Excerpt from "Cimbrian Foreign Service Administrator's Handbook, Chapter 12: Labor"
The Hiring Process
Foreign service administrators know that good management can only go so far in the establishment of a service division. The personnel choices made at the beginning of a post's history can lead to the success or failure of their diplomatic mission. Good decisions result in a smoothly running outpost, while poor ones can result in a situation even so troublesome as to lead to diplomatic miscues and eventual dismissal. The key, then, is to understand the human resources that are available and how best to utilize them . . .
. . . Ideally, a post's staff would be composed entirely of Cimbrian citizens, due to their national loyalty, work ethic, and general intelligence. However, this handbook recognizes that this is possible at only the largest and most well-funded embassies, and that in most situations it will be necessary to rely on labor drawn from the local work force.
The condition and suitability of the local work force can vary greatly depending on where a post is located. Population density, hostility, level of education, presence or absence of wealth -- all of these factors must be taken into account when beginning to draw from the labor pool. Also, diplomatic administrators must consider the increased importance of some tasks as compared to others. In all cases, security (both personal and national) is of paramount importance, and the employees chosen for these sensitive positions should receive the most in-depth evaluation process. Other tasks, such as grounds-keeping, do not warrant such careful scrutiny . . .
. . . Native populations will usually break down into several groups. The following is a brief analysis of these groups and their suitability for various levels of employment by the Cimbrian Foreign Service.
Cimbrian Citizens
As mentioned earlier, the ideal employees for the foreign service. Products of the Cimbrian educational system, their intelligence and loyalty to the state are usually quite high. The average Cimbrian's moral strength and work ethic being stronger than a comparable native, make sure to fill your most vital positions with Cimbrian nationals. It can be expensive, however, as most must be enticed into the less-civilized portions of the world with lucrative wages.
Foreign service policy forbids non-citizens from holding several civil posts such as prefect, public relations director, communications director, and any other task that involves handling of sensitive data. Please see appendix 12-3 for a complete list of these regulations.
Cimbrian Convicts
The dregs of Cimbrian society, these convicted felons have chosen a term of exile over death or imprisonment in Cimbria proper. Caution is advised. Close study of their character and case history can lead to discovery of a few valuable persons amenable to rehabilitation, but the vast majority of such convicts are useless for anything but menial record keeping and facility maintenance. Under no circumstances should a person suspected of subversive tendencies be employed in any capacity!
Agathians
Agathians, while widely considered as being almsot as intelligent as Cimbrians, suffer from an unfortunate lack of proper nationalist commitment. Their people have a centuries-long tradition of disrespect for authority that can make them dangerous in certain diplomatic capacities. It is recommended to employ them only in roles that involve impartial analysis due to their tendency towards radical thought. Do not be afraid to remove an Agathian from his post if he shows any signs of suspicious or subversive behavior.
Agathian Slaves
Agathian slaves are an unpredictable labor force at best, and will only be an option to the foreign service administrator in certain locales. Either contracted or bought outright from a dealer, they come is several classes depending on their skills and health. Due to the nature of Agathian slavery, skilled slaves can often be found to fill clerical positions, intelligence analysis, and low-level administration posts as well as more common menial tasks.
If an administrator chooses to employ slaves, they should be sure to familiarize themselves with the local slave grades, as well as make sure to find a reputable dealer. The foreign service recommends contracting over an outright purchase of slaves as the infrastructure costs of feeding and maintaining slaves can become prohibitive.
Citizens of Asfar
The citizenry of Asfar is generally divided into five houses, or tribes: Josite, Ebelite, Abdun, Endite, and Artmar. It is generally impossible to distinguish between them physically (although the Endites are usually characterized as having darker skin) but most have some sort of marking on their clothing or other accessory displaying their house affiliation. Of these five, the Josite are usually considered superior in intellect and work ethic, although still generally inferior to the Cimbrian. Ebelites can be considered as well. The Artmar are often possessed by a religious zeal that renders them useless as far as diplomatic employment is concerned, while the Abdun and the Endites are so unreliable as to be useless as well.
A notable exception: when traveling in Asfar, Abdun and Endite guides are vital for passage through the desert and along the rivers, respectively. The rampant crime in Asfar makes these precautions necessary. It is advisable to make your payment to such guides in small sums over time, or else your guides may sell your location to the very bandits you hire them to avoid.
The Tel
The Tel are a primitive, tribal race from the North/Northeastern regions of Eos. Easily identifiable by their brown complexion, dark hair and eyes, Tel are generally considered an inferior work force. The foreign service cautions against casual employment of Tel in any occupation other than the manual labor to which they are well-suited.
End of Excerpt
Showing posts with label Backstory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Backstory. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
011 -- The Collapse of Torman Civilization
Transcript of lecture by Professor Charles Anthony of the Cimbrian Central Academy, 6th November, 1203 S.E. Class: Cultural and Political Foundations of Cimbria
Professor Anthony: . . . and as you can see, we ended last week's lecture at the height of the First Torman Empire's power. We already covered their conquest of several other minor groups in the region, along with the subsequent assimilation and adaptation of cultures that came with it. Under the leadership of several highly successful kings, we saw the Tormans expand beyond their traditional borders, until finally the First Empire was declared with the defeat of the Agathians at the four day's battle. We also saw how the Tormans solidified their gains with a thriving trade network, standardized currency, and a system of public works that were highly advanced for the time. Any questions? Yes?
Student: In the text it mentions the conquest of a tribe, the Cim. Are they going to be related to the founding of Cimbria?
Professor: Yes and no. The Cim did indeed live in the area where the capital now stands. But the Cim tribe was so thoroughly decimated by the Tormans in their initial wars of conquest that it practically ceased to exist as a ethnic group. Eventually, Torman settlers arrived in the region, and in settling it they became known as the Cim. The name was applied to them only because of where they had made their home; in ethnicity they were almost wholly Torman. In the end, all that survived of the Cim tribe was their name.
Any more questions? No? Alright, let's move on.
The golden age of the Torman Empire started in approximately 1750 F.E. and spanned the next four hundred years. In that time we saw a outpouring of intellectual and cultural activity from all corners of the empire. The concept of rational empiricism, originally conceived in the Agathian river-states, totally upended the traditional tribal organization of Torman society. What had been a loose coalition united by the personal magnetism of a series of successful warlords became a rationally constructed system of imperial rule.
Leading this imperial system was the Red Cadre, a military elite composed of descendants of victorious generals of the Empire's formative stages. A small, tightly knit group, children (male and female alike) born into the Red Cadre were raised to be professional soldiers and administrators from a very early age. The eldest members of the cadre were responsible for the appointment of an emperor by way of an informal committee. With a few rare exceptions, emperors were chosen from the ranks of the cadre and served for life.
While competition for imperial favor was stiff and political intrigue rampant, there are surprisingly few examples of that intrigue resulting in death. In most cases, the disgraced minister, deemed too valuable for execution, would instead be appointed to a provincial governorship.
Instead of a typical system of houses, the division of power among the members of the Red Cadre was marked by which military unit its members came from. Children of generals were expected to serve in the units of their fathers, and ascension into the ranks of the cadre was not always assured. The most talented of soldiers could hope to secure a position in the cadre, although it was an informal process and the chances of this occurring without a union with a prominent family were slim.
The collapse of the Torman Empire was just as spectacular as its meteoric rise to power four hundred years before. Just over four hundred years from the pronouncement of the empire, the Red Cadre was removed from power in a series of devastating political revolutions and counter-revolutions. The spark that started this conflict was one of the key points of contention in Torman civilization, namely the concept of citizenship.
We will cover the concept of Torman citizenship in more depth next class period, but suffice it to say that the Torman Empire strictly upheld a complex system of citizenship with several levels, usually determined by ethnic background. These levels were mutable and not necessarily hierarchal, but it was never good to be an Agathian. When the Red Cadre enacted a particularly harsh crackdown on Agathian rebels, the backlash in public discourse, fueled by the liberal intellectual elite, led to the sudden downfall of the ruling military oligarchy. The power vacuum was never satisfactorily filled; a Torman Commonwealth was proclaimed by the merchant classes, supported by the intellectual establishment, but many provincial governors refused to recognize it, instead remaining loyal to the military units that they had served in under the Cadre. This fragmentation led to rebellion and war amongst the states of the Commonwealth.
