The Midland Wars: The Oath Breakers

Sorry for the late Worldbuilding post this week, but better late than never!


The Dragon Guardians and Seekers are Betrayed
It is an unfortunate fact that one great downfall of fallen mortals is their greed. A greed for money, a greed for fame or a greed for power. After the Diminishing in Airthai, this greed became more and more apparent. For a time people were easily delineated into those who follow the Light and those who rather chose to follow the Shadow. Soon, however, this was no longer so. Betrayals to the Light could come from anywhere. Peoples drifted apart, became new nations, drenched the fields and plains of Airthai with blood and at last cried out for help. And so the Great Sundering of the Lands took place. But still some of those who followed the Shadow remained on the Continent. Keeping their blood vows, the Werlea did the work of the Lewjan and won many to their side. The darkness slowly crept across the Continent once more, leaving no kingdom untouched in however small a way.

After the return of Nasja to the city of Diuzisborg it became known to all that even some of the Dragon Guardians had fallen to the Shadow. Shunned by their dragons and by the Guardians, many sought their revenge by spreading rumours, but a few also set out on the road. One went to the Khallahna, where he was turned away by the Elders who still remembered the oath of the Dragon Guardians all too well. They would have nothing to do with the oath breaker and sent him away. This was before the Khallahna wars, when the House of Khallahna split into the Khalné, who followed the Light, and the Khalvér, who followed the Shadow. Not knowing where to turn, he set out further eastward to Trelkanor and then, towards the coast and the kingdom of Sëarë. It was to be his last journey, as he was set upon by robbers on the road to the Trelkanorian city of Ahrlëa, and slain for what little he had – a few coins, a coat of velvet and the Dragon’s Gift stone he still carried. Here his story ended, though that of the Dragon’s Gift he carried would still go on.

The Oath Breakers
The other guardians who left their home kingdom of Reiaghy took the merchant road northwards towards the Death Plain, Dumál, Treddian and, at last, Guldargan. Here, in the Midlands, they found the lands embroiled in war. Rumours of the wild dragons reached them and they made their way to the ruined Dragon Hall. Soon they found King Gile and told him that they could teach him how to tame the wild dragons and bend them to his will.  Gile jumped at the chance of learning the secrets of the dragons. Together, the shunned Guardians set out to the northwest to search for the dragons in the swamps north of the Great Wood, accompanied by a few of Gile’s guards.
But, while the shunned guardians – those who came to be known as the Oath Breakers – headed towards the swamps, one made his way back to Gile in the dead of night. Kneeling in front of the king of Guldargan and swearing his very life to him.
“I will teach you to speak to the dragon, to bind it to your will. When the others return with the dragon, you will be ready to slay your enemies and rebuild the empire your forefathers had seen in their dreams.”
Gile smiled at this and instated Lewja – for this is what the oathbreaker called himself in his arrogance – as his personal tutor and advisor. Lewja also had the mark of the black dragon tattooed on his face like the king. Some even said that they swore a blood oath to the Shadow.
Those who went to find the dragons; were faced with such wild beasts, that they could not control them. Their minds had turned to shadow, and even the words of Nasja had all but been forgotten. The dragons attacked the men who tried to speak to them and to bind them, slaying them and the guards. Their bloodlust were fuelled and it was after this that attacks on towns and cities started.
Gile and Lewja soon realised that none of the others were returning with a dragon and Lewja started to fear for his life. But Gile continued to learn as much as he could of the dragon’s tongue. However, when he had learned all that he could, he had Lewja slain. This was five years before Gile’s death. Gile would, in turn, teach his son, Galdra, all he could of the dragon’s tongue.

Links to previous Midland Wars posts:
Part 1: First Strike
Part 2: Sanctuaries
Part 3: The Rise of the Fáll
Part 4: The Southern Lands during the Midland Wars
Part 5: The Dragons and Guardians’ New Home

To read more about Nasja and the other Guardians, read “A Dragon’s Freedom” or “The Price of Freedom” by clicking on the links.

Inspirasie vir Maandag: ‘n ridder, ‘n meisie en ‘n draak

Dié wat al ‘n bietjie my blogs besoek het, het seker al besef dat ek van drake, helde en epiese verhale hou. Ek was mal oor hierdie video van The Parlotones se liedjie “I’ll be there”. Die liedjie is al ‘n paar jaar oud, maar ek is nog steeds mal daaroor – geniet dit!

