“This document is an excerpt written by historical scholar Yutpan Tabnit, of the Imperial library in Sulci. These excerpts are oral stories passed down in the tribe’s native to the region. The purpose of this compendium is to catalogue and maintain knowledge passed down through the ages for storage in the Imperial libraries. These stories are transcribed as told, they have not been vetted for accuracy and are to be considered stories passed down through the ages.”
Battle between the Divine beast and the Sea Devil of the Arati tribe
On the first of the month of when the spirits converge with the land, at this time a spirit of death and gluttony crossed the threshold of spiritual realms and entered the living world. It brought with it death, destruction, and sorrow. Many fell to its ravenous maw; the silent death was what the ancestors named this beast. For none of its victims ever realized its presence, snatching them up within rows of teeth and dragging them to a watery grave.
The beast was a creature of teeth and scales, with a mouth so wide it could swallow a man whole, shear the flesh, and smash the bone. It did not discriminate, beast or man, consuming old and young alike, its hunger never fulfilled. No spear could penetrate its armored shell, scales as strong as metal.
In the village of the ancestors lived a foreign man, they knew not of his origins, only that his mind was addled and confused, yet his body was built like a veteran of the seas. The man was weathered, years of age visible upon his weather-beaten features, but he shown a great inner strength, even if his mind was unable to recount his past.
This was the hero of the clan; the ancestors believed that in the realm of spirits he and the divine beast battled the sea devil in mortal combat for countless millennia, sometimes victorious, sometime not. That during one of these cataclysmic battles, the fabric separating the mortal and immortal planes were torn asunder, casting these mortal foes upon the shores of this land.
The devil, free from its chains, preyed upon the unsuspecting people. The hero cast down upon these shores broken and alone was unable to capture the monster. It is only when he reconnected with the Divine beast, she of many arms, the sea mother that the two were able to smite the devil and bring its terrible reign to an end.
“I will mention that these next pieces of information are corroborated by the crew of an Etruski merchant vessel. The captain’s logs told of their fleet becoming marooned upon a reef not far from the shore. These men were stranded, unable to escape from the beast waiting below, this reality also coincides with the oral histories passed down in the Arati tribe.”
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Merchants from faraway lands were brought low by the elementals of wind and water, their fleet of ships sunk at sea with only a few able to escape. These men were caught upon the northeastern reefs, the shore of plenty where the devil had also claimed as its domain. Trapped upon the rocks, the foreigners were struck with hunger, disease, and sickness of the mind.
Many were said to have chosen death over the gruesome fate that awaited them. However, on the sixth day as the sun rose, the hero and divine beast hunted down the devil. At their side were the ancestors, their spears sharpened, their arrows fletched, all with a single purpose, to kill the beast. To drive it back from the mortal plain to the dark pit from whence it came.
The devil vicious and cruel as it was, did not lack in cunning. For when the great host arrived, to save the foreigners and end the great terror, the devil lying in wait pounced upon them. Striking those in the rear, its gaping maw crushing the war boats as if they were built from straw. Men were struck by its armored tail, smashing bone, and breaking skulls, devouring all that it could.
Our ancestors were skilled warriors, honed for battle, they did not flee and instead turned to face the devil, dying with honor. It was through their sacrifice that the Divine beast was able to pounce upon the devil, coming from below and tying her arms around its jaws.
The two beasts were intertwined in this struggle, a dance of death in which there could only be one victor. First to draw blood was the devil, its sword like claws tearing open one of the divine beasts’ eyes. Bleeding, in pain, and with an eye missing, the divine continued the struggle, but unable to pierce the armored scales.
It was the hero, witnessing the battle who with great courage dove into the waters below, and in a fit of divine rage thrust his spear within the belly of the devil. Distracted by its battle with the divine beast, the devil failed to notice the hero, unable to protect the soft underbelly below.
With jaws clamped shut, the devil was unable to scream, even as the hero proceeded to open its belly. The ancestors did not come out unscathed, it had cost the tribe dozens of its best warriors, two arms of the divine beast, and one of her eyes.
After the titanic battle, the foreigners were saved, their compensation plentiful, and the corpse of the devil was recovered. With it the ancestors created the slayer’s armor, the very same sales that turned away the hunter’s spears would now protect the greatest hunter of each generation. It was due to this armor that some of our tribe has managed to survive to this day and age.
Rejoice young ones in the honor of the ancestors. Bask in their glory, and always abide by the warrior’s code as set forth by the great hero. Only then can you bring glory to your family, and to the tribe.
The slayer’s armor was recovered from the remains of the tribe’s village. Scattered bands of the Arati still exist, however much of the culture has been lost during the time of the great upheaval. Please head to the next exhibit to learn more, and please do not forget to donate, every silver goes to assist in bringing more treasures of the past to life.
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