Flight of Dragons - The Deeds of the Kings of the Sauromatae

[Aaldaemon]

Ok, I guess that question was a bit on the hard side, I still hope that one day soon someone might actually answer it.

I will try to post an update later today, I make no promises given the next update will probably feature some critical stuff and "mild shock tactics" and I have not yet decided how much I'm going to spoil, and how I'm going to structure it... It's a pity that I started with a different concept in mind and rushed through the early part of Abeakos' reign, and now I have to cram a lot of essential story elements over a very short period of time. I think I'm just going to rush forward with it and renounce some buildup because I do not want to get overlong before something actually happens. It's a bit annoying to contract what could have been a ten years + or so storyline into a few months but, oh well I'm commited now, so expect an important update.

[Justiciar]

It's gone straight over my head, I'm afraid. The only small "clues" that grabbed my attention and made me pause for thought were the referances to a crescent hiltled dagger "of his people"; I hadn't thought that a common Sarmatian icon. Methinks I'll need to take another looksie.

[Aaldaemon]

It's gone straight over my head, I'm afraid. The only small "clues" that grabbed my attention and made me pause for thought were the referances to a crescent hiltled dagger "of his people"; I hadn't thought that a common Sarmatian icon. Methinks I'll need to take another looksie.

Sarmatians actually used crescent hillted daggers... but since I have compressed things a lot, pretty much every detail is there for a reason - as such that particular detail has its reason to be there, so it's a good find. I grant you I realized it's almost impossible to figure things out provided with the material I posted so far - I just looked at some of it and realized that I kept some stuff out I thought I had posted before - I'm becoming senile - still a theory can be built on the existing material. No matter though because the next update will most likely provide an immense amount of material for other edifices of the mind.

And coming to that... sadly enough my brain has entered its "I want to sleep and I refuse to work for you" mode and I can not post the update tonight. It's the middle of the night here, and this update has taken me an inordinate amount of time to sort out, given I've actually stolen some stuff from my historical fantasy novel to aid with the epic plan... There's too much stuff to say, too much stuff to cut, and too little clarity left in my head... so I guess I will post it tomorrow.

I assure you all that if you miss this update, you will understand very very little of what is to come in the future, so given that it is very important to the story, it has to be done right...

Beware of the failings of the mind.

Now, off to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

[Aaldaemon]

Ok, I just raised my hands and surrendered to my own indecision.... as such I decided to go ahead with the update I will be posting in a couple minutes. I'm not satisfied, (for a variety of reasons I shall not bother posting here) but seeing that I can waste a lot of time deciding what to post exactly, I'll just post this and to hades with it.

1) the update features mild shock tactics as promised.
2) epic mode is definitely turned on...
3) but beware the failings of the mind.

Now...update comes...

[Aaldaemon]

Part IX: Towers of the Conquerors



Aspaurg fidgets restlessly on his rug near the dreaming King. He’s been in the tent too long, but he knows only too well he has to wait for the King to dismiss him. He can hear strange noises in the distance, where the Yavanas are toiling in the service of Dragons. He has heard the King himself had set them to it, but he does not know the nature of their work. The King had told him nothing of it.

Abeakos does not seem to listen to the noise. He has grown ever more feeble over the last few days, oblivious to the world of men and their toils. He is in pain, Aspaurg thinks, as he sees the King grimace to his shadows.

The King is talking to himself again, and Aspaurg can barely hear his words:

…let the people of Aratta bring down for me the stones from their mountain, build the great shrine for me, erect the great abode for me…

The King’s voice is but a gentle whisper, lost between the echoes of his breath:

On that day when there is no snake… man has no rival…no rival.

His face looks pained, his eyes caught in a dream long lost to men:

My champion shall compete against your champion, he says, blind to the world under heaven. Let the clever champion whirl about the water of life…

Then his eyes clear, the dance of lights tearing apart the veil:

Let him come forth.

