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The Origin of Saltwave As told by Uttam Dattatreyaal (v. 1/15/2001) A battle between good and evil rages on the world known as Saltwave. Sometimes this battle grows brighter, more fierce, more bloody. At other times, it is quiet and subtle. Scholars debate whether this battle can ever truly be won or ended. Common folk hope merely that it will not touch them in its clashes. At the moment, it is the darkest hour for the forces of good. The very existence of all life on Saltwave is in great peril. It is with the hope of leaving something for posterity that may explain our predicament that I pen this essay now. If this story, etched in darkwood, survives, then perhaps it may prevent our history from being lost to the dust of time. Our OriginsThe civilizations of Saltwave have been standing and growing since the ancient War of Falling Stars, 2200 years ago. Today, with the invasion from beyond the stars, the survival of these great civilizations is no longer certain. We are now embroiled in what many are calling the Second War of Falling Stars, and the outcome is uncertain. To understand how Saltwave came to be in the state it is today, we must look back to its very beginning. Perhaps then we will gain insights that can lead us out of our current crisis. Saltwave,
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Author's Note: Much of the human and kzin history is detailed in the Man-Kzin Wars series, established and written first by Larry Niven. Ringworld and the follow-on books are the first sources. I have extrapolated a bit, and assumed a later time period. |
The humans never fully trusted the great tigery felinoids, as they had nearly been destroyed as a race several times before. They prepared their colony bases for eventual conflict. Then, in other parts of this quadrant, the kzinti and humans went to war.
So... the humans and kzinti on Saltwave eventually went to war, following their "leaders" back on the homeworlds.
Saltwave once had a moon. It was a nice little moon. A pretty little bluish-grey moon. It was also a human spaceport.
The kzinti destroyed the moon.
Chunks of it fell to the surface of Saltwave. The war raged across land, air, sea, and space. Within several years, contact with the homeworlds had been cut, and the industrial base of the combatants had been ruined. As an isolated colony planet, there was no way to immediately rebuild. With the end of the War of Falling Stars, civilization of both major races was shattered. Both sides sank into a Dark Age.
Now... the faeries, you ask? Whence comes the magic?
The humans had discovered early on that Shine IV had an unusual kind of energy field permeating the biosphere. The scientists called this "Q Energy," for "questionable source and power." Q Energy seemed to respond to individuals with strong will, intellect, or telepathic gifts. But it was unpredictable. For a long time, no one could figure out where it came from or why. Certainly, there were theories, but none could be proved.
About the time that there was a "spike" in the natural Q Energy fields across the planet, human women began giving birth to "changelings." Other adults and children actually mutated in form. This was incredibly frightening at the time, and caused great chaos. Now, with twenty-some centuries distance, we can easily see that these changes heralded the humans' attunement to the magical nature of this world. The Q Energy fields, magical energy, really, brought about the origin of elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, and ogres from humanity itself.
It is rumored that a similar change happened to the kzinti. No one really knows. Likely, the kzinti killed anything that they didn't recognize as "kzin." Still... there are rumors to this day of "slight kzinti," and "dense cats" that may be the kzin equivalent of elves and dwarves, and such.
Much later... About one hundred and fifty-four years, actually, ... there arose from the human people a prophet. Some small pockets of knowledge and learning still survived, amidst the Iron Age culture and technology of the time.
Dr. Towai Komatsu was a scholar and a healer. As he worked one day in
the library, he received a vision. He saw the whole world as one great
living creature, teeming with energy and life. Held in the palm of the
hand of God. Other things were revealed to him, as well. From that day
forward, he taught three things:
This became known as the Komatsine Revelation. It was the basis for a religion that has flourished, with ups and downs, for nearly two thousand years. The humans of the Saltwave Isles responded to Komatsu's message, and gathered themselves together. The Four Kingdoms were born. Landers, Technikor, Al-Yared, and Ionia.
With knowledge of magic, the old "Q Energy" was explained. Additionally, the embodiments of the natural spirits were seen. Faerie, in fact, was here.
It is not known whether the spirit beings of Saltwave take on their commonly understood forms from the collective human dreams or consciousness, or whether they actually had those forms before we arrived. Sages devote entire careers to arguing such points of distinction.
What is known is that magic exists, and that it depends upon the creative forces of life. Contact with spirits and faeries grew to be accepted as fact. Unusual, perhaps, not common, but not rejected out of disbelief. The half-lit world of faerie was more easily understood with the knowledge of magic.
The elves, naturally, had a great affinity for the realm of faerie, being, as they were, the fae side of humanity reflected in the flesh. The true spirits of the Seighlie and Unseighlie courts visited Saltwave and played in the forests, glades, lakes, and oceans. Wild places and places that possess a certain kind of quality are still home to spirits.
