"I don't know that she sees with it," I said. "She's still recovering from the operation. But that's an interesting thought. If she could see with it, what might she behold?"
"The clear, cold lines of eternity, I daresay. Beneath all Shadow.
No mortal could bear it for long."
Suhuy & Merlin, Prince Of Chaos
Long ago, before even Chaos reigned, there dwelt a race of Ancients. How these creatures came into being is unknown, perhaps even by them. Some speculate they spontaneously formed, others would have one believe a greater power yet created them. Whatever the truth of the matter, they existed before all that is now known. The Ancients set about the task of creating a place for themselves to dwell. They created a fabric of existence, a latticework of power which defined the Universe and gave a meaning to space and time. They used these "Pathways" like a giant web, travelling along it and creating homes (referred to now as Shadows) upon the structure. Within this universal framework they would dwell, war, and finally they would die.
No one can name the reason for their wars. Perhaps there was none, if there ever is such a thing. At first they fought with their creations, creatures of lesser power who were products of their works. They bound these creatures, whom some would call Gods, into the latticework and created Artifacts of Power to draw upon their energies. Nine of these devices were known to have survived the Cataclysm... They were called Spikards.
Near the end of their reign they turned to each other in battle. Whether any of them survived the Cataclysm that ensued is unknown. If anyone knows of their existence beyond that time, they are not speaking of it...
Their war brought about a terrible chain of events which is still playing itself out to this day. The Abyss, graveyard of these ancient beings was formed, as more and more of them died in the bloodshed. Chaos, primal and destructive, was unleashed; whether by anger or accident is unknown. Devastation on a scale never to be matched was commonplace. And then they were gone...
Some beings survived, or escaped bondage and looked upon the new order of things. Chaos raged, a lingering threat which would eventually destroy everything in its unending hunger. Those that were left behind forged a new Power from the ashes of what had come before it. From the very essence of the Chaos and the spirits of the Abyss, they formed a construct known as the Logrus.
The creature primarily responsible for the Logrus' creation was the Serpent. This is still debated by some, but a mere glance at the writhing, snake-like tendrils of the Logrus quiets all doubt... for it had recreated him as surely as he had created it.
He was infused with new Power and could feel the lines of eternity,
the ancient web-work of the Ancients within his grasp. Soon, as the
threat of encroaching Chaos had subsided the
creatures of that new age began to form homes, Shadows, upon the
Pathways of the Ancients.
These Shadows were fragile things, and Chaos, not tamed but merely appeased, frequently destroyed them as its Power ebbed and flowed. Other beings, of even lesser power than the survivors of the Cataclysm began to appear. These were the Chaosites or Chaosians as they are sometimes called. They began to worship the Serpent and his Logrus and he gave them a measure of Power for this. As their mastery of the Logrus grew some of the greatest began to see the underlying structure of the Universe. Using the Logrus, they tapped into this Power and eventually created Trump.
Trump could, given sufficient power, access the Pathways of the Ancients directly. This allowed for communication and travel along the Paths which greatly expanded the presence of these beings. Since the latticework was where the Shadows were 'hung' like fruit upon a tree, they could go nearly anywhere they could imagine.
At some point a major coup occurred. Much has been written about the cause and form this took. Little truth has been shed upon the matter. Suffice it to say that a Logrus Master, whom all know as Dworkin, rebelled against his brethren. Whether his actions were justified or not is immaterial, his actions changed the Order of things once again.
Master of Logrus and Trump, Dworkin drew in his own blood a new construct called the Pattern. Using the Jewel of Judgement, also known as the Serpent's Eye, he redefined the way Shadow would fall upon the latticework of creation. The true nature of the Jewel is unknown. Perhaps it really was one of the Serpent's eyes... For truly, that being had seen a glimpse of the Ancients works. Some claim that the Jewel was an Artifact of Power formed by the Ancients which had survived the Catastrophe. Whatever the case, a new form of Energy linked itself to all of creation through the Pathways.
The destiny of Shadow is now controlled by the warring powers of
the Logrus and Pattern upon them. Who is to say how things shall end, or
if the recent reappearance of the Spikards herald a return of the old masters...
"My name is Delwin, and we may never actually meet-- unless certain ancient powers come loose."
He raised his hand, and I saw that he, too, wore a spikard...
Merlin & Delwin, Prince Of Chaos
Kenn Crook
© 1993
kcrook@indiana.edu