Lotha's Seven and Ten Burdens

Written sometime in the late Age of Fire, Lotha's Seven and Ten Burdens is a long form poetic text that details the hero Lotha's life, and the seventeen trials and events that culminated in his death, as well as the disappearance of Turalei sky, and disappearance of its native Tessie inhabitants.

Structure
The text is written in stanzas of three lines each, spread over seventeen scrolls, or books. Due to its antiquity, a complete copy of Lotha's text is not known to exist, though the Royal Archivists offer a significant bounty to any who submit authentic, verified attributions.

Excerpt: Lotha's Sixth Burden
The Otter held a transcription of a fragment of Lotha's text—marked as Lotha's sixth burden—describing the scrying of eight magical, musical instruments, relics attributed to Yithila.

1"Lotha carried the child’s body from its cradle,""Weeping as he carried out his task.""The eaten was named and the ritual complete"2"The young man grew old and weary there""In that forgotten glade of Hem""Where the ivywood eats all other trees"3"The Blind Seer’s damned ritual complete,""Lotha read from the map of blood and entrails""The way to change the skies near and far"4"To change the skies as can only the gods""As have and will the Old now and then and yet""With Storms as hammer and chisel and anvil"5"Lotha saw the low moon fiddle""With strings of brilliant rainbow and dark mahogany""Its deep moan calls the living to attention"6"Lotha saw the ivywood horn""In the shape and sound of a conch""With echoes that summoned falling ghost"7"Lotha saw nightingale bells""Clustered like shining jewelled berries""Their tears rousing all birds"8"Lotha saw the high wilds harp""Bound in bone and feather and scale""That opened to doors to the stars "9"Lotha saw the rock hautboy""Hewn from perfect stone to carry unseen wind""Emotion and language piped free to all beasts"10"Lotha saw the white coral concertina""Five sides toward the far borders of our world ""That shivered every spire, stone, and rock"11"Lotha saw the berry young wheel""Marked with with Her name and shape""And all winds fell silent and roared"12"Lotha saw the cloudfloor drum""Painted blood and skin of Yithila""And the cloudfloor rose to cover the world"13"And the old sage whispered that the time was close""Yithila’s eight would be brought together in band""That they along would control their fate"14"They would play Yithila’s oath and welcome Anak""Blood and Storms would roll over all skies and soars""They would bring a new Age, and Lotha wept."