I haven't covered the Closing or exactly why this heroquest breaks it, because I don't know the answers. :) .
HOW THE FIRST SHIP WAS BUILT So, lad, you want to be a sailor, eh? 'Tis a fine adventurous career to be sure; Orlanth's winds at your back, a firm keel beneath you to keep the hungry sea at bay, and the whole world to wander. But it wasn't always this way. Shall I tell you how the first ship was built?
You see, back when the Evil Emperor ruled over the land, there were no ships and no sailors. The Sea was dark and cold and always in motion, and the Emperor hated that. So he banned everybody from going near the sea. Oh of course some people built rafts to cross rivers, even small boats of skins or logs to fish the shallow waters - but no ships. Nothing to cross the broad oceans. That was strictly forbidden.
Well, we all know what happened to the Evil Emperor and his tyrannical orders. That's right: brave Orlanth killed him and set the world free. Orlanth then established his kingdom, and everything was good for the people of the Storm Tribe. Things weren't so pleasant elsewhere, though. The Sea Gods decided to invade the land, and came forward with a mighty army. Our ancestors drove them back from our own homes, of course. But the Fire Tribe were weak and cowardly, especially with their leader the Emperor dead, and so they lost their battle. The Seas swept over their kingdom, drowning the land, the crops, the animals and the people alike.
Now, there was a poor cottar named Nacksel who lived in the lands of the Fire Tribe. He wasn't a noble, didn't have a fancy title or keep any slaves; he just worked his fields and helped out his neighbours with some carpentry work from time to time. Eh? Yes, there are some good people in every land. Didn't your priests explain that, when they told you how Orlanth befriended Elmal? If you want to travel the world, lad, you've got to learn to be more tolerant of foreigners.
Now, where was I? Ah yes. Nacksel heard about the Sea Tribe's unstoppable invasion, and he had an idea on how to escape them. So he went to the King to tell him his plan. But the King was arrogant and pig-headed, like most of the Fire Tribe's rulers, and he refused to listen to the words of a mere cottar. So Nacksel went to the leaders of his town instead, and told them his plan. But they thought that he was just a stupid cottar, so they laughed at him. So finally he went to his kinsfolk, and told them his plan; and they agreed to help him.
Now, Nacksel had seen that the world was turned upside down, with the sea invading the earth and the sun cast down into hell. So he planned to make a longhouse like the one he lived in, but to build it upside down too. That's right, with the roof pointing down towards the earth and the walls sticking up along the sides. He and his family chopped down the tallest trees they could find to make the frame, and cut planks to make the walls and roof, and caulked them extra-tight with pitch, because they knew the Sea Gods were approaching fast. Many of the townspeople came to laugh at Nacksel, calling him a fool; but a few of them looked thoughtful, and then asked him if they could help. Nacksel was glad to accept their aid, and in return offered them the hospitality of his strange new home.
Eventually the longhouse was finished, and Nacksel told his family and his new guests to gather all their kinfolk. They brought their livestock too, and herded it into the cattle-byre he'd included at the end of the longhouse. By this time the Sea Gods were almost at the town, and mighty Heler was already overhead casting his slingshots down at the panic-stricken townsfolk. Then the Water Tribe army rushed into the town itself, drowning all the houses. Except for Nacksel's upside-down house. It floated gently upwards on the rushing stream, and no matter how hard the Sea Gods tried to drag it down, it bobbed up out of their grasp. That's right: Nacksel had built the world's first Ship. When the surviving townspeople saw what was going on, they bitterly regretted their mockery of Nacksel; but it was too late now. There wasn't room in his Ship for them all, and they could only watch helplessly until the angry Water Tribe came to take their lives. Only one was saved; a tiny baby, whose mother had already drowned when Nacksel's wife saw the child and took pity on it, plucking it from the raging waters to raise it as her own.
Nacksel then set sail for his King's palace; but that was drowned beneath the waves, and the arrogant King was extinguished by the cold water. So instead Nacksel decided to explore his new world - the Ocean. He sailed far and wide, and called in at many strange ports. He traded with all the people of the world, including our own ancestors; that is how Vendeni learned the craft of shipbuilding. He also had to fight at times, of course; but for the most part he spread a message of peace and cooperation. People learned to look forward to his visits.
At last the Sea Gods were defeated by Orlanth and the Storm Tribe, and retreated back from the land. As their newly conquered seas grew shallower again, Nacksel set his course back to his home. And when the seas finally dried up, his Ship came gently to rest on the fertile earth. Nacksel, his kin and his many passengers came out from the Ship and claimed the new, empty land for their own; and they all agreed that Nacksel should be their King. He ruled wisely and well for many years. At last, though, he decided that his son was old enough to rule after him. He gathered his friends and family, offered them his last counsel, and took his farewell of them. Then he mounted back into his ship, and set sail for the last time; not out to sea, but upwards, into the sky. He still sails the skies now - you can see him at night, that large blue planet that rises over there and crosses the sky every four days. And since then, other people who worship him have also learned the secret of building ships and sailing in them across the broad oceans. We Orlanthi don't pray to him directly, of course - we don't need to, since Vendeni traded for his secrets; but we still acknowledge him as the one who started it all. Without Nacksel, there would be no ships today - and you'd probably have to be a cowherd like your brothers!
Stephen
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