Arrival
The multiverse was composed of multiple universes.
Each of these universes divided itself into billions of galaxies, draperies of stars and gas slowly twisting in the infinite void.
Many of these stars bore life in one form or another.
And in one of these planetary systems, around a very ordinary yellow star, turned a planet that was much less so.
Seen from space, Mystara looked like a precious stone, a blue aquamarine marbled in white by the low-pressure systems that formed vortices laden with saving rain. The tears between the clouds made it possible to discover vast oceans as well as three continents: Brun, Davania, and Skothar.
Two moons revolved around Mystara: Matera the visible moon and Patera (or Myoshima) the invisible moon.
Some Spelljammers (magical spaceships) were circulating between Patera and Mystara, testimonies of advanced civilizations both on the planet and on the invisible moon.
However, all this was relatively ordinary... what was much less ordinary was the dim light that filtered by two gigantic jagged openings at the poles of Mystara... the light of an inner sun... Mystara was a hollow world, and the inner sphere contained continents separated by seas, nations, and peoples distinct from those on the surface.
A sort of comet formed of magical energy was rapidly approaching Mystara, radiating the energy of the Triforce. It plunged into the atmosphere before exploding and separating into three bodies that touched the ground at three distinct points on the planet.
The Qadi Urabi al-Hussein was the embodiment of the desert nomad virtue. He was noble, courageous, honorable, just, and devout.
Like all the members of his tribe, he was a weathered man with sun-tanned skin, clean-shaven, wearing soft leather boots, white cloth trousers, a long shirt, a long robe, and Ghota (Eastern-style headdress).
This tribe lived on trade, exploiting the salt they traded in the Darokin Republic, for other goods they later sold in Parsa, or on the markets of the capital of Ylaruam or even Abbashan or Jaboor's harbor.
It was not an easy life, they had to follow the road of caravans on horseback or dromedary, escape human or humanoid looters, sandstorms... and jinns.
But the men of the Manahil tribe were born merchants, horsemen, and warriors. Each one was armed with a straight sword called nincha, or a narrow-blade scimitar called qalachur. To protect themselves, they had leather armor hidden under their robes and circular leather or wood shields hanging from their saddles.
They carried iron and copper ingots from the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, spices, and salted fish from Darokin, a shipment that would sell well once in Sulba.
However, it was said that this trip would not happen without incident...
While the caravan was only about twenty kilometers from the village of Kirkuk, a light appeared in the sky. Going toward the North-West, it passed over the column of camels causing the beasts to cry with fright.
Like an arrow of golden light, the luminous projectile struck a dune. There was an explosion that threw a mushroom of sand and smoke towards the sky just a few kilometers from the caravan route.
The Qadi Urabi al-Hussein was neither a madman nor a fool. Humble, prudent, and hard-working, he had led the Manahil tribe to relative prosperity by avoiding danger. Nevertheless, he knew the legends told in the evening at the wake. It was said that there were wonderful lamps with djinns inside, rings with efreeti in chests hidden in the ancient ruins, caves where thieves would hide treasures and even magic carpets, all kinds of wondrous things that an intrepid and cunning man could steal from sorcerers and become as rich as the Caliph.
A star had just fallen from the sky and fallen into the desert! This could only be a sign of Al-Kalim (1). Urabi ordered the camel drivers to set up camp while he took a dozen guards with him to search for the star fallen from the sky.
It was not difficult to find the place where the "comet" had touched down. Smoke was still rising in the sky, indicating precisely where the celestial object had crashed in the Alasiya desert.
The horsemen approached with distrust, but only discovered a crater about ten meters in diameter. The sand had melted... except in the center of the depression. There, a circular area was intact. Urabi al-Hussein distinguished the silhouette of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy lying unconscious in the center. He was dressed in leather boots, brown trousers, and a blue tunic braided with white. A leather wrist guard covered his right forearm, and fabric strips rolled up on the other wrist. Around his waist and from shoulder to the hip, a harness composed of belts and shoulder straps allowed him to carry an arsenal. The handle of a sword with a guard in the shape of wings protruded over his shoulder. He also had a bow, quiver, and kite shield.
