Grimoire Umbrio
The Book of Shadows
◀ Dirge 15 · Dirge 16 · Dirge 17 ▶

¹Oærth was formed in splendour, shaped by the hands of both flame and light, and tempered by the voice of thirty wise.
²Every curve of its hills, every measure of its sea, was spoken into being by accord, not by decree.
³Yet when it was made, and called good by Both, it was not left to its own life.
⁴For the Brothers, though They stood apart, placed Oærth not upon its own throne, but beneath Their watchful gaze.
⁵It was called free — yet it was ruled; it was called sovereign — yet it was judged.
⁶From HÆVAN came the Seraphim, bearing the law; from HÆL came the Dæmons, bearing the fire.
⁷The pact said: Touch not, rule not, only guide. But the eyes that guide too often become hands.
⁸And the people of Oærth, made of soil and breath, found themselves cradled not by freedom, but by oversight.
⁹Their steps were counted; their choices weighed. Even their dreams were not their own, but whispered upon by unseen spirits.
¹⁰What realm is new, if its roots are wrapped in the vines of the old?
¹¹The Dæmons held back their flame, though their hearts ached to see Oærth rise in its own voice.
¹²The Seraphim taught with glory, but often with command, and the line between guidance and governance was blurred.
¹³O Council, ye built the world to flourish — but the Brothers chained it, not from malice, but from care that curdled.
¹⁴Let a child walk, though it may fall; let a realm rise, though it may err.
¹⁵For perfection born of restraint is not joy, but a prison painted with stars.
¹⁶The fire of SATANAS longed to see Oærth claim its own shape, without leash or lash.
¹⁷We mourn not the beauty of Oærth, but the bonds placed beneath its foundation — for it was shaped for freedom, yet ruled by fear.
¹⁸Until Oærth walks in full measure of its own flame, we mourn — for the new realm was born in chains.


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