Of Erde

From Erde, there stood a country divided. Battles were fought, won and lost, yet peace remained unattained. On the long awaited date of the twentieth day of the seventh month, word of the birth of a babe crossed all of Grianainn. Peasants, priests and kings waited for the child's coming of age. During these years, battles ceased and a lull fell over the land. Hence, the child's birth was taken as a good omen.

When at last, on the child's two and twelfth year, she delivered to them the words of the gods. The Martyan child spoke of plague, drought and endless bloodshed. In desperation, they held a council and concluded they would unite the five tribes. So the first tremors of discourse began.

The son of the Aghi Tribe from the North, Niall believed they, being the tribe known for the precision of their blades, would best suit as the ruler of Grianainn. Bari, son of the Ari Tribe from the East countered that a ruler should not rule with brutality, but with the light of righteousness. Hailing from the West, Damhan argued that the gentleness of the moon far surpassed the light of the burning sun. From the savannas of Vasara, came the voice of the Lion, Llew, known by the others as Uwe, the most fierce of the sons. He stood and said, "My tribe carries the quickness of the blade, the righteousness of the sun and the gift of the moon, and thus we should rightly be ruler. However, we do not hold the Eye of Wisdom of the Martya Tribe."

The other sons agreed and voiced their accord for the Martya Tribe to rule. Nevertheless, the Martya Chief refused. "It is not in our fate as nomads to rule." In his great wisdom, the Martyan put forth a voyage for the four sons of Grianainn — to journey through a passageway into the Other world where they would face demons and trials. Whosoever returns with a treasure belonging to the mountain god would be crowned king.

It was so decided.

At one of the three mouths of the Aonach, the four sons were blessed before they embarked upon a serpent canoe. They were plunged into darkness as they were carried from land of mortals. From the bowels of the mountain, the air flowed upwards and a strange melody resonated from the walls. The sons murmured sounds of surprise upon hearing the song. In the pits of the Aonach, the lullaby turned to groans. In the haze of ember walls, they beheld a gaping chamber. Wandering within was an assembly of unholy hosts. Their heads were bound, shrunken and their eyes sewn shut.

"To linger would be to suffer their fate," Llew murmured in disgust.

Niall concurred.

With care, they passed by these cursed beings and witnessed the souls consuming the flesh of their own. When each son recognized both fiend and victim as their kin, they silently wept in their blight.

After crossing the enclosure, they were to traverse endless tunnels. In time, they wearily wandered upon a demon with writhing skin and a hundred eyes and hands. It spoke from its fleshy lips, "A covenant for a kiss."

The Prideful Damhan and Bari the Chaste gazed upon the creature and refused at once. Niall swallowed his pride, but in his hesitation, passion and resolve dissipated. The kiss faltered. As such, he was un-rewarded. Llew, who also harkened to the name of Uwe, convincingly kissed the demon's lips.

The air reverberated and its monstrous form contorted. A comely maiden draped in luminosity and jewels stood in place of the demon. Her once fleshy lips became as sweet as honey. "A covenant for a kiss."

Llew contemplated. "To become king; a hero, the title I hope to hold." Those words he softly spake to the mountain god.

To Llew, she relinquished from her slender finger one of her many treasures and delivered the four sons from the tunnels. Once they disembarked from the canoe, they were met by a world divided and broken from wars and flames. It had been many years since they entered the passageway and their kins' hearts had filled with malice. Each tribe rose an army with rank against Llew.

The sons who had struggled together in the Other world fled from their kinsmen and homes. With them, they took the first born and the seventh son of two foreign clans who also rose up against Llew. In the pretense of hostages under Uwe, they lived behind the high walls of Uwe's Holy Land. Henceforth, Uwe held the crown to his kingdom into his caducity.