Oerids and Suloise first entered the land now called Almor centuries ago, before the foundation of the Kingdom of Aerdy. But earlier occupants claimed the land: feline beasts and monsters under the rule of the Cat Lord.
The Cat Lord resented the intruding humans, so he sent his creatures to chase them out. The clerics among the Suloise called on Kord for help against the Cat Lord’s mighty servants, who seemed invulnerable to the weapons and even the magical spells at the disposal of the humans.
Kord answered. His avatar came down from the lands of the gods, and battled each of the great monster-cats in turn. Kord overcame each creature’s special protections by a using a means particular to its nature, and then slew it and took its skin.
(Thus the popular Almorian saying, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”)
But the feline raids didn’t stop. Kord knew he had to defeat the Cat Lord to win complete victory.
When Kord arrived at the Cat-Lord’s manse of earth and brambles, wearing a mantle of magical; cat skins, he thundered out a challenge.
The Cat Lord was sore afraid, but he welcomed Kord like a guest instead of as a foe.
“Kord, let’s be reasonable. You beat all my best fighters. What glory could you find in adding my skin to that coat? And, besides, killing me won’t help. As long as there are cats in all the many worlds, there must be a Cat Lord. My successor would remember the deed you did and make endless trouble for your mortal friends and followers.”
Kord laughed loudly enough that he flattened a third of the Cat Lord’s Manse.
“Your threats are as flimsy as your house, little cat prince!”
“It may not be invulnerable to the tempest of your windy boasting, but my manse has stood for a thousand years. So laugh away, Mighty Kord, I’m sure you couldn't do better.”
Kord smiled.
“Why, I could have a stronger house standing right here before the morning sun rises!”
“It’s a bargain.”
“What, what bargain?”
“Oh, if you can provide me with a stronger house to replace the one you’ve wrecked, right here and in no other place, and before the sunrise tomorrow, I’ll leave these two-legged people alone and let them settle here. But if you fail, you’ll have to serve me for nine years and to give me back the skins of my champions.”
Kord laughed again, slapping his knees and jumping up and down in mirth, and so leveled another third of the manse. “Alright, Cat lord. It’s a deal. I’ll show you why I’m called Kord the Mighty. But after I win, no more tricks, or I’ll toss you into the sea.”
Kord labored all night, but the Cat Lord cheated. The feline ruler sent displacer beasts to steal Kord’s tools. Kord made do with his bare hands. The Cat Lord sent caterwauls to distract Kord with their infernal wailing, so that he would make mistakes in his design and his crafting of the house. All sorts of dirty tricks wore Kord out and made him lose his patience. Finally he fell asleep.
But a rat, enemy of the cats, came and woke Kord before dawn. The god leapt up with a great roar.
The Cat Lord saw but wasn’t worried. Kord was almost out of time.
Kord dashed off.
“He’s run away in shame!” Now it was the Cat Lord’s turn to laugh. He laughed and laughed, and then napped in one of the rooms of his damaged home, waiting for morning light to seep through the broken roof.
He woke with dirt falling on his head. No sun, only stone and earth overhead.
When the Cat Lord had dug his way to the surface, he found Kord sitting atop a castle-keep of strong masonry with the rising morning sun at his back.
“How….”
“You should pay more attention, Cat. You never said that I couldn’t BRING one from someplace else and put it here. It needs some minor repairs, but as you can see, much stronger than your old home, and on the same spot. I win.”
“I could dispute this.”
Kord made ready for battle.
The Cat Lord relented “No, no. I was only joking. But at least you could give my champions a memorial. They fought well for me.”
Kord was moved by this selfless request from a defeated foe on behalf of brave champions—even if they were cat-monsters.
"If you move away from this place, I'll tell my people to come here and do honor to this mantle sewn from the hides of your champions and remember their story."
The Cat Lord agreed.
Kord hung the mantle of skins in the keep as a sign of his victory and to honor the Cat Lord’s Champions.
“I prefer dragon scales.”
That’s how Kord beat the Cat Lord, claiming the lands of Almor for men. And that’s why the Cat Lord moved back to the Beastlands after centuries spent on the Oerth.
Kord’s mantle of nine pelts hangs today in the great temple at Chathold (the cat’s lair/fort).
---------------------------------
NOTES:
It's rough, needs work.
I'm going with Kord as the/a major patron of the Prelacy. That may not fit some canonical versions, but the details of religion in Almor seem rather vague in most sources.
Chathold's place name is explained.
The heraldry for Almor is explained.
Last edited by CombatMedic on Thu Feb 19, 2015 1:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
Almor is an area I have sadly neglected both in research and in play so seeing it being developed is always welcome. One of the things that always bugged me about the GH Wars meta plot was that realms like Almor never got their moment in the sun. They had a paragraph in the '83 boxed set and then they were gone. Would love to see more on the Prelacy.
Almor is an area I have sadly neglected both in research and in play so seeing it being developed is always welcome. One of the things that always bugged me about the GH Wars meta plot was that realms like Almor never got their moment in the sun. They had a paragraph in the '83 boxed set and then they were gone. Would love to see more on the Prelacy.
Thanks.
I like From the Ashes and other later stuff quite a lot, but I tend to agree with you about the GH Wars.
Canon note/check:
I'm pretty sure the Len Lakofka/Gary Gygax Gods of the Suloise article (from Dragon) that covers Kord also mentions Almor as one of the god's centers of worship.
I believe Pelor was made to be Almor's patron in later canon, but who cares! This is exceptional work. A very nice tale. Were you inspired by any real world myths and legends?
I believe Pelor was made to be Almor's patron in later canon, but who cares! This is exceptional work. A very nice tale. Were you inspired by any real world myths and legends?
Thanks.
:)
I was inspired by various folk stories, myths, and legends, but not anything specific, in a conscious fashion.
I've read so many stories of those types that I'm sure there were several influences I wasn't even thinking about as I cranked this out last night.
I suspect Herakles fighting the Nemean Lion was in the back of my head.
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