The monkey reference in Teshnos is of course related to the Orang-Utan like people known as Goondas who are of course descended from Kang Luway, the Monkey King, Foe of Melib and blessed servant of Sorvaartor. You people really do need to look back through old resources, or even look up my story on the web....
I posted these 7 and 8 years ago!
Soravatoor, The Son of Heaven and the Monkey King by Simon Bray (As orginally appeared in the Glorantha Digest February 06, 1998)
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"
Hi All,
Someone was asking about Kang Luway. Is he the Monkey King of Prax? Well
the answer depends on who you are an what you believe. Kang Luway certainly
arrived in Teshnos from the west, and Prax lies to the west. His arse was
certainly on fire at the time and he even claimed to have been attacked by a
fire god. Now the Monkey King came from Prax and his city was
destroyed/purged by Oakfed, so there are similarities. However most Praxians
have never heard of Kang Luway, and would not recognise him as the Monkey
King and vice versa. Kang Luway doesn't look like the Praxian Monkey King,
well not in his latest statues anyhow. He is portrayed as a large Orang-utan
ape, wearing a small circlet crown and riding a cloud. His temples or Wots
are crumbling open roofed buildings, situated deep in the jungle and usually
tended by a small group of monks and a lot of monkeys.
When I get a chance I will finish some more Kang Luway stories. BTW he is
not always such a loyal servant as he was in the last story. Some suggested
stories include:-
a) The one where Kang Luway kidnaps a fire spirit and tries to learn some
magic, only to have the spirit stolen from him by the Night Cat and Blue
Bear.
b) The one where Kang Luway tries to become human....'I wanna walk like you,
talk like you ooh ooh ooh!'
c) The great epic heroquest of Kang Luway where he has to guide a 'Sacred
Child' across the world to Dara Happa. An mighty journey during which the
pair travel to Dragon Pass and are joined by a sentient Golden Eye Horse
that wants to be a Hippogriff and a cannibalistic water spirit, that is
transformed into a newtling. They are late joined by a Tusk Brother, who has
a huge appetite and finally arrive at the Footstool and see the true face of
the Sun. (Removes tongue firmly from cheek).
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