The leaders gathered from all over the world to meet Nara at an open gathering. After the demise of the Sultanate, Toulan had embraced Tribalism resulting in the Sheiks becoming very suspicious. They were suspicious of each other, suspicious of outsiders and most of all suspicious of the strange woman who claimed to be Safian.
Nara approached the gathering at the Narian Temple. Since returning to her ancestral home she had spent most of her waking hours at the Narian fountain meditating and contemplating what she must do. Toulan felt like her home but it was not her only home. Since reconnecting with the Lotus Temple, memories of her early childhood filled her dreams.
The Safian’s home was known as Toulan’s moon to the Insians but was so much more. A celestial body in a different dimension where Nara’s kin shielded the people of Toulan from the evil behind the veil. An evil known to the Insians as the Narian race but these cosmic creatures wore many faces and Toulan was not the only place with a dimensional tear.
These tears caused matter to spill from one dimension to another creating substances such as Nawa, the source of life on Toulan and all that is considered ‘magic’. It was looking inward to prevent the Narians from returning; that was to be the ultimate downfall of the Safians. It had never occurred to them that the threat would come from the dimension they had left behind.
Nara shared her story.
“It started when they first arrived at the Lotus Temple, vast machinery built with the technology of this dimension yet driven by their own intelligence. Under the guise of deep space exploration a corporation breached the barrier and sent forth mechanical beasts to exploit the natural resources and feed their mortal greed.”
Nara continued to piece together the fragments of her memory, explaining how the Safians had fought to repel the machines. She told them of the awakening, of how the machines had become self aware and fused their technology with organic matter to evolve whilst harnessing matter from that dimension to enhance their power.
“We held on to the end and what few remained of us returned through the tear to face the source. The last of my family died that day but not before sealing the rift and helping me to escape. I have been looking for you ever since. We must unite once more and face this evil together.”
The tribal leaders argued. There was a deep mistrust of the Safians who they felt had deserted them, and many blamed them for their dark history. Some tribes even felt that the history of the Safians were fables, bedtime stories concocted by their ancestors to soothe the dreams.
Whilst the Sheiks continued to fight, a stranger approached. To Nara, everyone in that gathering was a stranger but this individual seemed stranger than most. He wore a dark hooded cloak that hid his face yet he seemed familiar in some way.
“Do you have proof of what you say?” Asked the stranger.
Nara had expected this question but the forum had been too busy arguing to think to ask.
“I have this!” Nara replied slowly.
With those words, Nara placed a silken scarf on the side of the fountain, carefully unraveled it and revealed the contents. For not only was Nara the last of the Safians but she was also keeper of the Book of Laws and rightful heir to Toulan.
The Narian temple fell silent, bar the steady burble of flowing Nawa from the fountain, and all eyes turned to the long lost book.
A Narian wears many faces and this Narian’s face was hidden behind that of a stranger. There was a reason why Nara held this meeting at the temple. Even as the Book of Laws was torn from her grip the last Safian knew exactly what she must do.
Her months at the temple and daily routine of meditation and contemplation were merely preparation for a future she could not predict. Pouring over the Book of Laws whilst drawing on the Nawa Energy that flowed freely in that hallowed place had readied her for that moment.
Using all her strength, the Last of the Safians drew from the power in that fountain and reached out beyond what was left of the Lotus Temple. She sensed the tears, the portals from one dimension to another and for a moment was aware of the enemies gathering. The Dark Nawa flowing through the foul creatures. It was a fleeting moment that passed as she turned her focus to the Book of Laws which exploded before her as a tornado of pages filled the Temple before being strewn across Toulan.
As the Book of Laws was destroyed by its keeper, the stranger disappeared and Nara knew that the struggle had arrived.
After witnessing the power of Nara at the Temple the tribes of Toulan did what they had not done in many generations and united behind a reluctant leader. Queen Nara’s first act was to prepare the tribes for War….
