HUMAKT'S LOVER
Damenius blew out the last candle, and put the wax stick back into it's
neat appointed place in the cupboard, below the weapons store. He looked out
of the doorway, the faint greenery of the Riskland was bathed in the dying
embers of Yelm's breath. It had been a good day -- a day of good stories.
Zarner had found some gold near the old hold, Korak-Zahn had returned with
more heads for his collection and the Eurmali had eaten a bar of Ralian soap
for a pint of mead infront of the whole bar.
He closed the weapons cupboard, the sword from a Humakti, an assassins
dagger, an Uz-lord's maul. He couldn't use any of them, but nevertheless,
they reminded him of the olden days.
Damenius was about to put the fire out when they came. On the outskirts of
Frog River Gorge, Damenius had been suprised to discover that his worst
blight was not hordes of broo, but hordes of children. Damenius could only
count ten of the smiling faces that beamed at him, and the tall figure of
good old Arrivez who must have escorted the children through the gorge to
his stead. While Arrivez stayed outside, Damenius knew he would be listening
to his every word as if he was a child of ten and the grown man of twenty
four he was.
"Tell us a story Damenius!" screeched one,
"Please, I want to hear the Death of Canis Chaos!" piped another,
"No, no, Orlanth and Ernalda." said the sweet Cassy,
Damenius fell slack, shook his head in defeat and decided to leave the fire
lit. He pulled out a tin of the brown substance that Denar had given him as
a gift from the Mostali, and tipped a spoonful into a cup to make himself a
drink. He wasn't sure what the substance was, but it tasted far better than
the Alynx spit that the Taxman's Rest served. "I'll tell you a story," said
Damenius, "about chaos."
The children recoiled, they all had nightmares after Damenius' stories of
chas, visions of Ragnaglar coming to steal them away in the night
resurfaced. But, much to Damenius' dismay, they decided to fight their fear
of nightmares and stayed. Damenius sighed -- they were here to stay. As the
children settled down, and Cassy clambered onto his knee, Damenius took a
sip of his drink and began.
Long ago, before even the Camp had been spied upon by the Trickster, or
Orlanth had swung his first blade, was a child of Yelm, whose iron fisted
rule constricted all who paid levy to him. Her name was Saranla. She was
blessed with wit, happiness, guile and a loving nature -- but not with the
outstanding and fake beauty that all Sun Gods have. Yelm himself cast her
from his court and commanded that such imperfection never offend his eyes
again.
She discovered herself in the West Camp, wherein she was discovered by ther
pious and honourable Humakt. Humakt was not wise in the way of women, nor in
love. Continually his brothers would offer him women, and beautiful girls,
to be his bride or lover. From naiads to Uleria's children, all he did was
grunt, and continue to polish his blade or practice his poweress over the
blade. But this woman was special, and Humakt was unable to leave without
spekaing to her. He decided to comfort her, for she seemed alone and afraid,
but came unnanounced from behind. Saranla heard the faint pumping of his
heart and within a flicker of an eye had pinned great Humakt to the floor.
Surely Humakt was totally overcome to allow himself to be bested in combat,
eh? She demanded that Humakt tell her who he was and where she was. Humakt
quickly explained himself and offered her refuge with the great Umath and
his children. Overcome by such actions that needed nothing in return, she
agreed.
When his father saw Saranla he asked his son why he had brought a sky
goddess into their midst,
"Because I could not bear to see her left alone, as much as I would not
leave one of my prize blades in the middle of a forest."
"Why this woman is not as beautiful as the dryads or earth women that I have
many a time offered to you to be either your bride or concubine."
"Because she is beyond their beauty. I must apologize my father, but *I* am
Truth and I can see that this woman is more beautiful than anything you
might ever wish to offer me, even your own throne, though you may not see
it, you cannot see her soul."
Umath sighed, a sigh so loud that a mountain crumbled, and agreed to let
Saranla stay with his people, even though he did not like it.
His mother only said, "Beware all women, remember thy honour." and Humakt
agreed to remember her words well.
Humakt tried to woo Saranla -- first he showed her his Honour, but Saranla
denied him even the right to see her, second he tried his skill with all
weapons, Saranla came to see him but did not speak. Humakt showed his piety
and abstained from all other womanly contact, so much that he would eat
alone on the top of Thunder Mountain where no-one might disturb him. Then
Saranla spoke to him at great length, but still refused to touch him.
Finally, Huamkt told her a secret, his single flaw. That flaw was her. Moved
by such a personal revelation, Saranla agreed to become his bride. Later,
they married.
Humakt would train and fight by day, but when he returned to his stead at
night his oath to Saranla held strong and all thoughts but her were
dismissed and his devote nature was shown.
