Grimoire Destrudo
The Book of Ruination
◀ Chapter 3 · Chapter 4 · Chapter 5 ▶

¹And Dolomir came down from the mountain wherein he had received the vision, and his countenance was as one who had looked upon the end of days.
²The dust of mourning was upon his head, and in his hands were scrolls sealed with the sign of SATANAS.
³And he entered into the cities of men, into places high and low, crying: Hearken, ye peoples of the world, for judgment cometh upon the Empire!
⁴She that was first among nations shall be as a widow in the night, for the Lord of the Depths hath shown me her end.
⁵And the merchants laughed at him, saying: Thou art mad, O Dolomir; the Empire shall endure until time is no more.
⁶The nobles turned their faces, and the priests cast dust upon him, saying, Depart from us, prophet of doom.
⁷Yet Dolomir raised his voice still, crying: The strangers cometh, and the gates are not closed!
⁸The sword is drawn, and there is none to sheathe it.
⁹The children of Mortivar didst build a throne above the stars, but now their fall draweth nigh.
¹⁰He stood in the courts of the mighty and spake unto kings, saying: Turn ye from the works of pride, lest ye be like unto her who is fallen.
¹¹But they gnashed upon him with their teeth and said: We know thee not; depart, vagabond.
¹²Then did Dolomir go unto the commons, and there he found a remnant who hearkened.
¹³And he spake to them plainly, saying: The gods of iron and of gold shall fall with their temples.
¹⁴The mouths of kings shall be filled with dust, and their sceptres broken.
¹⁵But they that are lowly and wise shall walk among the ruins in peace.
¹⁶Then did he teach them, and gave unto them the scrolls of the vision, sealed by his own hand.
¹⁷He said unto them: Guard these words, and tell them to thy children, and to thy children’s children.
¹⁸For the day shall come when these words shall be fulfilled, and they that remember shall be preserved.
¹⁹And he left that place and wandered among the tribes and villages, speaking always the vision.
²⁰In the marketplaces he cried: Behold the empire that falleth though her walls stand strong!
²¹The worm is within, and the sword without, and none shall save her.
²²But men wearied of him and said: This is but an old man with dreams and ashes.
²³Some pitied him, and others scorned him; yet a few believed, and those few wrote down his words.
²⁴And Dolomir saw all these things and was sorrowful, for the hearts of men were hard.
²⁵He journeyed to the coastlands, and there he sat by the sea, meditating upon the word given him.
²⁶And SATANAS came unto him once more, saying: Thou hast spoken well, Dolomir, and thy labour is complete.
²⁷Thou shalt not see the fall with thine eyes, but thy words shall endure unto it.
²⁸When the throne is broken and the eagle cast down, then shall the people remember thy voice.
²⁹And it shall be as fire in the bones of the righteous.
³⁰Then was Dolomir comforted, and he blessed the name of SATANAS.
³¹And he returned to his house and dwelt there many days, in peace and prayer.
³²The remnant came unto him and asked of the vision, and he taught them all that he had seen.
³³He spake of Mortivar and of the glory that waxed and waned.
³⁴He spake of the Causeway and of the Pact, and of the days when HÆVAN and HÆL watched from afar.
³⁵And they marvelled at his wisdom and wrote all that he said.
³⁶Then came the day when Dolomir was old and stricken in years.
³⁷He called the remnant unto him and said: The fire within me burneth low, and the hour of my sleep draweth nigh.
³⁸But the vision shall not sleep, for it is of the Lord of the Deep, and His words do not pass away.
³⁹Guard the scrolls; bind them with cords and place them in vessels of clay.
⁴⁰Hide them in the earth, that they be found when the days of fire are come.
⁴¹Teach thy children wisdom, and speak not proudly, lest ye become like her who is fallen.
⁴²Be not as the kings who worship pride, but as the children who listen.
⁴³Then he laid hands upon each one, blessing them in the name of SATANAS.
⁴⁴And he spake no more, but turned his face to the wall and gave up the ghost.
⁴⁵The remnant wept and made mourning for Dolomir many days.
⁴⁶They buried him upon a high place, facing the west, where the sun setteth.
⁴⁷And they set a stone above him, and upon it was written: Here lieth Dolomir, the Seer of the Fall.
⁴⁸And they returned to their places and kept the vision in their hearts.
⁴⁹And lo, the scrolls were sealed, and the fire of the word passed from father to son.
⁵⁰And in time the Empire stood as Dolomir had said: mighty, yet hollow.
⁵¹And the strangers came, and the pestilence, and the sword, and all was fulfilled.
⁵²Blessed be the name of SATANAS, who revealeth the end from the beginning.


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