#curiously enough he's stated to have also been an ancient king of the city of uruk as well like gil!

[darabeatha]

<- the shepherd in question

[runeterrankhaleesi]

Hey, Khaleesi! Remember that alternate Ruination link? So here, for @theruinednymph and all who don't understand Polish, I give a translation of the script to English :)

Here's the (more or less accurately) translated version of Marvecc's Ruination. I'm giving you the closest thing to what he said but in English. Sorry for inevitable inconsistencies, typos and misspellings 😅

It is commonly known that for quite some time I've been complaining about the Ruination, I shamelessly admit. But I think nothing I said was unjustified. When the Ruination came to an end, I had sort of a bad hangover. I noticed wasted potential. "So make a better event. If you're so smart!" So uh… let's try!

I may not have plentiful resources as Riot Games do, I am no graphic designer or animator but I know a bit of game lore so I've decided to take it one step further. I've decided to fix the Ruination. It will be a huge test for me, because some day, in five, ten, fifteen or twenty years I'd like to create my own world. My own universe. That's why today you yourselves will judge if in any way, knowing the lore of some world, I am fit for this task.

Welcome dear viewers, I am Marvecc, and today I will be telling you how, in my opinion, the plot of the Ruination should've looked like, or how I would create it.

Let's assume some basics in the making of the plot. Let's leave the cinematic from the season's beginning because it was fantastic, let's be real, and let's leave the regional structure. It's clear that a very important changing element was the characters' journey in a way that everyone could find themselves in their favorite region. Well, maybe not everyone because not all regions had been presented, but the majority of them. So without further ado, let's move onto my machinations.

As we know, the cinematic ended on a ship with the sight of Senna and Lucian, and in my opinion the champions should've immediately headed for Bilgewater it was there Lucian had allies in the fight against Harrowing and it is there the plot of the game "Ruined King" begins. We reach the harbor, Lucian and Senna meet with Miss Fortune, shed light on the situation and she decides it's time to head to the Temple of Nagakabuross on the hill, asking the high priestess of the Kraken - Illaoi - for help. The four of them meet at an inn, discussing the end of the world and the apocalypse of the undead. Everyone is wondering how to stop Viego. What to do to save the world from destruction. It turns out that our conversation was unintentionally being listened to by Yummi - yes, exactly. Yummi - who quietly has been sitting in a corner in the shadow and eavesdropping on what our champions were talking about. Lucian and Mf obviously laugh the cat off, but she had taken notice of the unease of humans and all creatures while travelling, caused by the sudden attack of the Mist. When those attacks had taken place, she was in Freljord with her friend Braum and they'd witnessed the Mist and its abominations slaughter the inhabitants of one of the Freljordian villages. Braum jumped into the frey, trying to protect the people but he was anguished when he realised that he's, sadly, powerless.

Caring deeply for his homeland, he asked his friend Yummi to try and gather some information. And she did. After a while of sitting on a table, she leaped onto the Book, vanished and jumped out of a portal moments later with Braum in tow. You know, it makes sense, they're both friends and Braum understands that now the biggest threat for the Freljord is Viego. Our characters debate on how to stop him. It turns out however, that they don't really have any plan. They don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. How are they supposed to face the might of the undead, having so little force at their disposal? Now, if the power of Nagakabuross and Illaoi, who despise the dead, is some sort of a natural counterpart to the undead, our group heads to the Temple of the Bearded Lady. Illaoi decides it is there they would find the solution.

And curiously enough, Buhru Sentinel awaits them there with Gwen who met him while searching for Senna whom she'd sensed because Viego didn't take the whole fragment of Isolde's soul, which we know from "the Ruination", as she herself also possesses a fragment. Buhru Sentinel has a similar role. He's, somewhat, an introduction, tells us he'd fixed the connection between the base in Bilgewater and the one in Ixtal - of course I'm talking about the Sentinels' bases. His role is of a man who travels with us, a sage of sorts, who stays behind and repairs the links in bases.

Well then. We've been to Bilgewater and we have the means to travel to Ixtal. You may be thinking "Marvecc, okay, but the event started in Demacia". Mind you. I'm making up my own version. Also, Demacia lies, you know, on the opposite side of the known Runeterra and honestly the Mist comes from Shadow Isles, so we constantly, not paying mind to the danger of it, travel to those regions. In the original Ruination, the role of the Mist had been terribly diminished to a substance which just searches for Isolde. I would make it so that we fear the Mist. We fear Viego's army and we flee from east to west, not go to random locations. And obviously we don't go to Shadow Isles just like that in the end where a huge army if undead resides which for some reason can't see us and doesn't murder us on sight.. Of course, just so you know. The Mist can materialise in various places thanks to Vex, as it was shown in the cinematic but a path from Shadow Isles - escape from the Mist - seems more logical to me than braving overtaken regions.

Anyway, Buhru Sentinel also tells us that he knew about our arrival and had sent Rookie to greet us or welcome us to Bilgewater. He wasn't supposed to reveal anything to Senna and Lucian, because Buhru found out about a Sentinel who abandoned his post and didn't really respect Sentinel's rules - you surely know I mean Akshan - and wanted to check what are the intentions of Senna and Lucian.

At the same time in the scriptures of the first Sentinels, Buhru has found information about an ancient prophecy, foretelling the great return of the King of the Dead and his defeat. Now, just a head's up, because I wrote a prophecy:

Darkness of his heart will swallow the world

Nations and countries will not bend the knee

It is not his goal

It is her goal

Obsession of feeling, love is all that matters

No matter how, it only matters when

The dreary King of the Dead beside his Queen

They shall change the future world

Darkness only darkness can defeat

Love can be beaten by vengeance

And Heavens can fell Death itself.

I don't know what it's like, this was my first prophecy, I hope it's not abysmal, but it will be important later on.

Anyway, our whole group debates on how to defeat Viego and it turns out that they don't have a better chance than to rely on the prophecy. The Sentinels don't know how to trap Viego, how to stop him. So far, they only know that he can be slowed down, with relic weapons for instance but not just with them. But eventually, the old Buhru Sentinel interprets that it won't change a thing. For this reason, our group decides to follow the prophecy and travel to Targon, where, as it is stated, Heavens can fell Death itself.

And that's how our adventure begins, where without chances or resources, Sentinels aren't trying to stop Viego from finding the fetters of his wife, but attempt to follow an ancient prophecy of the Sentinels of Light. Let's add something extra from me. A lore accurate expansion to the cinematic about the Ruination. In the cinematic, the locations of Noxus, Demacia and Ionia weren't an accident, in my version that is. Let's add Freljord as well, because we know that something like this has happened there too but it didn't make it to the cinematic. All those places in my opinion were important to Viego. Why he's so powerful also wasn't really explained by Riot Games. I have a good idea for this. Sure, partially thanks to Vex he could cause a global Ruination, but to me a magical aid of a teenage Yordle is a bit too little.

In Demacia, Viego discovered a piece of his wife, the same in Freljord. When it comes to Ionia, he knows that the land is too magically powerful to allow him to freely take over Runeterra and search for Isolde, when Ionia with its primordial magic can challenge him. This is why, in the cinematic, the Ruined King first wanted to weaken Karma, the land itself and its Spirit, while in Noxus he wanted to check something out. He wanted to discover the dark secrets of the Immortal Bastion. Here, let's remember that Yummi is still with us, and let's assume she knew that Vex fled from Bandle City, met Viego and Yummi figured it out when she encountered the Mist, as she sensed Yordle magic within it. She explained to the group that the combination of the King of the Dead and Yordle magic is.. very powerful. That's why our characters decide on a plan consisting of three elements. First is strictly about the game "Ruined King". Illaoi, Braum and Miss Fortune want to head to Shadow Isles as a distraction, to focus Viego's attention on themselves and buy more time. Yummi goes to the Bandle City to mobilize and convince Yordles to help the creatures of the Physical Realm. And this was the second part. For the third part, Senna, Gwen and Lucian set out to Targon. And here our party splits up.

As we prepare for the journey in "Ruined King" we're attacked by Pyke, which makes sense. MF, as a captain, is on his list. Due to the preparations for the sail, nobody notices anything, nobody notices Pyke. But! MF is saved at the last moment only by a strong tornado which knocks the assassin back. It turns out it's Ahri and Yasuo. The tornado gives Illaoi a chance to subdue Pyke with the power of the Goddess. He's a bit brainwashed and decides to assist in the quest. You know, it would explain his odd behavior. The group thanks for the help and asks who the unknown newcomers are - which are Ahri and Yasuo. Ahri explains that she's looking for a craftsman by the name of Melo, which is accurate with her lore, and Yasuo is her bodyguard, which is accurate as well. During the game "Ruined King" we gather resources for the journey, prepare our crew and collect information as Ahri and Yasuo, to find out that the aforementioned craftsman had headed - for reasons unknown - to Shadow Isles. Because of that. Ahri decides to join the expedition but she and Yasuo don't know - Illaoi, MF or Braum (who's very upset about it) haven't told them - the true goal of the quest, a mission with no return. A mission to delay the march of Viego or at least busy him.

I didn't make up what the craftsman's fate could've been because I didn't write that much about it, I just created the basics. We set to Shadow Isles and - not to make an entire plot to "Ruined King", because it's not the goal of this video - our task is to activate the pillars with the defense mechanism of the Blessed Isles, which could lead to the imprisonment of Viego and the Black Mist. You know, like in the cinematic with Thresh. The overall plot of the game would be about it. But this we would find out from the old Keeper on Shadow Isles. From that moment, our party struggles against the abominations of the Mist, Ahri and Yasuo find out about the true goal of the expedition, Ahri gets to know the truth behind her origins and the craftsman, she develops mutual feelings for Yasuo, only for their mission to fail in the end.

The finale is this: Hecarim stands in the way of Braum when he attempts to activate a pillar, Illaoi - using the Goddess' power - begins winning the fight with Viego (initially she was only supposed to stop him). However, she has used so much of her strength that her influence on Pyke weakened enough for him to snap out of it and take her with him to the depths. Viego - having no better opponent - takes control of MF, Pyke, and on the battlefield remain only Braum duelling Hecarim in the distance, and Viego, MF, Pyke - and of course a lot of creatures of the Mist, nothing new - versus Yasuo and Ahri. Suddenly, on Shadow Isles appears Yummi who hastily exclaims that she will save her friends. Unfortunately, Yasuo realises that the cat won't make it on time. He tells her to save Ahri and Braum, while he alone faces Viego, saying - imagine Yasuo's voice - "Time for me to atone for my sins". With a tornado, Yasuo repels the Mistwraiths as Ahri strikes Viego with all her force, which doesn't do him much harm but disorients him enough for Yummi to take wounded Braum, return for Ahri and the last thing we see in the game is Viego running Yasuo through with his blade. And may I remind you, at that time we didn't know yet that being impaled by Viego causes Ruination. That's why the game ends with a scene in which we are certain that Yasuo dies - because "Ruined King" was supposed to come out before the event. Additionally our characters leave to god-knows-where and Illaoi, from what we know, is also dead. A whole lot of cliffhangers.

That's it for the first part regarding "Ruined King". And considering that the game by Riot Forge was going to come out before the event, instead of the cinematic in Demacia, I would release a cinematic which shows Yasuo's ultimate sacrifice, Ahri and Braum on some neutral background, being approached by a stranger. A tiny stranger with a hammer. And the last look at Shadow Isles, Ruined MF, Pyke and Hecarim. And Hecarim asks Viego: "My liege, what now?" And he replies: "Everything is going according to plan."

Let's leave Yummi's plot for now. Let's now move onto the story from the client. Senna, Lucian, Gwen and Buhru Sentinel, who will be our Wayfinder, a person who repairs the links between quarters, head to the base in Ixtal, which happened to be hidden but lies close to an Ixtalian outpost. Of course, Buhru Sentinel - who, for short, we will be just calling Buhru - stays to fix the portal but characters are taken hostage during a scouting mission. Everyone here thinks they are spies from Piltover, which, lorewise, would be correct. In secrecy to talk with us, comes Qiyana intrigued by our presence, to check what the Sentinels do as she isn't so quick to wrongfully judge them. Senna explains that the Black Mist is approaching and they need to take all measures to fight it. Qiyana goes to Yuntal to give them the story of captured Sentinels. No one approves that she talked to them at all and she is about to be punished but the news of the Black Mist and the undead come from the east borders of Ixtal. Yuntal decides it's not the time to dwell on what Qiyana did, protecting the country from the Mist is their priority now. Ixtal's authorities order for as many citizens as possible to be moved to their archology, to have all masters of the elements stand against the Black Mist. Of course, nobody bothered with releasing Sentinels, because why would they? Qiyana, knowing that this fight is pointless, frees Sentinels, committing treason in the eyes of Ixtal's people and flees with them to Sentinel quarters where Hecarim catches up but is ultimately fended off. Buhru managed to make the connection with the base in Piltover. Before heading out, Sentinels find armor and relic stone in Ixtal quarters and allow Qyiana to upgrade her blade with relic stones, put the armor on and join the ranks of Sentinels of Light. Though, her devotion isn't entirely sincere. She knows that if she's the one to defeat Viego, she will have the right argument to seize the rule over Ixtal. Region's finale goes like this: Viego arrives, talks to Hecarim who tells him the news that the Sentinels have a plan to stop him. The last look is at the capital of Ixtal - Ixaocan - and its siege. As we know, Yuntal - the masters of the elements - are very powerful but have thousands upon thousands of foes to go against.

Let's move on to Piltover. The Mist has also reached it but something stopped it from breaching the city. Senna and Gwen, alone in the quarters, discover the closeness between one another, through the fragments of Viego's wife. Senna suspects everything before Gwen does and tells her that Viego did say that Isolde is his world, and this will be his main plan, which Senna knew earlier already but I won't spoil the ending.

In the base in Piltover we encounter Dess and Adda, of course. Those characters I would 100% leave because they have been very nicely done. Senna tells them of Viego's true plan. Dess and Adda mention a long-nonfunctioning device called Zindel's Incognium, which is able to find every person on Runeterra. Making use of the lack of the Mist in the city, the Sentinels go to Heimerdinger who is the only person capable of uncovering the secrets of the device's function. Heimer initially complains about not having time, about having enough of his own things to do but the professor is ultimately convinced by Gwen's positive attitude and pleas. He repairs the device, and it is revealed that Isolde's fetters are still in Demacia, Freljord and Shurima. The party thanks Heimerdinger for assistance and returns to the quarters. Meanwhile, it turns out Viego also knew about the device from one of the souls from Piltover and headed for the city. And, of course, here initially, during the first wave of the Black Mist, Viego was doing reconnaissance. A scouting of the terrain. But he didn't know, didn't find the locations of all fragments of Isolde. Because, honestly, from what I remember it wasn't specified why Viego and the Mist follow Isolde. Okay, we know that it does and that it's linked to Viego's despair but the despair in itself knows where all the pieces of Viego's wife's soul are? I think if it was made in the way that Viego doesn't have full knowledge about Isolde and the location of her soul's fragments it would've been more interesting. Either way, Viego goes to Piltover. And there at the entrance he meets Janna, and discovers it was her using her powers to defend Piltover and Zaun from the Mist at all costs. You know, Mist, and Janna is the Goddess of the Wind. For 20 days she's been keeping the Mist at bay but exhausted, she was no match for Viego who quickly defeated her. However, because Janna is after all a Goddess and not some poorly dressed lady who is just standing and calling tornadoes, with the last bits of her strength she makes an escape. Although Viego is strong, it's not like other champions are trembling in their boots before him at all times. Viego steps into Piltover, finds the device and bumps into Ziggs who left Zaun to see what's happening. And he notices that Heimerdinger repaired the machine and, being his former student - after being Ruined by Viego - betrays the secrets of the location of the fetters. Ziggs, naturally, gets "Ruined" skin. On the other hand, Heimerdinger brings along Vi and Caitlyn to the base to assure safe return and aid. Both Caitlyn and Vi decide to stay in Piltover to try and stop Viego alongside Adda and Dess but once he discovered the placement of his wife, he'd long made his escape and began his search. The Mistwraiths however, remained. At the end we see Thresh who goes around - like in the normal event - gathers power and collects souls from the Mist. Here, Buhru exclaims that the portal is too weak to take everyone to the same place. But it can take us to two places. Either to the base in Noxus, to find out what Viego wanted to discover there, or ti Shurima. The party breaks apart. Senna, Qiyana and Rookie go to Noxus, while Lucian, Gwen and Buhru - to Shurima. We witness a touching farewell between Lucian and Senna, and canonically the Noxus is unlocked because that's where we head first.

We know that there aren't any fragments of Isolde's soul in Noxus but Senna decides to discover Viego's plans. We come across Darius, Draven and Samira who lead the investigation on this case. Why has the Mist suddenly appeared in Noxus? Draven immediately wants to fight the Sentinels but Darius holds him back, seeing that Sentinels mean no harm to Noxus, quite the opposite. They want to discover what the King's deal is. Turns out that Viego, desiring to become unbeatable, already empowered by Vex, seeks a way to make it impossible for anyone to face him in a duel. And to make sure no one and nothing stands in his way as he searches for his Queen. For this reason, the Ruined King descends into the depths of the Immortal Bastion. He finds the demon summoned by the Black Rose. Viego right away kills all members of the organisation and stands face to face with the demon.

Turns out the Black Rose and LeBlanc beckoned it to fight another monster, another demon. She even has a line in the card game: "One monster to end another".

But the demon is unable to leave the chamber it was summoned in. And so, Viego proposes a deal, to join forces with one another and together become invincible. Why is this particular demon so important for Viego? We know that it is as powerful as big is the sum of its allies and Viego has plenty of allies. Plenty of souls in the Mist. Plenty of the dead. Atakhan realised Viego's potential and agreed to his terms. The demon and the King of the Dead merge into one being. Viego's fingers elongate, his armor appears more ethereal and he's wearing the demon's helmet. Viego gets a skin "Demonic King Viego" or something like that. He leaves the Immortal Bastion and comes across the Sentinels. Seeing him, Draven jumps him, after a second ending up Ruined. Viego naturally laughs at this pathetic attempt and flees. The Ruined King becomes pretty much indestructible.

Darius exclaims that he needs to consult the Grand General, while Samira follows the Sentinels. In Noxus quarters she is given a relic pistol as well as upgrades to her blade. Unfortunately, our team has no clue how to get to Demacia, because as I said Buhru is in Shurima with Lucian. Here, Darius proposes a solution in the form of magically modified Drake Hounds, tame towards those who were assigned to them. The Hounds are made for incredibly fast travels and were supposed to be a special tool for spies and messengers. They only nees a. Couple hours of sleep, thanks to which the Sentinels in around a week would reach Demacia.

Here, we completely cut off from the plot of the Sentinels and Rookie. Instead, we impersonate one of Camavor's soldiers who accompanies Viego alongside many others in a journey to Ionia. There are no fetters there but considering this is the magically primordial land, it poses a threat to Viego's plans. The magic of Vastaysheirei - ancestors of the Vastaya - as well as the Vastaya themselves, and all forces and all champions can use the power of the Spirit Realm and challenge him but this won't be possible once Viego conquers and Ruins Ionia. He goes to the Everlasting Altar right away and duels Karma, for her to ultimately fall. The Spirit of the land was corrupted but the duel didn't last five minutes but rather long hours. Karma realised that the King of the Dead is coming for her much earlier too. Shen, Kennen and Akali answer her summons along with Kinkou Order. Irelia stands with them. The champions try to get through to the Everlasting Altar barred by the wraiths but once Viego seized control over Karma, the fight was turned around. Viego descends along with Karma who throws all fighters back with a flick of her hand. Irelia stands up first and to extinguish the Spirit of the land once and for all, Viego impales her, causing her Ruination. Here, we're avoiding an inconsistency - why Sentinel (Ruined in this story) Irelia could fight with her blades.

Viego, Karma and Irelia vanish into the Mist but the wraiths remain to kill the rest. As they're about to die, Yone arrives, who has sensed the presence of a powerful demon, one he'd never sensed before. He felt the bond with the King of the Dead and came to fight him. Yone rescues the group because his demonic blade of Azakana can cut through the wraiths, and the last to fall is our Camavorian soldier, ran through with a spiritual blade by Shen. Before passing, he heard Kennen say that he has a plan to save Ionia and the whole Runeterra.

Next, we move to Shurima. As I said, we have Lucian, Gwen and Buhru here. And just so you know, because Rookie - the person we associate with - is not here, we remain nobody. A passive spectator of the events. Like we have on Shadow Isles, because Rookie, the person we steer, is bot always necessary. Of course we meey Akshan in Shurima Sentinel outpost, he doesn't give a damn and his story is very similar to the one in the client. I wouldn't change it that much because the construction in my opinion was fine but I would split it into two separate segments.

First - similar to the one in the client. And second - in which Viego heading to Shurima, before he claims the fetter, meets Azir and his devoted soldiers along with Nasus who knew about the approaching calamity from Ixtal - honoring the old alliance of countries. Viego decided he doesn't have time for this, knocked everyone aside and moved onward to reach the fetter which he takes. He kills Lucian and takes Buhru but Akshan revives Lucian, while Gwen - by Lucian's orders - hid herself away in the Hallowed Mist. The group meets up with Azir and Nasus, introduce them into the subject, and the emperor sends his most powerful warrior to join the Sentinels and assist with fighting the dead. Azir stays and defends his land from the wraiths. Nasus is given a special weapon in the quarters and Azir gifts him with the golden armor of the elite. Nasus joins the Sentinels and because Targon is nearby, this part of the team heads there.

Let's come back to the first part of the group. Senna, Qyiana, Samira and Rookie reached Demacia. The Mist has already taken the majority of the known lands and reached the capital of the Kingdom as well. The team meets the Dauntless Vanguard by the entrance who don't want to let them in at first but after Senna explains - that this is the matter of life and death and everything going on around - the warriors call for their leader, Garen who quickly takes the Sentinels to the palace where Jarvan and Tianna Crownguard debate what to do next. How to stop the Mist and Hecarim who - according to a published story - was already in Demacia. As a reasonable ruler, Jarvan simply asks what the Sentinels need. Senna switches off for a moment, hearing a small voice of Isolde whispering, telling Senna to find her in the city. She says she wants to stop Viego, which would add up since she'd already warned Senna in one of the stories. After a while Jarvan asks again and Senna replies "We only need time to stop the advance of the Mist". Jarvan promises to give them as much time as  possible and sends Shyvana with them.

