Kraken Sushi

Once, long ago, there was a small village resting in the easternmost part of Trel, overlooking a golden sea. Like every village near the shore, they'd become reliant on their sailors for their livelihood. Their goods, heavily salted fish, would be carried along the roads and traded inland for additional provisions. However, as was often the case, the people of Trel became dissatisfied with their position in the natural order. No longer wishing to work the seas, in service to the Emperor, they devised several ways to hide themselves from their responsibilities. They lied about the seas being turbulent and sought ways to purchase their goods from strangers across the waters, using relief funds to fatten their own money pouches.

As many stories go, their tale had grown out of proportion. When their lies had caught up with them, the people looked for an easy answer. A group was sent to the shoreline to pray and make offerings to anything that would deliver them from what they'd brought on themselves. A voice from the deeps offered them aid, more fish than they could imagine, in exchange for the relics blessed by the Emperor.

Every holy relic was accepted, the seas bubbling as fish were brought up to the surface in great numbers. Every fishing season, another relic would be thrown in, and the seas would open themselves in gratitude. They became wealthy, proud, and insolent. Their fellow countrymen were repaid, but the villagers distanced themselves from the others, becoming lazy in their newfound prosperity. Yet, this change would soon come to an end.

A time came when there were no more relics to be offered. The bridges between them and their neighbors had burned, and requesting new relics was unheard of. Again, villagers came to the shores to speak to that little god to form a new deal. As punishment, the creature rose from the depths, assailing the village with a great fury. Without the protection of the Emperor, the villagers could not hold against its wrath.

The fires of their distress caught the attention of the other villages, who sent their best on horseback to the ruined village. Catching the little god before it could flee back into the sea, their combined efforts allowed them to catch it. The body of that fish, several men long, fed the people for as many years as the ruined village had relied on it, though ample rice was needed to mask its bitter taste.

This tale is both historically inaccurate and one that the Trel had stolen.

The original tale warns against blindly following the aristocracy and the compliance that comes with accepting the will of another, despite knowing their actions are morally wrong. In what was once the grand city of Koshizu, the nobility had come to despise the working class. The peasants, simple villagers, were seen as replaceable due to the influx of magic. All that could be desired was available for them. Food appeared suddenly from thin air; what would have taken artisans weeks was conjured within seconds. A single, spoken word was more valuable in the nobility's eyes than the carpenters, foresters, and fishers who'd supported their rule for generations.

Instead, the nobles of that city hired mages from across the seas to come and commune with them. They, through rituals, called out to the spirits of the depths, demanding they draw forth their abundance in exchange for something lost within the seas. When the nobles refused to uphold their end of the bargain, the tide drew back, lashing the shores with tremendous force. A storm gathered overhead, and the walls that the people had become reliant on cracked under the wrath of nature. Many were swept into the sea, and a creature unlike anything seen before washed upon the shores, swallowing entire buildings in its path of destruction.

Thousands of villagers came to aid against the storm, but it was too late. Where magic failed to stop the creature, their hard-earned skills and strength in numbers allowed them to capture the little god that ate their cruel lord. Not wishing the meat to go to waste, it was cut up into pieces smaller than the first joint of the thumb and consumed with rice, often with some vegetables, to help against its bitter taste.

While the tale is considered one of several major, authentic stories to come from Trel, many people, including some of her allies, recognize it as nothing more than the fanciful propaganda that helps ensure the people stay in line.

This tale is often mentioned in religious texts, set apart as an example of all-around foolishness.

The tale of the Kraken warns against making pacts with otherworldly creatures, or anything that resembles them. Deals that seem too good are often untrue, and the value of working for the betterment of all far outweighs anything else. Likewise, the gods are always available. Priests are dedicated to aiding others in whatever way they can, whether of the same faith or not, but they cannot help against the innate sloth found in people.

The aftermath of this tale, the true ending, warns against pride and mistaking something for what it isn't. The people had become haughty and believed that they were above what they were speaking to. Ironically, the books that warn against false identity mistakes that fish for a Kraken.