Vespers of Laanx: How it Began
Krook's explaination of Xillix's Destined path of Amnesia victim to Octarch to High Priestess:
This is the history of the uprising behind the story of Xillix. Here
it be, though shortened as much as I could.
The Beginning: Shadow in the Light.
Far back in time, perhaps with the creation of the Black Flame, a
force came into being. This force was the beliefs of the people made
real. Whatever they believed, it became. As often happens, the people
began to believe the force to be evil. This caused the force to
-become- evil.
So, the people rose up against it. They knew they would defeat it in
the end, and therefore did. Not because they were stronger, but
because they believed they could. The Shadow, as it was now called,
was banished and forgotten… by most.
Part Two: Believe All That You Read.
Unknown to the people, a writing was being made as the Shadow began to
lose. A prophecy. One man believed he could see the future by speaking
with the Shadow. The man was quite mad, but his belief was so strong
that the Shadow parted time before him, and he -could- see into the
future. Everything he saw, he wrote down. However, as the man was
insane, the words made little sense. In fact, he wrote the prophecy in
two parts. One, he wrote down all that he saw that he deemed as bad or
evil. The other was all that he saw as good and true. This is where
much confusion comes from reading the two books, as sometimes one
sentence would contain both good and ill. So, the man would stop
writing mid sentence and take up writing in the other book to finish
the thought. As you can imagine, this makes much of the text
unreadable… unless you combine them. However, no one ever did in the
past.
Here is an example (simplified greatly):
Dark prophecy> "And low! The black hides see the sign and rise forth
to cover the verdant lands"
Light prophecy> "But nay do the peoples rest as the sign calls them up
from their slumber to cast the ill back into shadow"
DP> "Oh how the blood of the innocent flows, making slick the streets.
The babies cry for the lost. The lost cry for no one"
LP> "And great anger flows in the hearts of the peaceful mass, giving
rise to shouts of retribution!"
Read the DP together, then the LP. You can see how both sides thought
they would win completely. But as they are read together in order, you
see a new picture. What does this have to do with the rebellion? Read
on.
Part three: Lost to Light, Dark to be found.
The two books were lost not long after being written. Or perhaps
hidden is the right word. The madman saw what he had written, and as
he read it back to himself, he saw that -his- books were the cause of
all the blood. He could not destroy them, as he feared he would
destroy the future as well. So, he carried the book of Light to the
sea closed it in a wax sealed chest. Strapping it in chains, he cast
it in. Then, he headed into the Stone Labyrinths with the Dark book.
He was never seen again.
The Dark book, however, was. It was found by a crude group of fanatics
that had been cast out of the church of Laanx for their extreme
cruelty. They read the book, and thought it was a gift from the Black
Flame. they started a new cult of worship based on the horrid
writings. Indeed, they followed the book as if it were a map to their
future. For that is exactly what is was. It -told- them everything
they had to do to make their underground cult very powerful. In
following the book's words, they made the madman's prophecy begin.
Generations passed… The Dark cult grew in strength, but stayed hidden
in the shadows. They where not just fiends. They were the jolly
butcher down the street, the smiling housewife who made the pies every
festival, even some of our leaders. They where everywhere, in every
walk of life. But they made no move, for the book told them to wait
for 'The Sign'.
Part Four: Light From Below and the Shadow Returns.
Several hundred years ago, a young Dwarf and his new Fenki wife and
baby daughter were fishing at the lake. Just at that moment, the chest
containing the book of Light chose to break free of its chains. The
Dwarf and his wife took the chest home. After many days of debate,
they decided to open it. They found the book just as the madman had
left it. The Dwarf began to read the long writing, and soon became
obsessed. He knew it was some sort of prophecy, but could not
understand it. He understood one part, though. The Shadow would
return. The more he read, the more he believed it. Belief gave the
Shadow power. The Dwarf lost touch with reality as the Shadow clouded
his mind. Not because it wished to, but because the Dwarf believed it
was. After ten years of the Shadow in his mind, he began to see demons
at the edge of his sight. He made them real, but knew others could not
see them. The demons became very real, particularly one. It grew a
mind of its own. One night, the demon tricked the Dwarf into killing
his own wife and now ten year old daughter. When morning came, the
Dwarf saw that he had been tricked, but his life was destroyed. He
cursed himself to never have a love or friend again, so the demon
could not take them too. The Dwarf believed the curse, so the Shadow
made it real. The Dwarf disappeared into the wild, knowing he was
never to know a friend again, else the demon would make them suffer as
well.
The Dwarf cast off his old name, and took a new one… Krook.
Part Five: The Dwarf, the Houses, and the child.
Fifty years ago, Krook returned. He had read the entire book hundreds
of times, and knew their was something missing. He also now understood
that everything in the book had to happen. Using the knowledge of the
writing, he soon found himself as High Scribe to many of the most
powerful leaders in the realm. From there, he began to secretly enlist
the aid of many good people. They all knew something was coming from
the writings of the Light book, but not what. They still did not
understand that half of the book was in the hands of the Cult.