When the group leaves the palace, the Ruination is raging across the city. Unexpectedly, from a rooftop jumps down Vayne who says she'd been watching them and has parted with Poppy, and that she's ready to help the Sentinels. Senna - knowing where the base is - heads to the quarters and gives Vayne a weapon, accepting her among the Sentinels. As they leave, everyone spots a flock of wraiths and Camavorian dragons as well as Ruined Cadregrin mounted by Viego. Shyvana decides to battle him but becomes Ruined. The Sentinels flee, prompted by Jarvan and the rest saying that soldiers of Demacia will stop Viego but he grew.. bored after a short fight with Shyvana and followed the Sentinels tracking down his Mist leading them to Isolde's fragment. Taking it, Senna once again hears the voice of Viego's wife and the fragment merges with the one inside of her. Viego arrives and says it's impossible. Isolde doesn't want to return to him? What do you mean? What's that about?? While he's shocked by his wife's behavior, the animated colossus Galio grabs him, which gives the Sentinels some time.

Simultaneously, Poppy appears, telling Vayne that she's found what they'd been looking for. You know. The thing from the cinematic. The Sentinels ask about it, Poppy explains there's no time for that. The champions quickly escape, enter some tenement, dead down into the basement where lies the tile engraved with the symbol of the Sentinels of Light. Poppy says it has taken a lot of time to discover all this and put all the clues together. Senna steps onto the stone, activating a passage in a wall where a secret portal to one of the bases was hidden. The entire group goes out into the unknown. Exactly! Into the unknown. We have no idea what's happening to them. I love such cliffhangers. I think it would be an interesting turn of events.

Once again, we're not Rookie and our plot guy is another Ruined soldier of Camavor. Viego heads to Freljord with Vex where they seek the last inanimate fetter. Not much is happening in the Freljord and Viego passes through one, two, three villages. The Ruined King doesn't fight anyone, he doesn't mean to Ruin anyone, he doesn't particularly care about taking the Freljord. He does nothing but search for the fetter. Vex absolutely dislikes it, asks Viego why he's becoming such a lamer, to which the King orders her to be silent. Vex asks again, again and again what's this about until he loses patience. He strikes her and she lands a good couple of meters further away. Viego floats up - with the demon's aid he can naturally - to the young Yordle and tells her she was just a pawn in his game. She was to empower him so that he could spread the Mist all across Runeterra in search of his wife. Vex is surprised that Viego is so prosaic and he strikes her again, once more causing her to fly quite a distance. The Shadow of course stands up to Viego but it has no chance - it is thrown back as well. Viego leans over Vex, calling her naive and says that after all, she can't undo the spell given to him, that he fulfilled his goal and has no regard for her.

Vex runs away in tears with Shadow's aid, saying "This isn't over yet". Viego finds the last fragment but suddenly he bumps into Thresh. The King asks if he tracked down the rest of the living fetters. He doesn't realise that Thresh is changing, because the Chain Warden tries - thanks to the newfound strength - to manipulate his looks as he did before. Exactly how it was in the novel. Thresh says he'd found Gwen in Targon and that's where the undead are heading but sadly.. he is unable to locate Senna.

We move onto the final region that is Targon. Here, Lucian, Gwen, Nasus, Akshan - you know, the entire party from Shurima - reach the base at the foot of Mount Targon. The group locks themselves inside to reconsider their next move. What happened to Senna, is she going to send them some information as to what they'd found in Noxus, what was Viego looking for? To Lucian all that mattered was that his wife had not returned. Nevertheless, the Sentinels decide to stop for the night at the base to rest up and regain strength. In the morning everyone is woken up by the arrival of Senna, Samira and the rest of the party. Lucian hugs his wife, asking what was happening, how she's back. And she is about to reveal to Lucian and others what happened when suddenly they hear someone calling from outside. "Sentinels of Light! You are surrounded! Come out with dignity and without tricks as our goal is one and the same!"

It turns out that before the base wait armies of Solari and Lunari with Diana, Leona and Atreus on the lead. Everyone is shocked by this sight. Leona comes up to the Sentinels, saying that the Heavens told them of a great threat looming. That the time of the world's union has come. This is why - by Leona's orders - the Solari stand side by side with the Lunari in the face of oncoming doom. While in Ionia, Diana heard the will of the Aspect to the Moon to make haste and return. In Targon she met Aphelios who is now in the army of the Lunari - naturally much smaller in comparison to the Solari - and he'd found Diana's weapon, kept it hidden, knowing that the First Light of the Moon would one day return. This is why Diana would have her blade here. Diana returned to Targon and there duelled Leona as the card game implies but both the Aspect of the Moon and the Sun ordered them to cease, unite against the approaching danger. Senna tells Leona of the ancient prophecy, it turns out that Leona knows it and tells the group to climb Mount Targon as soon as possible, as in the face of such a threat truly only Heavens can lend their aid. Solari and Lunari stay to delay the march of Viego.

At the beginning of the path we meet Taric who becomes our guide. Thanks to his powers and help the journey to the top is incredibly short. In the span of one day the Sentinels - thanks to the help of the Aspect of the Protector, which would be accurate with the lore - summit Mount Targon. Taric helps them bypass the Arbiter but at the top there's.. nothing. Gates to Astral Targon, the place where the Aspects reside remain closed. Sentinels go into a panic, what's happening, why is nothing here? And then.. the Mist reaches the peak. The last place of Runeterra not claimed by Viego. Sentinels lose hope but regardless, they are ready to fight. All Ruined champions step out of the Mist. MF, Pyke, Karma, Shyvana, Ziggs and even the old servants such as Hecarim. Yasuo, if you still remember him, and all others. Additionally, Ruined Atreus comes forth - not Pantheon, let's not be pretentious with resurrecting the Aspect of War. Viego exclaims that the vicious fight at the bottom still continues, that hehe underestimated Targon's strength but he managed to win a duel with Atreus, corrupt him and head with a part of his army to the peak. In desperation, Lucian steps forward and proposes Viego a deal. He can have his soul, he can have whatever he wants, as long as he lets Senna and the Sentinels live.

Viego simply laughs, with one swift motion killing Rookie. Lucian goes into a rage and attacks Viego, but barely in a second Viego laughs again and floats up, runs him through and to Senna's dismay Lucian is Ruined. Very pleased with himself, Viego orders his servants to kill the Sentinels. All Ruined champions charge at them. No hope, none. Here, I imagined a scene, like from the endgame. A portal appears out of which jumps Yummi. A positive little aspect, Gwen is happy to see her favorite cat. Yummi brushes dust off of her fur and nose with her paws and says: "You didn't think we forgot about you, did you?" And THEN. From the portal comes Yone wielding his red blade but the other that of a Sentinel and wearing Sentinel armor. Out comes Sentinel Kennen, Sentinel Tristana with her Gunners and Sentinel Teemo. Yes, Sentinel Teemo ·-·

In addition, Sentinel Poppy, Braum, Ahri and Lulu. It turns out that the second group travelled to Bandle City where Poppy and Kennen were secretly members of the Sentinels from the Spirit Realm, from the city of Yordles. That's why Kennen knew to take Yone to Bandle City and knew what to do next. Poppy too knew what to do in the case of Ruination. It's just a little Yordle twist, not to make the entire event too dark. I was also thinking about Corki because he's cinematically the best Yordle and the cinematics with Yordles in general are probably the best but I was afraid I'd overdo it.

Of course, Viego hasn't been expecting the enormous comeback, he orders to destroy the Sentinels. Some champions generally fight with the armies of wraiths but certain duels break out, like Yasuo/Yone where the elder brother strives to save the younger, Taric, as the Aspect's host and the mightiest warrior, stands against Atreus. In front of Senna stands Lucian who is defeated by her. But during this fight Senna sees Viego tearing out a fragment of Isolde from Gwen who soon collapses to the ground. Then, Senna hears a faint voice saying: "Now".

She drops her cannon, runs up to Viego and musters up her whole strength to draw in fragments of Isolde's soul. Viego, to put it shortly, looked at Senna, intending to end her life but in the same moment Taric - having already won with Ruined Atreus - jumps at Viego. Only he stood some chance. However, after a short struggle Viego manages to, not defeat per se, but knock Taric back. Meanwhile we see Teemo who addresses lieutenant Lulu "It is time". And Lulu, as a powerful sorceress - certainly more so than a teenage Yordle - reverses the spell which Vex bestowed upon Viego. In turn, Viego weakens, he senses it, but says that it changes nothing. Because, really, it does change nothing. The alliance of the demon and the King of the Dead is still much more powerful.

Even still, meanwhile, Senna connects all fragments of Isolde's soul in herself. Senna becomes Isolde. After a moment of transformation, Senna's appearance drastically changes. At first, she looks like a spectre. The fighting stops, everyone is astonished. Viego gazes at his beloved and says "My love, you have returned to me at last". Isolde comes up to Viego, embraces him and strokes his cheek. After a while though, out of the Mist she summons Thresh who approaches asking: "Yes, my lady?" Viego is disoriented and asks Isolde how she knows Thresh, and the Warden replies in his charismatic mannerism: "Well, your highness… I have always been loyal. But not to you." Then Thresh holds up a mask which he secretly obtained in Ixtal and hid from the eyes of all. How? If it was a soul fragment, he could easily lock it in his lantern and make it undetectable to Zindel's Incognium. Now, Thresh pulls the jade mask out from his lantern and tosses it to Isolde who absorbs the last fragment. And from a spectre she turns into a horrid monstrosity. Albeit.. with curves and features of a woman. We know Riot doesn't like to exaggerate. Isolde - or Senna - after the change says to Viego that the Ruler of the Dead can be only one.

In despair, Viego stands before his love, not really knowing what's going on but - not to make him a total noob easy to beat up - he decides "So be it". They cannot defeat him because he's too strong. To which, Thresh lifts his lantern and in the blink of an eye begins to absorb the power from the Mist. Remember the demon I mentioned? The more allies it has, the more powerful it is. I think it would be an interesting way to weaken Viego. You know, Thresh drains the Mist, the souls within it, simultaneously taking power of Viego and the demon. He takes pretty much everything. Even the demon. You still might think I made Viego a bit of a noob anyway because in the end he's still defeated but throughout the whole adventure I was trying to paint him as a guy you really should be afraid of. Who really does something to the Sentinels. Here however, he loses. In the end, Isolde using Senna's power drains the remnants of the Mist from Viego like in the cinematic. His servants stand stunned as he kneels in disbelief. Senna comes up to him and he asks her why she's done that.

Here we have a bit of a retrospection. Isolde tells him that despite his great love, the King treated her as his property, he was sickly jealous and Isolde thinks it was because of him she passed in agony. Because of the pain and misery, the gentle woman changed beyond recognition and wished only for vengeance as her shattered soul also suffered unspeakably. Isolde looks at Akshan and tells him to shoot Viego. He hesitates but she says it's the only way to reverse what Viego had done after his return. To reverse the Ruination of the entire Runeterra. To reverse his deeds. He almost shoots but looks at Isolde, asking how she knows this. And suddenly, she changes to resemble Senna more and with her voice she says she's always here. That she's an ally of Isoldeof. It's only to convince the Sentinels and gain their trust. Akshan takes a shot at Viego. He cannot die but the effects of the Ruination recede from champions as well as the Mist releases Runeterra. Additionally, Gwen creates a prison from Hallowed Mist for Viego. Why Gwen, you ask? Let me explain. Powerful magic of every fantasy world is love. In youth, Isolde pouring her feelings into the doll accidentally - she was no mage but certainly a strongly magical character - creates certain magical abilities which made sort of a sentient construct that afterwards, I mean now, without the soul fragment could exist on its own.

Lucian comes back to himself as well, we have a touching scene but this isn't the end. Terrified, Lucian runs up to Senna. He asks how all this could have happened, what they're going to do now that Senna has two souls. Senna looks at Lucian, a tear runs down her cheek and Thresh says: "It is time, my dear". Lucian turns to the wraith and is about to shoot from his pistol. But Senna stands before him. She turns to Thresh "He at least deserves an explanation". Thresh replies, alright but make it short. Senna reveals a great secret to everyone..

In Bilgewater, after learning of the prophecy she encountered Thresh while she went out to get some air. He already had absorbed some of the Mist and could assume human form. He approached Senna and asked her for the way but she didn't know and had no time to react as Thresh caught her with his chains, saying that if she starts screaming, he's going to kill everyone.. in Bilgewater. Senna promised to be calm, Thresh released her and told her how he hates Viego and if they work together, they can stop him. He explained that Sentinels without aid from the dead stand no chance against Viego. He reveals to Senna Viego's plans regarding Vex, the facts about the demon and Isolde. He adds that this is the only way for Lucian to survive. And here, in spite of herself, Senna decides to trust Thresh. She shares the prophecy, the plans of the Sentinels but together they come up with a secret plan of their own.

Thresh convinced that Sentinels's prophecies are worthless and the only way to defeat Viego is to use his weakness against him. Isolde, who - Thresh knows - wants revenge against Viego. And he promises to spare Lucian if Senna absorbs all fragments of Isolde who was unspeakably powerful due to the Ruination, which will cause Senna to have two souls, giving her enough strength to beat Viego. In the end though, the deal was simple. For Thresh's aid Senna promised him the soul of Isolde

Despite his hatred towards Thresh, Lucian understands, Senna explains she did this all to save their love but Thresh grows impatient. Senna takes a couple of steps away, once again changes to Isolde and Thresh begins to drain her soul. It takes a while, everyone is blinded by blue light which fades after a moment. And once it does, we see only Thresh. Without Senna. Thresh becomes even more powerful through the absorption of Isolde's soul. Everyone thought that Senna would remain with them. Disoriented Lucian furiously says that it was supposed to be just Isolde. To which Thresh replies: "Don't tell me that after all the trouble you have caused me I would stop tormenting her.. and you."

Laughing, Thresh knocks back everyone with his chain. With the might of thousands of souls, demon and corrupted by Ruination's paradox Isolde, no one present could be a match for him. Most of the Sentinels fall from the summit of Targon bit Yummi - thanks to her Book - saves all one by one and takes them to the bottom where Diana and Leona wait for them. At the peak there is only Taric. Here I will tell you how I pictured it in my head. Immense power of Thresh thrums in the air and his great plan was truly a masterpiece. Taric attempts to attack Thresh but the host of the Aspect of the Protector is also thrown off the peak. But here we have another twist.

Remember the prophecy? It would be nice if it was fulfilled. Grand, golden Astral Gate. Thresh stares stunned as from the sky descends a creature with blazing wings, donning armor of cosmic stone and wielding twin blades burning with astral fire. Kayle returns to Runeterra. She doesn't have her helmet and her eyes are filled with white energy revealing that she.. is an Aspect. Not just a host. But she herself became the Aspect of Justice. The mightiest champion currently residing on Runeterra. In a split of a second she flies up to Thresh and starts a duel. Still, with all the power he possesses, Thresh is certainly a worthy opponent. The fight between the Aspect and the new King of the Dead is murderous. Sentinels, Solari and Lunari gaze up at the skies, at the peak of Targon in awe, watching the shifting colors as Kale and Thresh battle one another. In any case, Thresh - unwilling to lose so soon and endanger his newfound power - says "This isn't over, Aspect", dissolves like mist in the air and retreats. Unmoved by this Kayle flies down to Lunari, Solari and the Sentinels, announcing that an end must be put to Thresh and his likes. 

And here we have a bittersweet ending. Yummi returns everyone to respective regions and Viego is moved to Shadow Isles where he's guarded by previously allied with the old Keeper Yorick, and yes, I know the Maiden wasn't here as a fetter but instead of changing the concept, in my Ruination I'd rather not turn it around by 180°. And Yorick, in truce with Kalista and Maokai, guards the King of the Dead and attempts restoration of the isles. The Shadow Isles are still dangerous and betrayed by Thresh Hecarim, Karthus and the likes want to free Viego and give Thresh a payback. We also find out that thanks to the power of her Goddess Illaoi survived and she stays to watch over Viego as well. Thresh on the other hand, no longer bound to Shadow Isles, travels across Runeterra and quietly, without drawing too much attention enlarges his collection of souls and tries to find a way to win with Kayle. All regions try to stand up after the Ruination. Qyiana tries to become the head of Ixtal, Nasus returns to Azir, Leona and Diana decide to bring peace to Targon together. Braum returns to Freljord, Yordles to Bandle City. Meanwhile, Lucian becomes a shadow of himself. Revenge consumes him in full. Vayne and Yone join him to find Thresh and defeat him. Samira and Draven go to Noxus, Irelia goes back with Karma but here I would expand Karma's plot. That she steps out and chooses solitude, unable to forgive herself. You know, all champions go more or less back to normal. I realise there are a bunch of inconsistencies here, more detail is required, dialogues etc. But making this scenario took me about 3 hours. And those unexplained parts should be clarified and if I was working at Riot Gamespolice, I would say before the event that things left unclear will be resolved in future stories. The event itself I would end with such a cinematic:

Vex, attacked and used by Viego, wandered around Ruined Noxus. Unsure what to do with herself she even considered returning toto Bandle City but she came across a man named Yanuk (Januk? Sorry, for the misspellings, I was writing it without a script xD). The very same who told Ezreal to retrieve the Uloa elixir. A special elixir which could revive a certain person. Ezreal however, tricked him. Vex didn't care what Yanuk had to say but he shouted that she looked like she wished for darkness. And he knows how to give it. Along with Shadow, Vex hearing the plan came back toto Yanuk with the Uloa elixir. Yanuk performs the right ritual which leads to a certain dark event. An ethereal gateway opens. And through it steps out none other than Mordekeiser who ends the cinematic with one sentence. Imagine I am saying this with Mordekeiser's voice. "I will show you… Ruination."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

submitted by: @sophi-s

Holy shit, that was super long.

I haven't actually read it because I wanted to share this to everyone as soon as possible, but I WILL read it.

How long did this take you, darling? Three days?

But thank you for this incredible translation and thank you very much for your hardwork. I really appreciate you doing all this for us, thank you sophi-s.

[fuyonggu]

Chen Lin’s Proclamation to Wu (Long Version, Scholarly Commentary)

This is a proclamation which appears in the Wenxuan or Selections of Refined Literature, a collection of outstanding poetry and prose from the sixth century. Among the entries in the Proclamations chapter of that text are three Three Kingdoms-related proclamations, two by Chen Lin and one by Zhong Hui. The first Chen Lin entry is his famous denunciation of Cao Cao on behalf of Yuan Shao. This is the other, an attempt to overawe Sun Quan’s subjects and encourage them to defect to Cao Cao.

This proclamation appears to have been written at the beginning of 217, shortly before the second Ruxukou campaign, especially since it mentions events up until that time and mentions Xiahou Yuan as still being alive. Curiously, Chen Lin seems to have ghostwritten the proclamation on behalf of Xun Yu, who would have died five years earlier. Either that detail is mistaken or I am.

This post includes the original text and additional scholarly commentary. There is a duplicate post which just contains the actual translation.

檄吳將校部曲文

Proclamation to the Generals, Officers, and Subordinates of Wu

陳孔璋

By Chen Kongzhang (Chen Lin)

年月朔日，子尚書令彧，告江東諸將校部曲及孫權宗親中外：

On the first day of the year, the Prefect of the Masters of Writing, Xun Yu, distributed this proclamation to the various generals, officers, and subordinates of the Southland and to Sun Quan's friends and relatives, both near and far:

〈魏志曰：荀彧，字文若，潁川人也，太祖進彧為漢侍中，守尚書令。〉

(The Records of the Three Kingdoms states that Xun Yu, styled Wenruo, was a native of Yingchuan commandary. Cao Cao promoted him to be a Palace Attendant of the Han dynasty, as well as acting Prefect of the Masters of Writing.)

蓋聞禍福無門，惟人所召。夫見機而作，不處凶危，上聖之明也；臨事制變，困而能通，智者之慮也；漸漬荒沈，往而不反，下愚之蔽也。是以大雅君子，於安思危，以遠咎悔；小人臨禍懷佚，以待死亡。二者之量，不亦殊乎！

"It has been said, 'Happiness and misery have no gate by which they must enter, but each man calls the one or the other for himself'. For the man who 'sees his opportunity and acts', rather than remain amidst adversity and peril, has the wisdom of a great sage; he who, faced with danger and pressed by circumstances, heeds the new situation only in the end, deserves the concern of the knowledgeable; and he who only plunges deeper into the muck and mire, never turning aside from doom, merits the annihilation of the foolish. Thus does the refined and superior gentleman consider danger even while at peace, and contemplates future regrets even when they seem remote, while the inferior man is caught unawares by misfortune and laments his loss, and in the end meets with death and destruction. Is there not a great divide between them?

〈左氏傳閔子騫之辭。〉〈周易曰：君子見機而作，不俟終日。〉〈漢書曰：江充因變制宜。周易曰：困而不失其所亨，其唯君子乎！王弼曰：窮必通也。〉〈班固漢書贊曰：大雅卓爾不群，河間獻王近之矣。封禪書曰：興必慮衰，安必慮危。〉

(The first quote is from Min Zima, as mentioned in the Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals (Xiang 23.10).

The Book of Changes states, "The superior fellow sees his opportunity and acts, and does not wait until his ruin."

The Book of Han states, "Jiang Tong adapted according to the situation." The Book of Changes states, "Is it not only the superior gentlemen who does not lose his way even when pressed by adversity?" Wang Bi remarked, "One who is exhausted will turn."

Ban Gu's commentary in the Book of Han states, "The refined fellow stands head and shoulders above the rest; Prince Xian of Hejian was close to being such a fellow." And the Book of Fengshan states, "During prosperity, one must consider decline; at peace, one must contemplate danger.")

孫權小子，未辨菽麥，要領不足以膏齊斧，名字不足以洿簡墨。譬猶鷇卵，始生翰毛，而便陸梁放肆，顧行吠主。謂為舟楫足以距皇威，江湖可以逃靈誅，不知天網設張，以在綱目，爨鑊之魚，期於消爛也。若使水而可恃，則洞庭無三苗之墟，子陽無荊門之敗，朝鮮之壘不刊，南越之旍不拔。昔夫差承闔閭之遠跡，用申胥之訓兵，棲越會稽，可謂強矣。及其抗衡上國，與晉爭長，都城屠於勾踐，武卒散於黃池，終於覆滅，身罄越軍。及吳王濞驕恣屈強，猖猾始亂，自以兵強國富，勢陵京城。太尉帥師，甫下滎陽，則七國之軍，瓦解冰冸，濞之罵言未絕於口，而丹徒之刃以陷其胸。何則？天威不可當，而悖逆之罪重也。

"Now Sun Quan is a mere whelp, and 'unable to distinguish beans from wheat'; he has not worth enough to 'douse the axe' of authority, nor reputation enough to impress anyone. He is a mere hatchling, still growing his adult feathers. Yet he would seek to wander about and do as he pleases, like a dog who barks at his master; he claims that his boats and ships will let him oppose the imperial majesty, and his rivers and lacks shall save him from august punishment. But he does not recognize that Heaven casts its net wide, and he shall be caught in it; he is nothing but a fish in the pot, who will cook when its time has come.

"Has he his rivers to protect him? Yet by the waters of Lake Dongting there remains not a trace of the three ancient states of Miao. Ziyang (Gongsun Shu) had the Jing Gate to guard him, yet he was defeated; Chaoxian (northern Korea) had their ramparts, but they availed them not; Nanyue had their banners, yet they too perished.