Contrary to the previous political intrigue of the Red Cadre, this progression of upheaval after upheaval was extremely bloody. The death toll among soldiers was great, but it was the loss of trained military leaders that eventually caused the fall of Torma. An invasion of hill tribes from the North, allied with Agathian rebels, came at exactly the time when the Torman military had been devasted most by internal warfare. Without generals to lead it, the Torman army was beaten again and again until the invaders had laid siege to the Torma itself. The siege lasted seventeen years, due much in part to the brilliant young Torman general Altus Simon, but Torma eventually surrendered. The city was burned and looted, but remained settled due to its important location as a trade port -- a role that it still has today.
The collapse of Torman civilization led to a return to regionalism. The old tribes, too mixed in four hundred and fifty years of Imperial rule to be distinguishable, had died off, leaving place of birth as the only method of self-identification for the coming centuries. Torman provinces that had survived the invasion became self-governing fiefdoms, gradually modifying the inherited Imperial ordinances to their own ends. The Agathians and the hill tribes quickly fractured for want of a common enemy and began another several hundred years of bloody warfare. Some of the invaders assimilated into the old Torman provinces, while others continued to pillage until they became worn down by attrition and were defeated by the local militaries. Still others returned North, with prisoners, slaves, and sometimes wives and husbands.
By 2300 F.E., the Torman Civilization was irrevocably fragmented, and the First Era of Eos was officially at an end. 2301 F.E. is also known as year 1, Second Era. We find this date first used by Bea the Scribe in the prologue of her history of the siege of Torma and it's aftermath. She was one of the last Torman acolytes of the Agathian rational philosophy and one of the most important historians of the era. We don't have time to go into her life in much depth, but I encourage you to investigate it on your own.
I think that's it for today. Next class period we will discuss Torman culture, the Red Cadre, and Torman citizenship as it realates to issues in contemporary Cimbrian culture. Don't forget to start reading that biography on Altus Simon for next week, we'll be spending . . .
End of Excerpt
Professor Anthony: . . . and as you can see, we ended last week's lecture at the height of the First Torman Empire's power. We already covered their conquest of several other minor groups in the region, along with the subsequent assimilation and adaptation of cultures that came with it. Under the leadership of several highly successful kings, we saw the Tormans expand beyond their traditional borders, until finally the First Empire was declared with the defeat of the Agathians at the four day's battle. We also saw how the Tormans solidified their gains with a thriving trade network, standardized currency, and a system of public works that were highly advanced for the time. Any questions? Yes?
Student: In the text it mentions the conquest of a tribe, the Cim. Are they going to be related to the founding of Cimbria?
Professor: Yes and no. The Cim did indeed live in the area where the capital now stands. But the Cim tribe was so thoroughly decimated by the Tormans in their initial wars of conquest that it practically ceased to exist as a ethnic group. Eventually, Torman settlers arrived in the region, and in settling it they became known as the Cim. The name was applied to them only because of where they had made their home; in ethnicity they were almost wholly Torman. In the end, all that survived of the Cim tribe was their name.
Any more questions? No? Alright, let's move on.
The golden age of the Torman Empire started in approximately 1750 F.E. and spanned the next four hundred years. In that time we saw a outpouring of intellectual and cultural activity from all corners of the empire. The concept of rational empiricism, originally conceived in the Agathian river-states, totally upended the traditional tribal organization of Torman society. What had been a loose coalition united by the personal magnetism of a series of successful warlords became a rationally constructed system of imperial rule.
Leading this imperial system was the Red Cadre, a military elite composed of descendants of victorious generals of the Empire's formative stages. A small, tightly knit group, children (male and female alike) born into the Red Cadre were raised to be professional soldiers and administrators from a very early age. The eldest members of the cadre were responsible for the appointment of an emperor by way of an informal committee. With a few rare exceptions, emperors were chosen from the ranks of the cadre and served for life.
While competition for imperial favor was stiff and political intrigue rampant, there are surprisingly few examples of that intrigue resulting in death. In most cases, the disgraced minister, deemed too valuable for execution, would instead be appointed to a provincial governorship.
Instead of a typical system of houses, the division of power among the members of the Red Cadre was marked by which military unit its members came from. Children of generals were expected to serve in the units of their fathers, and ascension into the ranks of the cadre was not always assured. The most talented of soldiers could hope to secure a position in the cadre, although it was an informal process and the chances of this occurring without a union with a prominent family were slim.
The collapse of the Torman Empire was just as spectacular as its meteoric rise to power four hundred years before. Just over four hundred years from the pronouncement of the empire, the Red Cadre was removed from power in a series of devastating political revolutions and counter-revolutions. The spark that started this conflict was one of the key points of contention in Torman civilization, namely the concept of citizenship.
We will cover the concept of Torman citizenship in more depth next class period, but suffice it to say that the Torman Empire strictly upheld a complex system of citizenship with several levels, usually determined by ethnic background. These levels were mutable and not necessarily hierarchal, but it was never good to be an Agathian. When the Red Cadre enacted a particularly harsh crackdown on Agathian rebels, the backlash in public discourse, fueled by the liberal intellectual elite, led to the sudden downfall of the ruling military oligarchy. The power vacuum was never satisfactorily filled; a Torman Commonwealth was proclaimed by the merchant classes, supported by the intellectual establishment, but many provincial governors refused to recognize it, instead remaining loyal to the military units that they had served in under the Cadre. This fragmentation led to rebellion and war amongst the states of the Commonwealth.
Contrary to the previous political intrigue of the Red Cadre, this progression of upheaval after upheaval was extremely bloody. The death toll among soldiers was great, but it was the loss of trained military leaders that eventually caused the fall of Torma. An invasion of hill tribes from the North, allied with Agathian rebels, came at exactly the time when the Torman military had been devasted most by internal warfare. Without generals to lead it, the Torman army was beaten again and again until the invaders had laid siege to the Torma itself. The siege lasted seventeen years, due much in part to the brilliant young Torman general Altus Simon, but Torma eventually surrendered. The city was burned and looted, but remained settled due to its important location as a trade port -- a role that it still has today.
The collapse of Torman civilization led to a return to regionalism. The old tribes, too mixed in four hundred and fifty years of Imperial rule to be distinguishable, had died off, leaving place of birth as the only method of self-identification for the coming centuries. Torman provinces that had survived the invasion became self-governing fiefdoms, gradually modifying the inherited Imperial ordinances to their own ends. The Agathians and the hill tribes quickly fractured for want of a common enemy and began another several hundred years of bloody warfare. Some of the invaders assimilated into the old Torman provinces, while others continued to pillage until they became worn down by attrition and were defeated by the local militaries. Still others returned North, with prisoners, slaves, and sometimes wives and husbands.
By 2300 F.E., the Torman Civilization was irrevocably fragmented, and the First Era of Eos was officially at an end. 2301 F.E. is also known as year 1, Second Era. We find this date first used by Bea the Scribe in the prologue of her history of the siege of Torma and it's aftermath. She was one of the last Torman acolytes of the Agathian rational philosophy and one of the most important historians of the era. We don't have time to go into her life in much depth, but I encourage you to investigate it on your own.
I think that's it for today. Next class period we will discuss Torman culture, the Red Cadre, and Torman citizenship as it realates to issues in contemporary Cimbrian culture. Don't forget to start reading that biography on Altus Simon for next week, we'll be spending . . .
End of Excerpt
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
008 -- Ships
Excerpt from the forward to "The Shipspotter's Guide: A Handbook for the 13th century." by Peabody Press. p. 1201 S.E.
For centuries man has been fascinated by the ocean. It is plainly represented in cave paintings from ten thousand years ago. Murals in the ancient temple of Asfar depict the struggle between Jemahl and Saripha over and under the ocean. The earliest philosophers of Cambur speak of it's mystery in their texts. The great poet from the South, Naruda, speaks of his lover's eyes as "blue and deep as the sea." And from the beginning of civilization, man has sought to travel the ocean via the construction of ships.
Today, most of Eo's commercial activity occurs or is connected to maritime activity. The business of the world cannot be conducted without massive freighters moving goods between the ports of the world. Billons of units of currency change hands across the ocean every year. The empires of the world exert their influence on each other with large, heavily armed navies. Hundreds of thousands of people depend on the harvest of food from the sea, either to eat or to make a living. And for everyone, the sea can be a source of relaxation, fun, and beauty.
To achieve these different tasks, humanity has constructed ships. Freighters, barges, warships, fishing ships, passenger ships, yachts, ferries, dredges, and a multitude of other types of watercraft ply the oceans of Eos. The technology of seafaring has changed quickly through the last century with the widespread adoption of cambric-powered watercraft. Where once graceful wooden sailing vessels dominated the seas, now ships of iron and steel are pushing their way through the waves. Sailing vessels can still be found, but their usefulness as a tool of commercial and military action has ceased.
