Murenga
Full Story.
Chapter 1: Mbire
The land of Huruhuswa was a land teaming with wild animals such as lions, and elephants. It was also populated by people and these people named their land Huruhuswa, a name which means âthe land of big grassâ. Though there were many groups of people, they lived in peace under the rule of their mambo. The mambo kept the balance between the people and the spirits, who lived in the spirit-realm of Nyikadzimu. The mambo dwelt in the stone capital city called Mbire. There his stone enclosed palace was situated on top of a hill with the stone city situated at its base. This mamboâs name was Mambire.
One night, mambo Mambire met 15 high ranking members of the lion cult at the ritual enclosure on the hill. They were the largest and most extensive cult in all of Huruhuswa, though there were other kindred and rival cults. They clapped their cupped hands in order to greet the mambo according to custom. âWhy have you summoned me?â Asked mambo Mambire. The high sage who was the most influential spirit medium of the lion cult then answered. âThe spirits wish to speak to you, my lord. I have received instruction from Nyikadzimu, we must summon the Gombwe spirit tonight. When mambo Mambire heard this, he knew how serious it was. âThe Gombwe is a high spirit, which exists next to Samasimba himself. Getting possessed by the Gombwe can be a dangerous thing, high sage, you could die in the process.â Said a member of the lion cult. âI know that.â Said the high sage. After hours of dancing and playing music from mbiras, hoshos, and drums, a light started radiating from the high sageâs eyes. âIt is done, the high sage is possessed by the spirit.â Said a member of the lion cult. Everyone bowed down to it, and clapped their cupped hands, including mambo Mambire. âI am that which was sent by Samasimba himself.â Said the Gombwe spirit which was possessing the high sage. âGreat spirit, what news do you bring from Nyikadzimu?â Asked mambo Mambire, who was not sure if this event would result in a blessing or a curse. âDo not be afraid for I bring you good news.â Said the Gombwe. Mambo Mambire was relieved. âYour wife will give birth to a son who will become a very strong-willed leader. He will stave off evil in the future, and so you must give him the name âMurengaâ, which means resister.â Said the Gombwe. It then departed from the high sage and the mambo vowed to give more power to the lion cult as a result of their predictions. Many years later after Murenga was born, mambo Mambire had still kept peace and unity in the land of Huruhuswa with help of the lion cult which had become more influential.
Mambire liked hunting, and he would sometimes hunt alone with his dogs. As he hunted, he encountered a lion. It charged at him so he sent the dogs to attack. The lion killed the dogs, but he had enough time to throw his spear at it and pierce it. As he let his guard down the lion got up and bit his hand, however, he took his bakatwa, or double-edged sword, and stabbed it, killing it. He then cut off its tail to use as a nyumbe, a magical item. As he returned to camp, his most trusted advisor and his guards ran to him. âNyisai-â Said Mambire. âMy lord, you are hurt! What happened?â Asked Nyisai, the advisor. âI was attacked by a lion. I have never seen a lion fight with such ferocity, it killed all my dogs and got my arm even after I pierced it.â Said Mambo Mambire. âLet us escort you back to the nâanga for healing.â Said the advisor. Mambo Mambire was then escorted back to Mbire, on the way he had lost some blood. He then rested in his nâangaâs hut, which was also on the hill complex, like his palace. The muchinda, or the mamboâs advisor, went into the forest at night time to conspire against the mambo and the cult. He wore cotton cloths from the waist down as a sign of high status. He met with a shadowy group of wizards and witches in the heart of the forest. âAh Nyisai, you have come. The full moon is almost upon us.â Said the leader of the group who had a pet owl. âYes, Shato, the time is almost ripe for the lion cult to end, and for the snake cult to rise.â Said Nyisai. âDid you bring the blood, and the totem of kings?â Asked Shato, the leader of the snake cult. âYes, a bullâs heart, and the blood of the mambo, as you requested.â Said Nyisai. Shato then took the heart and the blood. The witches then surrounded Shato and started cursing the blood and the totem of kings. âThe first mambo, Tovera, had power over us, but the power is in the blood, and the blood flows like the totem. I will put his son, Mambire, to death. In that moment the guardian spirits of this land will not be able to defend it or stop us from using our witchcraft in this land, for the throne of the land will be empty. Then we will invade Mbire, the headquarters of the lion cult, and destroy them all!â Lightning bolts struck the ground and thunder clapped. Shato then devoured the totem, which was the heart of the bull, and the blood of Mambire. âThe throne of Huruhuswa is now empty, and the spiritual barriers of this land are now sundered. We will conquer Huruhuswa and wipe out the lion cult. The snake cult will reign!â Said Nyisai. Meanwhile at Mbire, there was a crisis. The royal family was in the Nâangaâs hut. âChiwoko, what happened?â asked Murenga. âNo, it cannot be. Is he dead?â Asked the mambokadzi, or the first wife of the mambo. âNo, mambokadzi, he is still breathing, and is still alive. His spirit is between the earth and Nyikadzimu. The mambo has been bewitched. He was going to die, but thanks to my medicine I have stopped the spell. He has now fallen into a deep sleep of which he cannot wake from until we deal with the witch, or wizard responsible.â Said Chiwoko, the royal Nâanga. âThis is witchcraft.â Said mambokadzi Danai. âIndeed, this is powerful magic, but a mambo cannot be easily bewitched. I beg of you mambokadzi, you and Murenga must be careful.â Said the royal Nâanga.
