Elinor. The Deserted Valley. Book 1

After studying these books, the ruler gathered the most devoted comrades-in-arms, as well as six noble families, and set off on a journey to the north, thereby continuing the Exodus from the Valley of the Ancestors.

The Journey of the Seven Families to the North

It’s hard to say for sure what exactly Tosho went to look for in the northern lands, but I guess there were some incredibly important artifacts left from the Second, and even from the First Race.

Initially, the way to the north did not cause any trouble, as evidenced by the ancient legends of the Itoshins. On the road, Tosho had a daughter, Tsvetsho. She was destined to play an important role in the emergence of the people of Ulutau, but I will tell you about it later, dear reader. When Tosho and the six families reached the Life Border Plateau, the first problems began. The plateau met them with dank dampness and thick fogs. For about five years, the ancestors of the Itoshins wandered this labyrinth of hills and bare rocks. It was there they first encountered the procreations of Dead Earth – wicked creatures, unlike any animal of Elinor.

Many songs and legends are composed about the first meetings of the Itoshins with the demons. It all started when the people began to see shadows in the fog. Eerie visions haunted the travelers for months. They talked about nightmarish creatures, darting about in the fog, but no one could see them. Then people began to disappear. At first, they were either those who got separated from the main cart or hunters, but later the disappearances continued among the main detachment. No one knew where these people disappeared to. This led to the pathfinders’ growing fear of hunting. They began to stay together as a dense group, and the expedition was on the verge of failure.

It was then there occurred a split. Two families – Maca and Yugie – decided to stop the search and leave Tosho. No persuasion could convince them to stay. The ruler cursed these families. Their representatives left Tosho, carrying away his curse. The further fate of the Maca and Yugie families is quite tragic. None of them came down from the plateau. They got lost in the eternal fogs, and one can only guess what their deaths were like. The Itoshins told me that sometimes they meet their wayward souls, mutely wandering in the darkness in their eternal search. This vision is called the curse of the Maca-Yugie, and to see it is considered a malicious sign.

The remaining four families – Unu, Wari, Saku, and Taki – and Tosho with his daughter, continued their journey. On the road, they lost another family – all the Wari went missing. Tosho’s wife also died tragically; she fell off a slippery path and plummeted into a bottomless crevice.

But mighty was the will of Tosho, and the desire to find what he was looking for was great. To inspire his people, he took his sword and went alone, straight into the thickness of the fog. After a while he returned, dragging the body of an unknown creature. The sight of the monster was terrible – its jaws held huge, sharp teeth; five ridiculous extremities ended with razor sharp claws; the creature lacked eyes and ears. To the question regarding how Tosho had overcome this beast, he replied that he had not felt fear, only anger, and that the creature itself had rushed at his sword. This event is depicted on the frescoes covering the walls in the Emperor Tosho’s palace. The carcass of the first murdered demon was turned into a scarecrow, which to this day adorns the throne of the Emperor. I happened to visit the throne room of Tosho, and the muzzle of the beast shocked me. Even now, after many centuries, it is terrifying. Tosho’s heroic feat became the first stone in the foundation of the philosophy of the future Ito Empire.

Inspired by the example of their leader, the people moved on. Now that they knew they were being confronted by beings of flesh and blood, fear had left them. The expedition continued its journey.

Moon Lake and the Demons of the Misty Hills

Once, the travelers ascended a high hill, and from the summit they saw the sky for the first time in many years. It was late in the evening, and the full moon was shining. It was brightly reflected in the surface of a small lake. Strongly impressed by such a beautiful view, the newcomers called it Moon Lake. As it turned out, the fog never rose to such a height, and the sky above Moon Lake was always clear. Wearied by long wanderings, the travelers decided to establish their first settlement. They erected a city-fortress, Shohan, which later became the capital of the empire. Amazing animals lived in the vicinity of Moon Lake such as the yauls, who eventually were domesticated by the Itoshins. Moon Lake itself was filled with beautiful fish and other animals. This islet of light in the endless fogs was not the only one, and gradually the Itoshins settled all over the plateau. As it turned out, the demons of the fog did not like the light and in the daytime, life in the settlements was relatively calm. At night, houses were locked with tight shutters, and anyone who could hold a weapon led an endless defense against terrible enemies.

