Chapter 18 History of the Kingdom of the Archipelago

The two oldest surviving epics (or historical texts) are "The Friendship of Inlad" and "The Friendship of the Young King", the latter also known as "The Friendship of Morad". Most of The Enlad's Friendship seems to be pure fiction, telling of Morad's previous kings, and Morad's first year on the throne.The capital of these rulers was Berila on the island of Enlad. The early kings and queens of Yinglad Island—Lal Asha, Dohen, Ennashan, Timan, Tagota, etc.—gradually expanded their ruling power, and finally declared themselves the rulers of Earthsea.The southernmost part of their territory was Irian, excluding Fekway to the east, Parn and Kaime to the west, and Ossk to the north, but they did send explorers to the Inner Sea and the Borderlands.The oldest map of Earthsea, drawn in Berilla about 1,200 years ago, is currently kept in the library of Havnor Palace.

These kings and queens knew a little of the ancient language and magic, some of them were indeed wizards, and some were counseled or assisted by wizards.But the magic in "The Fellowship of Yinglad" is an erratic force that cannot be relied on.Morad was the first man and king to be called a mage. The "Young King's Friendship" sung at the Winter Solstice Banquet tells the story of Morad.People call Mo Rui De the Mage King, White Mage, and Young King.He came from a collateral blood relative of the Inlad Island clan, inherited the throne from his cousin, and his ancestors were wizards who served as royal advisors.

The Psalm opens with the most well-known and cherished love story in the Kingdom of the Archipelago, the story of Morad and Yephran.In the third year of his reign, the young king went south to Havnor Island, the largest island in the archipelago, to quell the disputes among the local city-states.When he sailed back in the "longboat without oars", he came to Soria Island, and "in the orchard of spring" met Ye Furuan, who was called "the girl of Solia Island" or "Ms. Solia".He did not continue to Enlad Island, but stayed with Ye Furuan.As a promise of marriage, Morad gave her a silver bracelet or armlet, his family heirloom, inscribed with unique and powerful true runes.

Morad and Yephruan were married, and the psalm describes their years of reign as a brief golden age, and the cornerstone and standard of morality and governance in the future. Before the two got married, Ye Furuan was also pursued by a mage or wizard, whose name was never revealed, only called "Morred's Enemy" or "Wand Master".This person did not want to let go, determined to take back Ye Furuan.In the short few years of peace after the two got married, the mana of the stick master gradually grew.Five years later, he came forward to declare in the words of the poem:

If Ye Furuan is not owned by me, I will destroy the words of Xi Guoyi, I will destroy the island, and the world will be covered by the white waves. His magic power can arouse huge waves in the sea, and can also prevent or bring in early tides; his voice can confuse the whole people, and anyone who listens to his words falls into his control.Therefore, he ordered Morad's people to rebel.Crying out that they were betrayed by the king, the villagers of Yinglad destroyed their cities and farmlands, sailors scuttled their ships, soldiers obeyed the enemy's spells, and killed each other in bloody and destructive wars.

As Morad tries to free her subjects from the spell, Yevruan returns to her homeland of Soria with her one-year-old child, where her powers will reach their peak.But the enemy followed, intending to turn her into a prisoner and slave.She hid in the springs of Ensha, and with her knowledge of the primordial forces there, she was able to resist the enemy and drive him off the island.There is a saying in the poem: "The sweet spring of the earth drives away the enemy of saltiness and bitterness."But he captured Yephruan's brother Saran on the way to escape, and Saran was sailing from Yinglad Island to help his sister.The stick master turned Saran into a corpse or a tool, and sent him to send a message to Morid, saying that Ye Furuan fled to the island of Yinglad's Jaw with the child.

After hearing the message, Murray fell into a trap and nearly died.The enemy pursued along the ruins from the west to the east of Yinglad Island.On the plains of Enlad Island, Morad met his still loyal companions, mostly sailors, who came to help him with ships from Enlad, so Morad turned to fight.The enemy did not fight him directly, but sent Mored's magic-bound warriors to meet him, and what was even more terrifying was that the enemy shrank the warriors' bodies with sorcery until they "lived, but like black mummies in the desert".In order to protect his people, Mo Rui De retreated.

