Yin, Silver Light District
314 AC
Mormont almost roared at this dramatic utterance. "You're a laugh, Mao! Starry Wisdom? What in the blazes is that supposed to mean?"
"You remember the story of the Bloodstone Emperor, yes? And of how he took to worshiping a black stone which fell from the sky?" Mao had asked with furrowed brows. "So too do these despicable savages venerate the source of this black stone; the sky, and the great black void beyond."
"So, what? You mean to say these unfortunate sods get down on their knees and actually make their prayers to stars?"
"In the literal sense, yes."
Mormont felt the beginnings of tiredness wash over him as he listened to the older man's spun yarn of a story. Now, as he refilled his baijiu glass and downed it, he was dismayed to find that it had the flat taste of too much. "So what seems to be the matter then?"
"Duncan, for centuries this cult has been a much-despised thorn for many an Emperor, even dating back to the earliest recorded history of our empire," Mao explained with disgust written on his expression. "They were at large for so long simply because of how divided my countrymen were in those times. Many Kings and Lords would rise and lay claim to the Imperial Throne. In our attempts to conquer one another, we forgot that we had a common enemy among us. And so… we allowed this despicable religion to fester and grow in our midst. This Church of Starry Wisdom was relentless in hounding the villages and towns dotted within our borders, leeching livestock and food from the common man, attempting to indoctrinate the local populations who were susceptible to their influence, and razing those who refused them outright. They went so far as to kidnap the children and put them to work or sacrifice them to whatever false gods they worship. My forebearers had begun many crusades to wipe this detestable cult from the face of the earth. We knew that some of them had fled to the West, to the Free Cities in particular, and we hoped they were finally gone for good. But, it seems that fate has a sense of humor, as approximately seven moons ago, this cult resurfaced towards the northern borders of Yi Ti."
"And I assume they've gotten back to doing what they do best?"
"You are correct, Zūnjià. This small-time occupation to the north was initially regarded with skepticism and disinterest, much to my personal shame. We did not take it seriously, as we believed this infernal religion had all but died out. However, we were soon proven wrong. Villages were burned and raided by these cultists, and detachments were sent out from the Five Forts to deal with them. Many were killed, yet those who survived fled in all directions. Splinter groups of this wretched faith appeared everywhere, and we began to hear tales of a 'Yellow King' making unholy sermons in towns spreading throughout the Empire. Whenever the Emperor sent out forces to intercept them, it seemed that these cultists would somehow catch wind of it, and would quickly make themselves scarce."
"And how exactly is it that they're evading you and yours?"
Mao refilled his own glass to the brim with baijiu. "This is a great mystery to us. As I have previously mentioned, these people may have spies within the Imperial Court."
"Surely you've been able to quash some of them, no?" This whole matter seemed a bit too unlikely for Duncan to take in. Freakish cultists razing towns and villages to the ground? Kidnapping children and sacrificing them? Why, if something like that was going on in Westeros, the local lords would be on the case. Very quickly, the perpetrators would be hanging from trees along the Kingsroad.
"Of course, we have had successes…" The older man nodded calmly. "Yet those we captured or killed are nobody of note. Just pawns to be shuffled about and sacrificed at a whim. When one group is destroyed, another appears in some village in the southern lowlands." Mao's expression suddenly became sorrowful. "You have seen our maps, Zūnjià. We do not field armies in the same fashion as your own people."
Mormont only gave a nod of acknowledgment. He already knew from his visit to Oldtown that Yi Ti was mostly just one large jungle, comprised of vines, strange flora, trees that bent and yearned along with the sweltering heat of the South, and uneven ground. There was the occasional patch of suitable farmland, yet it was not an occurrence to count on.
No doubt, getting smaller groups of men across the dense thicket was the way to go. That was how these YiTish got around when it came to that sort of thing. They'd break up their armies into smaller chunks to move about swiftly.
"No, I imagine not," Mormont said, continuing the conversation. "So what's the real trouble then? How are these people so efficient? And how is it that they're keeping up with the Imperial Army?"
"It is known that they've recruited former followers of one of the various self-proclaimed monarchs from years past. Precisely fourteen years ago, in addition to the Azure Emperor, two others claimed the title of God-Emperor of Yi Ti. One of them was Pol Qo, a former general of the Imperial Army, who commanded his garrison from Trader Town. He claimed to be the first Orange Emperor. His rebellion was crushed shortly after the Siege of Trader Town, however. The other was an exiled sorcerer lord to the northeast named Chai Han, who claimed to be the sixty-ninth Yellow Emperor. He ruled from the city of Carcosa, which is located on the southeastern shores of the Hidden Sea, a place deep in the Mountains of the Morn, and inconveniently outside of our borders." Mao said. "This self-proclaimed Yellow Emperor and his forces were most clever in evading open battle with us in the past. I gather that many of his men are now in league with the Church of Starry Wisdom."
"Seems like this cult of yours is being led by him, then," Duncan said casually. He was reminded of the old grey-bearded wizards in the storybooks his mother would read to him when he was a child. It was absurd to think that these "sorcerer lords" in Yi Ti were anything like them, what with their pointy hats, long silver scarves, and wooden staves. "This Yellow King you mentioned and Chai Han must be one and the same. Makes sense to me."