The King then turns his head towards Aspaurg, a smile softening his broken face:

You are here, good, good. I have been waiting for you.

My King, you called for me hours ago, Aspaurg tells him reproachfully.

That I did, that I did. The King nods towards the boy, as he remembers. His eyes unfocus for a moment, as at the last he hears the noise of the Yavanas.

My eyes might not see you all that well, but at least my ears can still hear. My Yavanas are reminding me, they are lovers of great noise, not silence.

He closes his eyes as if to listen without being distracted by sight:

The song of the builders, the song of the wings of the fallen… he murmurs to himself as he nods to his shadows.

The Yavanas know something of wings, he says turning towards Aspaurg. There was a boy once, much like you Aspaurg… a boy called Icarus.

The King gazes at the light of torches through closed eyelids, as if to see the corona of the burning sun within his dreams.

He flew towards the Sun boy… towards the Sun, he says softly drawing a circle in the darkness.

He flew? Aspaurg asks incredulously.

Aye, boy, he flew. The King answers as he finishes his circle. His father made wings for him so he could fly.

Aspaurg can hear the sadness in the King’s voice and remains quiet, as the King continues:

The son flew boy… he flew ever closer to heaven, towards the home of light denied to men…ever soaring towards the light, boy ever soaring…

What happened to him Lord? Aspaurg asks.

He fell boy, Abeakos answers sadly. He fell.

Light blinds us to truth, the King says at the last, his eyes now open, silver-blue. He listens to the noises of the Yavanas for a long time before he talks again:

Wings make noise when one flies, do they not? He grumbles lightly. And we need our wings, boy, we need our wings.

The King pauses again, as he toys with his dagger, seemingly forgetting his original thought:

You see boy, serpents spend too much time dwelling in the bowels of the earth. Dragons are creatures of the sky.

Dragons must fly, he proclaims, spearing the shadows with his gaze.

Or are we bound to the ground forever, like serpents? He asks unsheathing his dagger and pointing towards his right. Aspaurg turns to see whether someone has entered the tent, but there is no one where the King points, only the light of torches playing with shadows.

Yes, boy we must fly, the King continues. Fly over the walls of our enemies… fly towards our fate. He pauses again, as he plunges his dagger in the waiting shade.

That is why boy we are building a tower… to fly over the walls of this city boy… to open the gates of the air…

A tower Lord? Aspaurg asks, now thoroughly confused.

Yes, boy. A tower, the King agrees as he grins. Building towers is the lot of conquerors, boy, that is one thing you should know.

The King then turns to his Babylonian physician hiding in the shade:

Why, make yourself useful for once, and tell the boy about towers and conquerors, he tells him. You men of Babylon should at least know something about this matter.

The olive skinned man shivers, for he is unsure what to say. He dares not anger the King and so he begins his tale:

Many years ago, Lord Aspaurg, to the North of the Esagila, the House of the Raised Head, the chief temple of the great god Marduk, stood a great tower, peerless on Earth, under Heaven.

The tower was called Etemenanki, he continues, the Temple of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth. It was built long ago by kings whose name we do not remember, built and rebuilt for not even towers last forever. This last of the Great Towers to honor the great god Marduk was built by the great conqueror Nabu-kudduri-usur…

The Temple of the Seven Lights, Abeakos nods, as he gestures to the man to continue.

But alas another conqueror came, the Babylonian laments, the cursed Alexandros. The Yavana King destroyed the great tower, and now the Gate of the God is closed.

Enough! The King interrupts him, a hint of anger creeping in his voice. Talk not of what you do not know, he tells him as the Babylonian prostrates himself before the Dragon, fear tingling down his spine, but Abeakos ignores him as he turns towards the boy.

You see lad, the King says addressing Aspaurg, Alexandros did not want to destroy the Tower. No boy, listen not to this fool. Alexandros wanted to rebuild it boy, for he was a Conqueror, and it is the lot of conquerors to build the towers…

Abeakos weaves a sign with his dagger towards the shadows surrounding them, as he continues:

There were other towers before that of Babylon. In truth boy the city itself took its name from the towers… bab-ilim, the gate of the god… ever the name of the towers, boy.