The Immortal Emperor

Here, my dear reader, I should share my reflections with you. I was not able to find out if the other families knew what Tosho was looking for, and if they didn’t know, then what else could have made them embark on such a dangerous path? To this day, we foreigners don’t know whether the ancestors of the Itoshins found anything on the plateau. I have an assumption that this is somehow connected with the immortality of Emperor Tosho and his daughter. But I have no evidence to support this conjecture, and scientists like me cannot rely solely on assumptions. I leave this unsolved mystery to you, my inquisitive reader. Perhaps you will be able to solve it.

Surely, you will immediately remember our founding father and want to compare him with Tosho. Both took away their people during the Exodus – one to the north, the other to the south. Both were charismatic and strong-willed leaders. Both are supposedly immortal. But here, my probably erring reader, I’ll argue with you. Nothing is known about the life of the Marawie Sand Lion before the Exodus. Instead, since the journey to the south, there have been many chronicles and much documented evidence. Our ancestor truly did live a long life, and slowly grew old. He came out of the Forest, while the Vedichs and Taurs, as is known, live lives that are many times longer than those of other people. Therefore, the longevity of the Great Marawie’s life is quite explainable. Moreover, there is evidence that over the years, he did grow old, slowly, dying at a fairly venerable age. The Emperor, on the contrary, grew old only up to a certain age, and after gaining immortality, retained his look for centuries. The same is true for his daughter, who is forever young and beautiful. I did not see her myself, as law prohibits it, but I saw her portrait. I would give about twenty years to this girl. From that, I can conclude that up to a certain age, the beautiful and unequivocally incredible Tsvetsho did grow, changing in appearance. So, as the north and south differ from each other, so do the people who inhabit them.

The Itoshinian Language

The language of the Itoshins is simple and understandable. It took after the Old Language of the Great Cities, which remotely resembles the language of the modern Chekatta. But the language of the empire has largely undergone phonetic changes. It has no cases and conjugations. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives are written and pronounced identically. The main words of the Itoshins contain short sounds. For example: In – the people, To – the father, Vet – mother, Ve – life, Do – sword, La – fog, Tsu – courage. Such brevity of language helps the Itoshins in battle. It’s easier to give commands and explain the current situation. Rarely used words can consist of two syllables, quite rarely of three.

The Dotsu Code

Life in an eternal struggle dictates its own rules, which affect the whole culture and daily routine of the Itoshins. But it is not chaotic. All the inhabitants of the Ito Empire live by the code of Dotsu, written by Emperor Tosho himself. This is not just a tabula of laws or regulations. This is the philosophy of being. In the code, every Itoshin can find not only how he should live, but also what he must feel. Don’t rush to wonder at the morals of the empire, nor judge them. As an outsider who understands the essence of Dotsu philosophy, I can say that this code is simply a necessity. After all, it gives the Itoshins not only a way of life mapped out as in a textbook, but also fearlessness and immortality. Immortality that is different from that of the Emperor – an immortality of the spirit! With their contempt for fear, the Itoshins reveal the true power and greatness of their people.

The Path of Horror

The most eerie place in all of Elinor!

Jumanna quickly put down the book.

The Path of Horror… of horror!

The desire to read further had disappeared. Suddenly she was revisited by the very same prophetic fear! That familiar fear! The fear that had tormented her before receiving news from the Valley; the fear that had tortured her before the misadventures in the desert

It was as though this book now dragged her away from the present, from the southern deserts to the north, to the Path of Horror, as though something inevitable was going to happen there… something that would change the destiny of mankind forever. And somehow, she, Jumanna Amatt, was involved.

She remembered perfectly by heart what was described further in the book of Azir. The beauty of the Emperor’s daughter Tsvetsho, the way Azir walked along the Path of Horror, how he found himself in the beautiful mountainous country of the Ulutau, how he followed the teachings of the mountain people. Azir described this nation in bright colors; he admired its way of living.

A voice, Jumanna’s inner voice, woke up again and seemed to hint that her fate was closely intertwined with the fate of the representatives of the people of the north. But the main event would take place there, on the Path.

