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This page contains a draft first chapter for a fantasy story I planned some years ago. I drew a big map with contours and everything... then I only needed a story. Map drawing is also fun. Notice how in those days I equated monogamy with a certain morality. This page is part of a larger website, the Coinquay web presence. Click the coinquay graphic to return to the main page. You can also reach the main page with the url http://ey.to.hey.to/. Send comments and greetings to leuce@geocities.com. Please sign my guestbook [ Sign here ], or read what others have said [ Read here ]. |
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... Vaaxo
Chapter One In the south trouble has been brooding. In fact, it had been brooding for almost twelve years. And nobody seemed to care. After all, it was the Tsippsa Tribe's problem. Or so everybody thought. Deep in the forest the Tse Counsil had met, to discuss the matter in their primitave manner, weighed the odds, prayed to the Aarkh for wisdom. But never reached a solution for the problem faceing them. Winter came early that year. Much too early for the Tsrikkha to finish their gathering for the long fast, and much too quickly for the Aara initiates who learned the art of shacking. It caught everybody off guard, and the sages thought it a bad thing. On midsummersday the chiefs from the tribes had gathered in the snow on Judgement Hill, to decide to fate of the Tse Tribal Treaty. Everybody had hoped for a good outcame, but alas, the stronger tribes such as the Tsippsa and the Tsaarxh meant different. Survival of the strongest, they had said, and broke the treaty (in good faith) with the weaker tribes. Where earlier food and clothing and odd jobs had been shared, every tribe had been for itself after the break-up. The tribes began fighting each other soon afterward. The two minor tribes Tshasha and Tsam had been destroyed within the fisrt month. Tshii, Tshail and Tsixxha united, to form the Tshex, and became a scavenger tribe. Only the Vaaxh and the Backah had the sense to flee the area. They fled north, until they reached a vast lake, frozen white and shining brilliantly, which they called Aerkhan, which means "Aarkh-has-left-us". Here they swore eternal peace to each other, and parted in their ways. From the beginning the Vaax and the Backah was only half-members of the Tse Counsil. The Vaax was a strange lot, always trying to devise an easier way to do things. The only reason why the Vaax were made part of the Tse, was because of their physical strength, which proved intimidating enough in battle. The Backah was also a smallish tribe, not perticularly good at anything, but they had blonde hair, and green eyes, and this, the Crones had said, would bring stronger magic to the Tse. Both the Vaax and the Backah had high moral values, and kepttheir own culture. Their youths often played together, and many ayoung man had tried to intermarry, but this was against theChiefs' wishes. Only once was this allowed, and a twins was bornfrom this. One was lean and black haired like the Vaax, the otherwas timid and blonde like the Backah. The Vaaxlike went to liveamong the Vaax, and the Backlike among the Backah. Never sincewas a Backah born with black hair, or a Vaax with blonde hair.The genes seemed to have died out. The Chiefs of Vaax decided to folllow the shores of the Aerkhan, to the west. They walked during the day, camping out in the evenings and prepared themselvels for the unknown. Before the Tse break-up many brave young men set out to the east and west to seek newer lands for new tribes, but few returned, and those that did, returned in shame and poverty. For the Vaax food was in abundance, and the terrain stayed much the same, which enabled the sages to teach the young many things already known. It was only when they reached the rocklands, that things became tough. The people named this lands the Xaahm, which means "Breath-of-Death", because many people died in the harsh winds and the barren hill lands. The Vaax pushed on for three faces of the moon, before the elders decided to turn around. No-one seemed willing to contradict, not even the one or two rebellious youths, and everybody thought it good to return to the east. To seek the Backah, they said. Meanwhile, the Backah had been traveling all the way east. The shores of the lake turned to the south after two moons and a face, but, since the Backah travelled slowly, and were not strong as the other tribes, the people were scared to turn south - south towards the other tribes. The Elders and the sages held a long meeting, and it was decided to cross the lake. Backah numbered about 2700 then. A rebel group formed very quickly, and demande that the council reconsider, but the decision was final. In the end about 600 people, including many youths and men, broke away as a seperate tribe, in good faith, to form the Baatshii tribe. So it came that seven families of roughly 300 each crossed the Aerkhan. They left a marker at the place where they left, so that their children crossing back may know of their faith. It took two moons of preparations, and one face to trek over the ice. They came to a wide plain, and named it Lallaerkh, which means "Place-of-Aarkh". The trek over the Ice of Aarkhan brought their numbers further down to about 1800. Here are a list of the families: Llarla, "Birds", 176. Dhuppsh, "Waterfalls", 463. Quivaxa, "Children-of-Vaax", 17. Qktaah, "Trees", 288. Xheefuf, "Pebbles", 308. Croh, "Seekers", 261. Haah, "Finders", 290. The Elder Urrf, who was from the Quivaxa family, called all the chiefs together for a general meeting. They decided to build a temporary shelter near the Ice, and to let a searc party explore the plain first to find suitable hunting grounds, initiating grounds and ritual grounds. Representatives from all the families were included in this search party, and in the end they numbered 22. Vaax reached the marker soon after. Members of the Baatshii told the Vaax Chief what happened, and the Vaax decided to follow the Backah into the Ice. They numbered 480, in three families, and 24 Baatshiis decided to join them, forming a new family, in good faith, the Quabahk, which means "Rebel-youths-who-repent". The Vaax made preparations for the trek, and by three faces of the Moon they wee on their way across the Ice of Aerkhan. They reached the other side of the Ice after four days, and saw a great plain. On the south and far in the east it was bordered by mountains, and on the southern slopes great forests stood. Big rugged rocks seemed to have fallen from heaven, and were strewn all over. They called the plain Qhuishaerkh, which means "Aarkh-rained-rocks". Since the Quabahk weren't realy part of the Vaax, they set out to the north. One face later they returned, joyfully telling that they found the Backah, on the other side of a great river, on a big plain. At this stage the Vaax numbered 471, and the Quabahk 21. Here are the three families : Xhorrah, "Sons-of-Streams", 122. Ehnyaii, "Daughters-of-Ponds", 274. Hummh, "Twins-of-Clouds", 75. The word Backah came from the word Baahk, which meant "Mirror" in the Pre-Dawntime. All the members of the searh part returned, reporting that the land was uninhabited, full of resources and sacred enough to live on. This great news was well received by the Vaax and the Backah, and their chiefs decided to unite, yet to keep their own ways, in a new big kingdom. This Kingdom was called the Maraghalln, which meant "Plain-of-Shelter", in the united dialect. A High City was built, and the lands were devided, and borders marked, and the different families built duns, and villages, and paths. The High City was called Ohiix. This was the beginning of the Dawntime. Chapter Two .... nog skryf |
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(c) 1999 Samuel Murray |