Steam-powered vessels have changed the very notion of commercial shipping. Freed from a dependency on wind direction, new trade routes have formed where before there was little traffic. New shipbuilding techniques allow ships to carry unheard-of amounts of cargo at speeds exceeding ten knots. The surge in freight traffic at the beginning of the last century due to these developments has finally stabilized, with several large shipping conglomerations controlling most of the cargo today. Ship designs are beginning to standardize, but there are still many examples of first, second, and third generation engineering in use today on smaller, less important routes.
The past hundred years has also seen the widespread adoption of two new types of vessel, the submersible and the submarine. Powered by cambric rods, these ships can alter their relative buoyancies to sink below the waves and rise to the surface at will. The distinguishing factor is that while a submarine is designed to function mostly below water, the submersible is designed to function mostly on the surface.
The submarine has become mainly useful in military applications. The importance of being able to remain unseen beneath the surface of the ocean in all kinds of weather was immediately apparent to the military establishments of most of the major powers. Today, modern military fleets all have a powerful complement of submarines capable of appearing anywhere at any time. Their sleek, black hulls are instantly recognizable, along with their jutting prows and thick flank armor. Most of these vessels are equipped with a large ram for destroying other submarines, as well as other smaller weapons, but certain Cimbrian designs have been seen to use underwater projectiles equipped with an explosive warheads.
The military also employs submersibles, but not usually in a direct combat position. Rather, submersibles are more useful for providing offshore artillery bombardment, as their larger hulls are more stable and are suitable for fitting large caliber weaponry. Submersibles are also often seen as supply ships, restocking the food, water, and cambric of faster, lighter military submarines.
All of these ships depend on other advances in fields such as echo-location, metallurgy, and air purification. Delicate arrays of pressure sensitive plates attached to hydraulic lines are used to "hear" underwater, utilizing the properties of sound beneath the surface to locate rocks, obstacles, and other submerged vessels. Stronger and more elastic metals are gradually allowing ships to travel deeper and faster in the ocean. Complex chemical reactions produce the oxygen needed for humans to survive underneath the surface.
This updated edition of the guide has added all of the most modern military and civilian vessels of the last decade, while retaining the great majority of ships from earlier guides. Some types of ship have been removed as they are no longer in service, while others have been moved to the extremely rare section at the end of the guide. The reader will quickly notice the new organization . . .
End of excerpt
For centuries man has been fascinated by the ocean. It is plainly represented in cave paintings from ten thousand years ago. Murals in the ancient temple of Asfar depict the struggle between Jemahl and Saripha over and under the ocean. The earliest philosophers of Cambur speak of it's mystery in their texts. The great poet from the South, Naruda, speaks of his lover's eyes as "blue and deep as the sea." And from the beginning of civilization, man has sought to travel the ocean via the construction of ships.
Today, most of Eo's commercial activity occurs or is connected to maritime activity. The business of the world cannot be conducted without massive freighters moving goods between the ports of the world. Billons of units of currency change hands across the ocean every year. The empires of the world exert their influence on each other with large, heavily armed navies. Hundreds of thousands of people depend on the harvest of food from the sea, either to eat or to make a living. And for everyone, the sea can be a source of relaxation, fun, and beauty.
To achieve these different tasks, humanity has constructed ships. Freighters, barges, warships, fishing ships, passenger ships, yachts, ferries, dredges, and a multitude of other types of watercraft ply the oceans of Eos. The technology of seafaring has changed quickly through the last century with the widespread adoption of cambric-powered watercraft. Where once graceful wooden sailing vessels dominated the seas, now ships of iron and steel are pushing their way through the waves. Sailing vessels can still be found, but their usefulness as a tool of commercial and military action has ceased.
Steam-powered vessels have changed the very notion of commercial shipping. Freed from a dependency on wind direction, new trade routes have formed where before there was little traffic. New shipbuilding techniques allow ships to carry unheard-of amounts of cargo at speeds exceeding ten knots. The surge in freight traffic at the beginning of the last century due to these developments has finally stabilized, with several large shipping conglomerations controlling most of the cargo today. Ship designs are beginning to standardize, but there are still many examples of first, second, and third generation engineering in use today on smaller, less important routes.
The past hundred years has also seen the widespread adoption of two new types of vessel, the submersible and the submarine. Powered by cambric rods, these ships can alter their relative buoyancies to sink below the waves and rise to the surface at will. The distinguishing factor is that while a submarine is designed to function mostly below water, the submersible is designed to function mostly on the surface.
The submarine has become mainly useful in military applications. The importance of being able to remain unseen beneath the surface of the ocean in all kinds of weather was immediately apparent to the military establishments of most of the major powers. Today, modern military fleets all have a powerful complement of submarines capable of appearing anywhere at any time. Their sleek, black hulls are instantly recognizable, along with their jutting prows and thick flank armor. Most of these vessels are equipped with a large ram for destroying other submarines, as well as other smaller weapons, but certain Cimbrian designs have been seen to use underwater projectiles equipped with an explosive warheads.
The military also employs submersibles, but not usually in a direct combat position. Rather, submersibles are more useful for providing offshore artillery bombardment, as their larger hulls are more stable and are suitable for fitting large caliber weaponry. Submersibles are also often seen as supply ships, restocking the food, water, and cambric of faster, lighter military submarines.
All of these ships depend on other advances in fields such as echo-location, metallurgy, and air purification. Delicate arrays of pressure sensitive plates attached to hydraulic lines are used to "hear" underwater, utilizing the properties of sound beneath the surface to locate rocks, obstacles, and other submerged vessels. Stronger and more elastic metals are gradually allowing ships to travel deeper and faster in the ocean. Complex chemical reactions produce the oxygen needed for humans to survive underneath the surface.
This updated edition of the guide has added all of the most modern military and civilian vessels of the last decade, while retaining the great majority of ships from earlier guides. Some types of ship have been removed as they are no longer in service, while others have been moved to the extremely rare section at the end of the guide. The reader will quickly notice the new organization . . .
End of excerpt
Saturday, August 8, 2009
006 -- Cimbrian Loyalty Oath
Memo
From: Cimbrian Central School Administrator
To: All Headmasters/Headmistresses
Re: New Pledge and Mandate
Dear Headmaster/Headmistress,
Due to recent events, the Bureau of Internal Affairs has released am updated Loyalty Pledge and Cimbrian Mandate. Please find them enclosed with this message. Both are to be displayed in all classrooms as per regulation and replace the older pledge and mandate.
As with the old pledge, please inform your teaching staff to commence each day of instruction with the traditional recitation. All students over the age of six are expected to have the pledge memorized. Younger students will not be expected to understand every word of the pledge, but all students over the age of eight should be able to recite and write the Loyalty Pledge. Should a student refuse or forget the pledge, light corporal punishment is recommended, including (but not limited to) the boxing of ears, a mild slap to the head, or in extreme cases, paddling.
Students are not expected to recite or reproduce the mandate until the age of twelve, due to it's increased complexity. All history and society faculty should make sure that their lesson plans accurately reflect the Cimbrian mandate and how it shapes our Nation's role in the world. At least one week's lessons should be spent on the mandate itself.
We all know how troubling recent events have been. These new documents are proof that Cimbria stands once again upon sure footing. They should be embraced whole-heartedly in the classroom so that our children may keep Cimbria strong.
Central School Administrator,
Edwin Straypelt
-----
The Cimbrian Loyalty Pledge
With this oath,
I give myself,
To serve my people and my state,
Her strength is vast,
Her power great,
And it keeps me from all harm,
I am her heart,
And her sword,
And the blood that fills her veins,
Cimbria.
From: Cimbrian Central School Administrator
To: All Headmasters/Headmistresses
Re: New Pledge and Mandate
Dear Headmaster/Headmistress,
Due to recent events, the Bureau of Internal Affairs has released am updated Loyalty Pledge and Cimbrian Mandate. Please find them enclosed with this message. Both are to be displayed in all classrooms as per regulation and replace the older pledge and mandate.
As with the old pledge, please inform your teaching staff to commence each day of instruction with the traditional recitation. All students over the age of six are expected to have the pledge memorized. Younger students will not be expected to understand every word of the pledge, but all students over the age of eight should be able to recite and write the Loyalty Pledge. Should a student refuse or forget the pledge, light corporal punishment is recommended, including (but not limited to) the boxing of ears, a mild slap to the head, or in extreme cases, paddling.
