The Tale Of The Coming Of Orathir

== Introduction ==
The following is a common tale told throughout Cathrámas of the Forever-Bear Cub, Orathir. I cannot attend to it's historicity, but recount the tale in it's full. It is worth noting that this tale is part of a much larger body of literary work referred to as "The Ithrian Cycle", but this tale recounts the beginnings of the central figure of the cycle, Orathir. Orathir as a figure seems to have developed among the people throughout the continent of Cathrámas.
== The Tale Of The Coming Of Orathir ==
=== The Forever Bear Cub, Orathir ===
Rathnir had fallen, people fled from those old countries, those old lands and settled in the new continents of Abexilas. Time came when new kingdoms and nations were brought about and displayed their might in this new land. One kingdom came about from the northern lands of the continent of Cathrámis’ western continent of Cathelet. The kingdom’s name was Ithria. Ithria’s king, Rothna, coveted his land and sought to cleanse it of its savage beasts. Even though his own advisors warned him against mindlessly slaughtering the beasts of the land Rothna still pursued them. He brought about the destruction of wolves, lions, tigers and almost all bears, except for one lone Brown Bear mother and her cub.
The mother swam from Cathelet to Cathrámas’ other province, Adramis with her cub on her back. There they avoided the slaughter that befell their kind. When the cub was on the verge of reaching his beasthood, he partook in a competition with the other cubs of Cathelet. They were to catch the legendary Golden Eel of the Conqueror’s Sea.
The eel had long been rumoured to bestow upon it all the world’s wisdom, the greatest of strength and the liberation from aging, eternal life. The cubs all took to the sea, swimming for weeks on end, until it came down to two cubs, one of them being the wayward cub from Cathelet. Eventually, the Cathelet cub won the Golden Eel and devoured it. Immediately, the cub felt a change in his being. His mind expanded with the knowledge of man and even though he was but a cub, his strength beyond that of even five bears.
He could speak the tongue of man, read man’s language, walk on two legs instead of four making his overall height 5 Feet, crafted weapons and was able to lift twelve bears resting on a single shoulder. All the bears roared in celebration of his great feats, he gave himself the title of the Forever Bear Prince, Orathir, which in the bears tongue meant the “Cub free from age”.
=== Orathir Defends The Village ===
Orathir’s new wisdom brought a caveat of worrisome to his mind. Since he consumed the Eel while still being a juvenile cub, he could never age to the size of other bears. This realisation made his mind restless and with his newly acquired wisdom, he needed to find a way to apply it.
Eventually, he said to himself “I shall go forth and find help to teach me how to control my restless mind”. He wished his mother farewell and took forth into the forest. He took forth and found himself a Village. The Villagers fled from what they took to be a monster, but Orathir ensured them he was a Civil beast and only sought help. Orathir explained how he had come from Cathelet and fled the sinister King Rothna’s attempt to murder him and his mother and explained his eating of the Golden Eel which brought about his great wisdom, strength, his lack of aging past cub size and his human behaviour. Their local Cleric, Bronerd reluctantly accepted Orathir into his home, however, he quickly built a smaller house next to his for Orathir to sleep in.
Orathir learned many things within the Village, he learned to fight with skill and grace, to forge the finest weapons from Steel, Gold, Diamond and Obsidian. Bronerd also taught Orathir the mystic arts of Potion making, a skill he excelled at. Potions of healing, invisibility, swiftness, resistance, harming, water breathing among many others were now easy for him to create.
However, all was not well in the Village one day. The Villagers lived in fear of Invaders. These Invading Pillagers would ransack the Village, killing many and looting the most valuable possessions of the Village. Orathir did not plan to stay in the Village long, but he knew he could not leave them under such treacherous circumstances. The night came and an army of Pillagers approached the Village.
“They’re here! They’re here!” Screamed Bronerd.
“Everyone, take cover! I shall deal with them!” Orathir exclaimed valiantly.
“There is an army coming up here! They outnumber us! For every Villager here, there is ten Pillagers! What can you do?” Cried a worried Villager.
“Not one of them will leave here today without sustaining grave injury from me at the very least!” Orathir claimed.
Orathir indeed intended to fight the Pillagers, however he knew a straight up fight would be difficult, even with his immense strength, regardless, he waited next to the fountain in the middle of the Village. A Pillager spoke dismissively to the Bear Cub.
“What is this they set out? A beast in armour and armed with weapons? What a sorry display!”
Orathir was agitated by their dismissiveness and threatened them.