Monday Inspiration: A Knight, A Damsel in Distress and a Dragon

If you follow my blog (and welcome, if this is your first visit) you might have noticed that I like dragons, heroes and epic stories. So I was thrilled when I saw the music video for The Parlotones’ song “I’ll be there”. The song may be a few years old, but I still love it just as much – enjoy!

Ewige boeke: die Silwer Bybel

Een van my gunsteling manuskripte is bygevoeg tot die “Memory of the World”-register. Dit word die Silwer Bybel (Codex Argentium) genoem en bestaan uit ‘n gedeelte van die Gotiese vertaling van die Bybel en is geskryf op pers perkament met silwer en goue ink. Maar hier is ‘n baie beter beskrywing en mens kan ook hierdie wonderlike manuskrip sien*:

*Daar is nog foto’s van hierdie manuskrip op my Pintrest-borde.

Everlasting Books: The Silver Bible

One of my favourite manuscripts has been added as part of the Memory of the World Register. It is called the Silver Bible (Codex Argentium) and is a part of the Gothic translation of the Bible, written on purple parchment in silver and gold ink. But, here is a much better explanation and you get to see the wonderful manuscript*:

*There are some more pictures of the codex on my Pinterest boards here.

Worldbuilding Wednesday – The Dragons and Guardians’ New Home

In the previous weeks I have given a sweeping view over the history of the Midland Wars in Airthai. From the outbreak of the war between Guldargan and its neighbouring countries, to the Sanctuaries formed by the Keepers of Éamidtheo, Théotriewe and Holt Haliern, the vast change in the borders of the Midland countries and the rise of the Fáll. Then I turned my view southward once more to the Dragon City of the south and what happened to the dragons and their guardians and left the history with Guardians setting out to search for a new home among the Western Isles.

The Midland Wars – The Dragons and Guardians’ New Home

The ship the Dragon Claw left the harbour of Diuzisborg at dawn, accompanied by four Dragon Guardians – Nasja, Mairejath, Helagh and Nahshon – and the dragon Thayrla. Using the established trade routes, they travelled northwards along the coast before setting out towards the Western Isles from Black Harbour.  Six times they saw the enormous shapes of the Sea Dragons, but not once did they attack and the ship reached the Western Isle, which was called Aer Lharna*, or Moon Isle, safely.
On the shore was gathered a group of nine people. All were dressed in brown, white and green and each held a carved wooden staff. The staffs were all decorated with finely-wrought patterns in silver and green dragon tears were set into the wood. Upon their brows they wore the red dragon tears the Guardians called Dragon Gifts. The women among them wore long veils of such fine golden beadwork over their hair that it seemed as if their hair was of spun gold. All bore markings on their faces and arms, traced in green, unlike the black patterns seen on the continent.

Caythan told them how these were not permanent markings, but worn during times of trouble or when they fasted or mourned. Permanent marking – like those the Werlea (or Gile) had were shunned by them as they said that nothing in the world is permanent and therefore no permanent mark shall be placed on their bodies as all things will pass away before the final ending of the world.

These folk, the Dréothér, met the Guardians with saddened faces, saying that they had been shown this event in a dream. One, wearing many traces of green upon his face, chest and arms, spoke in the Dragon Tongue: “I saw great fields of golden grass burning; I saw a great many people suffer and I saw red dragons. Then I saw a ship bearing four lanterns being drawn to shore by a blue dragon. It has been very long since a blue dragon has visited our shores, let alone the Dragon Guardians of the Continent.”
The Guardians marvelled at the dream that had been given to these people and told them why they had come and of the wars raging in the Midlands of the Continent.

After seven days it was decided that the Dragon Guardians could come to join the green dragons and the Dréothér – or People of the Dragon – on the isle. But, it was added, some Guardians needed to remain behind in order to help the ship cross the ocean safely.
“It would be wrong to leave the coast so unprotected,” they rightly argued, “especially after being saved from the Sundered Lands and gifted the great house in Diuzisborg.” They also told of their worries about the wild dragons that now lived in the Midlands. The Dréothér spoke of text written even before the Sundering that told of how dragons were turned back to the light during the wars with the Shadow’s creatures.

