What the Sword Broo Says
- Originally published in Lords of Terror (1994)
- An earlier version was published in Tales of the Reaching Moon #8 (1992)
This covers Chapter 2, pages 12-21:
Where did the world come from?
The world was ripped from the Void of Chaos to torment each of us forever. One day Chaos will devour the world, and we will all be at peace again, forever.
Where did I come from?
The gods of this world tore you from chaos because they hate you and want to make you suffer. You were born from the suffering of your host-mother, and you in turn will make others suffer, through your life and the lives of the children you spawn.
What happens after we die?
There is nothing after you die, if you are lucky. If you are trapped by life you may be forced to return here again and again, or — worse yet — have an afterlife and remain there forever. Better to live for the present, and hope that the future holds nothing for you. Until that day, you must give your service to Ralzakark, or he will make the pain of your life last an eternity, as his does.
Why am I here?
There is no meaning or purpose to life. It just is. You must take what you can. You must live and suffer, and make the world please you, if you are strong enough. If you are not you will die. You are here to spread death and destruction through the world, hastening its inevitable end in chaos and entropy. Hate and anger are the only comforts which exist, and vengeance against the world your only hope. Fill your soul with them, as I have mine.
How do we do magic?
All magic requires the enslavement or annihilation of lesser entities to prolong your own life and existence. Slave spirits provide small magics. If you are strong enough, you will rip power directly from one of the gods of chaos, who have great power. Learn all the magic you can, for to do otherwise is folly.
I have heard of other powers. Can you tell me the truth about…
…Lunar Gods?
It is hard to tell whether the Lunar Way is favorable or not. Many broo think so, and have given their allegiance to the Red Goddess, helping her destroy the world. Others do not, and plot to destroy the Lunar Empire. Some say one thing but do another, as everyone always does who serves their own interests. Ralzakark allows the Lunars to go enter his domain, but he is only using them for his own purposes. You should do as he and I do, and take what power you can from them while they are here.
…Monotheists?
These men from the West use a kind of magic called sorcery, which does not rely on spirits or gods, but takes from both. It is very powerful, and you should learn some if you are lucky enough to find someone to teach you. Then you will be able to Tap power from anyone or anything you want. Some of the sorcerers think they can understand the powers of chaos, and even use them for their own ends, but they only hasten their own destruction. This is proven by their actions, for it is they who awakened Ralzakark and Dorastor so long ago, and who are now our lord’s abused slaves.
…Other Gods?
All of the gods are prey to the secret powers of chaos, even the gods of chaos themselves. If they were all destroyed, it would be to our profit. Some chaotics, like the ogres, can pretend to be like one of these gods, and even gain magic from worshipping them, but it is very dangerous, and you should not try it. Take what you can from these gods and their followers, and work with me to bring about their doom.
…Primitive Spirits?
Even as the beings of the mundane world are the prey of our spears and stones, these spirits are the prey of our spells and shamans. They are weak and unprotected, and so are easy to conquer and steal from. When you are ready I will allow you to fight one, and keep it as a slave if you defeat it.
The Lords of Terror
Bagog, Poison
This goddess devours any living thing, and the magicians among her scorpion people can give birth to monsters by eating intelligent creatures. The Scorpion Folk are our allies, but would take all that we have from us if they had the chance. You should do the same to them, for your first duty is to yourself.
Cacodemon, Anarchy
The Cacodemon is the embodiment of anarchy and destruction. It is the strongest piece of Wakboth left in the world, and is well-suited for its purpose. Beware of its ogre followers, for they are mindless and disorganized like their master, and cannot be trusted. Encourage them in their self-destructive violence, for everything they destroy is one less thing that you will have to.
Gbaji, Liberator
Gbaji was the child of Jotimam, and he tried to destroy this part of the world, which the humans call Genertela. He was defeated in the Darkness, but hid within the fabric of the world, and came again centuries ago to release us all from the agony of empty existence.
