Nile In Their Darkened Shrines 1. The Blessed Dead Looked Down Upong With Scorn We Work the Fields of the Masters And Share Not the Bounty of the Black Earth Destitute Servile Cast Out Affording No Tomb We Shall Be Buried Unprepared in the Sand We Shall Never Be The Blessed Dead Scorned By Asar Condemned at the Weighing of the Heart We are Exiled from the Netherworld Serpents fall Upon us Dragging us Away Ammitt Who Teareth the Wicked to Pieces Pale Shades of the UnBlessed Dead None Shall Enter Without the Knowledge Of the Magickal Formulas Which is Given to Few to Possess Not for Us to Sekhet Aaru Our Souls Will be Cut to Pieces with Sharp Knives Tortured Devoured Consumed in Everlasting Flames We Shall Never Be The Blessed Dead [The phrase, "The Blessed Dead," is a reference to those who obtain the "blessed" condition in the afterlife: the beautified condition of eternal lifein the presence of Osiris in the Sekbet-Aaru, or "Field of Reeds." Those who had lived a moral life, observed the proper burial rites and procedures, and possessed all the correct magickal spells to navigate the treacherous and horrific Egyptian underworld, who could recite the 42 negative confessions, and whose hearts were found to be pure at the "Weighing of the Heart," were then allowed to be "Osirified" - to become a person like as unto Osiris - and enjoy a pleasant afterlife as ne of the blessed dead.] [Proper burial, though, was an expensive undertaking. It was usually afforded only by pharaohs, priests, and the wealthy class. What of those who could not afford the extravagant tombs, mummification, magickal amulets, and costly papurys texts on which were written the necessary spells for successfully navigating the underworld? Even linen, which was used to wrap the mummies, was so expensive in ancient Egypt that people had to save what little scraps of it they could for years to have enough to have themselves wrapped. Also of mention would be the cost of professional mourners, embalmers, and priests for the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony. This was all extremely expensive. Even a wealthy person in ancient Egypt would spend a lifetime saving and preparing for his or her burial and afterlife. I suppose it is no small coincidence that the religious priests were directly involved in the embalming industry.] [But what of the middle and lover classes of people - the common working man? What then of the slaves and servant classes? if all these costly preparations and arcane knowledege were essential to achieving a state of blessedness in the afterlife, would a person of limited financial means be condemned beforehand to burn in torment in the afterlife, so only the wealthy became the Blessed Dead? While most of the populate certainly accepted this fatalistic concept - and by all that we know of ancient Egypt, embraced life and the hope of an eternal afterlife - most ancient Egyptians probably were resigned to do whatever funereal preparations were within their means It stands to reason, however, that certainly some small number of lower income / slave / working class people (predestined, of course, to certain financial / spiritual doom, as upward caste mobility was very limited in ancient times) would be less than inclined to accept at face value the idea that, no matter what, by the end of their lives they would not be able to afford to be buried as one of the blessed dead. Would they be resigned to their eternal fate, or live their lives with subversive viewpoints - perhaps rebelling against the established religious order, or perhaps choosing to worship amongst the pletbora of "other gods" of the Egyptian pantheon? (Budge refers to them as, "Wretched little gods.")] [Certainly the existence of the ancient cult worship of the god, Set, is not without some sort of seditious causality. Perhaps these, then, are the countless legions of souls damned to fiery pits of torment in the underworld: the "Hated of Ra" or "Enemies of Osiris." This probably would also liken these wretched and lost souls to be followers of Set and his Seban fiends, who were the original enemies of Osiris and precursor role models on which later religious based their ideas of "Hell" and "Satan" and his "infernal legions." I am reminded of John Milton, who, in Paradise Lost, wrote of Lucifer, after he had been cast down and came to realization of his unrepentant