br8kr's Blog

NEW:
To speak of the dark gambol of the dro-m’Athra.

WAX:
When true cats die, their souls are lifted by Khenarthi and flown to the Sands Behind the Stars, to play and prey until the Next Pounce.
When bent cats die, their souls are dragged down by Namiira into the Dark Behind the World, to serve the Heart of Lorkhaj until their tails are straight.

FULL:
These, then, become the Dancers in the Darks, where they whirl to no music but the beating of the Heart. Sometimes these dancers seep up through the cracks in Nirni to the moonlit world, and walk among us as if made of moonless night. Then we call them dro-m’Athra. And this is a name of fear.

For a true cat to see a dro-m’Athra do the Bent Dance is to feel his tail twitch in time, and feel the pull of the Darks. As each twitch pulls the true cat further from the moons-light, the cat’s shadow grows longer and more bent. And if the tide of the Darks grows greater than the tide of the Lights, the true cat is lost, and becomes a bent cat.

Then comes the true peril, for a dro-m’Athra can twist out a bent cat’s soul, and send it through the cracks to the Darks. Once it hears the beating of the Heart it, too, will dance bent.

It is hard to stop. One night all the villagers of Lohrn were found dancing the Bent Dance. Now we do not go there.

 

And Fadomai said:

“Hermorah, you are the Tides, for who can say whether the moons predict the tides or the tides predict the moons?”

“Hircine, you are the Hungry Cat, for what hunts better than a cat with an empty belly?”

“Merrunz, you are the Ja’Khajiit, for what is more destructive than an kitten?”

“Mafala, you are the Clan Mother, for what is more secretive than the ways of the Clan Mothers?”

“Sangiin, you are the Blood Cat, for who can control the urges of blood?”

“Sheggorath, you are the Skooma Cat, for what is crazier than a cat on skooma?”

And Ahnurr said, “Two litters is enough, for too many children will steal our happiness.”

But Khenarthi went to Fadomai and said, “Fadomai-mother, Khenarthi grows lonely so high above the world where not even my brother Alkosh can fly.” Fadomai took pity on her and tricked Ahnurr to make her pregnant again.

And Fadomai gave birth to the Moons and their Motions. And she gave birth to Nirni, the majestic sands and lush forests. And she gave birth to Azurah, the dusk and the dawn.

WANE:
To banish the dro-m’Athra, there are two ways: the Way of Jone and the Way of Jode.

Warriors use the Way of Jone, which is to unsheathe the claws and strike the darkness until it is no more. And this way is a good way, for everyone who is strong of heart and claw can use it.

Priests use the Way of Jode, which is to bathe the moonless dark in bright lunar light. And this way is a better way, for bent spirits thus banished do not return.

Rajhin (The Footpad):
Thief and trickster god, the Purring Liar, much beloved of Khajiiti storytellers. Rajhin grew up in the Black Kiergo section of Senchal. The most famous burglar in Elsweyr’s history, Rajhin is said to have stolen a tattoo from the neck of Empress Kintyra as she slept.

The Khajiiti Language: Ta’agra

Known translated words from Ta’agra:

• “Jo” means “wizard”.
• “Dar” means “thief”. This appellation is not meant to imply a criminal, but rather, one who is clever, or else, particularly gifted with their hands.
• “Do” means “warrior”. This title is rarely used by modern Khajiit, save it be for the Mane’s personal guards, and masters of Goutfang, Whispering Claw, and Rawlith Khaj.
• “M” or “Ma” means “child” or “apprentice”. Khajiit also use the word to imply one who is a virgin.
• “J,” Ji,” or “Ja” means “a bachelor” or “young adult”. In the common vernacular, it means one who is young and lacks experience.
• “S” means “adult” or “an adult”.
• “Ra” and “Ri” are used to imply great status, “Ri” being the highest honorific among the Khajiit, used by leaders of cities or tribes.
• “Dro” means “grandfather” and is meant as a sign of respect.
• “Khaj” means “desert”.
• “-iit” is used to state where one lives, and is also used to define one’s job.
• “Va” means “to be”.
• “Rabi” is used to define ownership, as well as being the title for a style of shirt commonly worn by Suthay-raht.
• “Thjizzrini” means “foolish concepts,” the closest translation of “rules” possible in Ta’agra.
• “Ri’sallidad” means “martyrs”, but is used only in the case of those martyrs deserving special honor.
• “Vaba” means “it is”.
• “Ja-Kha’jay” the “Lunar Lattice”, occasionally translated as the “Moonstrings” by foreigners.^[10]
• “Renrij” translates, varyingly to “scum”, “mercenary” or “landless”.
• “Krin” means “grin”, “laugh”, or “smile”.

