Tale of Kassai


wei yau

 

Posted

Kassai is a woman without her pony.

Aigiam was born on the Mongolian steppes nearly 800 years ago. She might as well have been born on a horse, as she is a natural rider. She proved herself the equal of any man and soon trained to be a horse archer or kassai.

Aigiam is no happier than when she is riding one of her steppe ponies, the cold sharp wind biting at her face and her heart racing to beat the galloping hooves of her own horse. She also learned to be deadly accurate with her bow, whether on horseback or not.

One fine morning, Aigiam became separated from the rest of her tribe. This was no great concern, as she often rode ahead as a scout or just to be on her own. Little did she know that this action would save her life. While Aigiam was away, her tribe was set up on by raiders in the service of an outlaw sorcerer. Her tribe and her family were captured and enslaved. Any who dared to resist were killed on the spot.

Aigiam returned to the camp to find only burning yurts and dismembered corpses. She gathered a few stray ponies, strung them all to a rope and led them on the hunt. For many weeks, Aigiam tracked the sorcerer and his band of raiders. She would never rest, always moving from one pony to the next. Eventually, she would wear out even the hardy steppe ponies.

At the point of exhaustion, she finally found the sorcerer. He was performing some type of ritual, which required the blood of all of her remaining clansmen. Aigiam drew her bow and aimed for the sorcerer's black heart as he completed his incantation.

Her arrow flew straight and true. The sorcerer fell, shrieking out the last of his dark words. Something stirred in the night wind and something flew out of the cauldron before the sorcerer's body. Together, they encircled the corpse and then issued a disgusted hissing sound. The demon spirits circled the cauldron looking for another living soul. They found Aigiam.

Her legs felt as if they were made of stone, she was rooted to the spot in fear. The wind spirit rushed towards her and she felt a chill deeper than any she'd ever felt in her life. The other spirit uttered a terrifying wail and dove towards Aigiam. Its claws had only just brushed across Aigiam, when she heard the sorcerer scream "No! I was promised immortality, you shall not grant it to my murderer!". The demon spirit whirled around replied to the sorcerer; "Yes, you shall live forever, but I've already touched this one. She will not be immortal, but you will see her again."

Then Aigiam felt herself falling into a dark, endless tunnel. When she awoke, she found herself in Atlas Park in Paragon City.

This new world was filled with beings that seemed much greater than any sorcerer. Aigiam herself had changed, the wind spirit had granted her the ability to wield the icy air of the steppes. Still, even with her newfound powers, Aigiam would be challenged by this new world.

For, she still knows how to use her bow. She still remembers her clan. And, she is still Kassai.

But she is still without her pony.