The Legend of Sabi'ik

Children all, listen well,
To this ancient and hallowed tale.
Passed down from our ancestors upon antiquity,
Of the Hero Sabi'ik,
And his quest to sate the hunger of his voracious master,
and in doing so, saved our very peoples
from the grip of starvation.

— The prelude of an ancient tale

The Legend of Sabi'ik is a tale passed down through the Tletci people for generations. It is a cultural icon, National treasure, and ultimately a fun tale to tell around the campfire on a warm summer's evening while eating a taco or five.

The Legend of Sabi-ik: The Oral Tale pt. 1

Once, in an ancient time

The Lord of the Lands grew hungy.

He ate, and ate, and ate,
and still he was not satisfied.
Fields were stripped of their wheat,
and the pens of their cattle.
The rivers were drained of fish
and the birds of the air fell in their flocks.
And still, he was not satisfied.

Then he turned his eyes upon his people.
Servants, fieldkeeps, soldiers-
it mattered not.
If they could not cook,
they were sacrificed to the stove.
The Chef, disgusted by the Master and his appetite,
bid a lowly peeler of fruit named Sabi'ik
to go, and find something to sate the Master.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Cultural Revolution

The Legend of Sabi'ik is so old, and so storied, that it is not sure whether the cultural delicacy of tacos was influenced by it, or if the taco itself was influenced by the story. Regardless, the two now stand hand in hand in the legacy of the Tletci. They are small, simple to make yet a marvel in every aspect.
But it was not until the Night of Falling Crowns and the displacement of the Tletci across the Mortal Lands that the Legend of Sabi'ik took new form. No longer was the taco a simple food, it was a reminder of heritage and ancient legends. It was a way to keep the culture alive, in a small and delectable form.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Oral Tale pt. 2

So Sabi'ik set out, across barren fields and woods stripped of fruit,
to the mountains of Begoria
The soil turned to ash, to stony, rough rock,
as he approached the raging Tepettlet.
Which would spit fire and smoke at those
who would dare to tread upon its slopes.

But Sabi'ik had been passed the ancient stories
of how to read the mountain's wrath,
and brought with him a gift
of glittering stone and sparkling gem,
And the Mountain Was Pleased.
It offered up a gift in return
Fruit, as red as its fire yet filled with life-giving water,
That thrived in the rich soil of the Mountain's slopes.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Lasting Impact

Today, the Legend of Sabi'ik is a cultural icon that prevades the food, clothing and lifestyle of the Tletci. Tacos are the core staple of their festivals, their clothes are woven and embroidered in rich colors of red, green and brown. The Legend stands as a reminder that temperance is a virtue, one carefully held by the Tletci. Food is not wasted, but shared with the poor. Clothing is used and used until even the barest threads can no longer hold their shape.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Oral Tale Pt. 3

And So Sabi'iks journey continued.
To the barren plains bereft of grass or tree
where thunder shook the earth.
Here the last herds of cattle thrived in the protection of Cahnacathuei
Mighty and strong, whose hooves trampled armies underfoot.
But Sabi'ik did not come to fight the Bull head on,
for to do so was to court Los Muertos

Instead, Sabi'ik found a cleft in the plains
where the dry ground had cracked and split
And he dug, deepening the crack
until two men could fit without brushing the sides
And when Cahnacathuei came charging
his hooves were caught in the cleft in the ground
Allowing Sabi'ik to slay him, and cut his flesh
to tiny pieces, with the fat left in the crack
to feed the birds of the air which flocked
desperately seeking sustenance.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: Literary Analysis

Experts are divided as to how much of the Legend of Sabi'ik can be taken as straight fact, and what is to be interperted as allegory or exaggeration. The promience of The Begoria mountain range lends credence to the historical roots of the tale, And recent analysis of the unclaimed lands formerly of Shimshar have shown evidence of a great famine some time far in the distant past. Who the "Voracious Master" could be, however, is unknown; the people of Tletci had many chieftans and kings before being subdued by the Shimsharian Emirates in the 1300s. Written words were rare, the Tletci prefering carved stone to tell their tales. As such, many details related to the Legend have been lost to time.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Oral Tale, pt. 4

And So Sabi'iks' journey continued.
Deep into the Mountains of Begoria once more,
To the cold and raging mount of Tepetehec
Where naught had grown since the fall of the forbidden ones.
The Winds were fierce, and snapped at the Tilma of Sabi'ik,
But he did not falter.

It was there that he saw birds, brilliant green in their plumage,
flocking around a small cliff hidden from the fierce storm.
He approached, and found a small grotto, lush with life
and warm, warmed from the fires below the mountains.
Amoungst the life he found wide leaves, green turning to white at the tips.
Which he broke off, and gathered seeds to take with him.
Before descending down the mountain once more.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Roots of the Tletci

While those not of the Tletci would take the Legend of Sabi'ik at face value, the Tletci treasure the legend as it holds for them the roots of their heritage, displaced across the Mortal Lands as they have become. Once nestled in the foothils of the Begoria Mountain range, the Tletci were a rich and hearty people, avid traders and cultivists of agriculture. This did not, however, endear them towards combat, and they were swiftly subjected to Emirate rule in the 1300s. For the most part, the Emirates left their culture alone, so long as they provided the food needed to support their growing fleets. And so the culture of the Tletci was allowed to flourish.
There is talk amoungst certain tribes of the Tletci about returning to their homelands, now unclaimed by any country and left to fallow. It would take, however, a grand endeavor to not only return, but establish a new country that can hold its own against the Emirates, who also seek to expand their claims once more.

The Legend of Sabi'ik: The Oral Tale pt. 5

Armed with his treasures,
Sabi'ik returned to the home of his master.
And set to work about the kitchens now emptied of their cooks.
The flesh of Cahnacathuei was ground fine, mixed with rich spices and set to simmer on a great fire
The red fruit of Tepettlet was diced into tiny pieces, its seeds set aside for regrowth
the verdant leaves of Tepetehec were likewise chopped, and set in a large bowl.
Yet the kitchens were all but bare-there was no bread to be found.
So Sabi'ik took the dried corn that had been left in a cupboard, and ground it fine,
and turned it to a flour, which cooked flat.

Then Sabi'ik found a great trough, once used to feed the Master's horses
And placed the flat, cooked flour in side
The meat of Cahnacathuei was placed along the bottom,
With the Fruit and the Leaves of hte Mountains placed upon the top.
and, Having set the trough upon a cart, brought it to the Master.
The master was pleased at this new dish, and ate greedily
But he ate too fast, too deep,
and the wrath of the mountains was made known to him.
The Strength of Cahnacathuei was too much, the fruit of the mountains too sweet,
And he perished, saving those who remained from a grim fate.
And So Sabi'ik did lay low the voracious Master,
and saved the People of the Hearth.

Date of First Recording

first set to paper in 1523

Date of Setting

Unrecorded