Tag: Places We Do Not Go

#Lore24 – Entry #176 – Wild West Month #25 – The Horses that Go Up in Flames

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

To the east of the Peaks Reaching to the Sky, north of the Plains Which Stretch Forever, and west of the Hills of Coal, there lies a stretch of cursed land where little grows, and few animals live, the very rock of the area painted in the shades of blood where they are not burnt black.  But, unlike so many places, the Burnt Lands are not cursed by the Devil Wardens, but by the spirits themselves.  Here is the land of the Horses that Go Up in Flames.

From the distant hills and mountains that surround this region, in the darkness of night, you can see the Horses that Go Up in Flames from many miles away, for they leave fiery trails stretching behind them.  Most often you will see but one, but on some nights, you may see a half dozen or more running together, not stopping even for the mesas, running up and over them as if they were not there.  For those daring to venture closer, you can see that the horses are spirits of fire, their skeletons visible and the color of charcoal, wreathed in billowing flames.  Their pained, angry cries can be heard before they are seen, but by then, they are likely already upon you, for they move with the speed of a wildfire.

The Horses that Go Up in Flames are a mystery to the Kerra-Kerra and the Horse People.  They do not seem to wish to speak with us as other spirits do, and may not be entirely of the spirits of the elements.  Horses that have strayed from our tribes as they travel around the Burnt Lands sometimes end up there.  Tales speak of these horses running as if possessed by a spirit, not fearful in the least as they drive headlong toward the Horses that Go Up in Flames.  As they approach, they cry in agony as their bodies erupt in flame, and in moments, they join the flaming herd as if they belonged there all along.

It is best to cross the Burnt Lands on the outside, for the Horses that Go Up in Flames do not stray from the area they have claimed, though what it is they may protect or guard we do not know, though in times of great need, you may dare cross through these lands; it is best to do so in the day, for the Horses that Go Up in Flames are less active then.

#Lore24 – Entry #175 – Wild West Month #24 – The Vast Dry Sea of Salt

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

North of the Great Scorpion Flats lies another place our people rarely travel, the Vast Dry Sea of Salt.  There are no giant scorpions and it is not quite as hot, but still deadly for those who do not know how to survive in this unforgiving part of the Bitter Frontier.  The land is mostly flat here, stretching for as far as the eye can see, but not as far as the Plains Which Stretch Forever.  Once, in the times before the Great Uproar, this place was a sea filled with salt water, like that of the great oceans.  Many are the remains of the fish that once were within it and the boats that were once upon it, encrusted with the Salt that Blows Like Sand that can rend flesh from bone in the strong winds that are found there.

Sometimes great storms come to the Vast Dry Sea of Salt, filling it with rainwater for a time, perhaps only hours, before the water vanishes once again, leaving behind the salt.  Water can be found in caves that lie beneath the surface, through cracks in surface, but it is as salty as everything else, not fit for drinking.  The sea can be crossed in a day, but only if one is prepared and has no other choice; it is safer to circle wide to the north or south, where the land is better. 

This place is not without its bad spirits.  There are spirits of the earth that are ill at ease, sometimes leaving openings to vast chasms below hidden by thin layers of salt that one cannot discern from regular ground.  The wind and earth spirits move huge stones while no one is looking, leaving behind miles long trails in the salt, but for what purpose, not even we know.  We think it is a sign of distress, perhaps even of prophecy, but so far, we have not been able to come to terms with these spirits.

Worse, at the center of this sea lies a place of the Devil-Wardens, the White Obelisk, jutting out from a great chasm in the center of the Vast Dry Sea of Salt, the salt glinting in the sunlight like the precious stones those from Beyond the Great Walls value so much.  The White Obelisk can be seen from far away, appearing much closer than it actually is, and is almost like a spine of some great creature jutting from the earth, not unlike the bones of ancient fish that once lived in the sea, with broken ribs jutting from its length.  Some of the brave and foolish have dared to venture close to the White Obelisk, close enough to peer into the darkness of the chasm that surrounds it.  Some did not return, nor were any traces found; others have told of strange sounds from below, lights moving in the darkness that suddenly swarm toward those who cannot escape quickly enough.  Sometimes you can even hear a keening upon the wind even to the edges of the sea, a sound that can make your teeth hurt, though in the times I have heard it in the presence of those not of the Kerra-Kerra, they cannot hear it.  Perhaps the White Obelisk is calling to us?  It is something we contemplate from time to time, but thus far, we have found no reason to brave the dangers there.