Students are not expected to recite or reproduce the mandate until the age of twelve, due to it's increased complexity. All history and society faculty should make sure that their lesson plans accurately reflect the Cimbrian mandate and how it shapes our Nation's role in the world. At least one week's lessons should be spent on the mandate itself.
We all know how troubling recent events have been. These new documents are proof that Cimbria stands once again upon sure footing. They should be embraced whole-heartedly in the classroom so that our children may keep Cimbria strong.
Central School Administrator,
Edwin Straypelt
-----
The Cimbrian Loyalty Pledge
With this oath,
I give myself,
To serve my people and my state,
Her strength is vast,
Her power great,
And it keeps me from all harm,
I am her heart,
And her sword,
And the blood that fills her veins,
Cimbria.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
004 -- Ahmed the Conqueror founds Asfar
Continued excerpt from the Scrolls of Rahm, translated by Dr. Ahmad Ba of the Royal Asfarian Society of Thought.
Chapter V
And so Ahmed looked upon his people, the people of Jemahl, and saw that the tribes had been united. This pleased him. There had been much war and death, but Jemahl's will had been done. He was at this time almost eighty years old, and weary. But he knew that the people would not stay together, and that tribes would soon separate yet again, and it would all be for naught. This saddened Ahmed greatly.
King Ahmed journied back to the city of the Josites and spent several days locked in his quarters alone. His ministers were worried; was the king ill? There was much new business to attend to, but King Ahmed could not be reached. Finally, on the sixth day, he came forth, and made a great speech to all who were present.
"People, hear me! Jemahl is pleased that his people are together again. He has spoken to me thus. But he has told me more -- he is finally ready to give us a real task. He desires us to build him a city, a great city for Jemahl and the Lord Rahm! And he has said this city shall be at the edge of the desert, but near the great river, and up from Josite as well, so that we should never again be torn apart."
"And so I announce it -- today I leave for this new city." At this there was much amazement, for the King was very old. All his ministers and lieutenants tried to convince him not to go, but he would not listen. That very night he packed up a tent and some food in a plain pack and set out on foot across the plain, headed up from Josite. All the leaders of the house of Jos could not do anything but follow.
And so King Ahmed walked for five days. On the dawn of the sixth day, he came to the top of large hill. On his left he could see the river. Ahead of him was the desert. Behind lay Josite. On his right was the road to the house of Ebel. And Ahmed set down his pack, and said "Here. Here is the city of Jemahl. It will be named Asfar, the yellow city. Now, ministers, what was this business you had for me?"
And so King Ahmed and all his house set up their tents on the plains, and called it Asfar. Soon they began to build, houses and temples to Rahm and Jemahl, and quarters for all of the five houses. And Ahmed said, "Let there be five parts of the city, for each house to have, and make it so that the kings of the five tribes must stay in the city of god, for Jemahl says it shall be so. And let us build in the center a great temple to Jemahl and the god Rahm, and let no building stand greater than it, even my palace. And let us build this temple from the yellow stone of the desert and cap it's roofs with gold so that it shall always be as bright as the rising sun." And it was so.
And so King Ahmed looked at this new city, and was satisfied. The other four kings came to Asfar, and looked at the great temple and were amazed. King Ahmed had been cunning, and had made the kings move their houses to the new city. The four kings could not rebel when kept in the city away from their people. And so he saw that the people of Jemahl would not be seperated again, for the city of Asfar was more magnificent than any of the others.
And so now King Ahmed was very weary. But he saw one more thing that he must do. And so as he lay dying, Ahmed said, "Now I am leaving you. But the next king will not be Josite, and he will not be of my kin for I have no sons. So I leave it the hands of the God Jemahl -- for today and for ever after let Jemahl mark the true ruler of our people." And Ahmed the Conquered passed on from this world forever.
Now at this time there were four kings. Josite was in much confusion and had no king. The four kings met and said, "Now what will we do? Jemahl and Ahmed have brought us together, and we cannot go again to war for our people have suffered too much. But will Jemahl mark a new king as Ahmed said? How will we tell his mark? Surely there are many that will claim to be marked by Jemahl, for all the city has heard Ahmed's words."
And so there were. Scores of people arrived at the palace with soot or ink smudged on their body, but when each approached the temple to be crowned they could not enter. They all spoke of a bright light, and a winged spirit standing at the door who led them away with gentle hands. Finally there was no one else, and the four kings looked to one another.
The King of the Ebelites said "Jemahl has failed us. He has marked no one."
The King of the Abdun said "My people will return to the desert. It is our proper home."
The King of the Endites said "Yes, and mine to the rivers."
But the King of the Artmar said "Wait! Jemahl will answer. Have faith, brothers!"
Late that night, a lone man approached the temple. He also saw the spirit with bright wings, but this time the spirit smiled and opened the temple doors. The man walked in, and the spirit placed Ahmed's crown upon his head.
The next morning, King Ahmed was being taken from the palace to the temple to be burned. The four kings led the procession, with all the people lining the streets to see his body go by. But when they reached the temple, they were most surprised -- the man was standing at the temple doors wearing Ahmed's crown. "Who are you? Seize this man!" they cried, but he replied:
"Soldiers, stay your blades. I am marked by Jemahl to be King! For know that I am truly Da'ud, lieutenant of Ahmed."
"This is impossible!" they cried. "Ahmed said no Josite should be king!"
"But I am no Josite. I am of the house of Artmar, but was raised in the city of Jos. Behold Jemahl's mark!"
At this Da'ud tore his shirt, and all could plainly see the five pointed crown on his shoulder. It shone with brilliant fire, and all were amazed.
"Here, give me Ahmed's body, for none but I can burn the flesh of the king." And so Da'ud took Ahmed's body up to the highest level of the temple, and none could enter. There was a great clap of thunder, and a host of winged spirits surrounded the temple blocking the doors. And so Da'ud burned Ahmed's body, and became the second King of Asfar.
Chapter V
And so Ahmed looked upon his people, the people of Jemahl, and saw that the tribes had been united. This pleased him. There had been much war and death, but Jemahl's will had been done. He was at this time almost eighty years old, and weary. But he knew that the people would not stay together, and that tribes would soon separate yet again, and it would all be for naught. This saddened Ahmed greatly.
King Ahmed journied back to the city of the Josites and spent several days locked in his quarters alone. His ministers were worried; was the king ill? There was much new business to attend to, but King Ahmed could not be reached. Finally, on the sixth day, he came forth, and made a great speech to all who were present.
"People, hear me! Jemahl is pleased that his people are together again. He has spoken to me thus. But he has told me more -- he is finally ready to give us a real task. He desires us to build him a city, a great city for Jemahl and the Lord Rahm! And he has said this city shall be at the edge of the desert, but near the great river, and up from Josite as well, so that we should never again be torn apart."
"And so I announce it -- today I leave for this new city." At this there was much amazement, for the King was very old. All his ministers and lieutenants tried to convince him not to go, but he would not listen. That very night he packed up a tent and some food in a plain pack and set out on foot across the plain, headed up from Josite. All the leaders of the house of Jos could not do anything but follow.
And so King Ahmed walked for five days. On the dawn of the sixth day, he came to the top of large hill. On his left he could see the river. Ahead of him was the desert. Behind lay Josite. On his right was the road to the house of Ebel. And Ahmed set down his pack, and said "Here. Here is the city of Jemahl. It will be named Asfar, the yellow city. Now, ministers, what was this business you had for me?"
And so King Ahmed and all his house set up their tents on the plains, and called it Asfar. Soon they began to build, houses and temples to Rahm and Jemahl, and quarters for all of the five houses. And Ahmed said, "Let there be five parts of the city, for each house to have, and make it so that the kings of the five tribes must stay in the city of god, for Jemahl says it shall be so. And let us build in the center a great temple to Jemahl and the god Rahm, and let no building stand greater than it, even my palace. And let us build this temple from the yellow stone of the desert and cap it's roofs with gold so that it shall always be as bright as the rising sun." And it was so.
And so King Ahmed looked at this new city, and was satisfied. The other four kings came to Asfar, and looked at the great temple and were amazed. King Ahmed had been cunning, and had made the kings move their houses to the new city. The four kings could not rebel when kept in the city away from their people. And so he saw that the people of Jemahl would not be seperated again, for the city of Asfar was more magnificent than any of the others.
And so now King Ahmed was very weary. But he saw one more thing that he must do. And so as he lay dying, Ahmed said, "Now I am leaving you. But the next king will not be Josite, and he will not be of my kin for I have no sons. So I leave it the hands of the God Jemahl -- for today and for ever after let Jemahl mark the true ruler of our people." And Ahmed the Conquered passed on from this world forever.
