Shamans of the Blind Country

[first lines]

Narrator:
Over the widely scattered tribes of man, there once ruled iron fate with silent force. The better times had waned. The present dark age had begun. -- In the First, golden, Age man had reaped the fruits of the earth with ease, toiling but little to earn his daily meal. Illness and the debilities of old age were unknown. There was no malice, no strife, no pride, no fraud, no jealousy and no envy. -- In the Second Age the sacred gods came into being, with all manner of rights and offerings This was an age of grand purpose, and religion was the measure of achievement. Then, in the Third Age, knowledge branched out into many domains, giving rise to doctrines with contradictory implications. The passions were kindled, and man had learned how to win favors with opulent gifts. Calamity, disease, and desires plagued the lifes of men. This was an age of want, and impoverishment. -- The forth age, finally, was darkened by the signs of rapid decay. The rulers had uncouth minds, and violence lurked behind their brows. The common people, fearing the unpredictable greed of their masters, cringed in bondage or fled into remote valleys. Clad only in bark, they were exposed to the elements, sustaining themselves with wild honey, grass, or leaves. Worldly goods now procured rank, wealth brought honor, lovely garments dignity, and lechery was the sole bound of the sexes. Menace and conjecture replaced knowledge. Suspicion and cunning crouched on the faces of men. A mood of evil clouded the land. In this Iron Age the people did not grow old. Unknown diseases took hold of tormented bodies and entire populations were carried off. Thus the fear of opression was surpassed only by the danger of early death. In those days a man appeared, from the north, born without ancestry. His name was Rama Puran Tsan. He climbed an evergreen tree and looked out upon the misery of the world. And he saw that many of the earthly diseases were caused by supernatural beings, spirits, or witches, who kidnapped the souls of their victims. At the same time he realized, from his high observation point, what the supernaturals actually lusted for: They wanted blood. And Rama offered himself to them as a mediator, one who would betray the abducted souls of his future clients for sacrifices of blood. To his insights into the cause of disaster he added knowledge of the secret practise of magic, of the healing virtue of Himalayan herbs, and of the alternating beats of the pulse and the mind. Rama Puran Tsan became the first shaman.