At their return to Diuzisborg, Nasja told the Dragon Elder Lasnith what the Dréothér had told them. “If we do not have the texts they speak of,” he said, “the library of Holt Haliern will contain it in its vast libraries. There are many texts which have been forgotten by the world outside its walls and many date from before the Sundering.”
“You have seen them?” Lasnith asked.
“I have, though I never read them. The Keepers showed me much of the history of Airthai and the Midlands in the short time I was with them.”

After days of searching, Lasnith wrote a letter to the Wíslic of Holt Haliern with a heavy heart and Nasja and Mairejath took leave before Nasja set out to Holt Haliern. Nasja did find the text of which the Dréothér had spoken in the Sanctuary’s library and it was painstakingly copied as it had been many times before. But even with the care of the Keepers of Holt Haliern, a part of the book had gotten lost over the centuries and none of the earliest text still existed from which the information could be gleaned. So it was that Nasja returned to Diuzisborg with the text after many months. The text – which he had already studied as it was being copied – contained much information that would help them to save the dragons of the Midlands. But he also knew that he would not be able to do the work alone.

Those who studied this text and learned both how dragons could be brought back to the Light or turned towards the Shadow became known as the Dragon Seekers. Vowing only to help those dragons who had fallen or turned wild become themselves again, they set out to the Midlands when they were needed, often staying with the Keepers of Holt Haliern for long periods of time.

It was, however, also during this time that the Dragon Guardians and the dragons left their house and the shores of the Southern Lands for the Isles. Soon only a few were left who trained what few Guardians could be found among the people of the city and who travelled with the ships up and down the coast. Weary and saddened, they travelled to their new home. Within a few generations, even the Dragon Seekers would have left the Continent, leaving stories of the dragons to become little more than legends in the Midlands.

After the death of the dragon Skáhag many centuries later, the true majesty of these creatures were forgotten, replaced with the few tales of the wild dragons that was still told in the Midlands. Only on the Southern Coast did a few remember how the dragons had once kept them safe from the Fallen.

Next Week: The Seekers are Betrayed

Links to previous Midland Wars posts:
Part 1: First Strike
Part 2: Sanctuaries
Part 3: The Rise of the Fáll
Part 4: The Southern Lands during the Midland Wars

To read more about Nasja and the other Guardians, read “A Dragon’s Freedom” or “The Price of Freedom” by clicking on the links.

*For more about the moon and lunar folklore in Airthai, click here.

Photos courtesy of www.sxc.hu

Woensdag Wetenskapsfiksie – Die rooi lint

“Nee meneer, die rooi weerkaatsing-lint is nie op die pale geplak om soldate te help om hul pad hierheen te vind nie.”
Jaco loer deur die spasie tussen die deur en kosyn, al beteken dit dat sy sig deur die kettinkie, wat aan die alarm vas is, belemmer word. Hy wou nie oopmaak nie, maar die man se ID-boekie wou nie onder die deur deurskuif nou dat hy ‘n ekstra rubberstrook daar vasgeplak het nie. Ja, die plek is ‘n brandgevaar met diefwering voor elke venster en verskeie slotte op elke deur – en natuurlik twee sekuriteitshekke voordat jy by die voordeur kon kom – maar ten minste het Jaco ‘n bietjie veiliger gevoel hierbinne.

Noudat hy sy kruideniersware oor die internet kan bestel en dit by sy voordeur afgelewer word, het hy gedink sy lewe is perfek. Hy het vyf keer in een jaar getrek – en elke keer het hy seker gemaak dat hy na plekke trek waar meer mense woon. Die enigste plek waar hy nog kon gaan, was Johannesburg se middestad. Hy het geglo hy is veilig hier. Hy moes dit glo. Toe, een oggend, sien hy hoe word die rooi lint om die straatnaampale geplak. Van sy sitkamervenster kon hy beide straatname sien. Judges wat noord wys. Republiek wat oos wys. En die drie strepe rooi lint wat hom uittart – en waarsku. Hy moet met iemand praat wat kan help. Of hy moet weer trek voordat hulle hom opspoor. Eerder die Red Ants as húlle.
Dit stop reg voor sy gebou. Reg voor sy woonstel.