It was only a premonition. But how, after all that had passed, could she not trust it?

Jumanna raised her head, looking at the constellation of the Lion.

“I’ll ask for your help again, great hero,” she whispered.

12.

The next day, Jumanna and her students entered the town of Muo.

CHAPTER 2. The essence of the warrior

Life is given to man for the sake of glory and fearlessness.

From the Dotsu Code

1

The dark contours of the fortress of Lauhan, the southernmost outpost of the Ito Empire, appeared out of the thick fog. With each step, everything grew lighter. Signal lights of fortress towers cut the dense white shroud with saving rays.

The group approached the defense ditch.

Just in time!

The bridge has not been raised yet. The Itoshins, unlike other people – Djunits or the traitor-Mechanicum – never used clocks, but the sharp eye of an experienced watchman could always identify the exact time according to the density of the fog. When the time of haze and darkness came, all the bridges rose, windows and shutters on the houses were tightly locked, and bonfires were built on the open areas of the roofs of houses. This was how the Ito Empire met the advent of the time of demons. The demons were scared of the fire, and the defenses of the Itoshins were becoming more effective every year.

This war has lasted for many centuries, but sooner or later the Itoshins will win it!

E’Do gestured Do’Ayve to come to the gate, while he himself turned to the illa.

“Thank you, our good guide! Once again, I propose you share dinner with us at Lauhan, and to go on the return journey in the morning.”

“Thank you, valiant udoğan E’Do,” the illa answered sedately, “but I already said that my duty is to return to Shohan as soon as possible. In seven days’ time, I must conduct a new detachment. The night and demons do not frighten me, for the light that I carry in myself will be stronger than them.”

An illa was what the Itoshinian people called the guides in the fog. The illas were endowed with a special power. They did not become warriors, but at the same time, they possessed the great power of light. They could pass through the most impenetrable veil and not stumble once. Demons did not touch them, for they felt the light. Illas could not take up a sword – thus had their fate been determined!

When an illa was born in an Itoshinian family, there was a feast in the house. Yellow lanterns were hung out on the street, and happy parents gave out sweets to neighbors. The life of the Itoshins was severe, but sometimes there a place for joy to be found. And the birth of an illa was a great joy, for together with the illa, the light was born.

All the illas were white-haired, with thin light skin. All wore white clothes.

An illa named Kanu was one of the most skillful. The Emperor had personally instructed him to lead the detachments to the south, to Laukhan.

The weaker illas journeyed with caravans. But caravans moved along trade routes, where the fog was not as dense, and demons attacked much less often. The strongest illas went into the thickness of the fog under special orders of the glorious Tosho.

Now was just such a case.

The Valley had become deserted. Caravans had stopped coming to Shohan. The Emperor had commissioned the best udoğans to collect the troops and reach the Great Cities as soon as possible. Only the most skillful illas were to lead these detachments, those who found the most difficult and dangerous, but fastest routes.

Do’Ayve had already approached the gate of the fortress and knocked loudly.

“Who’s there?” came a hoarse voice.

“Let the immortal Emperor Tosho be glorious! My name is Do’Ayve. I am the assistant to the valiant udoğan E’Do. Our detachment heads off to the Valley and asks for permission to spend the night in the fortress.”

“May the Emperor be glorious!” the reply sounded from the gate. The heavy shutters creaked, the stretches shook.

“My name is Mitsu,” said a gray-haired guard as he emerged from the gateway toward Do’Ayve. He looked about fifty-five, but it was always considered a sign of cowardice to live until gray hairs. However, Do’Ayve paid attention to the fact that the duty man did not have a right hand. This immediately changed his opinion about the man. For a warrior, nothing was worse than losing the opportunity to fight! And a man who lost his right hand in battle was no longer a warrior. Therefore, only respect could be shown to the gray-haired Mitsu. He had not given up, he helped the soldiers’ cause as best he could, standing at the gate, to warn of danger, to let good people into the fortress and put up fortifications.

“Forgive me that it took so long,” Mitsu continued. “The demons are getting more cunning and sly. Now they sometimes come in the haze. You were lucky. It’s already time to lift the bridge!”

