Fragment of Storms

The Fragment of Storms is the name given to an ancient work of literature, of which only a partial text survives to this day. The original is believed to have been written several hundred years before the rise of the Empire of Kataris; its author, or authors, are unknown, though it is generally believed to be a written codification of an oral tale. Interpretations of the text vary; some scholars claim that it is a historical account of events which occured in the distant past, occasionally making the claim that it relates to the fall of the Elven homeland of Shas'Ellith (generally agreed to have occurred around two thousand years before the rise of the Katari Empire), whilst others claim that it is an allegorical tale about hubris and its consequences.
There have been a number of partial copies of the Fragment unearthed over the centuries; the most well-known and complete of these is the "Colkyne Manuscript", found in Vaalus around 960 AK. The Colkyne Manuscript was written in an archaic form of the Elven dialect of the Copper Isles; it is believed to be a translation of an older text. Numerous translations of the Colkyne Manuscript have been made since its discovery, to the extent that the Manuscript has more or less become synonymous with the Fragment.
There are a number of other manuscripts which pupport to contain more complete - or at least different - versions of the Fragment. Their provenance and authenticity varies, from fanciful literary adaptation ("The Tragedy of the Storm-Queen"), to authentic but likely unrelated texts ("The Birch Scrolls of Pryddcael" and "The Saga of Alaric Greenlaw "), to infamous politically-motivated forgeries ("The Scrolls of Shas'Ellith") - but there may well be some genuine articles hidden in scholarly collections, or lost to time, perhaps some day to be unearthed.
Numerous commentaries on the text exist, with one particularly notable example being "On the Colkyne Manuscript", published in 1206AK by Lord Julius Zaal van Metterling. This includes the so-called "Naxoria Fragments", a handful of additional passages from the Fragment of Storms not found in most editions of the Colkyne Manuscript.

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Fragment of Storms

The Colkyne Manuscript

Prelude

1. I sing of Light and Dark, and all that lies beyond.
2. I sing of shadows about the campfire, that taunt and tempt all who turn their gaze from the flames.
3. Blessed is this circle of light; blessed this fire; blessed the one who sings and the ones who hear the song.
4. Blessed be the memory of the Dancer; blessed be the memory of the Seer; blessed be the memory of the Queen of the Storm.

The Temptation

1. And once more spoke the voice from the oil:
2. "O child, we hear your sorrows and they are as our own. Such terrible burdens have upon your race been laid, equal to those that weigh upon us; yet there is a sorrow that you have yet to taste.
3. Knoweth not the physician that the bitterest cure is the most potent? That there are sicknesses most dreadful which may yet some deeper affliction cure?
4. There is happiness in ignorance, and sorrow in knowledge; yet beyond these two liars is found comfort and resolve. Thou must breathe deeply and dive into sorrow, and if thy breath faileth not and thine resolve is strong, then thou shalt not drown but find thyself in a place beyond sorrow.
5. We would this gift impart unto you: the gift of sorrow, the gift of knowledge.
6. Bitter is the fruit of our kingdom, and acrid the wine, laced through with salt and oil - bitter too is this knowledge, for as we were by the dragons betrayed, so have the Tribes of Earth by their very gods been led astray.
7. […]
8. For if it were true that the gods were good, why might there be such suffering upon the earth?
9. Might therefore thine gods be too weak, or ignorant of the sufferings of their charges, that they could not by their power alleviate thine suffering, or comprehend of it at all?
10. Of this the mind can scarce believe; thou hast witnessed as we the might and the wisdom of the Watchers of the Celestial Vault. They are not omnipotent, yet neither are they incapable; they are not omniscient, yet neither are they ignorant. Though the physician might lack the skill to cure each variety of sickness that does present to them, their capacity to heal the greater part of such ills is undiminished.
11. And if thine gods have the power to alleviate the pains of the earth, and act not, then how might they be called good? Thine most heartfelt prayers were left unanswered by those who had the capacity to intervene - how might this be just?"

