Sirsu is a city of Ulonai. At Broken Mountain, the Ulonain League defeated the barbarians attacking from the southern desert but, when the League dissolved, Sirsu and Irrulen fought each other. Kalava, having fought well at Broken Mountain, then fought Irrulen at sea and on land, capturing treasure and slaves. After the Peace of Tuopai, he became a trader and rich but lost much of his wealth in neighborhood and family quarrels. A clanmoot gave his estranged wife a third of the family wealth and the rest will be inherited by kin who hate him so he plans an exploratory expedition across the Windroad Sea.
He rides up the Spirit Way to Council Heights, sacred to all Ulonai, to request the advice of the skythinker, Ilyandi, one of the Vilkui:
dream interpreters;
scribes;
physicians;
mediators;
preservers of ancient lore and learning;
teachers.
After the annual Vilkui rites and conference on the Heights, Ilyandi stays to practice astronomy. Kalava, who trusts more to blood sacrifices and to his own strength, must recite a formula of Confession that is wiser than he is:
"'What a man knows is little, what he understands is less, therefore let him bow down to wisdom.'" (Genesis, p. 112)
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