Taming of Soriin
The Taming of Soriin details how the Dea Ulanna Kesako tamed the giant scorpion Soriin, which led to the formation of Sori Ilaz, also known as Scorpion Bay.
Summary
The people of the area that would become known as Sori Ilaz lived in constant fear of storms. Their boats were destroyed each time they went out into the water, battered by the open ocean. Desperate to find the cause, they consulted a Bolugama priest who said that the storms were caused by air and liquid essence magic rather than natural phenomena.
To find the cause, the villagers searched the surrounding coastline and forests until they found the giant scorpion, Soriin. This monster had been formed from the swirling of essences and disruption in the source of all magic, Bolu. Instead of proper life, a magical beast had been created instead. Many brave villagers and warriors volunteered to kill Soriin and bring peace to the coast. However, each one died in the attempt and Soriin continued to bring down storms upon the area.
Desperate for help, the villagers sought guidance from Ulanna Kesako, a famed fusion magic user and monster tamer. The Dea agreed to help and travelled toward the town. On her way, she passed by the scorpion feeding on fish along the shoreline. It hissed at her and raised its tail, calling down another storm and she knew then that this was the monster she had been called to vanquish.
Reaching out, she allowed her consciousness to fuse with Soriin's and bade him to calm the storms. She saw into his mind and found a desire for food, a desire to live in peace. Its aggression was born from fear of being attacked. The storms had nothing to do with the village and were the monster's way of driving fish inland for him to hunt more easily.
Understanding Soriin, she brought the scorpion to the village and placed herself between him and the mob. They screamed at her and demanded she kill Soriin in retaliation for those they had lost and the starvation they had endured because of the violent weather.
However, the Dea's gentle nature and eloquent words calmed them. She brought both parties together in mutual understanding. Soriin would never attack the village again and would use his magic to bring in fish and defend them from attack. In exchange, the villagers would not attack him and would offer the largest fish of each catch for the scorpion to eat.
When Soriin died, his body fell against the coastline and his tail curled around the village, offering it his protection even in death.
Historical Basis
The historical basis for the legend is found in the abundance of fish in the Eoion Empire's north eastern shore and the strange shape of the bay, which bears a striking resemblance to a scorpion's tail.
Before the fishing industry developed there, historical accounts state that the bay was plagued by storms that suddenly ceased.
Along with this, Ulanna Kesako was a real person famed for her taming of monsters and high level of fusion magic ability. She did visit the area that would become known as Sori Ilaz. Whether she truly tamed a monster there is the subject of debate among scholars.
Spread
The story is mostly known in the northeastern part of the empire and is taken as factual history around the bay. Others know it as the story of a locally celebrated Dea.
Variations & Mutation
A variant of the story states that Soriin was killed by a villager many decades after Ulanna Kesako left. His body collapsed and formed the scorpion tail that curls around the bay. This is generally rejected by scholars as the bay is still filled with fish. Why would the magic remain benevolent if its user had been killed violently?
In Literature
The most famous account of the legend is from a book written by a native of Sori Ilaz, Mekhail Oesoko in the year 384.
In Art
Many artists have painted the encounter between Ulanna Kesako and Soriin. However, it is a sculpture of her riding the scorpion that has become the most famous. The artist has been lost to history, but the sculpture remains in the Statue Forest in Niuus.
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