Katayanicum

To the most illustrious and invincible Highness, Prince Verethragnan, heir to the Throne of Unyielding Justice, I, Katayana of Amaranth, send greetings.

You have asked me, my Prince, of the beginnings of all things. To my shame this is not something I can truly answer. My only excuse, my Lord, is that the answer was lost some time before the last of the Kolossoi was slain. To prove that I, Your least of servants, is truthful in this claim permit me to digress for but a moment.

The name of our world is probably the greatest mystery in all the ancient study of etymology. Every culture we have met has named this world their language's cognate of "Kshiurana." From the farthest west there is Sciuren and from the farthest east Shikuran. Nor can we detect any distribution of this name from a singular origin that has spread out during the six centuries since the beginning of this age. Our earliest records, no matter what culture or language, all refer to this planet with this word.

However, though we know the word, we are not entirely sure what it means. We may, however, use logical processes, that you are so skilled with, to determine a probable answer.

First, we must examine the implications of this etymological quandary, my Prince, that are surely obvious to You. Permit me, however, as Your tutor to lay these out clearly so that as philosophers we can examine them. We shall start by working from the assumption based upon the best evidence available to us that the idea of Kshiurana is a memory inherent in all cultures.

The implication is that this intercultural memory comes from a time that predates all of human history. History, as we have already discussed, is the recounting of actions of humans that have been recorded in whatever language and medium is available to the culture. It is true that Your line is the greatest of all royal lines in this, Kshiurana, and by extension the history of Your realm the most important in all the world. Nevertheless, it falls to us as philosophers to seek out and learn the histories of other cultures, even those as strange and barbaric as that of the Eleven Kingdoms or the islands of the Western Sea.

As I mentioned, each of these histories call this world their version of the same word, but what is also interesting to the philosophical mind are the origins of these earliest histories. As all men know, and You above all of them save Your father the greatest of all men, this age began with the final defeat of the Giants who had for so long enslaved our race. There, at the Battle of the First Kings, their evil was ended forever and many of the kingdoms of Kshiurana were founded.

The honor and glory displayed and earned on that field, as You know, led us to number all of our years from that date. Yet that battle was merely the culmination of a war that lasted decades and most cultures have histories written prior to what we now call the First Year. Our own histories, for example, stretch back some decades prior to that time as we carved out for ourselves the freedom to write words pertaining to ourselves as free creatures and not merely slaves. It is further proof of the greatness of Your line that our histories number amongst the earliest of all.

Yet histories of the Empire of Sabinia are attested to have been written but a scant pair of years after our own. Even as we learn the limits of the Five Streams in this advanced and peaceful age, it would be difficult for one of us to travel that great distance in but two years. This is even more true of the histories written upon birch bark in the farthest north where frozen rivers are the only roads. Yet, as I have said, each of these texts agree upon the name Kshiurana or its regional variant.

Hence, we can only assume, as men seeking wisdom, that the name Kshiurana predates the end of the Giants.

Forgive me, Your Highness, for my tedious path to explain that which surely was obvious to You but for those lesser souls such as my own it is beneficial that we methodically proceed through the evidence.

It is this evidence that leads You to my obvious conundrum. How can I, a mere servant, succeed where no others have? For, as You know, we have no recorded history prior to these days for the Giants would not allow their servants this right. Letters they taught us so that we could copy their texts, but literacy they justly feared. All we have are the tales we told huddled in our cold homes and cells when they were not listening.

Those tales that have survived, as You know, are filled with mystery and wonder but not the details that a philosophical mind would require. We may enjoy them for their rough beauty and their soul of suffering and hope, but few indeed are the facts we may glean from them.

As You also know, we have recovered some few texts and inscriptions of the Giants when we finally defeated them. Sadly, I and my brethren have failed at this time to uncover the meaning in these remaining texts for humans have long forgotten the language of the Giants.

We can deduce the sounds of the letters, and across our world virtually every language uses a script that evolved from our regional memories of the Giants' alphabet. However, though we at times can guess the sound, we cannot divine the meaning of the words.

Nevertheless, the Imperial version of Kshiurana "Shijuren" may offer a clue, as we think the Giants referred to themselves as the yuramoy, or something similar. Our best guess, then, is that the word survived from their language. Perhaps the original word meant "Giants' World" or "Giants' Home." We may never know.

Forgive us our failure, but know, my prince, that my brethren and I will not rest until we have learned all that we may. Should any of us die before can report our success to You, know that our successors will take up this banner and strive forever to unlock those secrets.

Hence, Your Highness, I humbly apologize that I cannot answer for You the question that You have asked. History, as we know it, holds not that answer. Philosophy instructs us, as is obvious to You, that there must be a start, a single prime movement or prime thing that from which all else is derived. To my greatest shame, I cannot put a name or description to that starting point.

Though I realize that I have but merely walked upon a trail that is brightly lit to Your mind, I hope that this exercise has not been without some worth to You. Perhaps, this methodical approach has highlighted something that You knew but had not previously considered in the limited time Your duties allow You to consider natural philosophy.

