And it came to pass in the year following his banishment from the Isle of Komrokolmaske of the Kingdom of Adria, land of his father Maxos, son of Gi, that Komegos the son of Griga, descendant of Gannion the Hunter, sought solace and shelter. And he gathered unto himself the portion of the house of Maxos which was his by inheritance, and his goods, and his servants, and his men of war, and whatsoever thing pertained unto his name; and he purposed in himself to depart from the land of his fathers. Thus he ventured first to the city of Varkeherkany on the isle to speak to his companion Elpher, who he loved even as a brother. And when he came unto the house of Elpher, son of Maco, he greeted him, saying, “Alas, brother, I come to thee; and it be the last mine eyes may behold of thee!” Elpher said then unto him, “Come hence, beloved, and speak to me; tell me of thy troubles.”
So Elpher received Komegos, and he stayed in his house for three days and three nights; and Komegos wept bitterly in his company. Now in those days did Maxos plot to hunt his son, for word has befallen his ears that Komegos had not left from his domain; and Komegos made all of this, his worries and his trespasses against his father and the cruel punishment he was to endure, known to Elpher. So spoke Elpher unto Komegos on the third night of his wailing: “Behold, three days and three nights hast thou dwelt in my house and amongst my children and my servants and all that is mine; will I, who has been given to thee in allowing you my estate, not provide thee with whatsoever thou hast need of? Arise then, brother, cease thy weeping and tell me what it is thou wishst of me.” And Komegos said, “I can tarry here no longer, on this Isle damned by the wrath of my father; grant me, I pray thee, men with whom I may traverse away from here unto a place far from the anger of Maxos my father: for I have no man left to whom I may seek refuge and thy house is full.”
And Elpher lifted Komegos and made ready his voyage; he sent word to Gerey, his cousin, the son of Marmelos, who dwelled in the city of Margentia of the Dodians, saying: “Precious cousin, thou knowest that mine emissaries come unto them to render tribute every due semester; behold, in a few weeks time I send them with a guest of mine I wish to entrust thee. If I have never failed thee, by Lerev the Divine Forebearer, fail thou not me now; suffer not so much as a hair on his head to fall nor a drop of blood shed from his body. Treat him as if I was in your midst.” And Elpher turned to Komegos, saying, “Behold, tell no man of what I do; for your father, magistrate of the Isle of Komrokolmaske, may have my head should word reach him of what I have set forth to do for thy sake.” And Elpher gave to Komegos a signet, symbol of the Houses of Komrokolmaske, that by it the Dodians might know of his brotherhood with him, saying, “By this sign will my cousin bid thee into the city. Go thence and ready thyself for voyage.”
And in the weeks that came did Elpher make preparations for Komegos, in shipment and provision of voyage. Thus Komegos went to the hidden place wherein he had laid his possessions and all attached to him by name, seeking to pay Elpher for his aid, not willing that he go without showing gratitude; and, behold, all but thirty men of arms and his money and jewels and certain possessions of his were gone. And one of the men came before him, saying, “Alas, my lord, what misfortune! For in the midst of night did thy father’s men come upon us unawares and encompassed us about. They sought thee and thy life, yet did we make our best effort to gate your things.” And Komegos responded, “And what of the maids and servants whom I took in my name from the house of Maxos my father?” And the men said unto him, “Alas, our lord, your servants and maids, which you hid here along with all else, were taken back to the house of your father.” And this troubled him; and Komegos was saddened.
With the thirty men of arms and his belongings returned he once more to Elpher. And when Elpher opened his gates to Komegos once more, he said unto him, “Where are the rest of what is yours, the which you brought out of your father’s house?” Komegos responded to him, “Behold, my men tell me that my father’s men descended upon the place in which they hid and restored them unto Maxos my father.” Elpher sighed and cursed the reign of Maxos: “Let every ill breath the gods let forth befall that man his house; may the sea surrounding his domain make him mad and cause him pain.” Then he turned to Komegos and said, “Come, remain with me a little longer ― you and your men ― while the preparations are still in progress. Do not fret for pay, for I myself do this deed in love for you and your blood.” And so Komegos enjoyed those days dwelling in the house of Elpher, son of Maco.
