Chapter 111: The Apocalyptics
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Chapter 111: The Apocalyptics
"What's the [Script of Earthly Knowledge]?" DicingDevil asked, looking up from the party menu. "Quite a name. It mentions that it was one of the rewards for completing the last task."
"Ah, I know the name," Sharak said. "It's a well-known series of poems originating from the Mausolas tribe of the Northern Aimsa region. I'm sure we have some copies here. But Fahiz will have to look for them, he keeps them in his drawer buried under works about the Flying Dutchman."
"I'll do that, but don't you have the apocalyptics?" Fahiz said, as he walked into a small room to the left of the building's doorway.
"Ah, yes, they're right here." Sharak reached into his drawer and pulled out a small, black booklet. "While the [Script of Earthly Knowledge] was compiled from the ancient poems and songs of the tribe, it's said that the compiler was exiled from the tribe after a new leader took charge.
"He became a wanderer in the deserts far to the West, and began to compile disillusioned poems about his haunting visions of Ragnarok. Parts of this are still preserved. These are known as his 'apocalyptics,' and are less celebrated than the Script, though they are said to be a favourite of the morbid Emperor of Arcorus. The Emperor's coat of arms contains the quote, 'The herald, the sunrise of the end!' and his motto - generally painted on a ribbon or banderole beneath the coat of arms - is the quote, 'Weep in blinding sunlight, / Though it's all as it should be.'
"I have a few pages of the apocalyptics here, translated in Arcorus. They presumably have their own automatons for this purpose."
PROLOGUE
You, who have heard my voice in scattered song,
And oft praise the songs of glory and legend, of
Creatures who are more like Aesir than nature
And vaunt above simple sparrows. You, who admire
The rasps I have loudly ferried to Olympus' peak,
Know this: Thanatos lives in the temple of the gods,
But none will recognise him until he removes his mask.
And know too that Hades is no legendary beast,
He is the sparrow's neighbour, the crow.
Do not look to the stars in awe.
SONG OF DISILLUSIONThe original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
"For I have seen much of glory, and I have seen its end." - Apollo.
Alas, every soft leaf that trembles to the breeze,
Each insect, bird and beast that prowls or flies,
Each line and circle of the boundless sky;
And every sound that mocks the ear of man,
Each scent that steals along the perfumed air,
Each ray of light that gilds the fields of space;
All these, and more, are portents of Ragnarok,
I realise now, and weep in blinding sunlight,
Though it's all as it should be.
THE DEMON PRINCE'S MOUNT DESCENDS FROM VALHALLA
I.
Down through the darkness of the sky, a livid mane,
Black as the rock whereon the oracles are written,
Stood, like a smith's anvil, in the desert's solitude,
A mountain-summit to the stars that roll their fiery wheel.
From its red flank, through the sands, a torrent of seething light
Streamed, like a snake, in fiery wrath to heaven's remotest height,
And, passing through the gloom, there broke against the stars' cold bars
Like a volcano's smoke, a lurid cone of hazy flames.
VII
O'er leagues of darkness it burst, and, smiting the black mountains,
Was seen no more; and, through the desert's silence, its conflagration
Was as Apollo's arrow shot from heaven to the uttermost West.
But not upon the sunlit mountains the demon prince remained:
He plunged into Ragnarok, and sought the hermit-shades of night.
VIII
And now he comes! In his hand a torch of phosphorus,
And a hundred feet in width,
and she wears a dress of stars;
Her dress is like the night itself,
That night that is always falling down
From the hands of the Moon
On to the Earth.
v. Leviathan
Leviathan, my son, is the mightiest of all sea-gods,
With his tumbling waves,
He is as white as the foam that rolls along his face,
And his neck is as black as the darkest night,
And his eyes are like a yellow diamond,
His flanks are as broad as the lowland sea.
His tail is like a mountain,
And his roar is like thunder.
vi. Reliquia
Reliquia, my son, rides in a golden shell
On the bosom of the deep;
His shell is as round as the moon itself,
His crest is as sharp as a spindle.
In his lethargic eyes
The stars of the firmament
And the depths of the sea.
vii. Aquaria
Aquaria, my daughter, is the quiet sea-goddess
Whose form is as pale as the moon's.
Aquaria sleeps in the bosom of the deep
On the golden shore,
And her hair is like the flowing of a dark river,
And her body is like the soft white foam
That flies up from the depths
And like the silver arrow.
Her neck is long and her tail is thin.
As they read, DicingDevil noticed a few bright dots appear on the party's map. "Looks like this triggered something appearing on the map."
"It might have done," Sharak said. "That will display the location of some of these creatures, so long as they have already been discovered by inhabitants of this world. It should be triggered for all of you, and automatically appear for you on any map you use. Be careful whom you share this information with, it's quite valuable."
"So Elgia and Eriho are birds," Crucis said, looking up from the paper. "Does Icarus refer to another bird, or to the mythical dead man with wax wings?"
"The latter, in part," Sharak said. "The myth of Icarus was considered important to many old Western cultures, and you'll often find depictions of it on old temples or pillars. 'Icarus' has a duality in our beliefs which you might not recognise from the myth you've heard: it represents, on the one hand, the familiar wax-winged flight, and on the other hand it represents the principle of unrelenting power which was attributed to the sages that traditionally advised Kings - not being 'men of the world,' they were thought to expand empires without concern for boundaries or diplomatic custom. For instance, the Empire of Arcorus is labelled positively as the 'Icarian Empire' by some, because it began as a small territory before taking advantage of its collapsing neighbours to establish a large Eastern Empire.
"During the Agon war, Arcorus was used to produce wealth and munitions for the Republic, and they were denied the glorious monuments which were their right, instead being treated as second-class citizens by the oversized bureaucracy that was known as the Republic's 'janitorial class.' That they then went on to establish a large Empire, ruled by an elusive King who refuses to live in splendour, is seen as a demonstration of the Icarian heartlessness. So it's a slightly amorphous concept."
"Sure. And the last three are sea monsters?"
"Yes. Leviathan is probably the most fearsome. You'd typically need a ship of some sort to reach them."
"It's a pity that we don't go West much," DicingDevil said, "but we're probably not ready to face most of these creatures yet."
"A few of us can head on an expedition West once we're stronger," Akshel said. "But these creatures sound powerful, so yeah, no rush."
"It says that it's by the Earth God," Crucis said, "does that mean that these creatures are considered its sons and daughters?"
"That was a common phrase among the tribe, used to signify the divine majesty of these creatures," Sharak replied. "It's not entirely literal, but they did believe that these creatures were somehow related to the mighty, grandiose earth deity Marakus. By the time he wrote the apocalyptics, this author had mostly abandoned the worship of Marakus, and taken on the Apollo-worship of the far West's desert nomads. That might be part of why the apocalyptics are different in tone, and use a markedly different poetic."
"Since you mentioned Arcorus," Fahiz said, "Didn't their Emperor himself occasionally send us requests for speeches, or ask for information about the automatons?"
"Yes, actually. It has been a while since they've been in contact, but I assume that's because they've been busy putting down a series of revolts in the South, due to some conquered bureaucrats who refuse to lie down and die as they should. But that should resolve itself soon. The Emperor seems to use automatons prolifically, whenever he is called upon to give speeches, etc., and I suppose it complements the grave, morbid tone of his rule. He's an interesting man, but I'm sure you'll all run into his Empire in due course."
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Chapter 111: The Apocalyptics
"What's the [Script of Earthly Knowledge]?" DicingDevil asked, looking up from the party menu. "Quite a name. It mentions that it was one of the rewards for completing the last task."
"Ah, I know the name," Sharak said. "It's a well-known series of poems originating from the Mausolas tribe of the Northern Aimsa region. I'm sure we have some copies here. But Fahiz will have to look for them, he keeps them in his drawer buried under works about the Flying Dutchman."
"I'll do that, but don't you have the apocalyptics?" Fahiz said, as he walked into a small room to the left of the building's doorway.
"Ah, yes, they're right here." Sharak reached into his drawer and pulled out a small, black booklet. "While the [Script of Earthly Knowledge] was compiled from the ancient poems and songs of the tribe, it's said that the compiler was exiled from the tribe after a new leader took charge.
"He became a wanderer in the deserts far to the West, and began to compile disillusioned poems about his haunting visions of Ragnarok. Parts of this are still preserved. These are known as his 'apocalyptics,' and are less celebrated than the Script, though they are said to be a favourite of the morbid Emperor of Arcorus. The Emperor's coat of arms contains the quote, 'The herald, the sunrise of the end!' and his motto - generally painted on a ribbon or banderole beneath the coat of arms - is the quote, 'Weep in blinding sunlight, / Though it's all as it should be.'
"I have a few pages of the apocalyptics here, translated in Arcorus. They presumably have their own automatons for this purpose."
PROLOGUE
You, who have heard my voice in scattered song,
And oft praise the songs of glory and legend, of
Creatures who are more like Aesir than nature
And vaunt above simple sparrows. You, who admire
The rasps I have loudly ferried to Olympus' peak,
Know this: Thanatos lives in the temple of the gods,
But none will recognise him until he removes his mask.
And know too that Hades is no legendary beast,
He is the sparrow's neighbour, the crow.
Do not look to the stars in awe.
SONG OF DISILLUSIONThe original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
"For I have seen much of glory, and I have seen its end." - Apollo.
Alas, every soft leaf that trembles to the breeze,
Each insect, bird and beast that prowls or flies,
Each line and circle of the boundless sky;
And every sound that mocks the ear of man,
Each scent that steals along the perfumed air,
Each ray of light that gilds the fields of space;
All these, and more, are portents of Ragnarok,
I realise now, and weep in blinding sunlight,
Though it's all as it should be.
THE DEMON PRINCE'S MOUNT DESCENDS FROM VALHALLA
I.
Down through the darkness of the sky, a livid mane,
Black as the rock whereon the oracles are written,
Stood, like a smith's anvil, in the desert's solitude,
A mountain-summit to the stars that roll their fiery wheel.
From its red flank, through the sands, a torrent of seething light
Streamed, like a snake, in fiery wrath to heaven's remotest height,
And, passing through the gloom, there broke against the stars' cold bars
Like a volcano's smoke, a lurid cone of hazy flames.
VII
O'er leagues of darkness it burst, and, smiting the black mountains,
Was seen no more; and, through the desert's silence, its conflagration
Was as Apollo's arrow shot from heaven to the uttermost West.
But not upon the sunlit mountains the demon prince remained:
He plunged into Ragnarok, and sought the hermit-shades of night.
VIII
And now he comes! In his hand a torch of phosphorus,
And a hundred feet in width,
and she wears a dress of stars;
Her dress is like the night itself,
That night that is always falling down
From the hands of the Moon
On to the Earth.
v. Leviathan
Leviathan, my son, is the mightiest of all sea-gods,
With his tumbling waves,
He is as white as the foam that rolls along his face,
And his neck is as black as the darkest night,
And his eyes are like a yellow diamond,
His flanks are as broad as the lowland sea.
His tail is like a mountain,
And his roar is like thunder.
vi. Reliquia
Reliquia, my son, rides in a golden shell
On the bosom of the deep;
His shell is as round as the moon itself,
His crest is as sharp as a spindle.
In his lethargic eyes
The stars of the firmament
And the depths of the sea.
vii. Aquaria
Aquaria, my daughter, is the quiet sea-goddess
Whose form is as pale as the moon's.
Aquaria sleeps in the bosom of the deep
On the golden shore,
And her hair is like the flowing of a dark river,
And her body is like the soft white foam
That flies up from the depths
And like the silver arrow.
Her neck is long and her tail is thin.
As they read, DicingDevil noticed a few bright dots appear on the party's map. "Looks like this triggered something appearing on the map."
"It might have done," Sharak said. "That will display the location of some of these creatures, so long as they have already been discovered by inhabitants of this world. It should be triggered for all of you, and automatically appear for you on any map you use. Be careful whom you share this information with, it's quite valuable."
"So Elgia and Eriho are birds," Crucis said, looking up from the paper. "Does Icarus refer to another bird, or to the mythical dead man with wax wings?"
"The latter, in part," Sharak said. "The myth of Icarus was considered important to many old Western cultures, and you'll often find depictions of it on old temples or pillars. 'Icarus' has a duality in our beliefs which you might not recognise from the myth you've heard: it represents, on the one hand, the familiar wax-winged flight, and on the other hand it represents the principle of unrelenting power which was attributed to the sages that traditionally advised Kings - not being 'men of the world,' they were thought to expand empires without concern for boundaries or diplomatic custom. For instance, the Empire of Arcorus is labelled positively as the 'Icarian Empire' by some, because it began as a small territory before taking advantage of its collapsing neighbours to establish a large Eastern Empire.
"During the Agon war, Arcorus was used to produce wealth and munitions for the Republic, and they were denied the glorious monuments which were their right, instead being treated as second-class citizens by the oversized bureaucracy that was known as the Republic's 'janitorial class.' That they then went on to establish a large Empire, ruled by an elusive King who refuses to live in splendour, is seen as a demonstration of the Icarian heartlessness. So it's a slightly amorphous concept."
"Sure. And the last three are sea monsters?"
"Yes. Leviathan is probably the most fearsome. You'd typically need a ship of some sort to reach them."
"It's a pity that we don't go West much," DicingDevil said, "but we're probably not ready to face most of these creatures yet."
"A few of us can head on an expedition West once we're stronger," Akshel said. "But these creatures sound powerful, so yeah, no rush."
"It says that it's by the Earth God," Crucis said, "does that mean that these creatures are considered its sons and daughters?"
"That was a common phrase among the tribe, used to signify the divine majesty of these creatures," Sharak replied. "It's not entirely literal, but they did believe that these creatures were somehow related to the mighty, grandiose earth deity Marakus. By the time he wrote the apocalyptics, this author had mostly abandoned the worship of Marakus, and taken on the Apollo-worship of the far West's desert nomads. That might be part of why the apocalyptics are different in tone, and use a markedly different poetic."
"Since you mentioned Arcorus," Fahiz said, "Didn't their Emperor himself occasionally send us requests for speeches, or ask for information about the automatons?"
"Yes, actually. It has been a while since they've been in contact, but I assume that's because they've been busy putting down a series of revolts in the South, due to some conquered bureaucrats who refuse to lie down and die as they should. But that should resolve itself soon. The Emperor seems to use automatons prolifically, whenever he is called upon to give speeches, etc., and I suppose it complements the grave, morbid tone of his rule. He's an interesting man, but I'm sure you'll all run into his Empire in due course."
Chapter 111: The Apocalyptics"What's the Script of Earthly Knowledge?" DicingDevil asked, looking up from the party menu. "Quite a name. It mentions that it was one of the rewards for completing the last task.""Ah, I know the name," Sharak said. "It's a well-known series of poems originating from the Mausolas tribe of the Northern Aimsa region. I'm sure we have some copies here. But Fahiz will have to look for them, he keeps them in his drawer buried under works about the Flying Dutchman.""I'll do that, but don't you have the apocalyptics?" Fahiz said, as he walked into a small room to the left of the building's doorway."Ah, yes, they're right here." Sharak reached into his drawer and pulled out a small, black booklet. "While the Script of Earthly Knowledge was compiled from the ancient poems and songs of the tribe, it's said that the compiler was exiled from the tribe after a new leader took charge."He became a wanderer in the deserts far to the West, and began to compile disillusioned poems about his haunting visions of Ragnarok. Parts of this are still preserved. These are known as his 'apocalyptics,' and are less celebrated than the Script, though they are said to be a favourite of the morbid Emperor of Arcorus. The Emperor's coat of arms contains the quote, 'The herald, the sunrise of the end!' and his motto - generally painted on a ribbon or banderole beneath the coat of arms - is the quote, 'Weep in blinding sunlight, / Though it's all as it should be.'"I have a few pages of the apocalyptics here, translated in Arcorus. They presumably have their own automatons for this purpose."PROLOGUEYou, who have heard my voice in scattered song,And oft praise the songs of glory and legend, ofCreatures who are more like Aesir than natureAnd vaunt above simple sparrows. You, who admireThe rasps I have loudly ferried to Olympus' peak,Know this: Thanatos lives in the temple of the gods,But none will recognise him until he removes his mask.And know too that Hades is no legendary beast,He is the sparrow's neighbour, the crow.Do not look to the stars in awe.SONG OF DISILLUSIONThe original appearance of this chapter can be found at Nvl1n."For I have seen much of glory, and I have seen its end." - Apollo.Alas, every soft leaf that trembles to the breeze,Each insect, bird and beast that prowls or flies,Each line and circle of the boundless sky;And every sound that mocks the ear of man,Each scent that steals along the perfumed air,Each ray of light that gilds the fields of space;All these, and more, are portents of Ragnarok,I realise now, and weep in blinding sunlight,Though it's all as it should be.THE DEMON PRINCE'S MOUNT DESCENDS FROM VALHALLAI.Down through the darkness of the sky, a livid mane,Black as the rock whereon the oracles are written,Stood, like a smith's anvil, in the desert's solitude,A mountain-summit to the stars that roll their fiery wheel.From its red flank, through the sands, a torrent of seething lightStreamed, like a snake, in fiery wrath to heaven's remotest height,And, passing through the gloom, there broke against the stars' cold barsLike a volcano's smoke, a lurid cone of hazy flames.VIIO'er leagues of darkness it burst, and, smiting the black mountains,Was seen no more; and, through the desert's silence, its conflagrationWas as Apollo's arrow shot from heaven to the uttermost West.But not upon the sunlit mountains the demon prince remained:He plunged into Ragnarok, and sought the hermit-shades of night.VIIIAnd now he comes! In his hand a torch of phosphorus,And a hundred feet in width,and she wears a dress of stars;Her dress is like the night itself,That night that is always falling downFrom the hands of the MoonOn to the Earth.v. LeviathanLeviathan, my son, is the mightiest of all sea-gods,With his tumbling waves,He is as white as the foam that rolls along his face,And his neck is as black as the darkest night,And his eyes are like a yellow diamond,His flanks are as broad as the lowland sea.His tail is like a mountain,And his roar is like thunder.vi. ReliquiaReliquia, my son, rides in a golden shellOn the bosom of the deep;His shell is as round as the moon itself,His crest is as sharp as a spindle.In his lethargic eyesThe stars of the firmamentAnd the depths of the sea.vii. AquariaAquaria, my daughter, is the quiet sea-goddessWhose form is as pale as the moon's.Aquaria sleeps in the bosom of the deepOn the golden shore,And her hair is like the flowing of a dark river,And her body is like the soft white foamThat flies up from the depthsAnd like the silver arrow.Her neck is long and her tail is thin.As they read, DicingDevil noticed a few bright dots appear on the party's map. "Looks like this triggered something appearing on the map.""It might have done," Sharak said. "That will display the location of some of these creatures, so long as they have already been discovered by inhabitants of this world. It should be triggered for all of you, and automatically appear for you on any map you use. Be careful whom you share this information with, it's quite valuable.""So Elgia and Eriho are birds," Crucis said, looking up from the paper. "Does Icarus refer to another bird, or to the mythical dead man with wax wings?""The latter, in part," Sharak said. "The myth of Icarus was considered important to many old Western cultures, and you'll often find depictions of it on old temples or pillars. 'Icarus' has a duality in our beliefs which you might not recognise from the myth you've heard: it represents, on the one hand, the familiar wax-winged flight, and on the other hand it represents the principle of unrelenting power which was attributed to the sages that traditionally advised Kings - not being 'men of the world,' they were thought to expand empires without concern for boundaries or diplomatic custom. For instance, the Empire of Arcorus is labelled positively as the 'Icarian Empire' by some, because it began as a small territory before taking advantage of its collapsing neighbours to establish a large Eastern Empire."During the Agon war, Arcorus was used to produce wealth and munitions for the Republic, and they were denied the glorious monuments which were their right, instead being treated as second-class citizens by the oversized bureaucracy that was known as the Republic's 'janitorial class.' That they then went on to establish a large Empire, ruled by an elusive King who refuses to live in splendour, is seen as a demonstration of the Icarian heartlessness. So it's a slightly amorphous concept.""Sure. And the last three are sea monsters?""Yes. Leviathan is probably the most fearsome. You'd typically need a ship of some sort to reach them.""It's a pity that we don't go West much," DicingDevil said, "but we're probably not ready to face most of these creatures yet.""A few of us can head on an expedition West once we're stronger," Akshel said. "But these creatures sound powerful, so yeah, no rush.""It says that it's by the Earth God," Crucis said, "does that mean that these creatures are considered its sons and daughters?""That was a common phrase among the tribe, used to signify the divine majesty of these creatures," Sharak replied. "It's not entirely literal, but they did believe that these creatures were somehow related to the mighty, grandiose earth deity Marakus. By the time he wrote the apocalyptics, this author had mostly abandoned the worship of Marakus, and taken on the Apollo-worship of the far West's desert nomads. That might be part of why the apocalyptics are different in tone, and use a markedly different poetic.""Since you mentioned Arcorus," Fahiz said, "Didn't their Emperor himself occasionally send us requests for speeches, or ask for information about the automatons?""Yes, actually. It has been a while since they've been in contact, but I assume that's because they've been busy putting down a series of revolts in the South, due to some conquered bureaucrats who refuse to lie down and die as they should. But that should resolve itself soon. The Emperor seems to use automatons prolifically, whenever he is called upon to give speeches, etc., and I suppose it complements the grave, morbid tone of his rule. He's an interesting man, but I'm sure you'll all run into his Empire in due course."
