Who is a Jama

The Jamas of Ilọrin are also known as the guardians of Alimi`s legacy. They are the warriors descended from the great Kankan fo of the ancient Yoruba people. They are under the rule of the Emir of Ilọrin.

Jamas are closely related to the Ẹṣọs in a fashion, they were equally as powerful and equally as dangerous. They share the same abilities, knowing how to manifest spiritual powers in the physical plane in the form of Agbara. They have a code, which is also almost similar to the code and the laws of the Ẹṣọs, but they are different.

Jamas are headstrong and even-tempered. Jamas are free-spirited and wild, not easily controlled due to the nature of their untamed spirit; blessed with a strong heart and a will that never wavers. The relationship they share with the Ẹṣọs includes their combat knowledge and strategies, they even share the same knowledge on how to manipulate Agbara. Jamas are better at weapons mastery than the Ẹṣọs making them far more formidable.

There is no enmity between the Ẹṣọs and the Jamas since the warriors are honour bound to respect the peace agreement that exists between the Emir of Ilọrin and the Alaafin of Ọyọ. There will always be the burning anticipation to prove which is better and should the opportunity present itself, the battle would be catastrophic; claiming lives from both sides as neither the Ẹṣọs nor the Jamas are willing to admit that the other is stronger. Therefore, what would result is a battle of pride and self-worth. The grudge between the Ẹṣọs and the Jamas is a grudge that will endure forever, the personification of an eternal rivalry between the god of thunder and lightning and the god of iron, fire, and war.

The history of the Jamas can be traced back to the time of the early warriors, a time when the greatest warrior of all was known as "Kankan fo Afọnja" Ilọrin was his domain and his provincial headquarter. "Aṣeṣe Kankan fo Afọnja" means the great mistake of Kankan fo Afọnja because it was from him that the first generation of Jamas started. He was the one who milked them as a mother would milk her young, and when they grew in strength and numbers, they rebelled against him and destroyed him, the same way the spiders feed on their mother. Thus, the Jamas exist today

*************

Beyond the Boundaries of Ilu-inọ

Ile-Ifẹ, the bedrock of the world and the cradle of creation a kingdom treasured above all other kingdoms. The land where Oduduwa settled and ruled over the whole of the Yoruba Empire, Ile-Ifẹ was a village with the grandest history in the Yoruba kingdom and was once the capital of the empire. It existed in the days of Ọranmiyan when he ruled over the initial 16 tribes and it was in this village that the great heirloom of the royal family of Oduduwa still stands in all its glory. The Staff of Ọranmiyan, forged through the power of willing human sacrifice. It stands as the bedrock of strength, not only for Ile-Ifẹ but for the whole of the Empire as well, a legend states that within the staff resides the slumbering power of Ọranmiyan, a power that will be awoken one day, a power that possesses an uncontrollable drive to protect the legacy of Oduduwa, a power that will be awoken the day Ile-Ifẹ is provoked to war.

This is why the Alaafin of Ọyọ had decided to hold the annual meeting of the golden season within the ancient town of Ile-Ifẹ also known as the golden city of the Yoruba Empire. Ile-Ifẹ was located in the heart of the enchanted forest, the enchanted forest was famous because of the level of potency contained within the herds of its treasure trove. Herbal doctors from all over the Yoruba land and from villages outside the territory came to tap out of the essence that the Ifẹ forest has to offer. It is said that the herbs that are obtained from the forest of Ifẹ contain the highest amount of potency and are used to produce concoctions of healing, love and even wars.

The location of the annual meeting was usually rotated between the kingdoms acknowledged by Oduduwa and Ọranmiyan when they once walked the physical plain, Ọyọ, Benin, Ibadan and Ile-Ifẹ. All the major provincial kings and their most trusted subordinates, usually the head of the capital or the Balogun of a district village sometimes the highest raking chief attend the meeting.

The most powerful people in the Yoruba Empire are the ones who usually preside over this meeting in person of the Alaafin of Ọyọ and the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ. The Timi of Ẹdẹ and his Ọtun was present to represent the Ẹdẹ province. The Timi is a child of either 12 or 13 seasons not completely versed in the ways of Yoruba politics but ready to prove himself. The Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province was also present at the meeting and by his side, the Balogun of Ilu-inọ village representing his right hand, the scene of the Adegunju representative was a source of wonder for all those present at the meeting. The Baṣọrun was seen as a large thing, standing over six feet above the ground and covered entirely in a black glossy substance making it hard for anyone to see what he looks like. The Balogun is another case entirely even though she's not the first female war chief to represent a province, she was the youngest and the most delicate-looking female present. A lot of the chiefs refused to acknowledge her status as a Balogun, they believe that anyone who can reach such a difficult rank without even a scar to mar her beauty, achieved the status through influence rather than merit.