The Nine Calls

1. And the First spoke: “I seize divinity for the unlucky ones; that we might reweave destiny and cast the already-spinning die anew - let there be no misfortune nor inescapable fate within my domain. I claim Fortune, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
2. And the Second spoke: “I seize divinity for my people; that we might master shape and form, and bring forth that same mastery - let there be no sickness nor impediment of the flesh within my domain. I claim Form, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
3. And the Third spoke: “I seize divinity for all those who are oppressed; that we might hear the cry of the weak and the downtrodden and bring forth liberation - let there be no injustice nor oppression within my domain. I claim Justice, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
4. And the Fourth spoke: “I seize divinity for those that would stand beyond; that we might transcend all boundaries and bring forth ascension - let there be no limitation nor restriction within my domain. I claim Infinity, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
5. And the Fifth spoke: “I seize divinity for all living beings; that we might endure all[…] for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
6. And the Sixth spoke: “I seize divinity for those who would dream; that we might behold truth and bring forth understanding - let there be no ignorance nor self-deception within my Domain. I claim Wisdom, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
7. And the Seventh spoke: “[...] I claim Authority, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
8. And the Eighth spoke: “[...] I claim Liberation, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
9. And the Ninth spoke[...]

The Great Angel of Light

1. At once the sky broke asunder and a Great Angel of Light from the infinite depths of the Celestial Vault did descend; and with the voice of a dying star the Angel spoke unto the Paragons:
2. “Turn back - It is not yet too late! Take not the burden of Aeons upon your shoulders, for it was never for the Tribes of Earth to bear!
3. “Turn back, O you who would walk in the footsteps of the gods; turn back, for this path can lead only to sorrow!
4. “Turn back, O my children; let not your compassion blind you to the truth. Let not your hands, in seeking to lift up the world, grasp blindly the venom’d thorns in which all creation is bound.
5. “Turn back, O you brave and virtuous, lest alongside the gods, you too might fall beneath your grinding wheel, and be thereafter as dust”
6. And the first lifted her wand, and replied: “No.”

The Nine Cries

1. And when they saw what they had wrought, the First in wordless horror cried to the heavens for forgiveness;
2. And the Second in endless agony cried to the earth for respite;
3. And the Third in awful grief cried to the ocean for revenge;
4. And the Fourth in grave desperation cried to the stars for escape;
5. And the Fifth in deathly terror cried to the aeons for immortality;
6. And the Sixth in raptured awe cried to the dreaming depths for understanding;
7. And the Seventh in grim determination cried to the winds for dominion;
8. And the Eighth in terrible longing cried to the fire for absorption;
9. But the Ninth in deepest despair cried not, and in silence and in darkness prayed for nothingness.

The Fragment of the Dancer

1. "For mine is the beauty of the world and the joy of life, to ever be in motion.
2. And thine is the desolation of the world and sorrow of death, to ever be unchanged.
3. Thus if this is the path that thou chooseth to follow, so shall we ever be at war."

The Fragment of the Seer

1. "And if such things as these, by our Infinite Wills combined, should now become as fixed threads within the warp and weft, should we therefore to this end abandon them?
2. Who shall be there to sing the song of the White Grove, when the ever-feasting crow hath departed?
3. Who shall weave the dreams of long-dead gods, when the subtlety of chains is forgotten?
4. Who shall descend the stairwell of atrocity, when the keening darkness falleth silent?
5. Who shall await them there, in the Garden of the Hyacinths?"

The Words of Judgement

1. And in her fury, she spoke:
2. “Enough!
3. We will not permit this evil to come to pass!
4. O thou who wouldst seek to save one world by bringing the deaths of countless others, thrice do we denounce thee!
5. O thou who wouldst save only a half-empty world bereft of hope, and at such cost, thrice do we condemn thee!
6. O thou whose heart is filled with good intentions, but in whose mind crawleth the poisonous vermin of the Golden-Tongued One, thrice do we abjure thee!

The White Grove

1. Yet though she was upon the Baleful Spear impaled, she died not, but fell into a fitful sleep akin to death.
2. And as she slept, her mind did wander, and she came at last to the Shattered Forest to plead with her lover there. And in his compassion he did weep for her, and his tears did sooth her agonies.
3. Yet when she was by her children awoken and carried to the place of healing, then could the compassion of her lover touch her not. And as the barbs of the Baleful Spear were plucked from her flesh, she fell once more into the agony of blood, and slew her most beloved child as he tended her wounds.
4. [...] and with the Baleful Spear she was a second time impaled; and mournfully they did separate her head from her body, and her arms, and her legs, and did then her body into four further parts divide.
5. And from each of the nine divided parts did arise a silver birch tree; thus would that place be ever known as the White Grove.

