|
Oliver D. Bernuetz's Stories Back to my home page - back to stories
Whitewall - Helamakt versus the Waves
And it was during the war against the waters that Helamakt did battle with
the waves. The waves were attempting to overcome the land, surging over
Ernalda bearing their cargos of monsters and sea life. Where barley field
had been was now found merman's beard, where fat cattle had grazed, fat
fish floated. When Helamakt saw this he was moved to battle. He leapt to
the beach and roared a challenge to the waves. They heard his challenge
and answered it by surging eagerly forward. He slashed at the waves and
laughed at them. But wave piled on wave and the water got deeper and
Helamakt found it harder to fight. Eight mighty waves had rolled up to him
and the water was already high enough so that only his neck and shoulders
were out of the water. But the ninth wave bore a mighty monster of the
deep and this Helamakt slew with his Slays Sevens Blow. He leapt onto the
monster's back and again was free to battle freely. But more waves came
and started piling higher again and after eight Helamakt found himself
struggling again. But again the ninth wave bore a mighty monster and after
a brief struggle it too was slain and piled on top of the first monster.
And so it went. Nine times nine times nine waves came and each ninth wave
bore a mighty denizen of the deep. And each carcass was added to the pile.
But finally the waves wearied of the fight and their brutal losses and
retreated leaving Helamakt unbloodied atop a tall pile of the monsters of
the deep. And Helamakt roared his defiance of the waves and stomped his
foot turning the monsters into stone. And you can still see the bodies of
the sea creatures in the stone at Whitewall. It is also said that if you
listen carefully in the caverns deep below Whitewall you can still hear
the sea and see ghostly fish. It is also rumoured that careless wanders,
lacking wisdom and wards, who go too deep within the mound may never
return but fall prey instead to some phantom monster of the deep.
The great
tor on
which Whitewall stands is a gray limestone. The outside is weathered but
you can still see traces and signs of the sea creatures whose bodies
formed the tor. Helamakt created the tor when he battled the waves, piling
one defeated sea monster atop another to have someplace safe to stand.
Finally he stomped his foot in victory and turned the mound into
limestone. Later it is said the arm Destor tore from Lant Ulfar at
Larnste's Table struck the top of the tor and turned it into the purest
marble. Drops of the giant's blood were turned into crystal. Others say
that it was Sestarto
the Artist who turned the top of the tor into marble so he
could build Whitewall. Either way, whether the crystals are crystalized
giant's blood or the remains of sea creatures they can still be found.
After the great battle Helamakt was weary and he lay down for a rest. He
lay his body down on the great plateau and rested his head on the Tor.
Shepherds can point to the dents in the plateau and tell you which part of
his body made them. There's a small lake where his divine posterior
rested. Legends swear that the entire Tor once show the marks of his hair
but Sestarto is supposed to have erased most of them except the spot where
he had a cowlick (a spiral patch of hair) which forms the floor of the
Orlanthi temple.
On Black Rain Day the cliffs of the tor and even the shining marble of
Whitewall itself is made from seem to swirl slowly - perhaps
imperceptibly, until one is attuned to the mythic currents - as the
half-evident bodies of the denizens of the deep twirl in hypnotic
repetition of the battle. The charged atmosphere stings of ozone and brine
and only the most insensitive cannot hear the sea and the storm battling.
Last updated February 20, 2017 Glorantha is a trademark of Chaosium, Inc. Gloranthan material on this page is copyright ©1997-2016 by Oliver D. Bernuetz or by the author specifically mentioned on an individual page. Glorantha is the creation of Greg Stafford, and is used with his permission. Email me at bernuetz@mymts.net
|