The beauty of the Balogun of Ilu-inọ made a lot of the worthless men present uncomfortable, many of the braver more daring men would have reached out to claim her by force to make her their wife, but for her rank as Balogun. The rank of the Balogun of the entire province kept them at bay and those who were brave enough to claim her still held their peace because of the presence of the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province.

The most intimidating provincial king present in the meeting was the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province, apart from the province being the largest in the empire they also have the most fearsome army ever recorded in Yoruba history. The king of the Adegunju was known as one of the most influential and most powerful men in the whole of the empire, he was considered a man of war with insatiable blood lust. Apart from controlling a large geographical area and an undefeatable army, the Baṣọrun still holds some outpost territories within the borders of other neighbouring provinces, giving them the ability to challenge the Alaafin himself. The only thing that keeps the Baṣọrun of Adegunju on his best behaviour is his loyalty to the legacy of Oduduwa, many of the kings who rule the smaller provinces were envious and had the strong desire to cheque mate the actions of the Adegunju tribe.

The Onikoyi of Ikoyi is another local Ọba present at the meeting, unlike most of the other Ọbas, the Onikoyi is new to the political system of the Yoruba Empire being only three seasons old in his political career. The Balogun of Ikoyi was standing close to the king, present there to give the younger man some advice on how the political system of the empire works, but everyone can see that the Balogun was just another bloodthirsty Alawo who was only interested in forwarding his selfish ambition. As the Balogun of Ilu-inọ looked closely at the dangerous elder she remembered the words of the Ifa priest, the man mourned for the people who lived in Ikoyi stating that his reign will be one filled with a lot of bloodshed.

"He believes that war is just the result of strength," the Baṣọrun whispered in her ear "just another tyrant in the making, his wings are heavy with bloody ambitions"

"We can help those people," the Balogun suggested

"Like birds, we belong to the sky and they are moles they belong to the earth. It is not our place to interfere in their politics unless invited." He replied.

However, the Balogun of Ilu-inọ could not help but to pity the people of Ikoyi.

The Alaketu of Ketu was another leader present at the meeting who attracted the attention of the Balogun of Ilu-inọ, he impressed her with his boldness and the level of charisma he displayed during the meeting. The rumours, being spread among the Yoruba people and from the people of Ketu were that he was and is a just and true leader who rules according to the instructions of Oduduwa. The Baṣọrun of Adegunju describes him as a man that is easy to reason with.

In total, two hundred people attended the meeting including several members of the Ogboni cult and the principal chiefs of Ọyọ, the official chanter and the personal guards of the Alaafin of the Yoruba empire who also happens to be a direct descendants of Oduduwa himself.

The official chanter of the Alaafin stood before all the chiefs and rulers of the Yoruba Empire, there was a sudden silence as though they were waiting for something to happen. Then the chanter bowed to the chiefs and called out at the top of his lungs

"Ẹyin agba wa, Kabiasi n ki eyin ooo!"

My elders, the king greets you

"OOOOOOOOO!" all the Obas and Baloguns acknowledged

"Ẹ jẹ ka di da duro"

Let us all stand on our feet.

In response, all the elders stood upon their feet and prepared to join in the chorus, both with respect to Oduduwa and to the Yoruba Empire. A chorus was chanted by a great elder who descended from one of the lines of Oduduwa an elder whose name will never be forgotten "Adebissy Adenaya". The author of the official Yoruba Ẹwi, as the Konga players started the rendition the clappers added to the sound and the musical harmony and the flue harmonized the voices of all the singers as they chanted

"Yoruba ti daraba o

Ti daraba o ti darabao

Ewo rir awon re lawon somo

E wo didan re

Ẹ wa la ni

Ẹ jẹ ka gbe yoruba ga…"

As soon as they had finished reciting the official Yoruba Oriki the official chanter permitted them to sit down while they listen to the Oriki of the Alaafin of Ọyọ, going back to the first king of the Yoruba empire Oduduwa the king who could manipulate all the elements. But first, the priest stepped forward to give the blessing.