In such hopes, I remain Your dutiful servant, Katayana of Amaranth.

To the most illustrious and invincible Highness, Prince Verethragnan, heir to the Throne of Unyielding Justice, I, Katayana of Amaranth, send greetings.

You have asked me, my Prince, to describe the lands of Eard to you. There is little that I, who possesses the merest of intellects, can tell you, most illustrious one, but I shall provide all that I know in the hopes that it shall prove some benefit to your peoples, if not to yourself.

I shall begin by describing the realms of Shijuren as they stand at this time in the year 1184 after the fall of the Kolossoi, or as the Readers say, Meta Gigantes.

What more can I say of the glorious and illustrious realm of Amaranth than that is blessed with the wisdom and skill of its ruling lineage, of which you are its most recent scion. One must admit, though, that those whom the gods bless most, they grant the greatest challenges. In this, perhaps, Amaranth is less fortunate, as all know those who owe fealty and rent to you have oft proved unworthy. Alas that they have proven so fallible and fractious in this life. May the gods bless them with humility in their future lives.

As I wish to be thorough, my lord, I shall also touch upon those realms which are neighbors to Amaranth. That this is already known to you, is of course, obvious, but I would have none say I did not provide all I can to fulfill your wishes.

First, we must acknowledge those to the north of us in the land of Euskalerria. These are indeed a most unruly folk, given as you well know, to raising swords and spears against all. In this, I think we must allow for their strange insistence that orders of chivalry are preeminent. This would not be so strange, but their understanding of chivalry is limited, and what other folk would think to allow such orders so much power in relation to their king.

But, in many ways, they are not so strange as those who are to our northwest, the folk of Periaslavl. That mothers are worthy of respect is understandable, but to allow one to rule the largest realm of Shijuren is curious. At least, this folk has the wisdom to allow their Great Mothers to be sorcerers of some skill, as shown by their great lifespan. Still, it would be better if they understood their true relation to the royal lineage of Amaranth and would accede to our modest requests in a more timely fashion.

To the east and south are great waters. These, of course, have aided you and your line by allowing easy trade up and down the eastern coast. It is well, of course, that your predecessors assembled a mighty fleet, as the pirates who lurk in the Areyat Islands have ever proved troublesome. Another example of the gods providing commensurate challenges for your line.

To the southeast, one finds other challenges. These are rough lands that all rulers of Shijuren have found inconvenient to rule. The wisdom of your line understood this centuries ago and have long since ignored this land of swamps, jungles, and mountains where wild folk and wilder beasts reside.

As your line has ever understood the wealth and power bestowed upon a realm by trade, however, you have established through the mountains to the east strong, well-protected trade routes to the Empire of Makhaira and from that, lands to the west.

That empire is truly old, my lord, having grown out of the earlier Empire of Sabinia. If you will permit me to digress, my lord, I will speak of the older realm first and then the current empire.

The Empire of Sabinia, much like Amaranth, is one of the realms founded by those heroes of the War of the Giants who survived. As such, it is almost as old as our land. Initially, it grew along the southern coasts of the Middle Sea, but soon crossed to the mountains and forests on the north coast of that sea. In time, they stretched across what we now call the Kreisens, which I shall speak of anon, all the way up to their northern sea named the Sea of Woden.

However, empires not blessed with a royal line such as your own fade and such happened to Sabinia. In time, its emperors realized that area between the Middle Sea and the Gulf of Doris served their purposes better. When Basil II Makrembolites founded the city of Basilopolis, he changed that empire forever, leading to the modern Empire of Makhaira.

Basilopolis is a city of great size and wonders worthy of admiration. Not, of course, as worthy as many cities of your realm, especially our home of Devrapatnam, but still, one must allow for the touch of the gods to reach all men. Likewise, the Empire of Makhaira is a realm worthy of respect, especially since their gold and prosperous trade routes westward have at the same time enriched thy own coffers and those of thy folk.

To the far southwest, beneath the great deserts of the Qafric Wastes, lies the Kingdom of Matara. Those that live there have gained great renowned as warriors, but perhaps only because they are so far from Amaranth they have not had the doom of meeting our warriors in battle. That their sailors have much skill, we must agree, for they sail the southern seas to our lands, despite treacherous weather and the grim island of Beloye.

Of Beloye I can say little except that our scholars have confirmed the wild rumors of its denizens have some validity. It is a land of monsters and monstrous folk. That is all which I know, and I crave your forgiveness for my lack.

I have, oh lord, promised to speak of the Kreisens. To the credit of the Empire of Sabinia, during its time the Kreisens were fruitful and peaceful, but now it has, sad to say, fallen into madness. When I speak of the Kreisens, know, my lord, that I am simply applying the name to the people of that land, for there is no king to bring some measure of happiness to that place. If only they had anyone with a tithe of the skill and wisdom of thy line, perhaps they would be more than a collection of squabbling lords constantly raiding their neighbors.

