T E M P E S T
- Intent: To add a shanty and a cool High Republic bit of lore into Chaos' Pamarthe. To continue a project begun with Kaska Arden
- Image Credit: Wookiepedia
- Canon: Shrii ka rai ka rai
- Permissions: N/A
- Links:
- Media Name: The Tragedy of Speyr Balley
- Format: The tales, accompanying lullabies, shanties, etc. were all passed on by word of mouth but can now be found as holotapes, books, holovids etc.
- Distribution: Planetary
- Length:Epic
- Description: The Tragedy of Speyr Balley, also known as the Epic of Speyr Balley, is a tale about the rise and fall of Pamarthe's first Storm Warden and third High King Speyr Balley. As an epic, it contains about a dozen stories about the meteoric rise of the Third High King with tales such as the "On Emerald Wings", "The Lion's Share", and "Tidal Titans". However, the last quarter of the Epic depicts the tragic string of events that led Speyr Balley to ultimately kill his wife, the Queen, the horrors of the Thresher and the Nameless, as well as the events that turned Pamarthe's largest and only land-based kingdom into salt in a bloody war known as the Cloudburst War. The end connects another Pamarthen Epic as the end of the Cloudburst War saw the rise of one of Pamarthe's greatest heroes, Meiridium Stormblessed, who stopped the now mad King Speyr Balley. These portions of the Epic have adopted off-world nursery rhymes, ghost stories, and a mournful shanty.
- Author: Unknown
- Publisher: N/A
- Reception: The Tragedy of Speyr Balley is a popular tale on Pamarthe, especially because it ties into the story of Meiridium Stormblessed, another popular Pamarthen heroine. Children often read until the Queen goes mad because the following tales tie to ghost stories and scary nursery rhymes meant to keep naughty children in line.
The Tragedy of Speyr Balley is a collection of poems, prose, and songs. Below are a few of the most popular, though there are about twenty-four pieces in all to the epic.
CONTENT INFORMATION
"On Emerald Wings" - A short poem about Speyr Balley's grand hunt of a Pamarthen Drake. He does find the drake but instead learns to ride the beast and befriends the Drake's clutch, protecting it from poachers. He created a family crest based on an Emerald Drake striking down rudimentary airspeeders with fire. It has become a popular crest for brands and race teams.
"The Lion's Share" - As a pirate on the high seas of Pamarthe, Speyr Balley and his crew attempt to find a secret buried treasure said to make the man who finds it the next High King. He meets his wife-to-be, Sadia Braun, in this tale. Set upon by a rival captain the two race across Pamarthe to find the treasure only for it to be lost. After taking Speyr Balley's right eye, the rival is left to die on an island as a pride of Pamarthen Lions closes in. It is an adventure romance tale. Secretly, Sadia holds the legendary key to becoming the next High King.
"Stormfather Calls" - Speyr Balley is beset by visions and guided to an underwater cavern where he is blessed by a Stormhorn. Dying of old age, the Stormhorn bestows upon Speyr Balley his horn, a massive shard of Cloudburst stone. Guided by yet more visions he is met by a Lurix who guides him to the top of a mountain where he forges a blade from the stone. He returns to Hyne, the seat of his power, to a jealous wife. The first cracks begin to show. He is called Storm Warden by his people after he fights off one of the worst Glowing Storms ever.
"Tidal Titans" - Now High King of Pamarthe's island territories and married to Sadia, Speyr Balley defends his kingdom against strange invaders with powerful warships and red energy swords. The combined might of the Jedi and Speyr Balley's Storm Wardens, pilots and warriors dedicated to the defense of Pamarthe, push back the assault, but not before evil is seeded in the deep, black sea. This tale in particular has been turned into holofilms several times, often giving the Jedi a role that Pamarthens see as exaggerated.
"Shrii Ka Rai Ka Rai" - An ancient nursery rhyme attached to Jedi lore. Its presence on Pamarthe is due to Sadia's use of the Nameless on Pamarthe during the Tidal Titans. Her part in that story is often omitted in the holovids. However, there is a second part to "Tidal Titans" that contains her betrayal of the Jedi, as the Nameless do no discriminate in their hunger for Force Users. Many Jedi and Sith were turned to dust that day, but ultimately Pamarthe survived. The key was taken from her by Speyr Balley and she was exiled.
"Mad Queen, Bound in Bones" - Exiled, Sadia becomes a menace. Having found the Thresher's slumbering place she awakens them and uses them to wreak havoc on Pamarthe. Speyr Balley is forced to kill her. The mournful shanty that is attached to this story has become a funeral song and ghost story with the vow "Never Shall We Die" being the promise of Speyr Balley to always watch over his wife's burial ground.
"The Mad King Salts the Earth" - Seeking power, the King of Aletheria, the only land-based kingdom on Pamarthe, disturbs the sleeping place of the Mad Queen Sadia. Her ghost possesses Speyr Balley who drives all of Pamarthe to war. The story goes that Speyr Baley called on the Stormfather to smite the kingdom, turning everything on the massive continent into salt and ash. Having touched the Force, the Nameless are awakened from their slumber deep in his castle and turn his Storm Wardens to ash. Meiridium Stormblessed, a non-force user member of the Storm Wardens kills with his own Nameless Speyr Balley for turning his power against the people of Pamarthe and becomes the fourth ruler of Pamarth, the new High Queen. Stories of her adventures follow. It is said that the ashes of Speyr Balley have taken to the sea and formed a ghost crew and to this day haunt the burial ground of his wife, dragging any ship fool enough to wander too close into the depths to feed the Thresher. The Salt Planes of Speyr Balley remain largely unsettled to this day, though a few companies mine the salt and other minerals around the edges of the continent. There remains no ship traffic in the waters surrounding the continent and any travel to the Salt Planes is done by air or from orbit.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Some historians claim that The Tragedy of Speyr Balley gives the most reliable account of post-colonial Pamarthe. Many of the locations depicted throughout the epic are real such as the sunken vessel claimed to be Sadia's final resting place. The Great Spires on the salt planes were also eerily reminiscent of other ancient Pamarthen sites discovered throughout its history, however, their salt-based composition makes it unclear if the buildings were always made of salt and carved or turned to salt like the legend says. Either way, the great cities scattered across the Salt Planes of Speyr Balley remain mostly unexplored and abandoned. Ancient Jedi records corroborate the possibility of an early Sith invasion of the world, though no sign of these presumed early Sithspawn "Thresher" has been found. Regardless, despite his fall and the horrors he brought upon Pamarthe, the name Speyr Balley is looked on fondly as a strong name. Speyr Balley is also often misrepresented in off-world media because though his stories were likely made up, Pamarthen records do show that the third High King of Pamarthe was indeed a man named Speyr Balley and he was not human as many off-world vids would show but instead a Quarren.
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