Chapter 1
The Elders preferred to live in the cold climates. But it didn't help that the Tagaloa was by nature a tropical archipelago. They had to settle for Savai'i in the West. Elder Ammi wanted to settle down on the Anvil, but it was too close to Pulotu, the towering active volcano that was said to hold the old god known as Wylkyn by those who worshiped him. In truth, neither the cold nor heat affected the Elders. Supposedly when you aged past 200 years, your body started to become accustomed to whatever temperature, similar to the Drekkin who lived in the Land-of-Tygers in the western regions. Each Elder was in fact older than 350 years, the oldest of any Yippie on the archipelago. They had lived to see much change, such as the arrival of the machines to their islands, who had proceeded to build small colonies off the coast-lands facing Heimland 200 years ago. The Elders had also lived to see the Vanishment, the moment when the Ancient-Ones disappeared forever. It had been 50 years since they vanished, and took their secrets with them.
But the Elders had not gathered here today to discuss what had happened to the Old Folk, they were holding a council, a very very important council. One that could decide the fate of the Olde-Lands, which included Heimland and the Tagaloa. They had gathered near the Forge today, the source of their immortality. No one knew where the Forge had come from, but they knew its purpose; to produce pure Moona extracted from the bowels of the earth. The Moona it produced could come in solid, liquid or gaseous forms. The choice was made by the press of a button. The Forge was in the shape of a massive black cube, 2 thanna in height and length. The massive object was said to have been made by the Folk before they traveled to the Homelands. Sporting a very user-friendly Interface easily operated by even the most inexperienced layman, the applications of this wondrous appliance were boundless. The device, like the Engine in Heimland, powered all of the Tagaloa. From charging-stations used by the machines, to simple light-bulbs used occasionally in ceremonies, this device was the heart of the land. Without it, the Tagaloa would crash.
From the distance the Elders could spot six tribesmen approaching them from the distance. Two had been selected from each colony; from Matavai (the fishing colonies in the East), and Safune, the land of the warriors. There were even two men from Falealupo, the lands of the wizards and beasts of magic in the South. The men had been called here today for something important; a meeting of the council.
The six men stepped forward. In the pale moonlight the Elders could see them clearly.
The two fishermen from Matavai wore traditional short-skirts made of tiny plates of bone and metal woven together with electrum wire. Multiple ropes, gorge-hooks and line-tackles were wrapped across their shoulders. The fishermen looked calm and docile, but their gorge-hooks were tipped with plant-toxins to induce torpor in fish to enable their capture. The poisoned hooks, if flung accurately, could also disable a fully grown man by knocking him to the ground and injecting him with the toxins, which would kill him in 2 minutes. The people of Matavai were warriors as well as fishermen. The fishermen also carried barbed harpoons made from the bones of Taniwfha.
The two barbarians from Safune had bows and arrows used both for hunting and in battle. They were made from yew, ash and elm wood. The draw-force of a barbarian-bow was 90 pounds force (400 N) or more, resulting in an effective range of at least 660 feet. Each bow weighed about 100-130 pounds (45-59 kg) and was used by being pulled back to the chest, rather than to the corner of the mouth or under the chin which was more common. The arrows were made from iron with fins made of wood and added barbs made from antler-bone, tipped with poison. Their throwing-spears consisted of metal heads with a blade and a hollow shaft, mounted on wooden shafts three meters in length, made from ash-wood. The spear-heads were sixty centimeters in length with sockets decorated with silver inlaid patterns. On their hips were plain, single-edges knives known as Nifre, used as everyday utility-tool; hunting, combat or both. Their swords were single-handed, with a double edged blade length of 90 centimeters with a tight grip, long deep fuller and pronounced cross-guards. Swords were very costly to make, and a sign of high status. They were rarely used and some swords found in graves were probably not sturdy enough for battle or raiding, and instead were likely decorative items. They were worn in leather-bound wooden scabbards suspended from a strap across the right shoulder. Swords of the Safune were pattern-welded, a technique in which strips of wrought-iron, homogeneous-steel and mild-steel were twisted and forged together. The sword-grip was usually made of wood, horn and antler fastened around the steel hilt. Swords could take up to a month to forge and were of such high value that they were passed on from generation to generation. Often, the older the sword, the more valuable it became. But it was the "Atgeir" that the men of Safune valued most. A weapon that could act as both a light-shield and a polearm, made of steel and tungsten and incredibly durable and flexible with a crescent-shaped blade at the tip measuring 45 centimeters. Owning an Atgeir was a matter of esteem, and barbarians who lost their Atgeir in war were shunned like beggars. The men of Safune were vicious but disciplined warriors.
