Heralds of Obeah/The Twin Prophecy

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The Twin Prophecy

The Twin Prophecy; Above & Below is a religious scripture written conjointly by the Oracle of the Veiled Goddess, Rania Estersand JeVondair, and the mute woman Lady Jessica Gildre. The following is the account of their combined vision, gifted to them by the Veiled Goddess herself.

Rania's Vision

She couldn’t recall falling asleep, but She knew that She was dreaming.

She gazed upon the world from far beyond. It was Radiant. Shielded. Veiled. Beautiful. She perceived its continents as gleaming jewels, upon each of which she felt as much as saw tornadic clouds of multi-colored light swirling up as though drawn from the earth to the sky as if they were the pillars that upheld it, feeding the light into the Veil, strengthening it as the Light passed through on its way elsewhere. She looked upon this gleaming world and drew closer with a whim, close enough to see that the whirling clouds each had a hue, blues and reds and greens and yellows and more, all bunched together in groups with no one color repeating across two continents, yet all working together in a masterfully powerful, vibrant work of cosmic art. She drew still closer, and saw that the source of this power, the heart of this art, came not from the world itself but those that dwelt upon it. Tiny beings with a Light all their own: Man. It was then that She found a flaw in the perfect synchronicity of the masterful design. Not a flaw of design, but of fell intent like a broken lock through which flowed a darkness from without. It came like a tide. When it waxed, it spread like poison through the veins from where the infection first began. Always the same place, always the same continent, always because the weakness that was the broken lock remained so. And She grew sad, for every pillar of light the corruption touched would wane, sometimes winking out entirely, and always at a greater pace than they reappeared. She perceived then that the darkness had a goal: To destroy the unique beauty of this world. To consume it light by light until only darkness remained. And her sadness was roused to anger at such wanton defilement of something so rare and perfect as this gem of a world. It must not be so, but the lock would need great power to repair and protect. Therefore, She drew still closer from afar, whispering through the Veil, for She could not pass through it without disrupting its infinite beauty. She drew closer still and studied the tendrils of darkness as they entered, embedding themselves in seas, mountains, deserts and marshlands, rooting themselves deep in the earth to wrap around laylines and nexi – choking these natural rivers and veins of power like toxic oil, infecting the myriad creatures above and below with unnatural size, ferocity, and hunger. There they nested and grew far from the grand pillars of light, great cities, where Men gathered and Dwelt, their faith swirling above them, thrumming into the sky with great energy…and unaware of the creeping black doom that encroached. Sometimes it was these beasts that, having no Light of their own, that would open the way for creatures of darkness to walk and spread their infection further. Sometimes individual Men would be the ones to fall to the tendrils cunning, and they would choke the Light in themselves and those around them to open the way wider for the agents of the dark, the Daimons, to come. And this made her swell still greater with wrath, for what being would willfully pollute so perfect and rare a haven? And out of this wrath was born a fierce desire to dwell here Herself, driven by Love of the pristine brilliance she had found. When the darkness waxed again through the lock, She sent the tiniest sliver of herself through the breech. A seed, blue with power, echoing with a musical whisper of her Name, that would take root and grow into its own blue column of roiling light, spreading its roots and reaching out through sky and Veil like a conduit of magic flowing back and forth in ever-increasing pulses pulling her ever closer, empowering her with the strength to repair the Breach in Perfection.

It was but one of many strands of fate this special place had weaved about it. There were more. Just as there were Others who had come, resolved, each in their own way, to stave off the coming dark. And then she perceived the future, snapping into place like a puzzle, of what would befall this stellar jewel should the darkness ever win. One where The light of the faithful that powered the veil was gone, and their protection with it. Instead being sucked down the ravenous maw of a swirling black miasma whose great, cloudy tentacles reached out to enshroud the world and draw it ever closer to annihilation like some feeding Leviathan…this monstrous insatiable realm from which flowed daimons and darkness. It would consume this gem of a world as though it were the latest in an eternal string of victims, then move on to the next like a voracious shark seeking prey.

