The Cunning Comper: Vol. 3

Said to be a tapestry woven by Master Sanhaj Compore himself. Its content is short and odd, generally taken as a fiction that never happened.

Though Sanhaj agreed to his brother's scheme, as an honest man he still suffered anxiety over deceiving the Lord of the Crossroads. So in tossing nightmares, Sanhaj poured out his brother's plan to the Lord of the Crossroads.

"Dream Mama" stretched out night-black hands, drew honest Sanhaj into her arms, and kissed his brow. In silent dark sleep she had already forgiven Sanhaj's trespass; instead, as reward, she poured mysterious mushroom wine from the cauldron into an obsidian cup and handed it to Sanhaj.

Yet at that moment Compore suddenly burst into his brother's tent and looped a rough grass rope about the sleeping brother's neck—he had long foreseen that the brother would tell the Lord of the Crossroads his plan.

Thus, before the dream's master could warn him, Sanhaj died on his pallet by his own brother's hand. The obsidian cup of mushroom wine fell from his hand, staining Sanhaj's chest and the blood-soaked rope tight on his neck.

The Lord of the Crossroads was shaken by such great sin and grieved for Sanhaj's death. At once a curse fell on cunning Compore: the unfortunate brother Sanhaj would revive upon his body and foretell every fate for him. But thereafter every person he had cheated or harmed would be branded deep in memory; and every lie he spoke would be repeated a thousand times by his brother's mouth in his ear. Thus Compore gained the benefit of drinking the mushroom wine, and also stained himself with indelible sin and curse.

Thus Compore gained a new name—"Sanhaj Compore." Not until long, long later, when Tenoch gathered heroes for a last stand against the black tide, did he find a path to salvation… But that is another story. Haha—likewise, since after that day of final battle many tribesfolk still saw Sanhaj Compore's cunning smile in the black night… that story too must be yet another of Sanhaj Compore's jests or riddles.