“In ancient times, the King of Wu, Fuchai, inherited the legacy of his father Helü and the trained army provided by Shen Xu (Wu Zixu), and he stood astride the region of Kuaiji. Certainly he could have been called a mighty king. Yet when he sought to prove whose was the premier state and struggled with Jin for supremacy, his capital city was sacked by Goujian of Yue and his soldiers were put to flight at Huangchi, and in the end his state was toppled and destroyed and his corpse fell into the hands of the Yue army.

“During the Han dynasty, there was the Prince of Wu, Liu Bi, who was proud, arrogant, and overbearing. Out of his ferocity and cunning, he sought to start disorder, for he believed that he had a strong army and a rich territory, and that he was powerful enough to bully the capital. But when the Grand Commandant (Zhou Yafu) led his army down to Xingyang, the armies of the seven states cracked like tiles and melted like ice, and before Liu Bi could even say a word of condemnation, his throat had already been cut by the blade of Dantu.

“What to make of the fate of such men? Merely this: that the might of Heaven cannot be opposed, and those who rebel against its will are great criminals indeed.

〈左氏傳曰：晉周子有兄而無慧，不能辨菽麥。〉〈漢書音義，服虔注曰：易曰：喪其齊斧。未聞其說。張晏曰：斧，鉞也，以整齊天下。應劭曰：齊，利也。虞喜志林曰：齊，側皆切。凡師出必齊戒入廟受斧，故曰齊斧也。〉〈爾雅曰：生而自食曰雛，待哺曰鷇。郭璞曰：鳥子須母食。鄭玄尚書大傳注曰：翰毛，毛長大者。〉〈西京賦曰：怪獸陸梁。戰國策，刁勃謂田單曰：跖之狗吠堯，非其主也。〉〈尚書，帝曰：咨禹，惟時有苗弗率，汝徂征。三旬苗民逆命，帝乃誕敷文德，七旬有苗格。孔安國曰：三苗之國，左洞庭，右彭蠡。范曄後漢書曰：公孫述，字子陽，自立為蜀王，遣任滿據荊門。帝令征南大將軍岑彭攻之，滿大敗。〉〈史記曰：天子拜涉何為遼東部都尉。朝鮮襲殺何。天子遣左將軍荀彘擊朝鮮，朝鮮人殺其王右渠來降，定朝鮮為四郡。又曰：南越呂嘉反，以主爵都尉楊僕為樓舡將軍，下橫浦，咸會番禺，南越以平，遂為九郡。又曰：東越王餘善反，遣橫海將軍韓悅出句章。越建成侯敖殺餘善，以其衆降。〉〈史記曰：吳王闔閭死，立太子夫差。又樂毅遺燕惠王書曰：昔伍子胥說聽於闔閭，而吳王遠跡至郢。韋昭國語注曰：申胥，楚大夫伍奢之子子胥也。名員。員奔吳，吳與地，故曰申胥。史記曰：吳王夫差伐越，敗之，越王勾踐乃以甲兵五千人棲於會稽。〉〈毛萇詩注曰：抗，舉也。鄭玄周禮注曰：稱上曰衡。抗衡，謂對舉以爭輕重也。史記，陸賈曰：以區區之越，與天子抗衡為敵國。又曰：吳王夫差北會諸侯於黃池，欲霸中國。吳王與晉定公爭長，乃長晉定公。吳引兵歸國。又曰：吳與晉人相遇黃池之上，吳、晉爭強，晉人擊之，大敗吳師。越王聞之，襲吳。吳王聞之，去晉而歸，與越戰，不勝，城門不守，遂圍王宮而殺夫差。〉〈漢書曰：吳王濞，高帝兄仲之子也，立濞為吳王。孝景五年，起兵於廣陵。左氏傳曰：鄭子太叔卒，晉趙簡子曰：黃父之會，夫子語我九言，曰：無始亂，無怙富。〉〈漢書曰：七國反書聞，天子遣條侯周亞夫往擊楚，敗之。七國：吳王濞、楚王戊、趙王遂、膠西王卬、濟南王辟光、淄川王賢、膠東王渠。〉〈漢書曰：吳王敗，乃與戲下壯士千人夜亡，渡淮，走丹徒，保東越。漢使人以利啗東越，東越即紿吳王。吳王出勞軍，漢使人鏦殺吳王。漢書，賈誼上疏曰：適啟其口，匕首已陷其胸矣。〉

(Regarding the phrase "unable to distinguish beans from wheat", the Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals mentions that a certain brother of Zhouzi of Jin "was devoid of intelligence, so that he could not distinguish beans from wheat".

Regarding "douse his axe", in the pronunciation commentary to the Book of Han, Fu Qian notes, "The Book of Changes states that 'he mourned his axe'." But I (the commentator) have not heard of this. Zhang Yan remarked, "The axe in this case is the military battle-axe, with which one brings order to the realm." Ying Shao remarked, "The character 齊 in this case means 'beneficial'." Yi Xi's Zhilin states, "齊 here means 'corresponding'. A commander who is about to go out invariably enters the temple and received the battle-axe, thus this term."

The Erya dictionary states, "Among birds, those who are able to feed themselves upon being born are called 雛 'chicks', while those who wait to be fed are called 鷇 'hatchlings'." Guo Pu remarked, "Baby birds wait for their mothers to feed them." Zheng Xuan's commentary to the Book of Documents states, "Adult feathers are those feathers that have grown long and large."

Chen Lin uses the term 陸梁 "wander about"; this appears in a verse in the Rhapsody on the Western Capital: "strange beasts wander about".

In the Strategies of the Warring States, Diao Bo says to Tian Dan, "The reason that Robber Zhi's dog barked at Yao was because Yao was not the dog's master."

Regarding the Miao states, the Book of Documents states, "The Emperor said, 'Alas! O Yu, there is only the lord of Miao who refuses obedience; do you go and correct him.' For thirty days, the people of Miao continued rebellious against the commands. But the Emperor set about diffusing on a grand scale the virtuous influences of peace, and in seventy days, the lord of Miao came and made his submission." Kong Anguo remarked, "These were the three Miao states; to their left was Lake Dongting, and to their right was Lake Pengli (Lake Poyang)."

Fan Ye's Book of Later Han states, "Gongsun Shu, styled Ziyang, declared himself King of Shu. He sent Ren Man to occupy the Jing Gate. But Emperor Guangwu sent his Grand General Who Conquers The South, Cen Peng, to attack the Jing Gate, and Ren Man was greatly defeated."

Regarding Chaoxian, the Records of the Grand Historian states, "Emperor Wu of Han appointed She He as Commandant of Liaodong, but Chaoxian surprise attacked and killed She He. Emperor Wu then sent his General of the Left, Xun Zhi, to attack Chaoxian. The people of Chaoxian killed their king Ugeo and came to surrender, and Chaoxian was thus organized into four commandaries."

And regarding Nanyue, it states, "Lü Jia of Nanyue rebelled against the Han dynasty. Emperor Wu appointed his Commandant of Titles, Yang Pu, as General of Tower Ships, and Yang Pu sailed down to Hengpu and then rendezvoused at Panyu. Nanyue was pacified, and organized into nine commandaries." It also states, "The King of Dongyue (or Minyue), Yushan, rebelled. Emperor Wu sent his General Who Crests The Yangzi, Han Yue, out to Gouzhang. Dongyue's Marquis of Jiancheng killed Yushan and led his forces to surrender."

The Records of the Grand Historian mentions that when King Helü of Wu passed away, his Crown Prince, Fuchai, succeeded him. And the Yan general Yue Yi mentioned in a letter to King Hui of Yan that "Wu Zixu gained the ear of Helü, and thus the King of Wu was able to launch a distant campaign and capture the Chu capital at Ying." Wei Zhao's commentary on the Discourses of the States states, "Shen Xu was the son of the great Chu minister Wu She, named Wu Zixu; his given name was Yuan. When Wu Yuan fled Chu and sought refuge in Wu, Wu granted him a fief, thus he also became known as Shen Xu." The Records further states, "When King Fuchai of Wu campaigned against Yue and defeated them, King Goujian of Yue led five thousand armored soldiers to perch at Kuaiji."

The commentary to the Mao edition of the Book of Poetry states, "To oppose is to contend." Zheng Xuan's commentary to the Rites of Zhou states, "To claim supremacy is to oppose. By thus opposing, one sought to see whose side was strongest." In the Records of the Grand Historian, Lu Jia states, "This pathetic little region of Yue dares to contend with the Son of Heaven as an enemy."

The Records also states, "King Fuchai of Wu went north to the conference of feudal lords at Huangchi, where he sought to claim status as Hegemon of the Middle Kingdom. He contended with Duke Ding of Jin for supremacy, but Duke Ding proved the victor. Wu thus led its troops home again." It further states, "When Wu encountered the people of Jin above Huangchi, the two sides fought for dominance; the people of Jin attacked the Wu soldiers, and greatly defeated their army. When the King of Yue (Goujian) learned of this, he led a surprise attack against Wu. Upon hearing this, the King of Wu (Fuchai) left Jin and returned to attack Yue. But he was unsuccessful; the city gates could not hold, and the Yue army besieged the palace and killed Fuchai."

The Book of Han states, "The Prince of Wu, Liu Bi, was the son of Emperor Gaozu's (Liu Bang's) elder brother Liu Zhong, and he was appointed as the Prince of Wu. In the fifth year of Emperor Jing's reign (154 BC), Liu Bi rose up with troops at Guangling."

The Zuo Commentary states, "When Zitaishu of Zheng passed away, Zhao Jianzi of Jin said, 'At the meeting of Huangfu, he told me, "Do not begin disorder, do not trust in riches".'"

The Book of Han states, "When word reached the capital of the Rebellion of the Seven States, Emperor Jing sent the Marquis Xiao, Zhou Yafu, to attack the Prince of Chu, and Zhou Yafu defeated him." The Seven States were the Prince of Wu, Liu Bi, the Prince of Chu, Liu Wu, the Prince of Zhao, Liu Sui, the Prince of Jiaoxi, Liu Ang, the Prince of Jinan, Liu Piguang, the Prince of Zichuan, Liu Xian, and the Prince of Jiaodong, Liu Qu.

The Book of Han further states, "When the Prince of Wu was defeated, he fled through the night with a thousand strong fellows and crossed the Huai River to flee to Dantu, where he sought refuge in Dongyue. But Han sent envoys to persuade Dongyue, who surrendered the Prince of Wu to them. When the Prince of Wu was about to come out and rebuke the troops, an agent was sent to kill him with a short spear." Elsewhere in the Book of Han, Jia Yi mentions in a petition that "He was just about to open his mouth when his neck was suddenly pierced.")

且江湖之衆，不足恃也，自董卓作亂，以迄於今，將三十載。其間豪桀縱橫，熊據虎跱，強如二袁，勇如呂布，跨州連郡，有威有名，十有餘輩。其餘鋒捍特起，鸇視狼顧，爭為梟雄者，不可勝數。然皆伏鈇嬰鉞，首腰分離，雲散原燎，罔有孑遺。近者關中諸將，復相合聚，續為叛亂，阻二華，據河渭，驅率羌胡，齊鋒東向，氣高志遠，似若無敵。丞相秉鉞鷹揚，順風烈火，元戎啟行，未鼓而破。伏尸千萬，流血漂樐，此皆天下所共知也。是後大軍所以臨江而不濟者，以韓約馬超逋逸迸脫，走還涼州，復欲鳴吠。逆賊宋建，僭號河首，同惡相救，並為脣齒。又鎮南將軍張魯，負固不恭。皆我王誅所當先加。故且觀兵旋旆，復整六師，長驅西征，致天下誅。偏將涉隴，則建約梟夷，旍首萬里；軍入散關，則群氐率服，王侯豪帥，奔走前驅。進臨漢中，則陽平不守，十萬之師，土崩魚爛，張魯逋竄，走入巴中，懷恩悔過，委質還降；巴夷王朴胡賨邑侯杜濩，各帥種落，共舉巴郡，以奉王職。鉦鼓一動，二方俱定，利盡西海，兵不鈍鋒。若此之事，皆上天威明，社稷神武，非徒人力所能立也。

"Nor can Sun Quan be secure in the power of his army. After all, it has been nearly thirty years by now since Dong Zhuo first began the turmoil. And during that time, great heroes and talents roamed the length and breadth of the land, territorial as bears and implacable as tigers. The most powerful among them were those like the two Yuans (Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu), and the strongest were those like Lü Bu; for more than ten years, they stood astride several provinces, and they wielded power and commanded respect. Even beyond them, there were many remarkable heroes with passion and zeal, gazing like owls and glancing like wolves, and in this struggle for heroic supremacy there were too many people to count. Yet in the end, every one of them fell under the axe and parted with their heads; the clouds dispersed and the plains were scorched, and not a man remained among them.

"More recently, there were the generals of Guanzhong (Ma Chao and his allies), who banded together to rebel and cause chaos. They blocked the two Huas (Huayin and Huayang), occupied the Yellow and Wei Rivers, led the Qiang and other tribes to charge forward, and pushed their vanguard towards the east. They possessed towering zeal and lofty ambitions, and it seemed as though no one could stand against them. Yet the Prime Minister (Cao Cao) took up the military battle-axe and spread the word, and, sure as wind and blazing as fire, he 'led the way in front' and routed the foe before a roll of the drums. The result was 'a heap of corpses by the thousands and tens of thousands, of flowing blood and discarded shields'. These are things which all the realm well knows.

"Later, when the grand army had come to the banks of the Yangzi but had not yet crossed, Han Yue (Han Sui) and Ma Chao scampered off and fled back to Liangzhou, where they once again sought to caw and bark. The traitor and bandit Song Jian, who had declared himself King of the Source of the Yellow River, formed common cause with their evil; they helped each other as the lips support the teeth. It was the same way with the General Who Guards The South, Zhang Lu, who was confident in his defenses and so refused to respect royal authority. These enemies were all deserving of our royal punishment. Thus the Prime Minister merely reviewed the troops and made a demonstration at the Yangzi, then once again put the royal armies in order and charged to the west on campaign, to inflict the punishment of the realm against these foes.

"What were the results? No sooner had mere subordinate generals crossed the Long Mountains when Song Jian and Han Sui parted with their heads, and their heads and banners were sent ten thousand li to us. The moment that our army entered San Pass, the various Di tribes came to submit to us, and their kings, nobles, chiefs, and leaders all fled in the face of our advance. When we advanced to Hanzhong, Yangping Gate fell before us; Zhang Lu's army of a hundred thousand men was no more than fallen earth or rotting fish. Zhang Lu himself scurried away, fleeing into Bazhong, but then cherishing the kindness that he had been shown and repenting of his transgressions, he brought his whole family and returned to surrender. The King of the the tribes of Ba, Pu Hu, and the Marquis of the Cong tribes, Du Huo, each led their forces to come and submit, presenting up Ba commandary, and these leaders were employed in office. Thus with one blow of the horns and one roll of the drums, these two corners of the realm were all pacified; we reaped the full bounty of the western sea without even a clash of the vanguards.

"Such things as these only come about through the might and wisdom of Heaven above and the martial prowess of the very spirits of state; they are not something that the power of a mere mortal can accomplish.

〈二袁，袁紹、袁術也。魏志曰：呂布便弓馬，旅力過人，號為飛將。〉〈淮南子曰：鴟視虎顧。鹽鐵論曰：無鹿駭狼顧之憂。〉〈尚書曰：若火之燎于原。毛詩曰：周餘黎民，靡有孑遺。〉〈魏志，張魯據漢中，遣鍾繇討之。是時關中諸將，疑繇欲自襲馬超，遂與楊秋、李湛、宜成等反。遣曹仁討之。超等屯潼關，公敕諸將：關西兵精悍，堅壁勿與戰。〉〈魏志曰：公西征馬超。公自潼關北度，未濟，超赴船急戰。丁斐曰：放馬以餌賊。賊亂取馬，公乃得渡，循河為甬而南。賊追距渭口，公乃分兵結營於渭南。賊夜攻營，伏兵擊破之，進軍渡渭。超等數挑戰，不許，公乃與克日會戰。先以輕兵挑之，戰良久，乃縱彍騎夾擊，大破之，斬宜成、李湛等。漢書，元后詔曰：運獨見之明，奮無前之威。毛詩曰：武王載旆，有虔秉鉞，如火烈烈，則莫我敢遏。又曰：元戎十乘，以先啟行。〉〈戰國策，秦王謂唐且曰：天子之怒，伏尸百萬，流血千里。賈誼過秦曰：伏尸百萬，流血漂樐。〉〈魏志曰：曹公斬宜成，遂、超走涼州。典略曰：韓遂，字文約，在涼州阻兵為亂，積三十年，建安二十年乃死。〉〈魏志曰：初，隴西宋建自稱河首平漢王，聚衆枹罕。夏侯淵討之，屠枹罕，斬建涼州。〉〈魏志曰：張魯，字公旗，據漢中，以鬼道教人，自號師君。長雄巴漢，垂三十年，漢末力不能征，遂就寵魯為鎮民中郎將。漢寧，太祖征之。周禮曰：負固不服則攻之。〉〈魏志曰：建安十七年，公征孫權，攻破江西營，乃引軍還。史記曰：武王東觀兵至于孟津。諸侯皆曰：帝紂可伐。武王曰：未可。乃還師。〉〈魏志曰：建安二十年，公西征張魯。〉〈魏志曰：韓遂在顯親，夏侯淵欲襲取之，遂走。後淵大破遂軍，得其旍麾。斬建及遂死，已見上文。〉〈魏志曰：公西征張魯，自陳倉出散關至河池。氐王竇茂恃險不服，攻屠之。〉〈魏志曰：西征張魯，至陽平，魯使弟衛據陽平關，公乃遣高祚等乘險夜襲，大破之。〉〈魏志曰：魯弟衛夜遯。魯潰走巴中，遣人慰喻。魯盡家屬出降。土崩，已見上文。公羊傳曰：其言梁亡何？自亡也。奈何？魚爛而亡。何休曰：魚爛從內發。左氏傳，狐突曰：策名委質。〉〈魏志曰：建安二十年，七姓巴夷王朴胡、賨邑侯杜濩舉巴夷、賨民來附。於是分巴郡，以胡為巴東太守，濩巴西太守。孫盛曰：朴音浮。濩音護。〉〈戰國策，司馬錯曰：今伐蜀，利盡西海，而諸侯不以為貪。漢書，淮南王安上疏曰：不勞一卒，不頓一戟。又曰：不挫一兵之鋒。鈍與頓同。〉

(The "two Yuans" were Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

The Biography of Lü Bu in the Records of the Three Kingdoms states, "Lü Bu was skilled at archery and riding, and his strength surpassed that of others. People called him the Flying General."

The phrase "gazing like owls and glancing like wolves" comes from the Huainanzi. And the Discourses on Salt and Iron has a similar phrase: "There were be no cause for concern of 'the skittishness of a deer or the glancing of a wolf'."

The Book of Documents has the phrase, "like a fire that scorches the plains". And the Mao edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "Of the remnant of Zhou, among the black-haired people, there will not be half a man left".

The Records of the Three Kingdoms describes the uprising of the Guanzhong generals: "When Zhang Lu occupied Hanzhong, Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao to campaign against him. But at that time, the generals of Guanzhong suspected that Zhong Yao really intended to launch a surprise attack against Ma Chao. So Ma Chao banded together with Yang Qiu, Li Zhan, Yi Cheng, and others and rebelled. Cao Cao sent Cao Ren to campaign against them. Ma Chao and the others camped at Tong Gate. Cao Cao ordered his generals, 'The soldiers of Guanxi have keen zeal; keep fast to your defenses, and do not fight them.'"

The Records continues, "Cao Cao came west to campaign against Ma Chao. Cao Cao was going to cross the Yellow River north of Tong Gate, but before, Ma Chao's fleet arrived and brought on a fierce battle. Ding Fei advised him, 'Scatter your horses to entice the rebels.' So Cao Cao scattered his horses, and the rebels scrambled to take them, thus allowing Cao Cao to get across the river, then follow it to the south. The rebels pursued him and opposed him at Weikou, so Cao Cao divided his troops and arranged a camp at Weinan. The rebels attacked the camp during the night, but troops lying in ambush attacked and routed them. Cao Cao then advanced and crossed the Wei River as well. Ma Chao and the others repeatedly sought battle; Cao Cao kept putting them off, but eventually agreed, and on the arranged date the two sides met in battle. Cao Cao initially sent some light troops forward to skirmish with the enemy, but after the battle had dragged on for some time, he had his cavalry attack from the flanks, greatly routing the rebels. He took the heads of Yi Cheng, Li Kan, and others.

In the Book of Han, the edict of Empress Yuan has the phrase "zealous as though no one can stand before them". The Mao edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "The martial king displayed his banner, and with reverence grasped his axe. It was like a blazing fire, which no one can repress." And again, "Ten large war chariots led the way in front.”

In the Strategies of the Warring States, the King of Qin says to Tang Ju, "The anger of the Son of Heaven leads to a heap of corpses by the hundreds and tens of thousands, and flowing blood for a thousand li." Jia Yi's essay The Faults of Qin has a similar phrase: "a heap of corpses by the hundreds and tens of thousands, of flowing blood and discarded shields".

The Records of the Three Kingdoms states, "After Cao Cao beheaded Yi Cheng, Han Sui and Ma Chao fled to Liangzhou." The Dianlue states, "Han Sui, styled Wenyue, occupied Liangzhou and raised troops in rebellion for thirty years. He died in the twentieth year of Jian'an (215)."

The Records continue, "Earlier, Song Jian of Longxi had declared himself King of the Source of the Yellow River Who Pacifies the Han Dynasty, and he had gathered an army at Fuhan. Xiahou Yuan campaigned against him; he sacked Fuhan and took Song Jian's head."

The Records continue, "Zhang Lu, styled Gongqi, occupied Hanzhong. He instructed the people in mystic arts, calling himself Instructor and Master. He stood tall over the regions of Ba and Han for nearly thirty years. Since in the final years of the Han dynasty the court was not strong enough to campaign against him, they appeased Zhang Lu by appointing him as General of the Household Gentlemen Who Guards The People. But after Han had been settled, Cao Cao campaigned against him." The Rites of Zhou states, "Whomever relies upon their defenses and refuses to submit, attack them."

The Records continue, "In the seventeenth year of Jian'an (212), Cao Cao campaigned against Sun Quan. He attacked and routed Sun Quan's camps north of the Yangzi, then led his army back again." Chen Lin alludes to an account from the Records of the Grand Historian: "King Wu of Zhou reviewed his troops at Meng Crossing. The nobles all told him, 'Now is the time to campaign against King Zhou of Shang.' But King Wu told them, 'The moment is not right.' And he led his army back again."

The Records continue, "In the twentieth year of Jian'an (215), Cao Cao campaigned west against Zhang Lu."

