The Sacred Tyrak: Volume One

By Aklin Reed

Beyond the vast expanse of the cosmos lies Hazar, a realm of monumental valleys and towering peaks, where oceans cascade from the heavens, creating lakes of unmatched splendor. In this nascent world, mighty heroes rise to etch their legends, and powerful monarchs marshal vast armies, asserting their dominion.

As four distinct races grapple for prominence and legacy, they live under the watchful gaze of The Hand – a pantheon of five deities who shape and govern Hazar with unparalleled authority.

Delve into this chronicle to discover the myths and majesties of Hazar. Be it tales of valor or poignant sagas of sacrifice, every page recounts the foundational era of this grand realm. To those who embark on this journey: remember Hazar’s golden age, a time of abundance juxtaposed with periods of profound conflict and sacrifice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Nov 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889104926

Aklin Reed

Aklin Reed is a chronicler of the activity of the Gods of the great void, having taken it upon himself to record the tales, legends, and truths of their actions and the worlds they touch. His writings span the breadth of millennia, and gather the more interesting events in a worlds culture. Sadly, were he to write every minute detail, his time would be ill spent, so when he is not writing of worlds, he is traveling to the next to chronicle its histories and gods.

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About the Author

Aklin Reed is a chronicler of the activity of the Gods of the great void, having taken it upon himself to record the tales, legends, and truths of their actions and the worlds they touch. His writings span the breadth of millennia, and gather the more interesting events in a worlds culture. Sadly, were he to write every minute detail, his time would be ill spent, so when he is not writing of worlds, he is traveling to the next to chronicle its histories and gods.

Dedication

In dedication to Oneman, who ran it back with me

in so many discussions.

Copyright Information ©

Aklin Reed

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Reed, Aklin

The Sacred Tyrak

ISBN 9798886930924 (Paperback)

ISBN 9798889104926 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023917034

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Volume 1

The Four Acts

In the beginning, Hazar sat still in the void. A cold world, an empty world, a dark world. It hung upon nothing, and was graced by nothing. And then from the void came gods, five gods, neither siblings nor cousins nor mates nor allies nor enemies, alike only in seeking a world to make their own. They were Vendicus, he who is known as the Wandering Storm. Wrul, he who is known as the High Master. Unium, she who is known as the Drinkbearer. I-Or-Ah, she who is known as the Mother of Struggle. And Primisus Kennicus, he who is known as the Clear hearted. These were known as The Hand.

The Hand saw the world was cold, and dark, and with unanimity, they lit the world. Wrul created a light which would never fade. Vendicus imparted a powerful color upon the light so it would be memorable. Unium blessed the light with the ability to heal and bring forth flourishing. Primisus Kennicus granted the light a boon none yet knew. I-Or-Ah saw the light, and it filled her with disgust, and she said, Do you already seek to coddle what does not yet exist? And she struck the light with her maul, and the light grew harsh, but from its harshness, it gained strength. This was the first act.

Next, the Hand saw the world was ill-fit for life. Its waters were murky, and its land was sparse. Good, it is a world upon which the strong shall thrive, spoke I-Or-Ah.

Wrul chastised her saying, Life has not yet been birthed, but you would already see it hampered. Surely, none could give you love. Then he cast his hand out, and look! A great torrent went out, and he commanded the waters to burst forth with all manners of aquatic life. And Vendicus cast his hand out, and look! The land flared, growing greatly in magnitude, and flourishing with plants of all manner. And Wrul grew angry with Vendicus, for the growth of the land he had already planned for. You’d place the moon in the sea, and call it well matched!

Vendicus grew indignant. He said, Are you the only god fit to manifest their will? I shall do as I see fit, just as you do as you see fit.

Unium then came forth between them, and she said, Equals we arrived as and equals we shall remain, let your cries be silenced until matters have been complete. And they fell silent. But look, while they quarreled, Primisus Kennicus drove all the land smooth, and stole all the water, and positioned it in the sky in vast bubbles. From the bubbles would come down great streams of rain, and at times, these would coalesce into mighty lakes, and these lakes would team with aquatic life, before departing back to the sky. When the other gods noticed this arrangement, they questioned why, yet Primisus Kennicus remained firmly silent. This was the second act.

Next, the Hand saw the world was bereft of power. The life upon it was meager, and little it held to attract the eye. Other gods would mock us if they saw this state. They all lamented. Wrul proudly rose his head, and he said, Let us make a channel, through which great works could be found upon the hazar. And the others agreed. Thusly, Wrul did shape a field, which he cloaked about the world, and that is why Hazar is known as the Cloaked Jewel by some. Thusly, Vendicus did imbue the field with a myriad powers, so that at times where the cloak met the world strange occurrences would arise, and that is why the cloak is known as the Bedlam cloak by some and the Cloak of Storms by others.

