Empire 6: Embers of Dawn IC

[Gaius Hermicus]

United Blemmyae Tribes
(Round 2)
King of Kings Huleten Kw’Muketi




Actions
[Military 5] Create a Hero (7): While Neguw Kw’Zinabi had promoted people based on loyalty and personality, the new King of Kings sought merit above all else. The king of the Torineti clan, Dinfat Kw’Torineti, had many times in the past proved to be a force to be reckoned with. They were unmatched both as a tactician and as a warrior. The King of Kings had no difficulty in making a decision: Dinfat was to be promoted to Battle-Caller, placing them in command of all military operations that the United Tribes might take.
[Military] Raise a Unit: One of Dinfat’s first moves as Battle-Caller was to move away from ancient discrimination in favor of sheer pragmatism. The Anigoli clan had a long tradition of training slingers and spear throwers, which unfortunately contributed to their reputation as dishonorable: no blemmyae would kill from a distance when there was more glory to be won directly in the fray. Nevertheless, Dinfat recognized the effectiveness of these weapons and the skill of those who used it, so to usher in a new age of acceptance of the Anigoli way of life, a small force of elite slingers was recruited to join the best Torineti warriors in defense of the realm.
[Faith] Convert region 216 to Abiherism (13): After the unfortunate failed conversions against the Sewune, a new tactic was adopted by the missionaries of the Mesihafi clan. Instead of preaching against the old religion, the Abiherists sought to simply fold it into their own faith. Reverence of Elward was encouraged, as he was recognized to be a great hero who, through his legacy on earth, had ascended to the afterlife.
[Faith] Convert region 211 to Abiherism (15): The peaceable Sewune were not the only target of Abiherist conversion. The Sirrvadut elves far to the west had proven to be fearsome warriors by their king’s battle with First in the Realm Yegin Kw’Haleti, and the Abiherists believed that their devotion to battle and personal glory would make them prime converts to the faith. This task was especially desirable considering that the Sirrvadut already used the script of the blemmyae, so there would be no literacy barrier to their conversion.
[Diplomacy 5] Create an Embassy with the Dhraan:

Nonactions:
Support Sewune buyout, resist all others
Resist buyouts
Attend event

Spoiler: News and Rumors

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There is a story told among the blemmyae of the Muketi clan, an ancient tale of the adventures of their heroic ancestor. In the Cosmic Era, the sun was a phoenix, a fiery bird flying where it chose through the heavens. It rarely came to earth, and when it did it inevitably came too close, setting the crops aflame and burning villages. Various heroes had attempted to capture the sunbird, but all had failed. The mountaintops were scattered with their scorched corpses. It was Muketi, forebearer of the clan that carries their name, who figured out how to capture the sun. Climbing to the top of a mountain, they cut off the peak and hollowed a bowl into the top, hundreds of feet in diameter. When the sun next flew to earth, Muketi called out to it, challenging it to a test of strength. The sunbird, arrogant and headstrong, could hardly resist the chance to show up another foolish hero, and it flew at Muketi. The cunning hero dived into the hollow at the peak of the mountain, and as the phoenix landed in front of them, its heat instantly melted the snow. Water rushed into the bowl, filling it to the brim and dousing the flames of the sun. Thus saved from a charring, Muketi was able to tie a thick rope around the bird’s foot and pull it into the sky. From this day on, the sun is a tame, docile creature, which always remains at a safe distance from the sky. Except, that is, when Muketi takes it into the afterlife for some unknown purpose.

Muketi must have required the use of the sunbird on the day of Neguwi Kw’Zinabi’s funeral, for there was no light on that day. The new King of Kings had been expected to preside over the funeral rites, but, in the tradition of their clan, they refused to set foot outside while the sun was not in the sky. Thus, it fell to Tubaw Kw’Mesihafi, the leader of the Abiherist religion, to bury the slain king. In a way, this was more suitable. King of Kings Huleten Kw’Muketi had not been with Neguwi when their predecessor was slain, nor had they been as close a friend as Tubaw had. Indeed, the Librarian had been devastated by Neguwi’s death. They had become reclusive, barely even emerging to perform their duties as the religious leader of the Korebita Foothills.

Neguwi was to be buried in the Bete Great Library itself, as befitted a hero whose name would go down in history. A special room had been prepared for them on the hallway belonging to the Zinabi clan. Neguwi was in fact relatively insignificant compared to some others buried there, but as a former King of Kings who had died an honorable death in courageous battle, it was presumed that their soul would pass easily into the afterlife. The song of their life would be carved into the walls of the room, which was already filled with treasures and sentimental items belonging to the King of Kings. More would doubtless have been added by the people of the Korebita, who had loved their king, but their offerings had been too many to cram into the tomb. Said offerings would instead be used to pay the costs of the elaborate funeral.

The first part of the burial was to take place outside the Bete Great Library, where a crowd had already gathered. Neguwi had been an exceptionally popular king, and over a thousand people had gathered to pay their respects. Surrounded by stone and copper statuettes, the corpse lay on a wood litter, borne on the shoulders of six blemmyae standing on a ledge thirty feet above the gathered throng. Beside the corpse stood Librarian Tubaw Kw’Mesihafi, Diplomat Tengir Kw’Sewi, and First of the Realm Yegin Kw’Haleti. These three had been the ones who had seen Neguwi die. It was only fitting that they be the ones to bury them.