And when the ships ― forty in strength and fifty in all ― were ready and the envoys were set straight, Elpher brought Komegos and his men before the emissaries and said to them, “I make you, my men, swear an oath on the scrolls of Lerev that this man, my beloved friend, and his men shall make it from shore to shore in safety; in all that you do, treat him as my own kin.” And after they swore to their master their promise, Komegos and his thirty men of arms boarded the great ship with the tribute guarded by the other vessels.
As Komegos and his band began their voyage towards the great city, word came to Maxos, the overseer of Komrokolmaske, that Elpher of Varkeherkany provided haven to his wayward son.; and so Maxos riled up many men and stormed to the north of the isle to the city of Varkeherkany. And the women of the city, remembering the cruelty of the magistrate towards their city, refused him entry, barring the gates with bricks; many climbed the gates and made descend upon the overseer sour fruit, that he and his men may not enter. And Maxos cried out, “The people of Varkeherkany have gone mad in refusing their magistrate entry. Allow me, then, the presence of the one I seek outside your walls.” So Elpher came forth from the gate with the help of no man and presented himself before Maxos.
And Elpher said unto him, “What may I do for you, my lord Maxos?” And Maxos responded unto him, “From all the settlements around this isle of mine have word come to my ears that a servant of the governance hosts my son, who I have sought out to educate in matters of things that do not concern the common folk. Must it be that this man, who would make himself a traitor against me, be you, young Elpher?” And Elpher replied, saying, “Let it be known that my brother, your son, Komegos, son of Griga, came into my house seeking refuge and asylum and that I provided him neither. I say it before you, your horsemen, and the people of my city: I gave no support to the ways of your son in my household; for what a dishonor would I bring to my family, to my house, to my children, and to my lands if it were that I was a traitor to my lord?”
And Maxos made peace with Elpher and took his words as truth; thus he returned with his men back to Komrokolmaske City, but his heart was still hardened against Komegos, his son. So it was that along the way, in the shadow of a great tree, did Maxos make an altar to Kasdori, god of the Harsh Winds, saying in prayer, “Great force of power, who brought ruin to the desolate marauders who came here years ago, I pray now and summon your strength; be it so that wherever the boy Komegos may be, your breath blows him back towards my wrath.” And Kasdori appeared unto Maxos in that instant; and Maxos beheld him. And Kasdori spoke unto him, saying, “In the house of Maxos, be there maidens?” And Maxos answered his inquiry, “Yes, great one; so many that the eyes may never be pleased.” And Kasdori plucked a hair from the beard of the magistrate, saying: “Upon this hair of yours, and all the hairs on your head and your health, I order you to sacrifice unto me, in honor of your request, three fresh maidens of the servants which you restored unto yourself from the hand of Komegos.”
And Maxos bowed before the apparition of the deity as it returned to whence it came; in his heart, however, Maxos grieved, for he wanted not to add injury to his household. Yet he continued homeward and did according to the bidding of Kasdori; Maxos constructed, there, at the front of his estate, an altar ― equal on all sides and as one that would be seen in the temples of the gods ― and upon this altar did he sacrifice as told to him. Upon the scent of the blood of the pure bondservants, Kasdori descended and spoke once more: “I have taken pleasure in your deed. I will grant your request.”
Far from the Isle of Komrokolmaske, in the Adrian village of Plagunum, Griga, daughter of Aliilum, from Gannion the Hunter, received an emissary of Elpher who crossed the Nasav and rode through the mainland in search of her; he greeted her with a sacred kiss on the hand and a bow, saying unto her, “Great mistress, I come with word from my lord, Elpher, son of Maco, from the Isle of Komrokolmaske on the subject of your son.” And she took him into her house after he told her all that had transpired in the house of her husband and had him read the inscription to her:
“Great mistress, behold your servant, Elpher, son of Maco the Prestigious, the Honorary of Polozarhi; I will not withhold from you the secrets of the events that have transpired in the house of magistrate Maxos, son of Gi, but I will have you know that the head of your boy means much more to your husband than to you. For day and night he has sought your son, my brother Komegos, without tire to sanction him for his trespasses against him. I have sent him to the great city of Margentia, in the realm of the Dodians, for there I have many eyes; there will he escape the wrath of your husband and his father for the while being, until perhaps the gods quench his thirst for reprimand with a sweeter bile. Pray unto the gods, I beg you, for the safety of he who we both love to heart and that the waters may be with him on his journeys.”