The Records continue, "Han Sui was at Xianqin. Xiahou Yuan wished to launch a surprise attack and capture him, so Han Sui fled. Later, Xiahou Yuan greatly routed Han Sui's army and captured his banners and flags." This led to the deaths of Song Jian and Han Sui, as mentioned above.

The Records continue, "When Cao Cao campaigned against Zhang Lu, he marched from Chencang, came out through San Pass, and advanced to Hechi. The King of the Di, Dou Mao, was confident of his defenses and would not submit. Cao Cao attacked and slaughtered him."

The Records continue, "During the campaign against Zhang Lu, Cao Cao came to Yangping. Zhang Lu sent his younger brother Zhang Wei to occupy Yangping Gate. Cao Cao then sent Gao Zuo and others to slip through the terrain and launch a surprise night attack, and they greatly routed Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei fled through the night. Zhang Lu fled to hide in the Ba region, while sending envoys to smooth relations. He then brought his whole family out to surrender."

The simile of fallen earth has already been mentioned above. Regarding rotting fish, the Gongyang Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals states, "In what way did he say that Liang would fall? From self-destruction. What would that be like? Like a fish which rots before it dies." He Xiu remarked, "Fish rot from the inside out."

The Zuo Commentary states, "To demonstrate his loyalty, the new officer wrote his name on a plaque and presented a sacrifice."

The Records continue, "In the twentieth year of Jian'an (215), the King of the seven tribes of the Ba region, Pu Hu, and the Marquis of the Cong people, Du Huo, led the tribes of Ba and the Cong people to come and submit to Cao Cao. Cao Cao thus split Ba commandary in half; he appointed Pu Hu as Administrator of Badong, and Du Huo as Administrator of Baxi." Sun Sheng remarked, "Pu Hu's surname 朴 is pronounced 'fu', and Du Huo's given name 濩 is pronounced 'hu'."

In the Strategies of the Warring States, Sima Cuo states, "If you now campaign against Shu, you will reap all the bounty of the western sea, which the feudal lords have no greed for."

In the Book of Han, the Prince of Huainan, Liu An, has a petition which includes the phrases, "trouble not a single soldier, nor set a single spear", and "seek not a single clash of weapons".)

聖朝寬仁覆載，允信允文，大啟爵命，以示四方。魯及胡濩皆享萬戶之封，魯之五子，各受千室之邑，胡濩子弟部曲將校為列侯將軍已下千有餘人。百姓安堵，四民反業。而建約之屬，皆為鯨鯢；超之妻孥，焚首金城，父母嬰孩，覆尸許市。非國家鍾禍於彼，降福於此也，逆順之分，不得不然。夫鷙鳥之擊先高，攫鷙之勢也；牧野之威，孟津之退也。今者枳棘翦扞，戎夏以清，萬里肅齊，六師無事。故大舉天師百萬之衆，與匈奴南單于呼完廚及六郡烏桓丁令屠各，湟中羌僰，霆奮席卷，自壽春而南。又使征西將軍夏侯淵等，率精甲五萬，及武都氐羌，巴漢銳卒，南臨汶江，搤據庸蜀。江夏襄陽諸軍，橫截湘沅，以臨豫章，樓船橫海之師，直指吳會。萬里克期，五道並入，權之期命，於是至矣。

"And how generous and benevolent the court is; most impartial, fully civil and fully trustworthy, and greatly willing to grant titles as a display to all the realm. Having submitted to the dynasty, Zhang Lu, Pu Hu, and Du Huo were all granted fiefs of ten thousand households, Zhang Lu's five sons were all granted fiefs of a thousand households, and more than a thousand of the relatives and subordinates of Pu Hu and Du Huo were granted titles from minor marquises and generals on down. Thus were the people able to enjoy tranquility, and the Four Professions returned to their livelihoods. But as for those who rebelled, Song Jian and Han Yue (Han Sui) and their ilk were all 'buried under a mound', while Ma Chao's wife and children were beheaded at Jincheng and his parents and infants were executed in the Xu marketplace. These were not merely the whims of the state to inflict misfortune here and bestow blessings there; they were the just fruits of the submissive and the traitorous.

"Before it snatches its prey, a raptor will often first ascend in order to muster its full power. Likewise, before King Wu of Zhou's ultimate victory at Muye, he first withdrew from Meng Crossing. So too have we been clearing the brambles and cutting away the thorns, restoring peace among the tribes and the Xia (ethnic Han), such that now all the territory for ten thousand li around has become respectful and submissive, and there is no military trouble to be found.

"And now (~217) we have brought forth this heavenly army against you, one million strong, bolstered with the support of the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, Huwanchu (Huchuquan), the various tribes of the six commandaries, the Wuhuan, the Dingling, and the Chuge, and the Qiang and Bo tribes of Huangzhong. Like the rolling of thunder and the unfurling of a mat, we have swept south from Shouchun. At the same time, the General Who Conquers The West, Xiahou Yuan, and others are leading forth fifty thousand elite armored soldiers. The Di and Qiang tribes of Wudu and the zealous troops of the Ba and Han regions are marching south to the Wen River and the Yangzi to swiftly occupy the regions of Tang and Shu. The armies of Jiangxia and Xiangyang are also on the move, crossing the Xiang and Yuan Rivers and approaching Yuzhang. Lastly, our great fleet of tower ships is skirting the coast of the sea and heading straight for the regions of Wu and Kuaiji. All along this front of ten thousand li, we march as one, advancing along five routes against us. Sun Quan's fate is now at hand.

〈春秋考異郵曰：赤帝之精，寬仁大度。禮記曰：天無私覆，地無私載。毛詩曰：允文允武，昭假列祖。〉〈魏志曰：胡、濩者皆封列侯。又曰：封魯及五子皆為列侯。〉〈漢書曰：高祖入關，吏民皆安堵如故。管子曰：士農工商四民者，國之石民。〉〈左氏傳，楚子曰：古者明王伐不敬，取其鯨鯢而封，以為大戮。〉〈魏志曰：南安趙衢討超，梟其妻子。漢書有金城郡。〉〈范曄後漢書曰：建安元年，遷都于許。〉〈漢書，涓勳曰：甚誖逆順之理。〉〈此述往年未伐之意。尚書序曰：武王與受戰於牧野。又曰：惟十有一年，武王伐殷。孔安國曰：諸侯僉同，乃退以示弱。〉〈枳棘，以喻殘賊也。翦扞，翦除而防衛之也。〉〈魏志曰：建安二十一年治兵，遂征孫權也。〉〈魏志曰：建安二十一年，匈奴南單于呼廚泉將其名王來朝，待以客禮。漢書曰：諸羌言願得度湟水北。然湟水左右，羌之所居。丁令、屠各，已見上文。〉〈漢書，九江郡有壽春邑。〉〈魏志曰：夏侯淵，字妙才，惇族弟也，為征西將軍。〉〈魏志曰：建安二十一年，留夏侯淵屯漢中。〉〈漢書曰：東越反，上遣橫海將軍韓說、樓船將軍楊僕，入軍於越。〉〈大舉天師至壽春而南，一道也；使征西甲卒五萬，二道也；及武都至庸蜀，三道也；江夏至豫章，四道也；樓船至會稽，五道也。〉

(The Textual Analysis of the Spring and Autumn Annals states, "The essences of the Red Emperor were magnanimity, benevolence, and great capacity." The Book of Rites states, "Heaven overspreads all without partiality; Earth sustains and contains all without partiality." The Mao edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "With great qualities truly civil and martial, brilliantly he affects his meritorious ancestors."

The Records of the Three Kingdoms states, "The followers of Pu Hu and Du Huo were all appointed as minor marquises." It further states, "Zhang Lu and his five sons were all appointed as minor marquises."

The Book of Han states, "When Gaozu (Liu Bang) entered Guanzhong, the officials and the people all enjoyed their past tranquility again." The Guanzi states, "The Four Professions are the foundation of the state: they are the scholar-officials, the farmers, the artisans, and the merchants."

In the Zuo Commentary, the Viscount of Chu says, "In ancient times, when the intelligent kings punished disrespectful and disobedient states, they took the greatest criminals among them, and buried them under a mound as the greatest punishment."

The Records continue, "Zhao Qu of Nan'an commandary campaigned against Ma Chao, and beheaded his wife and children." The Book of Han lists a Jincheng commandary.

Fan Ye's Book of Later Han states, "In the first year of Jian'an (196), the capital was moved to Xu."

In the Book of Han, Juan Xun says, "Nothing can be more perverse than treason."

Beginning with the description of the raptor, Chen Lin is now describing the coming campaign against Wu. The Book of Documents states, "King Wu of Zhou did battle with King Zhou of Shang at Muye." It also states, "Not until the eleventh year did King Wu campaign against Yin (Shang)." Kong Anguo remarked, "The lords all agreed, and King Wu withdrew from Meng Crossing as a sign of weakness."

"Clearing the brambles" meant eliminating the various bandits and rebels, and "cutting away the thorns" mean nipping future threats in the bud and guarding against them.

The Records continue, "In the twenty-first year of Jian'an (216), Cao Cao prepared his troops, then led a campaign against Sun Quan."

The Records continue, "In the twenty-first year of Jian'an (216), the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, Huquchuan, led his famous nobles to come to court, and was treated as an honored guest." The Book of Han states, "The various Qiang tribes are said to have crossed over to the north of the Huang River." So the Qiang must have dwelled on either side of the river. The Dingling and Chuge people were mentioned above.

According to the Book of Han, the city of Shouchun was in Jiujiang commandary.

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, "Xiahou Yuan, styled Miaocai, was the younger kinsman of Xiahou Dun, and was appointed as General Who Conquers The West."

The Records continue, "In the twenty-first year of Jian'an (216), Xiahou Yuan was left to guard Hanzhong."

The Book of Han states, "When the state of Dongyue (Minyue) rebelled, Emperor Wu of Han sent the General Who Crosses The Seas, Han Yue, and the General of Tower Ships, Yang Pu, to lead the army into Yue."

These were the five lines of advance: first, the main army gathered at Shouchun and then marching south; second, the fifty thousand armored troops under Xiahou Yuan; third, the tribes moving down from Wudu to Tang and Shu; fourth, the armies of Jiangxia and Xiangyang marching to Yuzhang; and fifth, the tower ships sailing to Kuaiji.")

丞相銜奉國威，為民除害，元惡大憝，必當梟夷。至於枝附葉從，皆非詔書所特禽疾。故每破滅強敵，未嘗不務在先降後誅，拔將取才，各盡其用。是以立功之士，莫不翹足引領，望風響應。昔袁術僭逆，王誅將加，則廬江太守劉勳先舉其郡，還歸國家。呂布作亂，師臨下邳，張遼侯成，率衆出降，還討眭固，薛洪樛尚，開城就化。官渡之役，則張郃高奐舉事立功。後討袁尚，則都督將軍馬延、故豫州刺史陰夔、射聲校尉郭昭臨陣來降。圍守鄴城，則將軍蘇游反為內應，審配兄子開門入兵。既誅袁譚，則幽州大將焦觸攻逐袁熙，舉事來服。凡此之輩數百人，皆忠壯果烈，有智有仁，悉與丞相參圖畫策，折衝討難，芟敵搴旗，靜安海內，豈輕舉措也哉！誠乃天啟其心，計深慮遠，審邪正之津，明可否之分，勇不虛死，節不苟立，屈伸變化，唯道所存，故乃建丘山之功，享不訾之祿，朝為仇虜，夕為上將，所謂臨難知變，轉禍為福者也。若夫說誘甘言，懷寶小惠，泥滯苟且，沒而不覺，隨波漂流，與熛俱滅者，亦甚衆多。吉凶得失，豈不哀哉！昔歲軍在漢中，東西懸隔，合肥遺守，不滿五千，權親以數萬之衆，破敗奔走，今乃欲當禦雷霆，難以冀矣。

"Now the Prime Minister, as the agent of the state's authority, is acting to remove threats to the people, and there can be no salvation for the abhorrent chief criminals; they shall surely part with their heads. But 'the branches attached and the leaves that follow' may yet be spared; though the leaders are doomed, their followers need not be condemned. The imperial edict does not decree that such people must die. On the contrary, every time that the Prime Minister has vanquished a powerful foe, he has never failed to first offer opportunities for surrender and only afterwards execute those who would not submit. He has recruited generals and obtained talents, and all such people found their full use in his service. And in all instances, there have been meritorious ministers who have 'stood on tiptoes and craned their necks', who have heeded the situation and responded to circumstances.

“For example, when Yuan Shu treasonously claimed imperial title and the court executed him and his generals, the Administrator of Lujiang, Liu Xun, offered up his commandary to the court and return to the fold of the state. When Lü Bu caused turmoil and the Prime Minister led the army to Xiapi, Zhang Liao and Hou Cheng led their troops out to surrender. When the Prime Minister returned to campaign against Sui Gu, Xue Hong and Jiu Shang opened the gates of his city and submitted. During the battle of Guandu, Zhang He and Gao Huan (Gao Lan) changed sides and performed great deeds. Later, during the campaign against Yuan Shang, the General-Commandant, Ma Yan, the former Inspector of Yuzhou, Yin Kui, and the Colonel of Archers Who Shoot At A Sound, Guo Zhao, came and surrendered during the fighting. When the Prime Minister surrounded Ye, the general Su You turned against Yuan Shang and supported the Prime Minister from the inside, and Shen Pei's nephew opened the gates of the city and let the army in. After Yuan Tan was executed, the great general of Youzhou, Jiao Chu, attacked Yuan Xi and drove him out, then heeded the situation and came to submit.

"There were hundreds of such people, all loyal, strong, stalwart, and zealous, all intelligent, all benevolent. They all joined with the Prime Minister to advise him and help develop his plans, to break and charge on campaigns against his foes, to root out his enemies and pull up their banners, and to restore peace and tranquility within the Four Seas. They did not take such actions lightly! It was truly an instance of 'Heaven displaying its heart', of them 'thinking deeply and considering the long-term'.

"Consider well the crossing-point between good and evil; understand the division between possible and impossible. Let the brave not die a pointless death; let the dutiful not maintain a meager charge. Bow to the reality of circumstances, for there is only one road by which you may preserve yourself. And if you do so, then you may establish a mountain of achievements and enjoy an incalculable salary. Those who in the morning were hated criminals may become the highest of generals by evening. This is what is meant by 'recognizing the situation in the midst of difficulties and exchanging bad fortune for good'.

"There are those who will say I am only enticing you with honeyed words and trying to win you over with trifling kindness. But such people are merely stuck in the mud; they are already lost, yet they do not realize it. How many people shall continue to go along with the flow and be snuffed out in the flames with all the others? Would it not be tragic to throw away a chance for good fortune?

"A few years ago, when the army was at Hanzhong, the eastern flank of the state was far away from the west, and the garrison remaining at Hefei was not even five thousand strong, while Sun Quan personally led tens of thousands of soldiers against it. Yet he was routed and driven off in defeat. Now he thinks to stand against the rolling thunder. He has little hope.

〈尚書，成王曰：元惡大憝。〉〈楊雄覈靈賦曰：枝附葉從，表立景隨。〉〈新序，趙良謂商君曰：君亡可翹足而待也。左氏傳，穆叔謂晉侯曰：引領西望，曰庶幾乎！尚書曰：惟影響。孔安國曰：若影之隨形，響之應聲。〉〈魏志曰：建安四年，袁術敗於陳。術病死，廬江太守劉勳率衆降，封為列侯。〉〈魏志曰：張遼，字文遠，鴈門人也，以兵屬呂布。太祖破呂布於下邳，遼將衆降，拜中郎將，爵為關內侯。〉〈魏志曰：眭固屬袁紹，屯射犬。公進軍臨河，使史渙、曹仁渡河擊之。固使張楊故長史薛洪、河內太守樛尚留守，自將兵以迎紹求救，與渙、仁遇，交戰，大破之，斬固。公遂濟河，圍射犬。洪、尚率衆降，封為列侯。樛音留。〉〈魏志曰：公擊淳于瓊，留曹洪守。紹使張郃、高覽攻曹洪。郃等聞瓊破，遂來降。魏志云高覽，此云奐，蓋有二名。〉〈魏志曰：公圍尚，營未合，尚懼，遣故豫州刺史陰夔及陳琳乞降，公不許，圍益急。尚夜遯，保岐山，追擊之，其將馬延等臨陣降，衆大潰。〉〈魏志曰：尚攻譚，留蘇由守鄴。公進軍到洹水，由降。游與由同。〉〈魏志曰：袁尚走中山，盡獲其輜重印綬節鉞，使尚降人示其家，城中崩沮。審配兄子榮夜開所守東城門內兵，配逆戰敗，生禽配，斬之。〉〈魏志曰：建安十年，袁熙大將焦觸叛，熙、尚奔三郡烏丸，觸等舉其縣來降。〉〈西京賦曰：天啟其心。司馬相如喻巴蜀文曰：計深慮遠，急國家之難。〉〈答客難曰：所欲必得，功若丘山。賈逵國語注曰：訾，言量也。〉〈說苑，孔子曰：聖人轉禍為福，報怨以德。〉〈毛詩曰：盜言孔甘。論語曰：好行小惠。〉〈魏志曰：太祖使張遼與樂進等將七千餘人屯合肥。太祖征張魯，俄而權率十萬衆圍合肥。於是遼夜募敢從之士，得八百人。明日大戰，平旦，遼被甲持戟，先登陷陣，殺千人，斬二將。權登高冢，以長戟自守。遼呼，權不敢動。權守合肥十餘日，城不可拔，乃引退。〉

(In the Book of Documents, King Cheng of Zhou says, "Such great criminals are greatly abhorred."

Chen Lin quotes from Yang Xiong's Rhapsody of Heling, which has the verse, "The branches attach and the leaves follow; what has been raised shall be joined by a shadow."

In the Records of the Grand Historian, Zhao Liang states to Shang Yang, "Sir, they are waiting on tiptoes to see your demise." In the Zuo Commentary, Mushu says to the Marquis of Jin, "They are craning their necks and looking to the west, saying that it is so!" The Book of Documents has the phrase, "Mere shadows and echoes." Kong Anguo remarked, "This means like a shadow which follows a thing, or an echo which follows a sound."

The Records of the Three Kingdoms states, "In the fourth year of Jian'an (199), Yuan Shu was defeated at Qin. He passed away from illness. The Administrator of Lujiang, Liu Xun, led his troops to surrender, and he was appointed as a minor marquis."

The Records continue, "Zhang Liao, styled Wenyuan, was a native of Yanmen commandary. He was an officer under Lü Bu. When Cao Cao routed Lü Bu at Xiapi, Zhang Liao led his troops to surrender. He was appointed as a General of the Household Gentlemen and a Marquis Within The Passes."

The Records continue, "Sui Gu served under Yuan Shao, and was camped at Shequan. Cao Cao advanced to the Yellow River, and sent Shi Huan and Cao Ren to cross the river and attack Sui Gu. Sui Gu had Zhang Yang's former Chief Clerk, Xue Hong, and the Administrator of Henei, Jiu Shang, remain behind the guard his camp while he himself led troops to meet Yuan Shao and ask him for aid. But he encountered Shi Huan and Cao Ren, became locked in battle, and was greatly routed; they took Sui Gu's head. Cao Cao then crossed the river and besieged Shequan. Xue Hong and Jiu Shang led their forces to surrender, and were appointed as minor marquises." Jiu Shang's surname 樛 is pronounced "liu".

The Records continue, "When Cao Cao attacked Chunyu Qiong (at Wuchao), he left Cao Hong to guard his camp. Yuan Shao sent Zhang He and Gao Lan to attack Cao Hong. But when Zhang He and the others heard that Chunyu Qiong had been routed, they came and surrendered." The Records states that this officer's name was Gao Lan, while this proclamation writes his name as Gao Huan; he must've had two different given names.

The Records continue, "When Cao Cao surrounded Yuan Shang, since Yuan Shang's camp was not yet finished, he was afraid. He sent the former Inspector of Yuzhou, Yin Kui, and Chen Lin to beg to be allowed to surrender, but Cao Cao refused, and only tightened his siege even more. Yuan Shang then broke out during the night and held out in the mountains. Cao Cao pursued and attacked Yuan Shang; his generals, Ma Yan and others, surrendered during the fighting, and Yuan Shang's forces greatly collapsed."

The Records continue, "When Yuan Shang attacked Yuan Tan, he left Su You to guard Ye. Cao Cao advanced his army to the Huan River, and Su You surrendered." The Records record Su You's given name as 由, while this proclamation has it as 游; both are pronounced "you".

The Records continue, "When Yuan Shang fled to Zhongshan, Cao Cao captured all his supplies, his seals and ribbons, and his tallys and axes of authority. He sent defectors from Yuan Shang's army to display these things to their families, and the city's defenses thus collapsed. Shen Pei's nephew Shen Rong opened the eastern gate of the city during the night and let in Cao Cao's soldiers. Shen Pei fought back, but was defeated; he was captured alive, then beheaded."

The Records continue, "In the tenth year of Jian'an (205), Yuan Xi's great general Jiao Chu rebelled against him. Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang fled to the Wuhuan of the three commandaries, while Jiao Chu and others led their counties to come and surrender to Cao Cao."

The Rhapsody on the Western Capital has the verse, "Heaven displays its heart". In the Proclamation to Ba and Shu, Sima Xiangru says, "Think deeply and consider the long-term, for the state has pressing difficulties."

The Response to the Difficulties of the Guests states, "Everything they wished, they were sure to obtain; their achievements were like mountains". Jia Kui's notes on the Discourses of the States states, "訾 'calculable' means measurable."

In the Garden of Discussion, Confucius states, "The wise man exchanges misfortune for blessings, repays anger with virtue."

The Mao edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "He trusts the rogues that lie and sneak". The Analects states, "They enjoy indulging in trifling kindnesses."

The Records of the Three Kingdoms states, "Cao Cao sent Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, and others to lead more than seven thousand soldiers to camp at Hefei. While Cao Cao was campaigning against Zhang Lu, Sun Quan suddenly led an army of a hundred thousand to besiege Hefei. During the night, Zhang Liao sought to recruit soldiers who would dare to follow him, and obtained eight hundred such men. The next day, they fought a great battle; at dawn, Zhang Liao put on his armor, grasped his halberd, and plunged forward into the enemy formation. He killed a thousand people and took the heads of two generals. Sun Quan stood atop a high tomb, wielding a long halberd to defend himself. Zhang Liao shouted at him, but Sun Quan did not dare to move. Sun Quan kept Hefei under siege for more than ten days, but he could not take the city, so he withdrew.")