Grasp this simple truth — “q’zi no vano thzina ualizz” — “When I contradict myself, I am telling the truth.”

We are the Renrijra Krin. “The Mercenary’s Grin¸” “The Laugh of the Landless,” and “The Smiling Scum” would all be fair translations. It is a derogatory expression, but it is amusing so we have adopted it.

We have anger in our hearts, but not on our faces. We fight for Elsweyr, but we do not ally ourselves with the Mane, who symbolizes our land. We believe in justice, but do not follow laws.

“Q’zi no vano thzina ualizz.”

These are not rules, for there is no word for “rules” in Ta’agra. Call them our “thjizzrini” — “foolish concepts.”

1. “Vaba Do’Shurh’do”: “It Is Good To Be Brave”

We are struggling against impossible odds, against the very Empire of Tamriel. Our cause is the noblest cause of all: defense of home. If we fail, we betray our past and our future. Our dead are “Ri’sallidad”, which may be interpreted as “martyrs” in the truest, best sense of that word which is so often misused. We honor their sacrifice and, beneath our smiles, mourn them deeply.

Our bravery most obviously shows in the smile that is the “Krin” part of our name. This does not mean that we walk about grinning like the idiotic, baboonish Imga of Valenwood. We simply are entertained by adversary. We find an equal, fair fight tiresome in the extreme. We confidently smile because we know our victory in the end is assured. And we know our smiles drive our enemies insane.

2. “Vaba Maaszi Lhajiito”: “It Is Necessary To Run Away”

We are struggling against impossible odds, against the very Empire of Tamriel. Honor is madness. Yes, we loved the Renrijra Krin who died in brave battle against the forces of the Empire, but I guarantee you that each of those Ri’sallidad had an escape route he or she failed to use, and died saying, “Damn.”

When the great Senche-Raht comes to the Saimisil Steppes, he will find himself unable to hunt, unable to sleep, as the tiny Alfiq leap onto his back, biting him, and running off before he has a chance to turn his great body to face them. Eventually, though he may stubbornly hope to catch the Alfiq, the Senche-Raht always leaves. They are our cousins, the Alfiq, and we have adopted their strategy against the great tiger of Leyawiin.

Do not ally yourself with the Renrij if you yearn to be part of a mighty army, marching resolutely forth, for whom retreat is anathema. We will laugh at your suicidal idiocy as we slip into the reeds of the river, and watch the inevitable slaughter.

3. “Fusozay Var Var”: “Enjoy Life”

Life is short. If you have not made love recently, please, put down this book, and take care of that with all haste. Find a wanton lass or a frisky lad, or several, in whatever combination your wise loins direct, and do not under any circumstances play hard to get. Our struggle against the colossal forces of oppression can wait.

Good. Welcome back.

We Renrijra Krin live and fight together, and know that Leyawiin and the Empire will not give way very soon, likely not in our lifetimes. In the time we have, we do not want our closest comrades to be dour, dull, colorless, sober, and virginal. If we did, we would have joined the Emperor’s Blades.

Do not begrudge us our lewd jokes, our bawdy, drunken nights, our moonsugar. They are the pleasures that Leyawiin denies us, and so we take our good humor very seriously.

4. “Fusozay Var Dar”: “Kill Without Qualm”

Life is short. Very short, as many have learned when they have crossed the Renrijra Krin.

We fight dirty. If an enemy is facing us, we might consider our options, and even slip away if his sword looks too big. If his back is to us, however, I personally favor knocking him down, and then jumping on his neck where the bones snap with a gratifying crunch. Of course, it is up to you and your personal style.