Three days later, the council was in court. âThe mambo has been bewitched!â Said a muchinda, or a council member. âIt was betrayal! I suspect it was the lion sages!â Said Nyisai âYes, the lion cult has become very powerful latelyâŚâ Said another muchinda. âYes, donât you see, Chimombe? They harass our people across the land, and now they think they can be the rulers of the whole land!â Said Nyisai. âEnough! You were the kingâs most trusted advisor! You dare accuse the voice of Samasimba of treason?!â Said Chimombe. âListen, we must act now if we want to stop them from usurping the throne! We must kill them all for betraying the mambo or we are going to be next!â Said Nyisai. âWhat of the nevanji? If the mambo is as good as dead, shouldnât we put Murenga on the throne?â Said Chimombe. âNo. The boy was raised by the cultists, he will be their puppet! We cannot risk that.â Said Nyisai. âThis has gone on long enough. Let us vote. Those in favor of Nyisaiâs plan put your hands up and those in favor of Chimombeâs plan donât put up your hands!â Said a muchinda. The majority of the machindas put up their hands and voted in favor of Nyisai. âIt is done, the lion cult will pay for betraying our mambo!â Said Nyisai. Chimombe shook his head. The whole army was mustered in the city. âWarriors you must go forward and kill those who have betrayed our mambo! I know it is a hard decision but this was an order by the mambo himself before he was bewitched! He knew who had done it! These are not innocent sages, these are witches who are in the same group as those who withhold the rains.â Said the Mukomohasha, who was the general of the army. âDo not worry! You will be given medicine to ward off their witchcraft!â Said the general. The warriors then went to be doctored by Shato, who had shapeshifted into Chiwoko, the royal nâanga. âYou are now my slaves, you will do my bidding⌠You will kill any lion cultist you can find! As for the royal family, you must bring them to me, kill anyone who resists.â Said Shato, as he waved his nyumbe on the thousands of warriors, brainwashing them with his medicine. 8, 000 warriors were under his control.
It was chaos in Mbire, and the greater area of the city, as the enslaved warriors went around killing any sages they could find. The warriors who were not brainwashed by Shato fought against their brethren who were under his cruel mind control. Many fled and some perished in the chaos, those who could not escape the city were captured by Shatoâs henchmen. Chiwoko, the royal nâanga, who had been captured and sent to be executed in secret, by Shato, used his medicine to summon 7 lions, which fought against 3 of his captors. In the skirmish, he consumed his medicine, which he always carried with him, and became invisible. He then returned back into Mbire to rescue the royal family. Murenga and his mother were in the nâangaâs hut, where Mambire was sleeping. âChiwoko has not returned. Something is not right.â Said Murenga. âIts just as we all feared. Murenga, go into your fatherâs hut and take your grandfatherâs spear.â Said Murengaâs mother. Murenga agreed. âAlright.â Said Murenga. Murenga then went to Mambireâs hut and got inside. He looked at the long spear that his mother had sent him to retrieve. It had a magical glittering silver blade. âPfumojena⌠Grandfatherâs spearâŚâ Said Murenga as he took the spear. As Murenga exited the hut and was going back to his mother he was met with Shatoâs warriors who were being led by the brainwashed Mukomohasha, or general. âWhere is the mambokadzi?â Said the enslaved general. âMukomohasha! Tell me whatâs going on first!â Replied Murenga. âYou must come with us, or we will have to kill you!â Said the general. Realizing there was a coup, Murenga saw that he was in danger, so he got ready for battle. âNoâŚâ Replied Murenga. âDeath it is, then⌠Men, to arms!â Murenga fought off the enslaved warriors. As he fought, he defeated some of them before being overwhelmed by their numbers. As he was being subdued, the lion cultists appeared with an army of white lions yelling their battle cries. âReinforcements!â Yelled a warrior. The lion cultists armed with their bare hands, and wooden staffs went to battle along with their white lions which they kept as dogs. âMurenga, we wonât be able to hold them off for long, more reinforcements are coming up! We have sent Chiwoko to guard the mambokadzi, they both should be in the hut! Go now!â Said the high sage. As the reinforcements were coming up the hill passage which was very thin, the sages were throwing rocks from above, hitting many enslaved warriors as they ascended to the stone palace. Murenga managed to arrive at the hut to find his mother and Chiwoko arguing. âMambokadzi, we need to flee now. I have seen what they are doing to members of the royal family who do not submit! They are executing them!â Said Chiwoko. âI have it! We must leave now!â Said Murenga. âNo, I am not leaving him! You and Chiwoko must escape! Go north to kwaNzou, my home village! Ishe Nzou Samanyanga, will aid you. Tell him about what has happened here!â Said the mambokadzi as she insisted on staying with the mambo. She then took a bakatwa, or a sword, and got ready to fight. âI will stay here and guard his body⌠I will kill anyone who steps into this hut!â Said the mambokadzi. Chiwoko had already took his medicines and got them ready. âMurenga, come. We have no time, eat this.â Said Chiwoko. âOne more thing, my son. Find whoever is behind this and use that spear to kill them.â Said Murengaâs mother. âI will.â Replied Murenga as he consumed Chiwokoâs medicine. They both became invisible and left the hut. They escaped the city and headed north to KwaNzou knowing that Murengaâs mother, the mambokadzi, would most likely die fighting. As they were in safe distance, they became visible again. âI vow to return!â Said Murenga.
