Approaching Gu was…intimidating. He should have been expecting me, he knew the assignment–to teach me about his first deck, then play against a red deck generated by the Smiting Chamber to assess potential recruits in our war against the terrifying enemy–but when I met him, he seemed surprised to see me. He was in his workshop, steadily hammering metal against metal and sending sparks flying all around him.
I had followed a route through the mountains of Sakpata’s Disc to arrive at the mountain chain of Gu’s Disc. It was fascinating to watch more and more volcanoes appearing as I arrived there, but it was so hot in places that I had to make long detours around the hotspots. I was enjoying the sites on my trek and I know that the Fonlands itself was aware of my curiosity to see how Fonlanders lived on the Disc because I wandered through the most interesting places by chance. The diversity of landscapes of the Fonlands is truly a wonder to behold first hand, and I enjoyed seeing what I had previously believed to be mythical creatures mingling around the homes that they make for themselves.
I was cautious in the mountains because of the immature Kammapa of Sakpata’s Disc that spill over onto Gu’s. An immature Kammapa is just hunger and a gaping maw to swallow anything whole, but they become much more civilized as they mature, so I avoided harming any of them. Around the volcanoes, I was greeted by many of the ninki nanka who have a fearsome dragon-like appearance, but they are chummy when you get to know them, and they move so gracefully, it is entertaining just to watch them. I ran into many warrior miners as well, many of them thick-skinned and stockily muscled humanoid Fonlanders who created communities in the mountains and traded with the craftsmens of the plains, and sold their service to the armies of the generals.
All of the Discs have a sun that creates day and night cycles, and Gu’s is a fierce red flame that flickers oranges and yellow as it moves high over the surface of the Disc. The flame rose and set three times before I made it out of the mountains and volcanoes and into the lush grasslands. The structures of dwellings of the Fonlanders of Gu’s Disc are all made of parallel iron arches with off-white tarp woven between them to create walls and a roof. The excess of the tarp hangs decoratively and wafts in the passing wind, swaying along with the grasses of the plains to create a serenity that stands in stark contrast to the mountainous region. But inside many of these iron structures are craftsmen working over high heat, slinging heavy metals to create weapons of destruction for the warriors in other structures training with a ferocity that feels excessive for training.
I could have made the trip to Gu’s workshop much quicker than I did, but my intentions were clouded by my curiosity and the Fonlands guided me to every Fonlander of Gu’s Disc who would receive me kindly and allow me to watch their lives and ask questions.
I say all of that to say that by the time I arrived at Gu’s workshop, he should have known to expect me and I didn’t arrive quickly, or in such a long time that he would have forgotten, but when I interrupted him in his workshop that is built inside of a large rock formation in the plains, he threw his hammer at me and I was too taken aback to properly shield myself from a giant hurling a large hammer at me. It knocked me on my back and it was heavy enough to crush a normal man. I was more shocked than anything else and I shoved it off of me angrily, then stood.
“You just sneak up on people like that? Announce yourself, Earther, you are in the presence of a Vodun, in my most sacred place.”
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