NationStates Jolt Archive


It's Always Brightest Before Dusk

[NS::::]R - lyeh
01-04-2007, 01:02
“That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And with strange aeons even death may die”

“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.” The words were not made for the human mouth that uttered them. Even though they had been spoken by humans since shortly after the beginning of that race, they had not yet been worn down by human tongue and voice to be more suitable.

“So it was written, in the books that have long since perished to human fear and human ignorance. So it was burned into the minds of the worshippers of the Black Goat. So it was carved into the Stone Writings of the Ta’pl in letters a mile deep.”

The man who spoke stood in the center of a city ancient beyond reckoning. Huge pillars and towers of some black stone jutted towards the sky. The human eye would perceive something fundamentally wrong about the buildings. Like the words, they had not been made for humans, or by them. Or so you would be told by the men who lived near them. Beyond the edge of the ancient city stood thousands of tents, some as large as houses, placed seemingly haphazardly. A far more ordinary city lay still farther, unremarkable apart from the complete lack of residences, and the bizarre, grotesque gargoyles and statues that decorated it.

“They were here before the rise of humanity. They shall be here when humanity is but a memory. Though They lie dead now, They shall rise again when the time is right. When the Earth is right. And then humans shall live as do They, and a glorious new day shall dawn. We shall prepare the world for their coming.”

The man who spoke was ancient compared to those who listened to him. His beard was long and white, as was his hair. It contrasted sharply with his dark skin. The sun beat down with an almost hate filled intensity, but the man and his audience- or perhaps congregation- did not seem to heed it.

“The prophecies inscribed by the Mad Arab and the Atlantean Myth Cycle clearly show how the world must be shaped when They come. And so we shall shape it.”

He ended as he had began, throwing back his head, and throwing into the angry sun the words from beyond time.

“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.”

“Cthulhu fhtagn!” Chorused the others, men and women of all races, some of whom had been rich, others of who had been paupers, of all levels of education, united by one principle older and more powerful than race or caste, age or gender. The desire for the return of Them, and the dawn of the promised new age.

“The stars are in alignment, and so they will remain. Not for millions of years shall they again move in such a way as to plunge Them again into their Death Sleep. But the Earth must be prepared for Their coming. It must be shaped for Their will. Only then shall They rise up from Their sunken world and usher in our new dawn.”

“Chthulhu fhtagn!” The congregation chorused again, their worlds reaching into the sky. “Chthulhu fhtagn!” Then, moved by a force greater than human lust, or chemical drugs, they moved with a mad passion towards each other. Even more regardless of gender or appearance than they had been before, they knew only a blinding desire.

Only the old man remained aloof, striding back through the ancient city to a tent opposite that of the main tent city, and larger than any of them. In truth, it was more of a wooden house frame draped in cloth rather than boards. Two guards, clad in body armor and helmets which left only their eyes exposed, stood by either side of the single entrance. They nodded to him, and he entered.

The inside of the tent-house was a shock to the senses after the hot, arid, antiquity of the ancient city. It was air conditioned, to begin with, not for any personal comfort, but rather to preserve the continuation of the shock. For it was filled with advanced equipment, monitoring world news for preprogrammed keywords, searching for patterns in weather and animal migrations, and keeping track of the constantly emerging new lands, oceans, and continents, all these staffed by technicians, who like the old man and the congregation, and unlike the guards wore not a thread more clothing than they had been born with.

Also there was a section of communications equipment. It was towards this the old man strode. He stood and dictated to a young woman sitting at one of the computers, whose fingers flew over a keyboard, transcribing what the old man uttered.

What he uttered was this.

To the nations of the world
From R – leyh.
Long have we remained in our own small corner of the world, venturing out only rarely, though we have kept ourselves well informed of outside developments. Now our period of isolation is over. Now shall we issue forth, and again open our borders to those who pursue learning, and to trade. A new age is dawning in R – leyh, even as it shall dawn soon in the rest of the world.

Though we shall not be establishing embassies, or permanently embedding diplomats with any nation, we invite embassies and diplomats in R - lyeh. Likewise we welcome any anthropologists who seek to study our no doubt seemingly 'abnormal' ways.

Abdul IX
Red Tide2
01-04-2007, 01:23
OOC: Nice... H.P Lovecraft. Gotta love his works(even though I havent read any of them).

IC:
Official Reply
From DSRT Goverment
To: R - leyh
"We have noticed your emergence as a new nation and we offer to set-up an embassy and establish trade relations inside your nation."
End Message
[NS::::]R - lyeh
01-04-2007, 02:27
IC:

To: The DSRT Government
From: R - lyeh

As we have promised, so shall we do. Your embassy and ambassador shall be welcomed, as shall your trade. The latter, of course, shall be untaxed. As to the former, there is a matter of some delicacy. It is the custom of the people of R - lyeh for dwelling to take place in one of several tent cities, while work takes place in more normal cities. As guests from a foreign country, it is not expected that you would be required to meet these customs. However, we wish to inquire as to where you would like your embassy to be located.

Abdul IX.