And Griga was much distraught that it was so in her household, and wept bitterly. She cried aloud, saying, “Oh, Aralea, goddess of the travelers, queen of my mother and sister, what misery has become of me! Must I watch my son be taken by the sword of his father or by the waters of the Roclescast? Must I hear another ill thing before you descend and defend my son? Watch over him, I pray, and his journey, that in truth he may linger well in your wings.” And the prayer of Griga, beloved of the gods, befell the ears of the Gusaya, the messenger hog, who ran to the side of the goddess on her behalf.
And Komegos and his envoy continued their journey, coming first to Larivium, following the routes as established in the east of the Roclescast Sea, written out in detail in the Book of the Seas; then did they come to the Isle of Bornumia of the Hraflians, and traversing the traffic of the waters to the Isle of Vicrinium of the Relodians. And when they had made post, they settled in the city of Vicrinium for a time. In the domain of Kasdori, the god of the Harsh Winds summoned unto himself a band of his crooked men and said unto them, “Go into the city of Vicrinium, in the lands of King Qori, lord of the Relodians, to the merchants from the Isle of Komrokolmaske, and there you will find the son of the magistrate of Komrokolmaske; do all that you will to make him return to the lands of his father, for I owe to that man a favor.” And the crooks left from the midst of their lord to do his bidding.
And Aralea, mistress of travelers, in hearkening to the cries of Griga, met with Finduilye, the Lady of Resurrection, her beloved mother, to speak with her on the matters. She said unto her, “Great Mother, behold a mortal has raised their plea unto me in prayer; I could not withhold this from you, for the Spirit of the Harsh Winds has blown against her and her household. Allow me, I pray, to see the fates of this son of hers who is at the mercy of Kasdori the wicked.” And after telling all to Finduilye, the Lady of Resurrection arose and said to her, “Vex not, precious daughter, to go to the dwelling of Fortune; for I will see the will of time on your behalf.”
And so Finduilye went forth to the abode of Paha, the weaver of the Tunic of Fate, the tunic never completed, seeking answers for her distraught daughter. She said unto him, “Show unto me, Paha-Ilo, what I seek; for these matters are of great importance to the house of the gods.” And Paha replied, saying, “Great Mother, what may I bring before you?” And she said unto him, “Bring me the future of the house of Maxos, magistrate of the Isle of Komrokolmaske of the Adrians.” So Paha took the great Tunic and relayed unto Finduilye the message inscribed pertaining to Komegos: “The Rogio will sing of a great man from the east and the children of Lerev will play their kapips in honor of a brave man from far lands. All that is known will bow to the sons of the overcomer of marauders and the world will know of the kin of he who destroys the great evil in the seas.” These words befell the ears of Hamsand, Goddess of the Harvest, Muriel, Master of the Vine, and Vuphine, Lady of Magic; and these three despised the line of Maxos through Komegos. And Finduilye left from the abode of Paha and returned to her daughter, bringing to her the words of fate itself.
In the city of Vicrinium, the crooked ghouls of Kasdori descended upon the envoy of Komegos and inflicted a pestilence upon a few of the lot, one that no medicine of man could heal. And they rejoiced in their doing, saying to themselves, “Surely, our lord will grant our wishes when we return to him.” And the sailors suffered plague for five days and nights. And it was that a lady of much beauty, of radiance and bliss, appeared in the city; and the people were smitten with awe at her glow. And hearing word of the ill sailors, she descended to the ports and came in their midst, saying unto them, “To where do you sail?” And they responded, “To Margentia, the great city; for it is the time of tribute.” And from her came a radiance that healed them of their ailment; and the sailors bowed before her and revered her. And when the crooked men of Kasdori saw this, they were frightened and were angered in themselves, saying, “Who be this woman, of such strength, that our task has been undone?”
