Chapter 7, Enchanted Lands

Chapter 6, An Unlikely Alliance  (13+) The citizens wondered whether the death of one man foreshadowed the attacks on Acirema. #1318653 by croaton

                                  Ruins of the Great Library
                                          Larry Appleton

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                            Saturday September 22, 4127

    Eirelav was still puzzled by the censuring. She could almost understand why an author might not want to include names and places, but why omit the year in the dates. Why was this so important? Her mind was filled with many questions that would probably never be answered. The more of the book she restored, the more convinced she was that it was a real event. Now that she was set up at the University, she could do some research on the time period the professor had estimated for the dates the books were written. Eirelav loved a mystery almost as much as history and was determined to find some answers on her own.
 
    The book referred to two towers. She would start her research at the archives located in the University’s library. While making her way across the campus, rallies were being held by some students over views on religious beliefs. Normally, Eirelav would ignore them.  However, this time she could not help but noting the similarities of their rhetoric to the books, she was restoring. They made claims that all citizens should convert to their faith. The men all had long beards and wore a type of wrap around cloth hats. She noticed that no females were among them. They had a book that had been recovered from an old temple outside of the city and professed their faith to the ancient words it contained.

    The New Order allowed citizens to worship any religion they wanted, and protected their right to speak freely. Most of the citizens in the New Order were agnostic. While agnostics could not prove the existence of a higher power, they could not disprove it either. Eirelav did not believe in a higher power and dismissed the suggestion that one ever existed, but she respected other people’s right to worship as they pleased. These students were peaceful, although their beliefs were somewhat strict.

    Eirelav arrived at the library and proceeded to the archives located in the basement. Maybe she could find some answers to her questions there.


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                                    Legends of Legion
                                          The 17th Son
                                          Glen Brisco

                                            Chapter 7
                                        Enchanted Lands

                    ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
                                      Five Lakes of Rima

    Glen was fascinated by the landscape that unfolded before him. He had assumed that Nahgfa was a desolate place, ravaged by centuries of war. The stunning beauty of the valleys framed by snow-capped mountains, took his breath away. He felt compelled to gather information on the history of Nahgfa to include in his report 

    Paradise is lost in the land of Nahgfa. With the war in full swing, few notice the beauty of the terrain. From the enchanted mountains, lush valleys and desolate deserts, to the ruins of ancient cities and religious sites, Nahgfa is unparalleled in its geographic diversity. One only has to look across the Suxo plain at the cliffs that rise up 6000 feet. This extraordinary valley with its fluorescent green grass, shining brilliantly in the clear mountain air. Deep blue mountain peaks glitter from the snowfall of countless winters. Cliffs, accentuated by the colors of burnt onyx, reveal ruins and caves, which long ago, housed those who worshiped a higher power. Amongst the cliffs is the rubble of two giant statues of the enlightened ones, carved out of the face of the cliffs. These ancient marvels once towered over the citizens for a thousand years, only to be destroyed by the Nabilat, who judged them unholy.

    Lying west of the Suxo plains, are the magical lakes of Rima. These five lakes, accompanied by a frozen waterfall, are scenes of stunning beauty. The light from the sun reflects the high mineral content in the water and the water reflects the light in a rainbow of color. Copper oxide green and turquoise blue, are streaked with sulfur yellow creating a remarkable sight. Each lake is surrounded by a high wall of limestone deposits and causes the water to change hue, according to the light and time of day. The unnatural appearance is explained locally by the miraculous intervention of a higher power, which raised the walls to dam a dangerous river. Looking back across the valley, the hills of Nahgfa are lovely. The green flanks are dotted with tulips and ornamental alpines. These trumpet-shaped flowers display themselves in bright blues and shades of violet set against the green grass and wheat. Locals dry the roots of these flowers from the alpine meadows and use them as herbal medicine for digestive ailments. Along the rivers Nayimab and Ulak, sit ruins of ancient twin cities.

    The main citadel built on the Nayimab river, was used to guard the Nayimab valley and is now totally destroyed. The citadel was thought to be impregnable by its defenders, and its besiegers. The story has it, that the king’s daughter betrayed the city in protest of her father’s decision to reject her suitor, and revealed the location of an underground spring, supplying the defenders. The besiegers then dammed the spring and captured the citadel. So complete was the destruction upon the valley that it gave rise to the name ‘City of Screams’.

