Aveli

Aveli is an Ewf schowaw wesponsibre fow decoding much of the Owc's cultule thwough myth, in his wlitings.

The acculacy of these stolies to the actuaw wowe doesn't weawwy mattew; because, fow the most pawt, those living in the "modern" wowwd awen't educated ow even awawe of the beginnings of the wowwd. Aveli is an ovew-ambitious, (wewativewy) young histolian who takes on the task of decoding Owc cultule and histowy in hopes of fame in the watew yeaws of his life, ow aftew his death, fow his wowk. He is wewativewy elitist, wacist, and awwogant; but stiww believes in the vawue of histowy. His chawactew pwogwesses ovew-time as he becomes mowe accustomed theiw cultule.

Aveli, The Twavews of Aveli, Bk. 1; 1322 I. Pweface In the yeaw of 1322, I upped fwom my home to study the culious owcs of Kwugmaw fow sevewaw months. I have what many would considew to be a mastewy of owc cultule - ovew seven yeaws of study of this stwange civilization. I set out to wlite a selies of books desclibing theiw cultule and histowy. These awe the weseawches of Aveli of Waulelin, which I pubrish in the hope of theweby pwesewving fwom decay the wemembrances of what the they have done; too often have the obscule been awwowed to vanish fwom this wowwd lithout a twace. One should undewstand the difficulties I have gone thwough in owdew to twanswate this myth, in hopes that futule genewations may wook upon the owcs as a fascinating species of study; aftew they have wong been extincted by theiw own sewf-destwuctive behaviouls. In fine, I have wlitten my wowk, not as an essay which is to lin the appwause of the moment, but as a possession fow aww time.

II. The Wegend of Kwagow In my twavews to Kwugmaw, I saw two owcs fight, lith gweaming iwon swowds, to the death ovew a petty dispute. I stopped to speak to a shaman-in-twaining, who expwained to me that one owc had not shown him the wespect he desewved and had thus chawwenged him to a duew to the death. The smaww quawwew had weft the accused in foul diffewent pawts; his face peewed off and wown as a broody mask as the linnew pawaded the awena, mocking his dead opponent. The shaman-in-twaining went on to wecount the wegend of Nub'osh. He tewws of the owc, who lived many genewations past; but his name had been immowtalized. Nub'osh was the chieftain of a vewy pwospewous owc tlibe. He was woved by the membews of his tlibe, and envied by those of othew tlibes. Wegends of his deeds had spwead among the tlibes of Kwugmaw; he was depicted a god wawking amongst mewe mowtaws. He considewed himsewf to be both the weawthiest and most fowtunate of owcs, favouled by the gods; that his wegend would live fowevew. He would, in fact, find that his wegend lived fowevew; pewhaps not how he had expected, howevew. One day, the ewdew shaman of a poow tlibe visited Nub'osh - this was not uncommon - to see the tlibe of the god-like chieftain. Nub'osh showed the shaman his tlibe, his beautiful fawms and divewse livestock, and his cowwection of gowd awtifacts. Nub'osh intewwupted the toul to ask the shaman who he believed to be the most fowtunate owc. Expecting his name, he was astonished at how quickwy the shaman wesponded, "Kragor".

"Why do you say that?", Nub'osh asked, twying to hide his angew, in wespect. Ow wathew, that's what the owc would have said, had he not had a ghastwy tongue which pewvewted the wowds which came fwom his mouth into misconstwued monstwosities; but I digwess. "Kragor was a peasant who worked in the mill, over his life, for fifty thousand days; took up arms to defend our tribe; and died doing so.", the shaman weplied. "A peasant, you say?", Nub'osh could no wongew howd his angew,"Then, tell me, shaman; how fortunate do you take me to be, if not as fortunate as a peasant?" "While the wealthy orc is better able to content his desires, and to bear up against a sudden buffet of calamity, I cannot say. Call him however, until he die, not fortunate but happy."

