An account by the Teklo Scholar Rom Yos Arak, investigating the marriage practices of the Becquerel
… and so arrived at last at the place of the party. It seems that I arrived on the second day of the festivities, and already many activities were going on. I visited a number of adjoining clearings and saw many were carried away with drinking, playing, a great deal of eating, and many different games…
… saw many of Djemity's heroes there. Of course Caleyll and Malaq themselves were present, accompanied by Vandel, Telma and Talioc. From the other races I noted Admiral Andar, Utu and Maya, King Eumelos, Warleader Dach and Zubin, Jupalo and Scholar Izak…
… I have realised that this is in effect a giant camping party. Everyone is invited to meet somewhere within the forest and they appear there, brining food and drink and passtimes…
… at the end of this second day, the only ceremony that exists take place. It is called the Climbing, and involves first the hand-fasting, then the climbing itself (of a tall tree) and then the coming down (gliding from the top). I saw it all - first the hand-fasting with a red ribbon, performed by Talioc. Caleyll and Malaq then tackled the biggest tree there, and spend a good half hour climbing right to the top, with the occasional drop. There was much laughter from the surrounding tree, and I gather the clumsiness is a tradition here (for the two Becquerel begin to overcome obstacles together - as if if one). Then the graceful gliding, leaving the ribbon tied at the top of the tree, and it is one of the most beautiful displays I have seen. Gliding to the ground, half-embraced, this must have certainly been exhilarating!
… here is a group playing a game, there is a group making a delicious smelling stew, there's a gang of tiny Becquerel children running around, and over there is a group of hunters going to get some fresh pork for the stew. It tells a greater story of the Becquerel community…
… many ballads were sung, stories told, and casual competitions held all around the place. The newly wed were dragged into everything, visiting almost every event, and every campfire, so that by the fourth day I lost track of where they were…
… until on the seventh day, I awoke. With a great hang-over, and must sadly report my ignorance of what happened on the sixth day and so cannot leave an account of it. I remember only that someone challenged a Kirlsa to a hoop-throwing competition and I believe I may have seen a number of children riding Admiral Andar through one of the copses. A truly remarkable record of Becquerel traditions that I bequeath here…
…event was well attended by both the artistic community and those concerned about the future of the volcano weapon. After a rather lavish set of celebrations the priest Thae-hal demonstrated to the satisfaction of the assembled that the mountain would no longer be capable of the terrible acts of destruction that had marked its creation…
…was eating the fourth course of the banquet when I heard the Kirlsa warriors complaining that they had come expecting a fight and that it was typical of the Sylphim to ruin a perfectly good opportunity for battle by sneakily doing art instead of blowing everyone up. The warrior gained much agreement at his table and was quite aggrieved when his King, overhearing, commanded him to remain on the Peak for the next year to 'keep an eye on the bugs'…
…introduction to the elemental Manifestations was quite a thrill. I'm not sure that I found it quite as artistically inspirational as the sylphim, but discussing verse with a five metre tall flaming gorilla isn't an experience I'll forget in a hurry…
Diary of Poet Derad Fra Belag
The Judgement of Guardian Parvin the Wise, upon the Honour of Sirana the Roc
“The judgement is laid down upon Sirana the Roc. That the Accused, Litha'Kaven'Mas, was not within your custody to bring to the Trial is adjudged to reflect in no negative sense upon the Warleader.
An investigation into the matter indicates that the Accused fled her trial whilst responsibility for her person lay still with the persons of the Aquienos Fleet. Since there had been no surrender to the custody of the person of Warleader Sirana, no shame nor dishonour is brought upon her.
Let all Kirlsa hear this, what shame there is lies only upon she who fled justice.”
An account of the proceedings of the Trial of Litha'Kaven'Mas, held in her absence, by Scholar Terrep Fra Gwent
And so the proceedings were officially begun, with Senate Leader Liss Fra Drril sitting as judge, and Maya'Thra'Mas speaking in defence of the defendent Litha'Kaven'Mas. The case for the prosecution was made by Twilight Song, on behalf of Empress Aysa of the Sylphim.
The trial continued for four days, with witnesses from the Sylphim and Aquienos peoples being questioned by the prosecution and defence. Scholar Izak Fra Rel spoke at the trial, describing, in detail, the Aquienos Fleet Champion as she flew in to a rage upon discovering the rooms of High Priest Rylim to be empty, explaining that it was only his fortunate presence upon Erli that allowed the High Priest to escape the assassination attempt.
