DISCLAIMERS:
The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings and everything related to them © J.R.R. Tolkien
Anna Nefertari, Wei Ting Kuoh, Magtìr Teididh, Xin Teni, Babaylan Sinag-Tala, and Mié Djeserit © Sleepwalking Dreamer
Everything else © respective owners
CONCERNING HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ACCURACY:
I doubt if everything about this fan fiction piece is accurate to the history and culture of the peoples I have blatantly imitated here. I hope that you will permit me - as many have, no doubt, permitted Tolkien - to take some liberties with these cultures and play around with them. As many of those knowledgeable of Tolkien's work will know, he took bits and pieces from other cultures and used them as the basis for Middle-Earth and everything that took place in and beyond it. I hope, then, that you readers will permit me to do the same with the cultures I have borrowed from.
TIMELINE:
This story takes place in the year 135 of the Fourth Age, during the reign of Eldarion, son of Aragorn Elessar and Arwen Undómiel. It occurs fifteen years after the death of Aragorn and Arwen, which occurred in the year 120 of the Fourth Age. I am assuming that Eldarion, having already come of age by this time would have immediately taken the throne after his parents' death, or even before Arwen died.
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING:
The people of The Philippine Tolkien Society (TPTS) for providing me with sources that went into the building of the culture of the Ma'yi people
The anthropologists, archeologists, and the rest of their long-suffering ilk, who went out of their way to make websites on their studies that I read and analyzed, and used to build the cultures mentioned here
The website Suikosource.com, for the list of the names of the Stars of Destiny from the Shui Hu Zhuan and their equivalent meanings in English
TEASER:
The threat of war hangs upon Gondor as thickly as a cloud. The people of Umbar have bitterly rued their loss at the hands of Aragorn Elessar, and they wish to avenge their loss by waging another war. Those at the head of the war seek powers that should never be touched by the hands of the unclean of heart…yet they are willing to do anything to get that power, even if it means dragging all of Middle-Earth back into the depths of chaos.
Anna Nefertari (20) - She is the daughter of Nephthys Nefertari and a Wizard from the North. She is a skilled dowser and water sorceress, talents that are very uncommon yet vital among her people. Her most treasured possessions are her father's staff and her mother's wedding ring.
Wei Ting Kuoh (25) - She is a Swordhand [1] of the Kingdom of Rûmenyen [2]. She has some skill as a Fire mage, but is more talented with and prefers the blade and fighting arts.
Magtìr Teididh (35) - He is a Guard of the Shield [3] of the Kingdom of Rûmenyen. He is both an excellent warrior and a powerful Earth mage, but he prefers the scholarly life and rarely ever goes out of his home unless necessary or summoned.
Babaylan Sinag-Tala (20) - She is the leader and head priestess of Ma'yi [4]. She is a good warrior as well as a cunning sailor and swimmer, and is a friend of Mié Djeserit.
Mié Djeserit (20) - She is a priestess of Sakhmet [5], from Yaminah [6], capital city of Khemet [7]. She is a warrior-priestess, and is well versed in fire sorcery. She is also a close friend of Anna's.
Xin Teni (17) - He is the Emperor of Rûmenyen, and ascended the throne when he was twelve years old – the youngest ever to do so in the history of his country. His father was the Emperor Chu Ling, and his mother was the Lady Tairis – a daughter of one of the chieftains of the Doran, the Horsemasters of Rûmenyen. Magtìr Teididh was his guardian and teacher during his younger years.
Taer Manansala - He was a stranger who ventured into the land of Ma'yi, and he was well known for his skill with the bow and the spear. Over the next five years since his arrival he managed to unite all the different Ma'yen tribes, and for a time ruled them with his wife Dilag Dayanghirang, the daughter of the chieftain who first welcomed him. He was the father of Sinag-Tala. He disappeared in a storm when Sinag-Tala was ten years old, and is said to have died in that storm.
Rashidi - He was a man rumored to have come from the North. He gave valuable advice and aid to the people of Khemet, particularly to the wandering tribes and to the priestesses at the temples of Sakhmet and Amunet [8] in Yaminah. He disappeared, and is said to have died in the desert on his way back to the North. He is rumored to have possessed great magical powers.
Apo Bañaga - He was a man who journeyed through Ma'yi from the North. He constantly passed through Ma'yi, going north to south and back again, but he made one final journey north, and never came back. His most lasting legacy was what he taught the Ma'yen about shipbuilding. In the last few years of his journey he spent most of his time with the family of Taer Manansala.
Dilag Dayanghirang - She was the daughter of one of the tribal chieftains of Ma'yi. When the tribes were united under her father's rule, she married the hero who had done the deed: Taer Manansala. When her father died, that made her and her husband the next rulers. She was the mother of Sinag-Tala, and a good friend of Apo Bañaga. She died of heartbreak a year after Taer died in a storm at sea.
Nephthys Nefertari - She was the daughter of a scion of the Royal Family of Khemet, but when she met and fell in love with Rashidi, she was disowned by her family and forced to live amongst the wandering tribes of Khemet. She was killed during an Umbar raid on the tribe that had taken her and Anna in.