夫天道助順，人道助信，事上之謂義，親親之謂仁。盛孝章，君也，而權誅之，孫輔，兄也，而權殺之。賊義殘仁，莫斯為甚。乃神靈之逋罪，下民所同讎。辜讎之人，謂之凶賊。是故伊摯去夏，不為傷德；飛廉死紂，不可謂賢。何者？去就之道，各有宜也。

"One must gain the assistance of Heaven through submission to its will, and the help of the people through the building of trust; to act properly is called righteousness, and to show kinship is called benevolence. Yet though Sheng Xiaozhang (Sheng Xian) was a superior fellow, Sun Quan still executed him, and though Sun Fu was his own brother, Sun Quan still killed him. No one is worse than him in being a robber against righteousness and a ruffian against benevolence. Thus the gods and the spirits judge him as guilty, and the people are united in hatred of him.

"Those who would associate with such a criminal are themselves considered wicked bandits. That is why when, in ancient times, Yi Zhi (Yi Yin) abandoned Xia, he did no injury to virtue, but when Fei Lian died for the sake of King Zhou of Shang, he was not considered a worthy man. Why? Because there are times when it is proper to remain, but also times when it is proper to leave.

〈周易曰：天之所助者順也，人之所助信也。〉〈吳志曰：權殺吳郡太守盛憲。會稽典錄曰：憲字孝章。〉〈典略曰：孫輔恐權不能守江東，因權出行東治，乃遣人齎書呼曹公。行人以告，權乃還，偽若不知，與張昭共見輔。權謂輔曰：兄厭樂耶？何為呼他人？輔云無是。權投書與昭以示輔，輔慚無辭，乃悉斬輔親近，徙輔置東吳。〉〈孟子，齊王曰：臣弒其君可乎？孟子曰：賊仁者謂之賊，賊義者謂之殘。殘賊之人，謂之一夫。聞誅一夫紂矣，未聞弒其君也。〉〈尚書曰：伊尹去亳適夏，既醜有夏，復歸于亳。孫子曰：殷之興也，伊摯在夏。魏武曰：伊摯，伊尹也。孟子曰：周公相武王，誅紂，驅飛廉於海隅而戮之。〉

(The Book of Changes states, "One whom Heaven would assist must be obedient; one whom the people would help must be trustworthy."

The Records of the Three Kingdoms states, "Sun Quan killed the Administrator of Shu commandary, Sheng Xian." The Records of Canons of Kuaiji adds, "Sheng Xian's style name was Xiaozhang."

The Dianlue states, "Sun Fu was afraid that Sun Quan would not be able to defend the Southland. So when Sun Quan went out on an eastern patrol, Sun Fu sent an agent to bring a letter calling Cao Cao. But the agent informed Sun Quan of the plot instead. When Sun Quan returned, he pretended that he did not know of the plot, and together with Zhang Zhao he went to see Sun Fu. Sun Quan said to Sun Fu, 'Brother, are you unsatisfied? Why are you calling someone else?' Sun Fu said he was not. Sun Quan then flung the letter down so that he and Zhang Zhao could look at it. Sun Fu, ashamed, said nothing further. Sun Quan executed Sun Fu's close associates, and he exiled Sun Fu to eastern Wu."

The Mengzi states, "The King of Qi said, 'May a minister then put his sovereign to death?' Mencius said, 'He who outrages the benevolence proper to his nature, is called a robber; he who outrages righteousness, is called a ruffian. The robber and ruffian we call a mere fellow. I have heard that the fellow Zhou (King Zhou of Shang) was executed, but I have not heard of a putting a sovereign to death, in his case.'

The Book of Documents states, "Yi Yin left Hao and went to Xia, but after being disgusted by Xia, he returned to Hao again." The Art of War states, "Of old, the rise of the Yin dynasty was due to Yi Zhi who had served under the Xia." Cao Cao's commentary on that passage adds, "Yi Zhi was Yi Yin."

The Mengzi states, "King Wu of Zhou destroyed King Zhou of Shang. He drove Fei Lian to a corner by the sea, and slew him."

丞相深惟江東舊德名臣，多在載籍。近魏叔英秀出高峙，著名海內；虞文繡砥礪清節，耽學好古；周泰明當世俊彥，德行脩明。皆宜膺受多福，保乂子孫。而周盛門戶無辜被戮，遺類流離，湮沒林莽，言之可為愴然，聞魏周榮虞仲翔各紹堂構，能負析薪。及吳諸顧陸舊族長者，世有高位，當報漢德，顯祖揚名。及諸將校孫權婚親，皆我國家良寶利器，而並見驅迮，雨絕於天，有斧無柯，何以自濟？相隨顛沒，不亦哀乎！

"Now the Prime Minister deeply cherishes the longstanding legacies and virtues of the old Southland clans, which have been known for many generations. It was not so long ago that the brilliance of Wei Shuying rose above the highest mountains and his reputation spread all throughout the seas, that the moral principles and indulgent love of learning of Yu Wenxiu were widely regarded, and that the peerless talents and cultivated virtue of Zhou Taiming were known by all. Thus their descendants should 'long enjoy much happiness', and their sons and grandsons should be protected and preserved. Yet Zhou Sheng and all his clan, though innocent, have been executed; the lineage has been scattered and lost, falling into oblivion among the trees and grass. Is that not regrettable? And we have heard that Wei Zhourong and Yu Zhongxiang (Yu Fan) have inherited the legacies of their ancestors, so that 'what the father planned, the son must build', 'the wood chopped by the father must be carried by the son'. So too should the old gentry clans of the Wu region, the Gu, the Lu, and all the rest that have enjoyed high status for generations, repay the virtues of the Han dynasty and glorify the good names of their ancestors.

"Indeed, all the generals and officers of Sun Quan, all his marital relations, are fine treasures and useful tools of our state. Yet they are all pressing one another forward, like rain tumbling from the heavens; they are like an axe-blade without a handle, and how can that be used? They are falling into ruin together. Is that not lamentable?

〈尚書曰：永膺多福。又曰：保乂王家。〉〈吳志曰：虞翻，字仲翔。尚書曰：若考作室，既厎法，厥子乃弗肯堂，矧肯構。左氏傳，鄭子產曰：古人有言曰，其父析薪，其子弗克負荷。〉〈尚書曰：所寶惟賢，則邇人安。聖主得賢臣頌曰：夫賢者，國家器用也。所任賢，則趨舍省而功施普；器用利，則用力少而就效衆也。〉〈陸賈新語曰：有斧無柯，何以治之？〉

(The Book of Documents has the phrases "long enjoy much happiness" and "maintain and regulate the royal House".

According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Yu Fan's style name was Zhongxiang.

The Book of Documents states, "When a deceased father, wishing to build a house, had laid out the plan, if his son be unwilling to raise up the hall, how much less will he be willing to complete the roof!" In the Zuo Commentary, the Zheng minister Zichan says, "People have the saying: 'The father split the firewood, and the son was not able to carry it.'"

The Book of Documents states, "When the ruler finds value only in that which is worthy, his own people near at hand will be in a state of repose." The Ode on the Sage Ruler Obtaining Worthy Subjects states, "Worthy people are the useful tools of the state. When one employs the worthy, they will hurry to come to you and achievements will become widespread; when one utilizes the useful, then with little effort one may tend well to the people."

Lu Jia's New Tales has the saying, "If an axe-blade has no handle, how can it be used?")

蓋鳳鳴高岡以遠罻羅，賢聖之德也。鸋鴃之鳥巢於葦苕，苕折子破，下愚之惑也。今江東之地，無異葦苕，諸賢處之，信亦危矣。聖朝開弘曠蕩，重惜民命，誅在一人，與衆無忌，故設非常之賞，以待非常之功。乃霸夫烈士奮命之良時也，可不勉乎！若能翻然大舉，建立元勳，以應顯祿，福之上也。如其未能，笇量大小，以存易亡，亦其次也。

"Among birds, the phoenix builds its nest high up on a lofty ridge, thus displaying the virtues of a worthy sage. But wrens and shrikes build their nests on reeds and twigs, and when the reeds snap the chicks are destroyed; this displays the delusions of the lowly and foolish. And currently, the Southland itself is no different from such a reed or twig, with many worthy people perched upon it. Truly, they are in great danger.

"The court is generous and magnanimous, tolerant and forgiving, and most sympathetic to the lives of the people. They seek the execution of one man alone, but have no suspicion towards anyone else. Thus they present uncommon rewards, in the expectation of uncommon achievements. Is there not some domineering fellow, some man of passion and drive, who will seize this moment to wrest control of their fate? If so, be diligent! For whosoever can arrange a grand undertaking and perform the greatest of achievements will earn great glory and riches; that would lead to the greatest fortune. Or if you cannot bring yourselves to do that, it would still be sufficient for you to analyze well the situation you face and consider how to exchange death for life.

〈毛詩曰：鳳皇鳴矣，于彼高岡；梧桐生矣，于彼朝陽。〉〈韓詩曰：鴟鴞：既取我子，無毀我室。鴟鴞，鸋鴃，鳥名也。鴟鴞所以愛養其子者，適以病之。愛憐養其子者，謂堅固其窠巢；病之者，謂不知託於大樹茂枝，反敷之葦䓟。風至，䓟折巢覆，有子則死，有卵則破，是其病也。字林曰：鸋鴃，鴞也，上乃丁切，下古穴切。廣雅曰：鸋鴃，工雀也。荀卿子曰：南方鳥名蒙鳩，為巢，編之以髮，繫之葦苕。苕折卵破。巢非不牢，所繫之弱也。說文曰：葦，大葭也。〉〈司馬長卿難蜀父老曰：有非常之事，然後有非常之功。〉〈未能如上之計。〉〈漢書，鄒陽上書曰：昔者鄭祭仲許宋人立公子突以活其君，非其義也。春秋記之，為其以生易死，以存易亡。〉

(The Mao edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "The male and female phoenix give out their notes, on that lofty ridge. The dryandras grow, on those eastern slopes."

The Han edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "O owl, O owl! You have taken my young ones; do not also destroy my nest."

Owl, wren, and shrike are the names of birds. Among such birds, there are those that tenderly care for their chicks, and those who soon have cause to mourn them. For the loving ones find a sturdy place to set their nests or burrows, while the mourning ones do not think to place their nests upon a large branch of some great tree, but only set it upon the reeds, and when a wind comes, the reeds snap and the nest falls. Thus any chicks are killed and any eggs are broken; this is the source of their grief.

The Forest of Characters states, "Shrikes and wrens are the same as owls. Above, they carve nests; below, they dig out burrows." The Guangya states, "Wrens and shrikes are industrious birds." The Xunzi states, "There is a bird in the south called the Meng Wren. When it builds its nest, it wraps it in hair and ties it to reeds. But when the reeds snap, the eggs are broken. It is not that the nest was not durable; the problem was that the ties were too weak." The Shuowen dictionary states, "A reed is a large bulrush."

Sima Xiangru's Refuting the Elders of Shu states, "When there are uncommon events, then there shall be uncommon achievements."

Chen Lin was saying those who could not carry out the greatest plan (of achieving "the greatest thing", perhaps by killing Sun Quan).

In the Book of Han, Zou Yang's petition states, "In ancient times, when Ji Zhong of the state of Zheng allowed the people of Song to make the late duke's son Tu the new ruler, it was not because of Tu's righteousness. Rather, as the Spring and Autumn Annals tell us, it was in order to save himself and exchange death for life.")

夫係蹄在足，則猛虎絕其蹯；蝮蛇在手，則壯士斷其節。何則？以其所全者重，以其所棄者輕。若乃樂禍懷寧，迷而忘復，闇大雅之所保，背先賢之去就，忽朝陽之安，甘折苕之末，日忘一日，以至覆沒，大兵一放，玉石俱碎，雖欲救之，亦無及已。故令往購募爵賞科條如左。檄到詳思至言。如詔律令。

"Even a tiger will gnaw off its own paw if it is bound by a rope, and even a strong fellow will chop off his own wrist if there is a viper on his hand. Why? Because of the danger posed to the whole body. They see the preservation of their whole body as more important than the loss of the limb. Will you then take delight in your misfortune and think you are at peace, continue your wandering and forget to turn back, be blind to the praises of the Daya poem and ignore the ways in which the past worthies exchanged sides, and turn away from a sure means of safety and prefer to remain on the snapping branch? Shall you live your life only one day to the next, until in the end you are lost? For when our great soldiers are flung against you, then the jade will be smashed along with the stone, and even if you sought to save yourself then, it would be too late.

"Thus I have sent forth these offers to recruit you, to offer titles and rewards and this opportunity to reform yourselves. When you receive this proclamation, carefully consider what I have said to you.

"This decree has the force of an imperial edict."

〈戰國策，魏魁謂建信君曰：人有置係蹄者而得虎，虎怒，跌蹯而去。虎之情匪不愛其蹯也，然而不以環寸之蹯，害七尺之軀，有權也。今國家者，非直七尺之軀也，而君之身於王非環寸之蹯也，願公早圖之也。延叔堅曰：係蹄，獸絆也。〉〈漢書曰：項梁使使趨齊兵擊章邯，田榮曰：楚殺田假，趙殺田角、田間，乃出兵。楚不殺假，趙亦不殺角、間。齊王曰：蝮蠚手則斬手，蠚足則斬足，何者？為害於身也。田假、田角、田間於楚、趙非手足之戚，何故不殺？〉〈周易曰：迷復之凶，反君道也。〉〈毛詩大雅曰：既明且哲，以保其身。〉〈尚書曰：火炎崑岡，玉石俱焚。〉〈史記，衛平謂宋王曰：後雖悔之，亦無及已。〉

(In the Strategies of the Warring States, Wei Kui says to Lord Jianxin, "If a person binds a tiger with a rope, the tiger will become so enraged that it will even gnaw its paw off to escape. Of course, it is not that the tiger does not love its paw, but when the paw is bound, it is willing to lose a few inches of flesh in order to get away. Now as for our state, though it is more than a few inches of flesh, yet the King also considers you more than a mere bound paw. I implore you to consider this at once." Yan Shujian remarked, "A rope is a tool for binding beasts."

The Book of Han states, "When Xiang Liang of the state of Chu sent envoys asking the soldiers of Qi to attack Zhao's city of Zhanghan, Tian Rong objected, 'It was because Chu killed Tian Jia that Zhao killed Tian Jiao and Tian Jian, then sent out troops. If Chu had not killed Tian Jia, then Zhao would not have killed Tian Jiao or Tian Jian.' But the King of Qi told him, 'If a viper stings one in the hand, one must cut it off, and it is the same way with the foot. Why? Because of the threat to the body. Now those gentlemen were not even as close to Chu and Zhao as hands and feet, so why would they not have killed them?'"

The Book of Rites states, "'The evil consequent on being all astray on the subject of returning' is because the course pursued is contrary to the proper course for a ruler."

The Daya poem in the Mao edition of the Book of Poetry has the verse, "Intelligent is he and wise, protecting his own person."

The Book of Documents states, "When the fire blazes over the ridge of Kun, gems and stones are burned together."

In the Records of the Grand Historian, Wei Ping says to the King of Song, "Even if you later regret it, it will be too late then.")

[blankdblank]

Sango - Thranduil Prompt Request

@alishlieb

“Ah, he’s playing hard-to-get. That’s cute.”  Combined with “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

119. I like the idea of a girl from another world thrown into the hobbit. Her being honestly ridiculously cheerful and her clashing against thranduils cold person but her not giving a damn and giving him a hard time but secretly he like it. I also like the idea of combining it with I dont this is a good idea and have her do some really risky shit during the battle of five armies

 …

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…

In a slow backtrack Bilbo exited the warm sitting room of his home, in his attempt to claim his chair for an early morning read only to find among the group of sleeping Dwarves was a peculiar sleeping young woman. Cloaked in a white and magenta wrap with a green skirt tied over it with black and bright pink boots peeking out from underneath. Behind her back was her long deep black ponytail pressed against a giant crooked shield of some sort with thick dark brown straps draping to her shoulder. The men were known of, irritating but at least they had announced themselves. In a quiet huff he marched straight to the guest room he had claimed, his firm knock drawing a grumble followed by the shuffling of feet until the door was opened exposing the sleep riddled King and his partially tangled hair.

A firm glare came from Thorin as he growled out, “Yes Master Baggins?”

Twitching his brow Bilbo crossed his arms stating in a hushed tone, “I’ve said nothing of your men, they had manners enough to announce themselves at the door, but this Sister or Cousin of yours asleep by my fire is pressing the line!”

Raising a brow Thorin asked, “Sister?” His eyes lowered to the ground mentally retracing the men’s lines for any females able or physically willing to come, “Show me.”

Bilbo huffed rolling his eyes through a turn, promptly leading him to the sitting room doorway once again only to see the King’s expression drop. In another whisper Bilbo asked, “Well?”

Thorin met his gaze lowly uttering back, “Where is the Wizard?!”

Bilbo turned leading him to the guest room where Gandalf was curled haphazardly on the small mattress only to jolt awake at the Dwarf’s foot knocking against his, scanning over the pair Gandalf inquired why he was woken so early only to draw a ripple of awakening through the Dwarves that all pulled away from you and your curious looking stuffed twin tailed cat curled in your arms.

…

All around you in the bustle of the packed airport you mingled among the countless others all bearing the same destination as you. The one thing cluing you to that mainly was the great line of costumed adults and children all heading for the comic and manga convention out in this ocean front state. But in all this commotion you and your massive painted Styrofoam imitation Hiraikotsu on your back, the main weapon recognizable for the teenage demon slayer you had chosen to dress as this year. Under your magenta and white kimono you donned a long deep green skirt tied over it also shielding the black leather outfit coated with various flashes of pink armored pads over your elbows, shoulders, stomach and lower back. The latter two secured with a red sash matching the ones securing the large leg braces covering the top of your tall boots reaching to your knees.

With a sigh you avoided yet another tall spiked shoulder nearly crashing into you, same as every other year you nearly got slammed into by each and every man imitating one of the countless warriors from the recently released Viking show, before that being the Mad Max fans breaking out their doomsday battle gear and the obvious legion of orcs the years before that. But curiously enough against the crowds a band of children in Hobbit costumes made their way straight to you. Over the crowds you couldn’t understand their words so when their hands clasped yours dragging you away you felt no sense to worry at the reasoning. But in the silence a sack was drawn and a simple shove sent you straight through a poster coating a brick wall. Warm and golden light was all you saw after crashing through a poster of a cracked round green door while hushed whispers of ‘Gandalf’ were heard as you lost consciousness and were pushed into the sack they bore.

…

With furrowed brows your eyes blinked open at the hushed conversation of the bearded men before you around a curiously frowning Hobbit staring at you while he tugged on the deep blue clad Dwarf Leader’s sleeve. A soft giggle from you turned their heads forcing their silence. Lowering your face your legs shifted to rest crossed before you as you mumbled, “I must have fallen head first.”

Looking up your eyes met Gandalf’s as he said with a soft smile, “My Dear Child, I am so pleased you made it just in time.”

Your brow rose as you gasped softly, “You sent those Hobbits after me!”

He chuckled lowly as Bilbo’s expression shifted to a slightly stunned one that Gandalf would do such a thing as kidnapping a young woman. Stepping forward Thorin said, “You did not come on your own?”

“No! I would have packed differently! Instead of this plastic-.” Your hand lowered drawing a dagger from your left arm brace glistening brightly in the firelight stirring you to sit up straighter gliding your finger sideways against the obviously steel blade to your once plastic dagger. Promptly you set it down and gripped the hilt of your formerly unnoticed katana on your waist to draw it out, revealing a few inches of the blade also proving to be solid steel before your turning and tapping your giant boomerang with your fist feeling much harder and shining slightly with smoothed lines across it much like a giant tooth it had been formed from. With a gasp you met the Wizard’s eye, “It’s all real.”

He nodded his head with a soft chuckle offering you his hands to help you onto your feet in a hunched position like his as he stated, “My Dear Bilbo, would you be so kind as to fetch our guest some tea?” He nodded and raced to do that while you sheathed your dagger again and joined the group in the dining room where he shared your role in the quest constantly ignoring the question of “Why Me?!”

A question only answered with another chuckle and a twinkling gaze of, “What we need on this Journey is a little Hope and imagination. That My Dear Miss Pear is exactly why you.”

With a sigh Thorin consented to your joining the Journey, but only after your digging through your pack to find your sketch journal with the hidden inscription marked on the front cover resembling the map of the lonely mountain. His smile flickering out at the answers you gave to his question you knew of his kin already along with your near fluency in their secret tongue and Ancient Dwarvish runes. Winning over Bilbo was far easier with an apology and the sharing of your hidden stash of sweets you had tucked away in your small duffel bag to keep your Cousin from stealing them as she always did. With the sunrise you claimed the horse you were offered in Bree, a former work horse not fit to bear any but a weightless Elf, the latest of your surprises, for once marking you among the tallest of your group behind Gandalf.

Easily you accepted your fate, eager to see just how you could aid the group with your main comfort being that you had lost the coin toss against your Cousin on who would play Kagome this year. Past your coin toss the obvious reasons of you having larped as her already, even going so far as training in several martial arts forms leaving you far more comfortable as a representation as Sango the Demon Slayer. So with a fresh set of bangs and your hair straightened you were off and somehow now here leaving only the question of how long your Cousin would get through your week long trip before realizing you never made it out of the airport.

…

Through the darkness you followed the line of Dwarves into the troll caves and out again for a lengthy race through the open fields where through the whipping of your Hiraikotsu several of the wargs fell between the drawing of your length of chain strapped to your hip along with your katana aiding the Dwarves in their bringing down the rest of the orcs and wargs. All bearing greatly impressed expressions at not only your hand to hand skills but the ease at which you wielded the giant boomerang taller than you were without a worry as to any harm for yourself or them in your aim and capture.

Entry into Rivendell was easy enough and the tall creatures there were more than eager to meet the Elleth in the strange company upon your arrival. With your ponies and horses led away you joined the line all following the slightly frightened Lindir still mentally recovering from your excited hug when he first arrived to greet you. Mentally he relayed your greeting partially assuming you had been raised by mortals until Gandalf had shared his sending for you. An easy smile slid on Elrond’s face when he stepped forward to greet you himself only to be curled in a tight hug himself drawing a weak chuckle from him as he patted your back gently in return. Your excited giggle, bounce and beaming smile lighting up your purple eyes only adding to the oddity of your slightly pointed canine teeth when you nipped at your lower lip through his warm welcome and tour through the city ending at your room to bathe and change before supper.

..

More and more after your exit from Rivendell you had to draw from your physical training to defend yourself and the men around you all now expecting quite a great deal from you in the end goal of reclaiming their home. In all of this you still struggled through the shock of it all, the familiarity and yet also foreign elements to this world and the creatures within its borders.

With a firm hold on your boomerang after your latest toss you skidded and rose in the path of the next spider just as you’d planned spying the stunned Elves circling your group bringing down the last of the spiders fell to a hard swing from your boomerang. Rising from your crouch your body turned as a familiar red head approached you cautiously eyeing the Dwarves in your midst. Her eyes snapped back to you at your giggle before you pulled her into a tight hug, “Tauriel, it’s really you!” Your giggle making her brow rise as you pulled back with another giggle looking up at her with a bright smile, “Wow, you really are beautiful.”  In a stunned silence she turned her head watching you walk around her to gently shift her braid as the armed Elves watched you to see if you meant her any harm, “How do you manage your braids, I can barely manage a single thick braid without it being crooked or missing a section.” Her head shifted so you could met her gaze again as she eyed your pitch black curl filled high ponytail reaching the center of your back.

