Khoronar

The tale of Marquess Khoronar has been told before: how the haughty nobleman was cursed by the Arbiter for his callous ways and lived as an imprisoned beast, but was yet redeemed by his love for Minaya who loved him in turn. As it was told and re-told, often changed and abridged by mistake or for the sake of brevity, taste, and censorship, variations on its theme emerged, and the story was rubbed smooth of many details. Its archetype became embedded in the psyche of the Humans of Teleria, especially among the romantic Banner Lords, from whom the most detailed retellings derive. At tale's beginning, the marquess is a man of monstrous character in a Human body, and by its end his monster's body holds a true man's, much changed and purified. His redemption comes at the cost of much suffering, but that suffering does not break his will, it does not send him into a spiral of despair and self-pity. He continues to do right by himself and eventually learns to live for others as well. Most readily understand that Khoronar's suffering and healing are an allegory for the fatal flaws all people possess and must address, and of the power of love and mutual compassion. But there is another layer of meaning, less obvious in most tellings of the tale, but more clear in the earliest fragmentary versions based on first-hand accounts. Weaved into the story is a subtle but very real fear of Skinwalkers, and the spread of their bestial curse. Although in the story the righteous hand of the Arbiter is the one that damns Khoronar, every peasant hearing the tale knows that any one of them could also suffer the same fate but from cruel, random chance or lack of vigilance. All listeners know that the vivid accounts of Khoronar's rampages aren't drawn completely from imagination, but yield from so many generations' traumatic memories of living with Skinwalkers. Faithful tellings, however, are more than a simple cautionary tale, for the Khoronar fable is one of redemption, and the Arbiter's forgiveness in the tale is an allegory for what is possible for all Skinwalkers. Though they are permanently changed by their animal possession, their minds and their souls are still capable of tenderness and love, valor, and nobility. This story's heart reassures listeners that the terrible Skinwalker curse does not have to truly mean the end. The most fascinating thing for some, about Khoronar's tale, is its end, or rather its lack of a definitive end. Each ending has Minaya slain and Khoronar triumphant but heartbroken, only for the Arbiter to appear once more and return Minaya to life in acknowledgement of Khoronar's genuine turn of goodness. But afterward, the narratives diverge. The high chivalric tradition of Kaerok, with its romantic genre of literature, ends the tale with Khoronar returned to his Human form, restored to his lordly title with Minaya as his bride, their rule long and blessed. The Sacred Order's hatred of Skinwalkers means that he can not, in official canon, remain one and be a respected ruler. But folk tellings from Kaerok and the Land of Rebirth often omit the Arbiter's lifting of the Skinwalker curse from Khoronar. In this rendition of the tale, he remains a Skinwalker and reigns regardless. This twist reveals the peoples' fears and uncertainties regarding the mere possibility of a Skinwalker becoming a lord or a lord becoming a Skinwalker, and what would come of it. In yet another ending, Khoronar does not return to rulership at all, but still manages to live happily ever after with Minaya, leaving his land and title behind along with his arrogance and cruelty. This ending is most loved among peasants. And then there is the most fascinating ending of all… Some say that the Arbiter told Khoronar that his debt to the forces of goodness and Light was still unbalanced, and left Khoronar a Skinwalker, perhaps by his own choice. Minaya, having been raised from death by the Arbiter, refused to be parted from his side. And so, both of them offered their eternal service to the Light and had their souls bound to Shards. When the world reaches a crisis it cannot bear, and the end times descend, Minaya and Khoronar will return to the battlefield to save Teleria, or else fight to the last in the name of the Goddess.