A Brief Timeline of Events in the "Official" Middle-Earth
FOURTH AGE 120
-- death of Aragorn Elessar, King of Gondor and Arnor, and hero of the War of the Ring
-- in the winter of this same year, Arwen Undómiel, Queen of Gondor and Arnor, wife of Aragorn Elessar, lay down to die in Cerin Amroth in Lothlórien
-- Legolas, Elf-lord of Ithilien, and his dear friend Gimli son of Gloin set sail for the Undying Lands after hearing of Aragorn's death
FOURTH AGE 120-125 (Final Exodus of the Elves from Middle-Earth)
-- during this five-year period, the Elves from such places as Rivendell, Lothlórien, Eryn Lasgalen (formerly Mirkwood), and Ithilien take ship to the Undying Lands. Elves of note are the following: Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond; and Thranduil, King of Eryn Lasgalen. With them went whatever Elves were left in Rivendell, Eryn Lasgalen, and Ithilien
-- in the year 125, Círdan of the Havens launches the final fleet of Elven ships to leave Middle-Earth forever, consisting of Elves from the Falas and those who remained in Lothlórien with Celeborn. Elves of note who made this journey are: Círdan of the Gray Havens, and Celeborn of Lothlórien.
A Timeline of Events in the South and Far East and Regarding the Characters and the Events Surrounding Them
FOURTH AGE 80
-- beginning of war between Umbar and Khemet; North Kingdom (Gondor and Arnor) is closed off from the war intentionally, in spite of Aragorn Elessar's attempts to broker a peace treaty between the two nations
FOURTH AGE 100
-- birth of Magtìr Teididh in Rûmenyen
FOURTH AGE 110
-- birth of Wei Ting Kuoh in Rûmenyen
-- beginning of the tribal wars in Ma'yi
-- beginning of the long stay of Rashidi in Khemet
FOURTH AGE 111
-- first appearance of Taer Manansala in Ma'yi
FOURTH AGE 114
-- unification of tribes in Ma'yi by Taer Manansala
-- wedding of Taer Manansala to Dilag Dayanghirang
-- wedding of Rashidi and Nephthys Nefertari
FOURTH AGE 115
-- birth of Anna Nefertari in Khemet
-- birth of Mié Djeserit in Khemet
-- birth of Sinag-Tala in Ma'yi
FOURTH AGE 118
-- birth of Xin Teni in Rûmenyen
FOURTH AGE 120
-- departure of Rashidi from Khemet
-- beginning of the internal collapse of Rûmenyen
FOURTH AGE 123
-- ascension of Xin Teni to the Dragon Throne of Rûmenyen
FOURTH AGE 124
-- entrance of Mié Djeserit into the Temple of Sakhmet
FOURTH AGE 125
-- disappearance of Taer Manansala in a storm
FOURTH AGE 126
-- death of Dilag Dayanghirang
FOURTH AGE 130
-- death of Nephthys Nefertari
-- departure of Magtìr Teididh from the circles of society in Rûmenyen
[1]= The title of "Swordhand" is one that is given to someone – whether male or female, magic-user or non-magic-user – who has proven himself or herself to be exceptionally skilled with the use of the sword and other related weapons, and (in the case of magic-users), for those who are talented in the use of Fire magic. They are usually under the authority of the King of Rûmenyen. In war, they are usually the infantry.
[2]= Rûmenyen is a country far to the east of Middle-Earth, beyond Mordor and Khand. It is located in the area that was once called Hildórien. Its borders extend to the sea to the east, and the plains of Khand to the west. To the south, its borders extend through the pass between the Forests of Harad and the Mountains of the South almost to the edge of the Great Desert. To the north, the borders end at the rim of the Mountains of the East.
[3]= The title "Guard of the Shield" is given to someone – whether male or female, magic-user or non-magic-user – who has proven himself or herself to be skilled at wielding such weapons as the mace, the halberd, and the axe, and/or capable of using Earth magic. They are under the jurisdiction of the King; usually those belonging to this group are members of the Royal Guard. During a war, they are usually the cavalry.
[4]= Ma'yi is a country to the south of Rûmenyen. It consists mostly of forests, though many of the Ma'yen (as they are called in Umbar, Khemet and Rûmenyen) live along the coasts that lie between the forests and the sea. Ma'yi shares its northern borders with Rûmenyen, while to the east and south; the only border is the ring of coral and rocks that extends from the shore to almost twenty miles into the ocean. On the western front, Ma'yi's borders touch the Great Desert of the South, and consequently shares that border with Khemet.
[5]= Sakhmet (or Sekhmet) is an ancient Egyptian goddess of war. She is usually portrayed in ancient Egyptian art as a woman wearing a finely pleated linen dress with a lioness' head. Lionesses are sacred to Sakhmet and are often believed to be under her protection.
[6]= Yaminah is a port city found to the south of Khemet. Here, the traders from Rûmenyen and Ma'yi come to trade goods and visit the immense Yaminah Market.
[7]= Khemet is a country to the west of Ma'yi, to the south of Gondor, and to the east of Umbar. It occupies the area of the Great Desert, and extends northwards somewhat almost to the foot of the mountains on the southern edge of Mordor. It shares part of its eastern border with Rûmenyen and Ma'yi, with the sea as its southern border. To the west, the borders between Khemet and Umbar are hostile, and are the site of many battles and skirmishes between the two nations.
[8]= Amunet is the ancient Egyptian goddess of mystery. In this story, she is a goddess of those who would wish to see into the future. All those who bear the gift of Seeing are under her protection, and often seek her temple in Yaminah for further training and guidance.