As Morad left the field, it rained, and he saw the enemy's real name written in the sand in raindrops. Knowing the enemy's true name, he can counteract his spell and drive him from Enlad, "riding the westerly wind, the rainy wind, and the thick cloud" in pursuit across the winter seas.The two sides were evenly matched, and in the final battle, both of them died near the Oia Sea. Suffering in pain, the enemy set off a big wave in anger, causing them to submerge Solia Island at full speed.The moment Murray died, Ye Furuan knew about it.She ordered her people to come aboard, and then, as the poem goes, "she holds a harp in her hand," she finished the song "The Lament of the White Mage" while she waited for the wave of destruction to come--but Morad might be able to quell it.The island was submerged in the sea, and Yephruan was also drowned. However, her willow cradle boat drifted away safely, and brought her son Seliel to a safe place. ring.

On the map of the Kingdom of the Archipelago, Soria Island is marked with white spaces or swirls. After Morad, Yinglad has seven other kings or queens in power, and the country is stable and prosperous. A hundred and fifty years after Morred's death King Akenbar--Prince Shiris of the Isle of Way--moved his court to Havnor, making the great port of Havnor the capital of his kingdom.Havnor is closer to the center of the sea than Enlad, and its location is more suitable for trading or sending fleets to protect the Hittite islands from the Karg's plundering aggression. The "Havnor Epic" describes the history of the fourteen kings of Havnor (actually six kings and eight queens, about 150-400).Formed by the family blood of both men and women and the marriage of several nobles in the Kingdom of the Islands, the royal family includes five major families: the Yinglad family, the oldest one, directly inheriting the blood of Mered and Seliel; , House Havnor; and finally House Irian.Seaborn Prince Gemma was the first of House Irian to inherit the throne of Havnor.His granddaughter was Queen Helu, whose son Maharian (ruled 430-452) was the last king before the Dark Ages.

The age of the Kings of Havnor was rich, new, and powerful, but in the last hundred years of that age the attacks from the Kargs of the East and the Dragons of the West became frequent and fierce. Kings, nobles, and island masters tasked with defending the islets of the Kingdom of the Archipelago came to rely on wizards to repel dragons and karg ships.In the Havnor Ballad and the Dragon Lord's Friendship, as the story progresses, the names and deeds of these wizards begin to overshadow the royal records. The great scholar Ath compiled a book of wisdom, collecting many scattered knowledge, especially the vocabulary of the language of creation.This "Book of True Names" becomes the basis of naming and is a part of the magic skill system.The king sent him to the west to defeat or disperse the dragons who were chasing cattle, setting fires, and destroying farms in the western islands. At the same time, he left the book with a fellow mage on Paddi Island.Somewhere in the west of Ansmo Island, Asi fought against the giant dragon Orm. There are different opinions about this battle. Although the dragons stopped intruding for the time being, it is certain that Orm survived after the battle, but Asi died because of it.His book was lost for hundreds of years and is currently hidden in the Tower of Isolation on Roke.

