Destruction Of Icen Wom

A tale of an event in the Humans past.

*Icem Wom sits nestled in the canyons in a juncture between a trio of conjoining cliffs. Together they form a deep bowl sheltered from the wind and sands. The land is sandy and full of grit and rock, but there is enough dirt and water from a deep-dug well to sustain the herd of horses and tiny plots of family gardens.*

*Colors of every shade and hue abound in seeming discord; the colorful stripes and patterns adorning each length of cloth stretched over sandstone walls or hanging from doorways showcase individual family colors.*

*Brightly dyed banners hang in nearly every doorway, as much for decoration as for privacy. The streets are paved crudely with slabs of flat stone. When the roads come to the wall of the canyon, rather than stopping or turning off, many of them go right into it - or up.*

*Houses and facilities are carved right into the cliff face, and the God King’s temple itself resides high over all of Icen Wom, facing proudly to the North. God King Kemsa Usan resides proudly over the town. There are perhaps three hundred people in the tribe, many of them hunters and warriors, and traders who occupy small stalls full of wondrous crafts, oozing dazzling colors and trinkets carved from stone or molded from bronze.*

*Trade prices were fairly cheap; despite the merchants’ hoping, no outsiders ever came to the town to visit, and no sign of other tribes had been found in the ten years they had occupied the canyon.*

*Icen Wom’s faded history begins in the wastelands to the south. Within an endless valley of shifting sand dunes and sweltering sun, small villages sprouted up and died regularly. During the rare rainy seasons, travel was common as traders found their way from one tribe to another in a risky chance to gain supplies they lacked in trade for their surpluses. These ventures often went awry; sandstorms were frequent, and often the tribes they intended to visit were gone without a trace, buried under the shifting dunes.*

*Icen Wom began as a small tribe of perhaps forty people, who had found fortune and grace smiled down upon them by their god.  The first of their distinguished leaders, God Queen Illud Sacath, under the guidance of Cuthom Cilko, led them to an unusual outcropping of rock wherein sheltered a rare valley of vibrant greenery, and a clean spring fed by an unknown source from deep within the ground and rocks. It was here in the Nimma Kimen, the Grove of Life, that they came upon their first horses and found respite from the harsh weathers.*

*For a people who wore plain ragged robes of dull leather and rare wool cloth, the colorful flowers and greenery of the sheltered valley was a blessing to behold. They wasted no time taking careful advantage of their bounties, and soon robes of sandy grays and dull leathers turned into vibrant displays of colors and patterns. Warriors proudly wore stripes of scarlet cloth tied to their robes, and the growing division of priests the bright cyan from a strange blue flower.*

*For twelve cycles of the seasons, the town blossomed and thrived. They became a waypoint to other tribes wandering the sands; many were admitted into the city as family to join them in their culture and blessings of the almighty Cuthom Cilko. Those that did not accept Cuthom Cilko as god were not mistreated, but were not accepted into the sacred land as family, and thus could not enjoy the god-given boons.*

*It was on the thirteenth cycle, dwelling within the secure stone walls tucked away from the maddening plains of sweltering heat outside, that war came to Nimma Kimen. God Queen Ilud Sacath led the people in a devastating defense, using their sacred mounts to carry warriors dressed in their most vibrant finery to deflect the charge of their enemy.*

*Five of the rejected tribes, refused admittance to live in Nimma Kimen, had banded together in a desperate attempt at conquering their privileged foe. Many turned and fled at the sight of brave warriors riding proudly out from the dark maw of rock, the brilliant blue and white banner of Cuthom Cilko flapping in the breeze of their charge.*

*The warriors could not be told apart from one another save for the number of colored strips of red cloth upon their arms, and the markings of their mounts. Their faces were covered by black clay masks, and even the God Queen Illud Sacath was indistinguishable amongst them. As one they charged, screaming their proud war chant in unison as they flooded the disorganized ranks of their foes. With the sand soaked in blood and the sun low in the sky, the proud defenders returned to their sanctuary in triumph; but the peace was not to be, for more tribes came in larger numbers, all maddened and joined together by their jealousy and greed.*

*It is the poison within, that eats away at its own body from the inside out, rather than the wounds from outside, that weakens resolve. As the war dragged on, revolution began within the walls of Nimma Kimmen, as those that harbored doubt and fear within their hearts began to oppose those who stood proud and sure under the will of Cuthom Cilko.  What was once a many colored paradise turned to a muddy shade of blood and mud. Cuthom Cilko frowned upon this needless mayhem, and the life that made up the paradise began to wilt and falter.*

*The flowers did not bloom, and the water turned stale and tasteless. The lush grasses that fed the horses became dry and scraggly, and the fertile plots of farmland began to dry in the desert heat that found it’s way through the sheltering stone. In conference with the Aru Upi, the aged God Queen Illud Sacath made a decision. If Cuthom Cilko showed favor to them, then he would guide them once again to a place where they might thrive and prosper. The dying land would be left to those who saw only the material wealth and were driven by their greed, their fate would be that of the land they smothered. After three years of war, they would leave the battle behind them.*

*At night, the loyal warriors and townsfolk left, leaving behind a once beautiful home and entering once again the endless sand dunes at the mercy of Cuthom Cilko’s will and judgement. God Queen Illud Sacath once more followed the guidance of The One to lead them on their journey. She died of old age and weakness of the body not long after they had reached the borders of the wastelands to look upon the towering walls of a massive canyon. The Aru Upi took upon the title and responsibility of Athis Nushrat, the Crown Keeper, and after the God Queen’s death rites had been invoked, the next God King, Kemsa Usan, was chosen.*

*Under his rule, the town found themselves nestled into a new valley far less splendorous than Nimma Kimen, but with an unexpected compensation; the discovery of bronze forging was theirs to do with as they pleased. Metal armors and weaponry to defend their home became abundant, and the fragile clay masks of war turned into fierce black-painted faces that fit into the helmets armed warriors wore. Those that did not have bronze armor kept to the black clay masks. The priests, under the guidance of Thothil Nushrat the bookkeeper and God King Kemsa Usan, began to formulate a way to record history. The artisans of the tribe played a large role in this endeavour, using their knowledge of dyes and inks, and the creation of parchment.*

*Thus is the history of Icen Wom and its people, as remembered and told by the Taca Ucim Upi - 'Many Name Priest'*.