The Death of the Spirit Empires and of the Sons of Nathel
The Death of the Spirit Empires and of the Sons of Nathel is an epic poem concerning the history of Valena.
History
The poem has no clear origin point and is generally considered to have been composed over the course of centuries by various bards, rhetoricians, and other performers. It has been widespread in its reception across the nations of Valena, with many of the events it describes being common knowledge.
With the invasion of Valena by Trolvistan and the cession of 'Irisa-Giri by Atlas to the Thalassic Confederation, the region acquired new international interest. The first copy of the work was soon sold to a team of translators in Willowham, aided by expert scholars of the text from the League of Emeris. After publishing some brief excerpts, the full translation was published on the 12th of January 2023.
Events
The poem organises the history of Valena into four distinct epochs:
- First Tsabro
- Second Cxabro
- Ithenberg Supremacy
- Present day
First Tsabro, as well as the beginnings of Second Cxabro, is covered in sections 1 and 2. The text describes the First Tsabro as a sort of empire of dark spirits ruling over Valena, "and to Blood Law they ruled". It is unknown exactly what is meant by "Blood Law" but it is widely understood in Valena to be the use of human blood to amplify or expand the powers of spirits. The poem then describes the first revolt against the spirits, formented by icebenders native to the southeast of the territory. It is not stated what exactly prompted the revolt but it is made clear that the war was considered total, as "all loyal to the Tsabro fiend was slain for none could be loyal to Force of Man when that Spirit Fiend might yet rule". It is also implied that the icebender revolt was so successful because of the use of spirit cleansing techniques, allowing them to pacify dark spirits. Despite this success, the poem goes on to describe the revolt's failure at the Battle of Kar Durok. It is implied that the revolt failed due to betrayal, but to who or why is not revealed. Despite this, the damage done to the First Tsabro is irreparable and the new order imposed by the spirits is qualitatively a new empire - hence "First" for Tsabro. It is also suggested that dialects had changed as the successor empire is named Second Cxabro.
The Second Cxabro is described to have relinquished the use of "Blood Law" for fear of future revolts akin to that which almost destroyed First Tsabro. To this end, the spirits would possess humans and have these new deformed creatures rule in their stead, referred to as Trz. It is not specified what made the Trz loyal to Second Cxabro or the selection procedure, but it is shown that they were a significant military asset as "there was no human host that could best the Trz hordes". Over time, it is suggested that the Trz lost their military function and became instead a class of bureaucrats. It is also stated that Trz could not reproduce and thus had to draw their numbers from human populations. This was met unfavourably at least partly as it is then stated that Lann of Ithenberg was obliged to deliver his son, Danathion, to become Trz. It is also clear that this refusal was a dangerous one to make, as Lann then took up arms against the Second Cxabro in leading a new revolt. The poem implies this to be the culmination of long-growing resentment "as the rage of Mankind was now, yes, given life". We do not receive any further information regarding the details of the war to follow, except that the Battle of Bloody Fields is considered the culmination of the conflict, with humanity emerging victorious.
While the mechanism for how this control was created, the poem states that Lann became effectively the ruler of all Valena, forming a new empire known as the Supremacy or Ithenberg Supremacy. In Ithenberg, this is considered the founding of the House of Lann, who took the titles of "Supreme" i.e. Supreme Lann. The poem describes the formation of the many nations of Valena. The Free Riders of Veynir, a semi-nomadic people, are described to have coalesced in the grasslands as "Vei Nur", meaning "horse and spear". It also describes the creation of new territories corresponding to the Republic of Incenza, the League of Emeris, and the lost city of Debenza are also described. It is stated in the poem that the former Trz homeland was colonized by Ithenbergers, who then developed a unique culture and named themselves "Lannish" after Lann. This account is impossible to verify but is widely believed in Valena today. A revolt against Supremacist rule is also described, with "icy hosts" defeated at the Battle of Mathengar - it is highly likely this refers to another icebender revolt. In Valenese accounts, many believe that the highly tribal and warlike culture of the southern icebenders began following this defeat.
A brief account of the Supremacy's history is then described. Supreme Lann was succeeded by his son Danathion, which is noted as the beginning of unrest as many local rulers apparently did not anticipate a hereditary monarchy forming. Danathion's rule is described as peaceful as ambitious aristocrats were sent to lead armies in border clashes with the icebenders. It would seem none of these efforts succeded, but no conflict is noted at this time so it can be said the tactic worked for preserving peace. Following Danathion's long rule, his son Nathel inherited. Nathel and his son Emethir are arguably the protagonists of the text and so receive a great deal of attention as both play their part in bringing the Supremacy to an end. A dramatized account is given of Emethir growing up in the court of Nathel, who was then popular and handsome, alongside Emethir's older brother Lanthion. As time goes by without reform, the poem alleges that Nathel inherited various crises from Danathion's rule which undermined the monarchy significantly. Seeking a win, Lanthion would be sent to fight the icebenders at Mathengar again in order to bring glory to the throne. This ended in tragedy with Lanthion's death (alleged by the poem to be via impalement with a mammoth's tusk, likely a fanciful detail).
