The story of Xam and
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The story of Xam and
Bella Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:50 am
After seeing the images on the wall and speaking with the villagers, Sandru will recant a tale he is familiar with to the group. See below:
The White Peacock Crown was the pride of the princes of Waj Khor, signifying their independence from the larger kingdoms around them. The kings claimed the crown gave them power to see and hear the truth, which allowed them to thwart the deceptions of rakshasas to the south and Rulers to the north who sought to inveigle their way into the favor of Waj Khor’s ruling elite and thereby subvert the kingdom from within as they had done with countless other regimes. The rulers to the north might have been the same Oni that took over the realm. The rulers of Waj Khor were clever, however, and copies of the crown were made so that infiltrators never knew which crown was genuine and whom they could deceive until their schemes were revealed and their plots undone.
So it was for generations, until Waj Khor was undone by one of its own, a clever thief named Miriya who cared nothing for politics or the plots and machinations of the ruling class, and who knew nothing of their role in protecting the land from infiltration and subversion. She wanted only riches, and perhaps fame (or infamy) as the most daring thief in all the land, and through guile and dauntless luck she and a small gang of ninjas succeeded in the heist. Little did they realize they had stolen the true White Peacock Crown, and it was not long before the north and south alike began to enjoy great success in their subtle schemes.
While Miriya and her band reveled, the rival outsiders rose up in power and contested with one another for control of Waj Khor. Brother was turned against brother, each enslaved by the rival powers, and the small kingdom tore itself apart in civil war. Within months, a kingdom that had stood for centuries was no more, its carcass soon to be swallowed up and forgotten by the kingdoms nearby.
Spent after their pyrrhic victory, the north began seeking the mystic crown that had thwarted them, and began hunting down the ninjas of Miriya’s clan as they did so. The clan master declared the crown accursed and summoned Miriya to carry it to the farthest reaches of the world, banishing her on pain of death.
Accompanied by a faithful few friends, Miriya from place to place, seeking hiding and shelter in great cities and tiny villages, in brothels and for some months in a monastery where Miriya thought she could find peace or at least focus for her desperate frustration. Each time, though, shape changing pursuers found her out. In the end, she journeyed far to the north, beyond the vast spirit-forests and the wild borderlands beyond, and even beyond the Wall of the Sky that marked the edge of the lands she knew even in stories. Beyond was only the endless expanse of the north. The shape changers had pursued them, nearly catching them once, and she and her surviving friends infiltrated a caravan heading into the lands beyond, covering their trail with a false sea voyage she hoped would divert her pursuers.
Halfway across the endless arctic expanse, however, the shape changers caught her once again, slaughtering most of the caravan before they were driven off. Miriya and the surviving caravaners left the known pathways and lost themselves in the northern mountains where none could find them, wandering for weeks until they discovered a long-forgotten legend – a strange city of towers, midnight blue and gleaming silver and shattered glass, at once ruined and yet enduring from time out of mind.
Approaching the outskirts and breaking into a low building at the foot of an impossible tower half a mile high, Miriya and her companions found strange crystals and metallic carvings and artifacts they broke loose to sell. Miriya, though, now half-mad, said she knew she had truly reached the farthest reaches of the world as she had promised, and here she would stay with the White Peacock Crown, hidden forever where the shape changers would never find it. She took the crown down a long tunnel, impossibly straight and lit by lines of blue light, and Xam and Odashu, the last two surviving caravanners,sealed shut the door behind her.
Xam and Odashu were eventually able to make their way across the pole, leaving the strange blue city and their erstwhile companions far behind, arriving after a grueling trek in the ramshackle trade villages just below the high ice, which seemed like palaces of pleasure and ease after their ordeal. They kept their mysterious trade goods close but were free with parts of their tales, which were little believed but much enjoyed by the locals. After venturing farther south, they had plans to return in force to loot these ancient ruins, but they were disappointed to find little market for the oddments they had brought south. The strange relics of crystal and wire and tiny blinking lights seemed to have no purpose but decoration.
Arriving in the trade-city of the Kelsgard, they found more cosmopolitan merchants, however, who saw a profit in these strange things, but pressed them for details of their tale. Sadly, after traveling through the bleak polar midnight they were unable to accurately track their journey, and hope of a triumphant return at the head of their own caravan was lost. In despair and a drunken rage, Xam and Odashu fell into argument and Xam killed his partner, and was himself tried and executed for her murder.
What if the city depicted here on the mural is the one in the tales. The images and the tales from the people of this village match the tales the two told. According to the tribe here, it is not far from the black tower. If there is time, it could be worth a look…
The White Peacock Crown was the pride of the princes of Waj Khor, signifying their independence from the larger kingdoms around them. The kings claimed the crown gave them power to see and hear the truth, which allowed them to thwart the deceptions of rakshasas to the south and Rulers to the north who sought to inveigle their way into the favor of Waj Khor’s ruling elite and thereby subvert the kingdom from within as they had done with countless other regimes. The rulers to the north might have been the same Oni that took over the realm. The rulers of Waj Khor were clever, however, and copies of the crown were made so that infiltrators never knew which crown was genuine and whom they could deceive until their schemes were revealed and their plots undone.
