Chapter 1: Of Gods and Balance
The trees whispered as they played to the tune of the wind as if responding to an unseen orchestra. In a grove within the Vinaya forest, a young man of 15 sat under a Kwalju tree listening keenly as an elderly man explained the basics of hunting and gathering herbs.
“The forests have been here longer than people have existed in this realm; providing sustenance in the form of meat and nutritious herbs. It is for this reason that a hunter must always honor the forest and all within it.”
“What about demon wolves and the possessed? Don't they also reside in the forest?" Uzman asked.
“No, the demon wolves are not native to natural forests; they are an abomination that arose after the opening of the rift of Maliel. It is for this reason that cultivators and hunters seek their extinction."
“Why doesn’t the emperor close the rift? I hear he is very powerful.” Uzman continued trying to shift the story towards demons knowing that his grandfather did not relish sharing such information. Any time he had a chance, he gleaned a few morsels of information from the recalcitrant old man before he wised up.
“Get up and pick up your spear. This old man still has a fight or two left. Let us see if you are improving.”
Uzman faced his grandfather holding his spear in a mid-guard position. His left hand was placed at the center with his right near the haft. His left leg was angled forward facing the old man and his right was further back, holding a stance slightly wider than his shoulders. Uzman had found this approach to provide him the needed mobility when facing off against his grandfather. The old man used his walking staff as a weapon to probe for weaknesses, moving with a grace that belied his advanced age. Uzman used his spear to parry and made the occasional thrust if an opportunity arose.
In more than a year of training, Uzman rarely landed a blow. It was as if his grandfather could read his mind. He had tried combinations, feints, and outright aggression. More often than not, he was thrown on his ass, to lick his wounds in consternation. This time he was faring much better. He pressed the old man into giving ground, harrying him with low thrusts and sweeps, attacking the exposed shins, and then attacking high when he guarded low. The old man stepped back adroitly creating space between them and planted his staff on the ground.
Uzman leaped forward to continue his attack confident that today would be the day he won. Suddenly, the old man thrust his staff out and a clod of soil flew at Uzman’s face. He closed his eyes reflexively against the new assault. In the blink of an eye, Uzman was sent flying to the ground. Before he recovered, the old man had planted a boot firmly on his chest grinning from ear to ear.
“That was not fair; you always insist I conduct myself with honor. Where is honor in using dirty tricks to win?” Uzman questioned bitterly.
“I don’t recall telling you war, fighting, or indeed the world is fair. You of all people should know this truth. Some are born noble, others commoners and some have to hide their heritage in a secluded village. The only honor you need is to know that you did all you could to survive.
“I want you to take this lesson to heart. Do not be the first to start fights, even though they will always find you. But do not shy away from confrontations either. If you have to fight, do all you can to win. Know that only losers are left debating the fairness of the strategies used.
“Ummph, let us start back to the village if we hope to arrive before sunset," the old man harrumphed.
On their way back, they picked up more herbs with medicinal value and others that could be added to different foods to increase flavor. During the entire journey, Sulmani continued lecturing the young man about the uses of different herbs, how best to use them, where they are found, and their potential benefits. Within the village of Kolcita, Sulmani was considered knowledgeable about diseases and herbs; and his concoctions were highly prized allowing them to earn enough income to get by.
Kolcita was largely a peaceful village nestled at the foot of the Umbura Ridge Mountains and hidden by the Vinaya forest. It was made up of members who had decided to live without the rigors of war, harboring many deserters from the Imperial army, and the policing forces of the three duchies. Most people living in the village enjoyed the quiet solitude to reflect on their losses and seek a form of peace. Apart from the natives of the village and those born to the few immigrants, most people in Kolcita had faced loss due to the harsh nature of the Tanga realm. There was the unending war with the clans to the north, the rival clashes between duchies, and the growing losses against the demon horde. Tanga was a harsh taskmaster and only the resilient survived.