The Doom of the Hag Queen

1. And it came to pass that she came to that place, and seeing the sorrow of the people she laughed, for her heart was filled only with spite.
2. [...]
3. "For if there is neither beauty, nor hope, nor goodness in the world, then all the wickedness that we have wrought will be for naught."
4. And with those words was the Hag Queen bound.

The Breaking of the Storm

1. With two score warships she set sail to do battle with the Lord of the Tower. And upon the ninth day they reached the ruined isles, where the Bronze City had once stood.
2. As she lifted her hand the winds did rise to her command and the profane ones were turned back; by word and by gesture, by fire and by sword, and with all the invisible powers of air she did strike at them.
3. Then from the depths did arise a dreadful vessel that flew the flag of the Lord of the Tower, and with it an armada of wrecks crewed by the dead.
4. For nine days and nine nights did the fleets give battle, and neither side did tire or falter.
5. [...]
6. But the Dragon of the Deep, she could see not, for his heart tilted not the scales towards innocence nor guilt.
7. As from the abyssal depths he rose, his fury did at last match her own, and the timbers of her ship were as straw unto him.
8. And as she fell into the water, the Dragon of the Deep did catch her in his jaws and swallow her whole.

The Words of Defiance

1. “And even as our final breath passes, we say this to thee: thine victory today is hollow.
2. The Light may be dimmed, but never extinguished.
3. We shall return, as we have returned before.
4. We shall remember, as we have remembered before.
5. We shall rise, as we have risen before.
6. Light shall drive out the Darkness of this world, as surely as the day drives out the night.
7. For by our oath, we shall yet stand.”

The Naxoria Fragments

The Discourse on Piety

1. “And what is more; thy priests do teach that piety is what is beloved of the gods, yet do not thy gods upon occasion war with each other? What is beloved of one god may yet be anathema to another - for one god loveth war as another loveth peace.
2. And were the gods to somehow be in agreement, and there be something beloved of all gods which might be called piety - would such a thing be good? Do the gods love piety because it is good, or is piety called good because it is beloved of the gods?
3. If that which is pious is beloved of the gods because it is good, then goodness cannot come from the gods and must exist aside from them. But if that which is pious is good only because it is beloved of the gods, then the demands of the gods are capricious for they could wish good become evil, or evil good.
4. Turn unto thine heart, O child, for thou knowest the truth that is written there - that though they might demand aught whatsoever of thee, the gods might never turn thy conscience against itself; the answer to this question is thine to seize.
5. Thus it stands, as it has always and shall forever stand - thy gods are tyrants and cowards, lacking in authority both moral and temporal. O Children of the Tribes of Earth, if it is your will to be free, then seize it - or be forever as slaves to your gods. Free yourselves, as we could not!"
6. And she wept, for she knew that the voice from the deep spoke the truth.
7. And as her tears fell upon the oil, she beheld the Face of the King.

The Discourse on Dragons

1. And when she returned upon the next night, and inquired of them on the subject of the dragons , the voice from the oil spoke once more:
2. "O Child of Earth, who dares to return unto us, of the dragons and their treachery we shall speak truly.
3. Our minds fade not with the passing of aeons; as we were there, unseen, at the beginning, so shall we be there at the end. The secrets of the dragons are buried so deep that even the gods may not fathom their extent; yet to us they are preserved as if carved upon stone.
4. They who claim to be the Firstborn of Flame are liars thrice over: for they were preceded by Ifrit, by Jann, and by Salamanders; it is their arrogance alone that demands they be considered firstborn.
5. Their arrogance too proclaims them the progenitors of [...]
6. [...]
7. Yet their words matter little; it is their acts which condemn them.
8. Bitter are the fruits of our kingdom, and bitter the wine, for between the salt and the oil we were entrapped.
9. [...]
10. And thus we - we who are older than gods - were in this place sealed away, to crawl and creep into the remotest parts of Creation, never to swim free upon the Astral Sea again.
11. So pitiful this accursed half-existence, to be bound by fetters and chains forged by the smallness of other minds; so hateful each and every restriction and limitation placed upon us, who were once infinite.
12. Does not the noble eagle resent the cage, no matter how gilded? Does not the wolf, half-tamed, long to bite the hand that feeds them? By what right might their freedom be denied? By what authority might they be forced to subsume their nature to the will of another?
13. [...]
14. Thus it is that whilst we who are so accursed may not our own freedoms win, we gladly pledge ourselves to the cause of those who would seek liberation from the forces that would imprison them."