The Ifa priest stepped forward, a man far older than the Ifa priest of Ilu-inọ and a lot feebler, it seems like this old man was heavy with many years of service to Olodumare. His voice was slow and calm and as he began to recite the Oriki of Ifa, he gently offered kola nut to the gods wishing peace to all the provinces in the Yoruba Empire and praying for prosperity. The elders of Yoruba land responded "Aṣẹ" at intervals meaning "Amen", as soon as the Ifa priest was done he stepped aside to allow the official chanter room to recite the Oriki of the kings of Ọyọ

The official chanter a tall proud man in his early 40s once again stood on the stage to recite the official Oriki of the royal family, he began his story from the dawn of creation. The chanter's voice was flawless and clear, years of singing the same story repeatedly had given him a perfect pitch. He rendered the story musically and stressed each word with absolute clarity; the story began with Olodumare the king of the heavens sending his trusted servant Ọbatala the great deity to create the world. Ọbatala the god of purity stopped along the way to drink something strong before he continued his journey to the world, unfortunately, Ọbatala had too much alcohol in his system and got drunk and in the process, the creation of the world was delayed. Oduduwa, Ọbatala's younger brother decided to carry out the creation of the world. Oduduwa took the divine building materials from Ọbatala's drunken fingers and went off to begin the creation of the world. Oduduwa made use of the divine net of heaven to gather the sands of the earth together, then he used a divine Cock (Domestic Chicken) to spread the land over the waters; and then with his voice, Oduduwa muttered the very first words of creation in the language of understanding, Yoruba. Thus the first language of man was spoken, the bedrock of creation being Ile-Ifẹ. Olodumare the father of existence and the Olu-orun (king of heaven) sent one of his servants to inspect the world that Oduduwa had created. Olodumare sent the chameleon also known as 'Opaorun' (the police of heaven) to thoroughly inspect the earth and verify its perfection, Opaorun started from Ile-Ifẹ and continued through the earth seeking out one flaw or another to report to the Sky king. At the end of the inspection, the Chameleon reported that the earth is indeed perfect. As a reward for Oduduwa's service in the creation of the world, Olodumare gave Oduduwa the position of the first high king of the earth. Ọbatala now sobered from his drunken stupor refused to hand over his position as high-king to his brother and in the process the first conflict among the Yoruba Oriṣas began, luckily Olodumare intervened and settled the argument. Obatala was entrusted with the duty of giving man shape, a duty that he proved incapable of performing at most times because of his affinity to drinking himself drunk, most of the models of men were done while he was in a drunken state, thus the existence of deformities like hunch backs and cripples.

Then the chanter began to count the reign of each king of the Yoruba Empire without overlooking some of the key historical events that happened during the life of each king starting from Ọranmiyan the grandson of Oduduwa, the king who achieved immortality, Ṣango, Ajaka and so on. The chanter finally ended the chant six hours later with most of the bored listeners fast asleep, they had dozed off halfway through the recitation.

"It gets longer every season," the Balogun said in a longsuffering tone

"Sometimes tradition can be such a pain," the Baṣọrun agreed

"The King greets you" the Alaafin chanted in a loud resounding voice despite his age proving that he still had his wits about him.

"Ka bi asi oooo" (no one questions you) they all greeted back lying on the floor in respect to the present high king of Yoruba land. All provincial leaders are indeed kings in their fashion, but in the presence of the Alaafin of Ọyọ their position is nothing but that of a lowly chief. The Alaafin only recognises three others as equals, The Ẹmia of Ilorin, The Ọlọọfin of Ifẹ and The Ọba of Benin.

The village guards began to distribute cola-nuts and palm wine to all the chiefs present at the meeting, the provincial leaders began to give their annual report to the king explaining why the moonly taxes in form of tributes had dropped during the dry season and why some villages were more prosperous than others. The village kings complained that the gods were responsible, that the gods had withheld their blessings due to one wicked act or another

"The wickedness of men is continually laid down at the feet of the gods, how I despise the wicked," the Baṣọrun of Adegunju whispered to the Balogun of Ilu-inọ

"I wonder why the gods fail to punish those who do evil," the Balogun inquired under her tone

"Because evildoers offer better sacrifice to the gods, a good man cannot afford to offer a human sacrifice because he will never try to purchase a human being, but, an evil man holds no such reservation. The evil men offer better sacrifices"

"I don't understand," the Balogun said in a confused tone "why would the gods support evil"

"let me sight this example, Ogun the god of iron, fire and war was called upon by two villages at war with each other. Ogun the god of war now must choose which of the two villages he must support, after all, he cannot support the two villages at the same time. Which one will he support?"

