Notes: This fragment is taken from a far larger poem believed to have been written by the above Hrestoli cleric of the Invisible God during the early Imperial Age. He lived in the ancient and now ruined city of Larsonwal. It is suggested that he began his journey on the coast of Western Seshnela and continued eastward. By the end of the fragment, it seems his party has travelled into Esrolia, or the lands of Slontos as it was called then, as references are made to the Empire of Wyrm's Friends. Historians would be most grateful if the rest of this treasure trove of information could be recovered.
On to the east past Pirate Isle and all multitude of monster;
For lovers left and money spent, we were much the poorer.
We found far flung exotic seas where only serpents foster.
Brave Maiwrena, daughter of an angel , was our captain:
Hooked hand, stumpy leg, and a bear skin wrapped in,
She took our hearts and our manhoods too
And gave us naught but Caladrian Gonad-Flue.
From the land of the truest faith we sailed to a pagan place,
Where wind, rain and hail were held to have God's grace.
The port of Quanlargo was the first of our calls,
A merry town where donkeys doze and a cart but crawls.
The humans were devoid of speech and wit,
And marriage was sealed with flem and spit;
A duck called Howdon held the office of mayor,
But only won it by drinking his rival under the chair.
Under sail once more and to port we viewed,
As maidens strutted and posed all in the nude.
These were basest creatures yet, Esrols were they named.
Sing not to us ye sucubbi, for our desire we were paid
In death. As those who swam to shore to let vent to all their passion
Were slain once their armour was undone in most treachorous fashion.
Those more chaste did keep their lives:
Those that weren't got the reward lust belies.
In battle noble Thurawain did never tarry
And no Talor could his blows ever turn or parry.
But what next we saw caused the couraged knight to curse
And the merchant Solozar fear for the future of his purse:
This was a most fearsome Krjalk that had some nine limbs,
Seeing which Friar Loocanus cried plaintive hymns.
It had conquered the coastal city of Jaltorosk in the land of Tanisor
But it's reign was short and it's booty poor.
For from the far south came an arcing ray,
Surer than a soldier's quarrel and brighter than the day.
It flew through the air, a beam of flame
That scorched the city walls and then a warrior became.
On a golden Krjalk he rode in aureate splendour,
Last we saw he slew the beast and was Jaltorosk's redeemer.
Though seeming of a knightly bent he sinfully venerated the Sun,
And so we disdained friendship with that pagan one.
From here we marched inland to the north and east
And learnt much of the country from a grizzled heathen priest.
Far off peaks that impaled the sky,
Were to him the wings of a great Dragon on which it would fly
Once it were re-made; they called them Rock-Wing Mountains
And the land around populated with towering lava-fountains
Was deemed the wyrm's gaping teeth, tounge and jaws.
We shuddered at this breach of almighty God's immutable laws.
This abominable sect thought to turn back the Net,
The web of powers the whole world had kept,
Which the Invisible God cast on the earth
And of which the prophet Malkion sang it's worth.
They sought to deny the truth holy Hrestol showed
At the Dawning when reality took its present mode.
To bolster his claim this mage made the land spew fire;
His incantations crescendoed, the flames leapt higher.
Friar Loocanus called on our Invisible God's power:
A battle of magic enused, we saw the draconic-one cower.
With spiritual hands our Cleric strangled the idol-lover,
Whose ensorcelled fire-rocks made us seek safety and cover.
lawrence@aslak.demon.co.uk