LAMENT OF THE HUNTED FOREWORD BY AJAX OF CLAN HELIOS Of all relationships between the Nine, no is more infamous and widely debated as that between the Warden and the Stag. With both gods being known for their passionate belief systems, it doesn’t take a long look into their history to understand why followers of these churches find themselves at odds so often. Though at a glance, the two would seem to be on the same side, a closer look reveals the details to be their fatal flaw. The Church of the Warden is heavy in its core tenants of justice, and many of the plays written about him and his journeys display this well; he’s a man who knows what he wants, what he believes, and how to get it, and he isn’t fond of those who try to stand in his way. And though the Stag is similar in this headstrong nature, he’s also much more attuned to his heart in his actions, a distinct antithesis to the Warden’s belief in objectivity in judgement. It’s these aspects of these deities and their relationship that makes A Boat Ride Down the River of Souls such a fascinating play: though most of the piece has been lost to time, just the first few pages provide an almost entirely new glimpse into both gods, even going as far as showing affection between the two—a fact that in itself has raised questions about the legitimacy of this play. So let’s take a moment to examine the source Elatan was a wood elf, born in the northern gardens of Wandergrove, about 1197 B.A. He was raised a follower of Nassëa—the original goddess of the Grand Courts—and even worked as an archivist for the then King Laucian, but he had a deep love for the nine, some twelve-hundred years before they would give the gift of magic to the 150 CLAUDIUS BELEGAR realm and establish themselves as a major pantheon in the region. Though he’s most notable for having such a large collection of works centering controversial figures such as the Stag and the Sívëmetta, his plays Lendamar and The Tragedy of Kayin & Havel have become cultural staples among scholars, especially so among the Disciples. So why would such a well-respected archivist and writer—one to whom we literally owe the names of our moons to—have one of his works so greatly questioned that it’s been removed from the archives of both the Oberyan Empire and the Kingdom of Fotaren? There are several different reasons; whether or not they hold any weight is a matter of opinion, however. The first is the obvious fact of it being unfinished. A Boat Ride Down the River of Souls was Elatan’s last play, having died halfway through writing after being conscripted into the Oberyan War in 1065 B.A., having only been 132 at the time of his death. To make matters worse, the half he completed was essentially lost by the time his works were made part of the official canon in 532 B.A., meaning a good majority of his plays ended up being scattered across the region for nearly five centuries. To this day, scholars are unsure if they’ve located all his works; a certain sect of Disciples are dedicated to finding and archiving all his works—located in the Outer Limits, as they believe he may have sold many of his plays while travelling. The second aspect to this tale is that of the minotaur. Being a minotaur myself, I can say that within the clans of the Holy Mountains, there are few within us that don’t hold some form of respect for the Church of the Hunted. Me and my husband have been followers of the Stag since we came of age, and though my clan is primarily under the watch of Tavros, the knowledge of the Stag’s actions to save our people are widely known and appreciated. With this in mind: the Oberyan 151 LAMENT OF THE HUNTED Empire and the Kingdom of Fotaren both believe that the Stag did not save the minotaur, and have listed their reasons for removing this play from the archives as false presentation, as there is no records from either nation recording a plague to the caliber of what was described in the play. Because I am writing the foreword of this play, and not anything requiring any sort of hard citation, I can safely say I do not agree with this ruling. The Disciples of both Wandergrove and the Outer Limits have shared and published records of a plague that spread among the Holy Mountains—and the Oberyan Empire—around 5000 B.A., which would coincide with the first eruption of Mount Vala, which is also mentioned in the play. However, because both nations don’t officially recognize the Disciple archives as part of the official canon, such records were not considered in the decision. Like I previously said—I do not agree with this judgement, it was decreed by the official Church of the Nine. The third—and personally, most fascinating reason—is the fashion in which the Warden and the Stag act within this play. This is a look at these gods at a very early stage in their reign over Tolis—it seems to be one of the first times the Stag and the Warden are actually speaking face to face. But let’s break that down: First is the Stag. In many of Elatan and Sailadel’s plays, he’s portrayed as something of a trickster god. He manipulates mortals, monsters, sometimes even his fellow members of the Nine, to achieve his goals. Though usually working for (somewhat) noble causes, it’s essentially a self-admitted fact that he is a very good liar and takes great joy in playing games with his prey. Which is what makes this play such a fascinating look into him, in my eyes; though it starts off with a quite traditional version of the Stag, pressing at the Warden with a typical, 152 CLAUDIUS BELEGAR heavy handed charm, it doesn’t take long for the Warden to draw a line, revealing a much less traditional Stag beneath. Then comes the Warden, who, despite being portrayed fairly similarly to most of his lore, differs in one simply act: how he speaks to the Stag. In more recent depictions, he speaks to the Stag with a bitterness, almost a contempt for his presence. They rarely exchange more than a few words, and those they do share are normally less than friendly. To see them portrayed as being almost friendly towards each other is almost unheard of. And with the added layer of displays of affection and what some interpret as flirtation to the mix, it finds itself in the territory of fiction to many readers. In the end, however, with all this in mind—I still feel A Boat Ride Down the River of Souls is one of—if not the most important of Elatan’s plays, and a vital piece of canon regarding both the Stag and the Warden. We are presented with a look at the gods earlier in time than almost every playwright’s scope; one that goes so far back, two of the most infamous members of the Nine are hardly even acquaintances. Claudius Belegar’s translation provides an intimate look into one of the most infamous plays in our realm’s history and lays out one simple fact that it seems our people refuse to acknowledge: a string of fate connects the Warden and the Stag. Within every mention of these two gods, there is no other mention of such a connection outside of this excerpt. One can choose to believe this speaks to inaccuracy, but I believe this tells us something very different: since the very beginning—our paths have been connected. For what, however, seems to remain only in the pages lost to the sands of time. 153 LAMENT OF THE HUNTED AN EXCERPT FROM ELATAN’S A BOAT RIDE DOWN THE RIVER OF SOULS DRAMATIS PERSONAE STAG WARDEN SCENE.—A boat traversing down the River of Souls. TIME.—Mythical. ARGUMENT Long before the Awakening, the Nine still held their positions as soldiers among the higher powers. Though their own council, they answered to the gods before them; the First Pantheon. As time went on, the Nine proved themselves formidable heroes, while still holding a fondness towards the mortal realm. They gave gifts often; fire, language, the rain that fell before their crops, the second moon to light their nights. It soon became known of the kindness of the Nine as their number of worshippers began to sore. Those who reigned among the first Pantheon did not share such affections. Hiros, guardian of souls and keeper of the dead, released a plague unto the lands, one that wiped out the minotaur of the Holy Mountains, and began to spread across what is now known as Wandergrove. The Nine were enraged by this, and staged a revolt against the deity that ravaged the continent. After three decades of battle, the Warden and the Stag were able to dismember Hiros, 154 CLAUDIUS BELEGAR scattering his body across the Piyit Ocean, finally destroying his heart in the volcanoes of the Forgotten Isles, causing a mighty eruption. But all was not well among the Nine; debates began over what to do with the souls of the minotaur killed by Hiros. Some, like the Warden and the Warrior, believed that they died natural deaths, and that their souls should be allowed to cross the Rive of Souls into the Realm of the Nine.