“I have an aid, to assist me.”

Your smile grew again as your head turned to the blonde Prince eyeing your pink and black full body armored suit stirring another giggle form you drawing his eyes to yours with a confused blink at your approach through shouldering your boomerang. Looking his armored shirt in return you asked, “Is it heavy, your outer shirt?” His lips parted at your fingers rising to trace along a set of the layered leaves resembling scales over his shoulders, “It is impossibly well crafted. So much more detailed than mine.”

After your circle of him he met your gaze again curiously trying to compare the shade of your eyes to something sharing its shade, “It is not heavy. How do you know our Captain?”

Your smile grew again causing him to tilt his head at your next giggle, “That, Prince Legolas Greenleaf is quite a complicated answer to share, one your Father might ask as well when he learns I know his name too.”

Against his control a hint of a smile cracked onto his face at your next giggle causing him to look over your Companions and reply, “I trust your companions mean our people no harm. I will lead you to our King.”

His body turned and he and the guards were shocked at your remaining at his side in a curiously happy bouncing pace on your toes for the trip leaving you barely above his shoulders still. The entire trip you peppered him with countless questions after grabbing your duffel bag from Bilbo when he joined your side as Tauriel kept her spot on the other side of Bilbo listening in to your conversation trying to see who you were and why you would compliment her so.

.

In a full line the Dwarves halted in the throne room, looking up at the throne while you trotted beside the Prince who curiously glanced at you when you propped your hand on his shoulder through your inspection of the winding branches and bridges above the giant raised throne stirring another weak smile at your staggering tiptoed stance and innocent curious gaze. Above you a flat velvety voice sounded through your point up at a certain statue drawing the Prince’s eye as you leaned in to inquire what it was of. His response drew the eye of the King who promptly went silent and rose to his feet descending the stairs to question the woman who dared touch his Son.

His path ending at your eyes landing on him paired with your bright smile and step forward causing a chuckle from the watching Prince who eyed your slight turn your body shifted in on your continued tip toeing stance. Without a single word from the King your words drew a stunned twitch in his brow at your stating, “In all the books they never mentioned the spark in your eyes.” Inhaling slowly he couldn’t help but look you over, taking in the details of your figure hugging armor as well as the giant object strapped across your back. “Your palace is much more impressive than written about as well, and the forest is nowhere as bad as they say. Your robe is impressive as well.”

“You mean to flatter me into your favor?”

Your quick giggle and step closer to his right stirred his eyes to follow your turning path, “Oh no. I would never do you the insult of assuming you were so easily swayed.”

His eyes scanned over your back and greater over your boomerang at your turning to inspect his throne before it shifted and he got a fuller view of your silhouette in your turn back to him at his asking, “Your compliments then, serve you how?”

You met his gaze again with another smile spotting his stern expression dropping back leaving him in a more stoic one through his next inhale, “They achieve nothing past my expression of my opinions.” He inhaled slowly through your admiring the shifting shimmering silver shade of his robes in the firelight at your shifting around him, “Though I understand your reason to believe otherwise.”

“What reason do you have to enter my lands?”

“Me personally? Well just me I’m passing through. For the true reason you’d have to hunt down Mithrandir and his band of kidnapping Hobbits.”

“Kidnapping Hobbits?”

You nodded, “See I was on this trip with my Cousin and these little children dressed like Hobbits came up to me, then shoved me through this wall and I woke up in Bilbo’s house.” His eyes followed your hand to Bilbo who waved at him gaining a head nod in return from the King who then eyed you and turned as you started your story again while you eyed the floors and distant roof above. “And we’ve been traveling since the Shire and there’s still so far to go yet and all these orcs and goblins on their way.” His eyes met yours when you stopped to say, “And you really should tie your hair back you know, and that cape, really bad idea for battle. But anyways then there’s Dain and your banter, which also needs some work, a ‘pointy eared this’ and a ‘bushy bearded that’ I mean really, Kings are better than that. Name calling.”

“Now you insult me.” Raising his brow with a playful spark in his eyes earning a playful glare from you.

“I am merely stating a fact. There is a common goal and a common enemy and yet from what I’ve seen of you all, your interactions need improvement no matter the previous slights against one another.”

“And now you lecture me.”

With a giggle you smiled at him spotting his brow twitching up again in his struggle to withhold his own. “You are a tradesman turned King, Son of a tradesman turned King. The King in my Company was a Prince turned blacksmith returning to a King like his Father and Grandfather before him. If you are looking for enemies you shouldn’t be looking in the allies in front of you. Just merely a suggestion King Thranduil.”

“And just why should I heed these, suggestions of yours?”

His eyes scanned over you in your steps to stop before him again with a wider smile, “You won’t most likely. But it will be amusing watching you struggle against the common sense behind them.” He kept his gaze on you as you walked back to your group as you said, “But no worries, I am just as patient as you. You’ll see it, until then, I can wait.” You turned again as Thorin smirked through his passing you while you said, “I look forward to our night in your dungeons, I hear the waterfalls are breathtaking in the moonlight.”

His brow twitched again as he caught your wink at him through another giggle as Thorin halted before him waiting until Thranduil met his gaze. With a steady exhale Thranduil lowered his eyes to Thorin simply stating, “My Son will show you to your rooms.”

His eyes scanned over the group passing him then looked at you again stating, “Miss-.”

You met his gaze with a growing smile contrasting his stoic gaze, “Pear, Jaqi Pear.”

As you stepped closer to him he waited until the Dwarves were in the hall to state plainly, “I will never grant them leave while that beast draws breath. You have imprisoned them here. I hope you know that.”

His brow twitched again at your giggle through stepping closer to him in a partial turn, “I expect nothing less King Thranduil.” With another giggle from you his eyes darted to the doorway eyeing the group of Dwarves waiting for you, completely missing your rise higher on your toes. His eyes widened at your arms momentarily circling his torso and lips pressing to his cheek then dropped to you mid turn as you giggled again bouncing over to join your group struggling not to react to your boundary crossing.

..

Freshly bathed and changed into a simple pink gown gifted to you from Lord Elrond you eyed the stoic King entering the dining room staring intently at you on his path to his seat, which in his mind was startlingly far from you at his assumption Thorin had chosen you to delegate between them for this visit. Plainly through the meal you smiled and chatted with Ori and Bilbo across from the chuckling Bur Brothers who all shared tales they had started in the beginning of the trek inside Mirkwood only to halt at their minds going foggy. Your giggles and smiles flowing through the meal as Thorin held his smile at the Elf King staring intently at you through the entire meal between his responses to Thorin and Balin at his sides missing his Son and Tauriel getting to know the Princes better.

Your yawn however signaling a ripple of shared reactions through the group marking your return to your rooms again for the night. But unlike their reactions yours was forced, and once in your room you rifled through your bags and found the pack of sketched out maps Balin had made for you at your asking of the path from the treasury to the front gates and throne room and a number of floor plans he could remember along with the key you managed to collect from Thorin after dinner when Ori whispered your plan to him as you were escorted back.

Cloaked in your armor and bearing your weapons once again you quietly slipped out of your room hearing that the guards chuckling down the hall at the wine one of them had snuck under their tunics. Wordlessly you followed the path you knew straight for the unguarded cellar, with chain in hand you climbed into one of the barrels and whipped the chain around the lever, tugged it free and ducked inside using you boomerang to cover the opening of your barrel so it wouldn’t snap on the fall. For hours in the dark you slammed around inside your barrel bobbing and bouncing after the first waterfall until you finally reached a familiar small island.

Panting heavily you collapsed in your less than graceful attempt to exit the barrel, for a few moments you laid there collecting your breath and steadying yourself from the world swaying around you. When still again you raised Hiraikotsu and walked to the far shore laying it flat and climbing on top, slowly paddling your way to the distant goal.

Soon enough your feet planted on the rocky shore and you made your way towards the base of the mountain, easily enough the stairs were found, climbed and the key slid along the area you knew the key hole to be hidden in until it sank and turned. After a trading of titles and riddles the unsuspecting Dragon turned in what he believed to be a surprise attack only to get a smoke bomb to the face gaining a loud roar waking all creatures in the kingdoms around you followed by a skilled toss of your boomerang claiming his head triggering a thunderous quake rippling out through the lake and woods.

…

Breathing raggedly the Elf King returned to his bed chamber awaiting news of your readied state for the meal in which he fully intended on learning more about the woman stealing such an intimate contact with him. All through his years he’d never come across such a woman, far from just your eyes and your hint of fangs trapped in your bright smile. With giant weapons at your disposal he was truly awed at your being, and then your words, such knowing statements even he dared not deny to be true. His every wish was to follow them explicitly and trust you knew the way to end the beast and bring peace to their lands once again, but time had shown him that not all that is fair can be trusted. Against his very core he issued his verdict, you were never to leave, none of you.

In his path to dinner he eyed the doorway parting you in a near hungry gaze unsure of its reasoning. Swiftly he led his smirking Son and Captain of his Guard to the meal the three of them were eager to see unfold. The door swung open revealing a stunning pink velvet clad figure far too distant from the comfortable chair he has set beside his in the belief you would be placed there. Surely that weapon weighed heavily on your back and shoulders and you required a more suitable seat to relax in, but more importantly it was meant for you, and only you, not the Dwarf King currently sitting in it. No matter what was said by Thorin he couldn’t tear his eyes away from you, every word, smile and gesture stabbing at him but nowhere as deep as your not meeting his eyes once through the meal driving his inability to address you even deeper into his chest.

Circling his rooms in a pacing path Thranduil racked his brain unsure of what to do, only pausing in his sitting room to press his forehead against his doorframe trying to gather why in a few moments you had worked so deeply into his mind. A few compliments followed by your passionate embrace and gentle lips landing on his cheek followed by plain avoidance, and that yawn, so fake, just when he was about to call out to you, surely he was better than this, nowhere as easily as swayed by anyone. 

In a turn he sighed and paused his eyes on the card table in the corner stirring a smirk on his face. “Cards, that’s it. I’ll offer a game of cards.”  Challenging playful spark ran through his eyes on his path to set up a round of snacks and tea to arrange around the table, just as the servant outside his door was summoned to gather you he eyed the clock noting the nearing sunrise and decided to send him anyway. With lips parted to give the order silence split through the palace following a great roar. “Fetch Miss Pear.”

Promptly the servant raced to fetch you while the King raced to his closet to pull on his armor, turning only as Legolas raced in to help him secure it. Quietly they worked the protective layers on him even through the unnoticed entrance of the servant who called out, “My King, Miss Pear is gone.”

With parted lips and a forming scowl the King ordered his soldiers be summoned and entered the hall where he locked eyes with Thorin stating, “You sent her on this death mission!”

Thorin’s brows furrowed in return, “I sent Miss Pear nowhere and ordered nothing! Her path is of her own choosing!”

Thranduil exhaled shakily and turned to join his soldiers stating, “You are not to leave my Kingdom!”

With a chuckle Thorin smirked at his back calling out, “Don’t forget about your hair and cloak Your Majesty.” Thranduil turned to meet his gaze spotting his smirk, “She did warn you.”

Exhaling again Thranduil turned forward continuing his path, waiting to ease his hair tie he had around his wrist until he reached the gates, twisting his hair up into a bun as he left his cloak with the guard inside the gates, mounted his Elk and raced to the edge of the forest.

...

Through the mountain a horn echoed once again stirring a groan from you. Painfully your head throbbed as you rose to your knees, blinking through the dimly lit hall, gripping Hiraikotsu, using it to help you stand again after your head had crashed into the wall after Smaug’s tail had knocked you into it in his body’s death flail. Warmly the trickle of blood continued down your face on your slightly turned around limping path toward the front gate after a stop in the treasury.

In a clatter your weapons hit the ground while your hands worked out the small metal coated slot opening with a loud creak drawing the eye of the Elves dismounting while you blinked an settled your sight in the blinding light.

A step to your right you looked through the slot catching the King’s fierce glare as he stated, “You’re bleeding.”

Your eyes rose while a smile spread on your face threatening to crack through his determined plan to be cross with you at your abrupt leaving. “I like your bun.”

Exhaling sharply he stated, “I explicitly stated-.”

“That you would not permit the Dwarves to leave while the beast drew breath.” His brow twitched as you stated, “I am not a Dwarf, and he is no longer breathing.” His eyes lowered to the small chest in your hand you held at your shoulder, “Now I believe we might have a more even scale for bartering, King Thranduil.”

His eyes met yours again with another playful spark as he held out his hand for a small thrush resting on his Elk’s antlers to whom he stated when it landed in his palm, “Kindly send word to my Son to wake Thorin and his Company, and have a meal prepared.”

The bird flew off with a nod as the King eyed the door opening after you’d shouldered your boomerang and sheathed your sword gripping the circle of keys you had found the night prior to unlock the gate. In a limping step you closed the slot, exited and locked it behind you watching the King’s moving closer to you aiding in your path to a half wall on the bridge he crossed to get to the gate and raised you to sit on it, easing the boomerang to the ground before his healer came forward at his request. Flatly the King stated, “You should not have come alone.”

Your weak giggle sounded after a soft hiss at the stinging cream the Elleth slicked across the bump and gash on your forehead. “And just how else was I to surprise the big beasty, hmm? Your army would have signaled his attack. Alone I had a chance of keeping him inside the mountain, contained.”

In a step to his right to claim a full view of you once again he stated plainly, “Your words do not negate your injuries.”

With a giggle from you his brow twitched up again, “Oh yes, a knot on my forehead and a twisted ankle.” In a playful mock swooning voice with the back of your hand pressed to your forehead you continued, “How ever shall I survive and fend for myself with such permanent wounds.” His eyes sparked again when you caught his gaze again lowering your hand back to your lap, “Meahdros really laid it on thick with his missing hand, nothing compared to mine.”

Against his control a smirk twitched on the Kings face as he fought as best he could to contain the chuckle your words had stirred from him. A small circle rubbing his face as he coughed to cover it he regained his composure through eyeing his chuckling guards before turning to you once again catching your next giggle while you watched a guard step forward to claim your boomerang from the King. In another step once your cut had been mended he gripped your legs at his side as his other arm secured around your back for the walk to his Elk. His eyes lowered to you at your arm resting on his shoulder for a few moments as your finger traced around his ear stirring a faint blush on his cheeks then lowered when he shifted his grip to raise you onto the saddle and climbed on behind you.

..

Curiously the Dwarves waited sharing hushed statements about ways you could have escaped as well as how you could have handled Smaug. Your path however in front of the silent King taking in your heavier apple scent curiously racked his brain as to how you had escaped. At the edge for the forest he asked, “Just how did you manage your escape?”

With a giggle you glanced back at him feeling his hand around your middle trying not to draw you even closer to him in case you tried to break away from him again. “That would spoil all the fun.”

“Your door will remain guarded then.”

Your giggle sounded again, “I’ve no reason to run away just yet, why bore a guard with that detail?” You faced forward again and felt his chest meet your back for a moment through his large calming inhale.

“Why do you insist on avoiding divulging your plans?”

“I have no plans. I was taken to aid Thorin in reclaiming his home. Now my place is under the Wizard’s control, if he is to allow me to stay or send me back.”

“Mithrandir has no command over any under my rule.” Your smile grew as you giggled under your breath at the unconscious tightening of his grip just slightly around your middle while you pictured his firm scowl returning at the threat of your leaving.

…

The gates opened before you as the King’s boots hit the ground, his eyes watched your leg swing over the knot in the saddle as you turned allowing him to grab you. Lowering you in his arms to carry you inside and straight to the sitting room where the healers waiting there approached your side aiding you in unstrapping the brace from around your boot then gently eased your throbbing ankle out of said boot freeing it for their inspection. Once uncovered, the King eyed the lace and chain design etched into your skin across the top of your foot and around your ankle then met your gaze again as you said, “I take it you don’t have any tattoos?”

He shook his head, “Why that design? Lace and chains.”

With a playful gaze you asked, “You don’t like it?” His brow twitched as the door opened signaling him to turn around to face the entering Prince and Dwarves that all rushed over to you inspecting your wounds between joyful hugs and laughs. Turning your head you met Balin’s gaze as he asked, “Tweaked your ankle?”

With a chuckle you set out your sketches he had drawn and pointed at a section, “There’s stairs here.”

Inhaling sharply Balin replied, “Oh. My apologies.”

You shook your head, “Not your fault, they’re tucked behind a statue and I was in a bit of a hurry.” Meeting Thorin’s gaze you said, “Spotted the stone, but it got knocked away from my sight in the gold.” You tossed him a spike you had sliced off in your attack, “But it is there.”

He chuckled accepting the spike and passed it around then eyed the chest at your side you handed over as well causing his eyes to shift to Thranduil as he said, “I take it now we’ve grounds for trade?”

Thranduil nodded motioning for the men to take their seats while you were helped to your room to scrub yourself clean and change before returning. With your curls hanging freely around you your hands raised the sleeves on your sweater to your elbows as it hung loosely over your black jeans resting across the tops of your bare feet. Under your arms you tucked the crutches they granted you and made your way back to the sitting room far easier than they had imagined you to be able to use them, not knowing of the countless times your clumsiness has landed you in various boots and wraps before.

The conversing Kings fell silent at your entrance eyeing your easy path to the table and shifting turn to lower yourself into the chair opposite Thorin on Thranduil’s right as a servant claimed your crutches and returned to her spot along the wall. Turning his head Thranduil stated, “You’re moving quite easily with those already.”

You smirked at him, “Not my first tumble down the stairs.” Your eyes shifted to Thorin and his warm smile at you at your asking, “So, reached a deal yet?”

Thorin, “Partly.”

Raising a brow you crossed your injured leg over the other leaning back in the much more comfortable chair than yours from the night before, “What’s to get stuck on?”

Thranduil turned his head meeting your gaze, “My terms, Thorin and his Company all have safe passage to Erebor, I get my jewels. That much is agreed.”

“And the trouble?”

Thorin, “Thranduil is insisting you remain here until Erebor is rebuilt, due to your injuries.”

Thranduil, “The mountain is unfit for your housing in this state.”

Pressing your lips against your curled knuckles after your elbow rested on the arm of your chair a chuckle fought to leave you at his insistence while Thorin stated in Khuzdul, “We will not leave you here under his imprisonment.”

Promptly a tea cart was brought in and Thranduil stated “I will not be moved on this” on his path to fetch you tea, your eyes met Thorin’s stirring a matching smile on his face as you replied I their tongue, “Ah. He’s playing hard-to-get. How cute.” A chuckle sounded from Thorin and his kin before you said, “The mountain needs watching, whether you go now or when Dain arrives at your word is up to you. But don’t use me as a hindrance to claiming your throne, I have the key and a few tricks to escaping if need be.”

With a sigh Thorin nodded and looked to Thranduil as he set a teacup before you on the table while his eyes scanned over the slit partly folded back exposing the top of your cleavage at his angle above you then raised them to meet Thorin’s at his throat clearing. “King Thranduil, we return freely, you keep your jewels promising to meet for trade at a later date as Miss Pear remains under your care until the mountain is suitable to house her properly to her new station.”

Thranduil nodded then lowered his gaze to you asking, “How do you take your tea?”

...

Between the crashes, growls and screams a clear whooshing sounded turning the head of the Elves in the courtyard of Dale, with a sudden step to the right the Giant Elk and King on his back watched the giant boomerang soar past them taking out the row of orcs before soaring right back to you. With a firm scowl Thranduil followed its path back past him and your sliding when your hand caught the loop dangling from it before your leap up beheading a troll with it drawing cheers from the Dwarves around you at the fearsome weapon. Through your body turning you caught the King’s eye and you called out, “Supposed to be in bed, I know!”

Exhaling sharply Thranduil dismounted and raced after you on foot, meeting your side spotting your path straight for the Durins searching a set of ruined towers as he stated, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

With a scoff you replied, “Arguably, lately none of my ideas are very good.” His eyes met yours as you giggled again and darted away from his side whipping the large boomerang around your head with a fiery gaze on your pasty white target and beside his equally as hideous son towering over the Princes and Thorin locked in a weaving battle as more orcs approached and wargs joined the chase after you and the Elf King. Firmly it hit its target and looped around straight for you, with wide eyes the King darted to his left slicing at the first warg snapping at him. Backwards you slid on the icy rocks at your gripping the flying weapon, whipping it in a firm circle taking out three wargs and turning to stand before the King shielding his back and yourself with it catching his stunned gaze at your pressing against him at the force of the blow landing on your weapon.

In a reach to your hip you released your chain turning around your weapon, swinging it in a loop around its neck while you leapt up curling your legs around another’s head snapping its neck as Thranduil beheaded the one your chain was secured around. On the ground again you whipped your chain around another orc as you shielded yourself once again before your boomerang was sent off again at the troll aiming for Thorin’s head with a mace freeing you to draw your blade easily slicing through a great number of orcs before your catching the weapon once more. Your last turn ending with you driving it down straight into the head of another warg whose back you’d landed on after beheading another troll.

A smirk eased on the Elf King’s face at your talents but soon dropped at your vanishing one more, but soon an explosion in the distance followed by a brief set of shrieks mingled with a loud scream. Chasing the noise you were spotted rolling from your knees onto your back clapping your hand over your mouth through tearful giggles laying your weapons at your side while a dark haired man joined your side looking you over carefully. In a few moments the Elf and Dwarf King had raced to you forcing the man away, back to his children as the ruined tower across from them had settled even flatter. Peering up at the man Thranduil asked “What happened?”

His gaze lowering to you as your other hand clapped over your mouth as your giggles grew and more tears slid across your face through his answer, “She came out of nowhere, took out the tower full of orcs and that warg on her path down the steps.”

The eldest girl behind him added, “Just started laughing after her fall.”

The boy said, “Might be her side, slammed pretty hard. Ma used to laugh when she hurt herself, knocks and bruises just started laughing.”

Looking down at you again Thranduil eyed your body settling as your laughing died and you giggled out, “I think I broke a rib.” Before giggling again while Thorin chuckled and wiped your cheeks.

Thranduil leaned back in his crouching position missing Thorin raising you in his arms as Dwaling grabbed your weapons as the Elf King looked at the man asking, “And who are you to the Lady?”

Bard shrugged, “Never met her before. Shouted our names and blocked an attack.”

With a sharp exhale Thanduil looked to your former spot only to rise and look around before striding after you in the Dwarf King’s arms on his path to the healing tent following the sounds of your returning laughter at the Dwarves bets on what the Elf King was to say and do when he caught up to you again.