Chapter 2: Totem Wars
Murenga and Chiwoko travelled towards KwaNzou. As they looked back at the direction of Mbire, they noticed that a dark cloud was now covering the whole land of around Mbire. âThat is not a normal rain cloud. I sense great forbidden powers within it.â Said Chiwoko. âWhat do you mean, wise one?â Replied Murenga. âLook. A cloud that black would be pregnant with water, but it does not rain. Itâs obvious, this is witchcraft. Let us hurry before it overtakes us, and we get struck by lightning. We can rest at a cave near here.â Said Chiwoko. The two then continued walking north through the forest until they reached the cave. It was night time, so they made fire and sat down. âWho do you think is behind this treachery?â Asked Murenga. âIt was most likely the Mamboâs advisors, though I donât think they could have achieved this feat on their own. I suspect the snake cult was involved.â Replied Chiwoko. âWhat is the snake cult, and why did they do this?â Asked Murenga. âThe snake cult is connected to the history of this land, going back to the very beginning. Samasimba, the Supreme Being, made the first man, Musikawanhu, in the heavens. He put the man to sleep and dropped him down to earth. As Musikawanhu was falling he awakened and saw a stone falling near him. Samasimba told hm to step onto the stone. Water gushed from the place the stone landed with Musikawanhu and it became a scared place for us, his descendants. Musikawanhu had a dream of birds and animals. When he awakened, his dreams had come true. Birds flew through the skies and animals roamed the earth. A woman appeared and when Musikawanhu touched her, she came to life and became his wife. Musikawanhu instructed their children in the ways they were to live and then he and his wife went to the heavens to dwell with Samasimba.â Said chiwoko the royal nâanga. âWhat does snake cult have to do with this?â Asked Murenga. âOur departed honored ancestors are our guardian spirits. The Snake cult does not believe this. They are nothing but a bunch of witches and wizards who have never seen the love of Samasimba. They worship the mashawi, foreign spirits such as the njuzus, and goblins, claiming that since they never had physical existence, they are closer to Samasimba, thus they are worthy of our respect, not our ancestors. Pure nonsense of course, but they will stop at nothing to spread their influence in the Huruhuswa. In fact, they are known to use the forbidden power of ngozi to achieve their goals.â Said Chiwoko. âNgozi?â Asked Murenga. âYes, it is the power of evil. Let me give you a word of advice Murenga, follow teachings of lion sages, for they are the mouth-piece of the ancestors. Do that and you never get lost.â Said Chiwoko.
Murenga and Chiwoko reached the outskirts of a nearby village. They were being stalked by unknown men. âLet pass through the village and speak with the ishe, he might be able to aid us.â Said Chiwoko. As they walked they were ambushed by five thugs armed with staffs. âI am Chiwoko, the royal nâanga of Mbire. I am with the princ-â âWe know who you are!â Said the thug. âNice spear youâve got there!â Said another thug. Chiwoko took his staff and prepared to defend himself. With bloodlust in their eyes, the thugs attacked the two, but Murenga managed to defeat them due to his superhuman strength. âTime to finish this.â Said Murenga, as he was about to kill the remaining thug, the thug pleaded for mercy. âWait, I yield!â Said the thug. âTell us what is going on.â Said Murenga. âYou see, with no mambo on the throne, and with the land in chaos, our ishe has decided that he is not going to submit to you. He and the other surrounding ishes have decided that they were sick of paying tribute to a weak ruler and have now declared their independence. We were sent to deliver the message! Nothing personal!â Said the thug. Murenga then let him go, and he disappeared into the bushes. âIf what he said was true, then it wonât be safe for us to seek out the ishesâ help. We must avoid villages, and we must walk through the wilderness until we reach KwaNzou.â Said Chiwoko. They walked until they came across a young woman who was being chased by a group of warriors. âWe must help her!â Said Murenga. Murenga and Chiwoko fought off and defeated the warriors. âThank you.â Said the young woman. âWho are you?â Said Murenga. âI am Karuwa, a surviving member of the lion cult. We were on our way to Matonjeni to perform a ritual, then these men attack us. I think I am the only one in my group left. Who are you?â Said Karuwa. âI am Murenga and this is Chiwoko. We are heading to KwaNzou.â âThe prince!? You should know that there is war at kwaNzou, and in all the lands.â Said Karuwa. âWar?â Asked Murenga. âRefugees fleeing Mbire have spread news that the mambo and his family have been killed in a coup. In the confusion, the four great ishes of Huruhuswa, ishe Shumba (lion), Nzou (elephant), Shoko (monkey), and Hungwe (eagle), who were once subservient to the mambo have started fighting against each other for the throne. The fights have escalated into wars, and people have started calling these wars, the totem wars.â Said Karuwa.