As is its nature, the faeries and nature spirits sometimes helped and sometimes hindered the growth of both human and kzin civilizations. In addition, explorers discovered that there were other races living on Saltwave that had not previously been discovered in the time of colonization.
Some of these races were honest and good, the good dragons and the Dae-Shiru, for example. Others were tricksters, like the kenku. Still others, like the evil dragons and the illithids, were extremely baneful. It was later discovered that some of these had come to Saltwave more or less recently through magical means, and were not true natives. Arguments still rage in scholarly circles about which races were native and which were visitors life ourselves.
In any event, with the major races, the spirits and beings of faerie, and the so-called scattered races, Saltwave was home to more different species of intelligent life than had ever been known before. With many centuries of experience, exploration, and research behind us, we now understand that this is a common result of the presence of magic in a world. It is the presence of magic, faerie, and the many races that has shaped our history since the fall of the early human and kzin civilizations.
The kzinti eventually learned of the magic, as well. Humanity (in all its forms) and kzinti (in its own) never settled the conflict. Governments and nations rose and fell, but the Four Kingdoms remained largely intact. Wars among humanity and against the kzinti came and went.
Ionia destroyed itself in a sorcerous civil war, fomented by demons from Outside this world. The kzinti conquered the Saltwave Isles, and dominated the world for a short time. While the elves escaped to smaller island homes to fight a resistance, humanity had help from Faerie to restore the balance.
Most kzinti had been driven off the Saltwave islands within several centuries after they originally conquered the Four Kingdoms. Internal politics and wars at home in the Patriarchies drew away some of the best warriors from the lands that the kzinti referred to as "the frontier estates." Then, discoveries of new sources of magical power drew both the Patriarchies and the fragmented human realms into the greatest war yet since the War of Falling Stars--the War of High Sorcery.
This was a time of mighty spells and powerful wizards. The title of archmage as a wizard at the pinnacle of magical power came into begin during this period. With the powerful spells created at this time, the skies roiled and the seas boiled where the sorcerers joined battle.
One such man was Darthen Shannastone. A self-taught wizard of great power, it was he who discovered the keys to High Sorcery. Others followed in his traditions and teachings. The kzinti responded with ritual sorcery of similar power. Shannastone was a proud, wise, and powerful man and was able to rally the oppressed people of Saltwave to his banner. Uniting the people to drive out the kzinti, he and his followers grew ever more resolved to take back their homelands. They were successful, but at a price. The landscape was devastated in many areas, and ruins were filled with "kill spirits."
Nonetheless, Darthen Shannastone was crowned King of the United Dominion of Saltwave. He ruled well, but firmly. Many of the nobles he appointed were personal friends and supporters. The spiritual teachers and priests of that time had quietly opposed Shannastone's appointment, but were overruled. Their warnings sounded like prophecy three centuries later. As time went on, King Shannastone gradually revealed himself to be a tyrannical despot, self-centered to the point of evil. And, it should be noted, he continuously grew in magical power. It was virtually all that he cared for. Having prolonged his life by magical means, he had no heirs and no expectation of change.
King Shannastone would not, of course, step down or even hear the pleas and complaints of the people, until a paladin arose from among the people and faced him. Three times, the paladin came to King Shannastone, begging him to turn aside from evil. Three times he was rejected. The next time, the paladin brought the sword. Though he was grievously wounded in mind and body, the paladin slew the evil Sorcerer-King. Out of respect, this brave hero's name is never spoken without a blessing. He was Saint Ranjo Iesu, may his name be a shield to the weak.
Time passed and the Four Kingdoms were restored, but not as they were originally. Now, the Four Kingdoms of the Saltwave Isles are Landers, Technikor, Qoolm, and Natchconex. Amidst and near the Four Kingdoms are the Orcish Confederacy and the Outlands, where once stood bright and shining Ionia. Te-Qal, the Elvish Archipelago, and the Pirate Isles lie nearby, surrounding the Four Kingdoms like a green halo in the blue sea.
Just 250 years ago, explorers and scholars of the Four Kingdoms began to rediscover much of the technology of the ancients. Lying dormant in old ruins, the unusual books and reading chips became the object of adventurers and treasure seekers. With the deciphering of these lost records, it became possible to once again understand the true nature of the physical world around us.
As a result, the Dwarven Republic of Technikor gained even greater stature as the dwarven clans formed corporations and began to rebuild an industrial economy. The Kingdom of Landers quickly followed the example of her dwarven neighbor, and adopted strict policies to prevent the industry from damaging the environment. This was meant to prevent disasters like befell the land after the War of Falling Stars and the War of High Sorcery, the scars of which had still not fully healed.
The Pashate of Qoolm did not adopt the technological dreams of its northern neighbors, and remained skeptical of the industrial advances. It remained steady in its reliance upon fine craftsmanship and carefully tended natural resources. Always a devout and religious nation, the Qoolmians continued to rely upon the revealed magical teachings of Komatsu while they watched Landers and Technikor pursue what they saw as a secular policy of technomancy.