"This would be impossible." Mao elaborated. "Chai Han was beheaded and his corpse was brought to the capital to be burned eleven years ago. His ashes have been scattered and by now have evaporated at the bottom of the Jade Sea. However, many of his followers escaped and have now made their way to Yi Ti."
Mormont shifted on his knees slightly. They were beginning to ache. "Perhaps this Yellow King of yours is a descendant of Chai Han, then? It seems entirely possible from what you're telling me."
"We have considered this as well, Zūnjià. However, we do not believe it to be important. The fact that this Yellow King, who is also very likely the High Priest of the Church of Starry Wisdom, has managed to wage this long and bloody campaign for so long is a matter of great embarrassment to the Empire. He has evaded our armies, killed our operatives, and sent them back to us in boxes containing only charred flesh and calcified bones. All the while he has managed to hide among our population. The defenseless towns he visits with his priests and followers are either converted to his insidious religion or razed to the ground, with their women and children taken as slave labor. Those who have seen him or heard him speak are practically entranced, and his followers commit the most abhorrent acts without question. In their wake, they would leave dismembered bodies hanging from ruined buildings, heads put on spikes with the flesh peeled off, and they would even eat the organs and drink the blood of children."
Mormont instinctively snarled as a reaction. Anger flared in his mind as he recalled every single line that Mao had said. Remembering that he had a host, he schooled his features but was no less enraged because of it.
Mao continued with his lips curled downward, clearly disgusted at these unholy acts as well. "A moon ago, Zūnjià, the town of Shenyang, which is just along the coast far to the east, was ambushed by this cult in the night. A girl who had lived there, who was no older than eight, had managed to escape. She fled to the nearby settlement of Taitou covered in mud, dry vines, blood, and various insects all over her hair and clothes. The girl was given shelter, food, and water, and was questioned by the local Zhenren, who is more or less our equivalent of your Westerosi Maesters. She said that men in yellow tunics had come into her home and stabbed her father to death. She and her mother were dragged out into the streets by their hair with dozens of others and made to kneel in the town center. A tall man cloaked in golden robes wearing a black steel mask had preached to them, though when she was asked about what he'd said to them, she simply lost all comprehension and began to babble some poem about shadows living in the stars. We later learned that she escaped as the cultists began setting their homes on fire after having slain all of their menfolk."
A tall man clad in a golden cloak and wearing a black steel mask? Duncan was willing to bet he was this 'Yellow King' that Mao had told him about.
"Damn… where is she now? Is she safe?"
"No, Zūnjià. For not three days after she arrived in Taitou, she threw herself into the sea and promptly drowned." The older man's voice was suddenly grim, and Mao's gaze was downcast. He shook his head and refilled his baijiu glass. "It is the same for any other survivors we have found from these raids. All of them go mad, speaking gibberish and obscenities to the authorities once they are rescued. Soon after they seek only to end their suffering. It is as if this Yellow King's influence somehow… entices them to kill themselves."
Mormont carefully set down his smoking pipe on the table. He let out a controlled sigh.
Fucking degenerates, he thought angrily. What sort of lowlife did this to people? Enslaving women and children, upending their lives, and making them do only gods know what.
How in the Seven Hells did this Yellow King entice people to end their own lives? What sort of things did he say to them? What did he and his men do to these people that simply made them go insane?
Moreover… to even think that there were depraved individuals who'd commit such ungodly acts without question… simply made Mormont's stomach churn in disgust.
It reminded him of the blind obedience that the smallfolk had towards their lords and ladies, towards the nobility as a whole. He knew that his own family had the best of intentions towards their people, yet he knew just as well that there were plenty of other lords in Westeros-and even in the North-who did not see things the same way.
The Boltons for instance. Oh, Mormont had heard plenty of rumors about Roose Bolton, the Leech Lord himself, and had instinctively distrusted the man even before his father had told him to. How many men served under Roose Bolton and blindly followed his orders without question? Not even wondering momentarily if what they were doing was the right thing to do?
What about those who served under the Mad King, Duncan's own great-grandfather? How many good men just stood by and let him do whatever he liked? All because he got to polish a great iron chair with his ass?
How many times had he seen those flashes of regret in his Uncle Arthur's eyes, the clear remorse that he'd see in old Gerold Hightower's gaze whenever Mormont visited the Red Keep? The blood-chilling stories Duncan would hear about how Queen Rhaella was raped night after night by her own husband while the Kingsguard just stood outside the door… not doing a thing to stop him.
Did these fucking cultists, did anyone in this Church of Starry Wisdom feel the same regret? The same level of disgust with themselves and those around them? Probably not…
How could they, if they hadn't yet done something about it?
"Judging by your expression, Zūnjià, you share the same sentiments as I do. This Yellow King and his cult pose a great danger to the YiTish people, and it simply cannot go on." The older man sat forward and looked Mormont square in the eyes. "Know this Duncan; these people are organized, they are growing, and they are everywhere. All over Yi Ti, there are pockets of them sprouting up like unkempt weeds, harassing our people for their goods and livestock! It is sickening to know that many of these same cultists are YiTish themselves! If they truly have infiltrated the Imperial Court, I shudder to think of where their ultimate ambitions lie. Do you understand what I mean?"
"No," Duncan said staunchly, coming back to reality. "I don't. Where exactly are you going with this, Mao? What attempts are currently being made to deal with this Yellow King and his mad band of cannibal star worshipers?"