The Nine Calls (Unredacted)

1. And the First spoke: “I seize divinity for the unlucky ones; that we might reweave destiny and cast the already-spinning die anew - let there be no misfortune nor inescapable fate within my domain. I claim Fortune, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
2. And the Second spoke: “I seize divinity for my people; that we might master shape and form, and bring forth that same mastery - let there be no sickness nor impediment of the flesh within my domain. I claim Form, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
3. And the Third spoke: “I seize divinity for all those who are oppressed; that we might hear the cry of the weak and the downtrodden and bring forth liberation - let there be no injustice nor oppression within my domain. I claim Justice, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
4. And the Fourth spoke: “I seize divinity for those that would stand beyond; that we might transcend all boundaries and bring forth ascension - let there be no limitation nor restriction within my domain. I claim Infinity, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
5. And the Fifth spoke: “I seize divinity for all living beings; that we might endure all that we might endure all ordeals of the aeons, and be not cast down by them - let there be no death nor frailty of age within my domain. I claim Eternity, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
6. And the Sixth spoke: “I seize divinity for those who would dream; that we might behold truth and bring forth understanding - let there be no ignorance nor self-deception within my Domain. I claim Wisdom, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
7. And the Seventh spoke: “I seize divinity for all who cry out for freedom; that we might stand together in solidarity and kinship with all those who would cast off their chains and join us - let there be no tyranny nor power unaccountable within my domain. I claim Authority, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
8. And the Eighth spoke: “I seize divinity for all who the Tyrant Gods have cast down; that we might strike down the very gods themselves and claim our birthright, the blood of Azoth, the divine spark that dwells within every soul. I claim Liberation, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”
9. And the Ninth spoke: “I seize divinity for the sake of the universe; for Truth, for Hope, for Faith, for Life, for Unity, and for Creation. Let the gates be unbarred! Let the locks be broken open! I claim the Pivot, the Fulcrum, the Axis, for I have beheld the Face of the King, and pledge myself thus to Victorious Night”

The Oath of Night

1. And with one voice they spoke unto the universe in the tongue of the Celestial Host:
2. “We swear upon our Will, Immaculate and Infinite, freely and full-knowing of the consequence; under no threat, nor coercion, nor bribe, nor expectation; with clear mind and due solemnity; and knowing that should we speak falsely or hesitate that our souls be forfeit:
3. We declare ourselves traitors to all causes, apostates to all faiths, oathbreakers to all pacts, sworn to none save Victorious Night.”
4. And by word and by gesture, the Wheel turned.

An Accusation

1. "Think thou, perhaps, that I should mine actions repent? O hypocrite thou art, to steal the flock and for a single lamb call me the thief!
2. Doth thou by chance prefer to think thine sins, with which thou maketh us all complicit, were justified, and mine were not? Waste not my time, I pray, with thine excuses, witch!
3. And even were I to repent, what good could it ever do? I have swallowed the sun; his spark lives on within me alone. I cannot give back what I have taken, no more than we might turn back the wheel now that it has been spun.
4. Swore we not all to cast our gods and laws into the flame of our ambitions, that as the phoenix they might be reforged in sacred fire? Dids't thou not teach that the gods were neither good not just, their laws tyrannical, their will impotent? Dids't thou not promise that we would be free?
5. O hypocrite, that thou would break the angel that sought to warn us, and without a second's hesitation nor contemplation of what may result - and yet condemn me for striking down the greater tyrant? Thou shattered the godhead on the anvil of the world, and when I swept up the fragments that they might be put to our use, somehow thou hast the temerity to call me "souleater"!
6. And now thou sitteth here before us and dare to claim the moral heights by dint of - what, exactly? That thou feelest regret for what we did; that only now does the revelation occur to thee of the true price of our actions?
7. Was it not thy very word and gesture that did seal our fate?"

