Naga Clan Letter #12
My friend,
In the far northern mountains of the Shinomen, outside the bounds of the forest today, a great discovery has been made. The Naga call it "Kalpa", the city of rebirth.
But the news is grave.
Through the strength of the Malekish, whose never-wavering studies have guided the People's quest to uncover the devastation of that region, their holy temples have been unburied. The Naga spoke as if Kalpa's tall towers would once more rise above the sweeping glen and the Akasha would make whole all that has been destroyed.
They were wrong.
Long ago, say the Naga, the Shinomen forest covered far greater tracts of land than it does today. Somewhere to the far north, the city of rebirth lies buries beneath the rubble of earthquakes and the passage of time. They have been searching for it since the day they turned from the Crab and their spears turned on the Dragon.
Now, they have found something.
I've heard them call Kalpa "the wonder of the land," but now it is little more than three bricks joined by mortar. The one building that stands, partly buried beneath rock and mud, is the Temple of the Bright Eye. Here, the Naga concentrate all of their efforts. I have asked them to tell me the stories of the place, but even I cannot make out their language well enough to catch the full tale.
I have grasped that it is the burial place of the "Qatol." That is also the name they give to the dead body of the man who lies deep within the forests to the south. I have not been allowed to see his face, but I believe I know who rests within the Cobra's spell. He sleeps, I am told, and they mean to bring him here.
These ruins hold something of critical importance. I can feel it.
The Daini