Dragons are said to feed on light or fire, kill in rage, protect young dragons, and kill for pleasure, but never eat their prey.From time immemorial, until Herru's reign, they occupied only the outermost islands of Westmarch—probably the easternmost edge of their territory—for meeting and procreation purposes, and rarely appeared before the eyes of most islanders.The dragons are irritable and arrogant by nature, and the population of the Inner Ring Kingdom is increasing, and it is getting richer and richer, which may make the dragons feel threatened, because even in the west, the boat traffic is becoming more and more frequent.Whatever the reason, they raided the flocks, cattle, and villagers of the Western Isles with increasing frequency during those years. There is a story circulating on the island of Hurhu, narrating the well-known "Fudunan" (meaning "Great Split"), which mentions: Man chooses to be burdened, The dragon chooses wings. man chooses to own, Long chose to give up. It means that human beings choose to possess property, while dragons choose to abandon it.However, just as humans have their ascetics, there are dragons who covet shiny objects, gold, jewels, one of which is Yavadh, who sometimes walks among the people in human form, and at one point turned the fertile island of Pendor into a dragon nursery, and eventually Only then was Ged driven back to the West.But according to the narrative poems and songs, it seems that the motive of the dragon's plunder is not greed, but anger, out of a feeling of being cheated and betrayed. Friendship and epic poems describing the raids of dragons and the vengeance of wizards and aggressors portray dragons as ruthless, terrifying, and inscrutable as wild animals, but wise, sometimes wiser than wizards.Though they speak truth, they are good at sophistry, and some of these dragons apparently enjoy outwitting wizards and "spousing their tongues."Dragons are the same as humans, and only the greatest dragons will bear their true names.In the epic poem "The Way of Hasa," the dragons are formidable but emotive creatures who are justifiably angry at the invading fleets of humans because they love their desolate territories.They say to the hero: Flight back to Sunrise House, Al-Hasa Leave the west to blow the long wind on my wings Stay in the sky, the unknown, the infinite... Queen Helu, also known as the Eagle Queen, succeeded her father, whose father was Dengmar of the Irian family.Ayman, the king's husband, belonged to the Mored family.After she had ruled for thirty years, she passed the throne to their son Maharian. Maharian's mage-advisor and friend of Mengjiao was a commoner, or "Fatherless," the son of a witch from an inland village of Havnor.He was the most beloved hero of the Isles, and his story is told in the Friendship of Eriaba, which is sung by the musicians at the Midsummer Long Dance. Eriabah's talent for magic was evident at an early age.He was sent to court to be trained by a court wizard, and the queen chose him to be the prince's companion. Maharian and Eria became daring friends.For ten years they fought side by side against the Kargs, for occasional raids from the east by the Kargs had lately become slave-hunting colonial incursions.Fenwai, Tohoven, and Torikou Islands, Speyway, Perogo, and parts of Gont, had been under Karg for a generation, or longer.Eriaba cast a powerful spell on Shiris on Way Island to fight against the Karg army. The army boarded "thousand ships" and landed in the swamp of Way Island, swarming across the island.Using the Primordial begging spell called "Water Wisdom" (perhaps the same spell that Yevran used in Solia to ward off enemies), he turned the Fountain of Shiris (a sacred spring and pool in the Lord's garden on the Isle of Way) to ) turned into a torrent that washed the invaders back to the shore, where Maharinan's army waited.Not a single ship in the fleet returned to Carrigor. Eriyabai's next challenge was a mage named Fire Lord, powerful enough to extend a day by five hours, but unable to fulfill his vow to keep the sun still at noon and drive darkness from the island forever.The Lord of Fire transformed into a dragon to face Erreyabhai, and was defeated in the end, sacrificing the forests and cities of Irian - he set fire to them during the war. In fact, God of Fire may be a dragon in human form, because shortly after his death, the dragon Orm who defeated Asi led several groups of people to harass the western islands of the archipelago kingdom, perhaps just to avenge God of Fire.The raging flames of these flights terrified the islanders. Hundreds of boats carried people from Pahn Island and Kaimei Island to the inner ring islands, but the damage caused by the Dragons was far less than that of the Kargs. Therefore, Maharen Ann judged that the imminent crisis lay in the east.He personally went to the west to fight the Dragon Clan, and at the same time sent Eria to the East, trying to make peace with the king of Karg. Empress Dowager Helu gave the messenger the armband Morid had given to Ye Furuan - Ayman gave her the ring when she got married.This ring has been passed down from generation to generation by the descendants of Seliel, and it is their most precious treasure.Engraved on the armlets is a unique figure, the Rune of the Link, also known as the Rune of Peace, believed to guarantee peaceful and just rule. "Let King Karg wear Mored's armband," said the Empress Dowager.Therefore, Eriabai took this most generous gift, vowed to peace, and went to the city of kings on the island of Karigol alone. King Soreig received Eriyabai warmly. After his fleet suffered a tragic loss, if Maharinan did not ask for revenge, he would prepare for peace talks and