Fourth Book of the Orchids

[andelarion]

Ye Book of Ye Orchids
Part the Fourth

First came the sea on the shore of the world
Then came the Mother of All
Then Mandorallen, with banners unfurled
And Ilass, who fell in the Fall
Last came the Orchids, to seal the world´s fate
Even e´er the first Isle arose
To seal the book shut when they touch and they mate
And bring all of our tales to a close

Tales of seas down beneath and of skies up above
Tales of Earth, and the races therein
Tales of terrible vengeance and beautiful love
Deeds heroic, and villainous sin
Tales set only yesterday, tales that were set
Even e´er the first Isle arose
The tale I am writing; tales not written yet
All these tales will be brought to a close

Tales high and prophetic; tales low and uncouth
Tales written in prose and in verses
Tales written for pleasure, tales written for truth
Tales written of blessings and curses
d nobles and priests
Shining allies, and terrible foes
Dragons, gods, demons, spirits, men, giants, and beasts
All these tales will be brought to a close

Tales set high in Tirbal, `twixt Ennabruk´s spires
Tales set in Calaspier´s stone
Tales of Tirlar, and tales down in Ifreann´s dark fires
Where few of the living have gone
Yea, few men have gone - and of those, only one
Has returned from the fires of Hell
In a great quest heroic this journey was done
And this is the tale I will tell

For the Tale of the Orchids is found even there
In the fires of Ifreann below
From the heights of the sky, in the rarified air
To the depths of the regions of woe
Yea, across Seven Planes is the reach of our doom
And the intricate web that will seal it
And the fuel for the fire that must someday consume
All the world - so the Powers might heal it

When the Five Isles sunk in those ages of old
An era was brought to a close
And the forge of the sun-god grew dark and went cold
And the seas round the poles slowed and froze
The currents betrayed their familiar path
Harder storms flew from Folcador´s hands
And his dazzling whip cracked with heavier wrath
On the seas, and the cold-haunted lands

For many an age dwelt this cold o´er the world
Nor for ages the storms ceased to blow
In the middle of summer the frosty flakes swirled
On Lagunafete, clouds turned to snow
And the empires that just generations before
Had seen leaders and warrior so bold
And had held back dread demons in terrible war
Were unable to hold back the cold

In Treesia, where such wondrous deeds had occurred
The Barons remained in their keep
In vain do the Second´s sons pray for a Third
In vain the sagarts pray and weep
In Tapfer, the Microns, once greatest of Races
Are citiless, homeless, and poor
And they wander the country, and all its dark places
And sink into weakness and war

In Istvanistan, woe, for King Istvan is dead
And his sons lack his wisdom and might
And make war not on Evil, but Tapfer Stormrider Sword joins the fight
And when Salio saw her initial design
Turned to evil and causes perverse
Then `till Stjepan Aracic renewed the old line
She removed all its might with a curse

Yea, all through the Circle of Lands, nations faltered
And the tales of the deeds of the past
Were sung sadly, then known of but dimly, then altered
Then finally forgotten at last
Alas! For when stories and legends are lost
Then its characters die once again
And Refin, and Istvan, and all of their host
Are in Tirbal a second time slain

Alas to the race that abandons their past!
Like a child whose father is lost
They are set all adrift on a sea dark and vast
By the winds and the waves to be tossed
And where is the guide, who should steer and direct?
Who should mentor and lead and console?
Who to indicate errors, to teach and correct
When we cut off a piece of our soul?

For ten ages, the cold and sadness persisted
It lay on the world like a shroud
No creatures nor forests nor heroes resisted
Nor empires once mighty and proud
But all prayed up to Tirbal for warmth and relief
And the gods, among Ennabruk´s spires
Hear their prayers and their loud lamentations of grief
And add oils to Tineon´s fires

And like a volcano set deep in the Earth
When Bladhm has one of her rages
To a towering column of fire gives birth
With the now unconfined wrath of ages
The sun flares with warmth, and Lagunafete´s frost
Melts away to the midsummer´s heat
And Caranna restores all the trees that were lost
And the glaciers and ice floes retreat

And men, who for so many winters of woe
Had abandoned their civilized ways
To the old fallow fields and bare villages go
And new cities and villages raise
And they call for a Teacher, to show them the Lore
By which a new Science may rise
For Carding, the Wise One, who helped them before
And made men and their empires wise

Then the Firelord took off the crown from his head
That glowed with the light of the Sun
Dazzling, brilliant, and turned to , and said
"The New Age of the World has begun!
Take my crown, and set off for the bright Crowning Plane
Teach the Way, as you once did of old
Draw together the sparks of the Light that remain
For a Forge-Fire, Tirlar to mold!"

And Carding descended to Tirlar, arriving
Where the Antya drains into its bay
Where some small bands of primitives, barely surviving
Lived life (as does each, in their way)
But when they saw Carding, his crown all alight
With the light of the Firelord´s flame
They were driven to fear, and the watchmen took flight
To their terrible lord, Myng by name

This Myng was called merciless, truly barbarian
Ev´n for his barbarian race
His rule was steel-fisted and authoritarian
His mind was hardhearted and base
The ignorant natives believed him a god
(Tho´ his true gods were Yetal and Sun)
And his fingers kept hold on a magical rod
With which great evil deeds could be done

Myng had first gained his power by unholy pact
With the lords of the Vardian clan
Who can ever weak souls unsuspecting attract
Sun, the warlord called Markg, Yetal, Dan
Thus he feared not the Wise One - his strength on the wax
Was matched but by his reasonless pride
And he thought his dread rod could withstand all attacks
And the gods might themselves be denied

For the demons had heard (and indeed, it was true)
That where Antya rushed into the sea
That the bright light of Tirbal should kindle anew
And from thence, in all lands should burn free
And in fear of this light, and to hold back this fire
They set Myng as the king of this land
To imprison this chance in chains awful and dire
So that freedom and hope might be banned

Up the coast of Carama wise Carding proceeded
Myng´s fortress, Epoli, to reach
And all through his journey, he tried and succeeded
To educate, tutor, and preach
And many he tutored remained by his side
As he journeyed through hill and through knoll
To function as guards for their teacher and guide
And to help him accomplish his goal

When thad come to the towering walls
Of Myng´s castle, its towers sharp and cruel
Thrice a cry of defiance the Waykeeper calls
And Myng meets him, demanding a duel
And the Keeper agrees, and the tyrant suggests
That of weapons, the god have the choice
And soft-spoken Carding, the Wise One, requests
That the combat be fought with their voice

The tyrant, bemused, grants the Keeper´s appeal
And attacks with a terrible yell
And the great beds of bedrock beneath them all reel
As if Bladhm is raging in Hell
But Carding stands tranquil, unmoved by the din
Stands tranquil, and waits `till his foe
Goes hoarse with his screaming - he finally gives in
Then the Keeper, in voice soft and low:

"To war with the voice is the strongest of wars
Although tyrants do not understand
I was sent down from Tirbal to show you this course
And bring justice and peace to your land
So let me now fight with my weapons divine
With Reason, Persuasion, and Speech
See then whose arms are greater - the tyrant´s or mine!"
And then Carding proceeded to teach

He taught them of Empire, of what might yet be
If they cast off oppression and fear
He taught of consensus, the way of the free
And the glory so painfully near
He taught them of Government, Justice, and Law
He taught them to stand, and be brave
He taught them to hold gods and Tirbal in awe
And to heed the commandments they gave

He taught all the arts to make Empire rise
And when he was finished at last
"I teach you the way of Audentior!" he cries
"Which will never in fame be surpassed!
I give you the seed that will sprout to a jewel
The Sun, to turn night into day!
In glory to conquer, in justice to rule
And in wisdom to follow my Way."

And his words touched the hearts of the listening crowd
And like wildfire spread through each mind
And without a command being spoken aloud
In a terrible mob they combined
All their arms became one, and united, they pried
Stone from stone, and forced open each cell
And a well-fired shaft stred
And followed his masters to Hell

Then the crown of the Firelord burned azure and blue
And the Keeper of Lore raised it high
And he placed it upon a white banner that flew
From a turret, commanding the sky
Then ascends back to Tirbal, while those still below
The Audentes, are drafting their laws
And upon every law shines that bright azure glow
Which purifies faults, and melts flaws

And the people at last have their laws set and passed
And their leaders and chieftains in place
And the die now are cast for an empire vast
And a happy and prosperous race
The glory! The brilliance! The radiance! The light!
The wonder! The splendor! The scope!
The vigor! The valor! The power! The might!
The music! The magic! The HOPE!!!

For such was Audentior - the Mother of Nations
The Star to enkindle the flame
The bright guiding lantern for all generations
A hope beyond knowledge or name
With a million children, all beauteous and strong
Who should light up the world´s future ages
And together combine in symphonious song
To illuminate all the Book´s pages

But not all sang in joy at the new era´s dawn
Nor rejoiced in Audentior´s rise
Nor was Sun, Lord of Demons, defeated and gone
And he watched still with unclosing eyes.
As he gazed on Audentior, a cloud filled his mind
Of envy, and loathing, and fear
That savagery might be removed from mankind
And evil and wrong disappear

So he called all the fiends who still heeded his call
And demanded they give him a plan
To repeat the descent that we fell in the Fall
And once more, to corrupt helpless Man
But Audentior stood like a bright gleaming shield
And none of the demons could say
How to open the scar that the Lorekeeper healed
Or to darken the Sunlord´s new day

Then Sun grew enraged, saying "Have you no sense?
Do none have a scheme, or a spell?
Then hear this! To punish her dreadful offense
Dread Ilass lies burning in hell.
If you cannot think perhaps yet you can dig!
For Ilass will know what to do
So make me a pitand so big
That Yetal and I can go through"

Then the armies of demons began excavation
They started in that very spot
A plain beside Brzgrad, in Istvan´s old nation
(Thought Istvan had long been forgot)
For twelve days and twelve nights they removed dirt and stone
But when the thirteenth sun arose
Then Sun, Lord of Demons, with Yetal alone
Down the pit, dim and fathomless, goes

There they came unto Ifreann, its dark fires burning
And the slopes of Dagora they crossed
Through the sulfurous vapors and brimstone discerning
The souls of the damned and the lost
But at last they arrived at the terrible cave
Where the Witch was consigned to her fate
With Lest, the Dark Child, shut up in this grave
Lest Elwynn and he join and mate

But a great burning fire ringed the cave round and round
Nor could Witch, Child, or Demon pass by
So rather Sun spoke, for he knew that the sound
Would go through, and the Witch could reply
So Sun told the author of that dire Betrayal
His conundrum, and asked for her aid
Through the joined sheets of fire that made up her jail
Awful Ilass replied, and she said:

"Take the eye of a Drake, and then grind it to sand
And a Rainbow, by Folcador flown
These things mix together, and plant in the land
Which is as Automatica known
In the dark of the moon, it will grow to a man
Who, though seemingly stupid and weak
Will contain the dark power to further my plan
And this is the weapon you seek."

But as Sun turned to go, awful Yetal cried back
"What of you, ringed in fire etern?
What of Lest, the Dark Child? Do Sun and I lack
Any hope to expect your return?"
But smiling Ilass said "I have beheld
Inscrutable time to its end
And these terrible fires will one day be quelled
And I unto Gnaud then ascend

But to Lest, the Black Orchid, are different dooms given
And nor must my brother wait long
`Till a great king in Tirlar, the chosen of Heaven
Will unwittingly cause a great wrong
He shall come down, as you did, and battle with Lest
Yea, shack Orchid is slain
But at last the affair will turn out for the best
And my brother see daylight again

This too shall be caused by the spell you now bear
For long have I plotted and schemed
Depart, and return to the bright upper air
Of which I so often have dreamed
I have planned a great evil - `tis now in your hands
Soon another shall leave, with a greater
Return unto Tirlar, its Races and Lands -
Climb back through your pit to its crater"

And thus Sun and Yetal returned to the air
And concocted in silence the potion
When at last it was done, the two fiends made repair
To the shores of the Gaeosian Ocean
In the land which was as Automatica known
Near where Antya flowed into the bay
There they set it to seethe `till the dark of the moon
For a day and a night, thus it lay

Then it grew to a man - into Sager, who led
The revolt of the lands of the west
When it ended, uncountable thousands were dead
With the land that the gods once had blessed
And the broken Audentes burned Carding´s old laws
And they set up a despot instead
The Emperor Christoph, whose myriad flaws
Took the nation from ailing to dead

Alas for the men who once saw Carding´s light
And who built from the light a great nation
They are now doomed forever to squabble and to fight
Nevermore will they lay the foundation
For something eternal and glorious and famed
For their hands now sculpt only in air
And can any among their sad number be blamed
If they fall into gloom and despair?

But Dlithail, the Guardian, says "Never a door
May close, but another opes wide"
And the lands of the North, overshadowed before
Are renewed, both in power and pride
Those fleeing Audentior find refuge and home
With the Northmen, both lively and bold
And the tribes of the north, and the migrants become
The mightiest of kingdoms of old

Carradun! Called by some Land of Fire and Stone
For the souls and the hearts of its men
As great as Audentior, in ways of its own
And its like shall be seen not again
As dentes and foreigners knew it
For the mountains of coal and of shale
Which winding like sinuous serpents on through it
Kept it safe from the storm and the gale

Now of all of its kings, one particular name
Stands out, like the sun among stars
Many legends preserve his great deeds and his fame
(As indeed will this legend of ours)
Shane Odlum, who bore the Obsidian Spoon
And who ruled when Audentior ended
In him, the new day Tineon proclaimed reached its noon
And to new heights of brilliance ascended

In his thirtieth year (and the tenth of his reign)
When his glory had waxed to its height
He mounted his tower and surveyed the champaign
And his rule stretched as far as his sight
He beheld mighty fortresses, rich fields of wheat
Grazing herds, looking peaceful and healthy
His powerful host and invincible fleet
And villages teeming and wealthy

And he thought to himself, on the top of his tower
"Yea, though now all of Tirlar be mine
I cannot escape Death, and despite all my power
My kingdom - and self - must decline
But to live on in legend, when bones turn to dust
That one comfort to mortals is given
I shall do some great exploit of note `ere I must
Be summoned to Ifreann or Heaven"

So he called all his councilors, wise men, and sages
And asked them what deeds needed doing
What curses or evils or riddles of ages
Needed solving, or needed subduing
And at last one remembered a tale he´d heard spoken
An ancient (but accurate) story
Of a terrible evil that had to be broken
And a quest that was sure to bring glory

In the very beginning of time (so he said)
A great battle filled Heaven with blood
And the day (though alas, not `till Utas lay dead)
Was a win for the forces of good
And the Darkness was cast to the Darkness of Hell
There it lay, and there still did it lie
Planning what horrid evils no mortal could tell
Underneath the dark sulfurous sky

But if ever a hero would journey below
With his heart and his sword tempered strong
And in battle should coible Foe
Earth no longer should groan under Wrong
But be free and exalted, like Tirbal above
And its men would be happy and free
And oppression would cease, superceded by love
And all evils would scatter and flee

And scarce had the councilor ceased from his speaking
When the king, with his hand on his sword
Said "This purpose is perfect: just such was I seeking
This evil cannot be ignored!
To this end I devote all my focus and might
I shall seek without respite or rest
Prepare me a ship - for I journey tonight
I am burning for want of a quest!"

And the people of Carradun readied a ship
Called the Sea Lion, so fleet and fast
It could outstrip the fire of Folcador´s whip
Or make progress against Lochrinn´s blast
No soldiers accompanied Odlum on board
Only twelve sturdy men as a crew
And the best of his treasures - his ruby-set sword
Thus equipped, from the harbor they flew

Now this sword that he bore was no human-forged blade
But was tempered by Salio´s hands
The Sword of the Red Moon of August - once made
For defense of the Races and Lands
How Shane gained its possession I will not relate
(though through fiend-haunted Shleg went its course)
But I say the result was not untouched by Fate
Which indeed, is of all things the source

Now Shane´s destination lay deep in the ice
That covers and hides northern seas
For he sought from a god supernatural advice
And one dwelt in the cold glacial freeze
`Twas Elwynn the Orchid who there made her dwelling
In the heart of a fiery mount
Why this happened is part of the tale I am telling
And its history now I recount:

In the days when Audentior still reigned ascendant
O´er the people and cities and land
A few saw the cracks in the glory resplendent
And worried, and horded, and planned
They escaped just before it began crashing down
And in two ships of birch journeyed forth
And at last they met landfall, and founded a town
In the ultimate climes of the north

Yea, a town `midst the glaciers - they cahey set out to build a new life
To always act calmly, and always speak truly
Be pious, and shun war and strife
This touched the White Orchid, who boldly declared
She would live in this land as their god
But the others had visions of Sun, and were scared
Of her having an earthly abode

For if ever the Dark One in Ifreann should find her
The Destroyer at last would awake
And Utas´s death was a constant reminder
Of what form such disaster would take
So then let the Pure One in Heaven remain
And thus let her remain in their trust
And in Ennabruk linger, lest Ennabruk´s Bane
Should turn all their Creations to dust

But Elwynn declared "Powers far above I
Have determined an Ending must come
Whether sooner or later, we all have to die
We can greedily hoard every crumb
Of life still allotted, `til death comes at last
For despite all your hoarding, it must
Or can squeeze every drop out of life `til it´s past
And be ashes, instead of plain dust

Then she fell down from Heaven, and took her abode
In Mount Yaanek, amidst Thule´s ice
And upon those who came to her cave she bestowed
As an oracle, prudent advice
Thus `twas here that our hero, in sailing the seas
Sought to journey, and here that he came
And when he arrived, he fell down on his knees
And, invoking the goddess´s name:

"O Elwynn, who came down from Tirbal above
Deep within this volcano to dwell
And who looking on Man, is inspired with love
And desire to help them excel
O lend me your wisdom - for I have a task
Which is hopeless without aid divine
O answer the questions I modestly ask
And all honor and praise will be thine

I am set on a quest to the visionless deeps
Where evil both festers and runs
Where, though covered in darkness, the soul never sleeps
And the heat is of hundreds of suns
This I do uncoerced, not by fear nor by wrath
I am led by the courage inside me
I have come for advice - you alone know the path
And can give me directions to guide me"

When Odlum had spoken, a silenhe oracle fell
Then a voice, deep and timeless, arose from the ground
"It is easy to go down to Hell
But to retrace one´s steps to the bright upper air
And to reach once again starry skies
With your soul and your body intact - it is there
That the dangers and perils arise

And the dangers, the perils, are not what they seem
Not to thee and thy people alone
But to more of the world than you ever could dream
Will the damage and sorrow be done
Desist from this quest - were you destined to fail
Then such failure is yours for the choosing
But alas - you´ll succeed, and success will entail
All the Planes and the Universe losing"

But hard-hearted Odlum remained resolute
And his mind remained fixed on his plan
"Then if you will not help me, be kind, and impute
Some knowledge of someone who can"
Thus the goddess of Yaanek suggested he go
(Not unmindful of what had been fated)
To the perilous lair of the world´s foremost foe
Damned Yetal, reviled and hated

Thus Odlum departed the fierce, icy shore
Looking back as he floated away
And resolved, perils past, to return here once more
But he never would witness that day!
And the oracle sorrowed to see him depart
And she mourned him with tears and with sighs
And out of the depths of the world´s molten heart
A blue smoke-plume trails into the skies

But Shane set a course for Cimmerian lands
Far to westward, through ice floes and mists
Where high on a mountain of granite there stands
Awful Sun, cursing all that exists
And lurking nearby, loathed, reviled, and accursed
And still smarting from ancient defeat
There was Yetal - who Odlum, expecting the worst
With his hand on his sword, went to meet

The demon was sitting high up on an oak
In a branch all misshaped and deformed
From his eyes, as from Yaanek, rose pillars of smoke
As he cursed and he raged and he stormed
Odlum heard him yell "Refin!", his tone full of spite
And in fury he struck at the bough
And the blood that it drew was as black as the nieeches of woe

"Son of sorrow!" the king to the devil cried out
"I would not interrupt your lament
If it gives you your pleasure to fume and to pout
Go ahead, till your fury is spent
But through myriad kingdoms and seas I have come
For a boon you alone can provide me
I shall leave you to tantrums and journey back home
If you but give directions to guide me

I am set on a quest to the visionless deep
Where..." - and here the foul demon cut in
"I behold that dread landscape each night in my sleep!
My spirit pulled downward by sin!
Describe it not further! I wish not to hear!
Even now it is firmly imprinted
In my dark, freezing soul, and it fills me with fear
Of dangers to men only hinted!

"Go! I wish not to know of your purpose or name!
I wish not to know of your goal!
Whether money or power or virtue or fame
It sends chills to the base of my soul!
Speak no more of Ifreann! My heart cannot bear
To be of its future reminded
Make your way to the kingdom of Istvan, and there
In a terrible Pit you shall find it"

Then the black creature howled, and it made a great leap
From its tree to a peak far away
To the dread Lord of Daemons, whose eyes never sleep
And who loathes Tineon´s gift of bright day
There he gibbers insanely, and tries to forget
All the things that so lately were said
By the man (not unlike to the gods) he just met
All the visions that trouble his head

Now the Pit that he named was the tunnel created
Long ago in Audentior´s day
Of its birth and use I´ve already related
And have nothing further to say
Thus to Istvan´s old kingdom the Blackrocker ship
Made its last foamy course o´er the seas
But its passenger barely had started his trip
With such pitiful journeys as these

For a night he lay camped by the pit´s dreadful maw
A night filled with dreams boding ill
The doom of all Tirlar and Tirbal he saw!
All the cities of men dead and still!
His kingdom, proud Blackrock, laid low by his death!
And by Blackrock´s death Tirlar l of Shleg, Khas, and Ahans, and Reath
As a single voice crying "Don´t go!"

Shane awoke with a start, as that terrible cry
Echoed loud in his terror-filled mind
But he saw Leiagh´s diamonds still studded the sky
Nor had midnight been left far behind
So he lay, staring up at the moon in the night
Breathing deeply, to quiet his fear
`Till, glancing nearby, his jumped up with affright
For he saw a grey figure appear

Moving quietly, firmly, as if upon air
It advanced, toward the paralyzed king
He tried to cry out to his men to beware
But he found he could not say a thing
Far taller than those of the lineage of man
Was that ashen and terrible shade
And Odlum, without conscious bidding or plan
Found his hand lying firm on his blade

But when it came near, and was clearly discerned
All its aspect of fear fell away
And the specter, the giant, the demon, was turned
To an small, ancient man, bent and grey
"O king!´ said the being, but Shane, in a rage
At his cowardly seizure by dread
Took the Red Sword of August, and struck at the sage
And he cut off his ashen-haired head

But strange to relate, the old man waved his hand
And was whole, as he had been before
And, with wrath, proclaimed "Fool! You do not understand!
I am Carding, the Keeper of Lore!
I have come to redeem you! And thus you repay
Your last puny hope of salvation?
Be still, and take heed of the words that I say
For the sake of your soul and your nation!

The Lady of Yaanek has already tried
To persuade your intractable mind
Yet, in willful transgression, her words you defied
Nor can I make you linger behind
So I offer command, not request: When you go
Take nothing upon your return
Things of Ifreann in Ifreann must stay, down below
Or your spirit in Ifreann will burn!

What madness! Presumption! To strike a god dead!
Nor shall you unpunished remain!
Let my sigil forever remain on your head
To remind you to not fail again!
Let it burn its geometry on to your skin
As a mark of a might past yourng to shun a more terrible sin
And to keep to the path I have shown"

Then the god waved his staff, and indeed it was so
And upon the poor king´s open head
The sigil of Carding, with brilliant blue glow
Appeared, `till it faded dull red
Then the god waved his staff, and departed from sight
Back to Tirbal, the land of the blessed
And again, round the king closed the silence of night
`Till at last he retired to rest

But when Tineon peeled away Ulcharam´s veil
`Ere Diadon the Morn-Star went dim
Shane gathered his courage and gear for the trail
To the crater´s black mountainous rim
There he gave his good-byes to his friends and his men
The next step he would take on his own
And he doubted he ever might see them again
As he entered the crater - alone

O hand! Shudder not as you finish this tale!
O pen! Run not dry out of fright!
O Dobharcufile! My mind is too frail
To guide Shane through the Halls of the Night!
O lend me your strength! And your courage, as well!
So that I may describe what was fated
For although it is easy to go down to Hell
It is hellishly hard to relate it.

Like a birth canal backward, a tunnel extended
For fathomless leagues there below
The king gazed far away, but saw not where it ended
Nor where, at its end, it might go
But he gathered his courage, and took a first stride
And then foot followed foot through the gloom
Until leagues had gone by, and the darkness inside
Was the darkness that charges a tomb

Thus he lit an oak torch - and beheld, standing near
A tall man, red eyes fixed in a stare
All at once, his blood froze, and his heart filled with fear
And he muttered, to Carding, a prayer
"Art thou demon or man? For your form seems like mine
Yet more focused, more terribly bleak
Come you here out of Tirbal´s, or Ifreann´s design"
Then the figure proceeded to speak:

"I am Ryan Caruso, the ruler of Hell
At least thus I like to be styled
Though the demons down under may otherwise tell"
Here he laughed, and disarminernals, have rules of our own
And we´ve warned them against interfering
But come, and these themes will be presently shown
By which you´ll learn more than by hearing"

So the king and the madman walked down through the shaft
As Caruso described Hell´s societies
And he often gave pause, and maniacally laughed
At tortures of many varieties
With his eyes on his guide, and his hand on his blade
Shane of Blackrock continued on down
`Till they passed through a doorway, of skeletons made
To a cavern, containing a town

Its walls were of lava, all jagged and steep
Their color carnelian-red
Their angles would make a geometer weep
Or an architect strike himself dead
The streets were so narrow they hardly existed
And covered with layers of grime
Their mazes like webs drunken spiders at twisted
In bedrock as ancient as time

In the center, carved out of a mountain of shale
A massive cathedral loomed grey
There were things on the wall, in exquisite detail
But things no decent poet can say
And into this temple of madness and vice
Poor Odlum was led by his guide
And when Ryan incanted a hex three times thrice
The door opened, to let them inside

And inside was a Congress, a gathering of souls
But such souls! They were damned, every one!
You could see but their eyes, which stuck out, like hot coals
From the darkness, as hot as the sun
And Ryan said "Comrades! From realms high above
The long-promised one has arisen
The one who the prophets have prophesied of
Who shall set us all free from this prison!

Yea! Set us all free! And set free all the Planes!
From their prison of pitiful skin!
Set all of us free! Until nothing remains!
Of this vortex of suffering and sin!
Set all of us free! Free! To beautiful Void!
To the unfeeling Dark that we crave!
He comes that the world may be thoroughly destroyed!
To set us all free! And to save!"

But Odlum, who stared at those terrible shades
As they filled with their unholy glee
Said "You have it all wrong! I come not down to y, or to set you all free.
I come but to see sorrow, loss, and decay
From Tirlar extinguished forever
I am not a destroyer! And not who you say!
And to free you is not my endevour!"

The shades then grew wroth, and the air seemed to stir
By Ryan, still jovial, said
"So you think, but no mortal knows what will occur
From the paths that we heedlessly tread
You know little of Fate, and I know little more
I leave Heaven to fret o´er the rest
But I have intuition, and have ancient lore
And declare you shall stay as our guest

Now demons! Now damned ones! Get food, and get wines!
The King must be hungry and tired
And while he gets rest, and gets happy, and dines
We shall tell him of what has transpired
The History of Ifreann, our glorious State
The occurrences of its formation
And how, in despite of divine law and fate
We have carved ourselves out a great nation!"

The demons and damned ones brought dinner - for one
As a ghost, Ryan needed no food
When the dinner was over, at last, he begun
Keeping still in his jocular mood
"This city, Dagora, is part of a whole
Whose tale I am longing to tell
The pride of each demon, and every damned soul
The People´s Republic of Hell!

When Mordicc arrives with his merciful blade
The soul and the body to sever
In Mandorel´s presence the judgment is made
To determine its dwelling forever
Upon most, the god smiles, and Jestun conveys
Them to Tirbal, or Calaspier´s walls
There to sing and rejoice till the closing of days
When ANDAN´s apocalypse falls

Thus the fate that awaits, if your soul can be seen
As righteous, by any long stretching
But ofttimes a soul is so nasty and mean
As to set the great Champion retching
Then he strikes it with Trizecc, his three-bladed axe
For more brutal than Mordicc´s kind scythe
And it plummets to Earth, and it falls through the cracks
Into Ifreaan to burn and to writhe

Now Ifreann as Ifreann is quite bad enough
As I think you yourself can attest
It is fiery and dark, and lacks aith which Tirlar above has been blessed
But the demons! The demons who justly were thrown
From the skies when they fell in the Fall
And who torture damned souls, lacking souls of their own
Their tortures are worst of it all!

In what gruesome crimes do they not take delight?
What interest we sinners must pay!
All the nightmares I dreamt in the blankets of night
They give substance, and take into day!
All the ills that befall those in Tirlar still dwelling
They perfect, and invent new beside
Yea, ones without name, that I shrink back from telling
Yet to which I will now give a guide

Then Ryan said "Antya!" and picked up a wand
And exerted an effort of will
With a sparkle of light and a wave and the hand
The two stood on a very high hill
From which could be seen each demonic domain
Every oven, abyss, every rack
And the demons, whose terrible laughs add what pain
Their inventions and fiendishness lack

"See there statues of stone, with their grim, twisted faces?
At their nearest, a mile apart?
Those are men who were hardened to lovers´ embraces
And thus broke an innocent heart!
So they long for a kiss or a brotherly word
But no one! For miles around!
What on Earth they would laugh at whenever they heard
Is in Ifreann nowhere to be found

See those unlucky men being severed in twain
By the demons in puddles of gore?
They are men who broke oaths for their personal gain
And who failed to uphold what they swore
And for breaking their word, they themselves must be broken
For such does is the Word of the Law
Which shall ne´er be reneged, and has never been spoken
And which lacks any loophole or flaw

And those, who a fiend with a terrible bow
Filled with arrows of fire is haunting
Their sin up above, punished thus here below
Was their habit of taunting and teasing
They shot vitriol to puncture their poor victims´ souls
And with vitriol their souls now are shot
And their bodies are covered with cauterized holes
Stuck with oil, eternally hot

See there! Demons s necks with strong ropes
Placing food just an inch out of range
These are fools who stopped others from realizing hopes
When their minds were too narrow to change
Now their atrophied feet barely keep them erect
As they wish for a change in their state
Which from Unchanging Law, they can hardly expect
To stay just as they are is their fate

I feel sorry for these - but for those, over there
I have no trace of mercy at all
See them - climbing to Tirlar upon a high stair
On the top, pushed by demons to fall
Back to Ifreann below - these are those who took joy
In killing what others had made
And instead of creating, they strove to destroy
And I laugh as I see them repaid!

Once I was tormented; once I was a slave
To such horrors as now your eyes see
But I gathered my comrades, and warlike and brave
We struck back at the damned bourgeoisie!
At our fiendish oppressors - and drove them away
Their whole system of tyranny fell
We proclaimed we were now our own lords - and that day
Rose the People´s Republic of Hell

Yea, the People´s Republic of Hell! Every man
(Or those who are now something less)
Is free to do all that he possibly can
Save exploit, or harass, or oppress
But alas! While in these awful depths we yet dwell
Revolution can not be complete
For Hell, stripped of torments, is all the same Hell
With its darkness, and sorrow, and heat

But enough of such torments! Enough of such woes
For I see that your stomach grows queasy
You must now take the way that your destiny goes
Though I doubt that that way will be easy
To Ilass, to Lest! In the world´s deepest core
In a fiery ring you will find them
And will fight them, as Mandorel fought them before
And then here, deep in Ifreann, confined them

I have taken you most of the way to your end
See the trail, down this mount´s jagged slope
You shall reach, when its torturous path you descend
A fiery ring - lose not hope!
For if you are pure in intentions and soul
The flames will feel cool as the breezeur sword-hilt and eye on your goal
You may enter with health and in ease"

Thus Odlum and Ryan departed, as friends
And hand shook with skeletal hand
And each one declared, that wheree´er their path ends
And wherever their destinies land
They should still remain brothers, for aid rendered deep
Beneath Tirlar, in caverns of stone
And all through their Way, their remembrance to keep
Till in Heaven - or Hell, it was done

Then Odlum descendended the terrible trail
Coming closer to Earth´s fiery core
And he reached the mount´s base, at the fiery vale
And he paused to look `round, and explore
Alas! A mistake! For not all one can see
Is within the poor mortal eye´s seeing
And poor Odlum screamed, freezing in terror as he
Saw a hideous, gargantuan, being

It was covered in filth, from its head to its toes
(which were more a tentacular mass)
Like a great oaken tree, to the heavens it rose
And it seemed to the mountain surpass
It was slimy and massive, and held a great spoon
Which it stirred in a cauldron of grime
Like the sum of the filth that Earth´s cities had strewn
In all lands, of all sorts, for all time

It was dread Maladaticc! The Lord of Disease!
Sun´s brother, and cohort in ill!
And the mixture he mixed was the plague-bearing sleaze
That would sicken and cripple and kill
And every so often, winged bat forms swooped down
And returned up above, with loud squawks
In their sharp-taloned claws bearing thick lumps of brown
To cause fever and weakness and pox

Leave behind Maladaticc! My pen will not dwell
On that fetid and fear-firing form
Which even for those grown accustomed to Hell
In its horror exceeded the norm
Let Odlum arrive at the tall wall of flame
That encircled his last destination
For when to the end of his journey he came
He paused, with a great trepidation

White hot was the fire, with tinges of blue
It was barring the wall to a cave
Shane gathered his courage, and took a leap through
And fate indeed favored the brave
For cool was hied by a breeze
And his mind had grown peaceful and clear
And the king was not hurt, but his mind put at ease
And expunged of all trembling and fear

And good thing - for there sat, in the edge of the room
The Queen of all Hell, dressed in black
She turned gracefully round, like the image of doom
And moved not, nor made any attack
But said "Welcome, Shane. You should not have come here
But you have, and must now face your test
Take your blade from its sheathe - I will not interfere
As you struggle in combat with Lest"

Then Ilass stepped back, and the king saw before her
A flower, black-petalled and small
Was this Lest, Bane of Tirbal, the cursed Destroyer
The damned engineer of the Fall?
Could he fight? Could he win? And what powers within
That small seedling, untapped, lay in wait?
And Shane brandished his sword at the author of sin
And he charged toward his foe and his fate

And the Red Sword of August struck ichor-filled shoot
And the chamber grew strange, dark and cold
And Shane´s mind was ripped out of the world at its root
And a new world began to unfold
Whirling madness, strange horrors, with colors unknown
Lawless lamps in bright dark-shining skies
Shapes that pulsed and that throbbed to a beat of their own
And a billion mad watching eyes

All was lost for a second - the fight and Shane´s mind
But the latter at last drew together
And it fought of strange starbursts of energy - blind
Anger pulsating out of the ether
With an effort of will that brought tears to his eyes
He wrested himself from insanity
And returned, after many exertions and tries
To the less crazy (?) world of humanity

And there on the top of a now lifeless stem
Where the Flower of Doom once had been
A beautiful night-dark and wonderful gem
On the top of the stalk could be seem
For the Bane was defeated! The world was redeemed!
And the demon was now lifeless stone!
Or so to our hero, triumphant, it seemed
For his battle and prize were now won

Prize? Who mentioned a prize? Nthe jewel
He did not think the thought was his own
But on further reflection, no man but a fool
Would refuse such a beautiful stone
It would serve in his scepter, and help him hold sway
Over all of his subject and land
He would make it his own ere he journey away
And he reached for his it now with his hand

But up on his forehead, a with lightnings of pain
The sigil of Carding, dull red
Became active, and flared bright and blue once again
Shane recalled what the Keeper had said:
"Now I offer command, not request: When you go
Take nothing upon your return
Things of Ifreann in Ifreann must stay, down below
Or your spirit in Ifreann will burn!"

But evil had perished! No more would be burning
In Ifreann; no more His command
Was needed to keep people´s spirits to turning
To darkness, which now had been banned
So with motion decisive, the gemstone he plucked
From the stem, where it flew to his grasp
Through the door of the cave, through the fire he ducked
With the Bane of the World in his clasp

I shall not bore my readers, nor cause needless fear
With stories of Shane´s journey back
His path now was open; all dangers were clear
And he kept to his previous track
He ascended the crater in Istvan´s domain
To his men, who had camped there and waited
Then to Blackrock returned, o´er the blue, placid main
Where his subjects beheld him, elated

And he entered his palace and sat on his throne
And he ordered his councilors gone
And he took his old scepter, and there, all alone
He affixed his new trophy thereon
But scarce had he done so, when shot bolts of pain
And fever, that spread from his head
And the sigil grew bright blue and fiery again
And in minutes, the hero was dead

For Carding, the Wise One, had never stopped viewing
The deeds of the Blackrocker prince
And when he beheld what the hero was doing
His features became a grim wince
For he knew that immortals can never be slain
And that Odlum had merely been fooled
And been tricked into carrying sadness and ll of the lands that he ruled

There was Lest! The Dark Orchid! Who set off the Fall!
There in Blackrock, now destined to die
As had died great Audentior, and as die us all
Underneath the great dome of the sky
And as had died Shane, by the terrible wrath
(mixed with sorrow, and terrible fear)
Of Carding, the Wise One, the Guide to the Path
The Prophet, Protector, and Seer

Shane lingered a while, but soon there came down
A man on an aerial boat
When he saw the Dark Orchid, his face formed a frown
But he otherwise took little note
He beckoned to Shane to come into his ship
And he paddled it up through the air
And with swiftness like eagles proceeded the trip
The trip - led by whom? - going where?

Led by Jestun, the heavenly Boatman of souls
Up to Tirbal, where on their high seats
The High Court of Ennabruk, that which controls
A dead human´s destiny, meets
And high o´er them all is the god Mandorallen
Whose judgment has never been false
Who raises the good and who casts out the fallen
From Ennabruk´s cloud-girdled walls

And in front of this body was Odlum presented
And Carding, the guide to the Way
Was wroth, for his anger had not yet relented
And had many an insult to say
On how Odlum had broken his word, and had taken
The Orchid from prison below
And should thus by the gods and their law be forsaken
And punished with ages of woe

But kindly Laguna, the Mother of All
Told Carding to keep to his Way
And to not act in wrath, though the force of the Fall
Had succeeded, and taken the day
For when Shane had descended the road down to Hell
His intentions had been for the best
Men must do what they can; the results none can tell
But the gods will take care of the rest

And Mandorel, Champion, nodded assent
And said "Shane, you have fought very well
You accomplished the duty on which you were bent
Even unto the center of Hell
You were rash - so am I! And your sentence was served
In the death that you suffered of late
You ruled well - further sorrow woved
Now hear - from my mouth - of your fate

You shall sit in Calaspier, with heaven-forged spear
And shall sit by the side of my throne
And when foes shall inspire my people with fear
Go to Tirlar, in aspect unknown
And lead armies to triumph, and countries to peace
Till ANDAN, created at last
Causes all war and struggle to suddenly cease
With the rest of the Universe vast

And on that very day, you shall lead all my men
From Calaspier´s age-ridden stone
All the souls of the warriors, to battle again
Into further and greater reknown
And the people of Tirlar will sing and rejoice
When Shane Odlum is seen at their head
This is then my decree, and my unerring choice
As the Judge of the Souls of the Dead!

And Odlum, the Warrior, the greatest of kings
To the halls of Calaspier ascends
A spear of the making of Runda he brings
And he waits till the Universe ends
When the two dreadful Orchids shall seal the world´s fate
And he once more can fight the world´s foes
And swing swords once again in that dire debate
That will bring all our tales to a close

[Maksym Hadjimehmetov]

*claps*
A thoroughly enjoying read, I must say- slightly Tolkien-esque with a hint of Beowulf and the Legend of Oliver.