It was hard and not a comfortable living as the new worlds were harsh with few resources but their solidarity and co-operation pulled them through. Their philosophies were their saviour as survival was their own responsibility and not the whim of an egotistical and sadistic king.
The first new realm from Badar they named HenewPet meaning ‘neighbouring sky’ and it soon became the central realm, as all others could be reached from this one place. Small shelters were built near the circle of the fifteen sky paths and over time word quietly spread of these new free realms away from the fear of tyrant kings. Each season more family groups and refugees found their way across the mountains and plains or up the river valleys to find the PetTuru or ‘Sky paths’ as Lateef had originally named them.
These settlers that followed Lateef and Aka through the PetTuru and into the fifteen realms began to build new homes and lives in the new lands. Gradually the number of people living on HenewPet grew into hundreds and rather than scavenging in the other realms some were now exploring further and further into the unknown. Yet the importance of sharing never diminished as the materials and food needed to survive were always scarce. But however hard life remained the price of freedom was still worth the hardships as the home realm remained as dangerous as ever.
Eventually the home realm became known to all as the Garden, and eventually WaytaPata meaning Place of the Garden. It was visited to bring back essential seeds or materials. Nothing was taken without giving something in return and slowly bartering trade began between realms.
No one considered themselves confined to one world and the Realms of DiPacha were born as people travelled instantaneously between worlds through the PetTuru. Only travel within each realm took time and as with all human history, those who could take advantage of the opportunities the PetTuru presented did so.
Next to the PetTuru in the Black Lands, a small settlement called Medewi grew as the trade routes established. A temple and Kiosk were built as the generations passed and as the area grew in status. The people of Medewi shared the same philosophies as those in the other Pacha realms and their utopian influence slowly spread like silent ripples across the area. Philosophies that had their roots deep in human history, from a time before the human spirit was corrupted by greed. Greed that was still corrupting the kings and warlords of the area. It was a strong settlement held together by belief not fear. The seed of this philosophy had found good ground to put down roots and the culture of the people of DiPacha was growing strongly along with it. This was not unnoticed by the tribal kingdoms that surrounded Medewi and the PetTuru to HenewPet.
The People of DiPacha knew that they must not be considered of value or a threat to the kings and warlords that surrounded their link to the garden realm of WaytaPata. In the Black Lands they kept a monk-like existence, their value was in what they could offer, not what could be taken from them. To the warlords and Kings they professed the hardships of DiPacha, in no way did they give any excuses to invite invasion. Their peace they guarded with fervour.
Beyond Medewi and HenewPet the people of DiPacha continued to explore the realms with the blind optimism of all explorers. Most realms seemed different and each had resources that could be used, simple basic resources that required imagination and guile but all traits the DiPachans’ held and developed. As time passed small communities and settlements sprang up near each PetTuru. These connections between Pacha realms acting as staging posts for further exploration. Although exploration was slowly happening on the generational level, like a glacier of humanity spreading through the realms. No one person or group were taking control, all seemed to act together maintaining the same philosophies of their forefathers. The Black Lands, where Aka and the original settlers came from, remained violent and contrasted dramatically to the developing DiPachan culture. It was becoming clearer to many Pachans in Medewi and on the realm of HenewPet what they had to lose if the tyrants of the Black Lands saw them as a prize or a threat.
By the time of the seventh generation on a realm known as Pachamama meaning ‘Like the mother world’ a small village had been established next to the PetTuru back to HenewPet. Pachamama looked very much like the Black Lands and Medewi except it was cold and dry. As with Medewi there was a river running from mountains to the north that wound down to a plain not far from the PetTuru from HenewPet. The settlement by PetTuru was good half days walk from the river and about a day's walk from the mountains.
It was a hard living on Pachamama and very little had been explored, so desolate were the surroundings near the PetTuru. Water was easier to carry from through PetTuru from HenewPet but few wanted to go through the experience of being stretched to the stars and flung back together every time water was needed and the arduous walk to the river was not much better. There was little on Pachamama except for the river and the fish it contained. The similarity to the Black Lands was purely the terrain and topography.
Those who had begun to settle on Pachamama were beginning to live a life that ebbed and flowed with the rhythms of the river. As with the river of the Black Lands the seasonal flooding was caused by the rains that fell in the mountains. The one commodity the Pachamamans had was fish, which were tasty and could be traded for items they needed such as fuel for fires or materials for building. Not one tree had yet been found on Pachamama and all attempts to grow anything were proving difficult. Currently, there were only a few hardy families, or those escaping the terrors of the Black Lands, willing to brave the cold and hardships of this realm.
Haam was a lithe, smart boy approaching adulthood and since arriving on Pachamama he had earned a reputation as a talented fisherman, his skills were a gift to the settlers there. The family had only been on Pachamama for two new moons but Hamm had already proved his worth. His parents had been overprotective and wary since his older brother had been taken by marauders by the river near Medewi but had now given him the freedom to fish where and when he liked. As he had in the Black Lands, Haam preferred to fish early in the morning. Waking well before sunrise so he could be at the river as the fish rose with the first rays of sun. While his nets were spread he would spend his mornings exploring, trying to find something of interest in this desolate place his parents had dragged him to. Then with his quota of fish, he would return to the settlement by evening only t repeat the process the next day, and the day after.