With his face with fine and regular features, his blond hair, this young man undoubtedly make many girls' hearts beat... nevertheless, he was not really human.
"Look at his pointed ears, he must be an elf," said Urabi.
But this was not the case, he was a Hilyan from the distant kingdom of Hyrule.
Kirkuk was a small village of only 400 permanent inhabitants, but it was a prosperous village that was at the crossroads of the great caravan road connecting Parsa to Ylaruam, and the road to Deraan.
The village had a surprisingly large suq (market) with even a dwarven weaponsmith.
Malud al-Aman led the Merchantmen's Caravansary, a man who was only interested in money and the fierce enemy of the beggars who sneaked into his domain to implore the charity of travelers.
Seeing the long caravan of dromedaries that had just reached the ruins of the ancient wall dating from the era where the Empire of Thyatis controlled the region, Malud had a big smile. While rubbing his hands, he began mentally to count his profits.
Leading the convoy, he recognized Urabi al-Hussein the Qadi of the Manahil tribe.
He got up and came to meet the newcomer, touching his forehead, lips, and heart:
"Salam, Urabi, my friend."
Urabi al-Hussein responded by touching his forehead, lips, and heart:
"Salam, Malud."
"I haven't seen you in two months. I think you went to Darokin."
Urabi agrees that:
"Indeed, I have just returned from Selenica."
"Everything went well?"
Urabi descended from his thoroughbred Alasiyan and beckoned to the manager of the caravansary to follow him:
"I'm glad you asked..."
In a few words, he recounted the event he had witnessed, the 'fall of the star', the discovery of the smoking crater, and the so-called 'elf' without apparent injury but unconscious.
Two warriors of the Manahil tribe untied Link who was attached to the back of a dromedary.
As a wise merchant, Malud immediately saw that the blue tunic was woven into a beautiful fabric and dyed with a high-quality dye. Mechanically he held out his hand to the sword that Link carried in a scabbard attached to his shoulder. Urabi tried to stop him but...
The manager of the caravansary touched the handle of Master Sword and immediately screamed with pain, while a powerful electric current was shaking him unpleasantly and his hair standing on end under his turban.
"The sword is magical and conscious. One of my warriors was electrocuted before you."
As a courtesy, Urabi al-Hussein did not add that the warrior had only been slightly shaken. Only curiosity had prompted the Manahil to draw the blade, none of the warriors of the tribe being thieves. But the magic blade had probably perceived Malud's lust for gold and had increased the voltage!
"Is there anyone in this village who can treat him?"
Still shocked by the electric shock, Malud al-Aman glared at the sword in his owner with grudge then sighed:
"Take the elf and follow me."
Malud led Urabi and two of his men - carrying Link- to the small mosque of Kirkuk. He knocked on the door of a contiguous building and bowed deeply to the prayer of Al-Kalim who came to open, explaining that the merchant caravan of the Manahil tribe had found an unconscious elf in the desert.
The young prayer led them to the Prayer Leader Khamil-ibn-Rawi. Unlike other people, the old priest asked no questions, ordering that they place Link on the couch for examination. Lifting Link's eyelid, he saw that the look was cloudy, not focusing. Nevertheless, the heart regularly beat and the chest was lifting.
Whatever the cause of the malaise, the elf's life was not in danger.
Khamil placed both hands on the adolescent's chest and concentrated:
"Cure Light Wounds."
Immediately Link was enveloped by a bluish light and swirls of silver particles. This lasted only a moment before the particles and light dissipated.
Satisfied, Khamil-ibn-Rawi straightened himself out:
"I'm going to install him in the Zawiya (2). I think he should soon wake up. How about you explain to me what an elf can do here thousands of miles from Alfheim?
"Link... Link... wake up!"