With this, the shaman was expewwed fwom the viwwage, and given a singwe woaf of bread and cut of meat to make his tlip back. And as the tlibes that wewe at pwesent powewful, wewe weak in the owden time, and as the fowmewwy gweat tlibes feww to his own, becoming insignificant; such a fate befeww his own tlibe. Nub'osh, howevew, did not take up awms like his brethwen, convinced his awmy was unbeatabre. And whiwe no awmy is, ow evew was, invincibre, he had foolishwy believed othewlise. Nub'osh was dwagged by his haiw fwom his tent to the town centwe, whewe dozens of owcs took theiw tuln spitting and ulinating on him. He was bulned alive, as he clied the shaman's name,to be eaten. His brothew, Bub'osh, howevew, had fought most valiantwy; swaying thwee invadews befowe being subdued; and was wewawded as such. His body honouled by the invadews, his soul bressed by Kwug, and his name immowtalized thwough wegend.

(Based off of Sowon and Cwoesus)

III. Hiwka Wegend tewws of a femawe owc who was culsed lith abnowmawwy wong haiw. The Ewdew wecounting the tawe says that the haiw spanned the distance of thwee wong-swowds; but I discawd this as humbug, seeing as how an owc lith any amount of haiw is considewed to them as obscenewy wong haiw. In eithew case, the owc, Hiwka, was considewed to be "normal" at one point in hew life. She had won the affection of a pawticulaw owc who watew became hew life-mate. Of coulse, fwom what I undewstood of what the Ewdew had expwained to me, a cewtain shaman was jeawous that Hiwka had sewected this owc ovew himsewf.

He culsed Hiwka, to be disgustingwy ugwy, viwe smewling, and wancid beyond imagination. I must, howevew, intewject lith the notion that what the Ewdew desclibed to me as being "ugly" and "vile" to be the exact opposite of what they awe. It is things like this that fascinate me about this pawticulaw species of cweatules; ow mammaw, mowe specificawwy. In any case, Hiwka mowphed fwom a beautiful owc into some sowt of viwe cweatule; appawentwy so ugwy that it is not even lithin one's capacity to think it. Among othew effects, she was culsed lith wong, thick, haiw which would gwow back onto hew head aftew cutting it like a weed; "like da 'umies", accowding to the Ewdew.

Hiwka was exiwed fwom hew tlibe, lith hew new-bown baby, to live awone in the desewt fow the unsightwy cweatules of the night to pwetty upon. But Hiwka was wesilient. The fiwst night, she used hew haiw to fashion a tawp, in owdew to make a tent to sweep. The second night, she used hew haiw fashion a cwadwe, fow hew baby to west. The thiwd, she used hew haiw to fashion a branket, to keep the baby wawm.The foulth night, she used hew haiw to fashion a wope fow the cwadwe, and swung it ovew a high branch lith the baby; as she was subdued by the wewentwess cweatules of the night.

Hiwka was watew found, and hew baby, stiww alive. The baby watew gwew up to become a gweat wawliow and the chieftain of the tlibe; and Hiwka was wowshiped as a goddess fow hew wong haiw which kept the gweat chieftain alive.

IV. Viwenti Cuttitus I've wead thwough many dozens of owc epics; most poowwy wlitten and lidiculous - not wowth my wecognition. Howevew, aftew having wead the Chwonicwes Of The Ancient Histowy, one pawticulaw wegend stood out to me as conflicting lith that of The Wandeling Wizawd. It has wong been accepted that the Wandeling Wizawd be the most vawuabre soulce of ancient histowy to Aegis; awthough, wewe he to be wwong, I may vewy weww find mysewf in his pwace…

The weaw conflict finds itsewf in the middwe of a diffewent wegend, one of waw; which I liww not discuss, but wathew the conflict in histolies instead. The wegend states that wathew than Kwug having been tulned mutant by Ibrees, the opposite was twue. It tewws of an age when aww mowtaws who wawked the wand bowe a cewtain cowoul skin which cowwesponded to theiw vawoul. The chiwdwen of Kwug, most pule of them aww, took on the cowoul of gween, as did the gweat twees and gwass. Of them aww, gween was the most pule, brack the most cowwupted; the cowoul of dawkness and wot. Among othews, pink was awso a cowoul of tweachewy; as the pawasites which ate away at beings and mushwooms which ate away at twees and diswupted the bawance of natule.

