Summary
Lord of Life, God of the Green Moon, Terror Within Oases; such describes Gardaxtoltum, a moon god in
Uatkara. More animal than person, his is the form of the desert jackal, adorned in leaves, branches, and fruiting berries across his black fur. Jagged teeth churn in his maw, his six eyes looking everywhere around him all the time, gullet ever empty of the meat he craves. So it is he prowls every oasis in
Sa-kemet, hungering and devouring the foolish who dare come seeking water. In his wake follow the many beasts who come for scraps, or turn upon each other for food. As the Green Moon crests in the sky, plants grow unbound, the sands are pushed away, and life flourishes beyond control. If they are not cut back, the precious water may be sucked dry and doom swallows the land whole.
His story ever remained that way for many years, until
Pharaoh Aramix interjected a different perspective.
Long had Sa-kemet laid barren and lifeless. Not even the
Relentless Herds and Packs could be found in its sands. Upon the shores of the
Shimmering Ocean he wandered, picking over the bones of the foolish
nebusah who drank the too-salty water. In beholding a young woman's family struggle in the cool waters, he watched their lives drain away, parched of all water. Howling with great rage, he shook the deserts, seeking out
Poleva who hoarded all the waters. They fought fearsomely, the aftershocks cracking the veltron. These became the rivers. As their battle raged, Gardaxtoltum's claws pierced the rocky bed, spouting mighty geysers. These became the oases. At its conclusion, both too exhausted, they retreated, but Gardaxtoltum staked claim upon the waters now freed.
Thus life followed, and people and animals of the deserts crawling to the waters they longed suffered without. Poleva, ever angered by the theft of her water, remembered their war long after it'd faded from memory. As civilizations grew and life flourished, she secretly poisoned an offering of wine to Gardaxtoltum, rendering him delirious. He dreamed of whispers unheard by the ear, and his form grew horrid and terrible. With what remained of his mind, he wrenched the Green Moon far, far away from Veltrona, enough that his howls could never be heard again. There he remained, fighting the evil within. It is this timeless struggle, his triumphs and failures, that mark the rising tides of Relentless rare as they are within Sa-kemet.
Poleva, ever regretting the fate she unwittingly threw Gardaxtoltum toward, tempered her anger and mistrust of the life he brought. In demanding tribute from them, she sought to teach them their place in the world. In utilizing that tribute, she tries to ease Gardaxtoltum's suffering, however little it amounts to helping. The revelation of this rattled Uatkara doctrine the most, for the Green Moon has ever been the most evil in the minds of people. No matter what sympathies one might feel toward its lord, however, it remains that the Relentless follow its rises and falls.
Those few who dare follow the words of Gardaxtoltum do well to shepherd and protect life, preserve the sanctity of people, and fight back the Relentless tides. Some dare dream of finding a cure to their lords struggle, and their quest is an unending one.
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