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The old man sat hunched over the dieing fire, pulling the skins around him to ward off the chill of the night air. Slowly his rasping voice spoke, captivating the attention of his younger audience.
'Before time, before us, before the world as we see today, there were others here. Old creatures from somewhere beyond the stars. They came across the gulfs of the sky, some flying, some riding magical chariots to protect them from the darkness. Worst of all were those who came in spirit alone, possessing the innocent and stealing thier bodies.'
His old eyes were starting to assume a glazed look as his sight turned inwards and the old tales came to his mind. Today the tribe had fought the Bu'Yeah, and it was not clear that they had won. Tomorrow they would probably fight them again. Something encouraging was needed. Ah, yes. The story of the old priest.
'In those times of the stars there existed, elsewhere in the void, a harsh and unjust world. A priest worshipped a god of the stars, a dark god of great power. His followers were loyal and together they celebrated the rites to mark the gods holy days. The others of his world were not happy though, for they worshipped a different god, and unto them the rites the priest practiced were a foul abomination.'
The shamans rasping, sing song voice held the tribes warriors captivated, echoing buzzing reflections the combined with the sweet herbs on the fire to firee the cave with a sense of warmth and power.
'The foes of the priest raised up a great army and, one night, attacked him and his followers. The dark god had warned him, however, and the priest was ready for this army. As they fought his followers he cast a most dreaded incantation, using his spirit to call down the mindless destriction upon his enemies. The temples burnt, the cities burnt, thier world burnt. All was torn appart and destroyed.'
The tired warriors were relaxed now, rocking gently in time to the chant, engrossed in the ancient tale.
'With dawn the priest saw what had become of his world. The shattered lands and torn mountains. He also saw survivors amongst the shattered cities, some of them his followers, most of them not. He gathered his followers about him and, abandoning thier homeworld to its fate, took to the stars.'
At the mouth of the cave the two warrios on guard peered into the darkness, the shamans voice barely audible, carried on the plume of warm smoke leaving the cave. Looking over the valley they could see the glittering lights of the Bu'Yeahs fires.
'They travelled long through the void, through the gulfs of the empty night. A few who were injured died and were given to the dark god. The rest healed and rested and travelled, following the paths of the stars. The same paths we can see when we look a the stars, but the stars were different then.'
Deeping inside the mountain, where the roof hung low, where only the shamen went to tend the sacred icons, something stirred in the blackness. A quiet disturbance, made by something of the darkness.
'Eventually they arrived at a world, this world, although it was much younger then, a place of water and rock. They settled first upon the rocks and then, finding them barren and forbidding, entered the waters only to find them acridic and burning. They built a city, a great city, of black bassalt, with towers to rival the ones of thier shattered home world. Within it they dwelled and worship thier dark god.'
In the darkness the presence crept forwards, closer to the strange sounds and the light, the light burning in its eternal darkness. It could sense food, much food, but also something else, some ancient power which stirred echoes in its memories.
'They lived and bred in thier dark city, ever worshipping the dark one under the priests guidance. Over time, the dark god touched them and their form became one with the rocks. As the priest aged, the dark one gave him power and he lived on, seeing generations live and die before him. The dark god they kept appeased with sacrifices of stone and grain and blood.'
A sinuous shiver went through the long body of the listener in the dark. A shudder of unholy joy at pleasures remembered and sacrifices offered.
'During this time they found others on the world and fought great wars against them. Eventually they were triumphant and held sway over the whole world. Upon this day the survivors of thier home world found them.'
The darkness settled, tense and nervous.
'The priest, old and tired, had not sought a warning from the dark god, long having fogrotten all but the slightest memory of his birth place. The survivors saw the city of basalt, the populous worshipping the dark god and the foul ceremonies they conducted in his honour. With thoughts of righteous vengence they took the stones from the sky and cast them down upon the black city.'
The darkness writhed in aggitation.
'The murderous assault shattered the world and the dark city was
plunged deep beneath the waters.
The dark god was able to protect his
priest however, placing him in an endless sleep, a sleep that would take
him beyond death.'
The darkness quietened and became attentive again.
'He sleeps now, beneath the oceans, as we shall sleep tonight. When the stars are right though, the city shall arise and the old priest will leed a new army, a victoreous army, back across them. They shall fall upon those who betrayed him, killing them and offering thier hearts to his black god, Slaying them to avenge the death of his followers. As we shall fall upon the By'Yeah.'
The darkness slithered again, rippling tenticles gleaming in the dim reflections of the fire light.
'We call upon the ancient one, the elder priest for inspiration and guidance this night. Lends us your rage that we might be victoreous. Ia Ia Kat'ulhu! Ia Ia Kat'ulhu!'
From the darkness there arose a chanting humm, echoing and reflecting the priests words and the tribe became joined, joined with the darkness, sharing its rapture in its memories of the old priest.
With the dawn they emerged from thier cave, grinning and hungry, thinking of how they would sacrifice the Bu'Yeah to thier dark god, and of the raptures he would give them in return.
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