So they came again to the envoy of Komegos and stole from their tribute to Dodians. And when the men saw that their things were not in place, they were pressed with grief, saying amongst themselves, “What shall we say to our master when he hears of this?” And the ghouls rejoiced in their doing, saying to themselves, “Surely, our lord will grant our wishes when we return to him.” And the sailors groaned in distress for five days and nights. And it was that a valiant man of great courage, of strength and vigor, appeared in the city; and the people were smitten with awe at his greatness. And hearing word of the misfortune that befell the sailors, he descended to the ports and came in their midst, saying unto them, “To where do you sail?” And they responded, “To Margentia, the great city; for it is the time of tribute.” And he recovered their tribute from whence it was hidden; and the sailors bowed before him and revered him. And when the crooked men of Kasdori saw this, they were frightened and were angered in themselves, saying, “Who be this man, of such valor, that our task has been undone?”
And when their stay had been overdue, Komegos and his envoy returned to the sea on their voyage to the great city. And the wicked men of Kasdori gathered unto themselves in council, saying, “Behold, the fool escapes! Let us not allow the waters to accommodate him and his voyage, lest our master rebuke us.” And as the ships passed the Isle of the Cemians, a great storm came about them and engulfed the surrounding waters; and the winds were harsh against them, throwing them aside.
But as they turmoiled, the great maiden, the Lady of Resurrection appeared in the tempest on behalf of her daughter and turned to the foul workers of Kasdori ― who Komegos and his envoy could not see ― and said unto them, “Be gone from these waters and abandon your reckless effort to consume these vessels, lest you find yourselves under my wrath.” And the ghouls, fearing the light of the divine one, fled and the sea returned to itself. And Finduilye appeared before Komegos, declaring, “I am the one who guarded your company and their possessions at the ports, who healed them of their ailment. Fret not in your passage, for there is destiny for you to fulfil.” And Komegos paid homage to the great Mistress before him; and she took pleasure in this. And she spoke anew to him, saying, “I grant you the chance to curse those who sought your life and your dignity, whether it be your father or your other foes; I only warn you to be wise in what you do, for I grant this to you but once.” And Komegos used it not in the moment, refusing to inflict harm on his father’s household. And they journeyed on, arriving on the Isle of the Bobaens, then the Isle of Aucus of the Plarians, and at last, they had arrived in the city of Margentia.
And when they neared the ports of the city, they saw the grandeur therein: from the east, where they came, Komegos fell in awe for the beauty of the city.
In the dwelling of the gods, word spread in the Theopolis of the reading of the fates and quickly arrived at the seat of Lerev. And so he summoned the many spirits and deities unto himself to discuss the matter of the mortal world. Finduilye came forth and said before the divine court, “Behold, the fates themselves proclaim this mortal, son of Griga, servant of my daughter, a great power that will shake the mortal kingdom.” And Kasdori stood and came also before the divine court, saying, “Did the reading of the fates truly say he would be victor? If it is to be, then let it be so, lest the fabric of the Tunic of Fate unwind and all things with it.” And there was a great divide in the heavens, for Idon, God of the Land, received a hearing also for the future of the mortals, in which it was said it was one from his line that shall be victor of things; and lots were cast and the gods divided themselves over the issue of the mortals.
And when they had come into the ports of the city, the vassals of Elpher, son of Maco, were stopped by the men of labor of the docks, who said unto them, “Who be you men and from whence do you come?” And the men of Elpher said, “We hail from the city of Varkeherkany, from our lord Elpher, son of Maco, servant of Maxos, son of Gi, overseer of the Isle of Komrokolmaske; our tribute unto Gerey, son of Marmelos, is due and our semester is come.” And the men of labor watched as they dropped their load from all their fleet ― forty in strength and fifty in all; and behold, a handsome tribute it was indeed! And Komegos, who hid himself in a cloak that none may recognise him, descended, him and his men of arms, from the ship which they boarded and rose into the city with the envoy to the house of Gerey.
