User:Tarponpet/From Man to Frog

From Man to Frog

by Verney Notte, Invisible College of Daggerfall

A partial translation of a Paatru legend

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[Note: The following text is a translation of a legend told by the oral traditions of the Paatru, a toadlike Argonian tribe from Inner Black Marsh. I had to go to extreme lengths to gain the tribes' trust and as such, will provide no information in regards to the exact location of their village or the identities of those who assisted me. I have also elected to leave certain phrases in their original Jel, as often their own language can better capture the nuances.]

Before the Hist decided our tribes' shape, before the Dragon-Tribe falsely claimed the land that only the Hist keeps from collapsing into itself, before we lost our Raj-beekos to Darilmeeko, those Raj-beekos... were our Beekos.

Our Raj-beekos were creatures like the shap, those creatures of metamorphosis from liquid to land. Like the Saxheel, they were the shapes they needed to be, but these were not people shaped by the Hist, but people shaped by their mother, their Great Lady.

While they were not Saxheel, they were part of the kronka-thatith, and were pleasing to the Hist. Our tribe lived close to theirs. We would exchange, make merry, and some would even take them as uxith-beekos. We were close despite our different kinds. But as they often do, the greel would come and bring ruin.

It was one of the first of many great fights. As unthinkable are those who would war with the trees themselves, they would do so anyways. We only survive due to the guidance of the Hist, it is why we live so close to them, and no longer venture outside the kronka-thatith. Our Raj-beekos, did not not have the guidance of the Hist. Many would die.

The Great Lady worked hard to protect her tribe, her deek. Even if some of her deek would have to be born with lesser minds to give them greater strength. The Hist have made similar sacrifices, as the Xal-Krona show. But it was never enough, as we hid away, our Raj-beekos fought and died.

Our Raj-beekos would have surely been no more, were it not for the temptation of Darilmeeko. Darilmeeko is a sinister being, a nushmeeko shaped like Sithis, that offers comfort for a cost. He often takes the Saxheel, making their heads big with pleasure, but full of nothing at all.

Darilmeeko came to the Great Lady, offering to take her and her kind to his Vahat-Tzel, save them from the jaws of xul. Darilmeeko never makes anything free. The cost; she and her tribe would have to make their minds clean. If they were to come with him, they would suddenly know nothing at all, having to start over as if just hatched.

The Great Lady, with not much choice at all, agreed to go with Darilmeeko. His mouths would open as wide as the vakka, opening the way to his domian. The Great Lady would lumber in, and all of those that loved her would follow. From those with little mind but great strength, to their smallest deek crawling on their bellies, they all walked into Darilmeeko's mouths to survive.

When Darilmeeko's mouths closed, we would never see our Raj-beekos again...

If they still live, our Raj-beekos are a new people. This is why we call them our Raj-beekos and not our Beekos. Those that were our Beekos, no longer exist.

This is why the Hist chose the shape of the shap for our tribe. For we wished to remember those that may never remember their story, their culture, their history. While we always live in this moment. We must remember what has passed for those that cannot.