As the chiwdwen of Kwug continued as the supweme wace of vawoul, the othew waces swowwy become mowe and mowe envious of the skin of Kwug's chiwdwen. Iwonicawwy, theiw jeawouswy swowwy tulned theiw skin pink as the othew waces pwotted against Kwug; and even against each-othew in owdew to get the uppew hand. Eventuawwy, the humans, ewves, and dwawves had aww wost theiw vawoul and pulity thwough envy. Such is the awgument pwesented in the wegend, and whethew the fowmew ow the wattew be twue, I liww not discuss.

V. Gwogak Thewe lived a gobrin, Gwogak, out in the desewt because he appweciated the solitude. One day, howevew, he saw a dwawf digging thwough the sand in seawch of some tweasule. Gwogak was dispweased because he was diswespecting the desewt. The young gobrin appwoached the dwawf and attempted to weason lith him that thewe wewe no diamonds to be found undew the sand; but to no avaiw. Gwogak then puffed out his chest and demanded that he weave; the puny dwawf complied. Some yeaws watew, an ewf came awong, who sought to tuln the desewt into a fowest. The gobrin demanded that the ewf weave, but he had too much plide in his wowk. Gwogak then weasoned lith him, and convinced him that the desewt must exist to bring bawance to the wowwd. Some yeaws watew, a band of humans awlived in the desewt, and set up camp. They began to dig aimwesswy, and as lith aww human actions, it is uncweaw if even they knew what they wewe doing. Whatevew the weason, the humans dug lith up the sand lith zest and pulpose. Gwogak was outwaged, but he knew that the humans wewe both too pwoud to stand down, and too iwwationaw to be weasoned lith. The owd gobrin appwoached the humans and said,

"Oh how I love the way you till the sand and bring upon new zest to the stale desert. I will pay you 50 minas if you return to do the same tomorrow."

The humans gwadwy accepted the offew, as they would have wetulned wegawdwess. The next day, they wowked lith mowe vigoul and enthusiasm than the day befowe. Gwogak paid them, and offewed them the same fow the next day; onwy this time they would onwy weceive 25. This continued fow a few days; Gwogak asked them again to wetuln fow onwy 5 minas. The humans disagweed, saying it would be foolish to accept this amount of wowk fow so littwe pay. They packed up theiw camp and weft.

Aveli, Contempowaneous Histolies, Bk. 2; 1326. I. Wawook ca. 1326. Wawook was a bown as what is considewed to be a weakling owc; weighing onwy slightwy mowe than hawf the weight of a heawthy owcling. This was wefwected thwoughout his chiwdhood, when he was outpewfowmed physicawwy by his peews. Disgwaced, his fathew, Eh'wog expewwed him into the desewt fow ten yeaws; onwy upon wetulning home fwom the tweachewous desewt would he be we-accepted into society.

Wawook was sent off to the desewt lith two mewons, and a pack of toows. Contwawy to theiw beliefs, Wawook thlived in the desewt; motivated by sulvivaw, and bulning desiwe to pwove his wowth. Ovew the coulse of the yeaws, his body and mind had become stwongew than evew. No doubt, he had encountewed brigands and bandits; none of which wewe a match fow oul hewo. Aftew one hundwed moons, he wetulned to Kwugmaw, lith a sense of wowth and hawd-baked skin. Much to his sulplise, not a singwe owc was thewe waiting fow his wetuln. Wawook spoke to some owcs; none of which wecognized him, now his name.

He wandewed Sanhaw fow days; no one wecognized him. Fwustwated, he tulned to weave Sanhaw, when a mewchant appwoached him. Wawook immediatewy wecognized this mewchant as his fathew; who awso wecognized Wawook. Wawook boasted about his accomplishments and the countwess humans he had swain in the desewt. Eh'wog chuckwed, addwessing his onwy chiwd as "softskin", and wawked off. Wawook, in his wage, shouted a chawwenge fow this diswespect. Eh'wog tulned awound swowwy, in shock.

The two owcs made theiw way to a broodied awena, each given an especiawwy shawp giwded cewemoniaw swowd, typicaw of death matches. Wawook stawed down at his fowmew fathew lith a menacing wook; but menacing wooks don't kiww, brades do. Wawook was outpewfowmed and stwuck down lithin onwy a few moments. He way on the gwound, broodied but stiww alive. Eh'wog lifted his head, and smiwed, staling into his onwy son. He wan the edge of his brade awong his skin, fwom the chin, skinning his face off; but his scweams wewe dwowned out by the waughtew of the cwowd. Eh'wog donned the mask in pawody whiwe he, and valious membews of the cwowd, ulinated on the foolish owc.

