Moon Lake and the Demons of the Misty Hills
Once, the travelers ascended a high hill, and from the summit they saw the sky for the first time in many years. It was late in the evening, and the full moon was shining. It was brightly reflected in the surface of a small lake. Strongly impressed by such a beautiful view, the newcomers called it Moon Lake. As it turned out, the fog never rose to such a height, and the sky above Moon Lake was always clear. Wearied by long wanderings, the travelers decided to establish their first settlement. They erected a city-fortress, Shohan, which later became the capital of the empire. Amazing animals lived in the vicinity of Moon Lake such as the yauls, who eventually were domesticated by the Itoshins. Moon Lake itself was filled with beautiful fish and other animals. This islet of light in the endless fogs was not the only one, and gradually the Itoshins settled all over the plateau. As it turned out, the demons of the fog did not like the light and in the daytime, life in the settlements was relatively calm. At night, houses were locked with tight shutters, and anyone who could hold a weapon led an endless defense against terrible enemies.
The Immortal Emperor
Here, my dear reader, I should share my reflections with you. I was not able to find out if the other families knew what Tosho was looking for, and if they didnt know, then what else could have made them embark on such a dangerous path? To this day, we foreigners dont know whether the ancestors of the Itoshins found anything on the plateau. I have an assumption that this is somehow connected with the immortality of Emperor Tosho and his daughter. But I have no evidence to support this conjecture, and scientists like me cannot rely solely on assumptions. I leave this unsolved mystery to you, my inquisitive reader. Perhaps you will be able to solve it.
Surely, you will immediately remember our founding father and want to compare him with Tosho. Both took away their people during the Exodus one to the north, the other to the south. Both were charismatic and strong-willed leaders. Both are supposedly immortal. But here, my probably erring reader, Ill argue with you. Nothing is known about the life of the Marawie Sand Lion before the Exodus. Instead, since the journey to the south, there have been many chronicles and much documented evidence. Our ancestor truly did live a long life, and slowly grew old. He came out of the Forest, while the Vedichs and Taurs, as is known, live lives that are many times longer than those of other people. Therefore, the longevity of the Great Marawies life is quite explainable. Moreover, there is evidence that over the years, he did grow old, slowly, dying at a fairly venerable age. The Emperor, on the contrary, grew old only up to a certain age, and after gaining immortality, retained his look for centuries. The same is true for his daughter, who is forever young and beautiful. I did not see her myself, as law prohibits it, but I saw her portrait. I would give about twenty years to this girl. From that, I can conclude that up to a certain age, the beautiful and unequivocally incredible Tsvetsho did grow, changing in appearance. So, as the north and south differ from each other, so do the people who inhabit them.
The Itoshinian Language
The language of the Itoshins is simple and understandable. It took after the Old Language of the Great Cities, which remotely resembles the language of the modern Chekatta. But the language of the empire has largely undergone phonetic changes. It has no cases and conjugations. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives are written and pronounced identically. The main words of the Itoshins contain short sounds. For example: In the people, To the father, Vet mother, Ve life, Do sword, La fog, Tsu courage. Such brevity of language helps the Itoshins in battle. Its easier to give commands and explain the current situation. Rarely used words can consist of two syllables, quite rarely of three.
The Dotsu Code
Life in an eternal struggle dictates its own rules, which affect the whole culture and daily routine of the Itoshins. But it is not chaotic. All the inhabitants of the Ito Empire live by the code of Dotsu, written by Emperor Tosho himself. This is not just a tabula of laws or regulations. This is the philosophy of being. In the code, every Itoshin can find not only how he should live, but also what he must feel. Dont rush to wonder at the morals of the empire, nor judge them. As an outsider who understands the essence of Dotsu philosophy, I can say that this code is simply a necessity. After all, it gives the Itoshins not only a way of life mapped out as in a textbook, but also fearlessness and immortality. Immortality that is different from that of the Emperor an immortality of the spirit! With their contempt for fear, the Itoshins reveal the true power and greatness of their people.
The Path of Horror
The most eerie place in all of Elinor!
Jumanna quickly put down the book.
The Path of Horror of horror!
The desire to read further had disappeared. Suddenly she was revisited by the very same prophetic fear! That familiar fear! The fear that had tormented her before receiving news from the Valley; the fear that had tortured her before the misadventures in the desert
It was as though this book now dragged her away from the present, from the southern deserts to the north, to the Path of Horror, as though something inevitable was going to happen there something that would change the destiny of mankind forever. And somehow, she, Jumanna Amatt, was involved.
She remembered perfectly by heart what was described further in the book of Azir. The beauty of the Emperors daughter Tsvetsho, the way Azir walked along the Path of Horror, how he found himself in the beautiful mountainous country of the Ulutau, how he followed the teachings of the mountain people. Azir described this nation in bright colors; he admired its way of living.
A voice, Jumannas inner voice, woke up again and seemed to hint that her fate was closely intertwined with the fate of the representatives of the people of the north. But the main event would take place there, on the Path.
It was only a premonition. But how, after all that had passed, could she not trust it?
Jumanna raised her head, looking at the constellation of the Lion.
Ill ask for your help again, great hero, she whispered.
12.
The next day, Jumanna and her students entered the town of Muo.
CHAPTER 2. The essence of the warrior
Life is given to man for the sake of glory and fearlessness.
From the Dotsu Code1
The dark contours of the fortress of Lauhan, the southernmost outpost of the Ito Empire, appeared out of the thick fog. With each step, everything grew lighter. Signal lights of fortress towers cut the dense white shroud with saving rays.
The group approached the defense ditch.
Just in time!
The bridge has not been raised yet. The Itoshins, unlike other people Djunits or the traitor-Mechanicum never used clocks, but the sharp eye of an experienced watchman could always identify the exact time according to the density of the fog. When the time of haze and darkness came, all the bridges rose, windows and shutters on the houses were tightly locked, and bonfires were built on the open areas of the roofs of houses. This was how the Ito Empire met the advent of the time of demons. The demons were scared of the fire, and the defenses of the Itoshins were becoming more effective every year.