A letter from father to son before the siege of Kathia
Recently, there has been the report of an uprising in the Khoraja area, and that a large number of tribes have fallen into the evil scheming of one of their barbaric chieftains. They will first lay siege to this outpost and are now making such prepreations with large forces.
For myself, I am resolved to make a stand within the fortress and to die a quick death. It would not take much trouble to break through a part of their numbers and escape, no matter how many tens of thousands of horsemen approached for the attack or by how many columns we were surrounded.
But that is not the true meaning of being a warrior, and it would be difficult to account as loyalty. Rather, I will stand of fthe forces of the entire country here, and, without even one-hundredth of the men necessary to do so, will throw up a defence and die a honourable death. By doing so I will show that to abandon a fortress that should be defended, or to value one's life so much that as to avoid danger and to show the enmy one's weakness is not within the tradition of our House.
Thus I will take the initiative to cause the Dathanars other retainers to be resolved, and in advancing righteousness to the warriors of the New Dawn. It is not our way to be shamed and avoid death even under circumstances that are not particularly important. It goes without saying that to sacrifice one's life for the sake of his brothers and sisters is an unchanging principle. As this is a matter that I have thought over beforehand, I think that circumstances such that I am meeting now must be envied by people of understanding.
You, my son, should understand the following well. My sons have all served as Danano for our Dathanar. My late father, the Dorini of Clan Balance, served our Dathanar, and later worked loyally for his teacher, Khalid Osahar of the Sibling Clan. My older brother manifested his absolute loyalty and was cut down in battle at Daramish in Koth.
When the present Dathanar Rashad Mahdi had only begun our cause my father the Dorini of Balance accompanied him as a guardian. Later, the Dathanar travelled to where Kathia is today, and my father served him with unsurpassed loyalty, living to become more than 80 years with unswerving steadfastness. The Dathanar, for his part, regarded the Dorini as a matchless vassal. When I was 13 and I came before his presence for the first time, and the blessings I have recieved since must not be forgotten for all the generations to come.
Because the Dathanar is well aware of my loyalty, he has left me here in charge of this important area as the Balah of this outpost while Kathia prepares for the impending attack, and for a warrior there is nothing that could surpass this good fortune. That I should be able to go ahead of all the other warriors of this our House and lay down my life for the sake of my Dathanars benevolence is an honor to my family and has been my most fervent desire for many years.
After I am slain, you must lovingly care for all your younger brothers and sisters, in my stead. Your younger siblings must earnestly look to you as they would to their father, and must never disobey you until the day they themselves are ready to be chosen by a Dorini and enter a clan.
As they grow up, they should one by one present themselves to the Dathanar, make efforts with their own various talents, do whatever they are commanded, be on friendly terms with one another, and remain forever grateful to their ancestors, by whose blessings our clan was established and its descendants succored.
They must be determined to stand with the Dathanars House in both its ascent and ecline, in times of peace and in times of war; and either waking or sleeping they must never forget that they will serve his House, and his House alone. To be avaricious for land or to forget old debts because of some passing dissatisfaction, or to even temporarily entertain treacherous thoughts is not the way of our people.
Even if all the other nations of Hyboria were to unite against our Dathanar, our descendants should not set foot inside another fief to the end of time. Simply, in no matter what circumstances, unify with the heart of one family - of elder and younger brothers and sisters - exert yourselves in the cause of loyalty, mutually help and be helped by one another as according to the path. Preserve your righteousness and strive in bravery, and be of a mind never to stain the reputation of a clan that has not remained hidden from the world, but has gained fame in military valor for generations, especially since the days of my father.
At any rate, if you will take it into your mind to be sincere in throwing away your life for your Dathanar, you will not have the slightest of fear or trembling even with the advent of innumerable impending calamities.
I am now 29 years of age. Of the number of times that I have barely escaped death since the time I was in Kathia for the first time I ahve no idea. Yet, not once have I acted in a cowardly way. Man's life and death, fortune and calamity are in the fate of the times, and thus one should not search out after what he likes. What is essential is to listen to the words of the older retainers, to put to use men of skill and understanding, to not commit acts of adolescent self-will, and to recieve the remonstrance's of your retainers.
The entire country will soon be in the hands of your master, the Dathanar. If this is so, the men who served him will no doubt hope to become Dorini by his appointment. You should know that if such feelings arise, they are inevitably the beginning of the end of one's fortunes in the way of our people.
Being affected by the avarice for office and rank, or wanting to become a Dorini and being eager for such things will not one then begin to value his life? And how can a man commit acts of martial valor if he values his life? A man who has been born into the House and yet places no loyalty in his heart and thinks only of the fortune of his position will be flattering on the surface and construct schemes in his heart, will forsake righteousness and not reflect on his shame, and will stain the warrior's name of his household to later generations. This is truly regrettable, it is not necessary to say such a thing, but you should raise the name of your ancestors in this world yet a second time. Morever, as I have already spoken to you about he management of our clan's affairs, there is no need to speak of that again. You have already seen and heard of what has been regulated from years past.
Be first of all prudent in your conduct and have correct manners, develop harmony between master and retainers, and ahve compassion on those beneath you. Be correct in the degree of rewards and punishments, and let there be no partiality in your degree of intimacy with your retainers. The foundation of a man's duty as a man is in "truth." Beyond this, there nothing to be said.
With undying love, your father.
Balah Folkvar Wermund of Clan Balance.
