The Lay of Istel

The Iaranori worshipped their own versions of the Elder Gods, with special emphasis on Naervara. One figure, however, was unique: Bennarlar, daughter of the Queen Batydded. In Iaranori, Bennarlar signifies "Child of Stars" or "Starlike Child." The name is usually renedered into Coruman as Naervakchen. The Human Galactic Rider Kyl Mathis rendered the name into Anglich as Istel.

The epic poem The Lay of Istel has hundreds of stanzas, and tells of the birth of Istel, the history of the Empire of the Iaranor, and the sad aftermath of its fall. Not even Kyl Mathis could complete a translation of the entire work. Only the first stanzas are presented here.

T
he Scattered Worlds around the tale is told
Of the greatness of Ismallia's daughter race,
And one among them all who shines most bold:
Batydded, the Queen most fair of face
Who ruled across the midnight deeps of space
Brought glory to a hundred hundred worlds
Forged all to one and gave each one its place
A peaceful banner Batydded unfurled
Like rising tide around the stars her power curled.
F
ar off in utter dark a threat awaits
The Lord of Strife prepares his dreadful fleet
While souls know nought of vastly moving fates
And Batydded builds up her realm most sweet.
The baleful Lord upon his baleful seat,
Raids Ismall's worlds and takes her children slave
Now must the Queen his awful navies meet
Deny to him the power that he craves
And drive his awful servants from their dark enclave.
F
ull fifty years her golden ships did build
From all of Ismall's worlds the fighters came
From ev'ry land Iaranori tilled
From ev'ry home and ev'ry tribal name
Full fifty years they sought themselves to tame
While workers skilled assembled starships strong
At last the time arrived to seek their fame
In flame of launch was heard the battle-song
And fair Ismallia's sky bruned bright the whole night long.
B
atydded within her ship of grey
Sacrificed to all the gods she knew
Ismallia far behind her fell away
She knelt and prayed devout the voyage through
At ev'ry stop, all about the view
Was filled with dancing points of brilliant white
And with the massive fleet there always flew
The blessings of the goddess of the night:
Naervara's stars kept Ismall's hopes alight.
T
he battle raged for six-and-sixty days
Ismallia's brave defenders fell in scores
Fortresses were rent and died ablaze
Death claimed many valiant warriors
Batydded lost seven commodores
Whose names will e'er be recalled by kin
As long as waters lap Ismallia's shores
As long as all the stars in heaven spin
Yet neither Lord of Strife nor Batydded could win.
A
t last the raging violence of the fight
Disturbing space with endless anguished cries
Called forth the lady of the blessed night
Yet from the battle's flame there did arise
As blasts did ships and crewfolk volatize
Such a cloud of dust and seething gas
As blinded Naervara's sparkling eyes
Hid from her within this dark morass
Was Batydded and folk, whose fortunes seem to pass.
A
nd still within this dark the fighting went
Now ship to ship in vast confused pace
And still Iaranori lives were spent
The soldiers of this old and mighty race
Of cowardice bore not the merest trace.
And Batydded urged on courageous squads
To give the Dark Lord's ships the fatal chase
Never did they mind the dreadful odds
Yet in her ship of grey the Queen beseeched her gods.
I
n ship of silver-green Menetarlan
The loyal deputy of Ismall's Queen
Did battle with an alien caravan
One valiant fighting ship against fourteen
Menetarlan was sanwiched in between
The target of destructive furious bolts
'Til uncontrolled across the sky did careen,
Battered back and forth by mighty jolts
The proud green ship whose tortured engine now revolts.
A
nd now the Elder Gods conspire with fate
The ship of silver-freen arrests its flight
And all the skies and stars reverberate
With cry of Batydded's own faithful knight
A cry 'tis answered by the waiting might
Of the Elder Race upon Nephestal fair.
The Daamin send their fleets into twilight
In answer to Iaranori prayer
To catch the wicked Lord of Strife all unaware
N
ow Daamin ships Menetarlan escort;
A proud, fierce fleet two hundred vessels strong
And called from out a distant alien port
Another sixty warships join the throng
And five-and-thirty more appear erelong
From the Daamin colony called Citadel.
And ghostly, chilling Daamin evensong
Gives to the ships a powerful farewell
For they from Scattered Worlds the Dark Lord would expel.
N
ow to the tortured cloud of combat came
Menetarlan with all her allied troops
Now lights and banners through the dark proclaim
Arrival of the liberating groups
Into the dark Menetarlan then swoops
The Daamin forces join in bold attack
Its losses now the silver ship recoups
Against dark nebula the Queen's ships tack
And joined as one the two fleets drive the Dark Lord's back.
O
ut of the battle-cloud emerges now
The ship of grey with Batydded aboard
And Ismall's Queen affirms a sacred vow
To bring about the death of darkness' lord.
Then, separating from the dismal horde
A black ship arrows forth and is pursued
With all the speed the grey ship can afford
And both speed on in starbright solitude
The two by Naervara, Queen of Night, are viewed.
F
orth hastened Naervara for she knew
That Batydded assistance soon would need
And from the battle scene she quick withdrew
And left the Daamin fleet to intercede.
The rescue of Ismallia did proceed
And pushed the Dark Lord's ships into retreat
Yet when the dust of battle did recede
Leaving friendly navies free to meet
Without their Queen there was not hope in Ismall's fleet.
N
ow Batydded's resolve was far from spent
She pushed her vessel to its very bounds
And all oblivious the black ship went
With ev'ry step velocity compounds
With ev'ry minute space around resounds
To cry of tortured engines running fast.
The watching goddess Batydded astounds
For she believed the Queen to be outclassed
And did not think th'Iaranori so steadfast.