Hyrule's hero drifted to the limits of consciousness. Under his lowered eyelids, he saw a golden light as a gentle warmth touched his face.
"Link... wake up!"
The female voice, the sweet soprano of a teenager, had just resounded again. The body of the young man shudders. His eyes opened slowly, fixing the whitewashed ceiling above him. Leaning with one hand on the bed, he sat down while rubbing his forehead. The teenager briefly grimaced... he had a terrible headache.
He was in a small room, furnished only with a bed and a cushion placed in front of a small coffee table. A carpet covered part of the clay floor and in a wall alcove, Link saw a small copper sculpture representing a crescent moon. The walls were made of clear, uncoated stone.
On the table lay weapons which he immediately recognized... the sword, the kite shield, the bow, and the quiver were his.
He stood up and his bare feet touched the ground. He realized at that moment that the heat was suffocating. After putting on his boots, he opened the shutter which closed the narrow window and discovered an alley invaded by sand. There was no one in sight, but he heard rumors of conversation and even the sound of a hammer hitting the anvil.
Suspending Master Sword on his back in such a way that the knob protruded above his right shoulder, the young man endeavored to put his ideas in order.
Where has he been?
More importantly... who was he?
The voice that had awakened him... the voice had called him Link... yes, his name was Link... he was... his eyebrows gathered as he tried to cross the opaque fog that surrounded his memories.
Images were formed: a large forest crossed by a path... an orchard with apple trees... a large castle with banners slamming at the top of each tower... a battlefield where soldiers armed with spears, swords, and bows, clothed in chainmail under white tabard, clashed with Bokoblins and Moblins... The castle, again, but in the pouring rain with a flying monster circling the keep in the middle of columns of smoke rising towards the sky, and explosions...
Link grimaced touching his forehead...
His memory was nothing but a chaos of images without a chronology or meaning, but violence prevailed. He also felt a sense of urgency and insecurity... he had something to do... something very important... but he didn't remember what!
However, even if his mind was obscured, Link remained Link, the hero of Hyrule chosen by Master Sword. The reflexes learned during his training as a knight, refined during a bloody war, calmed him down. "Bite into the present. The past is the past, the future has not yet arrived". Who told him that? He remembered the face of a young woman with red eyes and white hair, wearing a hat of conical straw and carrying on her forehead the drawing of a stylized eye shedding a tear...
He knew her well.
Yet impossible to remember her name.
He shook his head and grinned because the movement had revived his migraine. This room was empty except for his weapons, and he wouldn't learn anything more if he stayed there.
There was a door - as simple and unadorned as the rest of the room- in the wall, he pushed it.
Daood the Wide bore his name well, he was a Cleric of the Eternal Truth who went from one mosque to another, roaming the Emirates to spread the good word, one day at the table of kings, the next day among the beggars of the cities. Although he was huge with a large belly that left no doubt about his love for food, he was also an experienced adventurer renowned for his accomplishments.
Sitting on a pillow in front of the table loaded with food, he was chatting with Nizaam al-Badrak, a knight of the Desert Rose, the elite of the Emir of Abbashan's army. The latter recovered from a curse that had been cast by an unknown enemy. In every way, he was the opposite of Daood, lean, ascetic, and humorless.
When the door opened, they turned to discover the strange elf that had been discovered in the desert.
When he saw him enter the room, Daood the Wide smiled widely, extending his arms widely, then touching his forehead, mouth, and heart:
"Salam, foreigner, do us the honor of sharing our meal."
On the contrary, Nizaam al-Badrak looked at Link while caressing his short black beard. His eyes narrowed, while he noted the perfect controlled movements, the sure and firm look of the elf... A true warrior could recognize another at first glance. Sectarian and wary of foreigners, Nizaam felt an immediate dislike for Link.
The Hero of Hyrule shook slightly as the two men sat at the coffee table. For some reason, this male presence seemed... incongruous. Again, a half-forgotten memory touched his conscious thought: A city with a clear stone wall, in the desert... a city populated only by women where the presence of men was forbidden.
