Tale of Usha

Summary

The story tells that a long time ago, the country of Tejar was filled with voices, songs and music that could be heard from its underground cities to the surface, brightening the spirits and allowing them to dance to more then a tune unheard by the living. The days when the Black Dragon Empress was lenient of sound, and her subjects showed their appreciation of her generous gifts with song. However, it all changed when a small southern city, Usha, began to sing another tune.
They believed that the goddess of life was merely a plague upon the land, and instead followed their own avian god. Though this was small and insignificant to the Empress, they pushed the boundaries of her tolerance as they expanded their city to new tunnels, ignoring restrictions given long before their grandfather's grandfather's time. They broke into a land patrolled by shining metal beasts that breathed the elements in furious defense against the intrusion. After long time studying, these beasts were taken down, and following them were the stone monuments to the dragons, which filled these metal cities.
This insult brought the wrath of the gods down upon the heathens of Usha. The Empress killed the soil, not allowing anything to grow through the whole region of the city, starving its people without mercy. Only when they were pleading loudly for forgiveness and dying of starvation did she arrive to end their misery.
To this day, the city of Usha is a dead land, and the only ones to escape were the littlest, thrown at the feet of the dragon as a plea for mercy. The Empress's guards took the young to the neighboring cities, who had heard of the destruction and tried to remain silent so as to not draw her wrath toward them. This silence became law, and the people across the kingdom now give greater praise to the dragon even as mutes.

Historical Basis

Usha was indeed a real city, and had turned to a new god to worship directly under the nose of the Black Dragon. The entire region around the city was grey and dead for centuries, with no creature able to last long without water or food; not even hardy species were able to take root either above or below the ground.

Spread

All natives of Tejar are familiar with the legend, as it is the basis for their belief that spoken word should be avoided at all possible oppertunity, pushing their practice of all citizens speaking in written or sign languages.

Date of Setting

Unknown