On the
Mycellean people of Zanpur
A study by
T.R. Allard of the Illyriad Society for Cultural Studies
Of all the
horse peoples that roam the fertile savannah of Zanpur, the Mycelleans might be
among the strangest. It is said that their ancient ancestors were nomads of
Ixthd'irian making who rode striped horses known as Shebras, animals which we
know were hunted to extinction during the great Fashion Crisis of 631. After
losing their fashionable mounts the Mycelleans lost all the
will to travel and founded the city of Mycellion right where they stood.
Coincidentally, as a different Mycellean legend reveals, this location was also
one of the seventy-four mythical birthplaces of humankind.
The
Mycelleans have since overcome their hodophobia and have accepted the plain,
boring riding horse as an acceptable mount (although the more fabulous
specimens are highly prized). Consequently, during the past ages they were very
much capable of founding new cities and engaging in the delight of bloody warfare
all over Zanpur.
Although
their history tells of a fair amount of battles, the Mycelleans do not see
themselves as conquerors. Rather, they depict themselves culturally as
champions of 'peace' and 'freedom'. Most of their holds have been acquired by colonization
rather than conquest. However, they are adept at finding reason to drive out
those neighbours who speak less highly of them. Key to the justification of
warfare by Mycelleans is identifying their opponents as clear 'browbeaters'.
For example, the war against the Sselraefan elves was justified by their
utterly unjust and unprovoked attempt at eradicating the elf-eating red
plainwolves. Similarly, the skirmish between the Mycelleans and the Zoardar
Elephant-knights was justified by the latter's 'crimes against nature and the
code of honorable warfare', although some maintain that the Mycelleans attacked
because of the derisive remarks the Zoardar made about the size of their
mounts.
On the
Mycellean Divine King Myzel
Also known
among his people as 'the Perpetual King' and 'Mr. Sunshine', Divine King Myzel
is believed to be the incarnation of the Mycellean sun god. It seems the king
himself as well as the Mycellean people as a whole are dedicated to upholding
the illusion of his immortality. I speculate they do so by making the
transition from one king to another in secret, changing the name and magically
altering the physical appearance of every successor. Consequently, it is
difficult to report anything of substance about the personality of this king.
The public image that is created of the king variably presents him as having
the following attributes: Sociable, just, wise, pious, empathic, charismatic, jovial, forgiving,
merciful, artistic, solitary, solemn, altruistic, responsible, honest, virtuous,
fortunate, courageous, battle-hardened, unyielding, diplomatic, cunning,
unforgiving, merciless, strong, willful, potent and divine, among others.
Continued on page 34 of the ISCS Journal, vol 98.
Edited by Myzel - 08 Dec 2013 at 22:02