#Lore24 – Entry #174 – Wild West Month #23 – The Great Scorpion Flats

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

To the far west and south of the Peaks Reaching to the Sky, beyond the Pass of Shining Stars, likes the Great Scorpion Flats.  This region is not to be traveled lightly, if at all; truly only the desperate or the foolish would venture here, though perhaps the tribe of Demon-Tainted People who call it home would say otherwise?  They do not feel the heat of the great desert like we do, and have learned to survive in this place, for they have embraced the spirit of the Great Scorpion.

With the land hot enough to sear flesh and water found only in places hidden beneath the earth, this land is harsh enough, but the creatures that dwell there are just as deadly.  As it is so named, the Great Scorpion is found here, the smallest of these the size of a fully grown panther, the largest as big as a Howling Steel Chariot.  Their temper is foul, for they always seek fresh meat to sate their hunger.  Some of them are tamed, so to speak, by the Demon-Tainted People who live there, but even they only dwell in places the Great Scorpions do not go, high upon the tops of the many stone spires that rise from the hard-packed sands like gigantic fingers.  Their shell is thick, so much that even a Thundering Weapon will barely get through it, and their poisonous stingers are deadly with but a scratch.

And yet, the People from Beyond the Great Walls still try to venture there, seeking some great treasures they are sure are hidden there.  They know of the Demon-Tainted People who have raided beyond their lands, but they do not understand that is for their survival, not to horde the shiny baubles and stones that are so prized beyond the Great Walls.  I have been told that they wish to find a way through the Peaks Reaching to the Sky for their Howling Steel Chariots, to cross this dangerous place with their Bands of Wood and Steel, perhaps to settle there. 

There are times when I think that all People from Beyond the Great Walls are crazy.

#Lore24 – Entry #173 – Wild West Month #22 – The Bleakwood

As told by Kumiko Stalks-Amongst-the-Stars, shaman of the Midnight Panther tribe of Kerra-Kerra

To the north and to the east of the Peaks Reaching to the Sky lies one of the Places We Do Not Go.  This place we call the Bleakwood, for it is a dangerous and cursed place where those who venture inside never return.  The Bleakwood appears at the base of the Peaks Reaching to the Sky, and while it seems as any other forest at first, the nearer you come, the more unsettled you will feel.  The wood grows darker and more foreboding, and soon you can see that the very trees are not normal, looking to be sickly and dying, filled with disease, and yet they somehow still grow.  The Bleakwood is shrouded by mists beyond its edge, even during the hottest of days.  The animals, what few there are, too are sick and not to be hunted, for their flesh is poisonous.  One should never get closer than the warning totems that we have placed upon the outskirts of this place, for to do so would invite misfortune.

It is not known what truly lies within the Bleakwood, but it is possibly one of the places once held by the Devil-Wardens and may contain their dark spirits that cannot find rest, for one can hear terrible wails coming from the wood, as if a soul is being tortured.  The ancestors speak of the foolhardy who dared to venture inside, and the wailing of these unseen spirits that were drawn to them that finally went silent for a time, once they had consumed their prey.  None who wish to live should ever go near this place.

Yet, now that the People from Beyond the Great Walls come into the Bitter Frontier, they have learned of this place.  The Kerra-Kerra have tried to warn them, but I am told by my Brother-and-Sister Shaman in our Dream Meetings that the warnings have gone unheeded, for the belief that there is great treasures beyond is strong.  More and more the outsiders venture inside, and more and more they fail to return.  The wailing of the dark spirits within grows louder and more numerous, and the fog grows thicker, even spreading beyond the edge of the Bleakwood now.  This is deeply troubling.