The Count of Years : 7    [ Commentary ] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [8] [9] [10]


The three wars / Dīma naxêtiū

The creation of the trolls

Amnās saw men multiplying greatly, and said to himself, --These creatures are taking over the world, together with the iliū and the elcari. They far outnumber my creatures.

Therefore he created the edāumiri, the trolls, the same size as men, but with long sharp teeth, and hard red skin. Unlike the ktuvoks, they were comfortable in deserts and grasslands; they could live anywhere men lived. Amnās bred many trolls, till they were a mighty nation, ready to challenge men for the dominance of Almea.

6. The war of subcreations

The sixth war was the war of subcreations, which was fought in the south of Almea; war did not reach the north, because of Obondōsiu's fire.

In this war not only the iliū and ktuvoks fought, but all the Thinking Kinds. The nine lineages of southern men and the four lineages of elcari fought alongside the iliū, and the múrtani and the trolls fought on the side of the ktuvoks.

But Amnās had started the war too early; his creatures were fierce and deadly, but they were outnumbered by the iliū and their allies. These had a great victory, and destroyed nine tenths of the ktuvoks, nine tenths of the múrtani, and almost all of the trolls, ending the war.

The trolls were destroyed as a nation, and since then they have never again challenged men in force. There are still a few trolls in hidden places of the earth, however, stealing and murdering from the elcari or from men, or even from the múrtani or each other, because they are loyal to no one, not even Amnās.

During this war Soromo the son of Anāos was the king of the iliū. At its end he died. Soromo was mourned by all men, because he was the guardian of Denūra their mother. He was succeeded by his son Ecēlito as king.

The council of Līxigōcas

For a thousand years there was peace, and the nations of men became even more numerous. They filled the plains and grasslands, and their kingdoms were even greater than those of today; the least among the kingdoms of men was many times larger than Cuzei, and their cities were more wonderful than Eleisa.

Līxigōcas, the king of the Laleîsigō, the tenth in the line of Nūmidelo, called together a council of all the lineages of men. They met in Sindas Metōrex, one of the cities of the Metailō.

Cêlamanio, the king of the royal lineage, great king over the kings of men, tenth in the line of Rāuto, said, --We have come, the ten kings of the ten lineages of men, in response to your call, O Līxigōcas. What do you want to talk about?

--O brothers, said Līxigōcas, you are all kings of men, after the iliū, after the elcari, right?

All of the others agreed.

--And why are we after the iliū and the elcari?

Rōmonario, the king of the Metailō, said, --We were made after them.

--If that's the reason, said Līxigōcas, we will always be after them, till the end of time. Why should that be? The elcari live in a few mountain cities; the iliū, in a few pockets of the coast, while we fill the plains and grasslands. We are taller and stronger than the elcari; we are more numerous than the iliū. Do you think it's a divine law that the second born must always be second in honor? Didn't you know that Iáinos told the Einalandāuē that the Second Spirits would one day be nobler than them? Didn't you know that the Giants were created first, before the iliū? And where are they today? They were followed and surpassed by the iliū, and there are no more of them. Clearly the will of Iáinos is for this to happen again. The iliū and the elcari should have yielded their place to us; this should be the age of men. They are selfish, resisting the will of Iáinos.

Līxigōcas said these words because they had been put in his guts by Amnās. He let them into his heart because he was proud, and it galled him to be the leader of the tenth lineage, the Laleîsigō-- the Younger Sons.

--What are you proposing? asked Nōtulôdas, the king of the Masāntigō, tenth in the line of Masāntio.

--We should fight the iliū, said Līxigōcas.

--You wish to destroy the iliū? Cêlamanio cried out. You are a proud and impious man, rebellious against Iáinos!

--You misunderstand me, said Līxigōcas. This will not be a war of conquest, only a war betweeen brothers. We will rebuke them for their pride, and chastise them for refusing to joyfully give way to us, as the Giants gave way to them. When they have acknowledged our primary position, first among the Thinking Kinds, then we will have peace.

--What about the elcari? asked Nōtulôdas. Will we fight them as well?

--We will send messengers to them, said Līxigōcas. Why shouldn't they make common cause with us? If they follow us, they will share in our victory over the iliū and will rise above them. If not, we will defeat them as well.

Siferisio, the king of the Meīrigō, said, --Is it wise to fight for honor alone, for positions of rank? We have the promise of Iáinos, but he didn't say that it would be through fighting that the Second Spirits became noble.

--On the contrary, said Nōtulôdas. It has always been a noble task to oppose Amnās and to fight the ktuvoks. It was for battle that we were given strong arms!

--O Nōtulôdas, your spirit is wise! said Līxigōcas. Didn't Árrasos, the father of us all, use his strong arm to defend Denūra, and wasn't he taught the use of the sword by his guardians, the elcari? As for honor, my friend Siferisio, you may think little of it because you are second among the kings. Do you think the iliū care nothing for honor? They began a war of a thousand years, simply because a single child of theirs had been killed. If honor was nothing to them, wouldn't they simply have killed the ktuvoks who were responsible? They desired that their name be feared, and for this we honor them, with Iáinos's approval. My desire is the same: that our name be feared.

--Perhaps you want to be great king, said Siferisio.

--I only ask to lead this war, said Līxigōcas. Isn't this only right, since only a coward would propose a battle for others to lead and carry out? And doesn't leadership mean going first into battle, suffering the risk of death to inspire one's men? If Iáinos wills that I survive, and win a victory for all men-- my position will be up to you; a general only imposes his will on the enemy, not on the victors.

The words of Līxigōcas seemed good to all the kings of men, and they resolved to fight the iliū. They agreed on plans of war, and retired to their own peoples to call up their councils and to raise armies.

They sent messengers to the four lineages of the elcari. Līxigōcas told them secrets from the depth of the earth, which Ecaîas put in his ear: the location of jewels and ores and caverns with rivers of fire. They found that his words were true, and they were anxious to learn more secrets. They too were swayed by the words of Līxigōcas, and they offered their support to the kings of men.

7. The war of corruption

The seventh war was the war of corruption, which was fought in the south of Almea; war did not reach the north, because of Obondōsiu's fire.

It was called this because men and the elcari were corrupted, and made war with the iliū. When fighting had already gone on for three hundred years, and both sides were full of fury and hatred, the ktuvoks and the múrtani joined in. This was the plan of Amnās: all the Thinking Kinds were united against the iliū.

Each of the councils of men had agreed with the kings, except for that of the Meīrigō, which refused to make war. The Meīrigō are called the Unfallen, because they did not go to war against the iliū; but their neighbors, the Laleîsigō and the Crummâlligō, fought them, and they were joined by the ktuvoks and múrtani.

Both the iliū and the Meīrigō were hard pressed, and they were almost destroyed. Ecēlito their king was killed, and Uxrâssos his son became king of the iliū.

When the evil Kinds joined the war, many men and elcari repented, realizing that they had been tricked by Amnās into fighting against Iáinos. The Rāutigō among men and the sons of Cesōpas among elcari changed sides, and fought on the side of the iliū. After this Līxigōcas called himself great king.

Men lived longer in those days, two hundred years or more. But Līxigōcas the king of the Laleîsigō never aged or weakened, and after six hundred years he was still king. From this, men perceived that his strength was maintained by sorcery. Because of this, the Masāntigō turned against him, as well as the greater part of the elcari, and rejoined the war on the side of the iliū. The remainder of the elcari went to live and fight with the múrtani.

We also learned that he consulted with the ktuvoks as with elder brothers, and worshipped Amnās rather than Iáinos. When this was known, the Cazinorō and the Mavoripomi also joined the side of the iliū.

The war continued for another four hundred years, until the Crummâlligō and the Metailō revolted, put their own kings to death, and refused to fight any more. Now neither side saw victory in reach, and the war ended.

Because of the war of corruption, both men and elcari turned against Iáinos, and took on part of the nature of Amnās. Some of them were reconciled with the iliū, but the friendship of before could never be restored, because the iliū had been betrayed. There is also bad feeling between men and elcari because of this war, because the elcari blamed men for leading them away from Iáinos.

Because he had not brought them victory, and had nonetheless taken on the airs of a great king, the Laleîsigō killed their own king Līxigōcas.

All the lineages of men and elcari followed the words of Līxigōcas; but all repented. For this reason men and elcari are of a mixed nature, and may follow either Iáinos or Amnās.

The Meīrigō, who never made war against the iliū, and the Rāutigō, who first abandoned it, returned with whole hearts to Iáinos. Next to change sides were the Masāntigō, these were ashamed before Iáinos, and did not restore their worship of him, but still acknowledged him. Next came the the Cazinorō and the Mavoripomi, who forgot the name of Iáinos and worshipped many gods, in confusion, but did not follow evil. Those who fought to the end, especially the Laleîsigō, followed evil gods, or allied with the ktuvoks.

8. The war of chaos

The eighth war was the war of chaos, which was fought all across Almea. In this war all weapons were used: steel, fire, magic, machines, and armies of all the Thinking Kinds. Amnās also created new monsters to harrass his enemies.

The war began in the north, but Amnās learned the secret of Obondōsiu's fire, and removed it for his own use. The war thus spread to the south, and Amnās fashioned Obondōsiu's fire into a terrible weapon, which he used against Āeressār, the land of the royal sons of Rāuto. From the greenest and most fertile of lands, it became a desert of blowing sands; the kingdom of the Rāutigō was destroyed, and its people killed or scattered.

Uxrâssos, the king of the iliū, also learned the secret of Obondōsiu's fire, and he used it to attack Amnās himself. Their battle was in the land of Kara, and this also was transformed into a desert, all its fields and cities and people destroyed. Uxrâssos struck the weapon from the hand of Amnās; but the effort brought him death, and his son Omontāsio became king of the iliū.

Amnās resolved to burrow deep into the earth to free Ecaîas. He dug deep, causing great earthquakes and flows of lava on the surface, and finally he reached the innermost chamber of rock where Ecaîas was buried.

Now, at the command of Iáinos, Eīledan reached out with his power and held Amnās.

--O Amnās, do you know what you are doing? asked Iáinos. If you free Ecaîas, he will destroy all of Almea, including all your own creatures.

--Let it be, said Amnās. I am tired of Almea and these iliū and other creatures; I would rather it all be destroyed rather than let them have it.

--And I am tired of you, said Iáinos. I didn't bind you like Ecaîas, but you used your freedom to become even more evil. I let you fight, because it produced greatness among the iliū, and there arose two new Thinking Kinds, for which I have great plans. But that purpose is accomplished, and you threaten to undo it. You will stay there, then, in the rock at the center of Almea, until the twilight times.

Amnās is thus confined to the rock with Ecaîas. He no longer has the power to wander Almea, or to make new evil creatures, or to guide the ktuvoks; but he can still work through the evil creatures he had already made, and through anyone who opens his will to him, man or elcar.

The war ended, and because of the mightiness of the weapons used and the length of the war, the destruction was great. All the kingdoms of men were overthrown. Their cities were destroyed, their arts lost, and their understanding confused. Men were reduced to wandering nomads, poor and rootless, for ten thousand years.

Men forgot their own history and even the names and actions of their ancestors; but the iliū did not forget, and they told our ancestors.


© 2003 by Mark Rosenfelder
Back! Back to Virtual Verduria   Onward!