The King pauses to gather his thoughts, then whispers to the shadows:

Nam-lugal an-ta èd-dè-a-ba
Eriduki nam-lugal-la…

When kingship from heaven was lowered, the kingship was in Eridu… Abeakos adds towards the puzzled Aspaurg.

Eridu, the city of the Gods… where Alulim, the true King ruled for almost thirty thousand years… Abeakos tells the boy, and Adapa of the serpent served him only too well… only too well.

The King pauses, as if listening to a song only he can hear.

Who now remembers the tower of Eridu? He questions his wraiths, his voice a tale of lamentation.

Who still remembers the city of the gods?

Do you boy, do you? He asks Aspaurg, but he waits not for an answer, for tears cloud the sightless eyes of the King as he whispers words Aspaurg does not understand:

…ud te-ec dug… ga tug-gin… ba-e-dul gada-gin…ba-e-bur… eridug-ga tug-gin…ba-e-dul gada-gin ba-e-bur…





Aspaurg watches the Prince quietly as Alouthagos writes, ignoring his arrival.

You called for me Lord? He asks willing the Prince to pay attention.

Alouthagos nods, and answers without looking at the boy:

I hear the old Dragon has been teaching you stories boy. Stories of conquerors and their towers…

Aspaurg is astonished by the words of the Prince, and does not hide it.

How do you know Lord? he asks, you've only called me from his side.

Alouthagos grins towards the boy, his features changing with the light:

Knowledge is ever my realm boy, ever my realm, he says softly as his hand caresses the boy’s head.

Why, you would be amazed to hear the truths I know.

Alouthagos leans forward and gazes into the boy’s eyes. They shine like sapphires in the torchlight, and the Prince is pleased.

You heard then of the Tower of the king called Nabu-kudduri-usur boy?

Yes Lord, Aspaurg nods. The tower of the God Marduk.

Ah yes… the tower of Marduk. Alouthagos smiles as if he knows something he wishes not to share.

Do you know then boy what the name Nabu-kudurri-usur means? Do you? He asks as he brushes the boy’s golden hair away from his pale brow.

No, Lord I do not, the boy admits to the prince.

It means "Oh God Nabu, preserve my firstborn son", Alouthagos tells him as he pats the boy gently on the head. But I doubt you know who Nabu is boy…

I do not know Lord, Aspaurg answers trying to remember whether he had heard the name before.

Nabu was a great God boy, a great God, the Prince tells him. He was the son of Marduk boy… the son of the King of the Gods.

Aspaurg listens to the Prince, as Alouthagos continues:

You should do well to honor Nabu boy, for he was the god of wisdom… and wisdom, he adds softly, is ever the realm of conquerors.

Alouthagos smiles now, as the boy takes in his words.

But enough of this story boy… enough of it, the prince pauses as he sighs.

There are many stories you must know boy, many stories… and I will teach you all of them… all of them, for you are in dire need of knowledge, the prince whispers sadly as he thinks of what is to come. He remains silent for a long time before he speaks again:

Mark my words boy, you must not fail him…you must not fail. Alouthagos nods as if addressing an unseen guest.

He is testing you… he says at last, his voice low, his brow locked in a frown.

Testing me lord? Aspaurg asks uncomprehending.

Yes boy, testing… he is ever testing, Alouthagos tells him as he watches the shadows coil around the light of torches.

Remember the ram boy? he asks reaching for the boy’s hand.

Aspaurg nods as the prince pulls him closer.

That was a test as well… boy… the Prince tells him, shuddering as if animated by a cold wind Aspaurg can not see.

A test? How come lord, the boy asks, who was he testing?

Why, he was testing me, boy. Alouthagos answers, his voice filled with sorrow.

And did you fail Lord? The boy asks guilessly.

