Commentary on and factual background of the poems of

Sanjuro

T'skrang of Legend, Swordmaster of Renown and occasional Poet of Epics

Since the triumphant opening of the gates of Throal officially marked the end of the Scourge, we historians and librarians have endevoured to record and catalogue as much as we can so that future generations have our wisdom and insight to draw upon. His Majesty, King Varulus III, ordered that we keep record of as many adepts as possible. That way, should one of the achieve legendary fame, details of their past will be known for our posterity. In this edition, we cover the poetry of the t'skrang swordmaster Sanjuro.

His epic poems are some of the first in post-Scourge Barsaive. Literary scholars compare Sanjuro to the famous pre-Scourge Obsidiman troubadour Shojo. Favorably, because Shojo's tales were true and had a well-written style. Negatively, because they were overly drawn out. However, each poem shows a more refined poet and Sanjuro's works have gained some level of popularity along the Serpent River and in Bartertown. The poems can be found in our Post-Scourge poetry secion, under T'skrang. Here now are our short descriptions and background checks for each work.

Vardin Silvertongue

"The Tale of the Slaver's Whip" c. 1495

Early in his travels, Sanjuro came across a Theran slaver ship. He hid his possessions and allowed himself to be captured. His only possession was a concealed lockpick. Forced to row, Sanjuro waited for the Therans to become lax. When he saw his opportunity, he picked his lock and those of his row. The slaves revolted, and Sanjuro quickly overcame the Slave Master. While the other slaves were freed, Sanjuro held off the Therans with only the Slave Master's whip. Eventually, the slaves overcame the guards. Satisfied that he had done his part, Sanjuro had the newly freed slaves drop him off by his possessions.

Historical Note: It is difficult to confirm or deny this story. The whip, which Sanjurp still uses, bears the tassle of House Carinci. Still, most incidents on airships are never reported. It is possible that they escaped as much as it is likewise possible they were recaptured. There are no absolutes to be found here.

"The Shield of the Sky Raider" c. 1497

While travelling in the Scol Mountains, Sanjuro witnessed a spectacular air battle. Two Theran slavers were attacking a single crystal raider ship. One of the Theran airships was sent crashing into the mountainside. However, the other one sent the raiders plummetting toward the ground. Somehow, the pilot managed to crash land the airship. As the Theran airship made to land, Sanjuro raced against it to find survivors. All the survivors were mangled but one lone troll who had a terrible head wound. When he saw Sanjuro, he made ready to fight until he was convinced Sanjuro was not an enemy. Seeing the state of his ship and crew, he begged Sanjuro to help kill the survivors. Taken aback, and preoccupied by the oncoming Therans, Sanjuro declined.

As Sanjuro pleaded with him to take flight, the troll began laughing. He explained that he had to kill them because, for a sky raider, slavery is a far worse fate than death. When the troll got up and made his way to the first survivor, the survivor began singing. As soon as the troll ran him through, another picked up the song and soon they were all singing. At this point, the Theran ship began firing shot and arrows. Even as arrows struck the troll and the wounded, they never wavered in their joyful song.

Inspired by such courage, Sanjuro began to help. Soon, there was only one far flung survivor left, directly in the path of the Theran ship. Riddled with arrows, the troll was unstoppable as he picked up the survivor and brought him back to die with his mates. Sanjuro helped him the last leg, and when the survivor joined his comrades, Sanjuro pleaded again with the troll to flee. The troll only smiled weakly and said that he would die protecting his ship and crew. However, he gave his shield to Sanjuro and told him to escape and tell the tale of his ship so that all would know they died with honor. Using the shield to stop arrows and after an exhausting pursuit, Sanjuro escaped and kept his promise.

Historical Note: This poem, the most popular of Sanjuro's works, set off a rush of adepts racing across Barsaive toward the Scol Mountains in search of the fallen airship. It was found by Koji Baru, a human scout, and Pixel Poorfinger, the infamous one-armed windling archer. The ship, Cold Spirits, was picked clean as souvenirs for adventurers and as salvage by others when the location was found out. The only evidence now is a pile of rocks marking a funeral pyre with a sign commemorating the crew, Sanjuro, Baru and Poorfinger. An interesting effect of this search was the large influx of adepts to western Barsaive. A number of towns and villages were able to receive the various types of help they needed. A number of Horrors were dispatched and quite a few legends were made. In fact, some adepts who left that year have not seen the gates of Throal since.