5. “Ahzirr Durrarriss”: “We Give Freely To The People”

Let us not forget our purpose. We are fighting for our families, the Khajiiti driven from the rich, fertile shores of Lake Makapi and the River Malapi, where they and their ancestors lived since time immemorial. It is our battle, but their tragedy. We must show them, lest they are swayed by other rhetoric, that we are fighting for them.

The Mane, The Emperor, and The Count can give speeches, pass laws, and, living life in the open, explain their positions and philosophies to their people to stave off the inevitable revolution. Extralegal entities, such as the Renrijra Krin, must make our actions count for our words. This means more than fighting the good fight, and having a laugh at our befuddled adversaries. It means engaging and seducing the people. Ours is not a military war, it is a political war. If the people rise up against our oppressors, they will retreat, and we will win.

Give to these people, whenever possible, gold, moonsugar, and our strong arms, and though they hide, their hearts will be with us.

6. “Ahzirr Traajijazeri”: “We Justly Take By Force”

Let us not forget our purpose. We are thieves and thugs, smugglers and saboteurs. If we cannot take a farm, we burn it to the ground. If the Imperials garrisoned in a glorious ancient stronghold, beloved by our ancestors, will not yield, we tear the structure apart. If the only way to rescue the land from the Leyawiin misappropriation is to make it uninhabitable by all, so be it.

We want our life and our home back as it was twenty years ago, but if that is not realistic, then we will accept a different simple, pragmatic goal. Revenge. With a smile.

 

Places of Note:

Senchal

This infamous city is the largest port in southern Tamriel. Its sprawl covers the easternmost tip of Elsweyr’s Quin’rawl peninsula, a motley assortment of bazaars, taverns, merchant quarters, and open-air markets ringed on three sides by its crowded harbors. Senchal is a favorite stopping point for pirates and sea captains seeking to ply illegal or blackmarket goods, it being far easier to smuggle these goods into and out of the Empire by way of the Topal Sea than to use the well-guarded inland highways. Thieves abound here, as do beggars and pathetic khajiit sugar junkies. The traveler is advised to steer clear of Black Keirgo, Senchal’s most squalid and dangerous quarter, when visiting the city. Illicit sugar-dens line the streets here, where beastmen and nobility alike wither away in sucrose fevers. All in all, Senchal is the ugliest city outside of Imperial jurisdiction. The air is humid and full of the chimney-smoke caught in the eddies from the surrounding coasts. Much of the city is abandoned or in ruins. In CE560, a strain of the Knahaten Flu blew across the channel from nearby Argonia and quickly infected the city’s population. Whole neighborhoods were razed in some mad effort to cleanse Senchal of the Flu and have never been rebuilt. Visitors to the open-air markets can see these charred skylines on the periphery, as black and jagged as the teeth of the nearest sugar junkie, begging for cake.

Torval

Torval is the city-state of Elsweyr’s spiritual and temporal ruler, the Mane. He and his tribe live here in stately and exotic palaces built from massive timbers of Valenwood oak, whose territorial borders are only a few hundred miles away. Symmetrical sugarcane gardens surround these palaces, where the Mane is often seen in day-long meditations atop his palanquin, held up by his inexhaustible cathay-raht servants. As has been said, the moon-sugar of Elsweyr is the holiest of substances to the khajiit. They speak of sugar as we might speak of the soul or the lifeforce. Therefore, humans have been traditionally forbidden to trespass on these estates, and the Warrior Guard enforce this measure as strictly as they do around the Tenmar Forest. An Imperial diplomat was not long ago chased from the premises, even though he had been promised an audience with the khajiit ruler. The panther-like Warrior Guard hissed at his approach, bared their fangs, and threatened him to leave quickly, lest they “leak his sugar” into the sand. Our Glorious Emperor, Tiber Septim, has yet to seek redress from the lawless catmen.

 

Jode (Big Moon God): Aldmeri god of the Big Moon. Also called Masser or Mara’s Tear. In Khajiti religion, Jode is only one aspect of the Lunar Lattice, or ja-Kha’jay.

Jone (Little Moon God): Aldmeri god of the Little Moon. Also called Secunda or Stendarr’s Sorrow. In Khajiti religion, Jone is only one aspect of the Lunar Lattice, or ja-Kha’jay.