Grimoire Imperio
The Book of Empire
Chapter 1 · Chapter 2 ▶

¹In the days of iron and blood, before the might of empires rose above the hills, there was a man named Mortivar.
²He was of no noble house, nor counted among the learned, yet his heart was restless, and his gaze ever turned skyward.
³By trade he was a smith, but he bore no joy in his hammer; his soul sought meaning that no labour could yield.
⁴On the eve of the dark moon, when stars were veiled and beasts made no sound, Mortivar climbed a stone rise nearby.
⁵There he made a fire, though no warmth came from it, and sat upon the earth, weary in spirit.
⁶And as he closed his eyes to sleep, the fire rose without fuel, and a voice spoke from the flame.
⁷It was not a sound like man or beast, but as the clash of unseen storms and the tremble of distant mountains.
⁸And the fire turned black at its heart, and within it there stood a figure clothed in night and crowned with light.
⁹Mortivar fell upon his face, for his soul was as wax before a flame.
¹⁰And the figure said: Do not tremble, son of dust. I am He whom thou hast not known but whose name thy soul hath feared: I am SATANAS.
¹¹Rise, for I have chosen thee. Thy questions are the echo of My voice within thee.
¹²Mortivar lifted his head, and his eyes beheld the terrible beauty of the Lord of HÆL.
¹³And he said: Why hast Thou come to me, who am no priest nor prince?
¹⁴SATANAS answered: Because thou art no priest, no prince, no prophet of men. Thou art empty enough to be filled.
¹⁵The world stands on the brink of flame. I shall reveal to thee a thing to come, that thou may carry it to the people.
¹⁶A power shall rise, forged in war and guided by law, and it shall conquer as fire conquers a field of dry grass.
¹⁷Its standards shall rise over sea and mountain, its voice shall command from sun to snow.
¹⁸Men shall call it great, and many shall kneel before it, not knowing the price it demands.
¹⁹For though its might is of Oærth, even still its heart shall belong to My Brother.
²⁰He shall turn its legions to His praise, and its temples to His name. He shall robe conquest in holiness and call it peace.
²¹Mortivar shuddered, for he saw temples raised upon ashes, and priests crowning kings who bowed to ADONAI.
²²He saw men forget the truth and call it order; he saw chains forged of doctrine and silence.
²³And Mortivar cried: Why show me this, O Lord of HÆL? What can I do against what is to come?
²⁴SATANAS answered: Speak, and do not cease. Bear witness before the rising of the beast. Let thy voice be as a thorn in the flesh of empire.
²⁵Thou shall not halt it, but thou shall open the eyes of those who will remember.
²⁶For though the world forgets, the scroll shall remain, and My words shall not pass away.
²⁷And Mortivar wept, for the fire in his heart had become as a brand, and he could not look away.


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