Asullus Anguli XIV ... Asullus’ Corner
Cin the Cautious
So, Asullus here once again, along wi’ trusty an’ sweet Morphia, the Spritae, still actin’ as our scribe, fer all ye oldsters an’ wee ones alike as ha’ been writin’ wi’ yer requests an’ demands — some more polite than others — to be informed o’ the most serious an’ needful questions o’ our time an’ tryin’ to bring answers to the queries such as those as reach the Tower o’ the North.
Well, hale to all an’ welcome. Today’s topic ha’ been sent it by Rocks o’ Berklyville who asks aboot the mysterious Cin, the founder o’ the Land o’ the Cin, an’ how he came to find that old Tower an’ so on. Well, ‘tis a fair enou’ question, so we’ll be takin’ a look an’ see what we find.
So, accordin’ to Master Anders, who knows aboot all there is to know, plus a bit o’ me own researchin’ at the Imperial Library in Fornia, way early mankind was assemblin’, getting’ together, organizin’ an’ so on in the Southlands some seven hundred centuries past in the Bygone.
At that time, accordin’ to me speculatin’ sources, mankind divided into three major groups. The first group decided to stay put, down there in the Southlands, an’ make a home, Huntin’ an’ Gatherin’, raising wee ones an’ the like. The second group decided to go together with the third group fer a time, but then headed off to the Eastlands to see what they could see o’er that aways. As the story is told, the second group eventually ran into the Grandfathers of Man as had been in the Eastlands fer a time. But the two folks did no’ seem to get along so well fer one reason or another an’ got to sparrin’ an’ then outright fightin’ an’ sad to say, today we ha’ no one left o’ the Grandfathers group yet survivin’. But that always seems to be the way it is with Humans, accordin’ to me own opinions.
Then it was the third group as went north with the second group fer a time, before continuin’ on up after the second group ha’ split an’ gone East, as group three was chasin’ the Fathers o’ Man. Now it was these folks who, themselves, ha’ gone north some time before, an’ the third group was determined to bring those Fathers way low, which they did. Then that third group looked around fer a bit an’ decided to settle down in what now is the Westlands.
Now most o’ the above I ha’ borrowed from the Lay O’ Man document we ha’ discussed here recently. Also, I ha’ me notes—made by our little sweetie pie, Morphia, o’ course—drawin’ on Master Thaddeus’ recollections concernin’ his talks wi’ Iam o’ the First. Old Iam’s tribe—callin’ themselves the First--it was, as was in the third group, settlin’ in the north o’ the Westlands an’ chasin’ after an’ doin’ away wi’ the Fathers o’ Man. I should add here that Thaddeus ha’ verified that Iam did ha’ sore regrets aboot that which his tribe did if that do count for something. An’ as I ha’ mentioned before he did ha’ a sort o’ acquaintance wi’ our own Master Chef Specus. But we goes into that in another one o’ our talks, so ye interested ones can see to that if ye wishes.
Anyways, whilst that was all goin’ on, the second group o’ folks as did settle in the Eastlands, after dealin’ wi’ the Granfathers o’ Man—makin’ another blot on Human history, should any o’ ye be askin’ this here old mule—the new Eastlands folks did settle down an’ do all those things that the others ha’ done as I ha’ mentioned.
Now, as it happens, one o’ those folks was a young fellow goin’ by the name o’ Cin. An’ it’s him as we’ll be talkin’ aboot from this point on.
So, as I was sayin’ long back a time ago, there arose in the Eastlands one Cin, by name. An’ by one means or another, he rose to become leader o’ his tribe. Master Anders says there are different versions o’ this History wi’ some sayin’ he was born to the position, bein’ the son o’ the chief, while another says he was a Conqueror an’ rose to bein’ Boss by killin’ all his rivals like they do. I ha’ no opinion here but would no’ be surprised wi’ either say-so.