âTotem wars? The people are fighting among themselves? How are we going to go back to liberate Mbire if we donât have an army?â Asked Chiwoko. âWe canât give up. We might convince ishe Samanyanga to lend us a hand since my mother comes from his village.â Said Murenga. âLet me come with you then.â Said Karuwa. âWhy?â Replied Murenga. âI had a vision a long time ago. In my vision, the ancestors told me that I was going to help a hero who will save the land from a great darkness.â Said Karuwa. âThe two men, then thought about it. âThe lion sages have great knowledge and abilities. They can summon and become possessed by powerful spirits.â Said Chiwoko. âAnd we have great influence in the land.â Said Karuwa. âVery well, you may join us.â Said Murenga. The three then continued north towards KwaNzou. They walked through the mountains avoiding villages and towns. Meanwhile there was war in the valley. It was noon as the numerous Shoko people went to fight against the Hungwe people. âDo not be afraid warriors! We are going to be victorious, just as our ndudzo has shown us! Said the Shoko general, Sagudo. At Sagudoâs battle cry, the shoko ran towards their enemy, the Hungwe, who were archers. As the Shoko were running, the Hungwe released their arrows into the sky and when they fell, they killed some of the Shokos. However, Shokos kept charging, and going into the crescent formation known as muromo. âNow!â Said Sahanga, the general of Hungwes. Using their peopleâs medicine, the Hungwe flew up, and the Shokos were left alone on the ground. The Hungwes then started shooting their arrows at the Shokos, killing many of them. It was becoming dark, and the Hungwes were running out of arrows, so they decided to return home seeing it as a victory with no casualties. The Hungwes vowed to finish the Shokos off one day.
Murenga, Chiwoko and Karuwa came across a great river. âThe other side is KwaNzou territory.â Said Chiwoko. âHow are we supposed to cross this?â Asked Murenga. âAllow me.â said Karuwa. She then got possessed as light started radiating from her eyes. She stretched out her hand and water from the river stopped flowing and was pushed back to form a wall. The three then crossed the river, and then the water continued to flow as it normally would. âThat was impressive, not even I am able to do that.â Said Chiwoko. âI am an ancestral water spirit. I have borrowed this young womanâs body so I may aid you on your path. My work here is done.â Said the possessed Karuwa as the possessing spirit started to depart. Karuwa then returned. âImpressive for an acolyte. Getting possessed is dangerous, it can kill you if you mess up.â Said Chiwoko. They continued walking and Murenga asked a question. âWhat is the difference between the nâanga and the sage?â Asked Murenga. âWhile we nâangas are given knowledge to make powerful medicine by the spirits, the sages get possessed by these spirits and are able to perform magic beyond the nâangaâs capabilities.â Said Chiwoko. âSo, the sages are superior to the nâanga.â Said Murenga. âI donât know about that. There was a powerful nâanga who was my teacher. His medicine was so powerful that it could make an entire army of men invincible and summon fog.â Said Chiwoko. âYou were initiated by legendary Kabudu Kagore?!â Asked Murenga. âYes, but that was a long time ago.â
The three finally arrived at the town of KwaNzou where they met a warrior who greeted them. âBy the way you are dressed, I guess you must be someone important.â Said the warrior. âI am Murenga, the prince of Huruhuswa, and we need to urgently speak with ishe Nzou Samanyanga.â Said Murenga. âI will send a message to the ishe. Follow me, you must have had a long journey.â Said the warrior as he sent a messenger to the ishe. He then escorted the three travelers to get refreshed. After waiting the messenger returned. âMy lord, ishe Samanyanga is ready to receive you. He sends his apologies for making you wait.â Said the messenger. The three then made their way to the isheâs homestead. They arrived and they were greeted by the chief according to custom. âGreetings. I am Murenga, the son of Mambire.â Said Murenga. âMy lord, I apologize for making you wait. I have had many issues to deal with these days. Tell me, what has happened in Mbire?â Asked ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âThe mambo was bewitched, and the city was in chaos. There was a coup. When we left, the army was executing members of the lion cult, and the royal family. We barely escaped.â Said Chiwoko. âWhat happened to the mambo, and the mambokadzi?â Said ishe Nzou. âI think itâs safe to assume that the mambo and the mambokadzi didnât make it.â Said Chiwoko. âMy goodness, who could have been behind this?â Asked ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âI was once kidnapped by the members of the snake cult. I suspect that their leader, Shato is the man behind this.â Said Chiwoko. âHave the guardian spirits of this land, abandoned us?â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âWe suspect that there was a traitor who gave the wizard the secrets to bewitching the mambo.â Said Murenga. âSo, you have come here to request my men for battle? I am afraid I wonât be able to aid you with that.â Said ishe Nzou. âWhy?â Replied Murenga. I have already just sent my best men, among them Chimhuru, Jinda, Gandaremvura, to battle Shumbaâs forces and they havenât returned.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âCould they have lost the battle?â Asked Karuwa. âNo, they have consulted our medicine, and the signs were in our favor.â âThatâs unfortunate, how are supposed to retake Mbire?â Said Chiwoko as he started to think. âI have been trying to unite the four great dzinzas of Huruhuswa, but the divisive ishe Shumba has crushed my efforts in bringing back a form of unity. He claimed that the Shumba dzinza was superior, thus it was the one which was supposed to lead all the others. They started the aggression by attacking anyone who was allied with us. They attacked the Shavas, and the Gumbos, and it was our duty, as the Nzous, to protect the weaker groups. Mark my words, Shumba will pay for this.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âWhat about the other ishes?â Asked Chiwoko. âI have allied with ishe Shoko Vudzijena and had given him some of my medicine. I heard that he was having trouble the Hungwes who were raiding his territory.â Said the ishe. âSo, our task is to unite the fighting ishesâŚâ Said Murenga. âHow do we make sure that the rebellious ishe Shumba listens. His fighting power is the greatest in all of Huruhuswa, it was second to that of the Mambo.â Said Chiwoko. âYes, I must admit that even I am having trouble with the Shumbas. Their medicine allows them to transform into men beasts, half man-half lion. Not only does this give them great strength, but it allows them so see clearly in the dark. Giving them a big advantage when they raid at night.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âWait, there is still hope.â Said Karuwa. âThere is one item powerful enough to subdue this rogue ishe. If we go to Matonjeni, the secret headquarters of the lion cult, we might be able to get Ngoma Lungundu.â Said Karuwa. âNgoma Lungundu, what is that?â Said Ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âIt is a war drum that is kept in Nyikadzimu, so great is its power that mambo Tovera left it in the spirit world to make sure that no mortal could use it.â Said Karuwa. âBut only a high sage can use the war drum without dying.â Said Chiwoko. âYes, that is because the high sage is a person who has completed the sacred ritual.â Said Karuwa. âWhat is this ritual?â Asked Murenga. âThe ritual involves going to Nyikadzimu and survive its trials.â Said Karuwa. âThen we must be off to Matonjeni, we donât have time to lose. Ishe Nzou Samanyanga, farewell, we are going to retrieve Ngoma Lungundu, we will return.â Said Murenga. âI will hope for your success.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. The three then left KwaNzou and headed towards Matonjeni.
Chapter 3: Nyikadzimu
They traveled southwest until they reached Matonjeni. There was a large rock with caves. âOver there. That cave leads into Nyikadzimu.â Said Karuwa. As they walked towards the cave then they came across the remains of the lion cultists. âIt seems that the snake cult was here, too. They must have killed the remaining lion sages and left.â Said Chiwoko. The three then went to the entrance of the cave. âThis is as far as we go. Further inside there is a portal which you must jump into, it will lead you to Nyikadzimu. That is where Ngoma Lungundu resides.â Said Karuwa. âTake this fodya, it might offer you some protection against enemy spirits. Be careful, Nyikadzimu could be a wonderful place, or it could be an unspeakable nightmare.â said Chiwoko. âNgoma Lungundu will most likely be protected by guardian spirits, beware.â Said Karuwa. âIâm ready.â Said Murenga. Murenga then went forward and then jumped into Nyikadzimu portal without hesitation.
Murenga landed in the spirit realm. When he looked back the portal was gone, and he was still in a cave which was inside of Nyikadzimu. Murenga looked forward and saw Ngoma Lungundu in the distance, floating above ground. It was being guarded by two guardian spirits. They were humanoid and wore feather crowns on their heads. These were the Jukwa, fighting spirits which served Samasimba. Murenga used the fodya, and carefully got closer to the drum. âA challenger is near.â Said one of the Jukwas. The Jukwa, challenged, started floating towards Murenga with its knobkerrie in hand, while the other remained behind guarding the war drum. When Murenga got into a fighting stance, and the spirit laughed. âFoolish mortal, you cannot harm a spirit!â Said the Jukwa. As it got closer, Murengaâs spear, Pfumojena, started to glow. The spirit tried to use its powers to defeat Murenga however Murenga was protected by the fodya. âIt does not matter. No mortal can kill a spirit of war.â Said the Jukwa. Murenga fought the spirit. This was one of the toughest fights that Murenga has ever fought. As they fought the spirit knocked Pfumojena away from Murenga and was about to kill Murenga. âYou are not worthy! You have not undergone the paths of enlightenment like the other sages! You will fail to claim Ngoma Lungundu!â As the Jukwa was about to strike Murenga, Murenga teleported to the location of Pfumojena without knowing how he did it. âWait!â Said the other Jukwa Spirit. The other Jukwa halted. âThat spear! It is Pfumojena isnât it?! You use it like he did in combat.â Said the Jukwa. âWhat? How?â Asked Murenga. The Jukwa smiled. âMortal, you must defeat the guardian if you are to be able to claim Ngoma Lungundu, and you are not even close to defeating him.â Said the Jukwa. âWhat is your name?â Asked the Jukwa. âMurenga.â Replied Murenga. âI will teach you how to use the spear, Pfumojena, properly, so that you can defeat the guardian.â Said the Jukwa. âI donât have time for this!â Said Murenga. âWould you rather forfeit your life?â Said the Jukwa. â⌠Very well.â Said Murenga who agreed to be trained by the spirit.
âWhat happened to me? I was there, but then I was here.â Said Murenga. âThis spear, Pfumojena, was forged from materials from Nyikadzimu. It is the bane of spirits, and it was used by Tovera when he united Huruhuswa. It has powerful magic from Nyikadzimu itself⌠Here let me show you.â Said the Jukwa as it took Pfumojena and threw it outside the cave to the plains of Nyikadzimu. The Jukwa then touched Murenga and warped with him where Pfumojena was. âWhat just happened?â Asked Murenga. âThis trick is called warp. Tovera and his kin can use this power if they wield Pfumojena.â Said the Jukwa. âDoes this mean we are kin?â Said Murenga. âNo. I am a Jukwa, a fighting spirit. Magic like this is within my grasp.â Said the Jukwa. âOh.â Said Murenga. âI was once Toveraâs guardian spirit. I watched over him and defended him from evil. Let me give you my memories of him, how he fought in battle, and how he mastered Pfumojena.â Said the Jukwa as it gave Murenga knowledge of how to warp with Pfumojena. âNow, you can use Pfumojenaâs full power, with great effort, I believe you can defeat the guardian spirit.â Said the Jukwa. Murenga then threw Pfumojena back into the cave and warped to its location. He used the fodya again and challenged the guardian spirit. They fought at full power. Murenga used Pfumojena to warp about the great cave, which was illuminated by strange lights. In the end Murenga managed to pierce the guardian spirit once, defeating it with Pfumojenaâs magic. âNo! Spirit baneâŚâ Said the Jukwa as it was vanquished. Tired and injured, Murenga moved forward to claim the drum. âYou have prevailed. Let me bless you, so you can use Ngoma Lungundu without dying.â Said the other Jukwa. Murenga got the blessing and was healed. He then took the war drum. âHow do I get back to the world?â Asked Murenga. âSince you have not travelled through the paths of enlightenment, you must find a certain pool which will lead you back to Huruhuswa. Do not worry I will guide you, but be beware, this land is not for the living.â Said the Jukwa.
Murenga and the Jukwa wandered the plains of Nyikadzimu with Ngoma Lungundu. It felt like they were travelling for days in the savannahs of Nyikadzimu; beautiful lands which were full of spirit animals. âWhere are the dead people?â Asked Murenga. The Jukwa then looked at the great mountain in the distance without pointing at it. âThey are there, at Gomo Ndimambo, the sacred mountain.â Said the Jukwa. âWe have been travelling for a long time in its direction, but it feels like we are not getting closer to it at all.â Said Murenga. âThat mountain is the seat of Samasimba. It is an aspect of Samasimba himself. He is the lord of all spirits, none who are not meant to get closer to the mountain can get closer to the mountain.â Said the Jukwa. âDoes this mean I am not worthy?â Said Murenga. âNo, it means it is not your time yet.â Said the Jukwa. The two then arrived at the glittering pool. âThis is as far as I can guide you. You must dive into the pool, and you will emerge in Huruhuswa.â Said the Jukwa as it vanished. Murenga was about to dive into the pool, then he started to hear voices calling to him. âMurenga! Murenga!â Said the voices. Murenga looked back to see mambo Mambire, and mambokadzi Danai. âMother? Father?â Said Murenga. âMy son!â Said mambokadzi Danai. Murenga dropped Pfumojena and Ngoma Lungundu and went back to hug them. âMy son, we are restless!â Said his mother. âWe grow weary, and tired, trying to find the path to the sacred mountain. Our souls are full of anger, and rage, and it is stopping us from moving forward. You must destroy Nyisai, and the snake cult! You must avenge us before we become spirits of Ngozi! Said mambo Mambire. âI promise you, I will avenge you!â Said Murenga. Then a strange fog came and separated them. Murenga was left alone at the pool. He then took Pfumojena and Ngoma Lungundu and went forward to the pool; diving in without hesitation. Murenga then emerge from the sky, above Matonjeni. He started falling and then he landed softly with Pfumojena, and Ngoma Lungundu, on same spot Musikawanhu landed during the creation. Karuwa and and Chiwoko then went to see him.