Upon eve of their wedding anniversary Saranla was still without a gift for her husband, and came across a secret road that she had long searched for. She followed it, fooled it's guardian into being seduced by a dryad she had befriended so that she might see what he guarded. What she saw was a gift she believed was only suitable for her husband and so returned for him. The couple returned. Humakt dispatched the guard without trickery and looked upon the gift. He then truly knew his wife loved him, for the gift was a blade. It was called Death. He took it, but had no-one to test it upon. His wife, pleading that her anniversary needed to be special, convinced Grandfather Mortal to allow him to test the new power. When Humakt used the blade, he was horrfied. No-one had known what it would do. He returned, and brooded for a long while. He asked his wife that he not be disturbed. While her husband brooded, Great Orlanth came to their house and asked about this new power. Not wishing to disturb her husband she did what she thought best, and lent the blade to the Young God. Not long after, the world fell Dark. When Saranla discovered that Orlanth had slain her father she was overcome with grief -- she could not wish permanent harm upon anyone. She fled into the arms of her lover, who understood her plight and forgave her misdeed of lending his new gift to his brother. To save both himself and his wife from anymore pain he made the ultimate sacrifice and destroyed all ties, bonds, oaths, kinship and blood ties that either of them had so that they might never again be forced to betray each other to please the others family. Humakt was no longer a Storm God.
For a long time the couple remained in Humakt's Lodge, devoted to each
other and ignoring the world outside as Death went uncounted for. Then came
chaos.
All changed. When the Cosmic Mountain crumbled, the noise attracted Humakt
and Saranla to the door of the LOdge and as they opened it once more, all
the troubles of the world came inside, ruining their harmonious life. Oaths
and promises that Humakt had made long ago stood at the door and demanded
that they be fufilled. And so Humakt was again called away to battle. Whilst
Humakt attended his arms, Saranla worried for him. If her husband died, what
would she have left? In this moment of doubt came Galeth-Dur, a face of
Krjalk the chaos god, who disguised himself as a loyal warrior of Huamkt. He
told Saranla he had a blade even mightier than Death, and he would be
honoured if she gave it to her husband as a gift. That blade was called
Oblivion. Poor, sweet Saranla, for all her guile and skill she was blinded
by love and could not see the charade for what it was. In return for the
blade, the chaos demon asked only that she accept a single drop of his
blood, that might act as a sign that she accepted a gift from him. She
accepted quickly.
When she presented the Blade to Humakt, he knew of it's evil nature and
refused it, asked that she tell him where she had come across it. When she
exlpained, Humakt was saddened but only inwardedly, and did not let his wife
know of this. He could already see the chaos blood eating her from inside
out, turning her krjalki. He smilied and took the blade, saying it was a
fine gift. When she turned away Humakt swung the blade towards her neck.
Saranla felt nothing as she dissappeared from the Cosmos. Humakt fell to his
knees and wept. Not only had he slain his love, but had permanently
discorporated her soul. But what else could he have done? If she had lived,
or even a speck of her soul remained, she would have spent her remaining
days as a chaos spawn -- a fate worse than he had delivered.
When a Thane came to say that he was needed for battle he stopped weeping
so fast that the Thane never saw a tear. Humakt put aside his feelings and
met his responsibilities. He marched out to war.
At the Battle of Stormfall, Humakt and his weaponthanes met the advancing forces of chaos. Humakt stood firm as they swept aside his aides, knowing that only when he had destroyed all the forces of chaos would the demon that had subverted his wife be most assuredly destroyed. All remember the fits of rage that coarsed through him that day -- and they are seen in the fits of battle rage that the Swords of Humakt are prone to with the correct magic. Humakt slew the evil krjalki demon, but in doing so he lost some of his memory and being. He forgot Saranla, and all the love he had for her was lost, and that is why very few know of Humakt's lover. He never again found anyone like his darling wife, and so never again knew love. That is why Humakt is the cold impassionate holder of Death that we all know as the God of War.
Damenius stopped. He hadn't told that story for a long, long time. Not
since Lord Tim had told him it. The children were not cowering, there would
be no nightmares of mutli faced horrors tonight. Perhaps they were too young
to understand the dangers of subtle chaos -- back in the days of the Empire
you could never be young enough. But when Cassy smilied and hugged him, and
Calam smilied broadly, he knew they had, at the very least, enjoyed it. As
the children filed out Damenius looked at Arrivez,
"Arrivez, are you and Kara still to marry this winter?" Damenius asked,
"Ay storyteller, I would hope you would come."
"No. I would have to being you a present then, wouldn't I?" he grumbled,
"Oh, Damenius! You wouldn't have to..."
Damenius interrupted him by putting his hand over Arrivez's mouth. Damenius
gave Arrivez one of his rare smiles, "I may come Arrivez, but even if I
don't here' my wedding present, ready?"
Arrivez expected Damenius to give him one of his many trinkets, but instead
Damenius said "Beware all women, remember thy honour." Arrivez looked
confused, but Damenius ushered him out of the stead so he could take the
children home. Damenius was sure Arrivez would understand by the time he
returned home, Arrivez was a quick one.
After they had all left, Damenius looked out across the darkened Risklands. Over the mountains a war was being fought, Damenius was no warrior, but he knew his stories, his myths, were as important as any weapon. He closed the shutters, and the Black Moon dissappeared from view. Then he clambered into bed. He grinned to himself, perhaps the children would visit tomorrow?
Well, a bit strange I have to admit. Maybe you'll like it (maybe not).
Nick E.
- ------------------------------------------------- Nick Effingham E-Mail:wal_at_eff.u-net.com<None so gaudy, nor as bloody,
- ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #624
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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