Horns of Life

"Fear should seize your heart at the sound of Cumerian war horns. But if you are lucky enough to hear the echoes of their Horns of Life, seek them out. You will never feast with more gracious and wonderful hosts."

  Other than Wisdom, Hornblower is the second highest title one can have. In the wake of Anya Arbor teaching the Cumerians of the Life Ducts, when the Cumerians were one large horde, the few with the knowledge she imparted met a swift and mysterious death. Long years of greusome war erupted in the Titan Pines as the Cumerians turned on each other, slaughtering one another for food and blood.   In the midst of this war, a husband and wife, Turan and Sara Kazemi wandered the Pines with their three children in search of refuge from the conflict. One night their youngest son, Arvin, wandered off into the woods. Turan awoke to see his child missing and quickly found him crying at the base of the tree. But before Turan could bring Arvin the short walk home, they were set upon by the most dangerous predator of the Titan Pines, the Gorynych.   In a pitched battle that lasted until the next sunset, Turan joined by Sara, fought the Gorynych, protecting their children and becoming the first slayers of the Gorynych. The family feasted on the bountiful meat and Sara carved the creature’s largest rib into a massive, ornate horn, the likes of which no one had ever seen before.   Despite their best efforts to ride out the war, the Kazemis became caught in the struggle. In a pitched battle for control of a Life Duct, Sara Kazemi saw her children fall one by one. Overcome by grief, Sara blew a solemn note on her great horn. For years she had carried it as a reminder of her love for her children.   To this day, no one knows why, Sara Kazimi’s horn opened the Life Duct, crumbling the horn to dust. That battlefield will always be remembered. Friend and foe laid down their weapons to embrace and weep.