“You see me as just a Bear Cub and yet you and your followers have not dared to get close to me? How wise. If you come any step closer, all your families will consist of widows and orphans.”
The leader of the Pillagers stepped forth offended and spoke threateningly.
“How dare you beast! I Vorag, son of Yuroth king of the Pillagers of Cathrámis shall make you regret the words you speak so confidently!”
Vorag sprung forth wielding a Diamond Sword and wearing shimmering Diamond Armour. He took a fair slash of his sword towards Orathir, missing by a few inches. Orathir pulled forth an Ender Pearl and tossed it towards the roof of a nearby house. Vorag stood confused and before he could react, Orathir fired an arrow towards the fountain. The arrow pierced a large amount of TNT blocks, hidden from Vorag’s eyes. A massive explosion burst forth from the fountain, completely enrapturing Vorag and killing him immediately.
Orathir burst forth in laughter at how easily Vorag fell after his proud boasting. Orathir jumped down and faced the remaining Pillager army.
“How dare you kill our beloved Vorag in such a dishonourable manner! Our beloved prince, the best of our warriors! All dead because of your vile actions!”
Orathir continued to smile and responded nonchalantly.
“You can give yourselves whatever titles, positions or status you want, but it means nothing if you cannot back up those boasts with skill!”
The rest of the Pillagers charged forth towards Orathir. “What great fun!” Orathir thought. This time Orathir decided to bring forth his physical might and overpowered each and every Pillager. They all fell, one after another to Orathir’s blades and arrows. Orathir combined trickery and skill to defeat them by using his Ender Pearls to teleport and quickly traverse the battle ground. This confused the Pillagers and left them open for Orathir to teleport near to them and kill them with a quick thrust of his sword.
All seven hundred and forty-three of the Pillagers were slain in twenty-seven minutes and all the Villagers celebrated Orathir’s victory over them. A feast was held for five days no one present felt any bout of tiredness.
=== Orathir Attains Grodfir ===
Eventually word had reached Cathrámas’ other continent, Cathelet. Rothna learned of Orathir and feared vengeance from this powerful Cub. and five of his most powerful warriors were sent to kill Orathir. After almost catching Orathir off guard in an ambush, Orathir defeated them with ease and questioned their motives. They then explained to him Rothna’sdesire to kill him. Orathir had accomplished all he needed to in the Village and wished all it’s residents goodbye as he set out to find a way to venture back to his birth-land of Ithria.
Orathir began his way back to Cathelet. On his way back to the Conqueror’s Sea, Orathir came across a man in panic. Orathir tried to calm him down, by giving him some fresh milk and some apples. The man claimed he had just survived a horrid Sea Serpent, longer than a continent. It had recently taken up residence within the Conqueror’s Sea. Orathir immediately knew this was a problem, as he needed to cross that sea to get Cathelet and to Ithria.
Orathir knew his incredible strength would aid him, but he was ill-equipped for battle with the Sea Serpent. He sought new weapons. Orathir made his way to the most celebrated Weaponsmith in all of Cathrámis, Sir Hodov. Hodov spent his days forging many weapons, for countless warriors. Many travelled the world just to attain a weapon forged from his skills.
Orathir ventured to a large workhouse in the Kingdom in Artaine. There he met with Hodov and explained his situation. Orathir gloated about his skills with weapons and begged for a weapon befitting of him, but to his surprise, Hodov was old and his best days were behind him. He had neither the strength or materials to forge a weapon for Orathir.
“However, follow me.” Hodov insisted.
Orathir went with Hodov and ventured into his attic. There, Hodov uncovered a finely made trident. It was carved from the finest Netherite, and reinforced with a layer of thick Diamond coating the entire weapon. It glowed with enchantments and radiated power. Orathir was in awe, but quickly doubted himself.
“Old man! I cannot wield this! It is much too big. I am small in size. It is double my height.”
Hodov took Orathir’s paw and guided it over the middle of the trident. Immediately, it leapt from the ground and into Orathir’s paw. There was no weight to it. It felt as light as a feather. Orathir was amazed.
“It is called Grodfir. I forged it for a god, whose name escapes me, a long time ago, but they never came back to receive it. It can call lightning towards it, perish all those in your way and use the powerful riptide technique. It will always come back to your paws if separated from you.”
Orathir thanked Hodov greatfully and promised him that he will always be in his debt. With Grodfir now in his hands, Orathir wasted no time and made his way to The Conqueror’s Sea. Orathir had thought of a plan, to lure out the beast. He set a pig in a boat and set it adrift into the Sea. There he watched as the boat steadily made it’s way out. Then, in a mere moment, a large head bigger than any mountain emerged from the water and swallowed the boat and pig whole. This was his chance, Orathir took aim and threw the trident. It pierced the beasts eye and lightning struck it. The beast cried out in pain.
