Leídan Aznawar of Khand

The small caravan of three women and seven men arrived one a very late afternoon the city of Kruk Nabur, an hour before the sun would be down. The first sign that something particular had happened was that some flags on the walls were missing. The standards were there, but the flags were gone. The second sign was the wild land where instead crops should be growing to feed the nearby city. Third was that there were no animals grazing in the wild grassland. The earth was very fertile, but it was unexploited. Burtz was the first to put his thoughts into words: “I feel if death is wandering around. It is mouse-still here.” “There is still life here, but not of this world,” said Eremir suddenly. Eimear shook her head. “I don’t understand.” “It is not so hard to understand. It is another stage of life,” explained Eremir. Eimear looked at him with a gaze in her eyes that he was talking craziness. She looked at Burtz and raised her eyebrows to him. They rode on through a wild, neglected landscape and in the evening light, it looked if they had entered another world. Not even Sauron could have created such a landscape with plants growing wildly, and human civilisation corroding.

Leídan rode up front and didn’t hear what was spoken in the back. He had his own questions, but waited to ask them. As they rode on all his questions solved themselves. What houses had been, were ruins, destroyed in the sandstorms and other winds coming from the plains and the distant Ered Harmal Mountains. Somewhere even a tree grew in the ruins of a house along the way. His Azumeh walked fearless on, so nothing threatening was around here. He sat in the saddle and rode with the hobbling walk of the high-legged animal. The city was there as they rode toward it. The road was paved with natural stones, grass growing everywhere, flowers richly represented. The caravan rode on. The gate was open, the doors hang still in their hinges. Leídan dismounted in the entrance and walked toward the gate to see how it looked beyond. But except that the houses stood still there at the streets, it was completely deserted. Trees and bushes grew everywhere, indicating that it was for some decennia deserted. Kruk Nabur had become a dead city. It was a ghost city.

With consideration, they decided to camp outside the city instead inside the walls. It was particular Eremir who insisted to do it. Leídan nor the others registered any dangers, or saw ghosts wavering around. But Eremir claimed he saw ghosts sometimes or just felt them. Just after dinner Neida looked at him, studying him as well. “How are you being able to see or sense dead people, and we don’t?” Eremir frowned slight. “I can sense them. Nothing strange about.” “But for us it sounds odd, we never encountered humans before who could see of sense dead people. Rather we believe the dead move on to the netherworld, kind of Walhalla,” said Neida confused. Nawúe cut in: “Eremir is not our kind. He hid his identity very well. He is an elf.” He looked at Eremir, who sudden was alert. “Yes, you have forgotten that you travel in a group with fellow thinking beings. From these lands doesn’t mean we cannot study and discover, as some of the peoples north feel that the peoples from the south just live in wild times without any form of civilisation.” Leídan had never seen someone so baffled as Eremir was staring at Nawúe now. How had come Eremir ended up into slavery? However, so all of them had tales of themselves. And none of them had been born as a slave, except perhaps for Muïda’s son Amenur. It would take hours to come to know each life tale and also if they wanted to tell. Most never really wanted to tell, because they were ashamed what had overcome them.

Narish had never heard of other kinds of people, other races. He had been taken in a raid, but never served anything else than human masters. He neither knew what an Orc was. “My empire lies deep in the south, beyond the Great Dune Sea. It is a different world from here, rich full of life, warm in some places tropical. We have almost an equal amount of days of rain and sunshine. Mild winters and warm summers. The empire has a high standing culture, the roads are safe to travel and on the streets is possession of weapons forbidden, except off course if you are a police officer.” He gazed into the fire between them. “Fires like this don’t burn in our houses; they have a heating/ventilation system below the floors. We have cooking, dining, sleeping and recreation corners. The oldest children inherit the houses of their parents; the younger ones must build a new one, or seek a house that comes free. Marriage is a word I didn’t know before I came here. The concept is however familiar. Man and woman bond together for a whole life and speak the necessary words. I hope to return home some day, grow old there and lay my bones to rest in the city I was born,” he finishes his descriptive tale.

Muïda smiled: “Thank you. Not what I expected. The Azumenúkhad life a nomadic life. Our light brown hides and grey eyes tell that we share a different route from the other tribes here in Khand. We have a monogamy way of life, what differs from the other tribes. But the ways between men and women are the same. Our houses are tents, and our transports are the Azumehda. We have our historians who safeguard the history of the tribe.” Amenur cut enthusiast in: “Yes, I like nomadic life. Each season we stay in another place. Neither surrounding is the same and I can do a lot with my friends.” Leídan nodded. “I wear always the shagur.” He pointed to the dress of his head. “For the sun and sand and harsh winds of the plains and the mountains.” It was a good hour to share these stories. Burtz nodded: “Ancient stories tell that you came as robe ghosts from the north. All covered in clothing and no eye to be seen. It is a folk tale among my people about yours, Leídan.” Leídan shrugged: “There might be some truth in them. It is hard to say. It is over four thousand years ago since we entered these lands in the north and settled near the mountains. Myths survived, even among us. What was life back then? Only the elves can tell, people like Eremir. The only fact still stands is that we never encountered them. We don’t have tales or myths about them. So most likely they don’t know about us either.” Eremir looked straight at him, but gave no reply.