Mythologies -- FH Storytime

[teh bunneh]

The Old Gods (cont.)

 

Here is the myth/legend/story about the first Undead that the followers of the Old Gods often tell...

 

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Coming of the Undead

Much like the Trinity, most of the Old Gods view the coming of the Undead as a historical, not a mythical occurrence. It was an age of great disaster. The skies were constantly black with storms. Lightning split the sky and rain pounded the earth, washing away any seeds that were planted and drowning any crops that managed to grow. There was so much rain that the seas themselves rose from their beds and threatened the cities of man. Waves crashed against the fragile breakwaters, washed over streets, flooded whole communities. Thousands perished, and none were left to claim the bodies, so they were either swept into the sea or simply remained where they fell, to rot.

 

The deluge continued for weeks. Even those who did not die from the water feared starvation (as crops failed and animals drowned) and disease (as the stink of the rotten bodies filled the skies and the biting flies grew thick). But even the most pessimistic of them could not have foreseen what was to happen.

 

At first, it was nothing but a rumor, spread through the villages by superstitious and frightened refugees – they claimed that the dead were rising from their eternal slumber and once again walking the earth. The rumors grew and spread from village to town to city, and soon it became clear that the rumors were true, that somehow the dead were no longer so quiet nor so still.

 

By the time the weather ended, a new horror had emerged, one which no one seemed to have the power to stop. Wars broke out between the living and the dead, but the legions of walking corpses seemed unstoppable. Every man who fell in battle could rise up again, this time fighting on the side of the enemies, striking against his fellows, his comrades, his friends, even his own family.

 

The people prayed to their gods for deliverance, but none came; the gods were deaf to the pleas of their followers – until one man emerged from the darkness and chaos. His name was Cuthbert – a mighty and fearless warrior, a pious and devout man, his courage and charisma were undeniable. He rallied warlords and kings to his banner and for the first time in ages, the living had a chance.

 

Most of the churches of the Old Gods recognize Cuthbert as a most holy saint. Most of them also claim that he was a follower of their god or goddess. The truth is, no one knows which god he worshipped or even where he came from. What is known is that he was a great leader and warrior who wielded a powerful magical weapon, which history has come to call the Mace of St. Cuthbert. He led the armies of the living against the power of the Undead and after a long struggle, defeated them.

 

But their defeat was not utter. Though mankind is no longer threatened by legions of the dead as they once were, the Undead are still a grave threat lurking in the darkness.

 

What happened to Cuthbert, none can rightly say. Many believe he left this world to destroy the Undead elsewhere. Others say he died in the epic conclusion to the war, destroying the great Liche-King Grenwode with his last breath. Others say that Grenwode fled and Cuthbert followed, forever hounding the heels of the first and most fearsome necromancer and liche.