The Tigris Standard

Exordium.

“Conflicts are aplenty in the world due to women and wealth”
                               - Kunchan Nambiar.

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It was the wintry month of Mārgazhi. The usually chilly night was enveloped further, in a mask of extreme coldness. The night would've been pitch dark if not for the platinum glow of the crescent that moved across the black curtain, on which shiny sequins of fire were elegantly embroidered. The freezing breeze wafted the perfume that it had collected from the silvery, night-blooming flowers into a dark room which apparently seemed as if it was meant for strategic discussions and probably, discussions on warfare. It housed depictions of texts like the Arthashāstra by Kautilya, the Dhanurveda Samhita, Nīti Prakāshika etc, carved upon black basalt. Various scenes of battle and the duties of kings, queens, princesses, princes, body guards and others, the usage of weapons, especially the ones for mass destruction and the warnings for their usage were sculpted. These scenes, chiseled upon the dark rock were sequences from the ancient scriptures that spoke of history. The carvings spoke of the valour of men, women, transgender and every other gender known, along with animals, some not widely known and others popular.

Lamps and torches, made of brass and bronze, adorned with the blazing fire along with other instruments that alighted without the usage of fire, illuminated the room. The Vedic Jaataveda fought occassionally against his own brother, Tanūna, the cold breeze, to keep himself alive. The fragrant smoke of burnt Aguru danced across the room.

The room consisted of a round table, with a huge circumference, whittled down from an Indian Rosewood. It upheld a geographical map of Bhārata, Shrīvijaya, Angkor, Indrapura, Tāmbralinga, Song China, Rajhanate of Cebu and Ilangai. The mountains and other hilly tracts on the map were depicted by sticking clay models of those natural phenomena. If the mountain supported vegetation, it was painted with a hue of Viridian. The rest of the mountains, depending on the climatic condition of the landscape, were drenched in appropriate colours. For example, the snowy Himalayas were dyed in ivory, on which, a coating of crushed cowrie shells were shaded upon to provide a glossy, glistening finish. The great Indian desert was tinted in sienna. The types of soil, such as the alluvial, regur tracts, laterite among others were also stained differently, in accordance to their earthen colours. Water bodies were delineated blue. Volcanoes were coloured black, with their tips being a mix of red and orange. Important ports, kingdoms, cities and empires were penned in golden letters upon the map, whereas the rest of the landmarks were in black. Pointers and other instruments made of wood used for navigation were placed in holders that surrounded the map for ease in usage.

The round table showed vines, flowers, birds, insects and other plants and animals at its edges. The chairs too, made of Indian Rosewood, held matching motifs.

A man sat upon one of those chairs. His tawny eyes glittered, as they reflected the light around him. His skin tone, similar to darkened honey, sported a natural, healthy glow, perhaps due to the application of oil. His chiseled frame was covered in a white Uttarīya along with a yellow Paridhana, embroidered with gold. Even though adorned with several jewels such as Upagrīva, Skandhamāla, Hīkkāsūtra, Keyūra, Katībandha among others, the battle scars upon his body were the medals he earned, the ones that were more prized to him than any of the aforementioned jewels. His callous hands and feet had imprints of the red Alaktaka on them, that drew beauteous designs. His face, covered with a beard at the jaws and moustache above the lips, even though held a bright compassion, did not fail to exude a crooked, ill-minded countenance. His dark, oiled hairs supported a gem studded Kīrtīmukuta and his ears that listened carefully to the man who stood in front of him were bejeweled with golden Makarakundalas, glistening with the unique shine of rubies and emeralds. It was crystal clear that he was a king.