Pt 2

[literary-stabs]

The Roles We Bear - Part 1

AN: Well it seems like a handful of you out there liked this enough to give it a chance. So I’m going to keep going because I’m stupid eager to share this. This part is just a bit of catch up on where our dear princess is and a little teaser glimps at our to be protagonist. This should be building up more in the next part. Patience and feedback is appreciated!

Warnings: None?

Wordcount: 1.8k 

One Week Ago

"People of Elyxtra, I call to you seeking your courage, and your compassion." The King, or rather, the cousin of the once beloved King Tonomi Mensa, Lord Atlas, spoke on the balcony positioned at the front of the city square. Below him gathered a crowd that was satisfactory for his purposes. He'd sent out word the day before that he would be calling an assembly of the city for an announcement. Non obligatory but of great interest to everyone. He was a clever man, though many had their suspicions of what the gathering was for, the lack of detail pulled at any busy body's curious side.

"The time has come, the seasons are changing and the ice has melted through the pass. I know many of you know the tragedy of my dear cousin Tonomi and his beloved wife Karra. During this season many of you are focused on the crops of the year and getting land ready for the spring rains and growth. However, I make this plea that you also keep Princess Nikota in your hearts and minds. With the opening of the pass, I will be sending out willing men in service to attempt to rescue her from her prison." He drew a breath and lowered his voice while also keeping it loud enough to be heard. His voice mimicked something much more solemn.

"You all must be tired of my request of you to save her. And I beg your patience as we continue to try to reach her. With each continuing year I worry we may be too late. But to honor the late King and Queen's memory, I will never give up. And I hope none of you will either. Gods' speed, to our noble men." And with that his speech, his well practiced and very familiar speech, was finished.

It was a speech he gave every year. Every year with the melting of the ice and snow in the mountain passes, the city capitol could expect the speech to come. Many came anyway, to gauge the response. To see if there was any news. Knights and service men, soldiers from other cities, towns and kingdoms even, came across the land to aid the rescue in Princess Nikota Mensa. Some for the glory, some for the challenge, but every one of them was drawn by the idea and promise of the grand reward. Treasures and riches so plenty that it would keep a man fat until the end of his days.

"It makes you wonder, if the princess is dead by now, ya know." A female voice murmured to her companion who nodded in agreement.

"'N if she isn't, how she could still be alive. Or sane. Poor thing, being trapped away for all these years. She could ne'er possibly adapt to the way things are now." The other reasoned. Silence took the two as they watched men and women in the square, some leaving, some mingling, some gathering into tighter groups. There were several groups of knights and soldiers. Some baring the deep violet and silver of the kingdom, some striding in other, foreign colors of neighboring lands. Though one thing was the same among them, aside from their goal.

They were all in groups.

All except one who stood to the side, who watched alone as the socialites mingled and the men of service planned. They stood with their arms crossed, clad in a suit of black leathers and thick fabrics resembling a lion's hide. In small, strategic places chainmail shown through where it was thickest, particularly around the shoulders and chest. A small line of it peaked out at the bottom of the knight's tunic to suggest it left no area vulnerable. The knight wore no colors, no distinguishing markings. Their face was covered by a hood and mask, leaving only their golden eyes to be seen.

If one was to pay attention to the lone knight they'd notice these things about them. They'd also notice that they stood a bit smaller than the average serviceman. That their eyes were remotely feline in the way they watched people. However, the mystery knight didn’t stay long in the square before departing to ready for the upcoming adventure.

Currently.

"Nikota, are you up there?" A lilting feminine voice called up the spiraling staircase to the tower library where the princess certainly was. Soon after, the owner of the voice appeared in the small library's doorway and looked curiously to the princess sitting in the window. "What're you doing dear?"

"Daydreaming, I supposed." The princess sighed, looking in her caretaker's eyes through the window reflection. Andrelia wasn't a tall or filled out woman. She really didn't take up much of the doorway with her wiry frame. But the way in which she watched her ward, taking her in with those wise and well knowing jade eyes made her seem like so much more than she appeared. The older of the two chuckled and shook her head slightly, knowing that the girl would come out of her head when she wanted to. "Did you need something?" She asked, turning to face the older woman finally.

"I was going to ask if you'd like some lunch. And to see how you were feeling. Next week is your twenty-fifth birthday."

"And in two days it will be the anniversary of the day I was sent out of my home in the middle of the night. The last night I saw either of my parents." The words were spat out bitterly, giving Andrelia a good gauge as to an answer towards the princess' mental state. Fourteen years. Fourteen years they'd sat hiding, waiting, in this tower. Only Andrelia was ever allowed to leave. Not that Nikota hadn't tried. But after the situation had truly been explained, she had realized what staying in the tower meant.

It meant that her parents were likely dead. That maybe someone was coming to save her. That maybe someone sent by her parents would come and finally give them the signal that it was safe to leave. But it had been fourteen years. Many people had come, many knights, treasure hunters seeking to "rescue" her from her prison. To slay the legendary dragon and save the princess. Whether for glory or for her hand in marriage, she didn't know or care. They all came, and none of them were the right ones. None of them were there for the right reasons, baring what sign Andrelia was searching for in each of them.

"And if your mother could see you right now she would be so appalled to see her daughter sulking in the library before her birthday." Andrelia taunted lightly. "Why don't you come down and eat then we can spar and you can take out all this mood with some swordfight." And with that she turned back in the doorway and started back down the stairs to the levels below, her long graying blonde locks swaying with excessive attitude.

"Maybe I'm moody because of my cycle." Nikota muttered crossly.

"No." The caretaker sang in reply. "Your cycle was a week ago. C'mon princess. Time to get off your window perch."

The princess couldn't help the small smile that tugged on her lips as she stood and brushed herself off. Andrelia had been around as long as she could remember, even before she had fled from her home. And as long as she could remember, the woman had never treated her like a privileged royal. She'd refused to raise the young girl to be haughty and high browed. Instead they'd trained over the years, studied and fought so that if the time ever came, Nikota could provide and defend herself like any seasoned soldier.

"You say that like you've never had your share of mood swings." She continued as she entered the kitchen, seeing Andrelia work on something that looked like it was going to be pasta salad. Sharp green eyes darted up from the task at hand, a smirk following not far behind.

"Not at all. Actually your mother had some of the most dramatic mood swings I've ever seen in her younger years. Even more so while she was pregnant with you." Andrelia recalled, deft hands chopping carrots up finely on a wood block. "Sometimes I would visit and find your father hiding in the farthest, darkest sections of the library to find peace and quiet if only for just an hour or so." A softer smile now replaced the other on her lips. "Though it was obvious how in love with her he was, he bent over backward for her whenever he could."

"I wish I could remember more of them." She lowered her sapphire gaze, a color that looked so much like her mother's, she'd been told. She remembered them, her mother's eyes, remembered the love they'd held every time they'd looked into her own.

Andrelia put a soft hand on her shoulder but said nothing, she let the younger female have the moment in silence. There were no words she could say to make this better, none she hadn't tried already in past conversations and late night confessions.

-

Nikota loved the peace that silence in the tower brought along with it. The ancient stone bricks absorbed sound both from the inside and outside. Some might think that could be isolating, but she'd grown to love it. Loved being able to sit in her window seat at midnight and watch the stars and the clouds outside. The moon had just started its new cycle, hovering over the valley little more than a sliver. Lower on the horizon a new spring storm made its way closer. Good, she loved the rain too.

A movement near one of the trees caught her attention, drawing her gaze to focus in on that area. There was a cluster of trees on one side of the valley that she supposed constituted as a forest but when she was so high up and could see all the edges of the trees it felt too small to be a forest. The trees were tall with thick trunks and branches that reminded her of a willow except the leaves grew like a maple. The motion she saw was just against the closest border of the trees.

It was a small shadow, or at least smaller than the trees. At first she thought it an animal until she saw that it was too tall, and bipedal. It moved with a purpose, that much was similar to an animal on the hunt. She wondered what it was, it looked humanoid, but so did the fae and pixies in the surrounding area. Nikota narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look when the clouds suddenly lit with a flash of lightning, illuminating the area and the figure before shrouding it in darkness once again. A gentle hiss against the window pane alerted her to the rain, the downpour the storm clouds had been heavy with, along with the rumble of thunder. Even in the brief moment she knew what she'd seen.

A dark figure clothed in blackened cloth, hood over their eyes and mask over their face. It was a person. Someone was coming for her. And they were nearly at the tower.

Taglist: @kategcko @ask-the-egos @danger-in-design

[zippdementia]

Part 68 Alignment May Vary: City of Ghosts

Situation: Roger Krisp leads the Hell’s Rebels from aboard his mighty airship, The Ark, which he has parked over the ruined cityscape of Maladomini, one of the Nine Cities of Hell which was destroyed during Hell’s previous election cycle when civil war broke out (Imoaza doesn’t like the cold and curls up around the ship’s walls, which are heated). His plan, which he and his council of five tell the players over a feast, is to find a way off of Hell and to take his rebels with him. Ultimately, they want to find a way back to their home world of Faerun. While the player’s sleep and clean themselves (and Aldric gets a little dirty with a trio of Goblin women), Krisp sends a team out to find the players’ crashed spaceship. He discovers it is repairable, but that it cannot fly without being repowered. The only thing that can repower it are Crystals. Alyss has mentioned these as being responsible for ushering souls to Hell, and we know the Surveyor used them to pepper worlds with life. We know the Jade Statue was one, and contained some of the power of a Dark One, a Star Spawn from beyond the Void. Turns out Mammon has a ton of him in his Trump-esque tower of Minauros. The Rebels have been trying to get the crystals for years, because they are the only thing that can power a ship enough to leave Hell’s atmosphere. To break into the vault, Alyss devised a plan. There is a Demon who can help them, but it needs to be freed from its Archdevil master first, an ancient devil known as The Yellow King. Alyss learned the Demon’s true name and was bartering with a devil named Puck in order to gain an item that can free the Demon. Alyss intended to use the Demon as a distraction to let her and the rebels break into Mammon’s vault. Now the players have to take her place and meet her contact, Puck, in the City of Ghosts.

Twist: Just as Krisp finishes speaking, the whole airship shakes and the alarm is called. “Under attack?” Krisp asks incredulously. “Out here in this wasteland? Nothing comes here, though I have been saying this place is RIPE for a water theme park.” It turns out the devils are very intent on catching the players and have tracked them to Maladomini. White Dragons ridden by Ice Devils swarm the airship and the crew mans guns and other futuristic weapons to take them down.

Combat: The players fight an Ice Devil on board the deck of the airship, while attacks from the Ice Dragons occasionally interrupt combat in spectacular ways, keeping the players on their toes. It is an interesting combat, where the Ice Devil casts ice walls around the players to try and block them off to fight one at a time. Everyone holds their own, perhaps none so much as Carrick, who uses his anti-matter rifle to turn the tide of combat, blasting away a good chunk of the Ice Devil’s health, and who then survives being encased in an icy Iron Maiden of the Devil’s Construction. Aldric finally forcibly bursts through one of the ice walls to engage the Devil in melee. As he stabs through the Ice Devil’s heart, Aldric discovers a hidden power of Mist Reaver, the sword belonging to his old company, that lets it suck up elemental energy and reproduce it, turning his blade into a chill weapon. The Dragons are driven off, and combat is successful!

Notes: 

The Council of Six is made up of a new character, Star the Tiefling, and four of the adventurers who were in the Tomb of Horrors campaign I ran several years ago and also journaled: Tinia the fat elven Cleric, Geth the gothic rogue, Ikbaldi the huge boistrious barbarian, and Otto the Warlock (Chad the Bard was already dead, so his soul didn’t go to Hell with the rest of the party). Also, technically Ikbaldi’s soul was trapped by Acererak, but cannon would state that Ikbaldi later escaped this prison, though was killed soon after in his weakened state). The council helps during the dragon battle, running all over and displaying their various, impressive level 15 abilities.

When the players try to sleep, Aldric pairs up with three goblin wenches and they have loud loud loud sex in the room next to Imoaza (edit: the player informs me that one of the goblins, at least one, was definitely male. I didn’t look close enough at that tangle of limbs to verify, so we’ll take his word for it). Her meditations deeply disturbed by Aldric’s antics, Imoaza goes to find Carrick’s room in another part of the ship and the two bond a little bit simply by enjoying each other’s relative silence. Carrick himself is ruminating on what Roger Krisp told him about the Surveyor, because it turns out Roger Krisp knows that legend.

The Surveyor, Krisp tells the party, is an ancient being who once traveled the stars, spreading life to other planets. It’s unknown whether there is one Surveyor or many, but he was said to be immortal. His motivations were unclear and he seemed to be nomadic in nature, never staying in any one place and never returning to it after his initial visits and experiments with the crystals. He had no equal in technological prowess and his research seemed especially focused on using souls to power things or to reconstruct life. The Crystals are conduits for channeling souls into energy. No one knows what happened to him (except the players now do).

Roger Krisp asks the players advice on a new catchphrase. He’s developed a sugary cereal, see, Krispy Krisps, or Captain Krisps, which funds the Hell’s Rebels operation (”Sales this quarter are surprisingly good, ever since we added buttloads of sugar!”)and he thinks the whole Hell’s Rebels organization needs a cool branding phrase to not only go along with the cereal but to usher them into adventure! Something they will call out before each mission. Some contenders are, “Get Krispy with it!” or “It’s Krisp Time!” or “Krispy does it!” or “Krispy is as Krispy does!” They settle on “Let’s Get Krispy” and head off for the City of Ghosts, where the devil Puck resides.

Situation: The players have to sneak into the accursed City of Ghosts, the place where creatures who have lost their last bit of soul end up wandering, cast away shells of their former selves. They have to find Puck here, while avoiding getting lost in the city’s perpetual fog (straying into the fog, they are warned, will slowly drain them of their powers and souls). Trolls who have completely infested the city are also on the prowl for fresh meat and soul power draws them like a beacon. The players are going to have to be quick. To help them, they are offered Jacobs as a guide, as he survived on his own in the City of Ghosts for nearly a week, longer than any other person has done... at least, and emerged with their soul intact. He tells them they are looking for Viam Autem Dominin Reprobi, which is ancient common for “The Path of Fallen Lords.”

Twist: Technology will draw the attention of all the Trolls in the city, so Jacobs, a dark skinned warrior who died on Faerun long long ago before the Time of Troubles, takes his flying car and parks it on the outskirts, then shows the players the entrance to a sewer which they can use to get inside the city unnoticed. Only, as they traverse the sewers, they encounter a Hydroloth, from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. It eats Jacobs memories and leaves him a confused, speechless, husk who aimlessly follows Carrick. The party gets into an intense fight with the Hydroloth on its home turf. The best part of the fight is when the Hydroloth charms Aldric and Imoaza tries to break the charm by ALSO charming Aldric.... which is a super bad ass idea even though she fails her battle of wills. The battle over Aldric’s mind ultimately ends in a victory for the Hydroloth and poor Aldric experiences the mother of all migraines as his brain is turned into a battlefield. Despite this, the limitations of Crown of Madness (which the Hydroloth cast on Aldric) catch me off guard: it is a reaaally limited spell, limited to forcing a creature to make melee attack against a creature within reach at the beginning of their turn before moving. That sucks unless the players are grouped up and too stupid to not stay bunched up after they see a mother-fuckin’ crown of GODDAMNED THORNS appear around the head of their heaviest hitter (”Get the hell away from that guy!”) At first I thought the spell had useage at least as a “retain your own personal bodyguard” spell, holding the party’s big hitter in reserve until he could break the enchantment, and threatening anyone who gets close, but no--the madness doesn’t function if the target isn’t forced to attack someone on their turn. Seriously, what is this bullshit? I’m sure I’ve played this wrong in the past just because this makes no sense. Alright, end rant. Short story is, the players do manage to defeat the Hyrdoloth, though it ends in quite a freaky way, as the beast dives into deeper water and then uses illusions via phantasmal force to make Aldric think it has morphed into a huge tentacled creature. Carrick eventually finds it in the water and defeats it. But Jacobs’ memory does not return.

The Debate: A furious debate rages over whether they should leave Jacobs or not. Aldric feels he should be left behind, as he will be a burden. Imoaza thinks that they should take him... to use him as bait for monsters in the city. Carrick feels they should kill him and put the dude out of his misery... or use him as bait. This is Carrick leaning back towards his darker side and when he prays to his good god for guidance, he is given the extreme cold shoulder and realizes, with shame, that he is not adhering to his promised path in life: to do good to balance out the evil he once did as Carrick the Conqueror (as some of the small folk had named him).

“Do you know no spell which can reverse this memory loss, fix broken memories?” Carrick asked Imoaza. The snake woman looked at him curiously, her slit eyes unblinking and unreadable. “No. Of course not. If I had, I would have cast it on you long ago so we could retrieve your past life as The Surveyor.”

Carrick felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see Jacobs standing next to him. The man held up his hand and showed Carrick that he’d found a single gold piece. Carrick sighed.

“He’s my responsibility, then.”

The players find a ladder past the Hydroloth’s pool and exit into the City of Ghosts.

Situation: The players are lost in the City of Ghosts. With Jacobs, er, indisposed and unable to guide them, they have to wander the fog-filled streets looking for the Path of Fallen Lords (Aldric fails a survival roll badly, points in a random direction and says “this is west,” then leads the party onward). This means rolling on a random encounter chart I’ve worked up for this session, chock full of trolls and odd encounters. If they pass this, they will find Puck in a tavern he has filled with the illusion of merry hustle and bustle. Puck wants to make a contract with them, to “ride with the Hell’s Rebels until they reach their final destination.” The limits of the deal stipulate that no Hell’s Rebel can harm him or allow him to knowingly come to harm during this time. In exchange, he will lend them a weapon capable of destroying the bonds that hold the Demon Train to its master, the Yellow King.

Twist: Once the deal with Puck is made, the party is interrupted by a gunship (think Samus Aran’s ship, from Metroid) landing outside the tavern and the entrance of its pilot, a mercenary who has been searching for Puck. 

The doors to the tavern bang open and thin wisps of fog blow in from the outside, followed by a lithe but strange shape. It is a humanoid, only the bottom half of the creature ends in a large snake’s coils. The beast slithers into the tavern and points one of its arms, which has been replaced with something resembling a small cannon, at the impish Puck crouched on one of the tables.

“Puck! You’ve been evading Mammon for longer than he thought you could. But the gig is up and now it’s time to...” the mercenary, whose voice is feminine with a hard edge to it, trails off as she catches sight of the three companions crowded around Puck’s table. “Mother?” she hisses.

The mercenary turns out out to be none other than Hecate, who lost her life (and her hexblade) after using her hexblade to follow Imoaza into the mayhem the team had caused in the underground Yuan Ti temple. Found almost immediately by the beast the team had released there, she was ripped in half and her soul rejected by the Snake Goddess, landing instead in Hell, where she has become one of Hell’s most tenacious mercenaries. Still, she has never forgotten her hatred for her Mother, Imoaza, and her desire to murder her has only intensified due to the circumstances of her demise.

Combat: Imoaza has no interest in parleying with her wayward daughter. She thinks of her as less than dirt, a daughter who never proved her worth and is far too emotional to be considered a true snake. Imoaza isn’t surprised the goddess rejected her and tells Hecate as much. Flying into a rage, Hecate immediately summons a venom troll and attacks the players using a variety of weapons, most notably an ability to turn invisible using a technological device and her gun arm, which launches blasts of varying power and effect at the players. It’s a tough fight: Imoaza leads with a critical hit against Carrick, who gets in the way of her and Imoaza--Carrick gets a huge knife embedded in his chest as her throws himself in front of Hecate’s attack, after she climbs up then leaps from the tavern’s balcony towards Imoaza. Aldric, meanwhile, gets caught up in fighting the Venom Troll, which turns out to be a rough situation, as fighting the thing at close range exposes Aldric to lots and lots of poisonous blood.

In order to bring down the troll, Aldric calls upon the help of his Green Company again, using his special horn to call them. The Green Company arrive and leap to the task given to them.

Charging through the tavern door suddenly are figures from Aldric’s past. He recognizes Three-Fours, the mercenary whose name refers to the number of fingers he has left on each hand; Bungo, the vivacious female Halfing whose girth is matched only by her strength and loudness in battle; and Susan, the mostly ineffectual cook who nonetheless swings a mighty battleaxe in combat. “Looking good, commander!” Bungo yells as she bounds towards the huge, pus-filled troll. The nasty creature turns to face her as she comes and uses one huge yellowed nail to tear into its own stomache, spilling venomous stomach fluid out in a geyser across the charging berserkers. The three cringe as the liquid hits them but they do not slow their charge, tearing into the creature with Aldric at their side, all of them shouting “FOR THE COMPANY!” as Bungo’s dual blades shred flesh, Three-Fours stabs downward with his cutlass, and Susan misses spectacularly with his great axe. Soon the tavern is sprayed left and right with the poisonous blood and Aldric falls, his skin smoking from where the blood has soaked him.

Carrick and Imoaza try to focus on bringing down Hecate and things look bad for a moment as they struggle to find her, but finally Hecate messes up, knocking over a chair as she moves invisibly through the room, and Imoaza immediately launches several eldritch blasts at her using Drosselgreymer. The back and forth continues for a while before Carrick finally manages to blast Hecate with his anti-matter rifle and then close with her to deal more damage with his blade. Hecate responds by teleporting out of the tavern, back to her ship, and leaving behind several neutron bombs.

Aldric is down, the Green Company is fighting the troll. Carrick runs from the tavern, calling to Imoaza to get out! Imoaza looks to Aldric, her snake like brain reasoning that Aldric’s is going to be needed for the group to survive the dangers of Hell. She feels something light on her shoulder: it is Puck. “I’ll help you!” he says, and enhances her strength.

And so it is that the party dives from the tavern, Aldric’s slung over Imoaza’s shoulder, just as it erupts into a ball of flame behind them. Even then, their challenge isn’t over. Hecate’s ship takes off as they run outside and blasts away into the sky. But the players are left facing a pack of trolls, who are rushing from the fog towards the commotion. Puck waves his hands and the fog ahead of them lifts and a path is shown that leads straight from the city. At the end of the far sprint, they can see The Ark fly in, ready to retrieve them via ladders.

The players heal Aldric and all of them run, Puck on Imoaza’s shoulder, Carrick grabbing Jacobs, who is lingering around numbly. They have to roll a quick chase scene, with the trolls right on their heels! They just make it... Imoaza actually has a troll grab onto her leg as she leaps for one of the ship’s ladder and she almost goes down to its bite as it tries to rip apart her leg. She has to blast it in the face with an Eldritch blast to force it to let go, and then they are all away and finally safe.

