Serpentis Family/Yeux/Sacrifices
The Great Maharshi waited until every Maho-Tsukai arrived at the splendid Temple of Sacred Blood in Agyr. Probably the greatest Temple of Beluattrra erected in few time like many others around the Capital. The persuasiveness of his followers had shown up efficient in all regions of influence and beyond. A long procession of followers had seen the sacrifice of a bull at the central square. The white marble stones were covered with blood that trickled by a circle carved into the stone forming the image of a stylized sun inside another circle of pillars. The people brought offerings and gifts to the old faceless and nameless Gods of ancestral times. Yeux had his hands covered in blood and handled the animal guts with his sword. It was just one of the ways to read the presages.
That first ritual ended only with the arrival of those who would be sacrificed. A young and beautiful couple. Son and daughter of a prominent follower who served at the temple of Gor Ault. Both were chosen for the purity of blood and their chastity in honor of the Great Maharshi. He was riding a great and imposing black war horse. The maiden followed him on a beautiful white steed. Yeux held the rein of the horses with his bloody hands and guided them through a large gate into a small square. That was the moment when the followers put themselves upon their knees to pray in the central square and imagine what would happen behind the closed gates.
The gates were closed after the followers have entered into a small procession just for the few privileged ones initiated in the mysteries and secrets of the cult. Two servants escorted the victims to opposite sides of that square where the two shrines were located. One dedicated to the Sun and the other dedicated to the Moon. There they would be prepared for the ritual that would happen at the exact moment of the evening when night and day merge up and the light loses the battle against the darkness. Yeux walked to stand before a giant statue with humanoid traces. The face was expressionless. The stone God had no eyes, mouth or nose. There he recited the creed of the Bloodspeakers:
Yeux Serpentis: “Our language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow!”
The sun began to die in the west behind the great statue, crowning it with a halo of red light. Yeux looked at each of the initiate ones forming a semicircle around the square. The young couple were brought completely naked to the center. There was another factor for being chosen: they were redheads. The lady had obviously been a particular gift to the Great Maharshi. She will serve as a Priestess in the Temple to receive the Revelations. The young man will receive a more glorious destiny: sacrifice. He announced the second creed:
Young man: “Even if I die in the service of my Gods, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood will contribute to the growth of Them and to make Them strong.”
Yeux approached him with a solemn countenance. He had seen the Great Serpent asleep beneath the waters of the Great Lake. Had challenged the fanatics of the Red Star. He had learned every recipe of potions and poisons. The secret words and rituals to invoke the ancient Gods. As Grand Druid he learned everything. And when he became The Great Maharshi, he obviously had developed his own Ways. He would perform a ritual forgotten for a long time. Obviously banned among the Druids of Avalon. There was time to revive the old traditions. In a skilled move Yeux stabbed the man’s belly with his celtic sword. The young man tried to be strong, but a guttural scream erupted from his mouth. That was not a mortal wound. The sword moved with precision, opening the belly in a gush of blood and guts. Yeux watched every expression of pain and suffering studying these reactions. It was an old way to read and understand the revelations. When the sacrificed one succumbed into his knees and fell back, Yeux also studied his guts. A human being could reveal much more than a mere animal. And when the last breath of life left his body, Yeux invoked the ancient powers:
Yeux Serpentis: “Fu Leng! Show yourself! I am summoning you! Accept my gift of blood. This is time to spread our faith and our power over Beluaterra and the known world!”
The sun disappeared completely behind the statue and the majestic towers. A group of servants with crow masks and black robes lit the torches on the pillars, lighting up the square with a gloomy light. That was the time to start a new era. To make Beluaterra tremble under the power of the Bloodspeakers.