The wizards of Falealupo wore long robes of purple and crimson satin, covered with Runes used in Rune-Spells (Teletai). They hid their faces, and wore small scarves to hide their faces. The most shocking thing about the wizards was the fact that they were levitating at least a foot off the ground. They were barefoot, unlike the fishermen and barbarians who both wore leather sandals. The wizards were unarmed except for their Thorns; small sticks of steel tipped with a deadly poison that caused stomach ailments, physical pain, intoxication and finally death. Thorns were thrown by hand, like deadly hand-darts. In truth the wizards didn't need Thorns, they had knowledge of Wild-Magic and could kill the men standing in front of them with a flick of their hands if needed. Each wizard also wore a gold medallion around their necks; the medallions held the symbols of Meghalaatha (goddess of thunder) and Vijjulaatha (goddess of lightning) and their brother Maranaatha (god of rain). The three symbols, a cloud, a drop of water and a fork of lighting, were the main religious sigils of the sorcerers of Tagaloa. It is said that the medallions were powerful enough to change the weather, and even summon Jlo, the great beast of the sky with a thousand heads. The only people unaffected by the forces of the supernatural were the Elders, if you could still call them people. The Elders had augmented themselves up to the point that they no longer felt things like normal people, and not even magic, whether Wild or Nuclear, could touch them.
The six men bowed. Though they were from different walks of life, they all knew not to fool around with the Elders. They kept many secrets, and would be respected. And though they looked fragile, the Elders were to be feared.
A knestron waddled up to the Forge, its small snout sniffing the air. Knestrons were clumsy multicolored creatures whose only skills were making massive nests, digging for insects and yams underground with their shovel-claws and secreting a foul-smelling cloud of blue viscous gas when scared. This knestron waddled right up to the Forge, where it was immediately shot and killed via a fireshock deployed by a nearby security-drone. All creatures, big or small, were prohibited from stepping more than 100 meters near the Forge. The drones had been placed there by machines 50 years ago, for security-reasons. The Forge was never unguarded.
The Elders regarded the men with cold, unfeeling eyes. The Elders had thousands of pale blue eyes lined up two rows on each side of their heads, although they only showed two front eyes and covered the remaining eyes with turbans of white silk. The Elders barely breathed, as their lungs had become crystallized by the Moona crystals they inhaled and consumed on a daily basis for energy. Like the machines, they required recharging. The Elders possessed senses of taste similar to those of normal people, but did not require food. This was because their organs had decayed, or perhaps evolved, to the point where they could no longer gain nutrition from what they consumed. Only Moona could sustain them. In addition, the Elders never slept and would not die from a lack of sleeping.
The Elders sat in the shadow of the massive Forge, sitting on simple furry rugs made of wolf-fur. Elder Mu raised his hand, a gesture of greeting. The six tribesmen sat down on the cool earth, even the wizards.
"Greetings, men of the three lands. Before we begin discussion, Elder Rem will lead us in prayer."
Elder Rem raised his hands and quickly sang the song-of-blessing, his voice echoing across the winds:
"Apirimithe lokayhi bucha saamey nathi, athana parama dulabe: savanuthe pathe. Nosse jentis dos pesam tinhe se, ja pepiya se, viju rakbo pavijjan ley mey ge, nelen vee piritpatha! Nalala kehe pitihi hunahuna! Ze eu vou contigo, eu vou dirigir, ze soubesse du bem que mi faz! Alha nontem asiilei cousa, tem aquel verdade! Eyu nihumtempo novo ouvi aquel, osse que te avisa parmi perfai! Huma nonpode ouvi otro huma que papia, yosse quanto vez ja caza! Maladama geney vishira, biyaoath vey appa beyanda negiye! Anuthare sathe, maha sarane! Lokachaka bucha nayma bucha sarana gathee! Michaditika bidiya, yahamaga parayana buthe! Epffhatha!!!"
After the prayer, Elder Obata proceeded to speak:
"Let us not waste time. Days are of the essence. The council of Elders have called six men, two from each main land, here tonight for the passing of information. A truth that has been hidden for centuries. What you hear tonight must not pass on to anyone else tomorrow. Understood?"
The men nodded silently.
Elder Ziki spoke next:
"There have been rumors spreading across the islands that for centuries there have been creatures hiding in plain sight among the populace, monsters wearing human skin. Creatures of a forgotten world, nameless beasts that walk like people, talk like people, but are still inhuman. We guess that most of you have already heard of these declarations. Rumors have spread quickly. And these rumors are all true."
The men exhaled slowly. This was a sign to show that they were shocked, but not truly surprised. There was a brief silence. In that silence one could hear the steady pulsing of the Forge, like a massive heart pumping blood into the veins of the islands.
"But......what are they???" one fisherman asked, slowly.
"We do not truly know. All we do know is that whatever these things are, they are much more dangerous than the Shadow-Folk."