Whilst Maya'Thra'Mas spoke with great eloquence and convinced many of the Aquienos present that the nature of the charges were unclear and that the trial could not truly investigate the fullest extent of what occurred; nonetheless, the calm, measured direction of the trial by Liss Fra Drril left none in believing that any true distortion of facts and events had occurred. In the end, it was the weight of evidence, coupled with the flight from facing the trial that decided the outcome.
Litha'Kaven'Mas was declared Guilty of Crimes Against the Empress and Sylphim People, of murder and attempted murder. In sentence, it was declared that should she ever return to custody her sword-arm, the killing instrument, should be removed from her body, and etched upon it would be a message of peace and harmony between the Allied Peoples.
From the official opening of a new centre for Chimera breeding. Speech given by ten year old offspring of Jupalo and Metis.
Following on from experiments performed by the Kirlsa Queen, binding the spirits of a Stag beetle into Jupalo and a womb badger into Metis, a new field is opening up. While the aforementioned case had to be rushed to the renowned healer Telma of the Becquerel for a safe delivery (who knew that was how a womb badger pregnancy ended?), the first baby born “safely” to chimeras led new and fruitful track of research for the healers of Djemity.
It is thus with great delight that I am able to help in the offical opening of the first inter-species breeding centre under the direction of none other than Telma herself. Thankyou all.
Coming at some point
During the Numinan War it became a well established fact that the Numina drew their power from the death of a spirit, and in the closing hours of the Numinan War a ritual was conducted to undo the damage. The spirit which returned was different by all accounts, those who have spoken with the spirit say it calls itself; Issinatal - Ascendant of Sacrifice. Various accounts exist but it appears that during the ritual the legendary figure Tarik'Dolum'Fra became part of the growing spirit. Indeed contemporary sources indicate the spirit referred to itself as Tarik before the spirit's nature fully asserted itself. Something of Tarik still seems to linger on however. It is claimed that one can enter Issinatal's realm only in uncharted territory, and that the realm itself is unchartable. However the nature of these means the theory is untestable.
From a study of Spirits by Kalika
During the Numinan War, it became know amoung certain circles that the origins of the Numina came from a breaking of the rules of the “great Game” of the spirits, a group, whose name and motive is lost to history tricked the spirit Teteoinnan into revealing information needed to kill another spirit. For this Teteoinnan was shattered by the other spirits and parts of him scattered throughout the world. In the years after the Numinan war; largely due to the aid Teteoinnan gave to the allied races in understanding their foe, a number of individuals namely High Admiral Andar’Guzel’Es’Fra, Navigator Utu’Manitou’Fra and Explorer Diana'Phlogistonia'Mas, aided the spirit in collecting some of his parts. While not enough to repair the shattered spirit, it did lead to a strengthen of his position in the game. Not all worked for Teteoinnan however, before his voyage into the east Jinbe’Polaria’Fra set out in search of piece which he gave to the new spirit for boons unknown.
Extract from “The History of the Arkhivians”. A text written 100 years after the Numinan War.
After the ending of the Second Arkhivian War and the start of the Numinan War, a number of our race found refuge in enclaves on the continent of Djemity, the Starfall Archipelago, the plains of Zhaar and the Seraphol. Indeed populations still exist in these historical settlements. The vast bulk of the Arkhivian remained on the Ice Wastes until the end of the Numinan War however. With the allies victorious in the final battle of the star sea, which marked the expulsion of the Numina from the continent of Balas, the Arkhivian government made the decision to repopulate their ancestral home.
The great exodus began, with negotiations with the Aquienos Home Fleet, as well as the Becquerel and Teklo, transports where put together and the Eastern Ocean was crossed. Weighing anchor on the northern coast of Balas, the Arkhivian made their new settlement, spreading across the Steppe that dominated that part of the continent.
A paper published by a Teklo scholar, on the State of the Arkhivian 100 years after the war.
After the Numinan War, the Arkhivian people moved to Balas. Here their new civilisation was established, and trade with the continent of Djemity began, mainly through the Aquienos ports to the south. Great monuments were constructed in each Arkhivian city, a reminder to their people of crimes committed by their ancestors.
While the vast bulk of the Arkhivian people had a good working relationship with the peoples of Djemity and the settlements of Balas, often a prejudice remained in many minds. Indeed evidence suggests this may not be entirely unfounded. Certainly the lands of the Arkhivians are renowned for having larger numbers of highwaymen and Pirates, and Traders with concerns in Arkhivian lands will normally employ security operations to help guard their convoys. Many have written on the predisposition of the Arkhivian people to theft as a by-product of their theft magic, although there is no conclusive proof.