Scroll of Understanding

This being a Scroll of Understanding, written by a young worshiper of the Stars, upon gaining insights concerning the Faith, upon his meditation, prayer, and study of the Prophecies, and contemplation of events unfolding around him in Dwilight and the world at large. In this series of discourses the author speaks or writes letters primarily concerning the Faith of the Bloodstars, to the Faithful that they may be strengthened and illuminated, but also to the unbelievers that they may see and take heart before it is too late.

I. Regarding the Vision of the Prophet Concerning Daimons

O Brothers and Sisters!

Our Most Holy Prophet, in the Golden Farrow, was granted by the Stars a vision of what was to come - listen, then, for the time is clearly at hand! I write to you now from Farrowfield, not a night's walk from where the First Prophet Mathurin gained this powerful and hopeful insight. I am but a man of the Faith, and whereas previously I had considered submitting these writings to the Authorities of the Church to be placed in their holding - lo, the forces of the Netherworld blocked the routes! And so I write to each and every one of you now, that you may carry this knowledge in your mind, and keep it locked within your heart, that you may hear in this the true wisdom of the Stars in these dark times!

Our Prophet saw a vision:

On a verdant plain a worshipper of the Stars laid a stone carefully upon the good ground.

A creature of fang and fear that shunned the Stars, crept upon the man and attacked him.

The man was pressed mightily by the terror, but he was stalwart and stood his ground by the stone. The Stars shone for him in the sky above, and there was a movement below.

A warrior clad in blood-red robes, an infant wrapped in scarlet cloth and a woman dressed in a crimson gown approached in silence, each bearing a gift.

The warrior handed the man a spear.

The infant handed the man a helm.

The woman handed the man a scroll.

Light lined the spear and it impaled the monster. Light edged the helm and softened the blows of the monster. Light danced across the writing on the scroll and words of power drove the monster back.

The spear was broken,

the helm sundered,

the scroll torn;

the creature gone.

The man carefully placed a second stone by the first, on the plain, under the light of the Stars.

What is the stone of the faith? It is laid by a worshipper of the Stars, upon a verdant plain, with good ground. It is this stone which the creature of fang and fear that shuns the Stars despises, and the cause of its fierce attack. In attacking the man, the creature hopes to attack the stone of his faith.

What is this creature of fang and fear? A Daimon? A walking undead abomination? A monstrous beast? Yes, but it is also the terror of the unfaithful, the confusion and despair the unbeliever holds in his heart, the rage against the unmovable Stars themselves - a beast of endless hunger, which though it may feast on flesh or fear, is never satisfied.

Why does the man stand his ground by the stone of faith, when he is beset by terror, and helpless in and of himself against the creature which assails him? Because the Stars above shine, and through them he, like his faith, is unshaken. Though his mind tells him to flee, though his heart fails him, he does not, for the Stars do not abandon one who worships them.

Who is the warrior, the infant, and the woman, all clad in red? These too are the faithful, who are moved by the Stars and by the rock of faith. For in their blood is the Bloodstars. The warrior gives the gift of a spear, a weapon to fight with. The infant gives the gift of a helm, a protection of innocence and youth for the mind. The woman gives the gift of the scroll, the writings and knowledge of wisdom which are the mother of our faith. Without a young, open mind, the spear is useless - without courage and strength, the helm is useless. Without the wisdom imparted to us by the Holy Prophet, both neither intelligence nor strength have purpose. The Light of the Stars is what imbues these three things with meaning and purpose - nothing else. For it is written that the spear is broken, the helm is sundered, and the scroll is torn - for these are nothing but items. It is the Light of the Stars in them that give us hope for victory, and defend the faith.

And when the dark creature of fear - which may dwell within as well as without - is gone, the stone of faith is added to, and grows. For with every act of success, with every victory against the darkness, the faith is demonstrated and built. And so it will be, for those whose faith in the Stars is true, and in whom the Stars shine - they shall lay the foundation of the true Faith which is, in fact, unassailable by any mortal power, and which shall outlast any hope placed in helms, spears, scrolls - and any temptation of strength and fear there may seem to be in the creatures that oppose the Stars. When all is gone, the Faith remains, as do the Stars.

May the Light of the Stars be ever in your hearts.

Rabisu, Knight of the Temple

II. Regarding the Third Prophecy

O Brothers and Sisters!

Upon meditative reflection on the Third Prophecy, I, Rabisu, derive interpretation from it herein.

A man has two eyes. How then can a vision of Truth be seen in a tale of three eyes?

There is more meaning than a mere counting of physiological organs, and the truth is deeper than that which can be seen. The warrior and the courtier bring the fire of vigor and the light of justice, and they are of course worthy of being cherished as the foundations of decent society. The one relies on the other, just as one eye relies upon the other.

Yet fire and light are but products - the fruit of the burning Stars above. What is the essence of true fervor and favor, the spirit which gives them purpose or meaning? Truth itself, and with the serenity of truth, there is no other eye required. This third eye, not natural to man yet which sees clearly, is the essence of the Bloodstars, the true light and true fire behind all others.

Our Most Holy Prophet, gifted this revelation from the Stars, is not a super-man, not a man whose personal power is greater than any other, not a man whose education or prowess is above and beyond any other. Indeed, despite advancing in these earthly arts, he himself declares with most seeming illogic, that "there is no I."

What is meant by this apparent contradiction? In his faith, his person and personality are no longer of consequences. For selfishness and senses are bonds, not gifts; fetters, not freedom. Who can speak of the will of the Prophet? For in him, the will of the Stars shines bright, and of his own self there is none to speak of.

Though a priest brings the truth, which is most illuminating a reflection of the truth of the Stars, and though the warrior brings fire and the courtier light, which are faithful reflections of the will of the stars made flesh, none is useful without the other, and only when all three shine truly, when the Light beyond light and the Fire beyond fire and the Truth beyond truth are clear, is man's nature revealed.

Without the Stars, man is nothing. With the Stars, he is also nothing - and yet so much greater! His strength is unmatched, his laws just, his understanding wise - for it is not his strength, his justice, his wisdom at all.

One who wishes to see clearly must use both his eyes, and must open his third eye - only to realize that when it comes to clarity of sight, eyes are of no help whatsoever, and anything that is his and not the Stars will be only a hindrance.

May you see clearly with the Light of the Stars.

Rabisu, Knight of the Temple

III. Regarding the Second Prophecy

O Brothers and Sisters!

Concerning the meaning of our Prophet's Second Prophecy, I, Rabisu, make the following interpretations.

There is indeed no hope in swords, no hope in cups, no hope in hands. For these are the works of men: death, birth, and old age. Nor is there hope in fields, trees, or pools of water.

Placing hope in such things, we should all become like the dead, hidden, broken like any sword; like the ever-empty cups of the hungry fire of youth; like the crippled hands of the old and the infirm.

Thus all our works, created by such things, based upon such things, are doomed to blackness and destruction. We may, for instance, create a mighty warrior, but he shall one day fall. We may create a great tree of this church, but it shall wither. And we may create the beautiful shimmering silver flowers of wealth and vitality, the reflecting pools of truth and wisdom - but it is all doomed!

For when the man, emboldened by the Maddening Star, raises his sword arm against the foe and defeats him, his tendency shall be to consider that it was the sword that won the contest, that it was primarily his own strength that moved the sword and - if he should think this far at all - that perhaps the Bloodstars gave him his strength. Man is a fool! His strength and sword are without power, without meaning, without anything should it not be ordained by the Bloodstars! His every step, his every breath destined from of old!

Only the dead men, the naive children, and spent old crones could believe otherwise - and yet full-grown men, in the very blossom of the vigor of the Bloodstars, believe that they have power! Power in cups! Power in open hands! Power in swords! What nonsense! There is no cup, no sword, no hand that cannot, and indeed must not, be broken eventually. Such things are not the substance of faith.

