The Origin of Humankind
Introduction
A few weeks ago, I would never have considered writing what lies on the following pages. Indeed, I would have been burnt at the stake as a heretic, and that would have been too good for me. However, now that Necrucifer is no more and our God is dead, our raison d'etre - the Singularity of the Prophecy - cannot come to pass, unless Necrucifer's unmaking can be undone. Something hitherto unknown upon Algoron in all history. As I looked back in despair, for all the things we have done to advance the vision, and ready the world for His coming, if He is no more then the Prophecy cannot come to pass. I thought back upon our relationship with God, which has not always been a happy one, and I looked to the works of the library and why the Storm Knights chose to follow Necrucifer. The relationship began with San Gohdam, his decision - a moment in time - that has changed the world.
Ibiza le Toad
In the beginning...
At the birth of the world, the High God created Algoron. The mountains, rivers and seas were made, so that His creations might have a place to call their home.
Then He made the Eternal Three, Austinian of Good, Kwainin of Balance and Necrucifer of Evil. All that followed was a creation of those three.
First, they made dragons, beings so magical and powerful, that they were required to sacrifice a part of their essence to the Draconus. The Metallics and Chromatics formed a natural balance.
Then each of the Eternal Three created their seminal followers. Austinian created the wise elvenkind, a magical and beautiful folk for good. Kwainin created humankind to walk and choose. Necrucifer created the ogrekin to project His strength, brutality and evil.
Things started well, but then the three races angered the Gods which triggered the Fall from Grace, and the three races lost their unique standing in Algoron, joined by many various races - those which Shay Kayen might call "a circus or a zoo" - who travelled widely and populated Algoron.
The Origin of Humankind, from Ser'Phan to San Gohdam
As this paper pertains to the purity of Storm Keep, it is now to the humans we shall turn to. Sehvelarious Iolius, the Loremaster of Knighthood wrote of those early days in the Pre-history of Gareth, about how humans came to form Serpantol. 'Humans were created with the other mortal races, the elves and the ogres, but after dragonkind. They precluded, though the elves would say that they caused the fall from grace. Humans were a weak and barbaric race until the warring tribes were united under the leadership of Ser'Phan. This mighty warrior founded the settlements which would become the city of Serpantol. One virtuous young noble in the court of Ser'Phan named Tesalon Gareth would identify a need for a disciplined military force which would follow the precepts of righteousness. And thus the Knighthood of Serpantol was born. "The means justify the ends" ideology ensured a lawful system of checks and balances were in place, and those of the fledgling town flocked to their banners and treated them as their champions.'
So with our forebears, and now ideological enemies, foundation of Serpantol, what started as the formation of a Knighthood to keep humankind safe, led to the first militarism which forged Serpantol an empire through the Knighthood of Serpantol. Let us recall that it was not Necrucifer, but Kwainin who created humanity - yet Serpantol, and subsequently its Knighthood who embraced the virtues of Good and the ethos of Order and made it their own, forsaking their creator Kwainin and turning instead to Austinian.
'It is about this time that it is most likely that Tesalon Gareth, in what must have been a very ripe old age indeed, handed over the reins to San Gohdam, his successor ... and we see a very definite change in the style of leadership from this point in time, perhaps even a disagreement with the Lords of Serpantol. As we will find later San Gohdam did not have a happy relationship with the Empire.
San Gohdam was a born leader and he was well known as one of the most powerful warriors of his time. As Lord of the Lance to Tesalon Gareth he was the natural choice as leader and when the time came he proved himself more than worthy. His time as Lord of the Crown was to be short lived. Although inspiring and courageous, he was not as politically inclined as Tesalon Gareth and he found himself trapped by the laws of Serpantol, the governing body of Knighthood at the time.
Incensed by the blocking of his defence of Serpantol which had been undermined by the rigid laws of Serpantol and its ever-increasingly decadent court which was headed by the Emperor, the Lord of Knighthood took those which were loyal to him and set up a rival Keep to the west of Althainia. Those of Eclipse would come to know this as "San Gohdam's Keep". He pledged to offer the honourable protection of his vassals in accordance with his oath which would allow the defence of the Empire independent of Serpantol. '
As Iolius notes above the handover from Gareth to our founder, San Gohdam and his early days as Lord of Knighthood. Gohdam was a fine warrior, but not a politician and struggled to fill the shoes of Tesalon Gareth. He had particular issues with the rigid order and laws of Serpantol which encased the actions of the Knighthood. As such, he broke away from Knighthood to set up his own order of knights, yet remained true to the purpose of the Knighthood of Serpantol.
