What no Scholar knows

The Kings of the Telmori

These are secrets which hardly someone knows. They are presented here and you shall pray to Telmor that you were allowed to learn them. As these are secrets which we tell only to you, they shall remain secrets. You must not tell anyone what you have learned here. It is only for yourself and it must not be written down. But now I start my story.

We Telmori are ruled by Kings. This Kings are also of our race but they are something special as well. Our Kings are not made like your kings. They are not born kings and they are not chosen to be kings nor are they appointed by someone.

Our Kings are mundane and spiritual leaders. They have each a greater piece of Telmor than anyone else and they all have some magical ability, like Ostling Four-wolf who had four wolfbrothers at the same time.

If a King dies or leaves his pack the Tergavi prepares a holy rite in which all but a few participate. The Tergavi opens the magic paths and we all wolf or wolfbrother enter boldly. There we all run for nights until we meet in a dark forest where all Telmori are. Many we know not and only few we know. They are preparing to fight the evil Gbaji and to kill him means to break our curse forever. Many we are but more are our foes who are sometimes heard to camp outside of the forest. Thus we prepare for a divine battle like our fathers and uncles had long before.

After a few further preparations we march in the middle of the night howling and as full wolves with our wolfbrothers towards the battlefield where we are already awaited by an army of evil Gbaji worshipers. They all glow with evil magic and have poison metal as armour and weapons. But Telmor grants the most worthy of us even resistance to poison blades and strength to tear all armour apart. This wolves are chosen by Telmor to compete for Kingship of their own packs. As leaders they march in front of our army bearing great blessings from all Tergavi and Telmor himself.

Then the battle begins, many of us die in this field that night but for each dead Telmori you can count ten dead Gbajisons and at last the Kings-to-be reach to Gbaji himself but because he is a deceiver many are fooled by his disguises which are always new regardless how often the battle takes place and so he can always flee and the curse is never broken. But some of the Kings-to-be manage to rip parts of Nysalor's blessing which Gbaji had stolen. This blessing gives them magical powers which only the true Kings have. One cannot become a Telmori King until one has a part of the blessing. Thus it was declared by Telmor himself many wilddays ago and thus it shall be done.

Our hope rests on all the Kings that they may one day catch Gbaji when all his disguises fail and rip the whole blessings from him. Then we shall be free again and run the woods like in ancient times or like the few blessed Telmori who never were cursed.

So listen to your Tergavi and learn the disguises of Gbaji so he never will fool you again. This is the way Telmori Kings were made and are still made.