"How do you know???" asked one barbarian, a bit bravely.
"One week before, one of our own encountered a thing on his way to the river. He will explain briefly, if he wishes."
Elder Tahak stood up, his knees making a rusty creaking noise as he did so.
"The thing wore clothes like a man. It even moved like a man. But when it saw me, it yelled in some language I did not know. It raised a fire-stick at me and fired. I deflected the bullet with ease. But then he said something again in the strange language and I was attacked by......something."
He opened his robes to reveal something underneath. It was a massive gash, long and bloody with entrails streaming out. Intestines hung out of the massive wound like pulsing tentacles. Ribbons of flesh surrounded the tear, blood streaming out slowly. A barbarian gasped. A fisherman looked away. The wizards said nothing, only watched silently.
"Whatever it was.....we assume it left a cut that cannot be healed."
"But.....an unhealing wound???? What kind of weapon can do that???" asked a fisherman.
"We are not completely sure. But maybe our new friend can shed some light on your question."
From the shadows of the Forge stepped a figure. He wore clothes not native to Tagaloa, jeans made of acrylic-wool and a jacket of leather. A long scarf circled his face, hiding his features. He wore a long hat, a 12-gallon stetson that covered whatever most of his head. He was a foreigner, most likely from Heimland.
"This is Yazzi Ali. Ali, please remove your coverings."
The man named Yazzi did so. As soon as he removed his scarf and hat the six men, even the wizards, gasped.
The man had a feline face. His nose was soft and velvety like a cat. His jaw-bones shaped like a panther. He had long pointed ears like a fox, and long whiskers like a musk-rat. The feline man had big blue eyes, and a large glowing gem set in his forehead. His face was covered in snow-white fur with black stripes. On closer inspection, his whole body was covered in fur. He also had a long tail with rings like a lemur.
"Sir Ali is a Yea'haa'weh, what you might know as a "Iewaweh". He is from the Homeland, from the Great-Forests to be exact."
The Yea'haa'weh man raised his hand in greeting. His palm was soft like a monkey's, with small feline claws and pink skin unmarked by fur.
"I know this is a shock for most of you, as you have only heard of the Cat-People in bedtime-stories and legends buried with time. But he has come here tonight for one purpose; to explain the threat we will be dealing with."
Ali stepped forward. He spoke.
"Greetings, men. I've come here to the Islands to try to explain who and what these things are." His voice was soft and smooth, like purring.
"These "things" have been around for a long time. Maybe since the time of the Folk. No one knows truly what they want, but we do know that it may have something to do with the Old-Moon."
The men looked at each other in a panic. The Old-Moon??? The Old-Moon was said to rise every 500 years, bringing with it many things both good and bad. The oceans receded, causing the Islands of the Tagaloa to join together. The weather changed and, more importantly, something incredibly horrible would occur within a week of the Moon rising. Some of the worst incidents had been in 798,550 (invasion of the Cities) and the 1000-year Dark-Age. The Old-Moon had risen 4000 times since 2 million DE, when it was first documented by the Folk. If calculations were to be correct, the Old-Moon would rise a few years later.
"Why is it rising early???" asked a wizard.
"We don't know. Perhaps these things are somehow affecting time. But what we have found out is that these things have been traveling to the Tagaloa every 500 years, each time the waves recede. The things travel from Heimland to the Tagaloa, and then make their way to the Anvil."
"What do they need with the Anvil???"
"Not sure, but it can't be good."
"But wait....what about the unhealing wound???"
"We assume that the weapon the thing used on Elder Tahak was gaining power from one of the Pauta."
The men's eyes widened.
"The Pauta??? You're joking," said one.
"It's just a legend," said another.
"All legends are based on fact. The things are planning something big within this week, and we have to prevent it from happening. Whatever they are planning, it could cause the end of the Olde-Lands. I have seen what they can do, I know they can't be trusted and must be stopped. And......I can only assume their plan must include the Tower in some way."
The men were speechless. A long silence proceeded. Finally:
"What do you want us to do???"
"Help us stop the things from succeeding in whatever sinister objective they seek to complete. Help us stop them from what would be almost certainly the end of all we know and love. Help save our lands."
"What's the plan???" asked a wizard.
"Me and the Elders have started assembling a cadre formed to try and stop these things before the rising of the Old-Moon. More of the plan will be explained should you six choose to join us on a trip to the Heimland."
The men considered the option. None of them had ever been to the Heimland, although they had heard about it from the robots. Eventually curiosity won over caution and all six men nodded.
"Excellent. The Old-Moon is rising in one week; that's seven days with 90 hours, or binai, in each. So we have roughly 630 binai to stop the threat of the things. We need to move quick. A boat has been prepared by a machine near the shore. We will sail to Heimland in a few hours."
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