The Wrath of Jacawn
Summary
According to legend, Jacawn was the governor of a major province of the the Fakhari Empire had a daughter named Fatine said to be the most beautiful woman in all of Scarterra.
When Fatine was kidnapped and murdered, Jacawn captured her killer and tortured him nine times a day for nine years straight using magical Healing to restore him after each torture so he could face the next torture perfectly healthy.
Historical Basis
There was a historical lord named Jacawn known for his ruthlessness and he may have tortured an enemy named Chevell. It is noted that most stories about the Fakhari are both allegorical and exaggerated.
While there are modern examples of Scarterrans using Healing magic as a means of enabling torture, most medical experts believe that is unlikely that torture of that sort could be sustained 29,000 times in a row without accidentally killing the victim or the victim managing to commit suicide at some point.
Spread
Pretty much every corner of Scarterra has heard this legend. Not every individual knows the story, but most learned storytellers do, and every Scarterran that seeks out stories of the Fakhari knows this story.
Variations & Mutation
It is pretty universal for storytellers to say that Chevell was tortured nine times a day for nine years, but different storytellers feature different tortures.
Some storytellers say that Jacawn chose to not torture Chevell during the five days of the month of Nike out of respect for the Nine, a sardonic sense of mercy, or to avoid the bad luck effect said to impact all of Scarterra during those five days. Some say Chevell was born during the month of Nike as many famous villains supposedly were.
Cultural Reception
In Scarterran Idioms, "the Chevell treatment" refers to any cruel use of magical healing .
"He will face the wrath of Jacawn" is Scarterran vernacular for "&%$# going down for this!"
Some nations have created laws making giving someone the "Chevell treatment" a serious crime, while others believe it is warranted in some cases, though never nine times a day for nine years straight.
Most, but by no means all theurgists and favored souls with advanced Healing magic are compassionate souls by their very nature and a great many healers refuse to work for anyone who would ever endorse teh Chevell treatment.
In Art
A few very sadistic rulers have erected naked statues of Chevell with half healed wounds in or near prisons for the symbolic terror it invokes.
Comments