Mithras Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 In the beginning, the priestly scribes of Yin declare, all the land between the Bones and the freezing desert called the Grey Waste, from the Shivering Sea to the Jade Sea (including even the great and holy isle of Leng), formed a single realm ruled by the God-on-Earth, the only begotten son of the Lion of Night and Maiden-Made-of-Light, who traveled about his domains in a palanquin carved from a single pearl and carried by a hundred queens, his wives. For ten thousand years the Great Empire of the Dawn flourished in peace and plenty under the God-on-Earth, until at last he ascended to the stars to join his forebears. Dominion over mankind then passed to his eldest son, who was known as the Pearl Emperor and ruled for a thousand years. The Jade Emperor, the Tourmaline Emperor, the Onyx Emperor, the Topaz Emperor, and the Opal Emperor followed in turn, each reigning for centuries … yet every reign was shorter and more troubled than the one preceding it, for wild men and baleful beasts pressed at the borders of the Great Empire, lesser kings grew prideful and rebellious, and the common people gave themselves over to avarice, envy, lust, murder, incest, gluttony, and sloth. When the daughter of the Opal Emperor succeeded him as the Amethyst Empress, her envious younger brother cast her down and slew her, proclaiming himself the Bloodstone Emperor and beginning a reign of terror. He practiced dark arts, torture, and necromancy, enslaved his people, took a tiger-woman for his bride, feasted on human flesh, and cast down the true gods to worship a black stone that had fallen from the sky. (Many scholars count the Bloodstone Emperor as the first High Priest of the sinister Church of Starry Wisdom, which persists to this day in many port cities throughout the known world). In the annals of the Further East, it was the Blood Betrayal, as his usurpation is named, that ushered in the age of darkness called the Long Night. Despairing of the evil that had been unleashed on earth, the Maiden-Made-of-Light turned her back upon the world, and the Lion of Night came forth in all his wroth to punish the wickedness of men. How long the darkness endured no man can say, but all agree that it was only when a great warrior— known variously as Hyrkoon the Hero, Azor Ahai, Yin Tar, Neferion, and Eldric Shadowchaser— arose to give courage to the race of men and lead the virtuous into battle with his blazing sword Lightbringer that the darkness was put to rout, and light and love returned once more to the world. Yet the Great Empire of the Dawn was not reborn, for the restored world was a broken place where every tribe of men went its own way, fearful of all the others, and war and lust and murder endured, even to our present day. Or so the men and women of the Further East believe. Martin, George R.R.; Garcia, Elio; Antonsson, Linda (2014-10-28). The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) (Kindle Locations 8490-8510). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. These successive god-emperors named after gems and ascending to stars after death should give us a hint. Each god-emperor’s reign might represent an astrological age. As the ages pass, people fell into the darkness of sins. The reigns became shorter and probably the seasons jumped out of balance. Bloodstone Emperor and Amethyst Empress during the Long Night somehow remind me of the Night’s King and his Other bride. Of course there might be inconsistencies between these two different tales but the truth might lie somewhere between. From the way it seems, the way the First Long Night was dealt with was incomplete and probably that is why the seasons are still unbalanced. And probably that is why people prophesized that the Hero will return to finish the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stannis's Lawyer Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I know this is fantasy, but pre-Long Night Yi Ti history sounds far too much like the Three Sovereigns and the Five Emperors period of Chinese history. Just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithras Posted December 25, 2014 Author Share Posted December 25, 2014 BTW, Church of Starry Wisdom is yet another homage to Lovecraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinner Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 BTW, Church of Starry Wisdom is yet another homage to Lovecraft.Nyarlathotep=Black oily stone God It all makes sense now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzalo Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 The Amethyst Empress was the Bloodstone Emperor's sister whom he usurped. The "equivalent" to the Corpse Queen would be tiger-woman the Bloodstone Emperor takes as wife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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