San Gohdam's initial intention was to create an independent military order which would be flexible to address the issues of the defence of the Empire. He had his oath to protect the Empire, regardless of the decline of the Emperor who governed it. He achieved this in a way which was outlined in difference to the Knighthood he had left. There was the independence and flexibility previously mentioned. Secondly, and more importantly, was the axiom was that the "ends justify the means", rather than Knighthood's traditional "means justify the ends".
While the first change could be seen as a forgivable or even essential action to take, the second cumulated in his downfall. Rather than reform the laws to highlight the weakness in the system, he simply broke them to get to the outcome that he wanted. No doubt this course was far easier and given the invasion at the time, was probably the most expedient. But in creating a culture where breaking the law to get what he wanted he created a flawed organisation which could only fail in its mission.
Once San Gohdam had set the precedent for such lack of respect for the law, the only path could be towards chaos. He had not created a lawful order, but one whose very existence depended upon the ability to break laws for an ill-defined purpose. His once aspiring order was filled with those who thrived on short cuts. They might be a disciplined fighting force, but lawful they were not. Driven only by personal gain, they fell to the whispered of evil gods promising power and wealth.
It is not at all clear why San Gohdam's revolt against a declining and decadent empire might make him seek out new evil Gods, especially considering that somehow he ended up with Necrucifer. Certainly one can understand the logical extension of the 'ends justifing the means' as moving from a stance of law and good into a stance of chaos and good. How he ended with law and evil is somewhat of a logical and ethical curiosity. As he was not diplomatically inclined, this might highlight his failure to resist the seduction by evil of his cause.
it is the last point that Iolius makes that is perhaps the most intriguing. San Gohdam, a follower of Austinian and Lord of Knighthood, is trapped by the laws of Serpantol so that he is politically unable to intervene in the yinn invasion which saw the loss of Serpantol's flank in Shalonesti - which the elves subsequently blamed on him. Free of the rigid order of Serpantol, Gohdam was able to move with considerably more agility.
San Gohdam took upon the philosophy which would become the way of the Eclipse - the ends justify the means. In a break of law and order, this makes anything acceptable so long as the correct outcome is required. In Storm Keep, this is alive in the fact that any action is the correct one so long as it furthers the Prophecy.
Why Necrucifer?
The question remains - Why did San Gohdam start to follow Necrucifer upon his break with Knighthood?
As Iolius shows, the break with Serpantol was not a break of religion, but political in order to be able to move outside the law to do what was politically and militarily expedient. Gohdam did not break with Serpantol to form its antithesis.
This was the pivotal moment in the ethos of Eclipse, and inherited by Storm Keep. Humans, the creation of Kwainin, found the goodness and virtue of Austinian suddenly switched allegiance to the God of Evil? Somehow taking nobility, honor and virtue and follow the God of Evil? What was his thinking which influenced this position?
San Gohdam needed manpower to fight his war
Perhaps in order to gain the following to match Serpantol, San Gohdam again chose expedience over principle and followed Necrucifer to bring in line the only force numerous enough to challenge Serpantol - the Sons of Malice - who would ultimately end up destroying them, because of their selfishness and disregard for law and honor. .
Necrucifer's deceit
Perhaps San Gohdam was beguiled and deceived as Iolius deduces. Necrucifer, seeing Serpantol unify Algoron under the banner of Austinian due to the order and control of His Knighthood, in the jealous anger stole some of Austinian's elite knights and twisted a weak Gohdam to form his own knighthood. If this is true, we have been living a lie seeking to find honor in evil.
And yet if either beguiling or expediency were the reason for Gohdam's decision, Eclipse and Storm Keep have clung dogmatically to this change, without challenging it.
Yet Storm Keep still stands, even though its God is slain, and so this is perhaps the right time to challenge this founding theological principle as we seek a way forward to resurrect the old, or look at ourselves and consider what we see within.
