SORAVATOOR, THE SON OF HEAVEN AND THE MONKEY KING.
In the time of the great and illustrious Kingdom of Soravatoor, Son of
Heaven a great wailing was heard across the lands. The mighty king sent out
his soldiers and his priests to seek out the great noise, that was
disturbing the peace of the palace. The Kings men sought first amongst the
Mountains of Diamond but found only the Statues of Brass. They sought South
as far as the Churning Sea but found only the Eggs of Sofal. They sought
East as far as the Forests of Fethlon but found only the Yellow Men of the
Kanula Trees. Finally they sought West to the Forests of Fevers where the
wailing grew much louder. It was the priests that found the Wailing One,
for had it been the soldiers then the story might have ended here.
Amongst the dark and dreadful forest sat a mighty spirit. His form was
that of a man, but the great gods had covered him in hair and bestowed him
a tail for reasons of their own knowing. When the priest came upon the
spirit they saw that his Fire had slipped from it's proper place in his
heart and was burning his buttocks and tail. They question the spirit as to
how this had happened and it explained that Solf himself had fallen from
heaven and landed upon his city, scaring his inner fire without. The people
of his city had become indulgent and had forgotten the ways of Somash and
Zitro Argan and had prayed to the Lord of Volcanoes so that they could know
his decadence. Like all kings whose people had turned bad the great spirit
had left. The priests understood the spirits plight and showed him how to
put the Fire back in his heart. With great majesty they then led him back
to the court of Soravatoor, the Son of Heaven.
Soravatoor, the Son of Heaven was a wise and just man. He knew that the
fate of the strange foreign king spirit could happen to any lord whose
people were foolish. Soravatoor named the spirit Kang Luway or King with
his Fire Without. He then called for his barbers to shave off Kang Luway's
animal hair and his tailors to dress him. Kang Luway then sat at the feet
of Soravatoor and listened to the words of Zitro Argan.
To the south of the Splendid Lands of Soravatoor, Son of Heaven there lay
and evil kingdom inhabitted by wicked gods. The king of the island was a
demon of the night called Takuzang. The evil Takuzang was a twisted and
ugly fiend, with blue skin, great fangs and wicked claws. He strutted and
lurched about his land keeping all his people as slaves. One day Takuzang
stalked from his own land to the Splendid Lands, he lurked about the fields
causing crops to wither and trees to gnarl. He then slipped into the
villages and made the farmers lazy and the women grow warts. He then
entered the towns and befouled all the grains stores and turned all the
gold into lead. Finally under the cover of night he crawled into the Palace
of Soravatoor through a mouse hole and stole the Princess Subanahey from
her bed and carried her away to his evil land.
Soravatoor, the Son of Heaven mourned greatly the loss of his daughter,
fearing that her Fire had been put out. He called to his soldiers and
commanded them to go south and bring back her body. He called to the
Priests of Furalor to make a great pyre. He called to Kang Luway to grieve
with him. The soldiers headed south and came to the edge of the Churning
Sea, but they had stolen the Eggs of Sofal and here children would not let
them pass. The priests of Furalor built a great pyre, but they used the
wood of the Kanula trees and the Yellow Men would not let it burn. Kang
Luway seeing the plight of Soravatoor leaped to his feet and said that he
would bring back the Princess. King Soravatoor was suprised and asked what
his servant wanted to aid him.
Kang Luway humbly requested to be gifted with a cloud, a fire hardened
stick and a lock of the hair that the barbers had cut from his body. Mighty
Soravatoo gladly gave Kang Luway all.
The soldiers of Soravatoor stood in a great line along the beach, facing
the Turtle Mother and her insolent children. The soldiers were armed with
axes and iron, the Turles Children with clubs and shells. Neither line
moved for fear of casting blood upon the Land of Splendour. Kang Luway
arrived amongst the soldiers carrying his cloud, his stick and his fur.
"How will those save the Princess" asked the mighty thewed captain of the
army, "Ook, you shall see" replied Kang Luway and leapt atop the cloud.
With a mighty whistle the cloud flew south to the evil land with Kang Luway
aboard.
The evil Demon King Takuzang had fallen in love with the beauty of the
Princess Subanahey. He had locked her in a tower of bones and each day
would visit her with gifts of magic and mystery. Each day the Princess
Subanahey closed her eyes to the ugly visage of her captor and prayed that
Furalor might take her. Each day the Demon howled his annoyance and the
land shook.
Kang Luway flew across the Churning Sea upon the cloud and landed upon the
evil shores. The Monster Army had heard the whistle of his magic and had
gathered upon the cliffs to slay him. Kan Luway was not a mortal however
and his magic was great, with a mighty leap he jumped over the army. As he
leaped he let go of the lock of fur that wise Soravatoo had given to him.
When the hair hit the ground it transformed into an army of monkeys that
ravaged the Monster Army with teeth and claws. Kanf Luway then leaped again
and came to land at the base of the Bone Tower. The Demon King appeared at
the gate, his blue skin shining, his horns rattling and his teeth gnashing.
Kang Luway was not afraid, and knew that Takuzang was just a nightmare. He
hefted his stick as a spear and his cloud as a shield and charged his foe.
The nightmare could not withstand the truth of a servant of Soravatoor, Son
of Heaven and was split asunder. Kang Luway then used the bones, the teeth
and the horns of the Demon King to forge a ladder and climbed to the prison
of Princess Subanahey. With a twitch of his mighty muscles Kang Luway
smashed down the doors and swept the Princess atop his cloud and her back
to her father.
King Soravatoor, was pleased. So pleased that he returned the Eggs of
Sofal to Turtle Mother and the Wood of the Kanula Tree to the Yellow Men.
He praised Kang Luway and made him a temple on the spot that he had been
discovered in which to live. He then returned the Monkey King his fur and
decreed "Though Kang Luway may not be a man and his skin is covered with
fur, his heart burns with as great a Fire as any man in the realm of
Soravatoor, Son of Heaven"
Simon Bray 1998
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #405