brigits_flame june.2
The prompt this week at brigits_flame is "nominal nomad". I don't have a lot to say about this one before we dive into it, so here goes:
It's hard, tracking down a vestige like this. Let me start over. There was a time, when stars where still learning how to be, that beings of great power suffused the universe. They were guardians of a sort, each holding sway over a galactic protectorate. I can't say much about other regions of space, but long ago, when the Earth was young, our guardian was destroyed. Whatever it was that these things were protecting space-time from had won. Though shattered into countless pieces, each abstractly floating through the void as a nameless remnant, this guardian was not entirely slain. It still exerted enough influence to bar the entry of some terrible force into our universe. The balance shifted again when life arose on our world. Now, though the dread outsider still couldn't enter, it had a line of influence. It could whisper to mortals, causing them to enact its will by proxy. Around the same time, several shards of our cosmic guardian landed on Earth, drawn either through biology or the meddling of the outside force. In this way the war continued between the two entities, as our guardian also called on mortal champions to defend its (and our) interests.
I have, as yet, been unable to get any information on the silent war these beings fought before the rise of human civilisation. It is my sincere hope that I will soon be able to glean some of this data from our protector directly. The first reference I can find is in the Sumerian enuma elish, their story of creation, and in some cases, through necessity, the Babylonian and Akkadian translations of such. In this time, the distinction between the two was still unclear. The dread force is called Marduk, said to have "impacted" and shattered a primal dragon called Tiamat. But then the text goes on to describe Marduk as the creative force, producing Earth and humanity and Sumer's pantheon of gods. Later, the gods Enki and Enlil seem to be names for the two forces, with Enlil continually seeking man's destruction and Enki protecting them from his half-brother.
As history goes on, mythology is less intertwined with the shadow conflict due to its mortal agents seeking to conceal the war from people who are not involved. It is in this time that the concept of secret societies arises. In Roman times these societies were niveus leo and niger lepus. The niveus leo served a being they called sententia contego, a force that would protect the minds of the citizens from dark influence. The niger lepus were searching for a monster named terminus vicis, which sought to depose the emperor and instil a new, divine rule. During the Renaissance there were a handful of societies, most notable being principe nero, sangue di Dio, mater metu, and schwarzwolf. They purported to serve a number of nascent godlings, having such names as peur, mastro, and dominio.
I'm rambling, though. The point is that these two beings, under a variety of names, have shaped our history with their conflict. They have both found human servants among us, people willing to ally with their cause for any number of reasons. I had a remarkable degree of difficulty tracking down as much information as I have, but then a fascinating breakthrough came my way. I found an arcane tome, authored by an alchemist calling himself Faraone Nero, by the title of Unaussprechlichen Kulten. This book details the history of these two cosmic enemies. More so, it contains incantations and mystic secrets for communicating with them. Though the dread intruder is thankfully not included, I have found a ritual for our protector that will allow me to speak with it. Though the possibilities for research excite me immensely, I will also be able to use this spell to divine its intent, allowing me to serve as countless others have served in the protection of our space.
It's hard, tracking down a vestige like this. Let me start over. There was a time, when stars where still learning how to be, that beings of great power suffused the universe. They were guardians of a sort, each holding sway over a galactic protectorate. I can't say much about other regions of space, but long ago, when the Earth was young, our guardian was destroyed. Whatever it was that these things were protecting space-time from had won. Though shattered into countless pieces, each abstractly floating through the void as a nameless remnant, this guardian was not entirely slain. It still exerted enough influence to bar the entry of some terrible force into our universe. The balance shifted again when life arose on our world. Now, though the dread outsider still couldn't enter, it had a line of influence. It could whisper to mortals, causing them to enact its will by proxy. Around the same time, several shards of our cosmic guardian landed on Earth, drawn either through biology or the meddling of the outside force. In this way the war continued between the two entities, as our guardian also called on mortal champions to defend its (and our) interests.
I have, as yet, been unable to get any information on the silent war these beings fought before the rise of human civilisation. It is my sincere hope that I will soon be able to glean some of this data from our protector directly. The first reference I can find is in the Sumerian enuma elish, their story of creation, and in some cases, through necessity, the Babylonian and Akkadian translations of such. In this time, the distinction between the two was still unclear. The dread force is called Marduk, said to have "impacted" and shattered a primal dragon called Tiamat. But then the text goes on to describe Marduk as the creative force, producing Earth and humanity and Sumer's pantheon of gods. Later, the gods Enki and Enlil seem to be names for the two forces, with Enlil continually seeking man's destruction and Enki protecting them from his half-brother.
As history goes on, mythology is less intertwined with the shadow conflict due to its mortal agents seeking to conceal the war from people who are not involved. It is in this time that the concept of secret societies arises. In Roman times these societies were niveus leo and niger lepus. The niveus leo served a being they called sententia contego, a force that would protect the minds of the citizens from dark influence. The niger lepus were searching for a monster named terminus vicis, which sought to depose the emperor and instil a new, divine rule. During the Renaissance there were a handful of societies, most notable being principe nero, sangue di Dio, mater metu, and schwarzwolf. They purported to serve a number of nascent godlings, having such names as peur, mastro, and dominio.
I'm rambling, though. The point is that these two beings, under a variety of names, have shaped our history with their conflict. They have both found human servants among us, people willing to ally with their cause for any number of reasons. I had a remarkable degree of difficulty tracking down as much information as I have, but then a fascinating breakthrough came my way. I found an arcane tome, authored by an alchemist calling himself Faraone Nero, by the title of Unaussprechlichen Kulten. This book details the history of these two cosmic enemies. More so, it contains incantations and mystic secrets for communicating with them. Though the dread intruder is thankfully not included, I have found a ritual for our protector that will allow me to speak with it. Though the possibilities for research excite me immensely, I will also be able to use this spell to divine its intent, allowing me to serve as countless others have served in the protection of our space.