Tubaw spoke first, their shaking voice barely audible over the murmur of the crowd below. “People of the Korebita, let us remember our lost King of Kings. Let their name go down throughout the eras, just as their soul shall live forever in the palaces of Dumuzi. I now call upon you to remember their progenitor of their line, the hero Zinabi, caller of the storm. May Neguwi meet with approval in their eyes!” Tubaw stepped aside, visibly shrinking as Yegin Kw’Haleti pushed to the front of the ledge.
“People of the Ten Tribes! Hear my promise to you!” There was none of Tubaw’s quivering in the voice of the First of the Realm. Their voice carried clearly over the gap, booming out into the crowd. “There will be no peace in the mansions of Yegin Kw’Haleti, not while the murderer who slew our King of Kings still breathes! This dwarf, Warlady MacGill, has signed their own death warrant!” Lifting their fist above their head, Yegin brandished a copper knife. “This is the knife which I pulled from the King of King’s body. This is the knife that ended the life of my king. Well, hear my promise to you, people of Korebita! I will not rest until I have returned this knife to its owner! I will bury it to the hilt in the skull of the King of King’s murderer!”

As one, the crowd shouted. All the uncertainty of the past years seemed to be expelled at once: the wars of succession, the shock of the end of Red Dawn, the discovery of new races, and the death of their beloved King of Kings all became fuel for their raw display of emotion. Yegin brandished the knife, shouting along with them, until the shouts finally died down. Tubaw again stepped to the fore, their voice stronger than it had been before. Softly, at first alone, but soon joined by the crowd, they began to sing.


“My beloved, lost to death’s grasp, rest in glory
In Dumuzi, home of all heroes in the sky
Let us pray your name will never be forgotten.

We, your comrades left alone on earth by your death
We will mourn you and carry one your legacy
We will sing the songs of your illustrious life.

Gaze down upon us from your home in the heavens
Bestow upon your people your moral knowledge
Show us the best way to emulate your glory.”


As the final notes of the song rang out over the hills, the litter bearing the body of Neguwi Kw’Zinabi was carried into the darkness of the Library, on its way to the room where, for all eternity, it would sit: a memorial to the life and deeds of the great King of Kings.

Spoiler: Songs of the Korebita

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On a mission from the Bete Great Library
Oyem Kw’Mesihafi set off to the south
Into the wastelands bordering the Sewune.

With them were four of the Sewune, brave fighters
Noble Nelrynt, clever Nuca, fearsome Dimeb
And brave Cdaja, bravest of them all by far.

On the eighth day, as sunset fell, they stopped to sleep
Arraying their tents in a circle, they rested
Their eyes closed to the terrors that lurked in the night.

Beneath the moon’s treacherous light, a demon lurked
Its teeth sharp, its jaws slavering, its eyes yellow
Accompanied by bone-chilling cold and foul stench

Silently, the monster slipped into Nelrynt’s tent
And with one awful bite, crushed the poor wretch’s skull
Never again would his pleasant singing be heard.

Hearing the shouts, Oyem rose from their sleeping mats
And with knife in hand, roused the other Sewune
For they feared what manner of beast was among them.

Said Oyem: “Some creature is still in Nelrynt’s tent
We must act with prudence before confronting it
Let us draw lots, the loser must observe the beast.”

So they drew lots, and the loser’s lot was Nuca’s
She said: “I fear I may die as well as my friend
Nevertheless, I shall observe this foul monster.”

With a short gasp of fear, she peeked into the tent
Over Nelrynt’s body hunched the ravenous beast
Gorging itself in bloody flesh picked from his bones.

Oh, horror! Its piercing eyes stared into her own
And icy fingers of terror crawled up her spine
The fear broke her mind, and she fled that cursed tent.

“Oh, Nelrynt!” she screamed, “My poor, beloved Nelrynt!
In his tent he lies, in the cruel embrace of death
A monster has slain him, and devours his flesh!”

Its head is that of a man, with three rows of teeth
But it crawls on all fours, with paws of the lion
Its tail is a hissing snake, fanged and venomous.”

“Tell more about the manner of this beast!” they cried
But despite their pleas, Nuca would say nothing more
Her face had gone pale and she could get no words out.

So it was only three that went to face the fiend
Cdaja in the lead, bearing his two-pronged spear
Dimeb next, and Oyem with their knife in the rear.

Cdaja entered the tent, but at once fell back
Impaled by a terrible spine, like a snake’s fang
He collapsed onto the ground, bleeding from his wound.

Oyem took up the fallen Cdaja’s sharp spear
And, with great agility, dived beneath the tent
A second spine whistled above them, moments late.

A minute later, knife-wielding Dimeb joined them
And together they burst through the floor of the tent
Paralyzing the awful monster with surprise.

It flicked its snake-like tail at Dimeb
Scoring a grievous injury, but not mortal
Shouting, she severed the tail with one swift knife stroke.

Now Oyem struck, lunging at its face with the spear
One sharpener prong went through its left eye, blinding it
The other missed, grazing a gash on its forehead.

Twice wounded, the foul demon screamed in agony
The volume of its cry was enough to deafen
And both Oyem and Dimeb staggered back, deafened.

Regrouping, they attacked from separate directions
Dimeb, with her shorter weapon, favored the left
While Oyem charged the monster’s less vulnerable right.

A frenzy of wild combat, and it was done
The monster’s throat slashed open by Dimeb’s dagger
Black blood seeping from its wounds, it thrashed on the ground.

As it died, the monster screamed out into the night
Its awful howling rose into the starry sky
And lo, the vultures and songbirds dropped dead like stones.

Dimeb would survive the wounds inflicted on her
As would Cdaja, with a period of rest
But Nuca, driven mad, never once spoke again.

-from The Song of the Manticore

Spoiler: Technologies

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Writing

Spoiler: Bookkeeping and Ruler Info

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Units: Torineti Warriors, (+1)

Treasures: 0

Resources Controlled: Flint (213.1)

King of Kings Huleten Kw’Muketi

Diplomacy: 5
Military: 5 [+1]
Opulence: 3
Faith: 5 [+1]
Intrigue: 5