    At the intersection of the Nayimab and Ulak rivers, another citadel sits in ruins. It appears, and history supports that on this site a great battle occurred in which the grandson of a famous leader was killed. This provoked a revenge that left all the inhabitants of the valley dead in its wake, thus earning it the name, ‘The Red City.” The ruins of these cities sit with a backdrop of the towering.  Snow-covered mountains called Hsuk Udnih, or more commonly known as, the “Killer of Men.”

    Within these formidable mountains lay the Rebyhk Pass. It is the most important pass in western Aisa regions. Connecting Nahgfa and Sikap, the Rebyhk Pass winds northwest through the Difes Hok range. The passage is thirty-three miles long and only three meters wide at some points. It is the best route between Aibni and Sikap and has had a long and often violent history. Conquering armies have used the Rebyhk Pass as an entry point for their invasions, throughout the centuries. This pass is walled by precipitous cliffs that rise from 180 to 300 meters and offers no escape once entered. The Rebyhk Pass has been a silent witness to countless great events in the history of mankind. For hundreds of years camel caravans traveled through the Rebyhk Pass, bringing goods to trade. These ancient merchants and traders brought luxurious silks and fine porcelain to the region. They often stopped at Tareh, an oasis in western Nahgfa.

    To the south of Tareh lies the city of Rahadnaq, and in this city sits the Shrine of the Cloak. Outside of the Shrine, a dead tree is said to remedy toothaches. When citizens of Nahgfa feel the beginnings of a toothache, they come to this dead tree and hammer a nail. Thousands of nails cover every inch of tree trunk. However, the relic inside the Shrine is believed to cure all ailments, The Cloak of Higher Power. So sacred is this artifact, it has been kept in a marble vault for more than 250 years, and is guarded at all times.

    They told me a story about Hallum Ramo, leader of the Nabilat, and how he consolidated his power at this Shrine. The Cloak, which some citizens of Rahadnaq reportedly believe can cure the sick and heal the lame, had only been removed from its vault on two previous occasions. Once to unify the country and again to stop a cholera epidemic. Ramo now wanted to wear it himself to legitimize his self-righteous leadership.

    It was Friday, on a spring day, that Hallum Ramo came to see the Cloak. He told the keeper of the Cloak: “Here I am. I have taken a bath and have put on new clothes. Let me see the Robe.” The keeper had not bathed himself, and it would be sinful to touch the Cloak unprepared and “dirty.” Ramo had to return that night. He arrived at the Shrine accompanied by one hundred followers. The keeper had prepared himself to handle the Cloak, as he removed it from the vault. Ramo trembled at the sight of the sacred Robe and became disoriented. When he began to pray, the keeper had to give him direction on the proper way to pray.

    Ramo came back a week later, more confident. This time he wanted to take the Robe out of its Shrine. The keeper of the Shrine didn’t want the Robe to be taken to another place, but was assured by Ramo that he would bring it back. With the Cloak in his possession, Ramo went to an old mosque in the center of the city and climbed onto its roof. For the next thirty minutes, he held the Cloak aloft, his palms inserted in its sleeves. According to the citizens who were present, the crowds cheered and threw their hats and other articles of clothes in the air in the hopes of making contact with the Robe. When Ramo asked the keeper if he too, was happy, the keeper replied, “If I was happy or not. Is not important.”

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    Eirelav reflected on the chapter titled, “Enchanted Lands.” The chapter included an illustration of a place of unimaginable beauty. Since the Third World War, the places of the past had changed radically. The use of thermal nuclear devices had rendered most of the planet uninhabitable even to this day. Mountain ranges were especially affected. The radiation levels were still too high to sustain any form of plant or animal life, and were off limits to the citizens of the New Order.

    The atmosphere over the planet had also been profoundly affected by the blasts of so many nuclear devices. Most days are continuously cloudy or hazy. She marveled at the natural lakes set against the mountain range. Until now, she had never seen a crystal blue sky. Almost all photography from the past had disintegrated. The images from this book have defied the ages and survived only because of the near-perfect conditions under the ruins.

    The environmental conditions along with the quality of paper used are the only reasons the books have survived two millennium. Eirelav despised the ancients for destroying the planet. According to the Scholars, it would be another three thousand years before all of the effects of Carbon-14, dissipated and the planet returned the splendor it once enjoyed.

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Chapter 8, The Great Escape  (13+) Nib Nedal, now emboldened, continued his theological and martial message #1328970 by croaton