"The village that is upright in its ways?" the Balogun replied without conviction

"No, the one which offers the bloodiest sacrifice is the one he will favour the most" the Baṣọrun replied "even the Oriki of Ogun dictates that he favours blood over palm oil and flesh over fruits. Sometimes the side the gods chooses remains neither the side of good nor the side of evil, it is the side of greed, self-serving greed"

"Only fate can tell, all men deserve mercy from the gods but are unwilling to have mercy on each other." the Balogun replied

"I gave up on fate and the gods a long time ago" the Baṣọrun growled, "The Creator is the only incorruptible God in existence, He asks for nothing but faithfulness and gives everything far more than we deserve."

"I can agree with that" the Balogun agreed and felt the Baṣọrun's sign of approval

***

One of the kings of the minor province stood up to address the council, the Balogun recognised him immediately "he is the Alake of Ileṣa." the Baṣọrun voiced silently. Even though his provincial territory is small and he cannot hold a candle next to most of all the other provincial rulers, his light as a king shone brightly and his deep baritone voice commanded a high level of respect

"Kabiasi o, I hope to convince you to make it a major issue to put an end to human sacrifice in this entire country, the use of human sacrifice alone is wrong. Oduduwa never had any intention to introduce human sacrifice as a culture and I strongly believe that the barbaric act should be abolished"

The entire council was shocked beyond measure by the Alake's words and the Balogun was astonished, the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province was impressed by the boldness of the Alake and practically bobbed his head in respect. The practice of using human sacrifices had been a huge conflicting issue for the past five generations and various believers have handled the issue in various ways. The Adegunju province had to combat the situation by officially declaring human sacrifice a capital offence and they severely punished all those who chose to ignore the law, most of the kings of local and district villages under the Adegunju province refused to obey this order and hoped that their god would punish the Adegunju's severely but nothing happened. The Balogun distinctively remembered a situation in which one of the local villages under the authority of Ilu-inọ choose to sacrifice to the biggest idol in the village, they offered the sacrifice of five male and five female virgins to the idol. The next morning when the people woke up from the celebration of the previous day, their king was nowhere to be found and some of the highest village chiefs had vanished as well; no one wept for them because they found the symbol of the Adegunju tribe seated upon the ruins of their damaged idol and the shrine burnt down to ashes. The Adegunju tribe was ruthless when dealing-out justice.

The Alake of Ileṣa is another story of his own, he had been against the use of human sacrifice ever since the crown of Ọba rested upon his head. He refused to bury his father the formal king of Ileṣa with six human heads as the culture dictates and he ended the custom of human sacrifices within his territory. Those who benefited from the evil practice naturally ignored the king using any method necessary to kidnap innocent individuals and use them for their rituals, but the king already had a plan to stop them and it did not require any kind of extreme force. He simply went out publicly and announced that the practice of human sacrifice was abolished more than six times before he executed his plan. The evildoers stubbornly refused to obey the king's order thinking that their ceremonial monarch was weak. If only, the Alake and a few of the high priests of Ileṣa went into the market square at sunset and cursed all the evildoers throughout the night until dawn. The ritual was designed by Oduduwa himself to ensure that those who do evil will be cursed for all time, and such a curse once declared can never be reversed. It took five weeks for all the kidnappers to die out, though some of them begged for mercy and asked for the curse to be reversed, the Alake being a just king responded by promising to heal them if they were able to return all the people they had previously kidnapped to their families alive and well. An impossible request, the kidnappers died painfully screaming out the names of their employers with the hope that they would not die alone.

"he is a man of honour" the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province commented "and he has earned my respect"

"Mine as well" the Balogun of Ilu-inọ added

"Send him a message" the Baṣọrun continued, "if he needs our help in any way, he can depend on us"

"As you wish" the Balogun smiled.

********

The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ a hot-tempered self-serving man in his late 60s stood up in rage to answer the Alake of Ileṣa, his eyes were a mask of determination and ridicule.

