Nomads The Risen God

by Gary Mark Lee

The main gathering dome of the Akuna had entertained many Outlander tribes for the hospitality of the Sea-people was renowned across all the lands of Gorn, their food was the tastiest for it came fresh from the sea and consisted of Grail-fish, Shore-crawlers, Brita-weed, Uragans, and Procaros, the Akuna preferred to eat their food raw but the Nomads found this to be very unsatisfying so they Sea-people served them well cooked ocean dwellers, being served ones meal was never done by the Outlanders for if you brought another food and or drink and they excepted it you were mated. But this custom was not followed by the Wave-riders and it seemed to bring them much joy so the Nomads enjoyed a rare treat and filled their bellies, they also drank a very strong concoction called Dral made from the fruit and berries that were abundant in the land and there were many large Balbar trees with twisted limbs bursting with ripe produce. The Akuna were all well trained in music making be it string or wind instrument and there were no better dancers although the Handmaidens of Isarie would argue that their movements were far too sensual to be viewed by a true follower of the Goddess.

  Unlike the feasting halls of the Nomads the Akuna did not sit on hard wooden benches around carved banquet tables, they preferred to recline on soft cushions stuffed with dried water-vine with platters made from giant shells filled to overflowing with succulent foods surrounding them, they bore no weapons when feasting so the Nomads reluctantly agreed that their ax’s would lay on racks at the entrance but they insisted on keeping the Twin-dragons, the long daggers that hung from their belts with them.

  There are no words to describe the beauty of the great dome for its walls glistened in the flickering torch lite and the smooth stone they were made of had streaks of coral, emerald and crystal running through it like the webbing of cave spiders. The floor was a mosaic of all the colors of the eye, and the patterns were those of the air, sea and sky mixed with animals and humans of all shapes and sizes.

  Scattered about the huge chamber were delicately carved statues of the Goddess Dietas for she was ruler of the sea and the one that the Akuna set above all other Gods, but unlike the Outlanders they had no book of wisdom to guide them and they did not pray like the Nomads, they simply laid offerings of flowers or food at the foot of their Goddess and only when it seemed right to them, they had no Holy Mother or any other speaker for the Gods. And once again this lack of faith cut deep into the conviction of the Elders but Nomads let others worship as they like as long as they did not trample on the beliefs they held dear.