autonomy, "It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven." And thus, that brings us full circle to the chorus refrain of "The Blessed Dead." complete with infernal choirs of the underworld defiantly proclaiming, "We Shall Never Be The Blessed Dead."] 2. Execration Text Mut The Dangerous Dead Trouble me No Longer I Inscribe Thy Name I Threaten Thee With The Second Death I Kill Thy Name And Thus I Kill Thee Again In The Afterlife Bau Terror of the Living Angry Spirits of the Condemned Dead I Write thy Name I Burn Thy Name In Flames I Kill Thy Name And Thus Thee Are Accursed Even Unto The Underworld Mut The Troublesome Dead Plague Me No Longer Thou Art Cursed Thy Name Is Crushed Thine Clay is Smashed And Broken Thy Vengeance Against The Living Shall Come to Naught [Among the most sinister objects from the ancient world are the figurines in human shape which were used to cast spells on the persons they depicted. Such objects survive to this day usually only when they are buried as a part of a rite, and usually in the vicinity of a tomb or necropolis. Archeologist have found the remains of such rites at the royal cemetaries of Giza, Saqqarra, Lisht, and at several forts in Nubia. Stone, wax, or mud figures, or broken clay tablets or clay pots, are inscribed with lists of the enemies of Egypt. The body of the figure is usually flattened to make room for the text, or sometimes a papyrus is inserted inside the body cavity. On the back, the arms, or the arms and legs, are bound together. The inscriptions found on them are called "execration texts." These texts threaten death to specific people. Often, they include the name, parentage, and title of war. The execration texts were mainly aimed at enemy rulers, hostile nations, and tribes in Nubia, Libya, and Syria-Palestine. Magickal incantations and rites were used to cause death and suffering, and to prevent the angry spirits of the executed from taking vengeance on those who had condemned them. Usually included in these texts are long-standing enemies of those involved in the cursing rites. There is also often a catchball phrase against any man, woman, or eunuch who might be plotting rebellion. Amongst the common people, the execration rituals were carried out after the killing of a personal enemy or the execution of criminals. By killing the enemy's name, which was an integral part of the personality, this rite would extend the punishment into the afterlife. The spirits of defeated enemies or executed traitors were regarded as a continued supernatural threat, which needed to be met with magic. The wording of the texts is similar to that of contemporary spells on papyrus, which promise to protect against the malice of demons and ghosts. Those named in the execration texts are referred to as "mut" - the dangerous dead. It is also the word used to describe the troublesome dead in protective spells for private persons. The stone figures and red clay pots on which the execration texts were written were ritually broken as part of the cursing ceremony in order to smash the enemy's power. A pit near the Egyptian fort of Mirgissa in Nubia contained hundreds of such pot shards, as well as over 350 figures. Deposite of figures have been found outside fortresses, tombs, and funerary temples. The clay figures were burned and then buried with iron spikes driven through them, or nailed to the outer walls, as the bodies of executed traitors and foreign enemies sometimes were. The more eloborate enemy figures were sometimes trussed up like animals about to be sacrificed. Some are shown with their throats cut, the method used to kill sacrificial animals. The dismembered body of a Nubian and a flint sacrificial knife were found nar the Mirgissa pit. Some Egyptologists believe that human sacrifices routinely accompanied execration rituals, while others have argued that the figures were normally a substitute for such sacrifices.] 