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A Story About the Zerendulu

Written by: Dame Jeyde Thunderwalker of Tuath Fasach
Date: January 5th, 1010
Segura Viudas. The Sparkle of Life. It is what the Zerendulu have, or had, in spades. As far I know, this tribe is dead, for Wrake's armies spilled over the plains and slaughtered them quickly... but you wanted to hear a tale about the past. Okay, here is one I know.

Opal Sages used to take a lot of menfolk for breeding stock, and sent the sons back while keeping the daughters. One tribe they found that could guarantee twins, however, were the Zerendulu. You see, everything has a spark of life in it. Sentience does not equal life. You can be inanimate and still have a spark, whether from Gaia, Aurora, Justari, or whatever god suits your fancy. House-hold plants, for instance, have a spark of life within. Rocks do too, as they lie along river beds and form giant mountains. I could go on and on, but this isn't a philosophy story. You need to know this, though, because the Zerendulu has more than one spark. They literally were Life embodied, I think...

The Zerendulu males were extremely tall (six feet or more) while the females kept a much shorter stature of four feet up to five and a half. Shorter females were prized for they were nimble, and had very quick senses. They could spot game at 100 paces, and hear where herds could be found one league away. Zerendulu forces would usually have a small group of male warriors, with two or more female 'scouts' with them for hunting or general patrol from the forces of the Mad King, and eventually the Drow. Their hair and eye color varied greatly, but no one had any physical or mental signs of weakness, ever. Another thing: no disease ever touched them, and thus they had no need for Healers within their tribe.

The story? Yes, yes. Sorry, was just attempting to give you a visual. One day, a Matchgazer was watching a line-up of Zerendulu males while a group of Opal Sages were looking them over. Zerendulu females understood their place in the world and thus were not present for such things. After much deliberation, three males were chosen and off they went straight into the plains, for the Opal Sages had made communing huts for these things. The Matchgazer was astonished that not one Zerendulu female protested, and went to each wife. "Why do you let your husband go, if you love them so much?" Each woman responded: "Because I love my husband, I let him go."

After one moon, the males returned. There was a small celebration for they brought with them deer and shaggy animals, for to eat and to make clothes and shields. The Matchgazer scratched the headdress it wore in confusion, and went to each wife once more. "How can you accept that your husband has lain with another for the sole purpose of creating life?" Each woman responded: "Because I love my husband, I let him go. And now I do not have to go through the painful process of having a child myself and stay young and beautiful in my husband's eyes." The Matchgazer had nothing to say to that, and went back to its place to keep watch.

Many moons later, the Opal Sages returned. The same Matchgazer was present, watching as they presented to the first couple a son, for the other twin did not make it after child-birth. To the second couple, there were twin boys. But for the third couple, the Opal Sages merely gave thanks to them, for they had reared a daughter. The couples made no sad noises, no happy smiles, and returned to their huts as before. The Matchgazer was shocked, and went to visit the wife of whom only a daughter was produced: "How can you let a stranger rear your first-born? Do you not claim responsibility for that child your husband made?" And to this, the wife happily stated: "It is not my first-born, thus I shall keep my spark of life forever! The other wives, they must now grow old as children bring gray to the hairs and wrinkles of worry and stress that I do not want. They must bear children now, for that is all they are good for. I shall be in the hunting parties, and I shall dance under the stars. I shall make work play, and play work, for my life has more sparkle than theirs."

And the Matchgazer went away, declaring to the gods that the Segura Viudas was only strong in the Zerendulu females, because they wanted all the glory their men brought, but to do none of the work it required.

It is said that some god heard that and was quite angry, and took away all the heightened senses of the females, so even mundane chores because a difficult task without help, and so Zerendulu females were forced to bear children, to give up their sparks, so they could rear some-one to help them in their bumbling and age.


...That's just one that I know.
Created by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 01-05-10 08:08 PM
Last Modified by Janna Oakfellow-Pushee at 01-05-10 08:11 PM