And at last Rania saw herself, standing upon a barren, waterless plain. A great, crumbling Rines behind her, and the skies filled with naught but ash and lightning. She spoke, and the Oracle’s voice was terrible to hear. "We never payed any heed to the ancient prophecies. Like fools we clung to the old hatreds, and fought like we have done for generations. Until the day the sky rained fire... and the old Enemy returned upon us. We stand now upon the brink of destruction... for the reign of unholy chaos has come... at last". And then the Oracle’s hands were around her throat, rage burning in her eyes and hands, boring into her very soul, blaming her as her eyes went black and her face began to decompose, flesh melted from the Oracle’s body revealing veined muscle, talons, wings, and horns of a Daimon. Rania was no more, and though the Oracle’s accusing voice had been terrible, the death rattle that now came forth from this thing was even worse.

"BEHOLD THE FATE OF THE WEAK!" It cried, unfurling its horrid, bat-like wings to their full span with a thunderclap of rushing air and ash. Rania screamed her denials even as the thing leapt in the air towards her. And the vision ended with pain and blood. She felt her flesh begin to burn, starting with her hand...

– Rania Eastersand JeVondair


Jessica's Vision

Jessica suddenly felt aware. When had she been unaware? The feeling slipped from her rapidly, and she settled into a state of being. She realized that her eyes were closed.

Before her was the world as she knew it, an unbelievable sight. The East Continent, Beluterra, she could even see Gothica on the Colonies from her omnipresent vantage point. Oceans of pristine blue separated the continents, and the lands seemed to somehow glow, radiating the light of life upwards to…what? She couldn’t be sure. She felt herself pulled towards the world and it grew larger. She gazed at the streams of light punching up into the sky and, closer now, she could see the whirlwind of colors within, complimenting each other, yet unique in every instance. They flowed in chaotic unison from each continent.

No. The light came not from the continents, but from those living upon them. Their life force, the beauty, the sorrow, the pride, the glory of all contributed to the spires of humanity which rose up.

She looked to Beluterra and saw a darkness forming. Panic choked her as she watched it slowly manifest and spread, like a vile toxin consuming what lay in its path. As it reached each source of light, she could feel the struggle, and, the ultimate hopelessness within, until the light faded from existence. Slowly it spread, with only one goal; to destroy humanity. The hunger of the darkness could not be sated, as it continued to oppress all the beauty before her.

She continued closer while the rage stormed like a tempest within her, and the darkness continued. Visions assaulted her. Rather than see them, it was more that she simply came to know. She perceived men, who the darkness had tainted, opening otherworldly portals. Dark beasts bred chaos, harkening the coming of the darkness.

She could see now. Yes. The Veil. It separated her from her world. She could see the tiny opening, a breach where the darkness could escape into the worlds of man.

A blue light twinkled into existence. It shimmered with a peaceful beauty as it floated towards the breach in the Veil. It reached the breach and stopped there, its light pushing the dark back.

The darkness was too strong. Or too much. Jessica couldn’t be sure. Then, more twinkling blue lights appeared and joined the first in the breach. They shone with a brilliant light, pushing the dark back. Jessica watched, mesmerized by the heavenly war unfolding before her. Everything swirled together before her, and reassembled itself. The blue lights were gone, and a terrible gash was torn in the Veil. Torrents of the darkness poured through the gap and shot in tendrils down to the world below, consuming it.

Jessica was startled as she heard a voice, "We never paid any heed to the ancient prophecies. Like fools we clung to the old hatreds, and fought like we have done for generations. Until the day the sky rained fire... and the old Enemy returned upon us. We stand now upon the brink of destruction... for the reign of unholy chaos has come... at last"

Jessica recognized Rania’s voice, but it was different. It was powerful, and awesome, and terrible. The Voice sheared into her head and the power of it threatened to rip her in two.

"BEHOLD THE FATE OF THE WEAK!"

The energy of the scream bore into Jessica’s brain, and darkness overcame her.

– Jessica Gildre