Kubuadac

Summary

When the tokyau fled across Mount Skyreach thousands of years ago, they settled into a massive river valley within Jerhegn. Their proverbial backs toward the mountains, and the front yawning into the massive jungles, this middleground proved ideal for their new city. While it looked to be on the 'edge', in the end the same amount of troubles invariably found their ways to them. Predators and disease alike rampaged through the fledgling settlement, pushing the tokyau to their limits from the very start.   But for them, who had nowhere else to go, yielding was never an option. They embraced the brutality needed for survival, shoving back against the jungle and its awesome dominance. It took years upon years, but they quarried stone, built massive fortifications, and took the valley in its entirety for themselves. Through blood magic they cleansed disease, and through necromancers they appeased the dead, finding solace in the suffering they were trapped in. So the old ways of the tokyau were subsumed by the needs of the new settlement, and birthed their unique culture.   The cult of Teohcxe arose to dominance, a necromantic religion that married concepts of life and death in a union of struggle. Both supported each other, so that one day they might escape from the eternal cycle, and reach the proverbial paradise that violence didn't exist within. Living space is a premium, and so the dead themselves were incorporated into the growing settlement.   Ground down and mixed in with their stone mixture, the tokyau stylized faces, bodies, and entire families into the relief of the stonework. Those of greater prestige were 'entombed' within statues, guardian golems that the necromancers could invoke in times of dire need. Families who owned homes created small shrines and burial vaults, honoring prior generations and seeking guidance when needed. Indeed, the form of a mausoleum versus a home blended into one and the same idea.   Thus Kubuadac, 'Temple of the Living Dead', came to be. A name for a family home that soon represented the fledgling city.   Armed with their determination in both life and death, the tokyau pushed back against Jerhegn. Soon the Relentless came, almost as if in response. The inglorious beginning of their timeless war began, Kubuadac pushing for space and resources, the Relentless driving them backward. Every mile of reclaimed territory was earned in blood and bodies, the tomb city growing steadily. The bounty of the jungle, and the plentiful bodies of the Relentless, ever fueled their expansion. A relationship of a kind, even if the self-conscious tokyau scholars scorned it.   Their steadfast perseverance didn't go unnoticed. Disparate tribes, reclusive settlements, and others who survived in Jerhegn took note of the 'new arrivals'. Trade, in a form, began principally in food and medicines, then knowledge and culture. Those who weren't frightened by the tokyau's necromantic arts soon moved into Kubuadac itself. These long time native populations offered unique insights into Jerhegn, and their expertise massively bolstered the tokyau's efforts.   The combined arms saw a surge in Kubuadac's growth, and for the first time mighty pyramids began rising above the canopy of the jungle. Old and long secreted away tokyau innovations began forging again, a semblance of peace finally found within their heartlands. To Jerhegn, who hadn't seen such an enormous city so successful in millennia, its presence wasn't ignored. More native populations moved in, and the relief from struggle saw even more population growth.   Relentless, ever drawn to masses of people, grew increasingly frantic and ravenous in their assaults. The tokyau drew upon their arts, forging new supreme weapons, and even changing themselves. Their set work upon their very blood, infusing strength and vitality until they themselves were all but excellent weapons. The Relentless couldn't keep pace against the overwhelming might brought against them. But to them it is never a single battle; it is war, and they continue to fight even when losing.   Kubuadac had finally fortified its walls beyond breach, but the price was constant sacrifice against nature's unnatural predators. Undaunted, they continued to refine their martial forms, innovate new weapons, and push toward that idyllic ideal. Relentless or not, the determination of Kubuadac's people for their safe future is unwavering. To uplift the dead who yet carry them in life, and to ensure that they will all live on eternally.   So it is the history of Kubuadac, the greatest city in all of Jerhegn.