The death of Lanthion is attributed to have caused an irreparable rift between Emethir and Nathel. Emethir blamed his father for Lanthion's death, while Nathel "pleaded" that Emethir understand his motives and that he couldn't have possibly anticipated Lanthion's death. Several years are then passed over with the defeat at Mathengar attributed as immediately causing the Debenza Revolt. Supremacist Armies swiftly crushed this uprising but the damage dealt to the monarchy's public image was now irreparable, and thus a second revolt was soon triggered by an Incenza-Veynir alliance. In a move that we know shocked all observers, Emethir would refuse to join his father's side. Instead, he declared himself the first ever "King of the Lannish", establishing the independent Kingdom of Lannishland and marching to join the revolt. Nathel would sell the ruins of Debenza to Atlas to help fund the war effort, and the armies would meet at the Battle of Morthen.
Little detail is given regarding the battle's events or its strategic relevance, as focus is instead placed on a widely attested single combat between King Emethir and Supreme Nathel. The poem contrives a debate between the two which has since been adopted in Valena and abroad as emblematic of reformism against conservatism, where both men reference the actions of their ancestors and the history of spirit empires in Valena. The poem returns to a verified historical account as Supreme Nathel kills his own son in the combat. Catatonic with grief, he would stay still at his son's side until one of Emethir's bodyguards beheaded him. Following Morthen, the Supremacist army would withdraw to its Ithenberg strongholds and plan a war of reconquest that would ultimately never come.
The final section of the poem describes the evolution of the nations of Valena following the collapse of the Ithenberg Supremacy. The League of Emeris would emerge as one of the dominant powers in this time as a highly wealthy maritime trade republic, while Incenza and Veynir both gained their independence. Lannishland would be ruled by the son of Emethir, named King Nathel the Wise, while Ithenberg entered a period of infighting and Debenza was consolidated by Atlas. The icebenders, disunited and also fighting among themselves, did not seize on this window and largely did not progress.
Bias
The Death has often been argued to be a work that unfairly criticises the notion of empire and undermines the achievements made by the governments of those times. While it is true that revolts against the First Tsabro and Second Cxabro destroyed much of their legacy and thus it is very difficult to fully evaluate what contributions these may have made to Valena, the text later directly compares the rule of Supreme Nathel to these states, often discussed in Valena and in the text as something akin to the greatest evil ever construed.
Many have also argued that the dialogue between Emethir and Nathel is slanted. The poem is well-known for its ability to make the reader take sides, either with Nathel who tries desperately to preserve unity and sacrifices everything to achieve this goal or with Emethir who sets aside his life of privilege to fight for justice and stability and pays the ultimate cost. Despite this, many accuse the text of being favoured towards Emethir. While Nathel and Emethir both take actions to secure their goals, Nathel is often caught in a hypocritical bind as he makes war on his own people or foreigners in order to prevent wars breaking out. Emethir, by contrast, actively seeks to create a new order and forges alliances in order to do so, thus demonstrating a greater appeal across the Supremacy's territory.
Another criticism is the lack of scrutiny paid towards Lann or Danathion. Lann, in particular, has sometimes been accused by sympathisers of the spirits of having enacted pogroms against the Trz; the poem summarises such events as "Trz fell to enemies and many suns". While there are none who argue the spirits or their agents did not often enact violence on their human subjects, it is sometimes alleged that Lann maintained peace in his realm by sanctioning the mass killings of Trz who may have surrendered, deserted the Cxabro army, or otherwise sought to be outside of politics. The poem does imply that the Supremacy is simply an imitation of the Second Cxabro when Emethir says "Lann inherited Spirit's Empire; it is high time that Man breaks this Supreme", but the text does not clarify if this refers merely to the borders being identical or if it identifies the Supremacy with the same sort of imperial political culture.
Reception
The Death was widely read internationally upon the completion of its translation, with copies purchased for libraries as far away as the Air Nation and Albion. Further attention was paid to the text with the proclamation of King Emethir, a claimant to the Lannish throne, in the Wars of Unification in Trolvistan bringing more attention to the character of the poem.
The remarkably similar name of "Cxabro" to the Esoteric Order of Cxebru prompted a great deal of speculation of what connection may exist between the ancient empire and the cult of today. In a document by Edward E. Door called "On the Cxebruitic disease: The parasite of reality and anti-reality", the claim is made that the order directly descended from the Cxabro as a rogue priestess wielded a small group of surviving Trz and dark spirits to create the cult's foundations. The claims made by Door remain to be verified.