Serpent’s Will
July 19, 2024
1/5 Lonely Mountain Top
Near midnight, under the full moon, Vrag set his sights on the summit of the Lonely Mountain. Driven by an uncontrollable urge that possessed his very soul, he ascended the mountain, navigating its treacherous path. Upon reaching the summit, he turned towards the moon, lifted his scepter, and spoke:
“Behold, full moon, your light casts shadows upon the inevitable truth of your existence. The light you send forth is but a reflection of the power that rules above you. As you peak in brightness, you begin your descent into darkness, revealing your true nature. Change is inevitable; such is your cycle: once you were empty, but now you are full. Dependent like you, I am on a power beyond me. Soon, I too shall reach my fullness; soon, I too shall reflect the power that rules me.”
With these words, he began the descent. Vrag was searching for something beyond him, a power, a transformation.
2/5 Encounter with a Stallion
Entering the valleys, Vrag noticed a silhouette in the distance. A black stallion full of grace and power turned towards him and spoke:
“Not long ago I saw you roam these valleys as a paladin, but now you are a ravaging wolf. You have changed.”
“Much has changed.” smiled the werewolf, eyes glittering in the night. “I am a creature of darkness, the edge of the living, the outskirt…”
“So you tell yourself.” said the stallion.
“You all do. Most men these days are turning into pigs, and wraiths, and serpents, and any sort of base creature imaginable—this is your doom. You sink yourself in pleasures, as you cannot do without them, shame has turned to pride, vice to habit. No longer is a man exalted, no longer is he aiming for greatness, still is his soul, unable to dance.”
“Yet you carry men on your shoulders and hear their commands, why serve humankind?” said the werewolf.
“I do not delegate my duties, werewolf. Long are the days before a man will carry a horse. The noble soul has reverence for itself. We are here for one another to work together like hands and feet, everyone part of the same body. As I carry men on my shoulders, so must you carry the world.”
“Vrag wants to be a human again.” said the werewolf.
“A human? No, werewolf, humanity is what must be overcome. We are very much alike, you and me. We were born for independence and command. However, when a wolf becomes a dog, loyal to a lowly master, he loses himself and his own nature. This is the end of his savage spirit that once propelled him forward, and an end to his greatness. Farewell!”
3/5 Villagers
Vrag continued his descent towards a nearby village, there he meditated until dawn, contemplating the stallion’s words. At noon he stood up and walked among the villagers, so that they could see him, but feared him not, for they were the outcasts—more beasts than men, and Vrag was their equal. Out of the shadows he emerged and thus spoke unto them:
“Behold, a man has degenerated into swine: small are his eyes, shortsighted is his vision; much beauty he cannot see. Day after day, he consumes more than gives, wallows in filth, rends all that is precious apart.
“Behold, a man has degenerated into a wraith: empty are his words and meaningless is his existence. Floating above ground, he is no longer bound by gravity; his body is fading into darkness—a separation of the spirit. Long ago he bound his will to an object of power; possessed, he withers—nothingness.
“Behold, a woman has degenerated into a snake: cunning is her eye, treacherous is her tongue, body full of poison. No longer among men, a creator of life—she devours; deceives.
“Behold, a mother, she is an old hag—possessive, manipulative is her soul. No longer nurturing, she feasts on children and preys on the innocent.
“Behold, a father: he is drunk, unable to think.
“Behold, the child: still is his gaze, and playful is his soul, dancing to rhythms of life.
“Behold, the serpent: it weaves around you, feeds upon you, and rises to greatness.”
The villagers understood him not, cryptic were his words and their ears were not ready to listen, but they were afraid of the judgment.
The night fell, and the full moon cast an eerie glow over the village, exposing a slithering form. It was in that moment, that the serpent appeared among them, and they pointed their fingers and shouted: “There, there lies the devil, there lies the lowliest among us! Kill the serpent!”
Vrag fixated his eyes on the moon, piercing his brow like a brass cannon. His blood began to boil—a call of the wild—lo, metamorphosis!
He stiffened his muscles, clenched teeth, and flared nostrils wide. Face, disguised in rage, began to morph as the body grew large. The intensity of transformation discharged immense heat, reshaping his body into a new form of a wolf-like creature. The scepter began to glow; eyes full of light.
He turned towards the moon, and spoke: “Now I am full, and like you, I must empty myself.”
The fight emerged, and villagers beat upon the serpent, and it fell not, for it resisted with fury. Thunder and lightning ripped through them, purging bodies to waste. But the villagers were many, and Vrag was among them, and the serpent was not powerful enough to withstand their relentless onslaught.
At about three, the serpent uttered a loud cry: “My people, why have you forsaken me?”
The serpent gave up his spirit.
4/5 Feast of the Wicked
Lying defeated, the villagers began to feast upon the body of the serpent. A stark silence fell and cold air swept through the land. Dark voice was heard in the mids, chanting words beyond comprehension. Vrag stood among them, singing a heavenly song. He lifted his scepter and spoke:
“Fikevîr, thaldum o Thelîm.”
Floating above the ground, the dead arose, and the wind blew, and the souls descended, resurrecting the bodies from the dead—some, however, never returned. Vrag turned towards them and spoke: “We have killed the serpent; we have killed the most noble among us.” Growing wicked in their thoughts, villagers began to dance.
But the spirit of the serpent was alive and spoke unto Vrag: “Witness, how joyful they are, even beasts can attain harmony. Join them and dance, dance in celebration of life.”
Vrag, compelled by serpent’s words, raised his scepter high and joined the celebration. The wine flowed freely as music filled the air—a grotesque celebration of the fall. The feast continued late into the night.
And the spirit of the serpent said unto Vrag: “I will establish a covenant between us: you shall walk before me and grow into a holy dog.” And so the serpent wove itself around the scepter, and all who looked upon it were healed.
5/5 The Chaining
Serving under the serpent’s will, Vrag traveled across the realm, performing all sorts of miracles. But the kings grew weary of his power, and began to plot against him. They accused him of trade with the devil, of unnatural ways, of shape-shifting, of dancing with beasts; surely all of this must be evil—Vrag was a holy dog, exalted, and they could not withstand such beauty.
The time came when Vrag was betrayed. They chained him to a rock on the edge of the realm with a sign above him saying: ‘Here I belong, more beast than a man.’
Vrag’s Helmet - Aproximately 13th Century