From: aelarsen@facstaff.wisc.edu
Date: Sat 15 Apr 2000 - 05:23:56 EEST
The following is a small attempt to flesh out the mythology of
Issaries just a bit.
During the Godtime, before the destruction of the Celestial Court,
Lankhor Mhy and the Goddess of the Light of Reason had a child named Mother
Language, who was a clever and beautiful woman. But Lankhor Mhy was
unhappy about the attention other gods paid to Language, and so he kept her
in a tall tower his father made for him, with just a single window at the
top. The door was locked with a riddle that only Lankhor Mhy knew the
answer to, and when he visited her, he would unlock the tower and the two
would walk and converse in the Garden of Knowledge. Thus did he keep watch
over what was his.
One day, fresh from his travels, Issaries happened to spot the Gray
Lord and his daughter in the garden. Now Issaries, as a wanderer, had had
many bedwives, but none of them did he truly love. But when he saw Mother
Language, he was so moved by her beauty and grace that he swooned. When he
recovered, he went home and took to his bed. He stopped eating and tossed
fitfully, groaning in despair. As word spread of his condition, Eurmal
Troublemaker heard of it, and went to visit him.
"Go away, Eurmal," said Issaries. "I am sick until death. Even
Chalana of the White Hands has not been able to heal me. I will surely
die, and the last person I want to talk to is you."
"Now, Issaries Farwalker, that is no way to treat the one who is
going to cure you. I have seen many kinds of illness in my time, and this
is no death sickness. This is a love-sickness, and I know well how to
cure that. You must win for yourself the cause of your illness. Tell me,
who were you looking at when this sickness struck you?"
Issaries groaned. "I saw Lankhor Mhy walking in the garden with a
woman more beautiful than all the stars together."
Eurmal whistled. "That is Mother Language, and you could not have
picked a greater challenge. Old Graybeard keeps her locked up tighter than
Ernalda's girdle. But fear not, I've have never been one to pass up a
challenge."
With a glimmer of hope in his eyes, Issaries sat up. "What must I do?"
"Firstly, you must find a way to speak to her and convince her of
your love."
Issaries began to ponder feverishly how he could speak to Language.
When she was in the garden she was always with her father, who would let
no one else near. When she was in the tower, there was no way in. The
tower was too tall to climb, and the window too high to throw a message up
to.
At least he saw the solution, and he created a butterfly made of
glass. He whispered his message of love to it and released it in the
garden. It quickly flew up to the window and alighted near Mother
Language. As she looked at the beautiful treasure, it related Issaries'
words to her. Eager to meet someone other than her father, she replied
that she would gladly marry him.
When the butterfly returned to him, Issaries' heart leapt at the
message it carried. "But how will I get in to see her?" he asked Eurmal.
"Leave that to me, Farwalker, " replied Eurmal.
The Trickster went and hid by the road that led to the tower. When
Lankhor Mhy came walking to the tower, Eurmal turned himself into a flea
and leapt into the Gray Lord's beard. When Lankhor Mhy reached the tower
and answered the door's riddle, Eurmal heard the answer and then jumped to
the ground.
After the door had closed again, Eurmal resumed his normal form and
went to Issaries. He told the Travelling God the answer to the door's
riddle. Overjoyed, Issaries could bearly contain his excitement, so eager
was he to meet Mother Language in person.
At last, the Knowing God left the tower, and as soon as he was
gone, Issaries stole to the temple, answered the door's riddle, and entered
the tower. Mother Language received him eagerly. The two of them enjoyed
each other's presence for a long time, until Issaries had to steal away for
fear of being caught by Lankhor Mhy.
For some time Issaries courted Mother Language. But Eurmal was not
one to keep a secret, and he willingly told many people the answer to the
door's riddle. Soon many people came to the tower, and Mother Language
received them all. To each of them, she gave one of the many languages she
possessed, and quickly these languages spread, until no one could speak
easily to one another any more. This caused much disagreement and
mischief, as Eurmal had known it would, and to this day this confusion
reigns when people from distant lands meet.
When Lankhor Mhy discovered that his daughter had been receiving
visitors in secret, he was furious. But Issaries approached him. "Gray
Lord, you are the wisest of all, and surely you can see now that when you
hoard something, you will inevitably lose it. But if you let me marry your
daughter, I will teach you how to trade your knowledge to others to your
profit and theirs." Lankhor Mhy saw the wisdom in this, and agreed to let
them become husband and wife. Thus Lankhor Mhy became Issaries' father in
law, but a friendly rivalry always existed between them because of how
Issaries had won Lankhor Mhy's treasure from him.
In due time, a son was born to Issaries and Mother Language, and
they named him Herald Goodword. Mother Language taught him all the
languages she had made, and thus to this day he and his followers make
their living trading the words they know.
This myth can be used in many different ways. It is commonly
reenacted during Issarion marriage ceremonies, and when someone joins the
Goodword subcult. It can also be performed as a small Issarion heroquest,
which grants language powers of various sorts. The stations include Seeing
Mother Language, Getting a message to her, Finding the way into the Tower,
and wining her hand. Eurmali also use this quest to learn the Become Flea
rune spell.
Andrew E. Larsen
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