Lost Stones of Zannalyi

Summary

Teshua storytellers tell the legend of Zannalyi, the illustrious first king of Teshua and the alleged founder of - the future capital of the great empire to follow. One night while surveying his domain, a falling star streaked across the sky above him. Thanking the gods for his luck, he reached the crash site. Cracking open the rock, he was astonished to find most of the fallen star consisted of massive Clearstones, Bluestones, and Bloodstones. He snatched up as many as he could carry and made in haste back to the camp pitched earlier that night. The next day, he ordered a golden chain forged and the stones set into the links. Soon after, the Matti - his rivals - declared war on him and his people. Unintimidated by their threats, he marched to Tarunusi, the Matti capital, and personally pulled down the walls with the power granted by the stones. The numerous stones dangling around his neck, he then tore down the rest of the city. A fortnight later, he reduced Tarunusi to little more than a pile of stones. At the end, the last of the energy from the Clearstone - which was placed in the center of the talisman - had been drained. He and his army returned to Mulhatara, laden with captives and plunder, and held an enormous feast in celebration of the utter destruction of the Matti. To show his gratitude for the gods’ help, Zannalyi commissioned the construction of a temple to the god Anutases. Then, he replaced the Clearstone and spearheaded several great victories over the course of his long life with the now-lost stones. He avoided Clearstone Sickness for sixty-one years before exhibiting the first signs. In his haste to defeat the Huarusin tribes, he made a poor tactical design that cost him his life and that of many of his men. His body was never recovered, nor were the stones.