And Lord Gerey, son of Marmelos, greeted them warmly at the sight of the handsome tribute and hosted them for many days. And he inquired of the master of the envoy, saying, “I have word from your lord saying that there is a guest among you, one who is to be honored in my house. Go, then, and bring him to me.” And the master of the envoy brought before Gerey and his house Komegos and his men of arms. Upon the sight of the shrouded Komegos, he said, “Are you he who my cousin has sent from the far Varkeherkany?” And Komegos removed the cloak from his face and showed unto him the signet of Elpher; in this did Gerey rejoice: “Had you lost your way here, my beloved cousin would not be of good spirits.” And Komegos said unto him, “Me and my men come with tribute for your treasury also, generous Gerey. I have brought with me my wealth and possessions from my father’s house; allow me a place in this great city that I may make my life here.” And this pleased Gerey; and he allowed Komegos and his men a part of his estate to abide in. And all was well for Komegos in Margentia.
[Lost part of the story, later excavated and pieced back together: And Aralea appeared unto Griga and said unto her, “Behold, your prayers have not befallen deaf ears and I have heard your wishes. Your son dwells in the land of the Dodians, in the city of King Elwer, in safety and peace.” And Griga fell before the goddess, rejoicing. And it was was that two young maidens, Myla and Nanna by name, were visiting the village of Plagunum by way of the river Nigantioma; and Aralea guided Griga to them. And Griga asked them, “From where do you come on such exquisite leisure?” And they said unto her, “From the house of Gerey, son of Marmelos, lord of trade in the city of Margentia.” And Griga hosted the women in her own home for a time; thus Aralea appeared once more unto her and said unto her, “Write to your son and speak fondly; and when time is due, you will give the letter to the maidens you have accommodated.” And she did as it was told to her; and she said unto the two ladies, “Take this to the house of Gerey and have him read it to his household.” So Myla and Nanna did as they were told and were guided by the winds softly on return to Margentia.]
And it was that two young maiden from the house of Gerey returned to the city from whence they came and rose to the city into the household of their lord bearing a letter from Griga, mother of Komegos. And they gave the correspondence to their lord, saying, “A good woman from the east, who hosted our stay and fed us, commanded us to bring this to you.” And Gerey took the letter and read it before his house and said, “Is there among you one named Komegos?” And the servants of Gerey recognized him by name and said unto their lord, “This be the name of the guest who you received from the house of your cousin, Elpher, son of Maco, from the Isle of Komrokolmaske.” Thus Gerey summoned Komegos and his men, saying unto him, “Are you son of Griga?” And he responded, “You yourself have said it.” And Gerey said to him, “By Athrosei, god of my fathers, for the generosity of your house, I will have you seated at my side so that you lack nothing;” and so Gerey established Komegos in his household, providing for him in all things.
And it was, as tradition in those days, that Komegos and his men went up to the temple of the patron of the city, the Mother of Soft Winds, to offer homage; and the people of the city beheld the strange men, saying amongst themselves, “Who be this fellow and his entourage?” And they came to the gem of the city, the Temple of Idarae, whose pillars were lined with fine sunsax lines, the powder from the hills of the Sosians, and whose elaborate pediments were fastened with libeodor strips from the lands of the Pyrgians; and they came before the priests of Idarae with a calf for each man. And when they had entered into the courtyard, the sons of the temple came about them, observing them; and when the traditions of tribute were fulfilled, Komegos came before the great image of Idarae, prostrated before it, and cried out, saying, “Most merciful Mother, behold me and my brethren; grant us, I pray, your audience. From afar have we come to these lands in search of refuge and asylum: as we dwell in these lands foreign and strange to us, lead me so I might strengthen my resolve. I seek this, your grace, of you on both my knees, O divine overseer of the winds; strengthen me with your glorious grace. Great Goddess of soft winds, witness me and my men in my time of need. Honor me with your holy kindness and I swear upon the life given to me that I will honor your temple and your people.”
Source: r/fantasywriters · by /u/Emperor-Duke7171