“There is nothing to ask forgiveness for, honored Mitsu. You are fulfilling your duty. We really were in a hurry! We left Shohan a week ago.”

“A week?” Mitsu was surprised. “You were led by a truly great illa!”

“It’s hard to argue with that!”

E’Do approached the gate, and the guard bowed low to him.

The detachment walked into the fortress. First the tall, experienced fighters entered, then the yauls, and, lastly, several young apprentices. Apprentices were forbidden from going into the mist before giving oath to the Dotsu Code and being initiated as soldiers of the Empire, but this was a special occasion. These young men and several girls were fluent in the Common Language, and the udoğan reasoned that in the Valley, such a weapon could sometimes be more useful than a loyal sword.

“Close the gate and lift the bridge!” E’Do ordered the guard. “No good guests will be coming today!” He then turned to his detachment, “Go straight to the keep of the udoğan Goro!”

The streets of Lauhan presented a gloomy scene. There weren’t many happy sights in the lives of the Itoshins. But still, nighttime Shohan was magnificent.

The torches are reflected on the black surface of Moon Lake. Houses are flooded with a magical light. If you go out to the battlefield and draw your sword, the reflections of the moon and the stars will begin to walk along its sharpened edge. Could anything in the world be above this beauty?

For a young and skillful warrior such as Do’Ayve, nothing could! Almost nothing.

Complete darkness fell over Lauhan. Only signaling fires burned on special sites of extension attachments to the roofs of houses. “If you didn’t light a fire, wait for the night guest” went the old Itoshinian wisdom.

The kindling was being lit in the houses. The windows glowed with faint radiances. It seemed the people of Lauhan had already gone to bed, but then awoke, disturbed by the roar of heavy steps and the clanking of metal. A few gawkers poked their heads out from behind the window shutters.

“May the Emperor Tosho be glorious!” one shouted out, apparently distinguishing in the fog the armor of udoğan E’Do.

“May the Emperor be glorious,” he replied calmly.

The houses in the city were simple: the foundations made of stone, the walls made of thick logs smeared with clay, the roofs covered with poisonous thorn. The roads were covered with polished stone – not for beauty, but for practicality. The fogs in Lauhan were particularly damp, and the roads quickly turned into mud. If the pavement was not laid with stones, soon a real mud marsh would start inside the fortress.

The keep of udoğan Goro towered among the low houses like a black cliff. The tower was built in the shape of a pyramid: a heavy monolith at the base, the next level a less massive block, the next even less, the uppermost a stone cone. Signal bonfires burned in every top corner of each tier, with the largest on the dais. The keep, like the whole city, was built of stones, wood, and clay.

The towers’ wards called out to the detachment. Do’Ayve had already stepped forward to answer, but E’Do answered instead. Silence reigned on the tower for a while and then the answer followed, “The venerable udoğan Goro is expecting the valiant udoğan E’Do in his chambers!”

The inner gates swung open.

“Todo, you are in charge!” ordered E’Do. “Do’Ayve, you come with me!”

The detachment contained itself near the stone foundation of the keep. The yauls were driven into a group and guarded.

Do’Ayve followed the udoğan. The stairs leading up were incredibly uncomfortable, high, and slippery. Do’Ayve thought that an Itoshin should not complain about such inconvenience, but then he heard his commander swear about the layout of the tower.

“Mustn’t a warrior get used to everything?” Do’Ayve asked with surprise.

“Yes,” E’Do replied. “A warrior must know how to climb steep rocks, walk on mountain paths, move in a fog. But if we build a citadel, we must build it so that it helps the soldier and doesn’t get in his way! These steps could have been made in a more convenient manner. Then a warrior would spend less effort on climbing them, investing more forces in his stroke in a fight with the demon instead!”

It was not for nothing that E’Do was the Emperor’s favorite udoğan. Valor and strength were not his only distinctive features; so were wisdom and discretion. And, again, Do’Ayve couldn’t disagree with his commander.