The Emirate of Natchconex had been established for the specific purpose of joining humanity and nature in a quiet and harmonious embrace. The druidic leadership of Natchconex quietly adopted some of the less invasive discoveries of the explorers and banned the rest. The Harmonist Society traveled about the Saltwave Isles from Natchconex to serve as expert mediators and advisors who could prevent conflict between peoples or between society and nature. Their less publicized purpose was to observe and report on progress of the industrializing nations, and to recommend action to stop industrialists who went "too far."
In the days before the Sky Golems appeared, the Four Kingdoms were prosperous and safe places. The kzinti had recently been defeated in a minor war, trade and communication with the human-held Highlands Federation had been reestablished, and piracy and black magic was in steep decline.
Far to the south of the Saltwave Isles lies the continent of Jaastenland. This land is a half-settled place of three great nations and a new jewel. The first three were the Republic of Kyriabor, the Grand Dominion of Smeisserand, and the Southern Patriarchies of the kzinti.
The Republic of Kyriabor could have been considered the most enlightened and advanced culture on Saltwave. Kyriabor was home to skilled wizards, technomancers, craftspeople of every race, soft-spoken diplomats, and priests of both Komatscience and druidism. People were healthy, prosperous in their work, and largely protected from the ravages of war. That changed only this year with the rebellion of the half-elves and their attacks of terror and espionage. An organization called the Brotherhood of Thought stepped in to halt the chaos. Kyriabor, thrown into desperation, was manipulated into accepting the help the Brotherhood offered.
Meanwhile, the Grand Dominion of Smeisserand had long been home to a rigid, feudal class system that despised elves and anything of faerie. In all likelihood, it was Smeisserand that originated the manipulations of the Brotherhood of Thought. Smeisserand had a very strong military class and excellent armies and battle wizards. It was frequently engaged in border wars with the Southern Patriarchies, and kept the serfs busy supplying food and materials to support the king's armies. Even an invasion by Landish crusaders, the Scarlet Legion, was stopped by the armies of Smeisserand. However, the ideals and knowledge that the Scarlet Legion brought "corrupted" the dictates of self-serving nobility enough to give rise to more enlightened leadership in the northeast provinces.
That enlightenment was greatly influenced by the Baroness of Voyreem, Lady Anissette DuKott. Appointed to what was a new baronial position after the Redcloak War, Lady DuKott was a Landish swordswoman who quickly made justice, prosperity, and diplomatic relations with the elves her chief concerns. Capable adventurers and explorers supported her policies, and made the Barony a shooting star of success. The Barony became a County within four short years, and its population and wealth grew as rapidly.
As Lady DuKott's influence and power grew, a threat was growing in the shadows. The Brotherhood of Thought was preparing its bid to gain control of Kyriabor and Smeisserand, and the ideals and power of Voyreem's Baroness posed a major threat to its plans. When King Wulfram Haansa was assassinated in early LY 2143, the region erupted in chaos. Half-elves had released poisonous gas into the chambers of the Kyriaborean Senate only weeks earlier and it was assumed that they were also behind the death of the king. Lady DuKott knew that the Brotherhood was behind all of these events.
The young King Florian of Smeisserand was prepared to destroy the half-elves in his own country and gain revenge for the death of his father. He asked for the aid of the Brotherhood to break a seige and slay the remaining half-elves at a mighty fortress that the half-elves had taken the campaign season before. King Florian issued an edict that forced Lady DuKott to make a choice--allow the troops of the Brotherhood of Thought to travel through her lands to slay the half-elves, who she knew to be blameless, or disobey a direct order from the king.
With these choices before her, and knowing the young king to be in the sway of evil influences, Lady DuKott attempted once to reason with King Florian. Meanwhile, she quickly and quietly put plans in motion to separate the northeastern provinces of Smeisserand into a new nation under her control. Upon the first day of the month of Growing, LY 2143, Lebensbruke was formed.
Declaring herself Queen, Lady DuKott's loyal forces quickly captured or killed all of the King's troops and agents within the borders of the new nation. Several brief battles ensued, as King Florian realized what had happened. The Brotherhood of Thought provided its full support to the attempt to crush the Lebensbruke rebellion, but even this was not enough. Lebensbruke was winning this war for independence. Quite handily, in fact. Then came the Sky Golems.
The Sky Golems had been seen a few times in previous years. Each time, these machines from beyond the stars had caused extensive damage to remote areas. Only probing Saltwave before, the Sky Golems now came in hot pursuit of their enemies, the humanoid Rael.