To the far north, even above that Sea of Woden I mentioned before, is the land of Svellheim. These are fell warriors and raiders, so the tales tell, and it is true that their sailors have also wended their way around the whole of Shijuren even unto our shores, much like those of Matara. They sail in fast ships, which suits their inconstant whims, and while we have traded well with this folk, we have also needed to remind them that raiding of our shores requires a toll few are willing to pay.

Northwest of the Kreisens is a realm known currently as the Eleven Kingdoms. I say, currently, as this land has often warred amongst itself, and at one time there were almost twenty small kingdoms. It is the way of things, as you well know, for smaller realms to become a part of larger realms and, if you will permit me the digression, I believe that you and your heirs will call it by some number less than eleven in times to come.

Finally, the last realm of Shijuren that I must speak of is that of the Western Isles. In many ways, this archipelago is much like our Areyat Islands, but it is the case that their rulers are much stronger than those pirates of the Areyats. Also, I must say that while their gods are less than ours, we must acknowledge they have some power, as shown by their gifts to this folk in the arts of sail and sea. I take no pleasure in admitting that their ships are the pinnacle of maritime arts, but I am consoled by the fact that clearly their gods have decided this folk needed such assistance as could be provided.

The lands of Shijuren are blessed also with many libraries and monasteries to gods of all types. They greatest of these orders is the Ordo Lectorum Tenendorumque Aevi, more commonly known throughout the lands as the Readers. This order, which doth lie in all realms, are almost as learned as the members of your line, and as such far more knowledgeable as one such as myself. They have strange oaths, oaths they claim were created for them by Fate, and they are well known for following them to the letter.

Lastly, I must add that our scholars, philosophers, and mathematicians have proven, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that our world is an orb. Why the gods have created such, only they can know. However, we can infer that if one were to sail westward from the Western Isles, one would eventually arrive at the Areyat Islands. Even the mariners of those isles, though blessed by the gods themselves in their ships and skills, have not attempted such a thing for all know the distance is too great. Whether there are lands elsewhere in the world or it is but a nearly endless ocean, only the gods know.

These, then, is the land of Shijuren. None match the realm of Amaranth, of course, but a wise ruler, as you well know, must understand the worth that all peoples have, even if they should be less than thy own.

I thank thee, oh lord, for thy grace and patience in reading these words. I am limited, of course, by being the merest of thy subjects, though I am honored by thy courtesy and generosity.

In the hopes, my lord, that these words have proven of some little benefit to thee, I remain your dutiful servant, Katayana of Amaranth.

To the most illustrious and invincible Highness, Prince Verethragnan, heir to the Throne of Unyielding Justice, I, Katayana of Amaranth, send greetings.

You have asked me, my Prince, to describe for the benefit of your followers the Streams of Magic that exist in Kshiurana. Though I am unworthy of this task, I will attempt to comply with all the meager skill and knowledge at my disposal. I can only hope that You, in Your generosity, will forgive my missteps.

Nearly all know the children’s rhyme that describes the Five Streams. Nostalgia compels me to repeat it here, though of course its familiarity might be tedious.

To change nature’s guise
One needs loves or lives
Stone's laws or sharp lines
Or lore of the wise

One interesting aspect of this poem that many others might not realize is that most languages have translated this poem into their language and it is taught to their children. Surely this is a sign of Your wisdom and generosity to allow all peoples, even those who have yet to worship you properly, to learn magic’s Five Streams.

In any case, with your permission, then, I shall explain the Five Streams individually, though this will surely be tedious for You to read. I humbly crave Your pardon.

The first stream in the poem is that of love. In truth, this stream, as you know, is the manipulation of all emotions. I am told those who manipulate emotions see emotions as tendrils emanating from humans and some animals. These magicians can then strengthen or modify these tendrils, and in some cases completely reverse, whatever emotions a person is feeling hence modifying their behavior.

The second stream is that of life. Those who can influence life can see a field of energy around all living things, allowing them the opportunity to modify the creature or plant. They can, for example, influence a plant to grow extremely quickly or heal a cut on a dog or person.

The third stream is that of the stone. Again, this name is somewhat misleading, as there always seems to be energy in all things, and those that can see the energy of matter can do many things with this energy. Some can even change light, though this is a rare gift.

The fourth stream talks about sharp lines. The lines referred to are those lines inherent in writing. Magicians of this type may also use symbols. They see power in the written word and in symbols, and can use them to influence people or do many other things. All religions use symbolic magic in one way or another.

And finally, the fifth stream is that of knowledge. Such magicians concern themselves with influencing the path of history. Their magic is subtle, yet in time as powerful as any. We, for as You know I have some skill with this type of magic, see potentialities in all things. We can then influence the path of events to increase the chances of a particular potentiality of resulting. Patience is our watchword.

I hope that this will clarify for those who follow You some of the most basic aspects of magic. In Your generosity, You have allowed me to put these words to parchment, though I know them to be unworthy of Your vision. Words cannot truly describe the glory of Your benevolence in allowing me to pass my meager understanding forward.

With great thanks, I remain Your dutiful servant, Katayana of Amaranth.