Reference:DRC research notebooks/Shomat Story
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| Author | Nick White |
The Story of Shomat - taken from book 43C. (We have yet to name it.)
Translation - Nick
FIRST DRAFT
At the age of 121, Shomat had resided in his Palace of the Kings for twenty years. Though the palace had taken forty-five years to construct and new additions (?) had been added every year, Shomat was still not pleased with all that surrounded him. His palace was larger than any structure in the city, and the gardens of his palace were more beautiful than any other living plants that the people had ever known. But Shomat demanded more from those who created his home and his gardens.
Shomat sent messengers demanding that Lemash, the head (this word seems to define some kind of leader of the servants - although they never defined them as servants. Have to ask Dr. Watson) of his palace come to his gardens immediately. And Lemash obeyed.
"Yes, my King, what is it that you require of me?"
"Do you see these bulbs of orange and leaves of brown that surround me?"
"Of course, my King. They are unlike any that dwell in this cavern."
"Do you see the intricate stone that surrounds me?" asked Shomat.
"Of course, again there is none like them in the cavern."
And Shomat suddenly became angry, cursing at his servants (not really servants but it'll have to do) and screaming at those in his presence.
"Who do you think that I am? Do you think I have never used the Books to see the beauty that lies outside this cavern? I have written these Books myself, even while you have seen me trained by the Grand Master! And yet you act as though I should be pleased at the beauty that now surrounds me. Beauty that comes only from this cavern, this cavern of no light, no warmth, and no color? Do you think stone and darkness are all that I require? Who do you think that I am?"
"My King, what is it that you ask of me?"
"Bring to me Grand Master Kenri. Together you will work (work in a writing sense?) with him and create for me real beauty. Roaring water. Colors beyond imagination. Living creations, not stone! These are the gardens that I demand! Now go and bring them to me."
And so Lemash went to Kenri, Grand Master of the Guild of Writers, and together they created an Age with beauty that was beyond that which any man had seen before. And together they brought their King to the Age, eight months (these are D'ni months) after his request had been made.
Shomat was pleased with all that he saw. Broad leaves of green and yellow, flowers of every color, and roaring waters of blue and turquoise like the most colorful stones of D 'ni. And he promoted Lemash (as he was already head, I'm not sure about his promotion but the word is fairly clear) and made Kenri his most prized Grand Master in all of D 'ni. Shomat spent every day on his new Age, and he asked for more of them and he asked his architects to provide structures on these Ages.
And while this happened, Shomat's brothers continued to grow more jealous and their anger turned to rage. They had not been invited to live in the palace of their brother and now, though multitudes of common citizens were invited to the gardens of Shomat, never once were they allowed to visit. And their hearts burned toward their King and brother.
So it was that Shomat was sitting alone in his Garden Age when two creatures approached him. Though they resembled men, they walked on their arms and legs and moved quickly. Shomat was frightened upon seeing the creatures and immediately called for his guards. The creatures ran from the guards but Shomat ordered his guards to follow them and the guards obeyed. It was not until the next day that they returned. They claimed they had seen a city with hundreds of these creatures living in it, conversing with one another, and organizing armies. These armies lived inside of the Garden Age of Shomat. And Shomat was very afraid.
Shomat ordered the men who had seen the village to be put in prison (not sure if Book or physical prison) for what they saw. And he called his most trusted advisor (?) Lemash to his residence in the city. Upon hearing of the creatures and their organization, Lemash too was frightened.
"We have no choice but to burn the Book," Lemash recommended. "You know this Age is not ours, if it is already inhabited. You know the rules of our Writing, and of our Books, and of our people."
But Shomat's heart was not moved by the words of Lemash and he grew more angry and enraged. "The world was created by me, for me. If there are others who exist, they will have to be killed. It is D 'ni now."
So Shomat ordered for his brothers to be brought into his palace and he informed them of his dilemma. Shomat asked his brothers if they would kill those who lived on his Garden Ages and he bribed them with talk of power and authority. And so they agreed even though they hated their brother.
And the brothers of Shomat traveled to the Age, and went to the creatures to destroy them. But in talking with the creatures they became convinced that the creatures should not be killed but instead they should be used to destroy their brother. And so they devised a plan to kill their brother, the King.
While Shomat waited in his Palace in the city his brothers appeared to him.
"We have finished," they announced. "The creatures are all dead."
Shomat was pleased to hear such words from his brothers and on the outside he showed love to them. "My brothers, I have done much wrong to you. There have been many times that I have not treated you like even those who work in my palace. And I am sorry for these actions. But today you have proven that you do not hold anger like I do. You are better than me. You have shown me favor and so I ask you to accept what I have to offer you. Please accept this gift."
And Shomat gave his brothers a Linking Book. Its pages were filled with descriptions of beauty and life, like Shomat's own Garden Age.
"And it will be kept here in this palace where you will live now."
Filled with pleasure, and forgetting their hate for Shomat, his brothers went to the Age quickly. And it was there that they died thinking that they had fooled their brother. Shomat burned the Book in his own fire, forever erasing his brothers and their deceit from his mind.
And Shomat ordered the Grand Master to change his Garden Age so that those who lived there would die. And Kenri obeyed the King even though he knew it was wrong. And his life was filled with turmoil until he died.
But Shomat, though he did what was wrong, continued to live and pursue all that he wanted.
The story continues but it seemed a good point to stop. I'd like to go over this a few more times with some better translators - maybe even Dr. Watson. I filled in a lot of words as best I could for now.