With virtually no warning, entire fleets of starfaring Sky Golem ships arrived. As portents and prophecies came to pass that heralded the end of the world, a great shining disk appeared in the night sky. The Prophet Komatsu had spoken of a day when the moon would reappear and his revelation would be over. This came to pass as Saltwave regained its long-lost moon.
That same day, stars fell from the heavens, utterly obliterating many of the greatest cities in the world. Kenobi, Laran, Catalina, Dwithers, Elantra, and more were lost in a heartbeat. The kzinti lost none of their cities, but were instead subject to wave after wave of invading mechanical death machines. Nearly as devastating as the destruction of the cities, the Sky Golems fought for and within two days captured all of the ancient manufacturing plants that the kzinti had carefully tended over the centuries.
A great hero, Sir Drake Hedgerton, had prepared for this very problem as best he could. He had planned a defense, and got word out to the royal families and leaders of the civilized nations three days before the Sky Golems attacked. Some rulers heeded the advice, and others perished. Sir Drake called upon the wizards, heroes, and scholars of magic to find a way to stop the Sky Golems once and for all. As some helped defend the world from the invading death machines, others helped search for knowledge or research a way to halt the attacks.
The Sky Golems attacked in greater force, destroying hundreds of cities with falling stars and slaying millions of people. The sea level shifted and mountains were raised by earthquakes. Many coastal cities were submerged. In one of the greatest and most terrifying attacks of all, the Sky Golems released a pseudo-magical mist upon the entire world. This was the Red Plague.
Sir Drake tells us that the Red Plague was intended to tear apart and poison the bodies of living creatures, but that the natural magic of Saltwave caused it to have a different effect. Instead of slaying creatures outright, the Red Plague changed the forms of those who could not fight it off. Those affected sometimes became very different creatures—humans turned into giants, orcs turned into trolls, gnomes turned into halflings, and so on. Some of the changed kept their wits and memories. Others became what their outer forms showed them to be. This caused tremendous suffering worldwide.
Within two weeks, Queen Anissette and two of the world's greatest heroes, Lord Jann Wenner and Dark Schniedar the Archmage, succeeded in a desperate raid on the Sky Golem ships to lay a curse of confusion upon the Sky Golem leader-machines. This raid succeeded, and bought Sir Drake the time he needed to complete the artifact of power that would stop the Sky Golems—the Gift of the Dragon. Enchanting such a powerful item usually takes years. In this case, more than one hundred of the world's most noble wizards and sorceresses poured their powers into the artifact over a single day. Never has such self-sacrifice on such a scale ever been recorded before. Fortunately, it was successful in creating the instrument of the Sky Golems' downfall.
With the Gift of the Dragon completed, Sir Drake ventured into the very heart of the moon, where lay the source of the Sky Golems' power. Plunging his sword into this heart of power, Sir Drake drained all of it, everywhere, turning it from technological energy into pure magic. This pulse of magic was felt throughout Saltwave as it burst out from the moon. Everywhere the wave of energy passed, technology died. Everything machine more complex than a steam engine was scrambled and drained of power, turning the energy into magic. Many quick-witted people were able to momentarily capture the surge of power to fulfill their fondest wishes. Others stood in awe as the glory of magic washed over them. Also, every Sky Golem in the world suddenly died as their energy was turned into magic.
The Second War of Falling Stars was over.
The recent twenty years have seemed to go by in a flash.
Some kingdoms have been reestablished, others have died. Barbarian and goblinoid raiders harry the civilized nations like mad dogs. The structure of society and magic has changed. A new worldwide religion, called Ishan, has arisen to replace Komatscience. Great dragons have emerged from secrecy to rise to positions of leadership of nations.
Closer to home, Kyriabor has never recovered from the civil war and the falling stars. It broke into disorganized city-states. Many areas fell to barbarians and were destroyed. Only Lyborg remains strong as a regional military power. Vargas was annexed by Lebensbruke. Most of Jaastenland east of the Griff Mountains is dangerous country.
Queen Anissette conquered what remained of Smeisserand and added it to Lebensbruke. Without the advanced technology of earlier days, this was a more challenging job than it might have been, but the magic and unity of ideals fostered by Sir Drake and the Queen prevailed. Now, Lebensbruke stretches from Brulhafen to Vargas, with Voyreem as a teeming metropolis and capital.
A greater retelling of the events of the last twenty years is available from the Archivist of the University of Voyreem. If it please you, refer to this book for more enlightenment.
It is a dangerous time for anyone on the frontiers of civilization, but a time of enormous opportunity, as well. Many new lands have risen from the sea, waiting to be explored. Treasures of the old nations still lie in ruins. Strange and unique creatures walk the earth and swim the seas. For those with the skills and daring to explore such things, great rewards and a place of leadership in this time of rebuilding and renewal await.
Good luck and God's blessing to you, if you be such a one!
Last updated
15-January-2001
Content copyright © 2001 by SilverDragon.