retreat from the occupied Hitachi Islands. However, the Kargic kingship had come under the control of the high priests of the two gods.Intesin, High Priest of Thoreg, opposed all peace talks and reconciliations, challenged Eriabah to a sorcerous duel.Since the Kargs do not practice magic known to the Hittites, it must be that Intesin lured Ereth to the place where the Primordial Forces of the Earth would counteract Ereth's power.The Hittite's "Eriabah" only talks about the "wrestling" between heroes and high priests until: The enfeebling of the ancient darkness seeped into Ereyabai's limbs, The dark silence of the Earth Mother penetrates into her heart, He lies long, and forgets fame and friendship, For a long time, the broken ring rested on the breast. The daughter of "Thoreg, the Wise King" rescued Ereabai from the trance or the spell of imprisonment, and restored his power.He gave her the remaining half of the Ring of Peace. (From her, the ring passed among her descendants for more than five hundred years, until the last heirs of Thorig, a brother and sister exiled to the wild island of East Reach; the sister gave the ring to Ged .) Yin Texin kept the other half of the broken ring, and that half ring "entered the darkness"—that is, entered the great treasure room of the Etuan Mausoleum. (There Ged finds it, merges the two half-rings, retrieves the lost peace rune, and brings the ring back to Havnor with Tenar.) The Karg version of the story, told by the priests in divine chants, says that Intsin defeated Eriabah "losing his staff, amulet, and power," and sneaked back to Havnor, useless.But wizards didn't hold wizard sticks at that time. When Eriyabai faced the dragon Orm, he was absolutely sound in body and mind and powerful in mana. King Maharinan sought peace, but it never came.While Eriabai was on Karigor (possibly for several years), the dragon's predation intensified.The Inner Isles were disturbed by fleeing refugees from the Westlands, and by disrupted shipping and trade, for the Dragons had already begun setting fire to ships sailing west of Housk Island, and even harassing ships in the Inner Pole Sea.All the wizards and soldiers Maharian could use were used to resist the Dragon Clan, and he himself fought four times, but the sharp sword and flying arrows were of little use to the heavily armed, fire-breathing, flying enemies.The Isle of Parn became the "Plains of Char," and villages and towns west of Havnor were razed.A royal wizard has cursed and hunted several dragons on the Parn Sea, in a move that may fuel the wrath of the Dragon Clan.Just as Eriyaba was returning, the dragon Orm flew to Havnor and threatened the towers of the royal city with flames. Eriyabai sailed into the bay with "sails worn out by the east wind", and had no time to "embrace his friends and greet his homeland", and immediately changed into a dragon shape, and flew to the top of Ern Mountain to fight Orm.The "flames of the midnight air" were also seen in the palace of Havnor.They flew north, followed by Eriyabai.On the surface of the sea near Dawn, Orm turned around again, severely defeating the mage, forcing him to descend to the ground and regain his form.He came to the ancient island of Oia, the first island raised by Xiguoyi from the sea, and Aum chased after him.On that sacred and strong soil, he meets Orm.The two sides ceased fighting, talked as equals, and agreed to end the hostile relationship between the two races. Unfortunately, the wizards of the royal family were angry with the dragons attacking the center of the kingdom and encouraged by the victory of the Parn Sea. The tooth stick crushes the monster's eggs".Hearing this, Omron woke up again in anger, and it "jumped towards Havnor like a rocket". (Dragon generally refers to males in Hittite and Karg, but in fact, the sex of dragons is only speculated. As for the oldest and greatest dragons, the sex is a mystery.) Eriyabai, who has not yet recovered from his injuries, finds Orm, drives him out of Havnor, and chases him throughout "the entire archipelago kingdom and border area", never letting it land on land, and driving him across the sea until the last terrible time. During the flight, the two sides passed through the Longju Islets and arrived at the last island in the west, Kai Le Duo.Over there, on the Bund, the two sides were exhausted and fought face to face with "claws, fire, characters, and swords" until: The blood of both sides mingled and dyed the sand red, The breath of both sides is gone, the sound of the waves, The dead body is lying on the side, going to the realm of death together. The story says that when King Maharinan came to Keledo, he "wept by the sea".He brought back Eriyabai's sword and placed it on top of the tallest tower in the palace. After Orm's death, dragons were still the plague of the West, especially after the provocation of the dragon hunters, but they no longer harassed the inhabited islands and peaceful shipping.Yevad of Pendor was the only dragon to raid the Inner Isles after the Age of Kings.No dragon had been seen in the Inner Seas for hundreds of years when Kelasim, or the Longest One, brought Ged and Lebanon to Roke. Maharian died a few years after Eriyabah's death, because he could not see the conclusion of peace, and he saw that there was much turmoil and disorder in the kingdom.Many people have rumored that since the Ring of Peace is lost, there will be no real King of Earthsea.While fighting against the rebellious lord Gasis of Haven, Maharian, who was mortally wounded, uttered a prophecy: "The one who will inherit my throne is the one who survives across the dark land and sails to the far shores of the world. .” After Maharinan's death in 452, several