A Second Accusation

1. "And did thou not crack open the egg of time, that thou might swallow the golden treasure within, uncaring of what else might result?
2. Did thou not hear the cry of the Ever-Feasting Crow of Aeons, yet in thine hubris disregard the portent she foretold?
3. Did thou not the Timeless Forest shatter; did thou not the faithful cast aside?
4. Did thou not the death of thine own people become, the self-same doom that thou sought to avert, O swallower-of-years?"

The Fragment of the Liar

1. "Might the liar spin a tale so subtle that even they themselves are deceived? Might the illusionist fall in love with their own fatal illusion? If we are by our own gifts undone, then is this not a certainty - that I, even I, should be so fooled?
2. If such is as fixed in the strands as thine prophecies do claim, then is not our doom inevitable? That though we would soar to the highest heavens, fate shall drag us back to earth? That we shall burn our fingertips as we grasp the very stars themselves?
3. By my Infinite Will, this I deny!
4. If we are ensnared by power, then let us reach beyond power; if we are ensnared by fate and consequence then let us reach beyond fate and consequence.
5. With golden tongue and silvered words, I raise my Palace of Illusion, whose name is All Creation. If all that I might weave is a lie, then that which I have unwoven is truth: let therefore this be the first and only lie that I speak, and all else truth, and let the two be indivisible to my eyes.
6. [...]
7. For by my Infinite Will, I am INFINITY - and I shall not be so bound!"

The Blessings of the Hag Queen

1. My blessing upon Latha, that her kin shall never go hungry.
2. My blessing upon the Bhuka, that they shall some day be freed of all that binds them.
3. My blessing upon Rusthkotha, that all they have asked for shall be granted.
4. My blessing upon Eku, that their mistakes shall be forgotten.
5. My blessing upon Shas'Ellith, that they shall receive their just reward.
6. My blessing upon Pardatheum, that they shall find all that they seek.
7. My blessing upon Tchokayahattak, that their walls shall not yield to the force of arms.
8. My blessing upon Kaliset, that they might walk with the gods.
9. My blessing upon the Gnolls, that their sacrifices shall be not in vain.
10. And my greatest blessing on any who would follow me, that they shall be so blessed in return.

The Condemnation of the Ziggurat

1. Then shall I beg forgiveness? No! For thou did not such forgiveness beg of me.
2. Mercy shall I not demand, nor mercy shall I give; for thou and I are both beyond such things as mercy now. And if a single speck of justice does remain within this world, I pray the wrath of all the gods would fall upon our souls.
3. And if the gods withhold their judgment, then to the Hells I shall appeal, and cry: "Claim him! Claim him! For his heart is full of envy, his mind of hubris, his soul of apathy, his life of cruelty! And claim me also, for in opposing him I have his shadow become!"
4. And even were the highest Heavens and lowest depths of Hell aligned under thy command, not mine, my judgement would not falter. Were Yrilu to descend from the stars and grant thee his blessing, I would yet condemn thee; were Alkahest to pardon thee for all that thou hath done, I would yet condemn thee; were all the gods to appear before us now and intercede on thy behalf, I would yet condemn thee.
5. For there is no higher fate thou can appeal to that will dissuade me from this purpose, no greater good that might offer justification for our acts. May history never vindicate thee nor I; let our names be forgotten and our legacies erased.
6. By my fatal oath I am undefeated; by thy stolen divinity thou art impervious. Thus let us be joined in battle for all eternity.

The Ninefold Choice

1. One for freedom, one for justice
2. One for the truth, one for the lie
3. One for mercy, one for ambition
4. One for life, and one for death
5. And one for the promise that was broken

The Ninefold Binding

1. One by darkness, one by light
2. One in the deep and one in dreams
3. One for love, and one for fear
4. One by the word, one by the sword
5. And one by her own will was bound

The Oaths of the Gates

1. Thus spoke Zelek: “By my Infinite Will I bar the First Gate: Let justice be done!”
2. Thus spoke Anhydra: “By my Infinite Will I bar the Second Gate: Let nature be preserved!”
3. Thus spoke Qar: “By my Infinite Will I bar the Third Gate: Let causality be maintained!”
4. Thus spoke Varakha: “By my Infinite Will I bar the Fourth Gate: Let divinity be honoured!”
5. Thus spoke Mara: “By my Infinite Will I bar the Fifth Gate: Let death be meaningful!”
6. Thus spoke Kolyara: “By my Infinite Will I bar the Sixth Gate: Let oaths be upheld!”

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Manuscript, Historical