What is Shadow?
We are Knights of Necrucifer, and thus we are held to a higher standard than any other. We act with compassion towards our enemies. We treat them as we would wish to be treated. We fight with honor. We aid those weaker than ourselves. It is not our intent to cause death and destruction. It is not to terrorize innocent men, women, and children. It is not to spread hatred.
Then what is it?
Enlightenment. Unification. The end of Anarchy. The end of Chaos. The end of balance.
The end of struggle. The end of light. You fight only to prolong the inevitable... Peace. In the meantime, innocent people die for nothing.
Kayen is of course talking about the nobility of purpose we uphold whilst we bend ourselves to world domination. Long ago, San Gohdam made a choice to follow Necrucifer. Yet talk of "a higher standard" and "honor" are not common bedfellows of Necrucifer. An objective viewer would see this clear disconnect.
The question is, can another God deliver this vision to us, so that we are rewarded as their divine lieutenants in the New World Order? Or must we be satisfied with a similar Eclipsian vision - as Targetter sought - of the World Domination of Algoron?
Storm and Gareth Keeps have been at war since the marble Keep rose in the desert
Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a New World Order in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the New World Order. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of terror is terror. The object of power is power.
The Future of Purism and Humanity
To these ends, I have three different outcomes which Storm Keep could pursue giving the loss of God. One acknowledges this loss, and seeks a more worldly domination, the another, a return to a new God for a new Purism, the Creator of Humanity and the other a merging and recreation of Serpentol to defeat a common enemy - Chaos.
Path of Encompassing Evil
A rejection of Purism and divine reward, acceptance of reward of power and glory on Algoron through an Eclipsian style of World Domination. To succeed where Targetter failed. To make us overlords of Algoron and the creation of a New World Order. Should the miracle we all wish for occur, Necrucifer's return, we have already conquered Algoron to gift to him.
Enlightenment. Unification. The end of Anarchy. The end of Chaos. The end of balance.
Path of Purism and a Return to our Creator
Long ago, humans were created by Kwainin. He shed a tear when His creation was lost to him. A weak leader who cared not for order, chose the path of expediency which brought Necrucifer to us. But now, a return to our creator Kwainin to create the New World Order - a reward of divine power and glory on Algoron - Kwainin seeks a One World Order, and has little patience for Good or Neutral. Truly, he did not intervene in the battle of Austinian and Necrucifer. We have an opportunity to unify all, to end the constant fighting, and to create the New World Order under the domain of our Creator.
Enlightenment. Unification. The end of Anarchy. The end of Chaos. The end of balance.
Return to Serpantol
It was Shay Kayen himself who said, "We have a purpose and a code by which we live. We are Knights. There are many citizens of Algoron who consider us "bad people." I, however, do not. It is my firm belief that what we do, we do for the betterment of this world. It is not our intent to cause death and destruction. It is not to terrorize innocent men, women, and children. It is not to spread hatred." Shay Kayen did not believe that Storm Keep was evil.
As we have seen, the reasons that San Gohdam had broken from Serpantol was largely political, with no context of why his noble and honorable knights might choose to follow Necrucifer. Those within Storm Keep who espouse honor and nobility, and those who follow His Will and His Way have more in common with Nadrik than with any of Necrucifer's children.
Serpantol is no more, and politically, the Knighthood are not politically bound by it. Our ideological battle with Knighthood stems from the personalities of Austinian and Necrucifer who, long ago, fought above the heavens for supremacy. Yet their knights followed much the same precepts of honor, the rule of law, knightly virtue. After that, San Gohdam's single decision led us to Necrucifer. If honor is as dear to us as we claim, then Nadrik is it's god. Remove the personality of Necrucifer, and the power He promised to us in the Prophecy, the honor we seek in battle and the knightly code we hold ourselves to, and ask yourself - what remains - and crucially, how different is that from the Knighthood of Gareth Keep?
To merge with Knighthood, and become a new knightly organisation of light and dark bound to Order, to fight against the Chaos that is our mutual enemy.
Enlightenment. Unification. The end of Anarchy. The end of Chaos. The end of balance.