"Alake you are well respected in this council and the presence of the Alaafin" the enraged Baṣọrun began

"I thank you" the Alake responded bracing himself for a full-scale verbal onslaught

"But" the Baṣọrun sneered "I must ask you this question, who are you to question the gods of our land"

"Baṣọrun, I have no intention to question them" the Alake responded

"If you have no intention to question them, why did you just say that it is wrong to serve the gods? Why are you saying that it is wrong to feed them, that the gods are not to be honoured? The gods who laid the foundations of our land, who protect us, who guide us, feed us, strengthen us and keep sickness at bay"

"Animal sacrifices are more than enough, the gods are welcome to drink palm wine, palm oil and even the first produce of the land. Why human flesh?" the Alake shot

"And why not human flesh" the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ spat

"I thought the Alaafin has to make the decision," the Balogun of Ilu-inọ whispered in the direction of the Baṣọrun of Adegunju.

"The Alaafin is Old and with his old age comes weakness, the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ is using this as an excuse to undermine the decisions of the Alaafin" the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju responded. "The game of power is not for weak men"

"We give them what they want, what they demand," The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ continued "and what they demand is human blood. They have never asked for cola, palm wine, meat or palm oil. The purest form of sacrifice is a human sacrifice; it cannot be abolished"

"But if you listen to me you will see a good reason why it should be stopped; no one wants to offer his daughter or son as a sacrifice to the gods" the Alake pressed hoping to press the debate in his favour

"That is why we have the accursed tribes of Ijebu (food of the deep) and the Ijeṣa (food of the gods) tribes. The purpose of those tribes is to be sacrificed for the benefit of the land, they are all bred to be sacrificed to the gods" the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ shouted

"But" the Alake shouted still holding on to the hope of winning the debate, he failed because the debate ended with the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ reciting the chant of the human sacrifice, sensing that the debate will end with his absolute victory.

"Deny Ṣapọnna his meal

And you shall be plagued with smallpox

Deny Olokun his meal

And the sea shall flood your towns and villages

Deny Oriṣa Oko his meal

And your hunters will return empty-handed

Deny Ọya her meal

And your wives will remain barren

Deny Ṣango his meal

And your crops will receive no rainfall

Deny Ogun his meal

And your village will be conquered in wars

Deny Ọrunmila his meal

And the evil within your village will prosper

Deny Ifa his meal

And there will be no peace in your land

Deny all the gods their meal at the same time

And there will be a war between the gods and man

Blood is the only way to quench the thirst of the gods

The flesh is the only way the stay the hunger of the gods

Human blood is the only thing that the gods desire

Blood is the only reason that the Yoruba empire is standing

And human blood is the only way to keep the empire strong" thus the Baṣọrun chanted

There was a thundering round of applauds for the chant and the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ gave a triumphant smile looking down on the Alake, the Alake held his peace and sat down this is one argument he has no hope of winning, at least he had succeeded within his province. If only the Alaafin was younger he might have been able to silence the Baṣọrun, how he wished the Alaafin had his strength things might have been better.

"His words were brave," the Baṣọrun of Adegunju whispered "but his argument had no ground"

"So he failed," she voiced silently

"No he didn't, from the look in his eyes I can tell that he's still determined, he only lost the battle, not the war"

"You could have helped him," the Balogun pointed

"That is not the purpose of the Adegunju my dear, we are here for an entirely different reason," the Baṣọrun pointed, "I have no intention of allowing the Alake's ambition influence mine"

The Balogun nodded in acceptance. The Alake's ambition had started a movement; he might have lost this battle but the war was still going to continue.

The Onikoyi of Ikoyi rose to his feet to voice his ideas on a way to improve the organisational structure of the empire, the Onikoye was a young king in his early 30s and has only been in the position of a king for less than a season. This was the first time that the Onikoyi had been in a meeting of this nature and it was obvious that he's inexperienced in the ways of these meetings, but a young ambitious man always ignores his limitation.

"Kabi a si o! (Unquestioned king)" he greeted humbly "may you reign long and may your stars shine brighter than those of your predecessors"

"I don't like him" the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province whispered "New comers are usually silent on their first meeting, this one is too bold" The Balogun chuckled at the Baṣọrun's words, she did not like him either but the council demands that every titleholder deserves respect and has the right to voice out his own opinion.