3. Sarcophagus Who Dares Disturb My Blissful Sleep Again in Anger Must I Rise How Long Unknown I Lay Emtombed My World So Long Forgotten Did Disown Me Usurper I was Scorned Ah The Suffering They did Inflict Stained With Cosmic Black Sins The Sun No Longer Sets Me Free [The song, "Sacrophagus", could be thought of as a continuation of the Nephren-ka saga - perhaps a revisitation of the Lovecraftian mythos that this band has been exploring since our earlier work. In this latest chapter, whilst naively excavating in the Catacombs of Nephren-Ka, we have unwittingly awakened our protagonist from his long, restful interment. After wreaking his underworld vengeance upon us for disturbing him from his oblivion, he is tormented by memories of the unholy transgressions that had caused him his anguished eternal entombment... in all seriousness, though, I sometimes get the uneasy feeling that perhaps it would be best to leave Lovecraft's characters sleeping, undisturbed in an eternal dormant state - dead, as it were, but dreaming. Who knows what we might awaken?] 4. Kheftiu Asar Butchiu Kheftin Asar Butbiu Enemies of Osiris Who Are To Be Burned Let There Be Fetters on Your Arms Let There Be Shackles on Your Necks Let There Be Chains Upon You Ye Shall Be Hacked to Pieces For What Ye Have Done To Osiris You Have Put His Mysteries Behind Your Backs You Hath Dragged the Statue of the God From The Secret Place You Hath Desecrated The Hidden Things of the Great One You Are Doomed To Stand And Receive in Your Faces The Fire Which Serpent Khetti Is About To Spit At You Khetti Great Serpent Who Lieth In Undulations Before the Damned Khetti Open Thy Mouth Distend Thy Jaws Belch Forth Thy Flames Against My Fathers Enemies Burn Up Their Bodies Consume their Souls By the Fire Which Issueth From Thy Mouth And By The Flames Which Art In Thy Body The Fire Which Is in the Serpent Khetti Shall Come Forth And Blaze Against The Enemies of Osiris Whosoever Knoweth How to Use These Words of Power Against the Serpent Shall Be As One Who Doth Not Enter Upon His Fiery Path [In the Book of Gates, another text describing the Egyptian underworld, within the Eighth Division of Night is the Gate of Set-Hra. The scenes depicted in this chapter describe some of the tortures which are inflicted upon the original enemies of Osiris. It is impossible for Osiris to slay all of his enemies at once, even though they are in his power. While various batches of them are awaiting their turn at the Block of Slaughter, they are kept tightly fettered and bound. One of the forms of the torture depicted described the "Kheftin Asar Butchiu," i.e., the enemies of Osiris who are to be burned. Their arms are tied behind their backs in positions which cause intense pain, and they are doomed to stand and receive in their faces the fire which the serpent Khetti is about to spit at them, and then be hacked to pieaces and burnt. Horus commands the serpent Khetti, saying "Open thy mouth! Distend thy jaws and belch forth thy flames against my father's enemies! Consume their souls by the fire which issueth from thy mouth and by the flames which art in thy body."] 5. Unas Slayer Of The Gods Poureth Down Water From the Heavens Tremble the Stars Quake the Bones of Aker Those Beneath Take Flight When They See Unas Rising The Akh of Unas Is Behind Him The Conquerer Are Beneath His Feet His Gods Are In Him His Uraei Are on His Brow The Words of Unas Protect Him Unas This Bull of The Heavens ThatTrusteth With His Will Living On Utterances of Fire From The Lake Of Flame Unas That Devoureth Men and Liveth on The Gods Behold Amkebu Hath Snared Them for Unas Behold Tecber Tep F Hath Known Them and Driven Them Unto Unas Behold Her Tbertu Hath Bound Them Behold Khensu The Slaughterer of Lords Hath Cut Their Throats for Unas Behold Shesemu Hath Cut Them Up For Unas Unas Hath Ingested Their Spirits Hath Feasted On Their Immortality He Hath Consumed their Shadows Unas The Slayer of the Gods Unas The Sekhem Great The Sekhem of the Sekhemn Unas The Ashem Great The Ashem of the Ashemn Behold Orion Unas Riseth Unas Hath Taken Possession of the Hearts of the Gods Unas Feedeth on their Entrails He Hath gorged on their Unuttered Sacred Words He Hath Assimilated the Wisdom of the Gods His Existence is Everlasting Behold The Souls of the Gods are in Unas Their Spirits are In Unas The Flame of Unas in Their Bones Their Shadows are With their Forms Unas is Rising Hidden Hidden [Unas was the ninth and last Pharaoh of the 5th Dynasty. He is said to have lived from 2375 to 2345 B.C., but some Egyptologists date him as far back as 5330 B.C. The internal structure of his pyramid is known for incorporating several innovative features, but is most recognized for the inclusion of vertical lines of hieroglyphs on the walls of the vestibule and burial chamber. When Maspero opened the Unas pyramid in 1881, he found texts covering these stone