Lost

Chapter 92: "The Guardian of the Zamarud - II"

Double update ;) Make sure you read the previous part first. Vote and comment!

When Zamarud reached Sthooriya, the snow was falling heavily. Fearing the Tor Guls harassment and greed, Zamarud hid the food his tribe desperately needed in a cave they found near the pass. Every night, after everyone would else would huddle near fires and prepare to sleep, the Oochaths would slide down the slopes on sledges to smuggle the food in.

Once the winter was over, Zamarud set out to find more emeralds. He soon realized that the peaks the Oochath tribes inhabited were loaded with the precious stones. After the snow melted and travelling became more convenient, Zamarud visited the old man to do more business and learn more about his new religion.

Over the years, most of the Oochath were enriched by both, the treasure of Emeralds and the wealth of Islam. They slowly started changing their ways. Their customs and traditions, their thinking, their outlook on life, their diet, their social dealings and behavior, everything went through a complete overhaul. Zamarud set up many schools to teach his people all kinds of knowledge of science, math, arts, geology, Qur'an and Hadeeth. He also started working on a secret passageway in and out of the valley in form of a tunnel near the Oochath tribe. The tribe of poor climbers soon became the richest and most knowledgeable miners, jewelers and gem dealers, and most independent of all of Sthooriya.

Both the Emeralds and Islam were kept a secret until after Zamarud's father passed away. By then the new religion had started spreading into the other tribes. The Manzannee and the Landhini were not bothered. Most of them accepted Islam and its values of equality, justice and honesty readily. The Tor Guls, however, saw the new religion as a threat to their political superiority over the other tribes. They asked the Oochath to publically denounce Zamarud and to hand him over so that he could be beheaded. The Oochaths refused. The Tor Guls attacked but were taken by surprise when a group of well trained archers effectively repelled their assault.

Finding no other way, The Tor Guls made a peace treaty. Zamarud and his tribe could practice the new religion so long as they did not shelter a Tor Gul Muslim in their houses and return him back for brutal public killings. Zamarud agreed. Clever as they were, the Oochaths started helping the Tor Gul Muslims escape persecution by sheltering them in the caves instead of houses until they could flee out of Sthooriya through the tunnel.

The Tor Guls continued maligning Zamarud publically and did everything in their power to keep the masses from accepting Islam. However, after a Tor Guls killed a farmer's young girl for refusing to marry one of Tor Gul generals, the three tribes united against the Tor Guls and set up a Loya Jirga or Grand Council. The members of the Council named Zamarud as their leader. They wanted to crown him as their king but Zamarud refused. However, upon the people's insistance, he agreed to become the Grand Chief, and the large green crystal of Emerald was polished into a crest as a symbol of his authority. They called it 'The Zamarud'. The Tor Guls found themselves in a tough situation when even their own populace rallied around the Grand Council. Cunning as they were, the Chief of the Tor Gul Tribe got the general killed. He offered to accept Zamarud as the Grand Chief so long as his Council did not interfere in the internal affairs of the Tor Gul tribe. The agreement was called 'Pact of Non-interference'."

Centuries passed without any major conflict. The Tor Guls maintained their bitter hatred against the Oochaths for stealing their crown but they could not retaliate. Most of Sthooriya made much progress especially in the time of The Grand Chief Sulaiman – Salma's grandfather. The valley boasted of many modernized cities equipped with the latest technology. He constructed a Dam over the river making Sthooriya energy independent. He connected the valley to the rest of the world through many well built roads and railways. A number of well recognized universities were established in his time with special emphasis on women education who he believed needed special attention.