S01 — Session 4

1625, Earth Season

As before, the log will be recounted with extracts from Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga, from The Sonnets to Mellia, Sweetest of Healers, White Lady of Esrolia, The Lay of Serala, Lance of the Cold Sun , The Death of Rajar or The Sonnets to Vestra, Grey Lady of Wisdom. A new poem joins our narrative at this point, NalaTwrSaga¹ NalaTiwr saga is unusual, in that it is a saga of two heroes, not one. This is not totally unheard of, as it is often invoked in Heroes following the twin volcano Gods, Caladra & Aurelion, but this saga is unique in the surviving literature in linking a human and non-human hero. The style of the Saga is classic for the Praxian epic, but some of the construction suggests it was not originally written in Praxian, but in Esrolian, or possibly Tradetalk. The stylistic links to the ‘Death of Rajar’ implies the same author. . “Insertions will occur” in a cynical voice, of a manipulative outsider to these heroics, which is labelled in the literature as ‘The Q voice’ . Further {insertions} will occur in another cynical or sarcastic voice, best recalled amongst the Unicorns of Prax. Footnotes for the interested are included at the bottom of the extracts. [Editorial comments will be bracketed thus. See S1, ep 2 for other footnotes related to titles of epic poems.]

Events

[We begin our text with NalaTiwrSaga. Earlier stanzas are lost, but it is clear the Heroine and Equoidhero have met with Venna, a central figure in many of the tales from this period, and been given a task by her. Intriguingly, there is no VennaGryflawdottirUroxisaga. It may be she is a common motif of the era for a Deus ex Machina² Although naturally, there are no Deus in any Machina, as that would break the Great Compromise! , but commentators are unclear on this.]

Riding from Venna
Nala, Unicorn Lady
To Kallyr Starbrow

Bearing dispatches
Atop Tiwr- swiftest Huntfriend
Thro’ Earth season road

{“What’s this WE will go? You just have to sit there!”}

Reaching old Whitewall
Given Hospitality
Green hill fort greeting

[We will now cut through to Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga which is less stylised than the Praxian texts, and which cuts to the chase.]

Hailing Heroine handily
Hale Berra harkened to the Host
Heard Whitewalls Whispering Wyter³ It is very unlikely that the community at Whitewall at this point had a Wyter, after the Lunar sack, and the subsequent incursion by Delecti. The author is implying Berra was informed of Nala’s approach by a spiritual message, rather than by hearing hoofbeats.
Wakened from her Wonderings.

Gladly greeted she the girl
Gaily garbed in gear of Prax.
Saw in her a likewise Soul
Seeing signs in spear and steed⁴ Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga is a little less ‘giving’ in regard to non-human contributions to the greater myth cycle, at least at this point.

[The arrival is also echoed in the Sonnets to Vestra]

Atop Whitewalls pale and perished pile
From within her God gripped mental file
Did Vestra draw her thoughts anew
And knew the hand which Undead slew
Was not sufficient, as was tasked⁵ This set of Sonnets implies that Vestra inspired the Humakti Lord with the idea that more magical chops were required to deal with the portal. It is unclear the evidence behind this, but the theory has been enthusiastically taken up in Esrolia ever since.
D’Val was gifted Wisdom, asked
The Sage and all her brethren go
To Kallyr, and thus let her know
That Delecti’s hand was clawed, extended
That Undead’s Unlife here was ended,
But like unto a spirit canker
Would end the life of….⁶ The manuscript here is damaged, and it is unclear where the poet is going with this.

[Flipping to the Lay of Serala}

Swiftly Serala’s swordsmen left the Fortress fall’n
Swiftly sallied leaving Star Crossed Whitewall,
Rode they, swift and noble as Centaurs,
As ‘Elmal⁷ Elmal, the ‘Faithful Guardian of the Stead’ is the Orlanthi Lord of Horses, and is usually viewed as identical to Yelmalio. Clearly the poet concurs. , lord of Horses’ claws

Rested they in darksome valleys
Rested they, whilst closer to them unknown dallied
Some darkly horde of trollfolk beastsome
Who sought to fall upon them by dark clad treason

Serala’s sight and hearing left exposed their plotting
Her call to Cold Sun, their vision rotting
Truely a Faithful Guardian springing
To horse, her warning shout a-singing!⁸ One must recall Serala was a Grazelander. Nobody leapt to horse except her. Nala leapt to Unicorn, Rajar to Bison, and the rest fought on foot.

