Through the Living Wrath

The crowd quickly quieted, except for the occasional shouted suggestion. Berin reached out a tentative influence, heightening their curiosity.

         “Very well then. The telling of the Great Servants. A fairly recent story, but to help you to understand it, I must give greater context.” 

         Berin began to strum a quiet tune on his small lute.

         “Before the world was physical, the four Great Souls gathered together to grant substance to the world. These souls were as such: The Soul of Rage, the Soul of Madness, the Soul of Intellect, and lastly, the Soul of Mirth. The souls, though they disagreed on many things, decided to make… this.”

         Snorting, Mirth commented. It was more that Madness randomly started creating, and, desperate not to miss out on anything, we followed.

         Well, yes, but I don’t want to upset their image of how the world works.

         “Madness, the first to take action, created the wind and the beasts. Rage, the second, hated the creations. He never agreed to the deal they had made. So he created fire, to destroy Madness's children. But the wind, something Rage could not see or predict, protected the creations. Intellect, the next to act, created nature, the plants and the cliffs, this earth which we walk upon. A home, so their efforts would not waste away. And, as a safeguard, he created ice, as he foresaw the dangerous consequences of the fire. Mirth watched, then placed her influence on all their creations. She made the beasts playful, the wind melodious, flame warming, nature beautiful, and, at the last, manipulated ice into snow. Finally, the humans were created, children of all four Souls. The Souls departed then, to watch their creations.”

         Berin fell silent here, playing a skittish melody, which slowly became more and more senseless, until it reached a discord. He heightened the crowd’s discontent. With this, he continued. “Madness was not content to stay away from the world she had a hand in creating. She returned, and began to communicate with individuals. These individuals were the first of what became the Great Servants, granted the power of wind manipulation. At the beginning, they were both revered and hated for their skills. But, they were generally respected. They had the power to destroy, and nothing garners respect like that.”

A pause, then, in a darker tone, Berin continued. “Eventually, Madness’s communication took its toll. The Servants began to go insane, reduced to mere beasts. Any town that was previously graced with their presence was soon decimated. Luckily, they did not seem to harbor any further malice for humankind, and disappeared into the forests. Humankind was safe, for a time.”

         He changed his tune to a happy one, and pulled away the discontent for a peaceful feeling, but it again degenerated into another tune, louder, marking the notes more often. He made the crowd slightly angry. “However, the people began to hate the monsters that had attacked them. Warriors began to hunt them, with an irrational Rage. These were the second of the Great Servants. They, on their hunts, began to embody irregular powers, this time of fire. Heat. When the hunts stopped, they became restless, and eventually embarked on a crusade, attempting to purge the world of those they deemed unworthy.”

         He stared at the servant of Intellect, meeting her eyes.

         “Intellect, quick to respond, began to nurture his own servants, to fight back these new crusaders. The servants were granted the ability to manipulate ice. These servants, driven to continually learn, became battle monks, quickly absorbing many varieties of different fighting techniques. With their manipulation of ice, they were the perfect match for the Servants of Rage. They, with a more comprehensive understanding of combat, soon beat back the forces of Rage.”

         “However, in the following peace, they grew soft. Intellect’s soldiers turned into scholars. They couldn’t resist the temptation of knowledge. And while this happened, Rage was recruiting the same way he had always. So, the soldiers of Rage began to outnumber those of Intellect. And this is how we got to where we are today.” 

         Berin silenced his lute, then bowed again, signaling the end of the tale. “Now, my friends, I must give my voice a small rest. That will be all for tonight.” He sat, put aside his lute, and pulled a tin out his tattered jacket.