So far Haam had only explored up river, to the start of the mountains. He had now decided it was time to journey downstream. Rising slightly earlier than normal he had packed his fishing nets and began the trek to the closest point of the river. The sun had not yet broached the horizon across the far side of where the river as Hamm arrived at the river's edge. He turned left and walked downstream in the hope of finding a new fishing grounds to explore, or possibly new types of fish.
Walking south along the river’s course Haam could see a slight glow on the horizon to his right. It was a weak glow compared to the blazing sunrises of Medewi. Shivering slightly he pulled his robes around himself and adjusted the sack on his back. Haam walked a while longer as the darkness transformed into gloom and then into a dim predawn light. As the light of the morning increased Haam began to notice the ground in front of him dip away, there was a slope he had not seen from further upstream on any previous day and the river had visibly sped up as the plateaux dropped away.
With the sun now rising clear over the horizon on the far side of the river Haam found himself walking down a long slope and then around a huge left-hand bend that cut east across a floodplain in front of him. There was a large beach and an eddy on the inside of the bend, larger than any beach he had ever seen before. Excited by the location which, to Haam, looked like it had fantastic potential for fishing, and was much nicer than the exposed plain around the settlement and PetTuru. Haam stopped to take in his surroundings and survey the river. After only a little deliberation about the exact location to set his nets he placed them in the river at the top of the eddy, just along the line of slack and moving wate
r.
With his nets laid out, Haam stood back from the river to look across the beach and back up the slope. Now it was full daylight he wanted to see exactly what he had found, to see if this place may offer a better home than the place his parents had dragged him to.
Behind Haam the river gently flowed by and Haam was sure his nets would be filling with fish soon. In front of him the beach rose to a small river bank that Haam assumed was high water level during the wet season. Along the bank vines, like none he had seen before were growing. They appeared to be heavy with purple berries and large heavy green leaves the size of a man’s face. The leaves showed thick purple veins that almost looked like they were running with blood, even from many paces away. The excitement that swelled within him was like none he had none before. He had not believed it possible to feel as excited by food, especially fruit. Almost running he headed straight to the closest vines to inspect the fruit. Bunches of small round purple berries hung before him. Carefully Haam reached out and pulled one off the closest vine and tentatively nibbled a single berry. It was sweet with a hint of warm spice. Haam’s eyes closed as a smiled with satisfaction, however, he left it at that. Only a nibble, for now, he would wait until tomorrow to eat more, just to be sure. Now hoping he had found a local food source, beyond that of fish, Haam felt excitement for the journey home and for the future. The first tingle of excitement he had felt since losing his brother and being dragged to this place.
With new hope and confidence, Haam began to explore more of the floodplain above the beach and around to the foot of the slope that he’d walked down at dawn. He liked what he saw, the floodplain and slope would be sheltered from the northerly winds, the river was close and he believed the fishing was good. The only problem was the distance to the PetTuru, he estimated well over half a day’s walk.
Reaching into a pouch Haam retrieved some dried fish which now tasted bland compared to the fruit he had just enjoyed. He hoped he would not be sick? Thoughtfully nibbling on his snack Haam continued around the bend until the river turned south again. As he swallowed his last mouthful Haam turned around ready to traverse the far side of the floodplain along the base of the slope. As he started across the plain Haam looked diagonally across the floodplain to where he’d placed his nets and stopped in his tracks. There between him and his nets stood a shimmer only a few hundred paces away. He recognised the shimmer immediately but he could not believe what he was seeing. It looked just like the shimmer of the PetTuru that lead to the other realms of DiPacha but this one was on its own just like the one at Medewi. Haam knew of no other realm which had a PetTuru that was not linked directly to the circle on HenewPet, certainly none that led here to where he now stood.
Completely perplexed but driven by curiosity Haam forgot his fishing nets and headed for the shimmer, the thrill of a possible adventure filling his young mind. However, the closer he got to the shimmer the more his suspicions he had, doubt now plagued his imaginations as he walked across the plain.
Arriving in front of the shimmer Haam looked through and could see a dark grassy plain like none he had ever seen before, this was definitely a new PetTuru and possibly another Pacha Realm. Haam could see a star-studded night sky on the other side and thick grasses waving in a breeze, but no warmth was drifting through the barrier between realms as it would from Medewi. In his youthful hubris, and in defiance of any rational voice to return home and share his discovery Haam decided to explore, to venture forth. He stepped through.