The reception hall of udoğan Goro was furnished in a simple and coarse manner, thus matching the whole fortress. The only decoration of the hall was the weapons hung on the walls, and stuffed demons – a personal collection of the defeated enemies of Goro. Each udoğan usually created a collection of the most terrible individuals. This tradition had started from the Emperor.

“May the omnipotent Emperor Tosho be glorious!” E’Do and Goro cried out at the same time, and afterwards enveloped each other into a strong, manly embrace.

Do’Ayve kneeled down on one knee before the udoğan of Lauhan.

Goro was a man of mature age, in appearance about forty. He greeted his guests without armor, in a light canvas tunic laced with a rope belt. Apparently, he believed the regalia of an udoğan were unnecessary in this reception. The hands and face of Goro were entirely covered with scars. The demons had left many memorable marks with their claws. The udoğan stood straight and proud, his voice penetrated with steel.

E’Do and Do’Ayve were offered rough wooden chairs to sit on. Goro himself settled in a broader armchair, carved from stone and covered with yauls’ skin. He looked inquiringly at Do’Ayve. The young warrior felt a little uneasy.

“This is my assistant!” E’Do explained. “I keep no secrets from him.”

“He’s too young!” Goro noted, but Do’Ayve was used to such remarks in his address by now.

“At eighteen, he has killed as many demons as the common Itoshin doesn’t kill in his entire life!” E’Do answered in his assistant’s defense. Do’Ayve was flattered by such an intercession.

“It’s commendable,” said Goro, and paused for a moment. “So, to the Valley?”

“To the Valley!” E’Do confirmed. “That’s why I wanted to ask for a piece of advice from a worldly-wise udoğan.”

“Advice on what?”

“Advice on what should I do. I know how to fight demons, and I’m good at it. My warriors do it just as well. But there are no demons in the Valley.”

“Ye-e-ah,” Goro drawled, “There’s something worse than the demons in the Valley. You know, brave E’Do, I’m glad that I’ve returned to the lands of the Empire. I am glad the Emperor leaves me to be the udoğan of Lauhan and does not send me to the south. I find it easier here. I’m just like you – I know how to fight demons and do it just as well. This is my occupation, my essence, the essence of the warrior – and I like it. Wars must be carried out by the sword, and in the Valley, that is not always so. But I’m glad that it is you who is heading there! You are young, brave, and devoted to the Emperor! And your fighters are devoted to you. What else is needed?”

“Tell me about the clans!”

“About the clans? Why such an interest?”

“The Emperor allowed me and my warriors to join clans,” E’Do replied.

“Is that so?” Goro fell deep into thought.

For several centuries, the Itoshins had sent military detachments to the Valley to patrol the cities and retain order. The single duty of an Itoshin was always to serve the Emperor. And if the Emperor sent the Itoshins to the Valley, then the Itoshins had to obey the rulers of the Valley, as they did the Emperor. However, at first, the udoğans faced the fact that the burgomaster of one city could give an order that differed from the order of the burgomaster of another city. Therefore, Emperor Tosho sent a messenger to the Valley with a demand to work out a single law the Itoshins would obey. Since then, the burgomasters had become powerless over the warriors of the Empire. Only the Council of Four could give special orders. The Itoshins had also cut at the root all theft, robbery, smuggling, counterfeiting, fights with arms, vagrancy, and begging. For such violations, they denounced those guilty of the crime to a city prison, where it was the local court that passed decisions. Moreover, the Itoshins could sentence individuals with death for murder, necromania, and human trafficking on the spot, but such an order had to be given personally by the udoğan, and only in the case of an emergency.

The Itoshins never joined the clans. However, now the Emperor had lifted the ban due to special circumstances.

Udoğan E’Do led his troops not just to protect the order; he had received a personal task from the Emperor to find out what had happened in the Valley. Do’Ayve knew all this. E’Do had no secrets from his own warriors, and the command of the ruler was quoted word-for-word. E’Do’s detachment continued to serve the Law of the Valley, but he had to act in his own interests as well. This is why the Emperor abolished the ban on joining the clans.

“The Emperor remembers your merit, faithful udoğan Goro,” E’Do added. “That’s why he advised me to ask you about the clans and life in the Valley, for you know more about it than anyone else!”