The Church today is strong and mighty, but this will not always be. As we were few once, we became many. But as we are many now, so in the future we will be few. The edifices of architect and of men, no matter how elaborately constructed, how ornately decorated, how vigorously defended, can not withstand the withering years.

But when all our trees and swords come crashing down to ruin, still the Light of the Bloodstars will shine - and still there will be those whose eyes are not clouded, whose hearts are not led astray, whose minds are still alert and agile - those whose faith is in nothing but the Bloodstars. These, the true believers, the faithful ones, will be those who are left when all others pass on. They will be the mighty rock of the faith, unchanged despite the upheavals to come, unshaken, unbroken, undying, unsullied by foolishness. They are not bedeviled by the constructions of mankind, the machinations of power, the labyrinths of political thought and narrow-mindedness. Nor are they confounded by the rituals and rites, the customs and cultures of the realms of man. Their hearts are in the Bloodstars, and the Bloodstars are in their blood.

And when these events have come to pass, it will be they who reflect the light of the Bloodstars, and who rebuild the Faith, upon a stronger foundation, for all days and nights to follow. The stone of the faith is unmovable, once placed by the words of our Most Holy Prophet, guided by the power which comes only from the Bloodstars. This is the foundation, and nothing else. And in this foundation lies the hope of the faithful, the salvation from all the trappings of mankind, and the security against any darkness which awaits us.

May the stone of your faith be unshakeable.

Rabisu, Knight of the Temple

IV. Concerning the Dark Forces of the Netherworld

O Brothers and Sisters! Behold, the fearsome and terrible Daimon, ever grasping with poisoned claws at the neck of man! I, Rabisu, have the following message.

In the Daimon is represented the Beast of Fang and Fear which shuns the Stars. Indeed, evil itself has no better hold in our world than in this creature.

And yet, it is all too common for the fair-minded, well-meaning nobility to suppose that there is an inherent difference between the Daimon, and the man who has no faith in the Bloodstars. It is well to suggest that mankind unite to take up arms and defend against the onslaught of the Daimonics. But the idea that evil in one form is qualitatively different from evil in another form must be extinguished now, for it is a dangerous untruth!

The workings of one who shuns the Stars is the same no matter who that one may be. Without regard for nor knowledge of the Divine Influence, any being, man or animal, is like a Daimon. Without guidance and protection from the Light, one dwells within darkness. In ignorance a man may commit evil, and be unaware of from where it come; while a Daimon may commit evil, and think it comes from within his true nature - or the power of some Overlord or foul magic. Yet both are mistaken! Their evil results from ignoring the three Stars shining constantly in the Western Sky, and all their powers and behaviors are their own making.

For the Beast of Fang and Fear is not at its most insidious and dangerous when it attacks in daylight, with heralds announcing its attack, with all eyes pointed toward it. No! For it is fear itself, beastliness itself. The most vile evil creeps up on man without his knowing it - at night when he feels most secure, encamped amongst his fellow nobles and men-at-arms. It comes from within, as the Spirit of Fear, and drives a man - not a Daimon, but a man! - to stab his brother in the back, to conspire his destruction, to steal his lanads and carry off with his riches!

And so, while even now the whole of the world braces for war with the forces of the Netherworld, let the Stars guide you, and let your sight be true. Let not an enemy deceive you, and take you by surprise by posing as a harmless miscreant or helpful friend. Let not evil go unpunished, lest justice be undone. Above all, let not your Faith in the Stars become lost to fear, lest you yourself come to embody the Beast!

For as it was written, so it shall be: the Beast of Fang and Fear shall be defeated, though it break our spears and helms, though our scrolls be torn. The Light of the Stars shall destroy it. And though all our buildings may be demolished, though all our earthly creations be destroyed, in the end the man of Faith will be victorious, and like the Most Holy Prophet himself, will carefully place the stone upon which the Faith shall be reborn anew, by defending the stone which is already laid of old.

May the Light of the Stars shine through your darkness.

Rabisu, Knight of the Temple