Chronicle of the Gargoyle Queen Vol. I
|
| Chronicle of the Gargoyle Queen Vol. I |
| Weight: 1 Stone |
| Charges: 500 |
Chronicle of the Gargoyle Queen Vol. I is the reward of the quest Journey to the Athenaeum Isle given out by Queen Zhah.
Text
Chronicle of the Gargoyle Queen Vol. I by Queen Zhah
I am the Gargoyle Queen. Even now, a thousand years later, it feels so strange to write these words. It has been a long, hard road, paved with failure, success, and great loss. But I do not regret the choices I have made, nor do I regret accepting the responsibility bestowed upon me. I have decided to chronicle the events of my life that led up to my ascension to the throne. Let history judge me as it will, but let it be by my own words.
Entry I - The Beginning
A thousand years ago, Gargish life was vastly different than the enlightened society we are today. Controlled by an ancient system of tradition and caste, our lives were dictated based on customs established since time remembered. As a female, I was considered lesser than a male. In Gargish society, males were deemed superior; Gargoyle females were only allowed one of two roles: Broodmother or Healer. As a Healer, you were forced to spend your life nursing the wounded and the Wingless Ones. As a Broodmother, you had only one purpose: to create children. The creation of children was accomplished by channeling your very life force and weaving it, manifesting it into eggs. In one birthing rite, a single Broodmother could produce anywhere from ten to twenty five Wingless Ones. Usually, all children created were to be male (you can designate the gender during your weaving); females were only allowed to be woven into existence when there was a need, such as replacing an existing Healer or Broodmother. The birthing ritual was conducted and overseen by the High Broodmother; it was her magic that completed the transformation of the lesser Broodmother's essence into eggs. This duty was sacred but it was also finite; the ritual depletes the High Broodmother's magical power over time and, eventually, she is rendered powerless. At this point, she steps down as High Broodmother. After five hundred years, my predecessor, Shilaxrinar could no longer perform and named me her successor. Though all the other Mothers were envious, I was not happy to obtain this respected position; I viewed my assumption of the title as a death sentence. Ever since I could remember, I had chafed at the fact that females were treated as nothing but glorified slaves. Forced to birth until our magical power was destroyed or to be nursemaids, I vehemently disagreed with these traditions and longed to bring about change. With my ascension to High Broodmother, I had hoped to use the respect of the title to gain the ear of the king and perhaps bring about the change I so desperately wanted...but I was a fool.
Entry II - The Hubris of Kings
The paragon of Gargish tradition, our King had absolutely no desire to hear my thoughts and desires. He told me that, if the Void was finally destroyed, perhaps then we could discuss breaking tradition and granting more freedom to the females of our race. When I countered that perhaps allowing only males to fight the Void was the reason we had yet to win, he flew into a furious rage and reminded me to remember my place. I asked him how could I possibly forget my place when it was so small in the world and I was naught but a glorified slave and prisoner? The King silenced me with a wave of his hand and advised me to go back to the Breeding Grounds, never troubling him with my "foolish notions" again. Bitter, I did as he asked, and bided my time until a new King was chosen. Gargish rulers did not last long, you see. It was believed that the king must be the strongest of all warriors, able to best any opposition. Thus, to ensure that we were consistently ruled by the best of the best, each year the Challenge Rite was conducted. During this rite, any male who wished to challenge the current king was allowed to do so through an official session of trials by combat. Through these trials, if the current king was defeated, the new champion of the people would ascend to the throne. It was a brutal selection process, and provided constant changes to the throne of Ter Mur. With this knowledge, I bided my time, anxiously awaiting the next king's selection.
Entry III - The Beginning of the End
One hundred years and countless kings later, nothing had changed. Each time a new King ascended through the Challenge, I attempted to win him over to my cause and listen to my desires to allow my sisters and I more freedom, to aid in the battle against the Void. Each request was refused adamantly and vehemently, the response being that our entire society was based on these traditions and females have no purpose in life other than to heal and make children. No matter how hard I tried, I was a female and, in the eyes of the males, lesser than they. I bitterly resigned myself to my fate and admitted that I would never be granted the life that I wanted. I over saw countless birthing rites, watching my power flow out of me again and again, cursing it each time. Outside of our walls, the Void continued to swallow our land, tearing it apart at the seams.