Orathir called Grodfir back to his paw and yelled out to the Sea Serpent.
“Come forth! Fight me beast!”
The Sea Serpent slithered towards the shore, it’s mouth open wide, wanting to close it’s jaws down upon Orathir. Orathir readied his paw and raised it up into the air clenching Grodfir. The Serpent was almost upon him, it’s mouth still wide open. Orathir lunged Grodfir towards the gaping mouth, it pierced straight through the serpent’s body, a stream of lightning following it. It then burst through the end of it’s tail, leaving every bit of it’s innards to fall through the large hole Grodfir left at the end of the serpent’s tail. The Sea Serpent collapsed and sunk into the ocean and Orathir called Grodfir back to his paw and sailed onward to Cathelet.
=== How Orathir Fights The Best Soldiers of Ithria ===
Rothna feared Orathir’s return to Ithria. However, one foe did not worry him, it was his other enemies in large numbers that caused him worry. Throughout the years, Rothna had oppressed his people and misruled Ithria. His own son, Prince Lyvell, sought the throne, wished to better the Kingdom and had staged a failed rebellion against him two years ago, but he managed to quell the rebellion, with Lyvell fleeing.
Lyvell had heard about the coming of Orathir and awaited him and wished to meet him to help in a new rebellion against Rothna. When Orathir made his way to Ithria, he startled all that saw him, but not because of his appearance, but because they had heard of his famous deeds in Adramis. They all remembered the immense hunts their King Rothna had taken against the beasts in the wilds and expected Orathir to come here. Lyvell spotted him and caught his attention by calling him over to the side of a nearby Cottage.
“We have heard of you, we have awaited you. Brave Orathir, my father has ruined our Kingdom, Ithria is falling due to his rule. I ask for your help.”
“I do not wish to help this Kingdom. Ithria hunted down my kind. I have no wish to save it, I only wish to enact justice on Rothna.”
Lyvell tried to convince Orathir more.
“Please! My father’s crimes are not the crimes of all Ithrians. Please help me claim the throne and I will ensure a future for bears and other beasts in the wilds of Ithria!”
Orathir was not certain, but after more convincing from Lyvell, Orathir agreed to help Lyvell. Orathir ventured up to the castle gates with Lyvell. Rothna saw both of them approach from atop a high balcony on the castle and called to them.
“Lyvell you traitorous cur. You ally with this beast and now you come to once again claim my throne?!”
“Indeed, that is what I have done father and I have no regrets about it!”
Rothna chided them further.
“You shall make not a step further. The gates before you were built to keep out the Ender Dragon itself. There is no hope for you to go pass them!”
A malicious grin grew on Orathir’s face. He grabbed the gap between the gates and pulled them apart. Both gates crumpled like clay in his paws and with that he proceeded forward with Lyvell. Rothna was in a state of panic and called forth the four guards whose skill and strength rivalled the beastly Wardens. They were armed with swords enchanted with flames, ice, lightning and poison. All of them took charge at Orathir as he ran towards the staircase. Orathir saw their enchantments and drank potions to resist their effects. They landed several blows on the Bear Cub, but he did not cower. He launched himself up into the air, took aim below him with his trident and fell straight down on them, impacting the ground with a large crater. The four guards dodged within an inch of their lives, but then Orathir threw Grodfir at an odd angle. It curved around him, collecting each of the guards on it’s prongs, piercing through them. Then when the final guard was impaled, Orathir called it back to him and shook off the guard’s remains and innards from Grodfir.
Orathir took haste and pursued Rothna up into the castle. They were given thunderous applause from all of Ithria who knew this was the day they had been waiting for. Lyvell and Orathir had encountered more guards, but they both killed them with ease. Many guards joined them in their rebellion and they ascended up the castle. They came to Rothna’s bed chambers and both Orathir and Lyvell gave him one last moment to repent. Rothna’s pride took him once more and drew a sword to attack Lyvell, in an instant, Rothna was pierced against the wall with Grodfir through his sternum. Orathir called Grodfir back and it returned to his paw with Rothna’s heart stuck on its middle prong.
The people celebrated Rothna’s defeat and Lyvell took the kingship of Ithria. Orathir was made the royal Forever-Knight of Ithria, founded the new royal guards, which he called Unora, meaning Bear knights in the language of beasts and served his position valiantly and honourably forever more.