The Ascension of Qaulas Medirach
Qaulas Medirach was a mere sailor, when the ship on which he served was caught in a storm that soon bested all efforts of the crew to resist it.
Black winds tore the sails and shattered the masts, waves of destructive force battered the wooden hull into submissions to then finally capsizing the vessel. The suddenly vertical deck plunged the crew to its death whilst waves hungrily licked up on the wood.
All perished but one.
One held on to the splintered hull and lay upon it as the ocean ripped it apart within its grasp.
Then when the cold of water and the darkness of death finally began to gnaw at his limbs and soul, it seemed like the sun itself decided to best the storm.
Fire broke through the dark clouds, burned the rain away as then a giant made of flames set down his feet in the ocean.
His heat turned water into steam,beat back the darkness before then the wood began to smoke and shiver under his titanic grip.
A voice like thunder addressed the young sailor on the hull.
Do you want to live?
Yes the man screamed with his mind
Will you come when i call for you?
Again he cried out yes.
Will you accept the price? the man of flames asked and again for a final time the spirit of the sailor screamed out his answer.
Yes.
With these words, fire consumed hull and man and instead of cold and darkness light and heat consumed Qaulas.
Later, it is told, fishermen found his body inside a charred husk of a ship on the northern shores of the Asylian Island, his clothes had been torn and like veins of silver in a mine, bright lines criss crossed over his body dimly shining in the light of day.
His hair had begun to go a weird translucent at the roots.
Zusammenfassung
The Story how Qaulas Medirach was saved from the rim of death by the clasps of the Jester and accepted his gift, thus entering his service as a Prophet. He would not be called to fulfill his second oath until the day of his death. The death he was saved from that day.
Historische Grundlage
This Story describes the very beginning of Brightbears life, before this he was a capable sailor named Qaulas Medirach.
After accepting the gift and prophethood offered to him by the King of Noon he soon stopped using his name of birth but close friends were aware of it.
He often described the events of this day as a rebirth, the begin of an ending for the man named Qaulas and the emerging of the Person named Brightbeard, a man vowed to eventually give up his life to serve his god.
Verbreitung
The story is well known to every Ravarker and relatively far spread along the Sharrim trading roots. It is recorded in the libraries of the Chandry and some minstrels of the Kingsmen retell it as an adapted song in taverns. Most non-human civilizations have little regard for their stories, but only record the fact that Qaulas became a prophet, and when he died.
Varianten & Abwandlungen
The further west the of the Asylian Island the story is told, the more small details change. In some versions Qaulas is already dead when the god approached him, in others he's not the only surviving sailor but the others only die when when he accepts the offer.
These changes were most likely made to either make him seem more special, or more diabolical then his actions actually were.
Kulturelle Wahrnehmung
Where for nearly all others it is an interesting story, for the Ravarkers it represents an important part in the life of a national hero, a prophet of their god. It shows how a mere mortal rose to the power required to later in life save all of their lives.
They are taught the story in their childhood, and then again in their adulthood together with the rest of Brightbeards remaining life.
Up to his martyrdom.
In der Literatur
As mentioned, there are some Kingsmen minstrel songs that use the myth and turn it into a bigger event. And of course there are books and scrolls written by the Ravarkers that have Brightbeard as a topic that also have this mythical beginning in them.
In der Kunst
In the Temple of the Prophet on the Asylian Island this event is depicted in a massive mural inside the main room in which the mortal remains of Brightbeard are kept.
There are also illustrated books which copy the image of the mural.
I like the feel of this article, though there are touches where it could be improved, so keep an eye out!