Gbaji’s reappearance should have signaled an end to our wretched existence. Instead, the gods of life resisted their preordained end, and cast Gbaji out of this world back into the Void, where he awaits his next rebirth. The foe Arkat led this fight, but was doomed and destroyed in the process, as are all of our enemies.
Humakt, Death
Humakt is the human name for Death. They call him a servant of life, but we know that he is the greatest of the Lords of Terror, for he is the Harbinger of Chaos, and brings death wherever he goes. His sword made the great wounds in the world through which chaos oozed, and it liberated Gbaji in the Chaos Wars, so that now he is present in all of the world. We gladly use the powers he grants us, to slay the foes of our lord Ralzakark.
Jraktal, Tap
Jraktal led the invasion of the southern part of the world, which humans call Pamaltela. He did not return to us. Humans say that he was defeated, but he survives, as the use of Tapping among the Men of the West proves to us. Each time they call on him, all unknowingly, they hasten the end of the world.
Kajabor, Entropy
Kajabor is the God-Killer, who destroys all vestiges of matter and energy, annihilating every possibility of individual or united existence. Entities slain by Kajabor have never returned, and even their names have been lost after being pulled from the universe. He was the strongest of the chaos gods.
Kajabor was enslaved by the gods, and his powers bound forever into the world. Thus, his destruction is part of the world even though he can no longer act, and entropy will eventually destroy all of it, matter and energy, beyond even memory. Then we will be free.
Malia, Disease
Malia is Queen of the World. No place is free of her touch — she goes where she pleases, spreading her diseases and plagues across all lands. She is the embodiment and source of the world’s illness, the Cosmic Disease, and she provides her gifts freely to all who ask. She is as natural as water, yet if the gods of the world were ever all in harmony she would disappear. But this will never happen.
Pocharngo, Mutation
Life futilely resists being destroyed by Chaos, but Pocharngo does not destroy — he changes. When the old world rebelled he turned it into a vast sludge of protoplasm, and sent out lesser monsters to hasten this change, which survived. You can gain great power from worshipping Pocharngo, but you will be changed, warped and twisted in body, mind, and soul. Such is the price of power.
Primal Chaos, the Chaos Ooze
True chaos is impersonal: less than mindless, naught but a primal force. To know it is to be it. Each of us can easily touch it, and take a piece of it into us forever, and all glory in the experience. You will have the chance when you are ready, since you were not born so blessed, as I was. If you are lucky you will gain great power from the contact. If you are cursed, you will probably die, although it might make you stronger instead.
Ragnaglar, the Mad God
Ragnaglar sought to destroy the world, and he enlisted the forces of chaos and brought them into the world. He made us live — curse his dead soul. Malia and Thed joined him in the Unholy Trio, cursed by him and cursing us in return. He was destroyed by the Bull, who allowed us to live so that he could punish us forever. We bless him more than any other god, for he alone caused more destruction and death than everything else in the world together.
Ralzakark, Lord
Ralzakark is our lord, and we worship and serve him faithfully. His requirements may seem unnatural to you, but you must obey him without question, or you will feel his anger for all eternity. Just be glad that he has not required you to prove your loyalty by becoming one of the castrati. Ralzakark has come to prepare the world for its destruction, and everything he does is for that goal, though it take another thousand years to complete.
Thed
Our accursed mother was a slave of Ragnaglar, and inflicted our pain on us when she brought us into the world. She teaches us her ways, to inflict more pain on the creatures of the world. She curses us and so is a part of each of us, even as we are all parts of her. She blesses us with her fertility, to bring more destruction to life. She hates us as we hate her.
Wakboth, the Devil
Wakboth is the senseless, terrifying, and wanton disregard for life, continuous brutal destruction. Twisted and foul, Wakboth is the force which defiles the world and makes the gods suffer for our troubles. He is the greatest example we can take, and you should seek to become more like him with every thought or action. He is our brother, for his parents were cursed Thed and hated Ragnaglar.
Wakboth was dismembered by the Uroxi, but his pieces are still here, infecting the world, and we know where they are. One day we will put him back together, and then he will complete the destruction he started in the Darkness.
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Page Last updated: 2023-10-13 17:55:33