Now at this time there were four kings. Josite was in much confusion and had no king. The four kings met and said, "Now what will we do? Jemahl and Ahmed have brought us together, and we cannot go again to war for our people have suffered too much. But will Jemahl mark a new king as Ahmed said? How will we tell his mark? Surely there are many that will claim to be marked by Jemahl, for all the city has heard Ahmed's words."
And so there were. Scores of people arrived at the palace with soot or ink smudged on their body, but when each approached the temple to be crowned they could not enter. They all spoke of a bright light, and a winged spirit standing at the door who led them away with gentle hands. Finally there was no one else, and the four kings looked to one another.
The King of the Ebelites said "Jemahl has failed us. He has marked no one."
The King of the Abdun said "My people will return to the desert. It is our proper home."
The King of the Endites said "Yes, and mine to the rivers."
But the King of the Artmar said "Wait! Jemahl will answer. Have faith, brothers!"
Late that night, a lone man approached the temple. He also saw the spirit with bright wings, but this time the spirit smiled and opened the temple doors. The man walked in, and the spirit placed Ahmed's crown upon his head.
The next morning, King Ahmed was being taken from the palace to the temple to be burned. The four kings led the procession, with all the people lining the streets to see his body go by. But when they reached the temple, they were most surprised -- the man was standing at the temple doors wearing Ahmed's crown. "Who are you? Seize this man!" they cried, but he replied:
"Soldiers, stay your blades. I am marked by Jemahl to be King! For know that I am truly Da'ud, lieutenant of Ahmed."
"This is impossible!" they cried. "Ahmed said no Josite should be king!"
"But I am no Josite. I am of the house of Artmar, but was raised in the city of Jos. Behold Jemahl's mark!"
At this Da'ud tore his shirt, and all could plainly see the five pointed crown on his shoulder. It shone with brilliant fire, and all were amazed.
"Here, give me Ahmed's body, for none but I can burn the flesh of the king." And so Da'ud took Ahmed's body up to the highest level of the temple, and none could enter. There was a great clap of thunder, and a host of winged spirits surrounded the temple blocking the doors. And so Da'ud burned Ahmed's body, and became the second King of Asfar.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
003 -- The Geography and Geology of Eos, and a History of Cambric Ore
Excerpt from the introduction to "Geography, Geology, and You: A Modern Look at the Formation of our World" by Hammond, Colmes, and Watson, 4th edition. p. 1183 S.E.
It is impossible to understate the importance of the connection between geology and the geography of our world. Mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, plains, forests, even the very weather we experience every day have all been shaped by the complex and fascinating history of geology. Without studying the earth beneath us, we could not understand how the rest of the world functions -- a comprehensive education that acknowledges the connections between these subjects is key to a modern scientific viewpoint. Every day new advances in technology and research give us fresh insights into the world below our very feet.
As we all know, Eos is shaped much like a large ring. The Inland Sea lies at the center of the continent, linked to the greater ocean by a series of straits and passages to the South. Water that empties from the multitude of rivers into the Inland Sea eventually flows out of these passages. Several smaller bodies of water stretch off of the Inland Sea, most notably the Cimbur Channel to the Southeast through Cimbria. The far North is dominated by frozen wasteland, while the East, West, and distant South are bordered by the greater ocean.
The continent of Eos is dominated by three large mountain ranges. To the West of the Inland Sea and across the Iram Desert lie the Jehara (je Ha' rah) mountains, a vast range running North to South. To the South of the Inland sea and stretching East are the Ifraetes (eh Fray' tees). And finally, East of the sea are the Greyspike mountains, also stretching North to South and spliting into two spurs in the North.
Of the three, the Jehara are the tallest and the oldest. Volcanic activity is nearly non-existent. Despite spanning for hundreds of miles and across multiple climate zones, most peaks in the Jehara mountains are snow-capped year round. Their great height has created the Iram desert -- warm, moist winds coming from the West are forced upwards, grow colder and dump their moisture in vast rain and snowfalls that define the far Western coast of Eos. Coming back down the East side of the mountains, the winds are dry and hot, scouring the Iram desert and creating a pattern of great dunes.
The Ifraetes are unique in stretching East to West instead of North and South like the other two ranges. They are newer geologically than the Jehara mountains, and have some volcanic activity. However, they are the shortest of the three chains in terms of average peak height, with only a very few having permanent snow-caps. They form the spine of a system of islands stretching away from the main continent of Eos to the East, with most volcanic activity concentrated in that region.
The Greyspike mountains are the newest of the three main ranges, though of course are still over a hundred million years old. It is a very violent mountain range, with several active volcanos across it's length. Second in average height, the Geryspikes are famous for bitter winter conditions, espeically in the Eastern Greyspikes which stretch far into the Northern wastes. Most importantly, however, the Greyspikes contain the largest exploitable veins of cambric ore in Eos.
A brief history of cambric ore is called for, due to it's overwhelming importance to the political, economic, and technological climate of today. It was first discovered in 1065 S.E. in the hills outside the village Camber inside the nation of Cimbria. A mineral at first resembling iron, it quickly begins to behave differently when refined. It melts at a temperature slightly above 1700 degrees, but after cooling and returning to a solid state it takes on very peculiar thermodynamic properties. The quantity of heat that cambric can absorb increases tremendously after this first hardening. Depending on the purity of the refining process, cambric can absorb from several hundred to several thousand times the amount of heat energy of the equivalent amount of iron or steel.
This introduces some complications into the refining process -- namely, cambric can only be melted once. The heat cost to melt cambric after it has hardened is prohibitive, as it can take several days of constant heat in the hottest furnace to break down high grade cambric metal.
The other strange property of cambric ore is it's ability to release this stored heat almost on command. A piece of cambric that has absorbed a great quantity of heat is almost indistinguishable from one that has not, except that it will be slightly lighter in color. Their temperature remain the same. However, when this piece is dealt a sharp physical blow at any point across it's surface, it immediately increases to a temperature of between three and four hundred degrees and remains at that temperature until the energy it has absorbed has been expended. Thus, heated pieces of cambric are treated very gently lest they go off prematurely.
The reason for cambric's bizzarre chemical properties is not readily apparent. The atomists theorize that cambric is a naturally occuring alloy, and that after being heated and cooled it's internal structure takes on some sort of unique framework. Alchemists, on the other hand, maintain that a subtle chemical change is actually happening inside the metal. Fluid heat theorists maintain that cimbric has a sort of natural gravity that acts on the weightless, invisible heat fluid. Whatever the reason, it's technological and industrial value is immense.
The story of containers in human history is long and rich. Relics of clay jars from almost ten thousand years ago have been found at the mouth of the Kabir river. Cambric, then, can be thought of as the next logical development -- a storage system for heat energy. Before the discovery of cambric, energy had to be stored and utilzed by chemical means in food and muscle, or by mechanical means through expensive and limiting canals. But with the discovery of cambric ore, we became able to store, transport, and utilize great quantities of energy as heat with relative ease.
Still, cambric did not come into widespread use until the perfection of the steam heat engine almost fifty years later. In 1102 S.E., Johnathan Copper, a Cimbrian, patented his "high-pressure" double acting steam locomotor, common predecessor to the majority of steam engines in use today. In his device, heat energy from either a fire or heated cambric rods was used to boil water in a large sealed container. This water turned to steam, which was fed to a high pressure cylinder and used to move a piston back and forth. These principles are still at the heart of most engines today, from the largest ship to the smallest children's toy.
These two inventions when taken together started an industrial and social revolution of unprecedented scale. Heat could be harvested from any natural source (whether by burning coal, dousing in hot springs, or even focusing solar rays) and stored in cambric. Handled carefully, it could be transported hundreds of miles before being put into a steam engine and being utilized on the spot. 1102 has been christened the "Dawn of the Machine Age."
Cimbria, having both the largest deposits of cambric and the inventor of steam locomotion, was the first to embrace this machine revolution. Today the great hot springs in Cimbrian territory at the foot of the Greyspikes are home to the largest industrial structures in the world. Huge silos of cambric rods are continually submerged and reheated in large pools fed by the hot springs before being distributed to industrial and military complexes throughout the nation. The Ifraetes mountains were also found to contain cambric, and the conflict over who would control those resources lasted for almost a decade. However, only trace amounts of cambric have been found in the Jehara Mountains to the West, a mystery that will surely play into the political situation of the future. A history of the rise of industry, however, is beyond the scope of this text -- it is enough to know that geology and geography are intricately linked to the study of these other subjects, and that nothing can be taken in isolation.