The rush of adrenaline hit him like a jug of cold water thrown into his face, his nerves were tight and his senses alive as he emerged on to the grassy plain he’d seen from Pachamama. Haam stood just beyond the barrier smelling the air and letting his eyes become accustomed to the night, suddenly he noticed his feet were wet, the grass was wet underfoot but not from rain, it was as though the very air around him was full of moisture, it even smelled damp, but fresh and clean, nothing like anything he’d known in the arid climates he’d known his whole life. Leaning forward Haam ran his hands through the grass. The blades were broad and bent to his touch, not the hard stems of tough grass he was used to. His hands came up dripping wet while above him stars shone brightly and a full moon shone down. As Haam saw the moon his legs buckled beneath him and he sat heavily on the floor, he knew that moon. There was no moon on HenewPet or Pachamama, but there was a moon and WaytaPata, the same one he could see now.
Haam had spent many starlit mornings walking to the river from Medewi and had learned the constellations from his mother, instinct taking over now, he studied the night sky. At first, he could not be sure but then realisation hit him. The formation of stars just above the horizon was exactly the same as those that could be seen in the Black Lands, except in the Black Lands they would be higher in the sky at dawn. However, there was no mistake this was the same sky. He was back on WaytaPata and under the same moon and stars as those found above Medewi and the Black Lands, but this was not the same place, there was no way it could be. Haam ran back through the PetTuru and all the way home to fetch his father and the village elder, all thoughts of his nets and fruit long forgotten.
TuyTuy Pacha –
Means to build Worlds
The discovery of second PetTuru on Pachamama by Haam was a shock to the fledgling Pachan society that was growing across the new realms. The fact the new PetTuru lead back to WaytaPata was a revelation and a concern to those who had fled the warlords of the Black Lands. For the people now living on Pachamama, the opportunity that the new PetTuru offered was too big a temptation and it was not long before the small settlement moved to the newly found PetTuru by the river. It was even less time before the first explorers to the new lands found a small group of native hunter-gatherers living several days walk from the PetTuru. It was clear that this tribe had no connection to the Black Lands and had never found the connection between realms.
The opportunity for adventure in the new lands soon became too strong for Haam who gave up on his fishing duties. When living at Medewi he had spent many nights under the stars with his mother and now seeing the same stars above the new land he could only imagine how they were connected. Constellations that had been high overhead at Medewi were now on the horizon and Haam was fascinated. Haam embarked on a journey to follow his stars. He had become convinced that if he travelled towards the stars of Medewi and could fix them back to the positions he’d grown up knowing.
It was almost two generations before Haam returned to Pachamama and by the time of his return he had been given him up for dead, his name beginning to fade into memory. Now as an old man he returned with a wife, three children and many stories of the tribes and clans he had encountered along the way that would be passed on through the generations in folklore and myth.
Now returning to Pachamama his name went down in local legend and was given to the small village that had now grown around the PetTuru he had found almost two generations earlier. It became known as HattHaam, meaning the Place of Haam.
Haam’s journey started a tradition of deep exploration into the known Pachan realms. Explorers whose aim was to unlock secrets that they hoped would change their futures, to find resources that may change their reliance on WaytaPata.
A steady stream of explorers and pioneers headed out into DiPacha, traveling from HenewPet to thirteen of the realms, one realm remaining unexplored. The heat Misso Pacha being too much for most to handle. Exploration across the Realms was slow, as the explorers travelled on foot, probing DiPacha for resources. One thing soon became clear however, humans were only found on WaytaPata, but one phenomenon they did begin to find was more PetTuru. Yet, HenewPet remained the only realm with a concentration of them, and the only realm that was connected to all others.
It quickly became apparent that WaytaPata, the home realm, had the greatest variety of life and abundant resources that all the other realms relied upon. All other realms were beset with challenges, none were easily colonised and none could be independent.
Tuy sat at his grandfather’s bedside in HattHaam listening to a tale he had heard many times before, but he loved the old man no less for his loss of memory. As one of Haam’s grandson’s, he had grown up listening to his grandfather’s tales and was hungry for adventures of his own. Haam continued his tale as if he had lived them only days before.
“Tuy,” wheezed the Haam from under covers of damma hides, “I met your grandmother in a land rich with vines and fruits the like of which we do not find here except in the dry season when the river is low and the banks exposed. Sweet fruit with juices that run down your chin and drip into your lap.
“Your grandmother was as sweet as any of the fruit I had found on my journey under the stars. But as sweet as this food was; man cannot live on fruit alone. I needed something more, I was weak when your grandmother found me. She fed me and gave me strength again.
“I clearly remember sitting on top of a small hill surrounded by woody shrubs looking down on wide expanse of blue water that stretched as far as I could see, nothing but blue water. I’d been walking east along the shore for almost half a moons cycle and I was tired, very tired and weak. I had seen no one since I had reached the salty blue water. The ground under my feet was hard, dry and dusty. My long walk from Pachamama to there had taken at least fifteen moons and I knew I could not find my way back the way I had come. I did not know the stars well enough to go back. I could only give up or go forward, ever forward following the stars I knew.”
Haam coughed spluttering spittle on to his chin and tried to sit a little higher in his cot. He looked uncomfortable and in pain. Tuy knew his grandfather’s time was close and leaned forward to wipe his face gently with a cloth.
DiPacha Lore Page 3