Varirka: Tautala's Revenge

History

If you ask a member of the royal family, the Wlitowai line was always legitimate, going back to the days when Ak'tawo was a city-state. That position, however, is not unanimously held. There was a line of succession, now called House Tautala, who claimed that their founding patriarch was once first in line for the throne. They made a bid for the title but were soundly thrashed by the king's finest guard, which had taken up arms against the Tautala clan. Banished from the nation upon pain of death, they formed a colony around the Tuhran city of Sossatet in southeastern Unterritory. There, they vowed that they would reclaim their ancestral throne.

They brought with them precious stones and trinkets from their distant land, but their most valued heirloom was fashioned in Sossatet. A smooth round sphere was rubbed out of dark stone harvested in Unterritory. Upon it were carved the names of the so-called "false kings," beside which were images of their perceived crimes, and their punishments.

Significance

It was prophesied that the last Wlitowan pretender on the throne would be crushed by the weight of the varirka, thrown by the true Wlitowan heir. However, the Tautala clan lost most of its numbers and strength fighting for Tuhra in its wars against Wlitowa and Keyrit, and died shortly thereafter when the last of the Tautala clan took up the name of her husband. The varirka was brought back to Wlitowa as a trophy of victory over the true pretenders, and it was placed on public display.

Over a millennium later, when public discontent against the monarchy grew too much to bear, the varirka once again became a symbol of vengeance. One commenter declared, "Many names have yet to be etched on Tautala's Revenge. The crimes vary, but the culprit, the royal household, remains the same!" As the revolutionaries stormed the palace, one revolutionary picked up the varirka and threw it at the princess. He missed, and the stone shattered into pieces.