No, boy, no. The prince laughs sadly as he answers. I have made sure all went well. I have the proper knowledge... not to fail him.

What I worry about boy, is your test… now that could be a problem, the prince adds as if in thought. But you and I will make sure you pass the test, now will we not?

Yes Lord, Aspaurg agrees not quite sure what the prince means.

Alouthagos smiles, pleased to see his compliance.

Good boy, he says. Now remember my words. Remember them well, for when the king asks you, you should know what to answer.

He pauses as he beams to the boy, then his smile disappears slowly as a shadow passes through his vision.

Your blood is tainted, boy. The serpent smiles. My dear father knows it only too well… but I fear the Dragon has miscalculated. In this he has...

The prince grins like a delighted child as he continues:

You see boy, sometimes it is important to know who your real father is. He laughs as he sees the confusion in the boy’s eyes… If only to know what sins might linger in your blood… he concludes as he toys with the boy’s golden-red hair once more.

So, boy let me tell you something you need to know… and make sure you remember. The Dragon will tell you the story of the Bel Belim, the Lord of Lords, the Serpent purrs.

Pay attention to his words boy, for he will ask you this. He will ask you whether you know the truth of the Conqueror. The Prince pauses his eyes piercing through the veil of light clouding the boy’s sight.

Then, and only then, the Prince says as his eyes narrow, tell him this, and this only.

Muballit mite.

Old words, Aspaurg thinks, as he struggles to remember why they sound familiar to him. He can not remember, so he decides to ask the Prince instead:

What do those words mean Lord, what do they mean?

Alouthagos grins as torchlight paints wings of shadow at his back:

Reviver of the Dead, boy, Reviver of the Dead.

[Lysimachos]

You should write a book about this... The stuff definitely has the potential and you too!

[Justiciar]

Babylon, Sumer, Marduk, Alexander, and the "Reviver of the Dead".. tied to the Sarmatians somehow?

I'm enthralled, but bloody confused.

[Aaldaemon]

@Lysimachos: Thank you mate, I'm glad you liked it. I am currently writing a historical fantasy novel as a side project (as I said earlier) that has many things in common with this aar on the "epic'' level. In fact as I said before I stole some stuff from there to write this. Problem with highly complex historical fantasy novels is.... finding a publisher. It's sadly, and obviously, much easier to publish highly comercial drivel. Maybe I should start writing an erotic novel as a secondary side project hehehehehe. Aaldaniellesteelemon has a nice ring to it.

@Justiciar: I aim to confuse. I assure you that I have thought this through on many levels... in fact the whole edifice of this story is arguably much too complex for its own good... I might have to go for an ''aar light version''. (well I have been doing that already so I guess it should be an "aar lighter version" - worry not I will still aim for some highly confusing twists and shock tactics)

[Cadwalader]

Excellent AAR! I am curious how this will develop.

[Aaldaemon]

Well I want to thank everyone for reading, but I am not quite sure there will be much more of this... maybe at the most a very light version... maybe. The reality is that I have been spending inordinate amounts of time on this story rather than concentrating on things I _should_ be doing.

This last chapter took me ages, and a lot of mental agonizing, because I wanted to do it right, seeing that some of it was rather crucial for driving my story forward - in the end I just gave up and went ahead with it so I did not waste more time. I also wrote another scene since that took me about 8 hours to write - it was the death scene of a character I haven't even introduced yet - and would have probably bored a lot of you to tears first building that character up so that death scene became meaningfull - but I had to do it just right... more time put to a doubtfull use.

It is patently obvious to me that this forum is not the place to post this story. This last chapter of mine that took me ages to adapt in its current shape garnered very little interest. [I had a supposedly amusing bet going with a real life friend that I lost about it - he thinks I'm rather insane since I told him about my complex multi-layered epic plan, and told me I'd be wasting a lot of time doing it - he bet me I would not get 5 people to comment on this chapter - the most crucial so far - till Friday evening - and he was right]

I've read a lot of aars here, and I've come to believe that this is a place to post something along the lines of MAA's excellent and mammoth aar (if you haven't read it go do it) or alternatively something like Chirurgeon's stuff.