[Back to NalaTwrsaga]

Troll and some trollkin
Striking afar? No, charging
Is best not-horse sense

Spear and Horn striking
Troll sways and gasping- Dying
with Disruptive spell⁹ There is the implication here that magic may have been involved in the death of the Troll. If so, who cast it? .

“Technically I killed a troll. Those two just helped.”

[Compare with the treatment in Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga]

“Humakt” hollering Hero
Hewed against horde
Slaughtering Uzfolk sagely
Slaying and severing souls

[And The Death of Rajar]

When Bison and ‘kin
Meet in a wood. Who hears the
Fall of trollkin heads?

[And the Sonnets to Vestra]

When trollkin meets a Sagemaid in the woods
And seek to steal her life and goods
They learn what Lhankor into battle sage packs
The pen is mightier than the mace- as is the axe!

[Moving back to Serala, we find that …]

Slew they the Trollkin, Slew to a dectile
Let the rest flee down to their home caverns vile
So led Serala safely, let them somehow
Sped they all on, to the Seat of Starbrow!

[This leadership is disputed, of course, in NalaTwrsaga]

Horn Thane, heroine
Led swiftly on the war band
To Starbrows Palace

[In any case, aside from the delivery of Nala’s message, (the written one stating when the next year’s campaign would begin, and the verbal one saying, ‘but 5 weeks earlier than I wrote down’) all the surviving sources from this period of the HeroWars agree Berra did the speaking for the next bit. ]

Bravely began Berra,
Before her Prince bowed
Spake she of Slaughter
Spawn of Delecti’s spite

Declared D’Vals Desire
Destroying dark device
Letting life lift
Light upon lost Whitewall!

Cold Kallyr considered
Called for quiet Counsel.
Spoke she with Sages
Sought out Priests Speech

Earth Lady Kalis Lovely
Lifted hope into Light
Gave Guidance- Gods
Granting Good for worship

Emotion stripped Eril
Echoing. Evil driven out
By Blessings Boundless
Born of Bravery

Wind lord Tennebris wakened
Wishing to speak his Words
Opened Temple to Orlanth
Otherworld would close Out.

• 1
  NalaTiwr saga is unusual, in that it is a saga of two heroes, not one. This is not totally unheard of, as it is often invoked in Heroes following the twin volcano Gods, Caladra & Aurelion, but this saga is unique in the surviving literature in linking a human and non-human hero. The style of the Saga is classic for the Praxian epic, but some of the construction suggests it was not originally written in Praxian, but in Esrolian, or possibly Tradetalk. The stylistic links to the ‘Death of Rajar’ implies the same author.
• 2
  Although naturally, there are no Deus in any Machina, as that would break the Great Compromise!
• 3
  It is very unlikely that the community at Whitewall at this point had a Wyter, after the Lunar sack, and the subsequent incursion by Delecti. The author is implying Berra was informed of Nala’s approach by a spiritual message, rather than by hearing hoofbeats.
• 4
  Berra JarangsdottiHumaktisaga is a little less ‘giving’ in regard to non-human contributions to the greater myth cycle, at least at this point.
• 5
  This set of Sonnets implies that Vestra inspired the Humakti Lord with the idea that more magical chops were required to deal with the portal. It is unclear the evidence behind this, but the theory has been enthusiastically taken up in Esrolia ever since.
• 6
  The manuscript here is damaged, and it is unclear where the poet is going with this.
• 7
  Elmal, the ‘Faithful Guardian of the Stead’ is the Orlanthi Lord of Horses, and is usually viewed as identical to Yelmalio. Clearly the poet concurs.
• 8
  One must recall Serala was a Grazelander. Nobody leapt to horse except her. Nala leapt to Unicorn, Rajar to Bison, and the rest fought on foot.
• 9
  There is the implication here that magic may have been involved in the death of the Troll. If so, who cast it?