Hy steek ‘n sigaret aan om sy senuwees te kalmeer. “Thabo het vir my gesê die lint is op elke hoek van hier tot by William Nicol.”
Die munisipale werker glimlag bekommerd vir Jaco. Dan kyk hy weg en sê iets vir Thabo wat Jaco nie verstaan nie. Die sekuriteitswag van die woonstelblok tree nader aan die deur sodat hy Jaco beter kan sien.
“Ek verseker jou, Jaco, dat die lint dit net makliker maak vir die motoriste om te sien waar hulle gaan in die aand. Jy weet, vir load shedding en so.”
Hy gee Jaco ‘n wye glimlag. “Jy weet hoe dit is met die munisipaliteite – hulle staak seker weer, so hulle het nog net nie die lint orals opgesit nie.”
Jaco steek nog ‘n sigaret aan.
“In elk geval, Jaco,” sê Thabo, “wie dink jy gaan ons inval? Namibië? Lesotho? Swaziland? Illegal Aliens?”
Hy onthou dat die plaaslike supermark die vorige dag kruideniersware afgelewer het, maar hy kan nie onthou wanneer laas hy vir dr. Naidoo by Jaco gesien het nie. Of wanneer laas die apteek sy medisyne kom aflewer het nie.
Jaco skud sy kop en vra hulle om sagter te praat.
“Julle sien,” sê hy en neem nog ‘n trek van sy sigaret, “dit sal nie van ons bure kom nie. Of oorsee nie. Dit is die Ander wat sal kom. Maar ek skat hulle is seker ook illegal,” voeg hy met ‘n skewe glimlag by. Hy wys na die lug. “Hulle kom in die aand. Ek het al die ligte gesien. Hulle vat mense om op eksperimente te doen. Hulle het my al geneem.”
Hy vat nog ‘n trek van sy sigaret en blaas ‘n bol rook uit. “En waar is ‘n beter plek om te begin oorneem? Ons het nie ‘n groot genoeg weermag om hulle te stop nie. En wat gaan die buurtwag doen? Of armed response? Julle moet vir die burgemeester sê, julle moet hom sê ons moet die lint afhaal. Of vir die raad sê. Vir iemand sê. Die diefwering kan die boewe uithou. Ek kan diewe met pepersproei spuit, maar nie vir hulle nie. Ons weet nie hoe om hulle te stop nie.”
Hy druk die sigaretstompie in die asbakkie op die tafeltjie by die deur dood en steek dadelik nog ‘n sigaret aan. “Sal julle hom sê?” smeek hy. “Sal julle hom sê om die lint af te haal voor dit hulle na my lei?”
Thabo glimlag vir Jaco en praat met die munisipale werker. Jaco kan hulle nie verstaan nie, maar dit lyk belowend, aangesien hulle ten minste nie lag soos die ander mense wat hy al gewaarsku het nie.
“Ons sal dit hanteer, Meneer.”
Jaco bedank die twee mans en sluit die deur. Hy skuif ‘n kas voor die tweede veiligheidshek net om seker te maak dat niemand kan inkom nie. Dan trek hy die sitkamer se gordyne toe, maar los ‘n skrefie sodat hy die straat van die rusbank af kan dophou.

Dit is reeds laat in die aand en Jaco is besig om televisie te kyk toe die ligte uitgaan en die TV-skerm ontplof. Die klank van die vuvuzelas verder af in die gang word deur luide vloeke vervang. Die paar motors in die straat se enjins stol en die motoriste se kwaai stemme dryf deur die venster. Toe is alles skielik stil. Hy probeer om hulp skree, maar geen geluid kom uit sy mond nie. Hy kan nie beweeg nie en sy hart begin vinniger en vinniger pomp. Buite blink die rooi lint terwyl die lig in sy woonstel al skerper word.
Hy sien vyf maer, grys figure voor hom staan.
Hulle het hom weer gekry.
Om hom word die lig dan verblindend wit terwyl hy in die lug opstyg.

Hierdie flitsverhaal het eerste hier verskyn.

Foto met vergunning van  www.sxc.hu