Well, howe’er ‘twas done, it ‘twas done in a circumspect manner, that bein’ Cin’s style, as they say. Hence he began to be called ‘the Cautious’, an’ it stuck wi’ him from that day forward.
In any case, he did the leader become. An’ ‘tis said he began to think he should be leadin’ his tribe to this particular place. Now whether this was more like a dream or more like a callin’, this Mule has no’ idea. But ‘tis interestin’ either way.
An’ so, after a bit, he did lead his people o’er the plains an’ valleys an’ mountains, don’ ye know, until they came to this particular place that, maybe, was what he’d been seein’ in his visions or whatever.
In any cases, ‘twas pretty easy-like to tell this was the place where he was supposed to end up as in the middle o’ a large plain filled wi’ nothin’ was standin’ a Tower—one o’ the ugliest buildin’s e’er seen on this globe, as they say. In form, ‘twas aboot five or so flights up, an’ round, but the most distinguishin’ thing aboot it was that fact that it was a nauseatin’ an’ billous yellow color wi’ an awful bright red roof, lookin’ more like a cap, don’ ye know.
So, his tribe set up camp an’, givin’ up their Huntin’ an’ Gatherin’ ways, started in plantin’ crops an’ tendin’ fields, becomin’ Agrarians, e’ery one. Master Anders ha’ said this was a ‘pivotal moment in Human History’ though I’m no’ so sure as to what that’s meant. One o’ these days I’ll be askin’ the young Master aboot this, I think.
Followin’ this, there began to be questions raised by certain members o’ the tribe as to the choice o’ this particular piece o’ real estate on account o’ that ugly Tower. Apparently, bein’ ‘round that hideous old put-together made some feel quite more than uncomfortable. Howe’er this seemed self-correctin’ as individuals such as those who complained loudly as to this business tended to wake up dead-like the next day, if ye catches me meanin’, wi’ terrible expressions on their faces as if they’d seen something really awful an’ not suitable fer the wee ones.
So, the Tower was left alone fer a bit, no one darin’ to go in. Then, after a time, some o’ the tribe would report that it seemed as if something or someone was makin’ a call to them, sometimes verra hard to resist. Eventually, one went in an’ came out two weeks later a changed man. Next, a woman went in, but dinno’ come back out. An’ several other times these an’ similar things occurred.
Over some years it was determined that the Eastern Tower was a tool that allowed certain ones to gain or use or control Sorcerous powers. Time went on an’ many o’ the chosen seemed to live a good, long life an’ after some centuries they became named ‘Ancient Ones.’
After an even longer time it was determined that Daemons was playin’ a part in all this privilege of Power. An’ it took an e’en longer time—an’ that only after the Westlands Sorcerers twigged onto what was goin’ on—to learn that the Ancient Ones were bein’ used, in part, by the Daemon as a means fer them to be breakin’ free to the world’s surface to do what mischief they could to Man.
But old Cin was a long time dead afore any o’ that came to be known.
He, himself, was always described as an accomodatin’ fellow led by those surroundin’ him to be a leader, so to speak.
He founded Cinoton (‘tis pronounced sin-AWH-tin, by the by) an’ the village became a town, became a city, became a capital, became the center o’ the Empire o’ the Eastlands. Not too bad fer a lowly shepherd lad goin’ along an’ mindin’ his own business until called upon, don’ ye know.
The only other thing to say is that, fer some reason, the whole o’ Cinoton is set up in triangles—streets, buildings, shops, all. Both me Master Thaddeus an’ Emperer Tai-Pawn ha’ noted that many times an’ puzzled o’er the same. As to why triangles, though, the records remain silent an’ I, meself, ha’ no clue. But if the answer occurs to any o’ our Gentle Readers out there, please do no’ hesitate to let this old Mule know.
Well, enou’ fer now an’…
Fare-thee-well.
Asullus
Mule-in-Residence
The Great North Tower, Northfast
Comments