Hex Cycle I: Primary Scenes

Nybyruh (shadow zone of Daath)

Ryntrah roars and rattles frightful fires in the burdened air; where hang the great winding coils of Trevulguz for as far as the eye can see and beyond…

About an æon ago, there had been a momentous struggle between this Trevulguz and an energetic Neterh known as Horuz. The hawk headed lord had managed to imprison that incommensurable abomination inside a quantum fluctuation. During an incalculable interim, the immeasurable length of Trevulguz underwent innumerable instances of permutation. In layman’s language: it spawned a whole horde of specialized species who knew themselves as Dæmon (greater fiends) and Druuj (lesser fiends).

When the shadow zone of Daath had overflowed as if ‘twere the cosmic toilette, these Dæmon and Druuj amassed in dense numbers on Nybyruh.

This planetoid hung around at the outermost edge of the solar system that Ethereal entities refer to as Orz. Its eccentric elliptical orbit (perpendicular to every other planet) concealed Nybyruh while it and its thin charcoal rings spun on their side.

Ryntrah was largest among the Dæmon, second in size only to Trevulguz itself. Now it rallied the other captains of its faction — signalling from the summit of the tallest tower in the darkest kingdom imaginable: Dystopyuh.

Scaling the infernal incline of Dystopyuh’s heights came two gigantic Dæmon: Gargantuah and his son Pantagryuh. Apart from Ryntrah, they were indisputably in command of more Druuj than anyone else.

Ryntrah roared regards:

“Welcome Gargantuah, thine and thy son Pantagryuh’s exploits are legendary to sayeth but the leastest. Under these surreptitious influences ye hast cast, the petty primates known as Homz on the tertiary sphere of Tellz art indulging in wanton hatred and violence. The orgone energy yielded by their suffering is analogous to ambrosia for beasts such as us!

Thus hath I heard from our master é exquisitely unholy originator — Trevulguz — whom exhorts thee to gather and send forth thy Druuj to scourge the inner planets of Orz. The æon of psychic combat is ended, hence we must retake material Malkuth, as the twin Arkhonz first commanded.”

Gargantuah, The Grandiose Guzzler, grunted gruffly:

“Verily wilt we annihilate those miserable sods; the so-called Homz! Especially now that they hast been decimated by famine and fury, self-inflicted by base fools who still rule planet Tellz.”

Pantagryuh, The Perpetually Parched, pronounced powerfully:

“Indeed shalt we castigate those lowly louts; the oblivious Homz! Specifically now that they art blighted by mine ardor and drought. My deputy Dæmon Panurgeh awaits in the wings with Druuj infantry.”

Then didst this chthonic triad hear topmost Trevulguz talk directly into their private thoughts:

Pave a path and each of ye prepare for the coming of Reddest Orkh; my ultimate manifestation. Orkh is to oversee the invasion of Tellz in the material zone of Malkuth. But be fairly forewarned: none should stand in his way, for they shan’t live to tell of it to a frightened fray.

Evidently this message had been heard by both Dæmon and Druuj from everywhere around. A general clamor went up into the troubled clouds of Nybyruh: “Orkh! Orkh! Orkh!”

One of the thick coils of Trevulguz roiled in a spiral. Upon that clammy skin a painful looking pustule pulsated sickeningly like a pimple. After much buildup it burst open with a gross abundance of blood — and out came Reddest Orkh — The Anti-Angel.

Right away, Orkh went to work on fashioning a proper weapon for himself, which would require some time.

Meanwhile, on blackened hilltops surrounding the outer limits of Dystopyuh, the Dæmon Panurgeh parleyed with several capos of the Druuj. These were namely: Æzoph, Anarkh, Gygaz, Kerebyzz, Ludoz, and Theurgeh.

Panurgeh (whose painted face resembled a smiling jester) preached:

“It is well that Reddest Orkh hast come, since I too look forward to conducting a punitive expedition against the Homz who dwell on planet Tellz. But I tell thee, our main aim is not one and the same, nay! For ’tis only SOUP that canst mine own thirst allay!”

Anarkh conferred with Kerebyzz:

“Ƿat ðoþ he ſay?”

“Not ſure. ʃomeþing ‘bout ſoup on ða ƿay.”

“Yea, ye heard correct,” Panurgeh persisted: “Soup du jour is the order of today! Truly I confess that of all mankind’s amazing concoctions — none pleases me more than a hale and hearty SOUP. Regarding soups rest assured, I am a consummate connoisseur.

Be it beans with bacon, butternut squash, cabbage, coconut curry, garlic and chive, Gazpacho, gumbo, lentil, matsutake suimono, miso with tofu, pho, ramen, roasted duck with radishes, sea-bass swimming with Thai basil-lemongrass, even tortilla and turtle soup— I hath tasted it!

Whether it is French onion, Italian wedding or split-peas with sliced carrots and ham, or again a Consommé, Minestrone, or potato broth sprinkled with black peppercorn powder— Panurgeh want-y!”