walls to be extremely difficult to decipher, because of their archais characters, forms, and spellings. These were magickal/religious texts, designed to ensure the safe passage of the Pharaoh into the next world. They are known today as the "Pyramid Texts." According to these texts, Unas became great by eating the flesh of his mortal enemies and then slaying and devouring the gods themselves. Those gods that were old and worn out (Egyptian gods aged and died) were used as fuel for Unas's fire. After devouring the gods and absorbing their spirits and powers, Unas journeys through the day and night sky to become the star Sabu, or Orion. While this is certainly not the first reference to cannibalism in Old Kingdom texts, what is notable is the method by which the Pharaoh Unas achieves deification and immortality; by turning on the gods, slaying and then devouring them, and thus ascending to the heavens to become the star Orion. The concept was remarkable to Maspero, who found the idea to be of "absolute savagery." Maspero seemed to be reeling from a confrontation with a symbolic revival of pre-dynastic cannibalistic rites - which are suggested, according to Maspero, by the gnamed and disconnected bones found in certain early graves. Professor Petrie suggests that at the original Sed festival, the tribal king appears to have been sacrificed and devoured, so that his people might derive from his flesh and blood the power and virtues which made him great. This practise was based on a belief in contagious magick. Bulls and boars were eaten to give men strength and courage, deer to give fleetness of foot, and serpents to give cunning. The blood of slain and wounded warriors was drunk so that their skill and bravery might be imparted t the drinkers. Similarly, Unas feasts after death on the spirits of the gods, and on the bodies of men and gods. He swallows their spirits, souls, and names, which are contained in their hearts, livers, and entrails, thus, Unas becomes allpowerful. In attempting to bring this epic-length text to song from, it was necessary to make some minor concessions, firstly, that every version I have at home of the text is translated somewhat differently, and thus there is not any singularly definitive versions; and secondly, that it would just not be possible to include every last line from the original text. That would probably necessitate a song inconceivable in length. As it is, in concise song lyric form, "Unas Slayer of the Gods" weighs in at about 12 minutes plus - and that is using what would be considered only the bare minimum essential lines for the development and presentation of the main aspects of the text. For those interested in reading the entire work, there are several versions readily available online or by ordering from a local bookstore. I typed in "Unas Slayer of the Gods" in a couple of search engines and was astounded at the number of results that came back.] 6. Churning The Maelstrom Am the Uncreated God Before Me The Dwellers in Chaos are Dogs Their Masters Merely Wolves I Gather The Power From Every Place From Every Person Faster Than Light Itself Hail To He Who Is In The Duat Who Is Strong Even Before The Servants of Serpents He Gathers The Power From Every Pit of Torment From They Who Hath Burnt in Flames From Words of Power Uttered By the Darkness Itself Hail To He in The Pit Who Is Strong Even Before the Terrors of The Abyss Who Gathers The Power From The Wailing And Lamentations Of The Shades Chained Therein From He Who Createth Gods From The Silence Alone [Last year, after the release of Black Seeds of Vengeance, I received e-mails containing the text of a work whose origins had until then been completely unknown to me. Entitled, "The Chapter for Bringing Heka to those who Burn," the author claimed it was part of a larger collection of works known as "The Book of Resurrection Apophis." In Egyptian methology, Apophis is also known as Apep, the terrible monster serpent who, in dynastic times, was a personification of the darkness of the darkest hour of night. Apeop is the dreaded embodiment of utter evil in the form of a giant snake that arises anew each night to struggle against the Sun god, Ra. Against Apep, Ra must not only fight, but must succesfully conquer morning sun, lest darkness and chaos engulf the entire earth during the day as well. Apep was both crafty and evil doing, and, like Ra, possessed many names, to destroy him it was necessary to curse him by each and every name by which he as known. In Egyptian papyri, Apep is also represented in the form of an enormous serpent, into each undulation of which a knife is stuck. In the Book of Gates, we see him fastened by the neck with a chain (along which is fastened the Goddess, Serqet), the end of which is in the hands of a god, and also chained to the ground with five chains. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), Apophis is also the name the Hyskos king Aussere adopted during his reign over the conquered and subjugated Egypt of 1570 B.C. The Hyskos had invaded Egypt and established their new political and religious capical city, Avaris, in the delta region of Egypt. Avaris is also the site of the original Temple of Set. Set (or Sutekh, to the Hyskos) wa the chief god of the Hyskos at that time, but in Egyptian mythology since pre-dynastic times, Set was the murderous brother of Osiris, and the original ultimate embodiment of the forces of darkness, chaos and evil, at whose command was te monster serpent, Apep. During the early period of the Hyskos occupation, the Hyskos faced little significant opposition. But during the reign of Apophis I, the Theban princes of Egypt rose up to drive the Hyskos back out of Egypt, a feat that is recounted on two large stelae set up by Kamose in the Temple of Amun at Karnak. The text which I received was in three languages - Egyptian, Greek and modern English, along with rubric instructions for the proper recitation of the chants, which are to be memorized and repeated as a sort of mantra, and as such should be spoken in Egyptian rather than English. The translations were given only to throw light upon the meanings of the spell. Upon closer examination of the text, it seems to bear superficial resemblance to Chapter 24 of the Papyrus of Ani, "The Chapter for Bringing Magick to Ani," (which is also known in some Books of the Dead as "The Chapter for Gaining Power," and in modern ritualmagick as "The Gathering of Heka.") But the similarities go immediately astray, for "The Chapter for Bringing Heka to those who Burn" seems as though it is, in this incarnation, a blasphemous underworld perversion of the chapters contained in the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead. Perhaps it was intended for use by ancient cultists who would be intent upon using the darker forces of Chaos and the spiritual energy of those souls burning in the fiery pits of torment in the underworld for their own cultist ambitions of the upsetting the orderer structure of the ancient Egyptian world. More likely, their goal was probably to alter the political balance of rival religious factions in the turmoil of those tumultuous intermediate times. By the end of the 14th Dynasty, Egypt's once considerable might as a nation had eroded due to internal political struggles, so that it was unable to defent itself against invaders. The Hyskos overwhelmed the Dynasty, remaining in power until being expelled during the 17th Dynasty ina great war, which lasted, according to Manetbo, about a quarter of a century.] 7. Whisper In The Ear Of The Dead Whisper in the Ear of the UnBlessed Dead And My Words of Power are Heard in the Underworld The Dead They are Compelled to Obey Me Even Unto the Worlds Below Yea I Whisper in the Ear of the UnBlessed Dead An they Heed my Necromantic Demands For I have Bound Them Inexorably Cursed in this Life and the Next I Whisper in the Ear of the UnBlessed Dead And They Tell me Things No Living Man Knoweth For I Have Taken Possession of their Shadows And They re Mine To Command in the Netherworld I Dream of the Dead And Their Shades Showeth Me Visions Which No Living Man Can Know I Whisper in the Ear of the Dead And Mine is the UnWritten Knowledge That Lieth Under The Black Earth To Speak The Name of The Dead Is To Cause Them to Live Again [The inspiration for this song comes from the exploits of Nectanabus, the last native Pharaoh of Egypt. His reign was during the 4th century B.C. and he was historically rumored to be a great sorcerer and necromancer. It is believed that Nectanabus ruled Egypt, overcame his enemies and even kept his political rivals in check by means of the exercise of magickal and necromantic arts. He is credited with possessing the power to restore amputated limbs and the capacity to replace the heads of the