Gahran Winarr
Thousand year old ship: Muhreim
Valley of Dareth
Weltharas continent (east)
Five days before destruction of Aravan island
The enormous valley of Dareth was filled with knolls and steep cliffs. Bordering the edge was a forest known as Crisking Shine, though there was no shine in it; the woods were as dark as night. It was filled with bristlecone pines and Pydam, the only evidence of its ancient stature. To the southeast lay a land of verdant canopy that bustled with aberrant six-horned wolves and butterflies as large as hounds. Their chitinous voices permeated the valley.
A strange landscape, thought Gahran Winarr.
The valley of Dareth was filled with strange things. In the northwest, a stream of water climbed perpetually upward, never stopping. It was a sight both bizarre and magnificent. From time to time, the water was frozen mid-flow by a passing butterfly. "Runar's blessing!"
That wasn't the only peculiar thing about this valley. When Gahran Winarr had come to this valley with the help of a gigantic carrack, the first sight he saw was a massive serpent covering the entire valley edge, stretching from horizon to horizon. Its enameled, glimmering scales shone even from five hundred leagues away. The serpent's bulky body only rattled when the stream of water was frozen. It would snap its head up, shaking the entire valley with rumbles that sometimes resulted in cracks. Then, when that stream of water returned to normal, the creature would hiss as vociferously as it could in a sinuous, grating voice. Just when Gahran thought this place couldn't get more eccentric, he found a bird—not just any bird, but a colossal raven that would yawn while perching atop a massive spire they called Raven's Eye. The bird would cover itself with its massive wings, and in the morning, it would shriek so loudly that every species present was forced into indefatigable attention.
Raven's Eye was just fifty or a hundred leagues north of the verdant canopy fields where every species would mingle. When the raven shrieked with a piercing, discordant sound, the shrill cacophony made everyone halt their work and run to the fields. It didn't matter who they were—the Jomur tribe, the six-horned wolves, the enormous butterflies, or the common folk hunting and gardening. Everyone came to see what that massive, misshapen bird was up to now. Gahran was confused by what he saw. Why would the bird summon them? His answers were soon going to reveal
themselves.
The raven sifted his eyes left and right, discombobulated his misshapen, haphazard wings, and yawned; his button-like eyes dripping tears on the hill—Ravens Eye. Slowly his wings unfolded, displaying a massive spear jutting from his hackles. His face changed; his eyes twisted in what seemed like agony, but to the creatures below in the verdant fields, it would have looked like a terrifying summon from the gatekeeper of death. The creature raised his massive beak, his mouth opened, and a sharp, piercing sound reverberated throughout the valley. The sound was grating, as if that spear in his hackles was piercing everyone's ear. The raven stopped. Every creature turned, the tribe halted, and common folk bowed in... reverence or fear? They immediately went in a single direction, as if a fog turned in a particular direction by a gust of wind.
"What in the Sumaka's name—" His voice caught in his throat. His eyes widened and his jaw tightened. The scene below must have happened in a blink of an eye. What he saw now was... absolutely vicious and disheartening.
Wagons and chariots... so many of them. Perhaps a hundred... no, a thousand of them, maybe even more; Gahran was not sure. The chariots, bathed in opulence, were extremely bright against even the ash sun that judged the scene unfurling before his eyes. Four big wheels and gold studded all around their design; on top proudly stood banners of another kingdom that seemed forgotten in the ages of Rakshena. On the wagons and chariots sat many princes and kings of the Weltharas continent. Their smiles were as big as their swords. The princes stood on the chariots to stand out amongst the crowds, eager to prove themselves.
That was not the most peculiar occurrence happening around the scene. The most strangest, abhorrent thing was that these wagons and chariots were not being ridden by horses; instead, humans... humans were pulling them. Salt in their hair, perspiration their only companion. In their mouths, they chewed the rope connecting the chariot and kept on crushing the mud-slicked road before the verdant fields welcomed them in multicolored hues.
World of sumaka through eyes of lore keeper:
The age of Rakshena-
In the Weltharas continent, there were many kingdoms that wanted freedom. Freedom from a god that turned tyrant; obsessed with power, he killed many of his own worshippers. This went on and on for about twelve years. Long, hard twelve years that seemed worse than the depths of Morgenine.
The tyrant god would torture even women and children in the worst ways possible, leaving the land broken and weeping. And then, one day, a new god emerged. He absorbed the power of the tombs and fought the tyrant god, where he turned that tyrant god into a large bird with a final spear in its chest. He cursed him that he can never leave Ravens Eye. From that time, the tyrant god was bound to that hill forever.
Then that new god started having problems; problems around trusting the effectiveness of the curse. So, he summoned a large serpent and covered the valley of Dareth, so the tyrant could never leave the valley.
Then one day, the tyrant god attacked the serpent and their fight ended in a catastrophe which tore apart the tyrant king's wings and broke apart a chunk of land in which a water stream turned upwards. Slowly but subtly, the tyrant king made different creatures from his remaining powers and then one day he found a way to summon all the kings around the Weltharas continent. The reason how he can do that is still unknown. The new god perished in the War of Hanmer. So, the tyrant god is looking for his escape, trying to free himself from his shackles. And he is trying to gain something more... something still unknown.