It is impossible to understate the importance of the connection between geology and the geography of our world. Mountains, seas, rivers, lakes, plains, forests, even the very weather we experience every day have all been shaped by the complex and fascinating history of geology. Without studying the earth beneath us, we could not understand how the rest of the world functions -- a comprehensive education that acknowledges the connections between these subjects is key to a modern scientific viewpoint. Every day new advances in technology and research give us fresh insights into the world below our very feet.
As we all know, Eos is shaped much like a large ring. The Inland Sea lies at the center of the continent, linked to the greater ocean by a series of straits and passages to the South. Water that empties from the multitude of rivers into the Inland Sea eventually flows out of these passages. Several smaller bodies of water stretch off of the Inland Sea, most notably the Cimbur Channel to the Southeast through Cimbria. The far North is dominated by frozen wasteland, while the East, West, and distant South are bordered by the greater ocean.
The continent of Eos is dominated by three large mountain ranges. To the West of the Inland Sea and across the Iram Desert lie the Jehara (je Ha' rah) mountains, a vast range running North to South. To the South of the Inland sea and stretching East are the Ifraetes (eh Fray' tees). And finally, East of the sea are the Greyspike mountains, also stretching North to South and spliting into two spurs in the North.
Of the three, the Jehara are the tallest and the oldest. Volcanic activity is nearly non-existent. Despite spanning for hundreds of miles and across multiple climate zones, most peaks in the Jehara mountains are snow-capped year round. Their great height has created the Iram desert -- warm, moist winds coming from the West are forced upwards, grow colder and dump their moisture in vast rain and snowfalls that define the far Western coast of Eos. Coming back down the East side of the mountains, the winds are dry and hot, scouring the Iram desert and creating a pattern of great dunes.
The Ifraetes are unique in stretching East to West instead of North and South like the other two ranges. They are newer geologically than the Jehara mountains, and have some volcanic activity. However, they are the shortest of the three chains in terms of average peak height, with only a very few having permanent snow-caps. They form the spine of a system of islands stretching away from the main continent of Eos to the East, with most volcanic activity concentrated in that region.
The Greyspike mountains are the newest of the three main ranges, though of course are still over a hundred million years old. It is a very violent mountain range, with several active volcanos across it's length. Second in average height, the Geryspikes are famous for bitter winter conditions, espeically in the Eastern Greyspikes which stretch far into the Northern wastes. Most importantly, however, the Greyspikes contain the largest exploitable veins of cambric ore in Eos.
A brief history of cambric ore is called for, due to it's overwhelming importance to the political, economic, and technological climate of today. It was first discovered in 1065 S.E. in the hills outside the village Camber inside the nation of Cimbria. A mineral at first resembling iron, it quickly begins to behave differently when refined. It melts at a temperature slightly above 1700 degrees, but after cooling and returning to a solid state it takes on very peculiar thermodynamic properties. The quantity of heat that cambric can absorb increases tremendously after this first hardening. Depending on the purity of the refining process, cambric can absorb from several hundred to several thousand times the amount of heat energy of the equivalent amount of iron or steel.
This introduces some complications into the refining process -- namely, cambric can only be melted once. The heat cost to melt cambric after it has hardened is prohibitive, as it can take several days of constant heat in the hottest furnace to break down high grade cambric metal.
The other strange property of cambric ore is it's ability to release this stored heat almost on command. A piece of cambric that has absorbed a great quantity of heat is almost indistinguishable from one that has not, except that it will be slightly lighter in color. Their temperature remain the same. However, when this piece is dealt a sharp physical blow at any point across it's surface, it immediately increases to a temperature of between three and four hundred degrees and remains at that temperature until the energy it has absorbed has been expended. Thus, heated pieces of cambric are treated very gently lest they go off prematurely.
The reason for cambric's bizzarre chemical properties is not readily apparent. The atomists theorize that cambric is a naturally occuring alloy, and that after being heated and cooled it's internal structure takes on some sort of unique framework. Alchemists, on the other hand, maintain that a subtle chemical change is actually happening inside the metal. Fluid heat theorists maintain that cimbric has a sort of natural gravity that acts on the weightless, invisible heat fluid. Whatever the reason, it's technological and industrial value is immense.
The story of containers in human history is long and rich. Relics of clay jars from almost ten thousand years ago have been found at the mouth of the Kabir river. Cambric, then, can be thought of as the next logical development -- a storage system for heat energy. Before the discovery of cambric, energy had to be stored and utilzed by chemical means in food and muscle, or by mechanical means through expensive and limiting canals. But with the discovery of cambric ore, we became able to store, transport, and utilize great quantities of energy as heat with relative ease.
Still, cambric did not come into widespread use until the perfection of the steam heat engine almost fifty years later. In 1102 S.E., Johnathan Copper, a Cimbrian, patented his "high-pressure" double acting steam locomotor, common predecessor to the majority of steam engines in use today. In his device, heat energy from either a fire or heated cambric rods was used to boil water in a large sealed container. This water turned to steam, which was fed to a high pressure cylinder and used to move a piston back and forth. These principles are still at the heart of most engines today, from the largest ship to the smallest children's toy.
These two inventions when taken together started an industrial and social revolution of unprecedented scale. Heat could be harvested from any natural source (whether by burning coal, dousing in hot springs, or even focusing solar rays) and stored in cambric. Handled carefully, it could be transported hundreds of miles before being put into a steam engine and being utilized on the spot. 1102 has been christened the "Dawn of the Machine Age."
Cimbria, having both the largest deposits of cambric and the inventor of steam locomotion, was the first to embrace this machine revolution. Today the great hot springs in Cimbrian territory at the foot of the Greyspikes are home to the largest industrial structures in the world. Huge silos of cambric rods are continually submerged and reheated in large pools fed by the hot springs before being distributed to industrial and military complexes throughout the nation. The Ifraetes mountains were also found to contain cambric, and the conflict over who would control those resources lasted for almost a decade. However, only trace amounts of cambric have been found in the Jehara Mountains to the West, a mystery that will surely play into the political situation of the future. A history of the rise of industry, however, is beyond the scope of this text -- it is enough to know that geology and geography are intricately linked to the study of these other subjects, and that nothing can be taken in isolation.
Friday, June 26, 2009
002 -- The Disappearance of Jemahl and the Five Tribes
Continued excerpt from the Scrolls of Rahm, translated by Dr. Ahmad Ba of the Royal Asfarian Society of Thought.
Chapter II
And so the gods dissappeared from Eos. At first the people were afraid. They knew not where their gods had gone, or why they had left. Life was good, but they felt dissastisfied and unsure -- how could they know Jemahl's will? The people prayed to thier god but he did not answer. Finally a man stood forward, and said he would go into the mountains and find their wayward god. Everyone called him foolish, but he left anyway. Many months passed with no word from the man. Most of the other men had proclaimed him dead, saying "he was foolish to pursue Jemahl. He has surely been killed." But it was not so; the man strode back into the village one day, strong and healthy, and said, "People! Listen to me, for I have spoken to the god!"
At this everyone was amazed. They gathered around him quickly, but not to closely for he was now standing taller than anyone else in the village. He continued, "I have been to Jemahl. He will not come back to us! But listen people, I have been given a name; I am Kuk!" And so Kuk was the first person to have a name.
And at this the people all started talking loudly, for they wanted names of their own. But Kuk was not finished, and yelled "Wait! Jemahl told me something else as well!" And the people were quiet once again. "I am your chief! I will decide where we live, and when to plant, and who my wives will be. I do this because Jemahl speaks through my lips and acts with my hands!"* And Kuk glared at the gathered crowd, daring any to challenge him. No one did, for they knew that god's strength was great.
And so the first chief of Jemahl's people was Kuk. He had four sons, and his third son . . .
Translator's note:
At this point the scrolls begin to map an exhaustive genealogical history of Jemahl's people. Although important at the time to maintain tribal cohesion, this history is largely irrelevant to the larger meaning of the text. For those who are interested, a complete list is included in Appendix B. This translation continues at the formation of the five tribes. At this point Jemahl's people have become quite prosperous -- note the change in language from "chieftain" to "king," as well as "village" to "city."
The third son of Racker was Abae . He had five sons: Jos, Ebel, Abdun, Artma, and Ende. Of his five, the eldest, Jos, was favored to become the next king. But on Artma's eighteenth birthday, something strange happened. Artma could not be found anywhere. Abae sent all of his best servants to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found. And so a great wailing went up from Abae and his whole house, for the King's son was feared dead.
