myri, goddess of war 74 spring 502 Straight Arrow Clanhome "Mama, tell me a story." 9 year old Kuza loved stories - she loved hearing the history of her clan, of her gods, of her city, and she loved hearing folk stories, stories with morals at the end that only a Myrian could come up with. She was sitting on the floor, lethslight streaming in through the window as they sat in front of a brazier, her mother - Cienya, combing and braiding her long hair after a bath. "I will tell you about our queen, Myri." Cienya began. "Myri wasn't always a goddess. Many, many years ago, before the Valterrian, Myri was the daughter of a warrior in the southern Suvan Empire, in what we now call Falyndar. When she was young, she was declared chieftain by the elders of her tribe strength, tenacity, tactical expertise, and her skills in battle. She was shrewd and cunning, and utterly merciless. Her fanaticism, her desire to see her people triumph, drew her followers and support. According to legend, she made a deal with Navre, promising him followers in exchange for massive dire tigers, the ancestors of what we know now as the Myrian Tigers. "Myri set herself an ambitious goal, a goal that had never been achieved in the region before, and was considered impossible. She planned to conquer the entirety of land around them, and rule it all. As the years went by, slowly but surely, one by one, Myri began to remove all opposition, everyone and anyone, who stood in the way of that goal. Other tribes were offered a choice. Join the growing empire, or be obliterated. What had been considered impossible was soon the reality, and Myri gained control. "Her next goal was the construction of a city, a home, for her people. It didn't matter so much to her that each and every one of them lived there - she envisioned a center of operations, the trading hub which numerous villages were nearby, and a bastion against the forces from the north. The result was Taloba, our massive city named for her mother. With the construction complete, the various tribes elected to unite themselves under one name: they became the Myrians, in honour of the Queen; now worshipped as a goddess for her accomplishments. She bore four children: Miha, Tika, Aira, and her lone son, Zal." |