Chapter 4: Chindunduma
âYou have it. Ngoma LungunduâŚâ Said Chiwoko. âYou have been gone for days. How was your experience in Nyikadzimu?â Asked Karuwa. âIt was strange, but now I can do things I couldnât do before.â Said Murenga. âYou have learned magic?â Asked Karuwa. âWe have Ngoma Lngundu, maybe now we can convince ishe Nzou.â Said Chiwoko. As Murenga looked around he notices that there was a dark cloud covering the sky except for the place he appeared from in the sky. âWhat is this cloud?â Asked Murenga. âAs I have said before it is evil magic. Looks like we have no choice but to go under it.â Said Chiwoko. The three then used Chiwokoâs medicine to become invisible and went under the cloud. The cloud started to rain and when the water touched the three, they ceased to be invisible. âThis is not normal rain! We have been detected!â Said Chiwoko. As they looked in the sky they saw a group of giant lightning birds coming from a distance. âWhat are those?â Asked Karuwa. âThose are the impundulus, lightning birds! They are evil creatures which are sent by witches! They can take out an army!â Said Chiwoko. âQuickly! Use the war drum!â Said Karuwa. Murenga gave Chiwoko Pfumojena and started beating Ngoma Lungundu. The lightning which was sent by the great impundulus was blocked. Murenga continued beating Ngoma Lungundu, and it summoned flaming rocks falling from the sky; destroying the impundulus, and the dark cloud. The land around them was ravaged by lightning and fire but Murenga, Karuwa, and Chiwoko were untouched. âIncredible!â Said Chiwoko as he marveled at the power of Ngoma Lungundu. The three travelled to KwaNzou.
Upon arrival at dusk they saw that the outskirts of the town were ravaged. Houses and crops were burning. They met a person who ran to them. âReinforcements, finally!â Said the man. âWhat happened while we were gone.â Asked Chiwoko. âWe were raided from the south by hordes of goblins. They came after the warriors returned from battle. They kept coming, raiding, day after day, for three days straight.â Said the man. âHow is the morale? Where is the ishe?â Asked Murenga. âWe have lost Chimhuru, and Jinda, our best fighters, in the battle before the raids. Morale is low. Ishe Nzou and Gandaremvura are at the isheâs homestead recovering. I will take you to them.â Said the man. The three were taken to ishe Samanyangaâs homestead. âNgoma Lungundu, you have it! Good.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âWe know who betrayed the mambo. It was Nyisai.â Said Murenga. âHow do you know this?â Asked ishe Nzou. âI met my parents in Nyikadzimu, they have told me the truth.â Said Murenga. âIncredible.â Said Ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âWill you lend us your aid in battle?â Asked Murenga. âI will only help you, if you help us defend the town in tomorrowâs raids.â Said the ishe. âFair enough.â Said Murenga. A warrior then came into the isheâs house and bowed. âSpeak.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âIshe, we have followed the goblins as you have commanded. It seems they are being summoned by a witch.â Said the hunter. âWhy didnât you kill this witch?â Asked ishe Nzou. âWe tried, but she was too powerful. The goblins were too many. Our hunters were eaten by those evil beasts.â Said the hunter. âThe snake cult, they are behind this.â Said Chiwoko. âYou did well, son.â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âMurenga, letâs go to the people, they need to be prepared.â Said ishe Nzou. The people were gathered at night in the rain. âPeople of the Nzou totem! Hear me! Tomorrow we will defend our home. Here is the prince of Huruhuswa. Not is he the heir to the throne of the land but has been chosen by the ancestors to deliver us! All hope is not yet lost, for we have the war drum, Ngoma Lungundu! Let those who watch over in Nyikadzimu envy us tomorrow!â Said ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âYeah!â Yelled the people.
Morning came, and the people were in battle formation. Ready to defend their home, and their lives from the goblin horde. As the sun rose, it illuminated the goblins running towards the town. Murenga took his spear, Pfumojena, and threw it with all his might at the direction of the incoming goblin horde. It landed creating a crater. Murenga then took Ngoma Lungundu and warped to Pfumojenaâs location. The goblins started pouring into the crater, however Murenga started beating the war drum. At its sound, the goblins were vanquished, turning into a black smoke. Murenga did not vanquish all of the goblins however, for they were too many. The Nzou people clashed with the goblins and in the chaos of battle, the witch appeared and faced ishe Nzou Samanyanga. âYou will pay for crossing me, witch!â Said ishe Nzou. âYou will fall on this day, on this battlefield!â Said the witch. The witch then fought with the ishe. As the NZou people were winning with the help of Ngima Lungundu, the witch, using her witchcraft, banished the ishe to the underworld of the Njuzus. Angered, Murenga took Pfumojena and speared her. The remaining goblins were vanquished, and the battle was won. âThe battle is won, but our ishe is gone. What are we going to do?â Said Gandaremvura. âYour ishe said he was going to aid me in reclaiming Mbire and destroying the snake cult. You will honor his decision and follow me into battle.â Said Murenga. âVery well my lord.â Said Gandaremvura.
