The Great Treason of Anculo - The Romance of the Seventh Dhalmir

The Great Treason of Anculo

VANITY IS NOT THE DESIRE to be beautiful neither is it the consciousness of beauty attained or possessed. Rather it is the need for esteem in that beauty by others outside oneself. It is that nagging vice that always tells others how valuable one is.

Now it can be said of the beautiful that they are more vulnerable to that sin, desiring at first that all the world would join them in praising the creator of beauty until they forget and look to the object of beauty itself, which is their own self and then turning their own attention inward rather than upward, they become self important and seek to grasp at acclaim.

The Rheglii called Anculo fell to such weakness in the First Age. This is that tale.

To Anculo was given beauty unsurpassed and the authority to impute it on all the world. And for a time, that is precisely what he did. And Anculo went out from the presence of Umbhali seeking that which he may make beautiful in the world.

And it came about in the course of time that Anculo's absence from Umbhali grew more frequent and more his time alone was extended with each journey. And slowly he forgot to give praise to his maker. And he turned his attention inward rather than upward and he fell to vanity.

And it came about that he desired to create life, but that was not given to him, for his brother was charged with that authority and privilege. And Anculo held a secret meeting with his brother and they spoke.

And Anculo asked at what cost he may buy his brother's gift, but his brother would not sell his birthright. So Anculo left, mourning and devising a way by which he may take it away by deception.

But his brother told the others of Anculo's secret questions and they resolved to cast him out if he would not be reformed. And together they went to him and sought to redeem their brother through reason.

But minds and hearts are not won with reason when emotion has grasped them and Anculo was overcome with vanity and pride. And he held in contempt his brothers and sisters and he decided again what he might do.

And it came about that he saw that Umbhali created Men. And Anculo set out to lure them astray by way of beauty. But they were not so easily tempted. And Anculo mourned.

And it came about in the fourth generation of Men that Anculo sought secret council with his brother again, but he held in his heart a great wickedness. And he captured his brother's mind with visions of beauty and he tried once more to take the gift of life out of his brother's hands, but his brother struggled and they fought and Anculo overcame his brother and slew him - even if by mistake and he sat weeping for many hours with his brother's blood on his hands.

And Anculo remembered and feared his maker and set out to hide himself from his maker. But Umbhali saw this and he had much sorrow over Anculo and he spoke with him that he may redeem him, but Anculo reckoned himself lost and could not hear any longer the pleas of his maker.

And Anculo left the presence of Umbhali forever and slowly lost the goodness he received of Umbhali. And Anculo created the Rabomant and lured away Kit-Rango and established him as king over his order called Laevis.

And Anculo saw that Umbhali sent forth Ruhan to instruct Ramnon, Emmisary of Umbhali and he feared and great envy swelled inside him. And Anculo formed from the great Myrriah trees in the south Elyriah and poured forth all of his own beauty into her to tempt Ramnon.

And he was tempted and led astray. And it came about that Umbhali sent a great deluge upon Uruun-Seiir and Anculo became Fengari. And having no beauty left with which to impute the world, he sought to destroy and corrupt and to make the world less beautiful that he may appear again as something pleasing to the eyes.

And he forsook Elyriah. And forsaken, she wept. And Umbhali had pity upon her and he redeemed her to himself as his own. And she looked at the world and stretched forth her hand and created three daughters - Nayadiym, Drayadiym and Oreadae. They are the mothers of the six Elven races and are known in the world of Men as the three goddesses.

And Elyriah knew joy. And Umbhali sent her to Ramnon for a wife and they were married in the sight of Umbhali and it was through them that the race of Men was reborn in the second age and flourished.

And it came about that Fengari saw all that had taken place with Elyriah and with Ramnon and his anger grew and he was filled with great wrath.

And Fengari beheld the Keepers of Umbhali's Sacred Colors and he heard the song of the Hahbiid which they had sung since the dawn of creation and he devised a wicked thing. And he created the Sakriark and six pendants to hold the essence thereof. And six men came that they would be his Reapers upon the world:

Belock Cahliin of the Gold Pendant

Preimor Monkiru of the Silver Pendant

Kitze of the Blue Pendant

Kitzu of the Red Pendant

Kinto of the Black Pendant

Genre of the White Pendant

And Fengari gave them power unimaginable in the sight of all Men and exceeding long life, for they were immortal except by the hands of one of their own. But he cursed them with madness.

And it was that if the six reapers did not kill Men that they would age beyond age and they would become wraiths upon the land and be scorched by the sun and their power would become uncontrollable until even their touch would kill.

But Belock was exceedingly wise among his brothers, the Reapers and he cast out his power and sent away his Pendant.

And one rose up named Telic Tsulo who would bear the Gold Pendant and he was favored of Umbhali and Umbhali made him to be a great man and worthy of renown. And Telic made war with the other Reapers and took the Sakriark into himself and made war with Shadow, the spirit of Fengari, but he died.

And Umbhali brought forth his servant, Arusni Thycon who had been given all power of the Sacred Colors and of the Seven Keepers and of the song of the Hahbiid and he made war with Shadow and cast out the Sakriark and destroyed it and Fengari was divided into five parts with no body, a wandering spirit upon the land.

And this began the seventh age of Uruun-Seiir in the day that Arusni Thycon defeated Shadow and brought about the end of the sixth age, which is the Age of the Reapers or Straahn.

And Fengari lie dormant for many years until he found a vessel and began to increase once again. And the five pieces of Fengari moved into their places in the seventh age.

And Fengari established Yilan as the last of the Laevis Kings and gave him power and set him up as the agent of fear and Yilan's face and body were distorted and he became like a dragon in appearance and he was feared about the whole realm of Eirvah and Uruun-Seiir. And he ruled for one hundred and twenty-four years and Umbhali looked on the world and saw this thing that had been done by Fengari and saw that Fengari's power and influence had grown and that fear had spread across the world and he poured forth his essence into his Accipio, bearers of the Sacred Colors. And they fought Yilan, but Yilan slew them all, save Lavender Periwinkle. And he took the eyes of Coccinious Coquellecot Rose.

And it came about in the days before the seventh Dhalmir that Umbhali sent a messenger to Phaios-Ghi to bring into the world of Eirvah an Accipio of the second order to herald in the final Dhalmir and the end of the age. As it has been written since the dawn of time.