"سلام ، غريب ، هل لنا شرف مشاركة وجبتنا ".
As the fat man had just spoken, Link frowned... he understood nothing. The fat man seemed to notice, for he spoke again in another language:
" Γεια σου ξένε, κάνε μας την τιμή να μοιραστούμε το γεύμα μας."
—unfortunately, equally incomprehensible.
Link smiled awkwardly, spreading his arms to show his embarrassment.
Daood the wide shook his head, before turning to Nizaam:
"He doesn't speak Thyatian either. And I never learned Elvish... what a pity, I did not pray to Al-Kalim to receive the blessing 'Tongues'. We cannot communicate with him for now."
With a gesture of his hand, he designated a vacant place, while a servant brought a cushion.
Link sat down, observing for a moment the table manners of his hosts who ate using only their right hand, taking the food directly in the central dish. Then he imitated them...
The couscous was very spicy and a sudden redness rose to his cheeks... But he nodded with a smile of contentment... the Hero of Hyrule particularly appreciated the good food, a personality trait that delighted Daood.
The next day,
The Provincial Secretary Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim was a middle-aged warlord belonging to the Alayian aristocracy. One of his uncles was the Grand Vizier of the Emir of Ylaruam. Finding a man of such high birth in the small village of Kirkuk seemed - and was- perfectly incongruous.
Suffice it to say that Mustapha was once a high-ranking diplomat stationed in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos... then there had been a woman, a duel with a count... and an exile in this desolate village, lost in the middle of the desert.
He fought the boredom of this unattractive position by traveling the desert, sometimes absent for months at a time... and leaving all the administrative work to the Provincial Mufti (chief police) Murad the Makistani (3).
The latter approached the large sofa where his leader - dressed in sumptuous garb- was lazy and be bored to death.
"My lord, the Prayer Leader Khamil-ibn-Rawi asks to speak to you about the elf that a caravan found in the desert."
Mustapha thinks for a moment:
"Ah, yes... he was found by the caravan of the Manahil tribe, Qadi Urabi al-Hussein has already come to tell me about this story." His face took on a thoughtful expression: "A star falling from the sky... what do you think, Murad?"
As often the question concealed a trap, Murad had been working for Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim for two years, and the latter had befriended him teaching him foreign languages, the usages of distant countries, and even the manner of speaking and behaving of aristocrats.
"I don't think much of it, my lord, I'm just the humble son of a mountain sheep farmer. Nevertheless, you told me that the stars are other suns that are further away than ours and that the sun is a gigantic ball of fire, bigger than Mystara. If a star were to fall on us, there would be nothing left of the Emirates or even of our entire world."
Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim agreed:
"So you think it's something else?"
Murad shrugged his shoulders and scratched his cheek:
"A djinn trick or maybe a spell... but I'm just a policeman and a former soldier, I know nothing about djinns or magic. My leader, this is beyond me. And I'm sure you already know more than I do."
"Maybe" smiled at Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim, then he waved with his hand, "bring in the Prayer Leader."
Following the Prayer Leader Khamil-ibn-Rawi, Link entered the large white building at the entrance to the city. This was to be the seat of the local government since there were two guards carrying strange spears whose tip was an inverted triangle (4).
The lavish clothing of Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim, the vast room where he sat, surrounded by scribes, as well as bureaucrats at work, clearly indicated that he was an important individual... at least at the local level.
The Prayer Leader bowed deeply, touching his lips, mouth, and heart:
"والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته."
And the man lying on the couch answered, touching his lips, and his mouth, and his heart, saying:
"ومعك السلام"
The polite formalities completed, they began to speak and the Hyrule's Hero recognized his name several times. Not that it surprises him particularly. After all, he was invited to this meeting, so it must have had something to do with him.
Then Khamil-ibn-Rawi turned to him, beginning to twist his hands in a strange way and to sing. Light particles appeared around his fingers when he placed them on Link's chest. He smiled:
"Do you understand me now, Link?"
The young Hilyan blinked, surprised...
"Do you speak my language?"
"No, we continue to speak in our respective languages, but a blessing from the Prophet allows you to understand us."
Again, Link raised an eyebrow, surprised by this answer. However, as he concentrated on the words used by Khamil, he realized that the cleric still spoke in his own language.
The Provincial Secretary Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim spoke, explaining that he led the region on behalf of the Alasiya Emir. Link had been found the day before yesterday by a merchant caravan. He was in a vitrified crater dug in the sand by the explosion of a luminous object fallen from the sky. Mustapha then asked him how he got there. As everyone watched, Link scratched his back of the head and smiled with disarming frankness:
"I do not know..."
"You do not know?"
Link shook his head.
Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim looked up to heaven:
"Let just admit that and start from the beginning. Your name is Link, you're an elf, are you from Alfheim?"
Link smiles again with a sorry look:
"My name is Link... the rest... I don't know."
Once again, Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim seemed surprised:
"You do not know? How can you not know?"
"I... I try to remember... but I only see fragmented scenes."
The various people present exchanged looks of unease. Then the Provincial Mufti spoke:
"I don't think it's really shocking that his arrival could have made him amnesiac. During the last war, I saw soldiers who had lost their memory after being hit on the head. What's really surprising is that he just lost his memory. After all, it's supposed to have fallen from the sky inside a comet that exploded when it hit the ground."
The Provincial Secretary turned to Khamil-ibn-Rawi:
"Prayer Leader, you treated Link, what do you think?"
"Well, when Link was brought to me, he had all the symptoms of someone with a concussion. In addition, there are cases of individuals who have lost their memory simply after a moral trauma."
"I can see that..."
Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim stroked his short beard while staring at the ceiling. None of this helped him. Finally, he shook his head. Was it really his responsibility to look after lost travelers?
"Did he break the law?"
The bureaucrats exchanged looks, then one of them raised his hand. Mustapha turned to the latter, it was the Taxation official:
"I'm listening to you, Nizam al-Hosni."
The official tilted slightly:
"The so-called Link entered the Emirates without going through the border posts and without paying the tax of stay or declaring his goods."
Mustapha agrees:
"Yes, but the law is just. A traveler is required to report to customs and the tax office as soon as it is physically possible to do so. Since Link's arrival in Kirkuk was accidental, it is here and now that he has the first opportunity to complete the paperwork. Link arrived with his clothes, weapons, and the contents of his purse. How much does the tax office have to charge?"
Nizam al-Hosni turned a few pages of his regulatory book:
"Link just has to pay the tax of stay, that is to say, six dirhams. There is no tax for individual possessions"
The Provincial Secretary turned to the Hero of Hyrule:
"In this case, you must pay this tax, Link."
The young Hilyan followed the conversation and repeatedly nodded his head. He had just entered a foreign country, the law required him to pay a stay tax, he did not see any problem. Except that...
"Dirham?"
"The dirham is a silver coin, 10 fals, make a dirham, ten dirham make a dinar (a gold coin). All the currencies of the continent are based on the calibration of the Empire of Tyatis. You have to pay six pieces of silver or sixty pieces of copper."
Silver coin? Copper? Link frowned. As soon as he had been told about the tax, he had opened his purse, in fact, a small satchel hanging from his belt. He spread on his hand palm green, blue, red, or violet gems. He even had three silver rupees (worth 100 rupees each) and one gold rupee (worth 300 rupees). Even if his memory was vague, he knew that this constituted a real fortune... at home. But in the kingdom of Hyrule, gems were relatively common.
This was not the case on Mystara. The bureaucrats shouted in amazement at the colored stones:
"Some precious stones!"
"Wait, these are real gems? Really?"
Even Nizam al-Hosni seemed surprised:
"But it's a gigantic fortune."
"Calm down, all of you," ordered Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim. "The first question is whether these are genuine gems."