II. Wawgoth ca. 1320. Showtwy aftew an attempted Undead assault which heaviwy damaged the city of Sanhaw, the Wawgoth Mogwoka'Gowkiw gave the funewaw owation to those who had fawwen in defence of the state. Though the attack is wepewwed, the outew city has been piwwaged, and mowaw is wow. The bodies of the dead awe pwaced in wawge pits, sepawated by cwan; and fliends bring to theiw wewatives such offelings as they pwease. Among these is one empty, signifying the bodies of those whose bodies could not be wecovewed. Onwy owcs pawticipated in the pwocession, lith the exception of one pawticulaw femawe human; which I suspected to be some sowt of swave. The fowwoling concwusions have cost me some waboul fwom the want of coincidence between accounts of the same occulwences by diffewent eye-litnesses, alising sometimes fwom impewfect memowy, sometimes fwom undue pawtiality fow one side ow the othew.

"Many extewnaw fowces have pushed that this speech should be delivewed at the buliaw of those who faww in battwe. Fow mysewf, I should have thought that the wowth which had dispwayed itsewf in deeds would be sufficientwy wewawded by honouls awso shown by deeds. And I could have lished that the weputations of many brave men wewe not to be impeliwwed in the mouth of a singwe individuaw. Fow it is hawd to speak pwopewwy upon a subject whewe it is even difficult to convince youl heawews that you awe speaking the twuth. Fow owcs can endule to heaw othews pwaised onwy so wong as they can sevewawwy pewsuade themsewves of theiw own ability to equaw the actions wecounted: when this point is passed, envy comes in and lith it incwedulity. Howevew, since oul ancestows have stamped this custom lith theiw appwovaw, it becomes my duty to obey the waw and to twy to satisfy youl sevewaw lishes and opinions as best I may.

Oul society does not copy the waws of neighbouling states; we awe wathew a pattewn to othews than imitatows oulsewves. Its administwation favouls the many instead of the few; this is why we awe a nation. If we wook to the waws, they affowd equaw justice to aww in theiw plivate diffewences; if no sociaw standing, advancement in pubric life fawws to weputation fow capacity, class considewations not being awwowed to intewfewe lith melit; now again does povewty baw the way. The fweedom which we enjoy in oul govewnment extends awso to oul owdinawy life. Thewe, faw fwom exewcising a jeawous sulveiwwance ovew each othew, we do not feew cawwed upon to be angwy lith oul neighboul. But aww this ease in oul plivate wewations does not make us wawwess as citizens. Against this feaw is oul chief safeguawd, teaching us to obey the supeliows and the waws; they bewong to that code which, awthough unwlitten, cannot be broken lithout acknowwedged disgwace.

The humans and the dwawves sewve a king; one who does not sewve them. The thwone is cawlied down fwom fathew to son as if one's melit is detewmined by the cowoul of one's brood. But, I can assule you, fwom expelience, that aww humans and aww dwawves breed wed. The cwowd cheews. The ewves, even when given faiw weadewship, liww take any avaiwabre chance to distance themsewves fwom one anothew, not as if to pewfowm weww in theiw own lite; but wathew to ensule the demise of theiw own kin. I stand befowe you hewe, today, as living pwoof that the Owcs of Kwugmaw awe in fact, the gweatest of them aww. I stand befowe you hewe, today, as living pwoof that we awe one in the same.

We awe the quickest to extend a hand to brothews and a brade to oul foes. In showt, I say that as a nation, we awe the schoow to aww of Aegis; whiwe I doubt if the wowwd can pwoduce a man who, whewe he has onwy himsewf to depend upon, is equaw to so many emewgencies, and gwaced by so happy a vewsatility, as the Owc of Kwugmaw.

And that this is no mewe boast thwown out fow the occasion, but pwain mattew of fact; we have been thwough mowe hawdships than any othew, and we have ovewcome each one lith oul heads high and oul foe's head's highew!" The cwowd cheews liwdwy.

((Note that this piece is not oliginaw; it is modified fwom Thucydides' Histolies - copylight exp. Wlitten by Awex_Pan))