, however, that our new-found homes were not as safe as we had first believed and learned that the waters of Kovathak were as unforgiving as its lands. We could not predict the sporadic movement of the tides, and great tsunamis the size of Atu would come crashing down on our settlements at the merest tremor of the earth. We had become trapped between rock, fire, water, and ash.
It is sung that as the waves closed in on him, the great shaman Takigini put on his white bone mask and beat on his sealskin drum, calling out to the Wokuhoo moon spirits, for he knew that with each moon lay the power to control one element. The water reared up above him, threatening to submerge him in a watery grave, but it was not to be. Instead the water kept its distance, pulsing with each beat of Takigini's drum. It dared not close in while the shaman kept his beat. In this manner Takigini danced all the way back to his tribe without fear. The chants of the Wokuhoo was taught to all our people, and it was agreed that from that point onward each settlement would have at least one shaman to protect it from Kovathak's rage.
~ ~ ~
V. On the Subject of Moons:
The bhuka sing they are descendants of the eldest race, having stirred in the bowels of Kovathak long before even the ancient asherati. Though there is much dispute over the exact chronology of the matter, it is generally accepted that they had, in fact, been dwelling in what they call the Beneath for many centuries before their arrival to the surface. The reason for the mass exodus of their people is unknown, but was likely related to Kovathak's ever-shifting geology.
It was night when the bhuka reached the surface, and they were bewildered at what they saw, for they had never before imagined a world without an upper boundary. Though the sky was dark, it was littered with the light of many stars. Brighter still was the light beaming down from Kovathak's four moons, all of which were full and high in the sky.
Many were indeed fearful at stepping onto the surface, for they were afraid of falling up forever into the sky, but the wisest of them, Takigini was his name, laughed and said:
"Do you not see these luminous spheres set high amid the dark? What could they be but the Wokuhoo, our guardian spirits? See there Iskotew, gleaming red with the hue of fire! Who could those be but Nipiy and Asiskiy set amid their eternal dance? And there flies wayward Yotin, ever farthest from our reach! Fear not the boundless sky, my friends, for the Wokuhoo will catch us if ever we lose our footing and fall upwards!"
And with these comforting words the bhuka stepped up to the surface and began their journey to their eastern homes, as has been recounted already in the Book of Kovathak in brief. Forever after, the bhuka have worshipped the Wokuhoo moon spirits as their protectors, wearing their moon-masks and drawing their power over the elements from each in turn: Iskotew of fire, Nipiy of water, Asiskiy of earth, and Yotin of air. Of the four, Nipiy's path was closest, and so the bhuka's power over water was unrivalled.
The merrow, however, were ill pleased that a land-dwelling race would have such power over their realm of water. And so, there was often strife between the merrow and the bhuka.
~ ~ ~
VI. On the Subject of Sand:
What mysteries lie hidden in the barren wastes of Kovathak none but the enigmatic asherati may know. Of the asherati there are few who now remain. They are seldom seen and do not speak much, preferring to keep to themselves. So we know little of them or their ways.
Legends sing that the sand-swimmers once held a great kingdom spanning across continents deep beneath the sands of the earth. It has long since disappeared. The asherati had already been on the verge of extinction long before any other race had awakened (save perhaps the bhuka by their own word, though that is highly debatable).
And that is all we know of the asherati.
~ ~ ~
VII. On the Subject of Skies:
//An account of the raptorans.
//This needs to be longer, save this for last.
//Storm giants
//Cartographers
~ ~ ~
End. On the Subject of Song:
Appendix A. Glossary:
Appendix B. Gol-Kaa Lexicon:
//Gol-Kaa phonetics: AEIOU GKLMNThVW
Appendix C. Atlas:
Appendix D. Kovathak Sans-Fluff (tl;dr version):
//The asherati are the key
Appendix E. Image Credits:
aidadavari.cgsociety.org/gallery/
crahzz.cgsociety.org/gallery/
www.kekaiart.com/
from-dust.ubi.com/