Notes:

Wandering through the city, the group comes to a huge town square with over seventeen streets leadign off in jumbled directions from it. Here they encounter an odd mummer’s show being put on by grim jesters with skulls for masks. They are catering to a group of shadowy beings who, when caught out of the corner of an eye, seem to have the shape of people and humanoids. But when stared at directly, it is hard to determine what exactly they are. The group tries to sneak around them, but Aldric’s armor is too loud and they are spotted. Trying to salvage the situation Aldric pretends to be a performer himself and decides to sing a bawdry song from his mercenary days. But he rolls a critical fail on his performance check and the shadows and jesters begin to move in on him to tear him apart and add his soul to their procession. That’s when Carrick leaps into the middle of the crowd and blasts them all with a dose of his Paladin-given holy power, combined with an incredible intimidation score. He frightens the crowd of shadows and the Jesters soon follow their flock, disappearing into the mists.

The weapon that can destroy the bonds is none other than Heartcarver, the third legendary weapon the team recovered from White Plume Mountain (seems like ages ago) and which was lost when Nysyries lost her life in the mountain passes. Puck says he traded a Goblin magical power in exchange for the weapon, which means Nysyries’ body was scavenged by goblins. Aldric recognizes the weapon. There is also a brief conversation about the power of Aldric’s Rod of Storms, but it seems dormant for the moment.

The conversation with Puck is fun: he tries to pull a fast one with the contract the players sign and they catch him out on it and even force him to add an addendum that he will help them restore Jacob’s memory. For his part, he words the conditions very carefully and makes it clear, too, that the Heartcarver axe will be LENT not GIVEN. I love the conversation because there is a time limit (Puck warns them the city is becoming restless due to their presence) and it is a moment that gives a great opportunity for me to play a devil like a sneaky lawyer, definitely a potential ally, but an ally with an angle. The fact that we get to roleplay out creating the contract, even though it is a brief moment, is a fun challenge that relies purely on roleplaying and not dice. A nice moment comes too when Puck doesn’t trust the players know Alyss and Aldric proves they do by showing her miniaturized bike. Just a nice use of a player acquired item!

In the next session, the players may get to suplex a train. Keep reading!

[shardofcognition]

Who. The Hell. Is Moto?

One of the most endearing things about the game Guild Wars 2 is the Game Within A Game, Super Adventure Box, that began as an epic April Fool’s Joke and turned into a recurring annual festival.  In 2013, when the festival initially came out, it was just good fun.  In fact, the Living Story had barely even taken off, so GW2 was still firmly planted in its first story arc, and SAB seemed like exactly what it was: a blast, an epic tribute to 80s gaming, and the chance to have a fun time.

However, with the inclusion of Moto in the *main plot* of Living Story, Season 3... that elevates his profile.  It also brings SAB further out of meta humor and into the actual tapestry of GW2.  But it also poses a problem:

Who. The Hell. Is Moto?

Disclaimer: This is all speculation, and Moto might be just a cool reference character.  But with his inclusion in the main plot, I’m starting to seriously doubt it..

---

There’s an absurd amount of similarities between things in SAB and the Heart of Thorns content.  Here are a few.

Baubles - Unbound Magic

The baubles that you collect in SAB are mechanically and visually near identical to the unbound magic that we have been collecting as of Living Story Season 3.  It’s not that complex a similarity, but it bears mentioning for being basically identical.

Storm Wizard Fight - Mouth of Mordremoth Fight

These two events could not be more similar.  In the initial fight with Storm Wizard, he teleports around and lauches huge AoEs at you (much like the Mind of Mordremoth), and you must attack him with his own power to win.  Afterward, he transforms into a snake-like dragon creature surrounded by 8 floating islands (much like the Mouth of Mordremoth).  He periodically spawns minions, then EATS the islands.  You beat him by piling on the damage while he is crippled on the ground.

Bouncing Mushrooms - Bouncing Mushrooms

C’mon.  You don’t need explanation.

Chak - Bee-Dogs

THIS one is interesting, and very very telling.  While in SAB, only the Queen Bee Dog is a dangerous enemy, the behavior of the Chak and Bee-Dogs is somewhat similar.  Chak gather ley-line energy from the jungle, bring it back to their hive, and encase it in honeycomb.  Which, at some point, you break, releasing the ley-line energy into the world.  Unbound magic is, let’s not kid, just ley-line energy that’s been congealed into a collectable form - if this was built when you had the ability to gather it, you’d have energy for days.

Bee-dogs gather baubles from the native flora, take them back to their hive and queen, and put them in honeycombs.  Which the player then destroys, gathering the bauble goodness for themselves.  It’s interesting to question what a bee-dog would actually be: a hive minded creature with the individual intelligence and behaviors of a dog, likely.  Not unlike the Chak.

That’s not all, but it’s enough for now...

Things that aren’t too similar, but deserve mention.

Zone Designs

The zones we encounter in SAB do share a lot in common with the zones that have been discovered in Living World and Heart of Thorns.  The World 1 Zones would be much more similar to Maguuma - great forests where navigation is done as much in the trees as on the ground, where you are avoiding dangerous enemies in the above and poison below.  Where you also encounter frogs who’ve got a massive displacing lick attack - and the King Toad who has the massive slams of the Nuhoch and future zone bosses.  Whether intentional or not, a lot of similarity.

World 2 gets more interesting.  The first Zone in world 2 is an area full of cliffs, with occasional hillbillies who fiercely defend their territory.  There’s water there - mostly as a river - but the zone is dry matching up fairly well with the Maguuma Wastes.

The second Zone is full of Asian architecture, ninja assassins, and literal clouds to jump off of.  It’s deeper in the mountains and regarded as impassible.  This zone doesn’t have any equivalent in the rest of the game, nor do its enemies really align with any of the main types.  The closest zone to it was the Zephyrite Encampment prior to their horrible crash in Dry Top - right after they had come back from Cantha, and brought all the Canthan goods to trade and display.

The third and final zone is in deep, ice encased mountains.  If this is to resemble anything in the main storyline, it’s going to be the Far Shiverpeaks.

The Sound Effects

Like it or not, the village babble and the Chak babble share a bit in common. An uncanny amount.  Whether that’s intentional or not, I don’t know.

The Zepyrites

I think it’s important to mention the Zephyrites, because, at their introduction and even their reintroduction, they weren’t apparently important.  They provided a bit of color and intrigue, but were basically a seasonal festival and an excuse to jolt the economy.  They could have easily settled into the background tapestry of the game’s annual events.

Until, well, they wound up being revealed as the caretakers of Glint’s Legacy, became first victims of the Sylvari betrayal, and were catalysts of the initial push into the Maguuma Wastes.  And wound up dashed against the rocks of the desert.

They bear mention because: When we see seasonal festival characters introduced into the main story, it’s possible that they change everything.

Moto Himself

Moto is - Eccentric, Even Among Asura.

Moto bursts onto the scene with his SAB, and it’s an instant hit.  But we’ve not quite seen it’s like anywhere before, and Moto refers to it as “His Greatest Work,” in conversations with the Consortium.  His Life’s Achievement perhaps.  In conversation with an Outraged Professor, he is stated to be an “unaccredited, untenured charlatan“ which means that he isn’t necessarily a graduate of either of the 3 main colleges of Rata Sum.

Moto is - In Disguise?

Throughout the SAB, there’s curiously specific rebuttals to the implication that Princess Miya is, in fact, Moto in a dress.  Interestingly, Moto’s SAB avatar is almost certainly his own piece of art, and he made the villagers and Betty Bauble, so he could have easily been able to create a Miya that is CLEARLY not Moto in a dress.

(I realize Miyamoto is important to the naming tribute.  Just saying.)

Moto is - Incredibly Adept with Rata Novan Technology

"Taimi: Stand there and you'll be ported to this crazy simulation room the Novans developed but never finished.“

Not only is Moto able to finish the VR technology that the Rata Novans were initially working on, but he is able to improve it and even add his own twists.  Specifically, he adds a Destroyer that doesn’t exist, even if it takes on the ludicrous appearance of one of his SAB enemies.

Furthermore, Taimi, who is shown to be fairly universally adept at technology - a genius among geniuses - can’t really figure it out.  It boggles her.  Moto steps in and knocks it out of the park.  Finally, with most Rata Sum technology, we see a progression - gradual experimentation, improvement, etc.  Almost all of the Rata Sum tech has a basis - especially the golems.  But Moto’s SAB doesn’t... until you start to excavate Rata Novus.

What Is He Really?

Blah Theory: Moto’s not important. He’s a reference to an absolutely fantastic contributor to video game history and nothing more. All of what I just wrote is a result of either the creators of GW2 using SAB to beta test... or taking advantage of features they built for SAB as they’ve added new content.  Why reinvent the wheel?

Novus Theory: Moto, or Moto’s lineage at least, are survivors of Rata Novus.  They managed to get out before the city was totally overrun, and took with them the designs for the prototype simulation room when they left.  Since then, they hid, either among humans or other Asura, until Moto was able to bring the technology to its fruition and share it with the rest of Tyria.

Crack Theory: Moto might have a more... Draconic origin.  But we’ll see that at the end.

Why Build The Box?

If the Novus Theory is correct, there is a simple reason to build the box.  First, it’s publicly accessible to heroic types of all races, but especially the Asura.  It’s not uncommon for feats of engineering to be presented - and because it’s presented as an educational tool, questions about its origins can be deflected.  And it really IS an educational tool... providing prospective heros and the Asuran population at large training to defeat and navigate the dangers of the Maguuma Jungle, and, eventually, face down the dragon and reclaim the city of Rata Novus.

If Moto was to directly claim to have been a descendent of Rata Novus, and provide the information about the city and the jungles dangers, he risked being treated as an unbelievable madman at best... and having the council believe him, imprison him, and confiscate all of his work at worst.  By training people with a game, he’s able to impart skills without raising suspicion.

What The Crack... Draconic?

Maybe this is because I’ve gotten less sleep than Taimi, but it’s possible that Moto’s origin might have less to do with the Rata Novans than with the single most important off-screen character in GW2.  Glint.

The Novan VR room is not the only quasi-real realm we’ve encountered in recent storylines, and the other one we encountered most recently was, in fact, even more ancient and even more advanced.  It was, of course, Glint’s Lair - a realm forged of powerful magic and contained within a grain of sand, where memories were stored and given to form.

We also know that Glint was intimately familiar with the Maguuma Jungle, having helped to establish the Exalted there... and had the gift of prophecy - which could explain why SAB has references to things that the Rata Novans could not know - like, for example, the exact way the Mordremoth fight would play out.  Oddly enough, this doesn’t change the purpose of the Box.

Of course, we know what Glint’s been up to lately: a doomed fight against Kralkatorik with Destiny’s Edge. But Glint has one, gigantic, untied plot thread, and that is the dragon of GW1, Gleam.

We know that Glint had the ability to hid among people as a human.  Gleam, as her child, might well have developed the same ability.  Were that so, and were he to hide in Rata Novus, who is to say that he would not have become as taken with the Asura as Glint had become taken with man?  Perhaps rescuing a chosen few when the city was collapsing, or perhaps choosing to keep his guise as an Asura after the whole thing fell apart?  If so he might have worked from the shadows, like his mother, helping to forge the heroes of a next generation...  either building up Moto as proxy, or as Moto himself.

Hey, it’s a thought!

Let me know what you think!

[usviraltrends-blog]

New Post has been published on https://usviraltrends.com/did-ancient-mesopotamians-get-high-near-eastern-rituals-may-have-included-opium-cannabis-science-4/

Did ancient Mesopotamians get high? Near Eastern rituals may have included opium, cannabis | Science

Poppies, shown here with seed pods, have been used to produce opium in the Near East for some 5000 years.

ISTOCK.COM/OZTURK

By Andrew LawlerApr. 19, 2018 , 2:00 PM

MUNICH, GERMANY—For as long as there has been civilization, there have been mind-altering drugs. Alcohol was distilled at least 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, about the same time that agriculture took hold there. Elsewhere, for example in Mesoamerica, other psychoactive drugs were an important part of culture. But the ancient Near East had seemed curiously drug-free—until recently.

Now, new techniques for analyzing residues in excavated jars and identifying tiny amounts of plant material suggest that ancient Near Easterners indulged in a range of psychoactive substances. Recent advances in identifying traces of organic fats, waxes, and resins invisible to the eye have allowed scientists to pinpoint the presence of various substances with a degree of accuracy unthinkable a decade or two ago.

For example, “hard scientific evidence” shows that ancient people extracted opium from poppies, says David Collard, senior archaeologist at Jacobs, an engineering firm in Melbourne, Australia, who found signs of ritual opium use on Cyprus dating back more than 3000 years. By then, drugs like cannabis had arrived in Mesopotamia, while people from Turkey to Egypt experimented with local substances such as blue water lily.

Some senior researchers are still dubious, pointing out that ancient texts are mostly silent on such substances. Others consider the topic “unworthy of scholarly attention,” Collard says. “The archaeology of the ancient Near East is traditionally conservative.”

But the work is prompting fresh thinking on the relationship between substances and societies. At the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East here last week, for example, one scholar even reinterpreted well-studied ancient images as representing drug-taking rituals and drug-induced distortions.

Drug use almost certainly began in prehistory and spread with migrations. For example, the Yamnaya people, who swept out of Central Asia about 5000 years ago and left their genes in most living Europeans and South Asians, appear to have carried cannabis to Europe and the Middle East. In 2016, a team from the German Archaeological Institute and the Free University, both in Berlin, found residues and botanical remains of the plant, which originates in East and Central Asia, at Yamnaya sites across Eurasia. It’s difficult to know whether the Yamnaya used cannabis simply to make hemp for rope or also smoked or ingested it. But some ancient people did inhale: Digs in the Caucasus have uncovered braziers containing seeds and charred remains of cannabis dating to about 3000 B.C.E.

Cypriot jugs were crafted in the shape of the poppy seed pod 3000 years ago.

ROBERT S. MERRILLEES

Once people organized into city states, they may also have started large-scale production of pharmaceuticals, says archaeologist Luca Peyronel of the International University of Languages and Media in Milan, Italy. A decade ago, before the onset of Syria’s brutal civil war, he was part of a team that gathered samples from an unusual kitchen in a palace in the northwestern Syrian city of Ebla, which flourished 4 millennia ago on the outskirts of the Sumerian and Akkadian empires.

The room lacked the plant and animal remains typically associated with food preparation. But residue analyses on pots found there may explain the mystery, as Peyronel and his colleagues described in a paper last year: The researchers found traces of wild plants often used for medicine, such as poppy for opium to dull pain, heliotrope to fight viral infections, and chamomile to reduce inflammation. Given that the space contained eight hearths and pots that could hold 40 to 70 liters, the drugs could have been made in large quantities, Peyronel says.

Some of these extracts, such as opium, can induce hallucinations, although it’s unclear whether the potions were used in ritual or medicine. The kitchen’s location near the heart of the palace suggests its products were used for ceremonial occasions, and cuneiform tablets from the building mention special priests associated with ritual beverages, Peyronel says. The distinction between medicine and mind-altering drug may have been lost on ancient peoples. “The two hypotheses are not necessarily at odds,” he adds.

Three hundred kilometers due west and several centuries later, the ancient people of Cyprus used opium in religious ceremonies, Collard says. Residue analyses show that between 1600 and 1000 B.C.E., people poured opium alkaloids into pots crafted in the shape of the seed capsule of the opium poppy, in what Collard calls “prehistoric commodity branding.” All the jugs were found in temples and tombs, suggesting a role in ritual. Opium jugs made on Cyprus have been found in Egypt and the Levant—the first clear example of the international drug trade.

Other substances less well known today may have played a role in healing or ecstatic rituals in the ancient Near East. When King Tutankhamun’s tomb, dating to the 14th century B.C.E., was opened in 1922, archaeologists found the boy-king’s body covered with the flowers of blue water lily, a common motif in many Egyptian tomb paintings. Steeped in wine for several weeks, the plant yields a sedative that produces a calm euphoria.

Diana Stein, an archaeologist at Birkbeck University of London, claims archaeologists have long studied scenes of rituals involving drugs and their effects without realizing it. She argues that the banquet scenes that often adorn small seals found Anatolia, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Iran actually show people imbibing psychoactive potions. Another common motif, interpreted as a scene of contest, may instead represent the internal conflict that results when the imbiber faces an alternative reality, Stein proposes. In these images, “everything is distorted and pulsing—but they certainly knew how to carve things realistically when they wanted to,” she said at the meeting here.

“I find Diana’s arguments convincing and even energizing, as they open up a new avenue for research,” says Megan Cifarelli, an art historian at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.

But others are more cautious. “Scholars have tended to shy away from the possibility that the ancient Near Easterners partook of ‘recreational’ drugs, apart from alcohol, so it’s good that someone is brave enough to look into it,” says archaeologist Glenn Schwartz at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. But he says Stein’s suggestions “seem to go too far on too little evidence,” a view echoed by many at the meeting.

Collard, however, is confident that additional residue and botanical analyses, along with study of iconography and texts, will gradually persuade skeptics. Cifarelli notes that the ancients likely used drugs not just to heal, but to forge sets of beliefs, and contact a spiritual realm where healing and religion were entwined. “Most of us,” she says, “are so far removed from that kind of transformative magic.”

[usviraltrends-blog]

New Post has been published on https://usviraltrends.com/did-ancient-mesopotamians-get-high-near-eastern-rituals-may-have-included-opium-cannabis-science/

Did ancient Mesopotamians get high? Near Eastern rituals may have included opium, cannabis | Science

Poppies, shown here with seed pods, have been used to produce opium in the Near East for some 5000 years.

ISTOCK.COM/OZTURK

By Andrew LawlerApr. 19, 2018 , 2:00 PM

MUNICH, GERMANY—For as long as there has been civilization, there have been mind-altering drugs. Alcohol was distilled at least 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, about the same time that agriculture took hold there. Elsewhere, for example in Mesoamerica, other psychoactive drugs were an important part of culture. But the ancient Near East had seemed curiously drug-free—until recently.

Now, new techniques for analyzing residues in excavated jars and identifying tiny amounts of plant material suggest that ancient Near Easterners indulged in a range of psychoactive substances. Recent advances in identifying traces of organic fats, waxes, and resins invisible to the eye have allowed scientists to pinpoint the presence of various substances with a degree of accuracy unthinkable a decade or two ago.

For example, “hard scientific evidence” shows that ancient people extracted opium from poppies, says David Collard, senior archaeologist at Jacobs, an engineering firm in Melbourne, Australia, who found signs of ritual opium use on Cyprus dating back more than 3000 years. By then, drugs like cannabis had arrived in Mesopotamia, while people from Turkey to Egypt experimented with local substances such as blue water lily.

Some senior researchers are still dubious, pointing out that ancient texts are mostly silent on such substances. Others consider the topic “unworthy of scholarly attention,” Collard says. “The archaeology of the ancient Near East is traditionally conservative.”

But the work is prompting fresh thinking on the relationship between substances and societies. At the International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East here last week, for example, one scholar even reinterpreted well-studied ancient images as representing drug-taking rituals and drug-induced distortions.

Drug use almost certainly began in prehistory and spread with migrations. For example, the Yamnaya people, who swept out of Central Asia about 5000 years ago and left their genes in most living Europeans and South Asians, appear to have carried cannabis to Europe and the Middle East. In 2016, a team from the German Archaeological Institute and the Free University, both in Berlin, found residues and botanical remains of the plant, which originates in East and Central Asia, at Yamnaya sites across Eurasia. It’s difficult to know whether the Yamnaya used cannabis simply to make hemp for rope or also smoked or ingested it. But some ancient people did inhale: Digs in the Caucasus have uncovered braziers containing seeds and charred remains of cannabis dating to about 3000 B.C.E.

Cypriot jugs were crafted in the shape of the poppy seed pod 3000 years ago.

ROBERT S. MERRILLEES

Once people organized into city states, they may also have started large-scale production of pharmaceuticals, says archaeologist Luca Peyronel of the International University of Languages and Media in Milan, Italy. A decade ago, before the onset of Syria’s brutal civil war, he was part of a team that gathered samples from an unusual kitchen in a palace in the northwestern Syrian city of Ebla, which flourished 4 millennia ago on the outskirts of the Sumerian and Akkadian empires.

The room lacked the plant and animal remains typically associated with food preparation. But residue analyses on pots found there may explain the mystery, as Peyronel and his colleagues described in a paper last year: The researchers found traces of wild plants often used for medicine, such as poppy for opium to dull pain, heliotrope to fight viral infections, and chamomile to reduce inflammation. Given that the space contained eight hearths and pots that could hold 40 to 70 liters, the drugs could have been made in large quantities, Peyronel says.

Some of these extracts, such as opium, can induce hallucinations, although it’s unclear whether the potions were used in ritual or medicine. The kitchen’s location near the heart of the palace suggests its products were used for ceremonial occasions, and cuneiform tablets from the building mention special priests associated with ritual beverages, Peyronel says. The distinction between medicine and mind-altering drug may have been lost on ancient peoples. “The two hypotheses are not necessarily at odds,” he adds.

Three hundred kilometers due west and several centuries later, the ancient people of Cyprus used opium in religious ceremonies, Collard says. Residue analyses show that between 1600 and 1000 B.C.E., people poured opium alkaloids into pots crafted in the shape of the seed capsule of the opium poppy, in what Collard calls “prehistoric commodity branding.” All the jugs were found in temples and tombs, suggesting a role in ritual. Opium jugs made on Cyprus have been found in Egypt and the Levant—the first clear example of the international drug trade.

Other substances less well known today may have played a role in healing or ecstatic rituals in the ancient Near East. When King Tutankhamun’s tomb, dating to the 14th century B.C.E., was opened in 1922, archaeologists found the boy-king’s body covered with the flowers of blue water lily, a common motif in many Egyptian tomb paintings. Steeped in wine for several weeks, the plant yields a sedative that produces a calm euphoria.

Diana Stein, an archaeologist at Birkbeck University of London, claims archaeologists have long studied scenes of rituals involving drugs and their effects without realizing it. She argues that the banquet scenes that often adorn small seals found Anatolia, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Iran actually show people imbibing psychoactive potions. Another common motif, interpreted as a scene of contest, may instead represent the internal conflict that results when the imbiber faces an alternative reality, Stein proposes. In these images, “everything is distorted and pulsing—but they certainly knew how to carve things realistically when they wanted to,” she said at the meeting here.

“I find Diana’s arguments convincing and even energizing, as they open up a new avenue for research,” says Megan Cifarelli, an art historian at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.

But others are more cautious. “Scholars have tended to shy away from the possibility that the ancient Near Easterners partook of ‘recreational’ drugs, apart from alcohol, so it’s good that someone is brave enough to look into it,” says archaeologist Glenn Schwartz at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. But he says Stein’s suggestions “seem to go too far on too little evidence,” a view echoed by many at the meeting.

Collard, however, is confident that additional residue and botanical analyses, along with study of iconography and texts, will gradually persuade skeptics. Cifarelli notes that the ancients likely used drugs not just to heal, but to forge sets of beliefs, and contact a spiritual realm where healing and religion were entwined. “Most of us,” she says, “are so far removed from that kind of transformative magic.”