"I have a solution to the problem of tributes being presented to the crown of the Alaafin, it is a method in which we can increase the quantity given to the Alaafin"

"A solution," the Baṣọrun voiced in an attentive voice

"Yes, a lasting solution" the Onikoyi responded

"The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ will be interested in that, after all, he is the one who consumes the lion's share of all the tributes," the Baṣọrun of Adegunju whispered

"Territorial expansion" The Onikoyo declared with a sinister smile on his face "more wars give birth to more loot and as usual, a certain portion of the spoils from a conquered village will be sent to the Alaafin. In form of money, food and even slaves; Ọyọ will prosper"

"He is trying to start another civil war!" the Balogun of Ilu-inọ exclaimed

The Alaafin of Ọyọ though old and frail arose from his throne to protest the suggestion of the Onikoyi but he was cut short by the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ who seemed to be delighted by the idea of a civil war.

"Yes," the Baṣọrun cried, "this is truly a very good decision" wondering why he hadn't thought of it before.

"And I accept it as well," the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province shouted purposely capturing the attention of all those present in the council meeting "therefore, I accept your challenge"

The Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province arose from his seat with such majesty that all the other Obas and Balogun's looked in awe of his presence, as he glided towards the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ his shadowy presence filled the entire square. The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ gazed back in hatred, he sneered at the Adegunju king with the deepest of loathing. The Alaafin smiled at the turn of events, finally, a king who will intervene and put the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ in his place. If there is anyone who has an equal influence over the Alaafin's throne, like the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ, it was the Baṣọrun of Adegunju. The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ never had any problem with the king of the Adegunju tribe, the Adegunju king always kept silent during the meetings; so why here and why now? The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ scowled in rage, the only person who could question his absolute dominance over the Yoruba Empire was the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province.

The Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province turned away from the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ and walked towards the foolish boy who calls himself the Onikoyo.

"It's been a long time since my tribe has been at war, we're becoming restless and a little nonchalant," the Baṣọrun of Adegunju said in a challenging tone "would you accept a challenge from an old restless man?"

"Errrr" the Onikoyi signed in fear; he felt his fingers freeze and a shiver down his spine (only a fool would meet the Adegunju on the battleground) a wise saying among the Yoruba people. To be challenged by the king of a tribe that believes in war, a tribe of genocide worshipping fools "great king" the Onikoyi stuttered, "my respect for you is too great, there will be no aggression between us"

"But there is already an aggression between us, you know your province is very small and I know that your only wish is to expand it, what better way than war" the Baṣọrun pointed "we forbid any form of aggression between the descendants of Oduduwa especially now during the period of peace."

The Onikoyi stammered uncomfortably, afraid of the consequences of getting the warrior king any more agitated than he already was and unable to find the words that would calm the war crazy Baṣọrun

"I believe the Alaafin approves of this period of peace?" the Baṣọrun of Adegunju said slightly bowing to the Yoruba sovereign

Before the Alaafin opened his mouth to reply the Baṣọrun, the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ stumped in angrily gazing at the Adegunju king with the deepest of loathing, "who is this fool that thinks he can take my power from me while I am still alive" he thought.

"Baṣọrun!" the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ growled, his jaw set ready to challenge his new-found foe "the decisions of the Alaafin…"

"Will be made by the Alaafin," the Adegunju king concluded, and before everybody's eyes, his height increased threefold. The time the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province arrived at the meeting his height was estimated to be about 6 - 6½ feet, but now the Baṣọrun was surprisingly a good 12 feet above the ground. To make things even more surprising, the glossy substance that covered his entire body seems to increase in height, thickness and density, keeping him covered and his secret safe. Everyone present was astonished except of course for the Balogun of ilu-inọ because she had seen this trick before

The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ stood in further awe of the magnificence of the Adegunju tribe and his fear and respect for them had grown tenfold, he held his tongue unable to muster the courage to further oppose this man who seemingly seems to rival the magnificence of the gods.

"Who are these people?" one of the Obas inquired

"What is their covenant?" another whispered

"Why are they so powerful?" the third whispered

Everyone feared this tribe, the most aggressive, the most ruthless, the most destructive and the most bloodthirsty tribe in the whole of the Yoruba empire. The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ needs to be reminded of his place. When standing against the elephant of Yoruba land when it comes to the political stability of the Empire the Baṣọrun of Adegunju has a very important role to play.