"The Theran's Sword" c. 1500

In these days, Sanjuro was working as a bounty hunter. News of an escaped ork scorcher, the infamous Ell Marok, in Cara Fahd drew his attention. While other bounty hunters searched in the more obvious locations, Sanjuro figured out that the ork would strike a smaller town that had riches they kept hidden. Arriving there, he found a human Theran who was also after the ork. At first, they tried to push each other out of the picture. When it became evident that neither intended to move, they decided to work together.

Sure enough, the ork and his small band arrived. During the looting, Sanjuro and the Theran picked off the band one by one. When in came time for Marok, the Theran explained to Sanjuro that the ork had killed his sister. While Sanjuro dispatched the rest of the band, the Theran avenged his sister's death. Before they parted ways, the Theran presented Sanjuro with his sword, an excellent blade from the lands of Cathay.

Historical Note: The depredation of the ork, Ell Marok, are well-documented. He was so savage and cruel that he was actually thrown out of the Lancers. The actions of he and his small band can be referenced in the records and files area of our Vivaine provence section. His death at the hands of a minor Theran Noble, Furborim Beltonan, are supposedly quite famous in the empire. However, the truth behind Sanjuro's involvement has been in doubt until 1506, when the famous human troubador Bernardo, encountered Beltonan who confirmed Sanjuro's tale.

Extra Historical Note: The construction of this tale seems heavily inspired by "For a Few Dollars More", the work of famed T'skrang stage director S'ergio L'eone.

"The Last Gasp of the Cultists" c. 1502

During a journey on a riverboat, a series of odd omens make the crew quite uneasy. They stop at a t'skrang river village. No sooner had they departed when the fire engine exploded and the boat sank. The survivors, including Sanjuro, went down into the village. They found the villagers massacred, and they realized it was the work of a Horror. Sanjuro and an elven ranger named Tinari immediately organized a hunt. They, and the other ten, split into groups of four and went to search. Instead of finding a Horror, they found a cult. As screams reverberated throughout the structure, Sanjuro's group was attacked. He and the ranger soon found themselves fighting their way back to their original area. The two were seperated and Sanjuro stumbled into the main hall of the village. He saw a High Priest performing some sort of summoning ritual. As he made his way back, he found Tinari, who was also en route back to the entrance.

Once there, they found three other survivors. As they decided what to do, one of them began taling in a strange language. Suddenly, he slew the other two before being killed by Sanjuro and Tinari. Realizing that they were trapped, they decided to flood the village. Even though it would probably kill them, it would definitely kill the cultists and stop whatever ritual they were engaged in. Barracading their room, they began prying away at the areas weakened by the engine explosion. As the cultists forced their way in, the first stone gave way and the power of the Serpent River crushed the wall. Sanjuro and Tinari were forced by the water pressure through the tunnel upward and exploded into the sky. The cultists were sent into oblivion. Tinari and Sanjuro fought their way to land. A riverboat which had come to investigate the explosion picked them up. After coming to port, they did not speak of their experiences to each other and, with a handshake, went their seperate ways.

Historical Note: This is his most poorly received poem, probably because of its grim nature and dark tone. However, this is the one tale that we know to be absolutely true. A number of different groups and the Eye of Throal had been tracking this cult, a sect of the Cult of the Great Hunter, until they disappeared. In fact, they had seized a river village and were conducting nefarious acts when Sanjuro's ship arrived. In recent times, this poem has gotten an, ahem, cult following. It is, in fact, the best written of his works. Many feel he wrote this in order to reconcile the horrible memories and stress that surely must have affected him. An interesting side note: Tinari, the ranger, is said to have joined the mysterious Lightbearers. As with anything concerning the Lightbearers, this cannot be confirmed or denied.

Introduction to Sanjuro

Excerpts from the biography of Sanjuro

The Sermon on the Mast

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Last Updated 05/19/98 by John/Paul

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