Page 55 - Brugger Karl The chronicle of Akakor

The Chronicle of Akakor
The only survivors of the formerly powerful Allied Tribes were the Tribe of Tapir Killers, the Tribe of
Black Hearts, the Tribe of Evil Spirits, and the Tribe of Refuse Eaters. The Tribe of Demons-Terror had fled
into the deep wilderness of lianas. The surviving Wanderers lived with the Akahim. The White Barbarians
advanced inexorably, destroying every obstruction or anything that displeased them. As the ant gnaws the
flesh off the wounded jaguar’s bones, so they destroyed the empire of the Chosen Tribes.

Impotently, the Ugha Mongulala faced the attack of their enemies. In helpless exasperation, they
experienced the decline of the formerly powerful empire. The women were still weaving garments for their
husbands; the hunters still followed the spoor of the wild boar and laid in stores for the rainy season; the
warriors stood vigilantly on the mighty walls of Akakor in the protection of high mountains and deep
valleys. But all the lives and actions of the Chosen People were shadowed by deep sorrow. Their faces were
pale, white, and tired like flowers blooming in the depth of the liana wilderness. Where were the Gods, who
had promised to return when their brothers of the same blood and the same father were in danger? What had
become of the justice of the eternal laws which, according to the bequest of the Gods, should also rule the
White Barbarians? The people saw no way out. Even the priests had no answer.

That was the beginning of the decline. That was the inglorious end of the empire. So began the
victory of the White Barbarians. They were like evil spirits but also strong and powerful. They
committed crimes even in daylight. And the Chosen Servants united. They took up their arms.
They wanted to confront the ‘White Barbarians and to fight. They wanted to finish them at the
four corners of the empire. Not afraid of mighty weapons, they wanted to wreak vengeance for
their crimes. For the Chosen Servants had never been so blinded by power or wealth as the
White Barbarians.

The War on the Great River
The savage tribes on the lower reaches of the Great River are lazy, and peaceful as the water before it
reaches the sea. When Lhasa expanded the empire to the mouth of the river, they came to meet him with
gifts. They greeted his warriors with tokens of friendship. Willingly they allied themselves to the most
powerful nation in the world. They wanted nothing but their land, where they could live in tranquillity and
peace. Only after the arrival of the White Barbarians did the savage tribes start changing their lives.
Although they had formerly supported the Ugha Mongulala, they now served the White Barbarians who had
promised them riches and power. But the White Barbarians know nothing about the value of promises.
Their hearts are cold, and their way of thinking is very strange and involved. They do not fight each other
for the sake of a man’s honor or to prove their strength; they make war only for the sake of things. The
savage tribes on the lower reaches of the Great River also began to experience this. The atrocities the White
Barbarians committed were so horrible that even these peaceful people took up arms. They united and
declared war on their oppressors.
Scouts brought news to the high council of Akakor about this revolt, which soon developed into a civil
struggle among the White Barbarians. The accounts of the fights were horrible. The White Barbarians
pursued the rebels without pity. Under cover of darkness they attacked cities and villages. They killed the
ordinary people with their fire-spewing arms. The chieftains were hanged from trees by their heels, and
their hearts were cut out. Soon the Great Forest was filled with the cries of the dying. The survivors passed
through the country like shadows and begged the Gods for justice, as it is written in the chronicle:

What kind of people are these who do not even respect their own Gods, who kill because they
rejoice in foreign blood? They are miserable. They are bone breakers. They even beat their
own brothers until they are bloody, suck them dry to the bone, and scatter their bones over the
fields. That is what they are: bone breakers, skull wreckers, miserable people.

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