Several weeks later, everyone had given up on Artma except for Abae. His grief for his lost son was so great he could not eat, drink, or rest. Walking in the garden alone at midnight, he heard a strange sound, and before he could move his son Artma came out of the bushes. "Father!" said he, and they embraced weeping. After some time, Abae asked him "Where have you been all this time, my son?"
At this Artma's face lit up. "Father! I have seen the most wonderous things. A winged spirit came to me in the night and led me up the river. At first I was afraid and would not follow, but he turned and I recognized him. He took me by the hand and we flew through the night, farther than I have ever gone. Finally, in the morning, we stood on a mountain and looked over a great waterfall that feeds the river."
At this his father was amazed, for as often as Jemahl's people sailed up the river they had never found a place like the one that Artma desribed. Artma continued,
"He said that he would give me and my children this land forever, and that great fortune would come to me when I return to it. My children and livestock will multiply, the land will be fertile, and the children of Jemahl will prosper. I came back here to gather my house and depart. Father, I must go!"
But at this Abae frowned. "Son, do you wish to divide the people of Jemahl? Surely, he will not be pleased at this. And what of your family? You would be lost to us again."
"Father, the face the spirit showed me was Jemahl's. It is god's will. I must go."
"But how will you get there?"
"Do you not remember? The spirit showed me the way; I remember every turn of the river."
Abae looked into his son's eyes and realized that it was true; he had to go, and Abae could not stop him. He embraced him again.
"Very well, Artma. Take your house and go with my blessing, and with Jemahl's blessing, and with the blessing of Rahm himself!"
Chapter II
And so the gods dissappeared from Eos. At first the people were afraid. They knew not where their gods had gone, or why they had left. Life was good, but they felt dissastisfied and unsure -- how could they know Jemahl's will? The people prayed to thier god but he did not answer. Finally a man stood forward, and said he would go into the mountains and find their wayward god. Everyone called him foolish, but he left anyway. Many months passed with no word from the man. Most of the other men had proclaimed him dead, saying "he was foolish to pursue Jemahl. He has surely been killed." But it was not so; the man strode back into the village one day, strong and healthy, and said, "People! Listen to me, for I have spoken to the god!"
At this everyone was amazed. They gathered around him quickly, but not to closely for he was now standing taller than anyone else in the village. He continued, "I have been to Jemahl. He will not come back to us! But listen people, I have been given a name; I am Kuk!" And so Kuk was the first person to have a name.
And at this the people all started talking loudly, for they wanted names of their own. But Kuk was not finished, and yelled "Wait! Jemahl told me something else as well!" And the people were quiet once again. "I am your chief! I will decide where we live, and when to plant, and who my wives will be. I do this because Jemahl speaks through my lips and acts with my hands!"* And Kuk glared at the gathered crowd, daring any to challenge him. No one did, for they knew that god's strength was great.
And so the first chief of Jemahl's people was Kuk. He had four sons, and his third son . . .
Translator's note:
At this point the scrolls begin to map an exhaustive genealogical history of Jemahl's people. Although important at the time to maintain tribal cohesion, this history is largely irrelevant to the larger meaning of the text. For those who are interested, a complete list is included in Appendix B. This translation continues at the formation of the five tribes. At this point Jemahl's people have become quite prosperous -- note the change in language from "chieftain" to "king," as well as "village" to "city."
The third son of Racker was Abae . He had five sons: Jos, Ebel, Abdun, Artma, and Ende. Of his five, the eldest, Jos, was favored to become the next king. But on Artma's eighteenth birthday, something strange happened. Artma could not be found anywhere. Abae sent all of his best servants to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found. And so a great wailing went up from Abae and his whole house, for the King's son was feared dead.
Several weeks later, everyone had given up on Artma except for Abae. His grief for his lost son was so great he could not eat, drink, or rest. Walking in the garden alone at midnight, he heard a strange sound, and before he could move his son Artma came out of the bushes. "Father!" said he, and they embraced weeping. After some time, Abae asked him "Where have you been all this time, my son?"
At this Artma's face lit up. "Father! I have seen the most wonderous things. A winged spirit came to me in the night and led me up the river. At first I was afraid and would not follow, but he turned and I recognized him. He took me by the hand and we flew through the night, farther than I have ever gone. Finally, in the morning, we stood on a mountain and looked over a great waterfall that feeds the river."
At this his father was amazed, for as often as Jemahl's people sailed up the river they had never found a place like the one that Artma desribed. Artma continued,
"He said that he would give me and my children this land forever, and that great fortune would come to me when I return to it. My children and livestock will multiply, the land will be fertile, and the children of Jemahl will prosper. I came back here to gather my house and depart. Father, I must go!"
But at this Abae frowned. "Son, do you wish to divide the people of Jemahl? Surely, he will not be pleased at this. And what of your family? You would be lost to us again."
"Father, the face the spirit showed me was Jemahl's. It is god's will. I must go."
"But how will you get there?"
"Do you not remember? The spirit showed me the way; I remember every turn of the river."
Abae looked into his son's eyes and realized that it was true; he had to go, and Abae could not stop him. He embraced him again.
"Very well, Artma. Take your house and go with my blessing, and with Jemahl's blessing, and with the blessing of Rahm himself!"
There was great amazement at Artma's reappearance the next day. Even more amazing was his decision to take his whole house upriver. His younger brother, Ende, was a skilled boatsman, and decided to go with Artma as his inheritance would be small otherwise. Their wives and families began to make preparations, along with some of the people of Jemahl who would go with them.
But Jos was dissatisfied. Artma's departure meant a diminshing in the people he was to lead. He called his other two brothers together and said:
"What is this? Our younger brother thinks he can steal from us so easily? We are the leaders of these people, not him!"
They replied. "You are not the king yet, Jos, for as long as our father Abae lives. He is letting Artma go -- it is the will of Jemahl and we must not interfere."
But still Jos was angry. And so, in the dead of night, he snuck in and slew his father as he slept. Then he ordered his men to go and sieze Artma and Ende before they could leave.
But Artma was forewarned. Ende had seen his brother Jos's anger, and so had gotten their boats ready in secret. Quickly Artma and Ende escaped with their houses up the river before Jos's men could arrive. Before they left, Ende's sailors chopped up all the other boats in the city, and Jace could not follow them.
When Ebel and Abdun found out what Jos had done the next morning, they were scared. "He is king now, and has gone against Jemahl's will. We will not stay here any longer, for surely god's wrath will come quickly to this place!"
And so Ebel and Abdun left the next day with their houses. As older siblings, they had strong houses, and so Jace could not stand against them both. They set out across the plains, journeying for some weeks until they found another river. Following it, they eventually came to the edge of a great desert where the river emptied into a great ocean. At the end of the river, they said to one another:
"Come brother, the land is great and empty. Let the house of Abdun take the left, and the house of Ebel take the right, and let us build a great city where they come together so we can be ever joined against Jos." And so built their homes at the mouth of the river and called it Merrech.
Meanwhile Artma and Ende reached the head of the river, just as the spirit had said. The people built their homes there, and called it Ammat. The land was fertile and the people were happy. Ende's house soon grew restless, however, and returned to the river, spreading along it's length with fast boats and great skill.
After all this Jos was very angry. The greater part of the people of Jemahl were with him, but he had lost many. The city of Jemahl was empty. His brothers were too far away to easily attack. Every time he sent his soldiers to attack Artma, Ende's cunning boatmen stopped his boats. Every time he sent his soldiers to attack Ebel, Abdun's swift warriors would attack out of the desert and burn his wagons until the host starved and was defeated. Jos could not reunite the people of Jemahl.
Thus, even as the brothers died, the five tribes of Jemahl were created from their five houses. The Josites, the Ebelites, the Abdun, the Artmar, and the Endites. The people of Jemahl were scattered, until the coming of Ahmed the Conqueror, a great King of the Josites.
End Chapter II
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
001 -- In the Beginning
Excerpt from the Scrolls of Rahm, translated by Dr. Ahmad Ba of the Asfarian Royal Society of Thought.
Chapter I
In the beginning, there was Rahm. And Rahm walked alone through the darkness, and was content for a time.
Soon, though, Rahm grew bored of the darkness. He grabbed a hold of the dark and twisted and twisted until there was form. The darkness was in some places rock, in some places water, and in some places air. Rahm found joy in exploring this new world he had created, and named it Eos.
But Rahm grew lonely with this life. After a time, he created a wife to accompany him through the darkness. He drew her out of his stomach, and she was lovely.
