If one wants to know best of the history of Tinko-Tinko, one ought not to go to any library or seat of learning such as the academies in cities. Nor should you ask the archives hiden deep underground. To know best of what had happened and what had happened to the people, one should search for the local Jali (bard) whose songs often display the folklore and history otherwise neglected by higher institutions.

Songs of greatness, cultural behavior and strife the Jali sings the woes and joys of the people. And there was a time when songs of war filled the air of depressing thoughts...

Songs

Author: A'zir, prince of the Royalty of Tinkoniis and poet. Written in 1285 AU (1612), but didn't become popular until the very end of the war 1333 AU (1660).

Notice how our shadow, notice Ismail Mon Frere!

How it's encompassed by darkness

How gold and silk, paddle over there shifts to gravel and tatters.

From his rushing river Aristocles [Charon] waves

as does then, three times, the grave digger

no-more will you clasp your grape [wine].

Therefore, Ismail, come help me lever

a gravestone for our sister! [Tinko-Tinko]

So went to rest, from brawls and ball, troublemaker and protectors of past

There, to the grass, long necked and slender.

It's yet where you turn your eye.

Unknown origin.

Little child, sleep sweetly in peace!

For you will, given time, vigil.

Soon enough to see our evil time,

And her bile taste.

The world is an isle of sadness,

Once you should breathe should you die,

And become earth back again.

Poems

Drinking poem written sometime during 1323 AU (1650) when foreign forces filled the lines. This was recorded by Captain Ilkaryl from the Tonuvan expeditionary force when accompaning the 3^rd Jarid (Gunpowder weapon regiment) 'till the time they deserted (This was the cause of the Ottoman commander Luphut murder).

Up to your waist in water, washing away our sin.

Using the kind of language, making our zwoods (Lieutenant) blush

Who wouldn’t join the army?

That’s what we all inquire, don’t pitty the poor civilians sitting beside the fire away from smoke and gunpowder.

Oh! It’s a lovely war.

Unknown origin, most likely much older than the war. Usually muttered by fishermen, sailors and other dockworkers.

A place for the ships to wait out the big storm.

A place for ships to wait for repairs.

A place near the docks.

An additional segment was added by sailors from the Royal navy shortly after a few broken ships returned, suffering from a crushing defeat dealt by the Imperial navy.

A place away from the Empire.

A place where Royal ships reign supreme.

A place near the docks.

Unknown author. Title: "For brave men". Rewritten from the origional "Hymn for brave men" or "A hymn of dead men" recorded by an unnown historian shortly after the horrid Tinko-Bali war (unknown which of the three).

For brave men I see in the distance, whose home dissapear from mind.

Their time here now felt all too short.

Barely of age, barely a man when duty called them away.

If they will ever return to see their home again, I'll never know.

The world was on fire, and the romans was to blame.

A war which can destoy a man, who gives his life for his motherland.

They went to war for Tinko-Tinko, nothing more.

Baptized in blood, they became no heroes, only dead.

Will we miss them? A husband? A friend?

A father and son never to return home again.

Who will mourn the loss of a life, when we grieve for the loss of another [Tinko-Tinko]

In the field filled with kinsmen, no songs can be sung.

No songs of known, for in the camps of the enemy they sing songs of yonder.

Songs of a time run out.

Will a soldier be given a worthy end? Be given the eternal sleep? When he too decides to sing the songs of yonder?

Never to wake up again.

Never to repent a [his] name.

Unknown origin, but often mumbled by guardsmen from the Second Tinkonian Empire.

Long in the forest sticks and paths,

Stands a foreign long and fat,

Sharp is his fingers sweet is his tongue,

Little does he know he will never pass.

Written by Amir Ngwa from the Igbolo tribes. When is unknown but most likely sometime 1329-32 AU (1656-59) when he attacked drove away tens of thousands of men with a force of only 1000 poorly armed camel riders.

Never more than five,

Never fewer than three,

Always guarding,

Always watching.

Hiding a secret,

Rumoured to be big,

Ever vigilant,

Ever watching,

We drive the heard [Royalist forces] towards their home.

Notes

Unknown author, segment written almost 30 years after the war.

Bitter from the 'Roman conquest' would most Tinkonian soldiers and many young spend their childhood hating Rome and all it stood for.

Origin unkown, it has been cited in many books by many authors with the oldest texts simply citing it as follows (which shows it must have been a known author/work)

"I was born when Tinko-Tinko was perishing” a Royal scholar later wrote, “30.000 Romans spewed on to our shores, drowning the throne of liberty in waves of blood. Cries of the dying, drones of the oppressed and tears of despair surrounded my cradle from the hour of my birth”

Author: Amessan, scholar in the Royal Academy in Tinko. written 12 years after the war in his book, "Foreigners and The great divide of Tinkonians"

His origional work is lost in the great fire which engulfed much of the inner archives, in the late autumn 1566 AU (1893), but some remains through citations.

For the small aristocracy the change soon became apparent as their loyalty was readily submitted, they wore white togas, tunics and silver buckled shoes along with other Roman garb.

Also

Tinkonians never forgave them for betraying their Tinkonian heritage and most would say rather harshly, “The aristocracy was rather too fond of pleasure”

Unknown author, written during the war. Most likely by a dissgruntled officer or soldier (name was rubbed out) who later stated how he joined the mutiny. It became part of the collection of diaries in a book known as, "The mutiny against Roman ideals".

We besieged the mightiest of cities the world had ever known, its secondary walls stood form as if built days ago. But we all knew it was a remaint from centuries ago, likely, for centuries to come as we simply sat for 8 months.

I am hungry. It mocks me how the guards on the walls can be seen munching on a piece of loaf. Our commanders Luphut and Izzet ordered rationing a while back. Damn ottomans, we all know them to be stuffing their faces in them tents.

We also ran out of powder for the canons, apparently did their "imperial warfare and drills" not train them well enough for true war! Tinkonian war... I can just hear how our officers mock them exchanging words of distaste. The funniest I ever heard was someone saying something like this, "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind if fear, but we do not fear you". Heh, we all feared what lay inside them walls.

.-.

We blew open the gates and wrestled inside Tinko for two days. We won. I was almost killed by a man but drew my sword quickly, he tried to sneak up on me during the night.

The banner of Roy Idus fluttered in the wind atop the city gates along with the corpses of Izzet and his ottoman fellows. Who knows what had happened to Luphut, I guess he "departed" soon thereafter.

.-.

The queen came today, the king was dead. I saw her enturage of outlandish commanders. And this is enough. The humiliation of being under a foreign command is unbearable. My friends and I have decided to turn coat, we stole one canon and a small barrel of powder. Damn if we cannot nip the ears of a couple romian (roman) soldiers!