The Story of Rokzh: The First Day

Through the eyes of the Earth Mage, the first day of life in Equila is explained.

            I do not know where I came from; I have no clue how I appeared.  We twelve initial beings just stood around a twig.  I knew each of them by name as if I had known them for years, and each face comforted me as that of a familiar friend.  All of us except that little child began to work immediately, each of us using our specialized skills.

          Old Logzh was our knowledge source; he was extremely useful in our success logistically.  He also seemed lonely; a recluse of mystery and mystique. Beautiful lady Cyrzh was our inspiration; her ineffable joy was my light in dark times and her heavenly smile lightened my taxing work load.  The genius, Muzh, solved all of my technical problems and made the impossible easy for me to do. Borzh was my leader; he knew what was best for all of us and guided the tribe in the direction of best benefit.

          My task as the tribe’s workhorse was to alter nature to best aid our goals.  Whenever someone needed a helping hand, I was there to support them.  I took all my orders from Borzh immediately when he gave them.  The first words spoken were his in the language of the Mages, “Let us all labor for good.  Be just and righteous and peaceful.”  We took to heart his advice, for it pleasantly foreshadowed a perfect world.

          “Rokzh, you forge a castle and furnish the goods needed to live. We need essentials first and extravagances later,” he commanded, continuing around the group with orders for the others.  I consented and studied my environment to formulate a plan of location and construction.  Facing north, the Great Mountain loomed above me in impending mystery.  Beyond the enormous peak I saw a wasteland of wintry hills and ridges which held no apparent resources or usefulness; strange things must have festered there, but another adventure would determine that.  On my right, a great field of grass expanded to the horizon.  A fertile river split it into two halves; the trees were sparse.  I turned to the south and saw an inhospitable tangle of weeds, brambles, and thorns.  Finally, the West held a deep green deciduous forest, which fatigued the eye with the sporadic movement of falling leaves and swaying trunks.

          I decided to utilize the resources nearest me.  The Mountain withheld a substantial supply of sturdy stone for support of the citadel’s skeleton.  The vast forest of oaks, maples, and sycamores was a warehouse of lumber for furniture and tentative structure.  The nearby river and its corresponding lakes provided a continuation of fresh water for drinking, cleaning, and irrigation.

With this blueprint in mind, I conjured up all the power I had and unleashed it on the magnificent boulder above me.  With a deafening blast, a giant chunk of rosy marble broke loose from a high cliff and fell to the ground with a great thud.  I moved closer to the block of stone to examine and smith it more accurately.

          I chiseled away the rough edges with my fists to form a perfect square base.  On that solid, level block I arranged dense tree trunks into an impenetrable palisade.  I used a more craftsman-like technique to cut similar blocks and planks to build a castle frame with several towers, walls, a dungeon, and other common fortified amenities.  I then dug a trench from the river to a reservoir basin in the dining hall and the bathhouse.  After many hours of labor, I had the oaken-marble Château completed.  All it needed then was the delicate touch of Cyrzh to make it an ornate palace fit for Royalty.

          My first task was relatively easy to accomplish, but there was much more to be done around Equila.  I crafted many tools and infrastructure devices for the humans and gathered raw resources for Muzh to work with.  I constructed a high watchtower for Logzh to observe from and erected a mighty wall around us at a command from Borzh.  The women requested I dig a well and the men requested small workshops of their own.

          As the sun set on the world’s first day, I examined my handiwork as well as the progress of the others.  The castle was fully built in a stately strength that made it appear as another mountain in the silhouette against the waning western light.  Logzh had recorded every bit of information available so far on a scroll of Life, as well as many prophecies and mysteries.  The women had furnished their homes and gardens with the help of Muzh; the men were clothed.  Cyrzh with her graceful waltzing walk rose into the night sky to guide us in the absence of the sun.  A more beautiful celestial ornament I’ll never see, that lunar majesty.  This world could be alright.

Author's Note

Should I take away the fancy script? Does this set the imagery like I have it in my head, or do I need to add or take away anything?