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Undergods Came From the Stars
Tomes of Amaxathroth > Ink, Blood and Parchment |
In an aeon past, foolish sorcerors built a way to the stars, and in doing so, brought Undergods and a plague of demons upon the world. Even now, these sorcerors scream within the gizzards of the greatest of Undergods, and may they suffer an aeon yet! It is upon their account that loathesome, gigantic maggots yet worm their way beneath plain and mountain, spawning demons of claw and fang to torment this fading age of man.
Only one torture-mad sorceror has ever found death, in an age in which the White Mountains of Emreca and the corpulent Undergod Hruzle beneath were cleft in two by a great movement of the earth. A full half of the Neglenda of the infested woods beyond the mountains were struck dead, those vicious men who once leashed shaggy crelt and carried darts to hunt bloodsucking flies the size of man's head. The remainder and their fattened women were swallowed by the waters of the Lantac, that rushed across the land to fill the great crevass.
In place of the Neglenda, a stench to slay men and the most vile demons wormed their way from the pits beneath the White Mountains. The fat of Hruzle became rancid, peeling away from the mountaintop that pierced and crushed the Undergod's gizzard; from this spawned most terrible, poisonous and angry demons. Men suffered and died in ways the Neglenda could only have dreamed of lustfully - but this was an age past.
When I climbed the White Mountains, men of an empire come from naught and gone to ruins had long ago slain the greatest of demons to roam this reach of Emreca. Their blood and rent flesh was shunned even in memory, but their seed had given to warring cities and a rule of cruel demon-blooded women - and in this there is little difference between Emreca and the lands of the Meddin Sea. What matter the sex of the murderer or the victim? To a demon, a worm is a worm, fit food for eggs and spawn.
Beyond the stone towers that mark the farthest reach of the Beast Uvea, hopeless captives are roped and herded into worn, demon-haunted ways that lead beneath the White Mountains. These are wretches the Beast has deemed unworthy; spared from her lustful, crushing attentions, they are instead doomed to the tearing embrace of black gesk, four-armed iryth, and more terrible spawn of rotted Hruzle. Death would be preferable to a tortured span as a demon's mate, amusement, or sack for eggs. The Beast's daughters stand watch upon cavern entrances with long, sharp spears to encourage those who hesitate in the pursuit of a fate ordained.
Gelded, face-scarred mistresses of the Beast Uvea's court claim that ten men have returned from beneath the White Mountains, and that each bore a portion of the Undergod Hruzle. The skin of each man is stuffed and set with bluestone for eyes about the Beast's bloodstained bedsheets - and she regards them most fondly whilst sporting with her newest plaything.
[ Posted by Reason on November 3, 2006 ]
