Pankratosword and the Fall of Yokuda.

[Before you lies a memory stone purporting to record the last days of old Yoku and the events which sank a great continent and consigned a mighty civilisation to wandering. This memory stone is defective in that it does not report from the perspective of the one recording but records all events from a third person perspective. Naturally, this has caused much confusion as to what happened to the memory stone to affect its recording style.]

[Hear now the tale of Old Yoku and the fallen Ansei who sunk her. She was a mighty land divided by war against the wicked elf-serving Hiradirge and the proud remnant of the Ansei who opposed them. These Sinismer-loving traitors brought fell magic and twisted Sword-Singing against the Sons of Ruptga and in that moment atomo was broken forever, and the land was infused with poison-bearing clouds which rained with all of Tava’s sorrow. Even the Hoonding could not save fair Yokuda, and she sank into the black depths of Atlantoa, a minor spirit of shipwrecks whose domain now swelled to embrace a continent of sorrow.]

Here follows the account of the ansei, Tukta-ma’bro Ar-Rahmin No Zhang-gak, who witnessed the final death of Yokuda and whose memory stone was protected from harm by its journey on the tides of recollection caused by Ruptga’s sons fleeing in their ships into a new age of sand. The edict of Randic Torn had brought the Sword-Singers much respect, but the limiting of sword-wearing to the sword-saints had allowed a bitter resentment to fester inside the hearts of the common people. This hate was stoked by Emperor Hira who waged bloody war on the Ansei and was in turn crushed by the mighty Frandar who left for Tamriel soon after his victory. This left Yokuda open to the machinations of the Hiradirge, a faction which sought to make the Ansei rulers of Yokuda by right of arms. A mere twelve years after Emperor Hira’s failed genocide of the Ansei, Yokuda herself would fall to ruin at the hands of rogue sword-saints.

[The scene starts with the noble ansei, Tukta-ma’bro Ar-Rahmin No Zhang-gak confronting his friend and now enemy, Pharabadan No Hel Anseilak, on the perilous cliffs located near the city port of Arch on the Isle of Akoz Kasaz.]

By the All, the gods above, and those set into stars, do not follow the words of the traitorous elves, Pharab !, cried Tukta-ma’bro.

Too long have the Ansei stood against unification with the Sinismer, Tukta! You have no place to tell the true Sons of the Sword how to conduct themselves. You who hold sovereign right to the wearing of swords, and who so hate all elves without just cause!

Tukta was taken aback by the lies which had snaked their way into the heads of the once so great ansei before him. How could the elves have twisted such noble hearts towards such dire confrontation? And then it became clear, as over on the nearest hill could be seen a band of elves bedecked in gleaming sea drake scale armour and seaweed coloured serpents entwined their heads as crowns. Around their helms and around their robes there were more serpents which picked them out as not of Ruptga’s chosen, for who would dare honour Sep and his hunger?

As the spray from the sea hit his face, Tukta could hear a strange language on the wind, the elves were shouting something to the other Hiradirge (they claim their name is Hira’s Dirge for they wept at the demise of Emperor Hira and the insurrection Frandar Hunding had organised against the man who had attempted to keep order on Yokuda by removing the racist ansei who hunted sinismer for sport and had stood in the way of an elf-Yoku peace.)

Fell language poured from serpents’ tongues: ‘Boragató teis kesereis anseis, dilimetó teis sraonÿereis telaseis Yokudās eÿa pālatólle var doahulÿatōdas merirōdas syn ókian mellanirian! Doadókitian sagenitian kesarais ihapais vaogarais vadilimiderenai…’

Tukta’s thot-translator rendered this babble as, ‘Burn all the ansei, destroy the wild sons of Yokuda and be led by your elvish lords into beautiful power! Your power will destroy all the evil mistakes… (flaws?).’

With anger in his heart and injustice before him, Tukta leapt at the elves and with a single slash of his blazing shehai, he brought low four of the eight devils. One had met his end as the shehai pierced his heart, another had felt Tu’whacca’s embrace when her head came soaring from her body, and finally, two were felled at once as the shehai melted through both their torsos as if moving through warm butter.

The remaining four huddled behind their scale shields, protecting the 9th concealed member of their party, their king and master Or-Ka-num. Or-Ka-Num stepped out from his guards’ protection and faced Tukta with his sword raised in his left hand and a spell of death ready in his right. A stance not adopted by the right-reaching Yokudans.

I shall deign to debase myself in speaking your precious Yoku, ansei, but know that your cause is doomed for the Hiradirge have the right of it and possess might to end your corrupt order!

Sons of Ruptga do not parley with snake-traitor elves, come meet death at the hands of your better!

Nay, you shall see your precious ansei fall before the might of the Hiradirge and the Sinismer shall know true freedom from your tyranny!

At that moment, Or-Ka-Num charged forward with sword raised to smite Tukta, Tukta feinted to the right and swiped with his burning shehai, but hit thin air. Or-Ka-Num responded with a torrent of crimson death-magic which arced towards Tukta who deflected it with his shehai just in time.

You cannot prevail against the spirit-sword, serpent-elf! Know that the ansei will prevail!

However, at that moment Or-Ka-Num spun around and disappeared from view and signalled for the Hiradirge to move in. Pharabadan moved behind Tukta and ignited his scarlet-tinged shehai, burying it deep in the back of his friend, or so he thought. Before he could strike, Tukta wheeled around and slashed with a thousand strokes, intoning the names of the Barons and praying to Fa-Nuit-Hen that his blows would land unimpeded upon the body of his enemy.

As his final blow was about to strike, Or-Ka-Num appeared in front of him, slashing Tukta across the chest whilst Pharabadan impaled Tukta with his corrupt shehai. Tukta, slashed and bloody from their deception, fell forwards and looked to be ready for Tu’whacca’s embrace, when at the last moment he reached out with his fading shehai and smote Pharabadan with searing light. Pharab lay dead before him and Or-Ka-Num made his retreat.

With the two biggest enemies felled, the rest of the ansei joined the battle and overcame the Hiradirge’s forces with their own shehai, slaying many who stood against them. As the ansei moved to destroy the remaining Hiradirge forces, one stepped from the throng and marched forward with a string of syllables pouring forth from his lips.

‘HEL ATOMO ZHANG-GA UHI HI MITANA PANKRAT NO SHEHAI!'

And all was made noise as Yokuda was blasted apart in fire and ash. As poison clouds rained death upon all people, a great wave swallowed the continent and its islands and pulled it into the depths of Atlantoa, the domain of She-Who-Gathers-Drowned-Things.

As Yokuda imploded, Or-Ka-Num appeared and plucked an island from the sea with his snake-magic, absorbing all the Yoku souls and feeding on their grim deaths, he pulled the island from the blast, and with a dark spell, encased it in a protective bubble shouting: ‘PYAN DO NEA MAOR MER AE ALTADOON SITHISIT, MERES KESARAN DIPĀLADAMA!’ (WE ELVES SHALL CONTROL ALL!)