Telmori Legends

Kostajor's last Days

I will tell you a story of one of our greatest Kings, Kostajor the Unseen who you might know as Kostajor wolf-champion. He was the wolf who saved two of your own kings from battlefields while they were still infants. These were Jarosar and Terasarin who became great kings afterwards. Thus friendship was secured and we Telmori got even more hunting ground from both gracious kings in return.

Kostajor is know for one proverb, "Peace can not last forever!" And he always wanted us Telmori to be prepared for war. "All men betray, all men lose heart only a wolf will be faithful from birth till death !" he said once. King Kostajor the Unseen kept us Telmori always the warriors we are. He told us of times when we will need all our power and practice to struggle for survival. Well, there were many who didn't believe all wise Kostajor said and they have grown fat and lazy.

But when the Red Men appeared and when they first entered our woods and tried to declare what they called "peace" no one doubted King Kostajor's words. All Telmori took arms and we fought so fiercely that few of the Red Men dared to enter our woods again and those who did never returned to their families. You can hear even today the stories of their defeat at what they called the Battle of the Bloodforest. I was just a small wolf then not older than 12 winters. But my uncle told me that not even one in ten of the Red Men escaped. And it was Kostajor who led them to battle and defeated ten of them in personal combat before he got through to their leader who knew evil moon magic but whom he ripped apart and whose heart he preserved as a keepsake of this victory. After this for a few years real peace was again known within the Telmori woods.

But it was as wise Kostajor had said, all men betray. And thus we became dire enemies of you the people of Orlanth. And because we were even more trained for war than you could ever be we destroyed nearly all of a pack of traitors, you called them Maboder. They were even so treacherous that they didn't fight the Red Men when they took your capital but helped them ever since. And because they tried to burn our forests Kostajor decided to let them feel Telmor's wrath.

On a moonless wildday night nearly all Telmori sneaked to their houses and killed every man, every child in reach not even women were spared. Thus the traitors found an end and their blood covered then newly fallen snow so that it looked like a red sea. There is a Tergavi rock near this site of victory which was erected as a sign for other traitors. It is a holy spot but we seldom go there because of our enemies who always try to kill us. But if you are lucky enough to see it, leave a prayer to mighty Telmor.

After this victory it was clear that war was begun between the Telmori and the Red Men. This winter every Telmori practiced for war as long as his strength enabled him. And Kostajor visited every pack in the forest and spoke to every warrior himself. He trained with us, he ate with us and he would die with us if this was necessary to win the battle. And at the last day of winter all packs united. Many of our cousins whom we haven't seen for years we saw again. It was then that I saw for the first time one of the blessed race who do not have the chaos taint and Gbaji's curse on them.

He was Snowwhite and his brother was called Faster-than-wind. Both were twice as old as I were and had many magic blessings. Though Snowwhite was old, there was no warrior amongst us to match him, but the King himself. We danced the Heturavi dance which begins every spring and feasted long into the night.

At morning an army was reported to march from the winter with many Red Men, we would be outnumbered by one to four. But this was nothing to be frightened of, we Telmori are learned to fight against more than one foe at the same time. It was also reported that many of them had poison metal as weapons. And still we were not worried. But then the scouts reported that not only the Red Men came but also people of Orlanth from the summer to fight also against us. And they were also armed with poison and even death warriors came to fight against us.

Many of us, I was no exception, were terrified to face such terrible foes. But the most bitter aspect was that many former friends were reported to march in the enemy army. Even a close friend to Kostajor betrayed him in assuring him assistance and then turning to fight our King. But again our King showed that he was the rightful King. Because he had so many friends many of your people of Orlanth helped us and stood spear to spear even without Telmor's skin. Yes even some warriors of death were with us to fight their own brothers.

The battle began at highlight when the golden disk is highest and it was before wildday. It was fought at the edge of our forest.

The Red Men and the Traitors marched protected with evil moon magic against our King Kostajor's army. I was in a pack which had to protect humans who could bring death by praying, others were helping the Orlanth people.

At the beginning the army of Orstarong the Traitor turned against him and left him standing alone on the right side. They joined our King who was always loyal to them and who was impossible to betray by a righteous heart. They are called the Hor-vars-urrig or Heart-like-wolf and are since revered as the closest a human can be to a Telmori.

Then the attack began... the Red Men shot many arrows on us which had tips of poison metal and some of us died. We withdrew to the forest's edge where arrows were useless. And then we were attacked at two sides both winter and summer by Red Men and Traitors. They both used their best magic and their best warriors and even spirits which no one of us had seen before not even the Tergavi. But still we would fight and kill more than ten for one dead Telmori. So when we fought them regardless if with claws, spears, swords or magic and inspired so much fear in them that some died because of it, they used what was forbidden and what even the Traitors feared.

The Red Men prayed to their evil goddess to give them even more strength. And after moments in prayers all the Red Men became chaos monsters. Some were so tainted that they even turned against their friends some died on the spot but the most became unstoppable killing monsters. And thus the battle ended in their favour but not before Kostajor could kill Orstarong with his own hands and his brother bit Jomes the enemy commander in his leg so that he had to limp afterwards. But the wolfbrother was killed as were many good warriors even Snowwhite died in battle hit by a traitor's poison javelin. After many warriors died and victory was too expensive for both sides and so much chaotic magic was used that even the sun turned pale our King Kostajor agreed to the terms of defeat.

These were the terms : our territory was reduced and many of the Hor-vars-urrig were send to exile, we could keep no loot from war and every Telmori off his lands could be killed if desired. To this our King agreed for it was better to be defeated once than to be exterminated. And in the end the Traitors shall be betrayed by the Red Men and join with us against the Red Men. This battle is know as Artud-ferr-urrigr or Treason-kills-wolves.

The next day all bodies were brought to the sacred grove where the dead wolves howl. All the wolfbrothers howled for seven days and many died out of grief. Also many brotherless Telmori died before the next wildday. Kostajor declared that he would bid the Tergavi to open a special path for him so that he could meet Telmor again and bring back friendship and fertility for his people. On the next wildday all the Tergavi of the Telmori opened a path for Kostajor the Unseen and he entered and promised to return as soon as he could save us.

This happened before fourteen winters and many doubt he will return. But we wait every day for our King to return and to bring back the glory of the ancient days where peace could last forever and friendship was everywhere.