Once upon a time, the world was broken. War and strife filled the lives of everyone. God was invisible and paganism ate the =
souls of the unwary. =
It was during this terrible time that a foreign knight came to our =
lands from the east, mounted on a white horse, wearing black =
armour and wielding a ferocious array of weapons.
His aspect was cruel and scarred. His body was like tightly =
woven steel ropes and his teeth were made of iron, fanged =
and ferocious. He called himself Onslaught though he was =
known to most as the Death Knight or Sir Mort to some. =
He said he followed the evil socerer of Death - called Humct =
Indeed this Sir Death took many away from us for he served =
many different lords in his time and each asked him to do what =
he did so well. =
Always he searched for war and slaughter and always he =
found it. During those wicked days there were many lords =
who sought war or domination over another. Sir Death became =
champion for one and then another and wherever he went =
victory followed and so he was sought after ever more. Of =
course there was a price to be paid for his victories as those =
involved with him were cursed by his presence and often =
died on his sword when he was hired by their rivals in a later =
struggle. =
So utter did the violence in the land become that good knights =
lost their virtue and began to follow this harbinger of doom. His =
free company swept the lands far and wide and many evil =
barbarians came to join him.
At last, his depredations grew so great that the Saints and =
Bishops of the Holy Church saw their only salvation in his =
destruction. They planned accordingly. =
Their first strategum involved honourable combat but Sir Death =
knew no honour and had the ill grace to kill all the champions =
sent against him. He hacked them, cut them and smashed =
them. Occasionally one wounded him but he only seemed to =
enjoy the struggle all the more and soon no-one could be =
found with the courage to oppose him.
Their second plan involved sending the Sisters of Piety to =
convince him of his errors. The sisters strained mightily at =
their task, using every concievable ethical argument and =
theological tactic to impress Sir Death with the purity of their =
cause. He was unmoved. Even the full use of their Gift of =
Tongues failed to stir his interest. A back-up plan using the =
Choir Boys of Innocence also failed to have any effect.
Desparing, the Saints hired assassins from accross the =
known world to dispense with Sir Death but he spotted =
and slew them all with ease, as if he could sense them =
coming. The assassins complained that he didn't even =
bother with a bodyguard and seemed pleased when they =
showed up, as if their attempt to kill him relieved some =
great boredom. Soon, no amount of money could procure =
his demise.
Armies were summoned and a Crusade was called. =
Valliantly they marched to fight and valiantly they were =
crushed beneath the mailed fist of Sir Death's army which =
instituted a crusade of their own and killed all who opposed =
them. =
Sadly, the great Saints and Bishops of our land sat to =
contemplate their failure. All seemed lost. Bishop Gantayer =
cried openly "Who will rid us of this turbulent knight?"
And then a woman was brought before them - a pagan =
priestess of healing who claimed knowledge of Sir Death. =
She said she'd felt the Death he brought growing in the world =
and had come to stop him. She knew the warrior personally =
having ridden with him in the distant past, in the days of her =
youth. She said that only the healing magics of Life could =
defeat his evil. The Bishops disliked dealing with a pagan =
but swallowed their pride and agreed to help her reach Sir =
Death.
Across a battlefield of blood and slaughter they led her and in =
the midst of the heaviest fighting they spied Sir Death. He =
stood among his foes likean icon of ire, smiting left and right =
and a cold gloom of despair surroundedhim. The healer =
almost fainted at the grim sense of seperation that tuggedat =
all the souls of the living when they neared Sir Death. =
Flowers in the field died around him, even animals sickened =
in his presence.Finally he hacked his way through a line of =
knights and faced his old companion. As was his way, he =
nodded a greeting and kept on killing butthe priestess =
performed a great magic, called on her Goddess and =
linked her soul with his. He stopped his endless combat =
and froze, locked in a soul embrace. She poured fourth her =
joy in life,showed him hat he too was human, part of life and =
not a cold blade of seperation. He staggered. =
His childhood memories flooded his mind for the first time =
in decades, he remembered the comfort of sleep, the touch =
of a woman, the joy of friends. He remembered what it was =
to be alive! =
With great compassion she showed him that his existence =
was meaningless, that a being of Life should not exist to promote the abstract that was Death. The warring armies =
stopped and held their breath as she embraced him, held =
him through his armour and the offal that covered him. She =
poured out her feelings of love, compassion and tenderness =
in a tidalwave of joy and it struck him to the quick. Sir Death =
knew at that insant that his life had been an extreme, a =
segment of the whole, a whole that he had cut from his heart =
with a ruthlessness that had surpassed any other before =
or since. =
The priestess smiled with the joy of victory as she saw the =
realisation in his black eyes, the sense of a soul awakening from a deep sleep.
Then Sir Death rammed his sword through the back of the =
priestess and through his own body with all the force he =
could muster. =
=
As his own heart tore and her stunned face spewed forth =
her lifes blood down her chin all heard him say with his =
wicked metal grin. "Bet that was a surprise!"
And the priestess mouthed; Why? as she choked.
He spat through the blood in his mouth to reply and though =
the pain must have been overwhelming, his voice was =
rock-steady and heard all across the battlefield; =
"You have shown me the life I chose to forget. I show you =
the Death you chose to ignore. I have seen my error. =
Humakt cannot be with me until I have accepted his final =
seperation and now _you_ understand. Life must always =
submit to Death but Death submits to nothing!"
And they both died.
Martin Laurie
End of The Glorantha Digest V5 #145
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