The Myth of Itharok’s Vessel
In the early days, when words still held power and promises carried weight, people called upon Itharok not to conquer, but to avoid being forgotten.
When someone was betrayed, deceived, or dishonored, their suffering was carved in wood.
From a single log, an image of the listening deity was fashioned—
with a bowl for its head and teeth like a closed circle.
Into this bowl, the victim spoke their oath.
Not loudly.
Not angrily.
But softly.
For Itharok was not a god of screams.
He was the god of remembrance.
A symbol of the oath was carved into the wood, and something from the traitor’s possessions was placed in the bowl as an offering. Mixed with drops of their own blood, it was lit.
Slowly, it burned in the wooden vessel, and the smoke rose through the teeth like a silent breath. It was said that the smoke was the path by which the oath reached Itharok.
What perished in the fire could not be undone.
Then the totem was hidden, far from the sun and names.
From that moment on, the guilt no longer belonged to the people.
It belonged to Itharok.
And Itharok never forgot.
Too many oaths, it is said, cause the wood to crack.
And when the vessel breaks, Itharok no longer seeks those to blame.
Then he remembers everyone.
