Zibeke Transfer
the Veinlord coronation ceremony
The Veinlord is the manifestation of the river that runs through the capital city of the Paban and Kaloran peoples. While the two cultures have historically disagreed on many things, they have a similar ceremony for the coronation of the Veinlord, which involves transfering the zibeke into the body of the Veinlord. There are two types of zibeke transfer: transfer from Veinlord to Veinlord or transfer directly from river to Veinlord. Normally, Veinlords reign until the river chooses another vessel to live inside. Veinlords are capable of river magic, but when they are unable to perform river magic they know that the zibeke is eager to seek a new host; however, there are instances where a Veinlord dies prematurely or a zibeke remains with them all the way until death, in which case the zibeke is returned to the river and must be transferred into the body of the Veinlord in a different way.History
The first zibeke transfer from a river directly into a Veinlord happened in the time of the Stuck Rivers. When Lake Raro dried up, the rivers that fed the water were premanently frozen or stuck. This angered and displeased the rivers, and they sought vessels in order to manifest change in the geographical situation.
The first Veinlord was for the river Gheh̨u, the largest river in the north that runs next to the city of Tiyo. Tiyo was originally a small town of fishmongers that was temporary and only lasted during the winter, and one fishmonger was Nopa.
Nopa cut a hole in the ice of the river and saw the rushing waters underneath, but the waters frothed back and forth, north and south. Curious to feel the water, Nopa reached a hand in, but almost fell in. Certain that they would have drowned had they not been careful, Nopa instead leaned back and felt the ice crack underneath them. Now, death felt certain, and Nopa began to slide along the ice to try and reach safer ground. When they reached a safe place on the bank, they put their wet hand over their heart and thanked the river for keeping them from harm.
Immediately, Nopa began to feel something else. They felt a presence in the back of their mind that opened up like a door and something warm came over them.
"I am the river and I am inside you now," said the voice in Nopa's head. They looked around for the external source, but they knew it was internal. Still, they asked out loud what they meant. The river repeated itself, and they tried not to feel an impending sense of doom shaking their heart. As their heart throbbed more and more painfully, they felt an overwhelming amount of pain suddenly stab behind their eyes where the river's voice was.
"I am frothing without a place to sleep," the river told Nopa. "Help me."
"How do I help you?" Nopa gasped.
The river forced Nopa's hands away from their heart and placed them on the ice. Immediately, the ice shattered and melted, revealing the waters that churned sickeningly in front of them. Dead fish and eroded soil clung to the river's surface, but when Nopa covered their mouth in shock, the fish began to wriggle and then jump, rushing back into the water, and the soil cleared to reveal the thick blue water underneath. This was the first use of river magic.
"I have granted you power over me, and you will heal me."
Still in shock, Nopa didn't know how to respond, and they let the river continue to whisper.
Standing up, Nopa stretched their arms out wide and listened as the river instructed them to stop the movement, stop the churning, let the river sit in peace if it could not progress further into the inland sea it so desperately wanted to touch. With just a desire and a loud yell, the waters slowed and then went still entirely, gaining the sudden appearance of a lake.
The river stayed inside Nopa as they went and told the confused fishers nearby what had happened. They were able to demonstrate their powers and soon it became known that the river was inside them and giving them wisdom and knowledge. What was once a spiritual job grew into a political one.
The first transfer of zibeke between Veinlords occurred on Nopa's death. The river, unbeknownst to many, began to tell Nopa that their end was near. They had served their role, but it was time for someone else to contain the river's magic. Nopa had grown considerably old at this rate and felt comfortable in giving up their position of power to the next.
Deciding between a handful of loyal heirs became Nopa's primary purpose, and they let them know that the river wanted to find a new home. The river refused to weigh in on Nopa's decision, and in the end Nopa chose the daughter of one of the fishermen who Nopa talked to on their first day with the zibeke inside them.
Once the decision was made, the river taught Nopa had to transfer the zibeke between the two of them.
Tragedy struck the second Veinlord when one day, when ice climbing in Sepo, she fell from a great height and died upon impact.
After Ghube's sudden death, many people did not know how to bring the zibeke back for the next Veinlord, but many people returned to the river to try and do river magic until someone, Losafa, received the zibeke inside. Fearful of this happening again, the zibeke communicated to Losafa about the zibeke in general and how to hold them within a vessel and transfer them between them, who then wrote this down. This was then communicated to other people in places and soon the zibeke of other rivers were contained within the vessels of living people, each with their own line of succession.
Execution
To receive the zibeke from the river itself, one must plunge their hands into the water and then place their wet hands over their heart, building a doorway. Then, gratitude for the life-giving waters must overwhelm a person until it rings clear enough for the zibeke to enter. It is not merely the first person to do this, but the person whom the zibeke chooses.
Instead of hands placed on the heart, to transfer the zibeke between people the Veinlord and their successor, they clasp their wet hands together. The next Veinlord must still be overwhelmed by their gratitude for life-saving waters.
Components and tools
In the past, there have been issues with the successor not being able to fully conjure the gratitude necessary for an easy transfer. There are two solutions: one is to intoxify the future Veinlord so that their feelings are stronger and more loose. The other, used much less frequently, is to nearly drown the person and then feed them an exorbitant amount of fish. This second method has been used only a handful of times and only by the Gheh̨u river itself, whose large presence requires a stronger pull.
Participants
The exact number of participants varies depending on the river and the Veinlord. The Veinlord and the successor are often in front of a carefully selected cabinet, often a mixture of the current Veinlord's and that of the successor, given there is enough time to pick them before the zibeke transfer needs to take place, but there are other rivers who prefer larger or smaller audiences. The zibeke has a large say in how the ceremony is performed, and failed transfers happen if the zibeke is not satisfied with the arrangement.
Important Locations
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