History Prawn: Terracotta (Patreon)

Surely, you have heard the tale of the First Emperor of the Yam Dynasty, on the distant world of Cay'un. He was a brutal overlord who believed that his dominion over all things was not limited to the mortal realm. He was convinced that his inevitable death would grant him divinity and, with the proper preparations, he could bring an army with him to conquer the whole of the celestial realm. He ordered a vast army of perfectly lifelike terracotta soldiers crafted, equipped with very real weapons and armor, and assembled into battle order all around his remote tomb. As to how his dutiful administrations were to go about crafting this army... well. That is where history mixes with legend.

More than a million soldiers were sent to the site of the tomb over the course of five years. And there, they simply vanished from the records. Many suggest that these soldiers were simply delivering their personal gear to the site as they became too old to continue service in the Emperor's armies. Some believe that they may have been sacrificed so that their souls could imbue the terracotta statues as well. But one purportedly first-hand account from the time suggests that the court alchemists had found someway to actually turn the soldiers themselves into the statues.

A million men marching through the wilderness over such a short time span was sure to garner the attention of the rebellious Miy'urr clan of mountain cat people, an entirely female group of primitive snow leopard fey'li who had somehow found themselves on the world via means unknown. They had long amused the Emperor as a 'cute' sort of nuisance, 'hunting' men who strayed into their territory for fun and pleasure. Now, however, their aggressive enticements were affecting the morale of the men who were being ordered to his tomb.

The Emperor was too infatuated with the furry barbarians to deal with the problem in the usual warlord's way. Instead, he determined to take them with him into the afterlife along with his army. He sent a trusted general to meet with the four hundred strong clan. An offer would be made. Their shamans would be taught the earth-magic which could transform men to pottery and back again, and given free license to use it in certain select hunting ground. The price of this teaching would be the requirement that they stand each day in ranks as guards of the Emperor's tomb, ensuring that they could not bother the soldiers marching to it until the tomb, and its terracotta army, were complete.

The Miy'urr, always fascinated with the technology and 'magics' possessed by the Empire, agreed. And so they arrived at the tomb in short order. There, they were assembled into companies of 24 warriors and one shaman each. The warriors were given sharp spears and wicker shields. The shamans were bound to keep them from using their own clever 'magics', and made to carry small banners. They would lead each company from the middle of the center rank. The shields and banners were emblazoned with a pattern very clearly symbolizing the general's opinion of their sole practical use around the tomb and its workers camps. The Miy'urr were more than happy to reinforce this opinion every night when they were allowed to stand down from their formal duty.

Eventually, the time came to begin burying the terracotta army. The Miy'urr assembled as usual, and were particularly enthusiastic as they had been told that it was time for them to learn the promised earth-magic. And learn it they did, as their bodies slowly became terracotta from feet upwards. But they were not terrified like so many others had been. They had believed the general when he had told them that the magic worked both ways. As a result, they seemed to assume the experience was going to empower them to use it, so they smiled, giggled, and carried on as if it were the grandest thing in the world. They would be turned back into themselves in short order, and all would be perfect.

Of course, the general had lied. The magic only worked one way. In less than ten minutes, all four hundred Miy'urr had become statues right along with the rest.

It's quite a legend, isn't it? Or... is it?

Last year the excavation of the terracotta army finally reached its innermost units. And among them... four hundred terracotta fey'li, exactly as the legend said!