Character details: The land beyond the Inge basin
Character details:
The land beyond the Inge basin where no man has yet survived the gushing waters of an entire continent, it is said that when the world was created layer by layer the cold air and the heat of the earth’s core merged to create the biggest flowing water under the earth until the war of the giants and the the wild beasts of the east disturbed the spring at the navel of the earth causing an eruption of water that will flow for an enternity.
That is where, to the south the people of the grasslands, the thorn trees and the fertile flat lands-the Khoi laid their spears down and lived off the vastness of the land until they met the oceans to the east and west and south.
Plot:
Princess Nyala was born on the border of the Inge Basin, her father was the supreme chief of the northern-most Khoi, Gariep, the one-eyed warrior that wrestled the crocodiles for their teeth and impermeable leathery skin. She was taller than most of the Khoi, even as a child but bore the resemblance of her mother Xama, the daughter of the Khoi chief of the southern-most point of the continent, where all the oceans of the world met. Nyala led her father’s armies and was taught the stealth and hunting skils of her mother’s people of the south. She was a water child, assigned by her grandmother from her father’s people, who was the most most respected doctor of all ailments, especially skilled in the ways of snake venom curing. She won the favour of kingdoms and empires. Nyala was determined to stop the impending war that twas looming in the great valley of the giants to the east of the continent.
Setting:
Nyala’s land was the never under threat as none of the other kingdoms ever dared cross the Inge basin, those that were brave enough, had their Skeletons wased out at the calm entry of the Inge into the great middle ocean, aptly named the Skeleton Coast, where the vast desert of the south met the the sea, greeted it but remained its enemy. As the land starts becoming lush towards the Inge Basin the water is so dominant that it feeds ecosystems 10 days to the south of its roaring power. Only Nyala’s father, Gariep, the one-eye-chief knew the ancient path under the roaring Inge Basin that opened to sunlight after 20 days of walking in darkness. This ancient knowledge was passed on by the Earth’s Navel shaman who spend at least 10 voyages around the sun exploring the underworld
The Inge Basin was a chasm of swirling, emerald fury, an uncrossable scar across the continent. Legend spoke of its birth – a cataclysmic eruption, a wound upon the Earth’s navel, forever gushing forth a torrent that defied human endurance. Only whispers dared speak of the land beyond, a place shrouded in mystery and fear.
Princess Nyala, born on the precipice of the Inge Basin, was a child of two worlds. Her father, Gariep, the One-Eyed Chief, was a legend, a warrior who wrestled crocodiles for their teeth and skin, a man of the northern Khoi, hardened by the sun and wind. Her mother, Xama, was a whisper of the southern oceans, a daughter of the Khoi who lived at the edge of the world, where the waves met the sand. Nyala was a bridge between these worlds, inheriting her father’s strength and her mother’s grace.
She was a warrior, trained by her father in the arts of war, her spear as much a part of her as her own breath. She was a hunter, taught by her mother to move silently through the grasslands, her senses honed to the whispers of the wind and the rustle of leaves. And she was a healer, a gift from her grandmother, a woman who walked the line between the living and the dead, whispering secrets of the earth and its magic.
The valley of the giants, a place of echoing laughter and towering trees, was stirring with whispers of war. The tribes, once unified under the Khoi, were fracturing, their alliances crumbling under the weight of ancient grudges and ambitions. Nyala knew the fate of her people hung in the balance. War would consume them all, leaving only ash and blood.
One day, Nyala stood before her father, the sun setting behind her, casting long shadows over the plains. “Father,” she began, her voice firm, “the whispers of the giants grow louder. We must act.”
Gariep, his one eye burning with the fires of the setting sun, turned to her. “They are a storm, my daughter,” he said, his voice raspy, “a storm that will break upon us. We must prepare.”
“But there is another way, Father,” Nyala said, her eyes fixed on the raging Inge Basin, “a way to avert the storm before it breaks.”
Gariep raised an eyebrow, his single eye narrowing. “Speak, daughter,” he said.
Nyala spoke of the ancient path, a secret passage hidden beneath the Inge Basin, a legend whispered by the Earth’s Navel Shaman. It was a journey of darkness, a path fraught with peril, a test of strength and will. But it was also a path to peace, a chance to negotiate with the giants before war consumed them all.
Gariep, the seasoned warrior, the protector of his people, hesitated. But the look in Nyala’s eyes, the unwavering conviction in her voice, shifted something within him. He saw the weight of responsibility upon her shoulders, the burden of her destiny. He knew he couldn’t stop her, couldn’t deny her the chance to heal the wounds of her world.
And so, under the watchful eye of the moon, they set off, father and daughter, into the abyss of the Inge Basin, their journey a testament to the strength of family, the power of faith, and the hope for a future where peace might bloom even in the most unforgiving of landscapes.