slain and decapitated without injury. Nectanabus was said to have been deeply learned in the wisdom of the oldest of the ancient Egyptians. He "knew what was in the stars of the Heavens." He was skilled in reading the stars, foretelling the future of the unborn, and a master of communion with the dead. He is also called "The Lord of the Earth" and is said to have "secretly ruled all earthly kings by magickal means." It is said that he whispered whis commands in the ears of the dead, so that they should carry out his designs in the spirit world. According to early historians, Nectanabus exercised control of many of his enemies by enslaving the souls of the newly dead, commanding them to learn the secrets of the enemies via the spirits of the underworld, and using this knowledge against his enemies. Nectanabus continued is necromanticambitions, even using means of sorcery to achieve military ends until the day the gods decreed his rule should end and Nectanabus was forced to flee to Macedonia.] 8. Wind Of Horus Ashu Give us Power To Oppose this Legion of Shrikes They hath Defiled our Monuments and Graves For their Greed of Treasure Ashu Sehu Neferui Skhenn We Are the Breath of Horns Hot as the Desert Wind We are Slayers and Reapers of Men By the Arrow Shot from Lanata You will Fall to your Knees Dead or Begging Quarter Torn to Shreds by Obese Vultures Fossilized in the Desert Sand We are the Breath of Horns Hot as the Desert Wind We are the Slayers and Reapears of Men You will Never Escape This Valley Gallala Left to Decompose Forbidden the Underworld Bemused by Battle Lust I Gash your Throat And Splatter your Blood Upon the Altar of Bes We Erect one hundred Pyramids With your Severed Heads Ashu Sehu Neferui Skhenn [This song was inspired by a battle from a book caled River God by Wilbur Smith. The story takes place in the latter half of the 14th Dynasty, and is about a struggle to restore the majesty of the Pharaoh of Pharaohs. Tanus, leader of the mighties army of Egypt, the Blue Crocodile Regiment, hunted down and destroyed the Shrikes, a horrid nomadic tribe of thieves, rapists, and murderers that played the Egyptians. The title of the song, "Wind of Horus," refers to the name of the boat of the Blue Crocodile Regiment. It is an enchantment of the god Horus to cause the wind to blow the Egyptians' sails in time of need. The repeated chant in the song is to invoke the god Ashu, who robs the enemies of the Egyptians of their virtues, weakening and destroying them. The word Lanata is mentioned in the song. Lanata was a bow made for Tanus by Taita the slave and was made of wood, ebony, rhinocerus horn, and ivory tusks. The bowstring was made out of the guts of a lion that Tanus had killed with his bronze-bladed war spear. Tanus was probably the only one in his army strong enough to use the Lanata bow. It had so much tension that he had to use a different technique just to pull the bowsting back. Tanus practised until he could shoot three arrows at a time piercing the heaviest of armor.] 9. In Their Darkened Shrines [ Part I - Hall Of Saurian Entombment ] Through Subterranean Labyrinths of Catacombs We Hath Crawled To Gather in this Dimly Lit Hall Of Colossal Proportion Which Few Ever See Along Black Walls Rise Tier after Tier of Carven Painted Sacrophagi Each Standing in a Niche in the Stone The Mounted Tiers Rising Up To Be Lost in the Gloom Above Thousands of Carven Masks Stare Down Upon Us We Who are Rendered Futile and Insignificant By This Vast Array of the Dead [ Part II - Invocation To Seditious Heresy ] And Here I Stand I who would be master of the Black Earth Have summoned you here secretly You who are faithful to me To share in the Black Kingdom that shall nr Tonight we shall witness The breaking of the chains which Enslave us And the birth of a Dark Empire Who am I to know what powers lurk and and Dream in these murky Tombs They hold secrets forgotten for three thousand years But I shall Learn They shall teach me See how they sleep staring through their Carven Masks Priests Monks Acolytes Kheri Heb Rekbi Khet The Mummified Remains of the Sacrificial Whores of The Cannibalistic Serpent Cult s of Thirty Centuries With Black Incantation and Foul Necromantic Art Propitiated with the Blood of the Living We will waken them from their long Slumber The Ancients knew Nay Commanded the Words of Power And shall teach them to Me I shall restore