The Druuj snickered at this amongst themselves, yet Panurgeh pressed on:

“And who could forget all that creamy asparagus, cauliflower, celery, mushroom?

Lords of darkness let us vanquish these meager foes so that we canst deprive them of their greatest creation: chicken soup for the soul!

Deliver unto me a Caldo de Res, filled with beef, bone marrow, corncob, cassava root, and fortifying herbs.

Spare not the clam chowder nor lobster bisque. Seafood soup full of crab, scallops and shrimp is downright divine with dash of salt and douse of lime. Provided ye have no allergy, mind.”

Æzoph asked:

“Ƿat ‘bout rabbit ſteƿ? ¿Or perhapſ Chili con Carne, Goulaſh & ʃtroganoff?”

“Nay!” Panurgeh parried with decorative codpiece in hand pointing at that deformed hunchback dwarf: “Stew though it is fine, is still a culinary gallimaufry — comparatively unrefined.”

Gygaz giggled:

“I prefer Alphagetti & Zooðleſ myſelf.”

“Cram it, sly knave.” Panurgeh protested: “Nothing comforts the cockles of one`s heart nor hits our palette better than a warm bowl of homemade soup, which I do so crave.”

Theurgeh tenderized liver and sautéed chopped onions, then tossed them together into a boiling cauldron that she stirred without uttering a word.

Ludoz lastly had her say:

“Ƿatever þe pipſ, þe punſ ƿill play. ʃuperior art ƿe to þe orðer of ðiſ ðay.”

Therewith the entire hive of smaller creepy-crawlies started stirring up a maddening racket. This was heeded by Reddest Orkh, whom had rustled an armament from the antler of Kernunnoz — a singular stag that dwelt solely in the Metaphysical plane on Nybyruh.

Orkh raised his crude club aloft and it was struck by a blue bolt of lightning! He then spread out his crimson wingspan and took to the sky above Dystopyuh. He was soon joined by flocks of feral Druuj who came in phantasmagoric variety…

There were clatter-coins, cozening foxes, cranky old fusspots, drunken roisters, fancy-pants poseurs, flouting milksops, fricasseed flibbertigibbets, hissy-fit hoydens, liquored gluttons, mangy rascals, milquetoast malcontents, lily-livered ninnyhammers, prattling gabbles, ruffian rogues, scofflaw ne’er-do-wells, shit-a-bed scoundrels, slubberdegullions, turd guts, wanderlust wastrels, and woodcock slumlords.

Further, more Dæmon amalgamated their forces with Orkh`s; Abhoth, Azaz, Dægonh, Hypnoz, Khthuulh, Nodenz, Nyarleh, Yogz, and Zarh.

These combined armies swirled through the wide open skies of Nybyruh, dragging along with them a toxic smog of soot until it coalesced into a gaping cyclone amid heaven. They circled the center in tandem a few times before it became a portal that they could use to pass into the material zone of Malkuth. The whole horde entered the ingress en masse and headed straight for the home planet of us Homz: Tellz.

However, they were in a state of suspension for a prolonged period. Meanwhile amongst the Druuj, there was also a subdivision called ‘Sciencers’. These Sciencers were in charge of plotting their company’s course, so as they were passing through the dark tunnel, their leader Bakbukh approached Panurgeh and she dialogued in Dæmon dialect:

“Milord Panurgeh, I am a‘feared there be a terrible mix-up in the works.”

“What sayest thou Bakbukh? Wilt we not arrive on planet Tellz in the material zone of Malkuth?”

“Oh yes Lord, without a doubt that is where we art heading. Although when exactly we shalt exit this temporal flux, or how many times, remains a matter of intense speculation among my colleagues. Regrettably, we drew too many inaccurate conclusions from incomplete data sets. It wouldst appear that the multiverse is far larger and much more complex than we Sciencers previously thought.”

“Sayeth what now? Speak plainly!”

“I knoweth not how else to word it but to call it chronophasia, for lack of a better term. In brief, some of our forces wilt arrive millennia earlier than the rest of us.”

“Why this is awful news indeed. We shalt require the full force of our horde to emerge victorious in the final showdown against those vainglorious Homz.”

“Look on the dark side Milord Panurgeh. Thusly we canst wear away at our enemies like a cumulative craze! By the time the greater part of our assembly arrives in orbit of Tellz, we ought to be already winning at that war of attrition.”

“I certainly doth hope thou art correct; unlike this current predicament in which we find ourselves due to thy miscalculations. Gangantuah, Pantagryuh, Ryntrah, and Reddest Orkh wilt be terribly displeased to hear of it.”

Bakbukh apologized and cowered, then Panurgeh continued on to confer with his superiors.

Although totally unaware of it, both Dæmon and Druuj were being observed during this interval. Veiled by folds within the interstice — Vortexyuh — Daughter of Nuyth, watched them making their way through her domain. The powers that be in the highest zone of Ketheroz would definitely be interested to hear about these particular happenings and Vortexyuh wasn’t one to keep shtum…

To Be Continued...

Previous:

Next: