Cthulos broke over the horizon on a cool morning out in the wilderness north of The Great River. His light slowly bathing the fields and shrubs with a warming touch that signaled the end of Yulimmys reign, and the beginning of his. The radiant light would soon wake Fwakikit, and force him to stir the herds from their slumber to begin the day a new. But someone had preempted everyone elses awakening, coming in the waning hours of Yulimmys domination. Cthulos rise to power that triggered the chain of events of the day-to-day was carefully memorized by those entrusted with the duty, and a sequence was developed by Waarhaz and those he overlooked. Uhiya stood in the coming light of the day and chanted in celebration of these events to the gods who set them all out.
We pray for Yulimmys powers to return so that she may once again conquer the sky from Cthulos, she spoke to the horizon, and that Cthulos reign shall be kind and generous so he may empower Waarhazs warriors for the task of gathering Fwakikits subjects on the hunt so that we may survive for another day.
The warriors gathered for the daily hunt were gathered in a line formation as Uhiya chanted the prayer so that the hunt of the day would be productive. Donned in the customary Morning Prayer cloths of the tribe, she was finally putting the skills learned from her years of apprenticeship into practice with the unfortunate passing of her mentor the night before. Uhiya peered over her shoulder as was customary of the motions involved to praying for a productive hunt and viewed the warrior, as well as the barren spot she normally had stood. Uhiya thought to herself about the importance choosing her successor in the coming days as she finished the prayer.
Uhiya turned just in time to see the warriors exiting in the proper formation towards the area game had been spotted the evening before. The High Priestess approached her with a comforting look that let her know shed done an acceptable job. They exchanged pleasantries, and Uhiya walked back towards her tribes current settlement while the High Priestess left to find a proper area to meditate and hopefully commune with the gods and Final Authority. As Uhiya approached her tribe and saw the daily activities going on at The Great River, she heard gossip and scolding of children who seemed to be disrespectful of their surroundings. Hearing the breaking of some pottery, Uhiya decided the best place for her to reside at the moment would be the spiritual cave her fellow priestesses would be.
Uhiya, the Priestess of Death, Orikgama, yelled while running over from the caves, I am sorry for what happened to Kujima, but for consolation, the hour Yulimmy took is one of good luck for those close to her.
Uhiya smiled a smile that seemed to come naturally, but one that in her heart she knew was fake. Thank you Orikgama, she said half-heartedly, if Yulimmy thought it time to take her, then it must have been.
Come! Orikgama said excitedly while grabber Uhiyas hand and leading her towards the caves. Waarika finally thinks she understands our ancestors in the Caves!
As they passed from the rapidly warming day into the cool shadow of the cave, a shiver passed through Uhiya and left her wondering if it was the souls of the past or the simple temperature change. She saw paintings that were mostly comprised of lines and circles, some simple, some complex, some interacted with one another, others were alone. While she had never been taught how to read Ancestor drawings, one specific drawing caught her eye and kept her from looking away; a seeming half square, painted in red, with jagged looking lines on it dominated a large section on the cave wall. The feeling Uhiya got from simply looking at the painting intensified her thoughts of despair, and lost her daze of numbness and fear came a muffled voice, which soon intensified.
It has that effect, I know, reassured Waarika in her quiet and reserved voice, I felt the same feelings when first looking at it, but I had to persist to fulfill my duty.
Yes well, all this Touching of the Gods aside, what does the story tell, questioned Orikgama, we all know they arent written here for play.
Well, began Waarika, it appears to depict a hunting party. They set out to find game in The Great Sand, to prove their power. Her hands moved across the wall and paintings as she spoke. After days of finding nothing worthy to bring back to their tribe, Waarika continued, they became lost. They continued on their journey in the direction of Cthulos resting ground, only to find an area with few plants. Here they found a hill that could only have been crafted by the Final Authority. It goes on to say
Waarika suddenly stopped, whos hand hovered over a painting of highly detailed lines, a practice universally reserved for drawings of gods, who seemed to be talking to one another while pointing at the rock. Confusion washed over Waarikas face, as if an impossible truth had been revealed to her. Orikgama finally became impatient, and gently shook Waarika.
Well? Orikgama said annoyed.
Im sorry, still with a confused tone Waarika responded, it says that in this place, the whispers of the gods could be heard all around them. They interfered with the Earth around them, did things no one should ever do, but no response, no bad omen, nothing! As if the whispers were a place where the gods did not pay attention to the Earth, only to one another.
Waarika was visibly shaken, Uhiya didnt understand the reason for her extent of fear, but such a thing was unheard of in the stories of old. Orikgama was simply disbelieving at the story.
I suppose not every tribe respects these caves, Orikgama remarked in a sly tone.
Perhaps we should bring this information to the High Priestess, and find what she thinks, Waarika fearfully proposed.
Its probably nothing, but it couldnt hurt to- Orikgama tried to say as she was cut off with cries of help. A warrior came to the cave in distress, raving of warriors that attacked him and the other hunters. He dragged behind him a body that was covered in cuts and various cloths.
Uhiya spoke up, This, is one of the other warriors?
NO, screamed the warrior, it is the High Priestess!
Every priestess in the cave came to the corpse to examine and verify that it was their High Priestess. When the truth became undeniable, most of them broke into tears at the loss. As the warrior went to tell the rest of the tribe, Uhiya saw him cut down by a warrior in, what to her seemed, overly designed war paint. A group of warriors came up behind him as he turned his head towards the cave, and began his approach. Screams and yells were heard from near the river as the warriors walked in to witness the priestesses.
We are the WaarhaZikeem! the leader bellowed, you are all within our lands, and it is our right to exterminate the weak who have trespassed. Warriors! he screamed as a smile encroached on his face, these women belong to you!
The warriors immediately dropped their weapons and charged at the women who had taken to huddling in the cave. These men grabbed the priestesses, without much struggle, and without much caring for the harm caused, threw them to the ground while soon after jumping upon them. A warrior ran after Uhiya, and pushed her into the wall. As he tried to grab her, she was able to slightly duck away as he grabbed her prayer cloths and ripped them from her. She quickly ran to the deeper parts of the caves where the bodies were kept. Without much light, she laid on the ground when she felt the corpses underfoot. The warrior followed bearing a flame, along with another warrior.
Turn them over, some of them look as though they may have died soon enough for me to still have them, the warrior whod assaulted her said with a certain blood lust.
Shes a smart one, the second warrior said, hiding here would be a good way to throw someone off.
Just help me turn them over! the original warrior commanded.
Tokeim, forget it. There is fresh stock back at the front of the cave. Im going to go get some of that; your girl can die here for all I care
But you know that Zidmark refuses one alone to reside in his places of work!
The warrior, who had gotten close to discovering Uhiya, gave into his superstitions, and left the cave. Thinking these strange men who names themselves after the god of People and the god of War would surly take her if she left this deep part of the cave, she closed her eyes and rested in wait of a time theyd be gone.
* * *
Uhiya made her way to the front of the cave from where she rested for hours before. As she got to the mouth of the cave while passing over the broken bodies of her disgraced comrades, she could see that Yulimmy had risen once again in the sky. She began turning over the bodies of the other priestesses, most dead, hoping that Waarika was still clinging to life. Uhiya wept as she looked through her friends, but she convinced herself that finding Waarika would make the experience worth it.
Uhiya soon heard groans emanating from a place near the wall filled with the drawings of her ancestors. In search of the noise, she was able to view the wall in the perfect shot of Yulimmys light, and all the pictures drawn for future generations. But something was amiss, something on the wall had been altered since she last saw it; not added, just
They covered over it with whatever they could find, a voice from the ground chocked. Uhiya looked down to see Waarika lying in the wedge between the cave wall and the cave ground. She spoke again Their savagery left their minds unshielded from the effect the painting had on them. They must have gone mad.
Uhiya leaned down with tears swelling in her eyes at the condition her fellow priestess was in. Waarika, I need to make this right
I, need to let others know what happened here, Uhiya sobbed.
Dont weep Uhiya, Waarika said in a voice quieter than shed ever had before, I will tell you what to draw.
* * *
Tirkyma stood in the cave in the early hours of Cthulos reign. Her friend Likota, had dragged her in here after coming back from the Morning Prayer to the gods. Here in the caves of their ancestors, it was as if the dead could be felt leaving through the cave mouth. With her fellow priestesses around her, one in particular had been singled out by Likota: Waarioka, the priestess assigned to translate the paintings left behind by others. There was apparent confusion over one of the paintings on the wall, but the reason the two had gotten her to settle the issue was a mystery.
But it doesnt make any sense, Waarioka said in her typically overwhelming voice, these are not signs regularly shown in the caves.
What does it say though, questioned Likota, even if it isnt a picture, it is a symbol representing the past. Youre supposed to know these things.
As far as I can tell, Waarioka said as she passed her hands over five connected lines and a separate line with a wedge on the end, its talking about Waarhaz and Zihkeem.
The god of us and the god of war? piped up Tirkyma.
Yes, but they arent represented with anything else, no story, no other gods, not even The Final Authority, Waarioka said almost panicked.
Perhaps we should bring this information to the High Priestess, and find what she thinks, Tirkyma proposed.
Its probably nothing, but it couldnt hurt to- Likota tried to say as she was cut off with cries of help. A warrior came to the cave in distress, raving of warriors that attacked him and the other hunters. He dragged behind him a body that was covered in cuts and various cloths.
Tirkyma spoke up, This, is one of the other warriors?
NO, screamed the warrior, it is the High Priestess!
Every priestess in the cave came to the corpse to examine and verify that it was their High Priestess. When the truth became undeniable, most of them broke into tears at the loss. As the warrior went to tell the rest of the tribe, Tirkyma saw him cut down by a warrior in, what to her seemed, overly designed war paint. A group of warriors came up behind him as he turned his head towards the cave, and began his approach. Screams and yells were heard from near the river as the warriors walked in to witness the priestesses.
We are the WaarhaZikeem! the leader bellowed