them to Life To Labour for my own Dark Imperial Desires I will Waken Them Will Rouse Them Will learn their forgotten Wisdom The knowledge locked in those withered Skulls By the Lore of The Dead We shall Enslave the Living Pharaohs and Priests long Forgotten Shall be our Warriors and Slaves Who will Dare to Oppose Us Out of the Dust shall Avaris Rise [ Part III - Destruction Of The Temple Of The Enemies Of Ra ] Foul Enemies of Ra who have Rebelled Malicious Fiends Spawn of Inertness Impotent Rebels Nameless Filth For whom Blazing Pits of Fire have been prepared By the Command of Ra Down Upon your Faces You are overthrown Your Skulls are Crushed in You are Destroyed Annihilated Gashed with Flints Your Windpipes Cut The Joints of your Backs are Rent Apart The Fire of the Eye of Horus is Upon You Searching You Consuming You Setting you on Fire Burning you To Ashes Unemi The Devouring Flame Consumes You Sekhmet The Blasting Immolation of the Desert Maketh an End of You Xul ur Adjugeth you to Destruction Flame Fire Conflagration Pulverize You Your Souls Shades Bodies and Lives Shall Never Rise Up Again Your Heads Shall Never Rejoin your Bodies Even The Words of Power Of The God Thoth The Lord of Spells Shall Never Enable you to Rise Again [ Part IV - Ruins ] I knew they were Accursed so remote were these nameless desert ruins Crumbling and inarticulate the debris of its collapsed walls was Nearly hidden by the sands of the uncounted ages It must have been thus before the first stones of Memphis were laid And the bricks of Babylon unbaked Fear spoke from the age worn stones This desolate survivor of the Deluge This crumbling antidiluvial ancestor Of the Eldest Pyramid Only the grim brooding desert Gods Knew what really took place here What indescribable struggles and bloodshed Awoke some distant throng of condemned spirits And broke the tomblike silence of these crumbled Time ravaged remains these night black ruins Of some vanguished and buried Temple of Belial But as the Night wind diad away Above the desert rim rose the Blazing edge of the morning sun Which in my fevered state I swore that from some remote depth there came a Great crash of metal Like a great Bronze gate Clanging shut whose reverberations swelled out To hail the rising Sun as Memnon hails in From the banks of the Nile [This four-part epic is a tale very much inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, and to a lesser degree, Robert E. Howard. It tills the story of a rebellions Serpent cult who are plotting to overthrow Pharonic rule. They are attempting to raise the spirits of the ancient dead, to barness thei arcane knowledge and build an army of undead legions. The story takes place within the subterranean main ch.mber of the crypts of mummified reptiles (true enough, archaeologists have indeed unearthed entire necropolises containing thousand of mummified crocodiles, serpents, ancient Nile monitor lizards, and various other animals that were worshiped as personifications of the gods they represented). Within these dark and bloodstained halls are not only the remains of three millenia of generations of priests and worshippers, but also the mummified corpses of all manner of glorified reptilian deities. The leader of these rebels is standing in the midst of this vast array of Saurian entombment, inciting insurrection and preparing for some sort of violent revolution. Their ill-fated sedition comes to naught, however, when their temple is destroyed and they are all slain in a catastrophic violent climax. Whether this is perhaps divine intervention and retribution by the Sun god, Ra, or perhaps military action by the armies of the Pharaoh (who is a worshipper of Ra) putting down a violent rebellion, or merely the indiscriminate vengeance of the undead that the conspirators were seeking to enslave, is unclear. The passage that tells of the descruction and demise of the rebel fiends is reminiscent of the magickal/religious ceremony in The Book of Overthrowing Apep, in which the terrible monster serpent Apep is forever crushed by the Sun god, Ra, nver to rise up again. In the aftermath, all that is left of the Temple, the Serpent Cult and their subterranean catacombs of the tombs is a mass of rubble and forgotten ruins which are eventually covered over by the sands of time, explainined in a passage that borrows quite literally from The Nameless City by H.P. Lovecraft.]