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As the sun waned giving way to the moon, the central bazaar of the Kolcita Village began to fill with people. This was a ritual that was as old as time; where people gathered during the summer nights over a big fire. The old men regaled the youth with stories about the world while the women served tea and snacks. Kolcita was a communal village where members were bound by their love for each other and mutual fear of discovery by the Imperialty.
Zimri cleared his throat loudly and tapped his walking stick on the ground to attract attention. The cacophony quieted instantly as the young and old alike waited for the beginning of another story. Zimri had been a Keeper, one tasked with passing on the traditions of the village and educating the young about the history of the empire.
“Today I want to talk about the Founding and the fight between demonkind and humanity. As we all know, all things exist in balance; as the light is in opposition to darkness, they also exist in harmony demarcating the day and the night. In this same manner do the gods above exist in opposition to the demon deities in the plane below. In the world of Tanga and other similar countless realms, the people who live there contribute to the balance through death and joining the reincarnation wheel to propagate life. However, Baliel, the god of the world below and king of demons, wanted to upset this balance by sending his demons to consume humanity.
"Through a plan conceived over many millennia, he weakened the veil between worlds creating the rift of Maliel allowing demons to interact with our world. By offering power to greedy people, Baliel was able to unbalance Karmic bonds and leech power through the actions of possessed individuals and beasts. However, Seraphiel, the goddess of the Elements intervened and provided humanity with the power to cultivate the elements. This made humanity stronger and they could match demons in a fight. For a time, this boon restored the balance by enabling cultivators to safeguard those who are weaker creating positive Karma.
“The balance lasted until Baliel managed to start sending Demon Dukes to join the fight. The Dukes are greater demons and are as strong or stronger than a mind realm cultivator. To respond to this new eventuality, Seraphiel empowered certain cultivators to be guardians who could wield more power and thus respond to the threat posed by Demon Dukes. These powerful cultivators could wield blue fire which could counter black demon fire. They were led by strong cultivators that were called Guardians. This state of balance persisted until 700 years ago when the last Guardian died. We are all exhorted to continue paying homage to Seraphiel in the hope that she sends us another Guardian to deal with the current demon infestation.
"Before disappearing from this plane, the guardians created many wonders that have survived to this age. They created the great formations that have been keeping the demon beasts at bay. They created weapons that could sense the presence of demons. There were castles that rose in the air as architectural masterpieces in the northern clans, and great libraries where anybody wanting information about the martial path could research-”
“If the last Guardian was so strong why did he die?" A voice asked.
“No one knows what happened. It is rumored he was betrayed, others say that Baliel himself reached through the rift and smote him. The only factual information we have is that he died and we are slowly losing the struggle with the demonkind. The demonlands are slowly encroaching from the East, there are increases in demon beasts, and the Imperial army continues being more vicious in conscripting commoners to be demon fodder,” Zimri answered.
“Is that why the Imperials always conscript people to fight and work for their army to deal with the demons?” Another boy asked.
“Yes and no. The imperials and the nobility conscript people to get cheap labor while using the demons as an excuse,” Zimri answered.
Most of the adults in the bazaar nodded their heads in acknowledgment of this sentiment. Indeed, there was no love lost between the imperials and nobility for the villagers present.
“What happened to the formations and the creations made by the Guardian?” Uzman asked: his inquisitive mind thinking about the scale of the creations even though he had no baseline for comparison.
“Following the death of the last Guardian, this plane entered the dark days that lasted 100 years. There was the destruction of historical creations, the loss of knowledge, and the creation of the three Great Duchies. Amoria, Silicia, and Zeta had been countries in their own right. However, the imperials rampaged throughout the land subjugating the entire plane and creating the current boundaries. The only people they failed to subjugate are the northern free clans who have remained thus to this day," Zimri explained.
On that somber note, the villagers started to go back to their homes to take a well-earned sleep after the rigors of the day.