Finally, twenty-four years ago, the forces for the light deciphered a
passage that they thought would seal the doom of the Shadow. Two
Houses (powerful clan-families) must come together as one. This looked
impossible, as the two Houses had been in a blood feud for as long as
history was written. Some think the feud may have started before they
came though the Portals.
The forces of the light knew there were two ways to bring the warring
sides together. Power and wealth. They also saw a means to give the
Houses this. They read in the book that the Houses would be exulted
above all others at a union between the son of one, the daughter of
the other, and a child to both, who would become a great leader…or so
they thought it read. The Dark book finished that sentence in a
different way.
Indeed, the Houses seemed to agree with the plan whole-heartedly,
though in secret still plotted and schemed. Both wished to have
control of this new leader. In the meantime, the son and daughter had
been seeing each other in secret the entire time, and had a secret of
their own. The daughter was with child.
Part Six: The Sign.
The son and daughter saw how their families were plotting over their
union, and wished their baby to be no part of it. Another saw the
plotting, and knew it would come to no good. In the middle of the
night, a short shadow came to the place the young couple had been
meeting. In the same night, three shadows snuck off into the darkness.
Morning found the lovers gone, as well as the High Scribe. The Houses
flew into outrage, casting blame on each other. Bloodshed was
imminent. However, the leaders told the Houses that it was neither of
their faults, but the work of a dark cult. This enraged the Houses
further, giving rise to a unified chant, "The Dark will fall!" These
words were spoke in front of the Octarch's Chair.. where someone was
listening. Word spread like wildfire among the members of the now
massive cult. The words had been spoken in front of a leader on high,
as two warring Houses came together. The sign had come. New words were
spoken in all corners of the realm, "The Dark shall rise."
Part Seven: Words of Ink, Footsteps of Doom.
The two great Houses immediately massed their great armies to search
for their missing son and daughter. This, some say, is the only thing
that saved the realm from complete devastation. For the two Houses
found themselves facing an even greater army that seemed to sprout
from nowhere. If they would have looked more closely at the hate
filled faces, they would have seen their neighbors, their supposed
friends…even their own family members. Not only had the Dark cult been
forming in secret, they had also been training in secret. The Houses
fought long and valiantly over the next few weeks, waiting for
reinforcements, but perished in the end. In their deaths, they bought
enough time for the rest of the realm to gather their own armies. For
this sacrifice, the two Houses would be exulted in the histories above
all others.
Many died in that first year as the Cult threw open the Bronze doors
themselves, bringing forth the waiting tide of creatures. Some of
those creatures still roam the untread paths to this day. The cult
also had assassins high and low. Many of the leaders of the realm died
to their vicious knives. Some even fell to those they had called
friend.
Part Eight: All for the Child.
In all the fighting, one goal remained true for both sides. Find the
child. For both sides read in their version of the book that the child
was key to victory, and would lead them into salvation or power. But
Krook was crafty, and knew the wild and backstreets well. Eight months
passed, the Dwarf always keeping the couple a step ahead of both
forces. But as the woman came closer to birth, they had to move slower
and slower, taking risks by staying in one place longer than they
should. Then the day came that they could not move at all. The child
was to be born…
This is also the day that the Light and Dark forces found them. In a
small shred of luck in a sea of darkness, the Light found them first.
However, the Dark was informed by spies where the couple was, and
rabidly descended on the ruins where they had been hiding. The forces
of Light and Dark clashed in wave upon wave, both frantically trying
to push the other back from the small building where the woman held
back her screams of labor.
In a final push from both the woman and the Dark army, the child was
born. The solders of Light in the building desperately through
themselves at the Dark, trying to push them back bodily. It was in
vane, however, and they all knew it. Even the young mother and father
knew it. The woman could not move, and the father would not leaver
her. Hugging the tiny bundle of blankets one last time, they gave her
to Krook, the only one not fighting due to his advanced age. Krook
then ran with all his might, tears in his eyes as he cursed himself
for making two more friends die, and promising yet again to never make
another friend.
Part Nine: The Dust Settles on the Blood.
Krook took the baby Fenki to the leaders of the light who knew of the
book. They hid her away, even from Krook. The Dark forces knew of
this, and began assaulting the cities themselves, trying to find the
baby. This began the start of their downfall. Powerful as they were,
they were no match for the high walls of the cities. This did not stop
the Dark from capturing the leaders Krook had given the book to. One
by one, the leaders vanished as the Dark tried to get them to tell
where they had hidden the child. But the leaders thought this may
happen, so used a glyph to erase their own memories. In the end,
nearly all who knew of the book and the Shadow had perished. Only
Krook remained on the side of the Light, and a few stragglers on the
side of the Dark. No one alive knew what happened to the child.
Three years passed as the Dark forces dwindled, until the Light pushed
them back to the very Bronze Doors, then through them. They locked the
doors for a year after that. When opened, not a soul remained that
they could find. One can only hope they fell to the beasts.
That is the vague history. As you can see, if I was to write it all
out, it would make one hell of a long story, and damn good also. But,
in truth, this is Xillix's tale.
For more of UTM's version of the history go to
http://hydlaa.com/smf/index.php?topic=22555.msg247775#msg247775
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