Blood: A Soldier's Poem
The trove unearthed at Ixit is a grand showcase of the humanity of those poor souls caught up in that long and brutal war. Seldom have we been able to gaze into the minds of the Morlu; Xibol or Iruet, as clearly as in the preserved texts found there. The emotions of the age are on full display as the miserable, sorry conditions of that not-too-distant past are given voice by those who lived through it. The emotional weight of war is felt in the private correspondence (withheld from its intended recipient), and the material burden is shown in official reports of the dire situation the Xibol found themselves in near the end of the war. Truly one cannot claim to understand the age in any capacity without reviewing and ingesting the knowledge and emotions of these texts.Here, dear readers, I present to you a text from an age long passed. This poem, written by a Xibol soldier in the waning days of the Morlu War, is a sort of commentary on the paradoxical role of blood in the life and death of the Morlu race. The first two verses praise blood as the "Sustainer of life" and credit it with allowing the Morlu empire to be built in the first place. The final two verses address the paradox: blood's role in the destruction of life, and therefore its creations, through hemomancy. Hemomancy, or blood magic, is a vile and forbidden practice in our time, but it was widely used in the latter days of the war. This contradiction of blood's previous role as the giver of life and allower of greatness is highlighted by the poet for all to ponder. The notion that the very stuff flowing through our veins, so necessary to life, could be used to end lives and destroy that which was built by its allowance is a terrifying concept. The poet's omission of any exploration of this frightening paradox has lead many to believe that the poet himself found these truths to be irreconcilable, and the poem merely serves to pose a question about the goodness (or badness) of our lifeblood which evades a satisfying answer, if such an answer can be found at all.- Morrus Strongarm, Voices of the Past
Historical Details
Background
By the time this poem was written, the Morlu War was firmly within the "Latter War" period which we historians use to describe the final, bloody years of the war. A substantial darkening of tone in Morlu texts occurred during this period, even relative to the "Entrenchment" period which preceded it. As the war neared its 150th year, it only seemed to be worsening. Soldiers were increasingly sent to die en-masse in suicidal attack after suicidal attack, achieving nothing but increasing the body count. In our day and age we often neglect to reflect upon the humanity of these soldiers. These were no warforged, they were men and women (towards the end of the war) who were mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. They were just as us -- fearful of the end of life, afraid of both the manner of their cruel death and the afterlife which awaited them (if one awaited at all, for some were trapped in soul gems). We must remember this: they felt. During this period of the war, if you were somehow able to avoid being sent away, then, most likely, your mother, father, at least one sibling, and at least one child would be sent. Only one would return, most likely maimed. It is in these dark times that our poet put quill to parchment and wrote his commentary.
Medium
Paper
Authoring Date
Circa 370 BC
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