Even so, together they became wearied of this new world. Rahm could not think of what to do, but Rahm's wife suggested they make children to shepherd this world and create new things. Rahm and his wife created two children, a son and a daughter. Rahm pulled the bone from his left arm, and made his son Jemahl. He was brave and wise. Rahm pulled the bone from his right arm, and made his daughter Saripha. She was swift and loving.
Rahm truly loved both his children, and so he gave them great gifts. To Jemahl, he gave his left eye, an orb that burned so bright that it lit up the entire world when held above. To Saripha, he gave his right eye, a sphere that with it's shadowy glow could see through any substance.
But still the world was cold and still. So Rahm laid down on the ground, and gave his body to the Earth so that is should live. The only part that he saved was his heart, which he split in two and gave to his two children. Then Rahm was tired, having given his body away, and went to sleep.
Rahm's wife saw him lay down and give his body to the earth. She picked up his ashes in both hands and blew on them so that they should spread everywhere. Her hands became the wind that spreads life across Eos.
Rahm's children awoke upon the ground, wondering at what had happened. They could feel the life within the earth waiting to be released, but were puzzled. "Here, I will throw this light into the sky so we can see." said Jemahl, and threw Rahm's eye into the sky so hard that it stayed there. Everything was bright, and the life in the ground knew it could grow but knew not why. "Here, I will throw this light into the sky so we can know what we are." said Saripha, and she threw Rahm's other eye so high into the sky that it stayed as well. And the life in the ground knew why to grow but not how. So Jemahl and Saripha decided each light should share the sky, and so the world began to grow.
Much time passed, and Jemahl and Saripha wandered the world as life grew from the ground. Trees sprang from the hills, and grasses crept along the rivers. They made many things out of clay, twisting the earth into animals that roamed freely across the land. They played games, hiding things under the ground or on top of mountains for the other to find. Finally, though, they became bored, and could not think of anything else to do.
"What shall we do?" asked Jemahl.
"Let us see who can make the most wonderful creature from this earth, and compare." said Saripha.
And so they each went to their own parts of the world. Jemahl crossed a great desert to his own favorite dark clay at the mouth of the river. Here he crafted a wonderous creature, unique beyond all other creatures he had made so far.
Saripha instead passed through a forest, finding her favorite clay at the joining of two smaller rivers. Her bright, light clay was formed into an amazing creature, unique beyond all other creatures she had made so far.
And so Jemahl and Saripha swam to their favorite place, an island in the middle of the great sea. Both expecting to surprise the other, they showed their creations only to be surprised. The heart of Rahm within them had led them both to create the same animal! Their creations could build things just as Jemahl and Saripha could. Jemahl and Saripha taught them many things, and called them people.
And so the people decided to build a great city upon the island. And so the people built a great city with the help of Jemahl and Saripha. When the city was completed, they asked, "Who shall lead this great city?" And there was a great disaster.
Jemahl and Saripha fought. They both thought that their own people were the best to lead the city, and so tried to kill as many of the other people as they could. The people fought as well, inventing many terrible machines of war and destruction with the two siblings' help. Finally there were no people left, and Jemahl and Saripha fought for many years on the island alone.
But neither could beat the other. Jemahl was too strong, and Saripha too swift, and they both had half the heart of Rahm. Finally they lay exhausted on their island, and looking around them saw the destruction their quarrel had wrought. They wept at the pain and suffering that the people had suffered, and at their own ingenuity at destroying life -- but still they could not acknowledge that the other's creation was as good as their own.
Finally they decided upon a solution. Jemahl and Saripha would go to their own favorite places, and make more people from the clay. They would never meet again, for fear of creating another disaster like before. Each could be alone with their people, and could create as they liked without causing another disaster. Weeping, brother and sister embraced before leaving the island, never to see one another again. As they left, the island sank into the sea forever.
So Jemahl and Saripha went again to their favorite places, and again made people, and stayed among them and taught for a time. And so for a time things were good, until one day Jemahl and Sarihpa disappeared from the land. And so the people did not know what to do, and were afraid.
End Chapter I
Chapter I
In the beginning, there was Rahm. And Rahm walked alone through the darkness, and was content for a time.
Soon, though, Rahm grew bored of the darkness. He grabbed a hold of the dark and twisted and twisted until there was form. The darkness was in some places rock, in some places water, and in some places air. Rahm found joy in exploring this new world he had created, and named it Eos.
But Rahm grew lonely with this life. After a time, he created a wife to accompany him through the darkness. He drew her out of his stomach, and she was lovely.
Even so, together they became wearied of this new world. Rahm could not think of what to do, but Rahm's wife suggested they make children to shepherd this world and create new things. Rahm and his wife created two children, a son and a daughter. Rahm pulled the bone from his left arm, and made his son Jemahl. He was brave and wise. Rahm pulled the bone from his right arm, and made his daughter Saripha. She was swift and loving.
Rahm truly loved both his children, and so he gave them great gifts. To Jemahl, he gave his left eye, an orb that burned so bright that it lit up the entire world when held above. To Saripha, he gave his right eye, a sphere that with it's shadowy glow could see through any substance.
But still the world was cold and still. So Rahm laid down on the ground, and gave his body to the Earth so that is should live. The only part that he saved was his heart, which he split in two and gave to his two children. Then Rahm was tired, having given his body away, and went to sleep.
Rahm's wife saw him lay down and give his body to the earth. She picked up his ashes in both hands and blew on them so that they should spread everywhere. Her hands became the wind that spreads life across Eos.
Rahm's children awoke upon the ground, wondering at what had happened. They could feel the life within the earth waiting to be released, but were puzzled. "Here, I will throw this light into the sky so we can see." said Jemahl, and threw Rahm's eye into the sky so hard that it stayed there. Everything was bright, and the life in the ground knew it could grow but knew not why. "Here, I will throw this light into the sky so we can know what we are." said Saripha, and she threw Rahm's other eye so high into the sky that it stayed as well. And the life in the ground knew why to grow but not how. So Jemahl and Saripha decided each light should share the sky, and so the world began to grow.
Much time passed, and Jemahl and Saripha wandered the world as life grew from the ground. Trees sprang from the hills, and grasses crept along the rivers. They made many things out of clay, twisting the earth into animals that roamed freely across the land. They played games, hiding things under the ground or on top of mountains for the other to find. Finally, though, they became bored, and could not think of anything else to do.
"What shall we do?" asked Jemahl.
"Let us see who can make the most wonderful creature from this earth, and compare." said Saripha.
And so they each went to their own parts of the world. Jemahl crossed a great desert to his own favorite dark clay at the mouth of the river. Here he crafted a wonderous creature, unique beyond all other creatures he had made so far.
Saripha instead passed through a forest, finding her favorite clay at the joining of two smaller rivers. Her bright, light clay was formed into an amazing creature, unique beyond all other creatures she had made so far.
And so Jemahl and Saripha swam to their favorite place, an island in the middle of the great sea. Both expecting to surprise the other, they showed their creations only to be surprised. The heart of Rahm within them had led them both to create the same animal! Their creations could build things just as Jemahl and Saripha could. Jemahl and Saripha taught them many things, and called them people.
And so the people decided to build a great city upon the island. And so the people built a great city with the help of Jemahl and Saripha. When the city was completed, they asked, "Who shall lead this great city?" And there was a great disaster.
Jemahl and Saripha fought. They both thought that their own people were the best to lead the city, and so tried to kill as many of the other people as they could. The people fought as well, inventing many terrible machines of war and destruction with the two siblings' help. Finally there were no people left, and Jemahl and Saripha fought for many years on the island alone.
But neither could beat the other. Jemahl was too strong, and Saripha too swift, and they both had half the heart of Rahm. Finally they lay exhausted on their island, and looking around them saw the destruction their quarrel had wrought. They wept at the pain and suffering that the people had suffered, and at their own ingenuity at destroying life -- but still they could not acknowledge that the other's creation was as good as their own.
Finally they decided upon a solution. Jemahl and Saripha would go to their own favorite places, and make more people from the clay. They would never meet again, for fear of creating another disaster like before. Each could be alone with their people, and could create as they liked without causing another disaster. Weeping, brother and sister embraced before leaving the island, never to see one another again. As they left, the island sank into the sea forever.
So Jemahl and Saripha went again to their favorite places, and again made people, and stayed among them and taught for a time. And so for a time things were good, until one day Jemahl and Sarihpa disappeared from the land. And so the people did not know what to do, and were afraid.
End Chapter I
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)