Murenga, with the help of Ngoma Lungundu, led the Nzou army across Huruhuswa. He was successful in uniting the land under his leadership as the rightful ruler of the land, and thus he was known as âSororenzouâ, meaning, âthe Head of the Elephantâ. The only groups which were not united by Murenga were the Shumbas, and the Hungwes. Murenga now had a great number of followers. âWhat will you do when you have destroyed the snake cult?â Asked Chiwoko. âI will become the next Mambo.â Said Murenga. Murenga then send a messenger to ishe Shumba and ishe Hungwe. âTell the ishes that they should yield to me or I will have to use force.â Said Murenga. âYes, my lord.â said the messenger. In a few weeks there was news. âIshe Hungwe has surrendered and he asked to meet with you.â Murenga then went to meet with ishe Hungwe. He took Ngoma Lungundu with him. They were in a forest which was full of trees. âAn ambush?â Said ishe Shoko who was with Murenga. âAttack!â Said ishe Shumba. Ishe Shumba attacked with his lion men, and pet lions, however Murenga used Ngoma Lungundu, and put them all to sleep using the war drumâs power. The only people who remained awake were ishe Shumba and ishe Hungwe; who then surrendered. âMurenga Pfumojena Sororenzou, we surrender. You are the rightful mambo.â Said ishe Hungwe. âWill you return the Shokosâ territory?â Asked Murenga. â⌠Yes.â Said ishe Hungwe. âNgoma Lungundu, in all my years I have never seen such a thing. Such power, truly, the ancestors have judged you worthy.â Said ishe Shumba. Murenga Sororenzou and all the ishes of Huruhuswa then went to the land near Mbire and made camp there. They were ready to assault the stone city of Mbire and retake the throne.
The whole land around Mbire was covered by a dark cloud, similar to the one at Matonjeni, but this one was not raining. Under its shadow were dead creatures both men, beasts, and birds. Murengaâs war council was meeting in the war camp where all the ishes of Huruhuswa were in attendance, along with Chiwoko and Karuwa and the remaining lion cultists. They were interrupted by a hunter who had been scouting the area. âSpeak.â Said Murenga Sororenzou. âMy lord, we have investigated the cloud, and it seems that anything that goes under its shadow dies.â Said a hunter. âDies?â Said Karuwa. âYes, it just dies.â Said the hunter. âAnother form of witchcraft. How do we get through this cloud?â Said Chiwoko. The war council was trying to find a way to remedy the problem, and the lion cultists intervened. âWe can remedy this by using Ngoma Lungundu.â Said Karuwa. âOh, then letâs do it.â Said ishe Shumba. âThey went near the cloud, and Murenga beat Ngoma Lungundu, however, nothing happened. âIt didnât work.â Said ishe Shumba. âThe war sages of old used to dance to the melody of Ngoma Lungundu. They called this dance the âwar danceâ. What if we danced to maximize the power of the war drum?â Said Karuwa. âVery well.â Said Murenga. Everyone was ordered to bring their musical instruments, such as drums, and mbiras. They were then ordered to dance and sing to the âwar danceâ. Murenga started beating Ngoma Lungundu and the people of Hurhuswa performed the war dance. After dance for a while the skies began to be cleared. âIt is done. Warriors, ready yourselves! There is no surrender in the battle to come! Ndagara ngoma ini!â Said Murenga Sororenzou. âChisadza muhomwe!â Yelled ishe Shumba.
Murenga and his army marched to the city of Mbire where they were confronted by an army of mind-controlled warriors from the city. They were led by the Mukomohasha, the general. âMen, do not show mercy! You might know some of the warriors on the other side but they are under evil magic! Killing them will be an act of mercy!â Said Murenga Sororenzou. Murenga led the army of Huruhuswa, and they defeated the army of Mbire. âFind Nyisai! And bring him to me alive!â Said Murenga. Murenga then made his way up the hill to the stone palace, using Ngoma Lungundu to defeat his enemies. Chiwoko was close behind him carrying Pfumojena. They went to the hut where they left Murengaâs parents. There they were confronted by Shato. Murenga took back Pfumojena and gave Chwoko the Ngoma Lungundu. Murenga and Shato fought and Murenga ultimately speared Shato. âThatâs one down.â Said Murenga. The medicine which Shato used on the warriors wore off and the warriors of Mbire came back to their senses. They surrendered and gave Nyisai to Murenga who then speared him. After order was restored, Murenga Pfumojena Sororenzou was then given the feather crown, and was crowned the mambo of Huruhuswa. He had defeated the usurper and avenged his last mambo and mambokadzi.
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Murenga âThe story of a great warrior who inspired Chimurengaâ Murenga Full Story. Chapter 1: Mbire The land of Huruhuswa was a land teaming with wild animals such as lions, and elephants.