So it was for generations, until Waj Khor was undone by one of its own, a clever thief named Miriya who cared nothing for politics or the plots and machinations of the ruling class, and who knew nothing of their role in protecting the land from infiltration and subversion. She wanted only riches, and perhaps fame (or infamy) as the most daring thief in all the land, and through guile and dauntless luck she and a small gang of ninjas succeeded in the heist. Little did they realize they had stolen the true White Peacock Crown, and it was not long before the north and south alike began to enjoy great success in their subtle schemes.
While Miriya and her band reveled, the rival outsiders rose up in power and contested with one another for control of Waj Khor. Brother was turned against brother, each enslaved by the rival powers, and the small kingdom tore itself apart in civil war. Within months, a kingdom that had stood for centuries was no more, its carcass soon to be swallowed up and forgotten by the kingdoms nearby.
Spent after their pyrrhic victory, the north began seeking the mystic crown that had thwarted them, and began hunting down the ninjas of Miriya’s clan as they did so. The clan master declared the crown accursed and summoned Miriya to carry it to the farthest reaches of the world, banishing her on pain of death.
Accompanied by a faithful few friends, Miriya from place to place, seeking hiding and shelter in great cities and tiny villages, in brothels and for some months in a monastery where Miriya thought she could find peace or at least focus for her desperate frustration. Each time, though, shape changing pursuers found her out. In the end, she journeyed far to the north, beyond the vast spirit-forests and the wild borderlands beyond, and even beyond the Wall of the Sky that marked the edge of the lands she knew even in stories. Beyond was only the endless expanse of the north. The shape changers had pursued them, nearly catching them once, and she and her surviving friends infiltrated a caravan heading into the lands beyond, covering their trail with a false sea voyage she hoped would divert her pursuers.
Halfway across the endless arctic expanse, however, the shape changers caught her once again, slaughtering most of the caravan before they were driven off. Miriya and the surviving caravaners left the known pathways and lost themselves in the northern mountains where none could find them, wandering for weeks until they discovered a long-forgotten legend – a strange city of towers, midnight blue and gleaming silver and shattered glass, at once ruined and yet enduring from time out of mind.
Approaching the outskirts and breaking into a low building at the foot of an impossible tower half a mile high, Miriya and her companions found strange crystals and metallic carvings and artifacts they broke loose to sell. Miriya, though, now half-mad, said she knew she had truly reached the farthest reaches of the world as she had promised, and here she would stay with the White Peacock Crown, hidden forever where the shape changers would never find it. She took the crown down a long tunnel, impossibly straight and lit by lines of blue light, and Xam and Odashu, the last two surviving caravanners,sealed shut the door behind her.
Xam and Odashu were eventually able to make their way across the pole, leaving the strange blue city and their erstwhile companions far behind, arriving after a grueling trek in the ramshackle trade villages just below the high ice, which seemed like palaces of pleasure and ease after their ordeal. They kept their mysterious trade goods close but were free with parts of their tales, which were little believed but much enjoyed by the locals. After venturing farther south, they had plans to return in force to loot these ancient ruins, but they were disappointed to find little market for the oddments they had brought south. The strange relics of crystal and wire and tiny blinking lights seemed to have no purpose but decoration.
Arriving in the trade-city of the Kelsgard, they found more cosmopolitan merchants, however, who saw a profit in these strange things, but pressed them for details of their tale. Sadly, after traveling through the bleak polar midnight they were unable to accurately track their journey, and hope of a triumphant return at the head of their own caravan was lost. In despair and a drunken rage, Xam and Odashu fell into argument and Xam killed his partner, and was himself tried and executed for her murder.
What if the city depicted here on the mural is the one in the tales. The images and the tales from the people of this village match the tales the two told. According to the tribe here, it is not far from the black tower. If there is time, it could be worth a look…
Bella- Admin
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Re: The story of Xam and
Specs Fri Sep 14, 2012 1:48 am
I believe this city merits a look at especially with such a powerful and useful item such as the crown held there. An object with the powers it is said to hold to reveal the truth could be a useful tool to aid us in the retaking of the kingdom and help us discover any deception we may face on our path.
Specs- Posts : 133
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class: Oracle
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Re: The story of Xam and
girdnas Fri Sep 14, 2012 11:23 pm
Yes, I agree with the Paladin, whispers Jo. There we may find what we have sought for so long.
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Re: The story of Xam and
Wakko Sat Sep 15, 2012 9:23 pm
"The truth?" "Can we handle the truth?' "We might not like what we find." replies Kit.
Wakko- Posts : 261
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Re: The story of Xam and
Wedge Sun Sep 16, 2012 10:48 am
"Some people can't see the truth even if it's right in front of them." Looks an Amieko. "I say we go."
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