Thusly, Unium did imbue essences and aspects neatly to the cloak, and that is why it is said, In the Cloak can be found Hazar, and in Hazar, truth. Thusly, Primisus Kennicus imbued the cloak with a dozen veiled ways for life to manipulate it, and that is why those who study the cloak refer to its many ‘Pathways’. But I-Or-Ah wished nothing to do with the cloak, and so she added nothing. This was the third act.

Next, the gods agreed the world needed life. They said, Let us make life which can grow mighty, and be fulfilled, and worship us. Yet the gods disagreed on the nature of life. Wrul demanded it be uniform, Vendicus demanded it be passionate, Unium demanded it be intelligent, and Primisus Kennicus demanded nothing. And while they argued, I-Or-Ah grew tired of them, and she stepped forth, and she cracked the land with her maul, and imparted her might into its shattered state. And from the land arose creatures of bestial form and animalistic nature, with strong bodies and towering forms and a most savage drive. Some howled and some snarled and some cried out. Some bore talons and some bore claws and some bore hooves, but all stood towering on two legs with great might. And I-Or-Ah proclaimed, You are my children, the first children, the strong children. I name you the Graniah, and so long as you are strong you will remain Graniah. Go throughout Hazar, and break those who you will break, and spare those who you will spare, and from your strength grow mighty.

And Unium noticed, and she grew jealous, so she found a pallid tree with pale quivering sap, and from its flesh and sap she created a race of spindly beings with thick clear skin and quivering gray blood. Their faces were featureless but for maws of neat sharp teeth and powerful glowing eyes. She clothed them in luxurious fur about their shoulders and limbs, and gave them claws to unlock the secrets of the land, and blessed them with great intelligence. And Unium declared, Look, I have made a most fine race! I name you Gald, and you shall be the smartest and noblest of all Hazar’s children. Go throughout Hazar, and learn from it, and understand it, and from your genius grow mighty.

And Vendicus noticed, and he went to make a race. He brought together the Bedlam cloak and sturdy bedrock, and he whittled away at the rock with the chaos of the cloak until he had formed a race of strange beings, with skin that was of many colors and graceful defined frames. He blessed them to be wells of deep passion, and the passion would express itself through the firmness of their flesh, so that one’s love of singing would cause them to look this way and the others love of singing that way. And Vendicus declared, From rock you came and from the cloak were you fueled. I name you Samedians, and let every form of passion drive you, and shape you, and make you grow mighty.

By then, Wrul was noticing his fellows rush to create, and was dismayed by the selfish disorder. He came to them saying, Are we not meant to be equals? We should be making a race by all our hands, not just one alone! What you each have made is imperfect, and will bring naught but strife and chaos.

But Vendicus said, You speak of equals, but think of yourself as king. First creator and last creator, that is what Wrul seeks to be! You would have us make slaves and pets instead of servants and rulers. At that, the High Master grew hot with anger against the Wandering Storm, and the Wandering Storm grew indignant, and they moved to come to blows. But as Wrul raised his scepter, Primisus Kennicus sunk his crystal blade into the back of Wrul, and wrenched his flesh apart. And all the gods watched in horror as he let spill Wrul’s blood onto Hazar. And Primis us Kennicus said, Equals we all were, until you sought to make yourself king. And Wrul’s blood flowed freely upon Hazar, and it mixed with the dirt and the trees and the dead matter, and flecks of crystal from Primisus Kennicus holy weapon, and the mixture most divine coalesced into beings in the image of their murdered father. Prideful, somewhat uniform, seeking to be kings and seeking to have servants, seeking to be great and seeking to subdue the little, seeking to have control and seeking to take control.

Wrul’s blood granted them control of themselves and the cloak, and Primisus Kennicus’ crystals granted them traits unknown. And Primisus Kennicus declared, Look! Just as your father sought to be king, so shall you seek to be kings. You will seek control of yourselves and others, you will wrest control from those who both deserve it and do not, and from your control you shall grow obsessed, and brutal, and bloody, but from control you shall grow mighty. From blood you came and to dirt you will fade. In Wrul’s honor, I will name you Deadbloods, for the blood that made you is dead, but in my honor, I will name you Man, and only I shall know the depths of the meaning. And after this, the gods became known as the Severed Hand, and so the peoples of Hazar worshipped them so. This was the fourth and final act.

The First Days

Now, in the first days, Hazar was a smooth world, of flowing seas of grass and fields of trees. And in the first days, the Deadbloods and the Gald and Samedians struggled to survive, for even whilst they toiled the hazar, they struggled against the Graniah. For the Graniah were mighty and savage creatures of a hundred forms, who feasted upon the grass as readily as they did flesh, who sought only to break and shatter. They drove all before them, and when there were none else to drive, they drove each other. They roamed in tribes and packs, and rejoiced in the harshness of the land. And I-Or-Ah watched them with pride, and she said, "Is it not