Anyway, I'm off to lunch, before I make this post over-long as I'm prone to.

[Lysimachos]

Oh well. You can still count on my support, as creators of "text-based" AARs have to stick together, don't they?
I can only say i enjoy not knowing the grand strategy

[Aper]

Please don't give up! This AAR is absolutely amazing, and the best written for sure!

[Justiciar]

Shame.

Regardless, I hope to see one of your books on my shelf within the next decade!

[General Appo]

NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I firmly believe that your AAR is the best one out there right now, and it is a real shame if you do not feel like you can continue writing.
But please, consider this: Does it really matter if anyone reads your stuff? I know that when I write my AAR, I do it for myself, not for other people. If nobody reads it, very well, that is their loss, and does not affect me in any way.

[Aaldaemon]

@Lysimachos: Aye, I hope you will carry on the torch of "text-based" aars as you put it. You have the perfect faction to do it with. - your "prize of the day" update was quite possibly my favorite aar update I've read on these forums.

@Aper: I thank you for the praise. I'm glad to see another reader liking this, I tried my best to make this an enjoyable read.

@Justiciar: I'm ever hopefull that I will actually get someone to publish my historical fantasy novel... eventually. On the other hand if you are a reader of fantasy the odds are much better. As I said before I'm working on "fantasy done right" (well at least I think so), I'd say even those who dislike fantasy (admittedly 99.99% of fantasy books = pure garbage) might like my stuff - provided they like complex and shocking narratives and can stomach mindboggling twists. Predictable stuff = the antithesis of a great story imho.

@General Appo: Thank you mate, your praise means much to me. The main problem is simply one of how I use my "creative thinking" time. There is life outside writing and thinking of complex narratives, so I can only do so much of it per day. Doing this the proper way, aka the way I would like to do it would take me an insane amount of time - time I need for other creative enterprises.

As I said before I might continue this aar in a "lighter" version, but part of me hates the idea - I am a perfectionist and that sort of thing doesn't sit well with me. (I already positively hate the way I did some things here, especially the way I started this aar hehehe) Doing this properly, the way I would want to do it is rather impossible though given the necessary time investment - the story is just too complex. There's too many characters and too many events going through my mind, all screaming for attention... and while they scream and I get ever more involved in their plight other things I should be doing get shafted...

Anyway, we'll see what I will do... I might still continue this in some form or other, I have to think about it.

[Theodotos I]

Follow your dream, friend. We'll be here to read along. Anyone can post up pretty pictures, but good writing is a gift from God. There are some on this forum who possess this gift, even if they sometimes fail to acknowledge the Giver. . .

[Theodotos I]

Sigh. . . I guess it's really dead. There's few sadder events on a forum than having an AAR die, particularly when it is one of your favorites. Too bad.

[Hegix]

Thank you very much for the bump, I missed it the first time around and it was very enjoyable reading. Thank you to the author as well of course :)

[Satyros]

I also thank for the bump , it is a shame that this AAR ended .

If I may comment , the author should not depend that much on the audience .

I was absolutely amazed , yet I only discovered it by chance , wanting to read something about the Sauromatae .

Hope you change your mind mate .

Satyros

[Socy]

I'll dare say that this is torture, meanness and pure evilness. Leaving an AAR of this proportions half finished after its finally begun captivating the readers with an plot that is awesomesauce. I mean, come on! I'm growing mad by not being able to read the "whole" thing, whats with all the teasing about you already having thought of the major plots etc. Seriously, its exactly like this here little story (Sorry if its considering cross-promoting or violating any forum-rules, if so, please remove the link) : http://uk.games-workshop.com/darkeldar/torturer/1/. (Read through all of it, its long, but describes exactly how I feel about this AAR :P)