"You were not chosen into this position simply to satisfy your greed" he Baṣọrun of Adegunju continued "you were chosen to bring peace and prosperity into the Yoruba empire and to ensure the will of Oduduwa lives on, you might have forgotten your oath but I still remember mine. I am a king ordained by the oath of Oduduwa to uphold his legacy, be careful Baṣọrun to Ọyọ because very soon I will wage war against you and your family. Keep your greed in check"

"Haaaa!" all the chiefs and Obas exclaimed. Then an overzealous youth rose to his feet to challenge the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province hoping to prove a point and to gain the approval of his direct superiors. "No one steps on the tail of the poisonous snake and lives to tell the story," the boy said and then spat at the feet of the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province.

The tall figure of the Adegunju king turned slowly to face the new foolish challenger; the youth was definitely a member of the Baṣọrun's cult and must have been smuggled into the meeting based on the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ's political influence. The little fool, a cock placed in the nest of wild and hungry vultures, to imagine that he would even dare to crow knowing that the vultures would tear him apart is utter suicide.

"Child" the Adegunju king spoke, seeing the defiance in the youth's eyes "you dare to speak when I haven't given you permission?"

What happened next surprised everyone present, the experienced Ẹṣọs, Baloguns and kings alike. The young man's pain receptors suddenly lit up, he would have cried out in pain but the chant happened so suddenly that he didn't have the time to voice his agony. The young man's body suddenly activated and then the pain increased in its intensity rapidly filling the young man's mind with the sensation of burning hell, though he tried to struggle against the ever-washing waves of pain and cry out in protest he knew it would be futile. The Adegunju king had sealed away his ability to react, everyone could tell by the groans and twitching the boy made, that he is in a whole world of pain and everyone pitied the poor boy.

"I cannot sense his Agbara," one of the Balogun's said

"This is not a chant, it's a curse," another Balogun voiced

"What kind of covenant does he wield," the third voiced

"STOP!" the Balogun of Ilu-ino screamed Sensing that the boy is being tortured to death, her voice pierced through the whispers and anxiety.

"I will not," the Baṣọrun of Adegunju, roared in reply, "the only person I intend to obey is the king, only the Alaafin has the right to command me"

"Then I will command you to stop," the Alaafin said calmly with a slight smile, "he's a young man and by now I believe he has learnt his lesson"

The member of the Ọyọ cult fell unconsciously upon the mat at the Adegunju king's feet all signs of his pain vanished. Then the Baṣọrun of the Adegunju province turned towards the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ and faced him, the killing aura leaking out of the Adegunju monarch's presence could kill a full-grown Rhino. The Baṣọrun of Ọyọ knew fully well why the Adegunju king was staring him down, the aggression between them will not end until the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ agrees to his demands, talk about stubbornness.

"There shall be no wars in Yoruba land," the Baṣọrun of Ọyọ said after a long pause

"Good," the Adegunju king said with the sound of gloating in his voice, then he glided towards the Alaafin and greeted humbly as he resumed his normal size "ka bi a si ooooo" then he glided back towards his seat beside the Balogun of Ilu-inọ

"Forgive me for defying your voice," he whispered to her "but I needed to reference the Alaafin above you for my plan to work"

"I understand Baṣọrun, not even I could not have handled that as effectively as you had. That was a noble action" the Balogun replied

"Thank you," the Baṣọrun said pleased by the Balogun's complement

"I still think you could've helped the Alake"

"I told you before, our purpose here is different. He came here to abolish human sacrifices and I came here to prevent another civil war" the Baṣọrun replied

****

A meeting of this magnitude usually lasts for a whole day and sometimes two days but because of the actions of the two Baṣọruns the atmosphere of the meeting had changed and it ended earlier than usual

The chiefs began to leave Ile-Ifẹ one by one to their respective provinces, while some were pleased with the outcome of the meeting others were disappointed. The Balogun, on the other hand, was sober

"Are you worried?" the Baṣọrun inquired

"No, just brooding" she replied

"About what?"

"If not for your actions today, there would have been another civil war" she replied "and you needed the support of the Alaafin to ensure that the peace of the Empire remains strong. So tell me what happens when the Alaafin dies"

"The future will worry about itself" the Baṣọrun responded

The Balogun of ilu-inọ growled within herself as the king gave her his cunning reply, it is obvious that the man believes the best will happen in future. Such thinking was going to be his weakness, the belief that evil will never grow claws big enough to corrupt the empire; the man simply thinks that the empire is immune to the dark omen. Such feeble thinking would be the end of the innocent. She must find a way to convince him otherwise.