Saying this, he turned to the Prayer Leader Khamil-ibn-Rawi. The Cleric had often helped him to establish the real price of the goods transported by the caravan. Khamil nodded, understanding what was being asked of him. He twisted his hands, whispering incantations, before focusing on Link's purse:
"True Appraisal!"
A bluish light surrounded the gems resting in Link's palm.
Khamil-ibn-Rawi reopened his eyes after a few moments:
"The gems are authentic. The individual value of the smallest stones varies between 5 and 15 dinars, the largest ones are worth between 250 and 1500 dinars."
The Provincial Secretary Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim smiles ironically:
"Well, Link has no problem paying the stay tax."
But to everyone's surprise, Nizam al-Hosni contradicts him:
"My lord, according to the law, such a fortune can no longer be considered as an individual property. This is a commercial cargo that needs to be taxed according to the luxury goods registration and pricing."
Mustapha shrugged his shoulders:
"All right, Link will pay what he owes. Right, Link?"
The young Hilyan confirmed with a nod, the face serious and concentrated.
"So there's no problem."
The gaze of the Provincial Secretary ran through the small crowd of administrators with a defiant look, but his subordinates cast their eyes down. They don't wish to upset him.
"Well" smiled Mustapha "I think we can say that this case is settled and that Link is free to continue on his way."
He was going to add something, but suddenly voices and shouts resounded from the street, a hysterical shouted something while the guards sought to restrain a beggar who was trying to enter.
Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim felt a sudden premonition... the troubles were just begin started.
Despite its small size, the village of Kirkuk was home to a surprisingly high number of beggars. The latter took advantage of the presence of a suq of regional importance, a caravanserai that attracted many itinerant merchants. They wandered the streets, reaching out their hand or their begging bowl:" Alms? Alms to the glory of the Immortals?" Because of Al-Kalim's exhortations to charity, the Ylari (5) treated their beggars less badly than neighboring countries.
But among the beggars of Kirkuk, there was one that stood out. Blind Mussa was as his nickname indicated, a blind man. He had been found in the desert by a caravan, wandering naked and badly burned. Brought to Kirkuk, he was treated by the Prayer Leader Khamil-ibn-Rawi. Unfortunately, the cleric had been unable to fully heal the poor man's wounds. The latter had also lost his reason, speaking only in an incomprehensible language (6).
But from time to time he went into a trance and suddenly began to speak in a perfectly lucid Alasiyan, delivering prophecies and warning. For the clerics of the village, Mussa had been touched by divine grace.
It was this beggar who had just entered. His white eyes stared at Link while Blind Mussa trembled, seeming to see beyond the Young Hero:
"Three golden triangles fell on Mystara.
Three triangles and their carriers.
Three triangles melted by goddesses.
The Hero who carries the talisman of Courage.
The Princess who carries the talisman of Wisdom.
The Monster who stole the talisman of Power.
Mystara is at the crossroads of destiny.
One wants to know Ascension!
Two are trying to stop him.
The wind of destiny blows.
It soon became a hurricane.
And we, poor mortals, are wisps of hay."
(1) Prophet worshipped in the Emirate of Ylaruam. He is the creator of a religion called Eternal Truth.
(2) Dormitory and hostel for the sanctuary's prayers and for itinerants' clerics of the cult, also used as a hospital.
(3) The Emirates of Ylaruam is populated by three indigenous ethnic groups: the Alasyian (inspired by the Arab culture of our planet), the Makistanis (inspired by the Turks), and the Nithians (Inspired by the Egyptians of the pharaonic era... the only people in Ylaruam not belonging to the Eternal Truth, they worship the Egyptian gods: Bastet, Thoth, Ra, Seth etc..)
(4) This 2.3 m long spear ended by a wide point made to slice is known as Sarbarabah, it is a typically Arab weapon.
(5) Ylaruam inhabitants.
(6) In fact, Mussa spoke in the language of the fire elemental... a language that is not spoken on this plane of existence except by some powerful magicians or clerics.