heirs scrambled for the throne, but none succeeded.In just a few years, the struggle destroyed the central system of governance.The island kingdom became a battlefield among hereditary feudal princes, small island and city-state governments, and pirate lords. Everyone wanted to accumulate wealth to expand their territory or defend their own borders.Trade and shipping gradually disappeared due to pirate raids. Cities and towns escaped behind the defensive walls. Crafts, fisheries, and agriculture were affected by continuous raids and wars.Magic is the primary weapon of plunder and warfare.Wizards either hired themselves out to vassals, or fought for power for themselves.Magic began to attract controversy as these wizards distorted their power irresponsibly. The Dragons posed no threat during this period, and the Kargs were mired in internal strife, but as the years passed, society in the Archipelago became increasingly divided.Morality and wisdom are passed down only to the knowledge and teachings of the Song of Creation, other legends and heroic tales, and the preservation of crafts and skills, including those of magic used in the Right Way. "Hands" are loose alliances for the purpose of understanding magic, using magic ethically, and teaching magic.This organization was formed about a hundred and fifty years after Maharian's death, by the men and women of Roke.Because Vassau's mage vassal regarded the "knot" as a threat to political sovereignty, he plundered Roke and almost killed all the adult men on the island, but the "knot" had already extended to all the islands in the extreme sea.This community has existed for hundreds of years as the "Daughters of the Knot", maintaining a vague but vigorous network of intelligence, communication, protection, and teaching. Around 650, the two sisters Eliha and Yahan of Roke, the searcher Mizhuo and other people who joined hands established a college in Roke to collect and share knowledge, clarify the scope of learning, and teach witches moral control over the use of technology.Since Jieshou has members on other islands, the reputation and influence of the academy has rapidly expanded.Threel, the mage of Havnor, saw the Academy as an uncontrolled personal force and felt threatened, so he set out with a huge fleet to destroy Roke.He himself was destroyed, and his ships were scattered.This first victory cemented Roke College's unbreakable reputation. Under the influence of Roke's steady growth, witchcraft molded itself into a coherent body of knowledge whose functions were increasingly governed by moral and political ends.The wizards who have completed their training at the academy go to other lands of the archipelago kingdom to fight against vassals, pirates, feuding nobles, prevent looting and looting, enforce border peace, protect individuals, farms, towns, cities, and shipping until social order is re-established.In the early years they were sent to enforce the peace, and later they were called to keep the peace.During the two hundred years that Havnor's throne hung vacant, Roke House had been the central government of the Kingdom of the Isles. Archmage Roke's powers are in many ways similar to those of the king.Ambition, pride, and prejudice did influence the first archmage, Hal'kai, to create a title of power all his own.However, the continuous teaching and behavior of the college, as well as the vigilance among colleagues, also effectively restrained and prevented the subsequent archmages of Halkai from seriously misusing their own power to weaken others and strengthen themselves. However, the evil reputation magic acquired during the dark ages continues to cling to the actions of many sorcerers and witches.The power of women in particular has drawn suspicion and slander, all the more so because of the belief that it will become one with the Primal Force. Throughout the Earthsea there are several springs, caves, hills, rocks, and woods that were once, and still are, sites of full power and sanctity.These places are feared or adored by the locals, and some are famous far and wide. Knowing these places and their powers is at the heart of the religion of the realm of Karg.Among the archipelagic kingdoms, the knowledge of the Primordial remains a part of the deep and universal foundation of thought and reverence.Looking around the islands, most of the skills performed by witches, such as childbirth, healing, caring for livestock, exploring water, mining and metallurgy, planting and growing spells, love spells, etc., often invoke or turn to Taikoo Li, but Roke has learned a lot The shamans usually don't trust the ancient rituals and don't turn to the "Mother Earth" for help.Only wizards of the Isle of Parn mix the two rituals in the mystical, esoteric, and rumored dangerous lore of Parn. While the Primordial Force, like all powers, can be corrupted into evil uses to satisfy ambition (such as Ossk's Iron Stone), its essence is divine and prior to moral concepts.However, in the Dark Ages and its aftermath, the wizards feminized and ghosted Taiguli in the land of the Hittites, as did the priest-kings and god-kings in the land of Karg.By the eighth century, only village women performed ceremonies and offerings in these sacred places among the inner islands of the Kingdom of the Islands.They are despised or hurt by this behavior.Wizards stay away from such places.Roke is the center of the primordial forces of the whole land, sea, and earth. These powers are most deeply and completely presented in Roke Round Hill and Xincheng Forest, but no one describes them in this way. Craftsmanship, deeds, and the ancient sacred connection to the earth remind wizards and mages that their power is not their own but borrowed.