The most lethal poison in the world

Thousands of years ago, when the Denisovans were finally integrated with the Sapiens and forgotten, their descendants still found refuge in the high mountains where they had been gifted EPAS1 to survive. The people were small, 4ft tall, stout, and were excellent climbers.

Because of their stature, feudal war patterns in villages around made them retreat and stay in the mountains, where any warlord army couldn’t be bothered to claim as territory of any value. So these people did not farm, they were instead almost nomadic, gathering herbs and medicines from the mountain tops that were out of reach to goats, let alone fellow humans.

And with these medicines, they made trade with the people down below, so were left alone for the most part, and people from around tolerated them. These mountain natives were the Miao people and the Yao People. The Miao people stayed high in the mountains and learned every medicine and antidote in the world. But they also learned in doing so, the art of poison.

The Yao people were the same natives, who over time were pushed farthest South, away from fertile lands of farming and made use of their EPAS1 gene by becoming the artisanal fisher people, and wardens of the sea up to the most recent destruction of their population, 200 years ago.

These native descendants of the Denisovans were the first to develop written language, called Oracle Bone, which is up to 6,000 years old. They originally developed it, as a means of recipes for keeping their vast knowledge of medicines through the millennia and became known as the „Medicine People“ as a result. They were to this day, the only descendants who could write, as most natives in the land had no need for recording recipes. Instead they kept records of their history, embroidered on their gowns, the gowns have been passed down through the centuries, and so embellished and repaired that they are a keystone to history of China.

Now neither the Miao, or the Yao could do any extensive farming, because their lands had slowly been stolen over the years by growing consolidating powers, that only wanted the resources from the land. So the Miao traded in medicine, and had the white gowns, and the Yao traded their pearls for silver, to emblazon the intricate headdresses of the Miao and Yao women. As though heaven itself sits upon her head, while her gown tells the story of their history. Each clan has their own special clan colours, their own coloured dragon and the most beautiful art of China.

One tribe of Miao known as the „white tribe“ were literate, and traded recipes and cures. They became known as spiritual guidance, and they could freely travel over the land, selling their medicines and growing their library of cures.

Their Script, over the years which started out as scratches made in tortoise shells to record the recipe in the tortoise bowl, to shoulder blades of cows. They made predictions for people, by burning their tortoise shells or bones, until a crack struck through the upcoming omen.

These people became known for their witchcraft equally as much as their medicine, for everyone believed in the consequences, and they would manifest or guide the inquirer to his safer decision.

A medicine which is practiced to this day, among descendants of these native people still exists. And it is a terrifying poison that only women keep to themselves for protection. It starts by putting a poisoness Centipede in a porcelain jar, along with other poisoness creatures, and the last bug living had ingested the poison of it’s opponents, becoming 4x stronger with the bellyful of other victims. After about one month, more poisoness creatures are added - this time wasps, scorpions and more poisoness beetles, and once again the jar was opened a few months later, to see the winner. The winner, the only surviving bug could be either fed to a poisoness snake, or wrapped in silver or gold leaf to protect its poisoness potency. Strangely the gold and silver DID preserve the poison but in their minds, it also reflected away evil, for evil could steal poison and cast its wrath elsewhere.

The emperor had unified all language across the continent to speak and write one form only, but the medicine people kept some of their native ways. From around 2000 years ago, the emperors grew their control of the lands, every millennia, until they had pushed control of all the land. Many people were slaughtered along the way as a means of obtaining fielty from all the village heads, only the Miao and the Yao were left alone, because their land was tretcherous.

It was common for the emperor to send his armies south, whatever garrison may be, the shortest route was through the mountains, often these soldiers would encamp as they tried to navigate the alien land of karsts. So they became acquainted with the Miao, and made relations with their women - who were a free people to themselves. Women as equal as men, who carried not only the knowledge and protection of Oracle bone medicines, to their darkest poisons.

The problem is, these soldiers had no regard or respect for these people, they were too used to being paid to pillage and reek havoc. A woman was just for sex! And as they made relations it became clear many women were not only being left with a broken heart, but a baby. So, among themselves they poisoned any lover they took on, with a slow acting Gu magic, and told the soldiers to return within the year for the antidote or they will surely die a slow and painful death.

Countless times entire garrisons came back from the south severly ill, or unable to continue, so a recent emperor, commanded that ANYONE practicing witchcraft and Gu magic, should be executed. Little knowing the actual disease was syphillis, possibly sexually transmitted from their southern escapades. And of course the Miao women were immune to such transmission.

They found a way to heal their broken hearts, even though it was based on a possible superstition - or not. To this day, quietly among the southern villages, women each develop their own Gu magic, to protect themselves from the infidelity of men. It is illegal still, and punishment by death, yet it can still be whispered about if one lives with them for long enough to earn their trust.

The Gu magic, could also be used as cures for diseases, but it is unknown what procedure, what mix of bug eating bug, will develop the extraction required. If someone breaks my heart, I feel the comfort of cursing them with Gu, regardless of whether it’s true, and in this way I can rest assured that whoever broke my heart, will meet their fate in due time.