Track By Tracks: Necht - The Prophecy Of Karnifor (2024)

The Temple of Necht is pleased to provide you with more information regarding our Grand Meditation, "The Prophecy of Karnifor" and our mission to illuminate the world with the light of B'ahn's fury. Our Meditation is inspired by the writings of Dr. Birgitta Olsson's rare book, published in 2015 - 'Translating the Enkari-B’ahn Scrolls: Words from the People of the End Times' - which itself describes the consequences of her many years of work deciphering the works of the 19th-century explorer, Dr Karl von Mecklenburg. In short, von Mecklenburg discovered a trove of ancient scrolls that dealt with the history of the ancient civilization of the Enkari, the earliest known civilization yet discovered. Broadly speaking, the content includes various myths, history, and observations as made by the series of Qa'ars - priest-kings - of the Ishpani, and deals with the "Perpetual War" between the city-states of Ishpan and Lashmir. Each Sermon on the Grand Meditation is thus described below for your reader's illumination.

1. The Vision of the Qa'ar:

The opening Sermon refers to the titular "Prophecy of Karnifor", a revelation received by the Qa'ar of Ishpan during the Third Siege of that city in the midst of the Perpetual War.

2. Within Her Jaws Dwells The Dark Promise Of Our Death:

We continue from the opening Sermon with this track, which tells of how the Qa'ar spread the word of his revelation and transformed the citizenry of Ishpan, leading them to embrace the worship of Karnifor and Her coming Apocalypse.

3. Stirred By Shadow I Did Wake:

This Sermon tells of the awakening of B'ahn (Sun-God of the Enkari and deity of the city of Lashmir) into his Ceaseless War - the never-ending struggle to avoid dissolution within the jaws of His Mother, the Dragon Karnifor. Thus we set the stage for the eternal cosmic struggle between B'ahn and Karnifor, which the Enkari city-states of Lashmir and Ishpan were doomed to mirror on this terrestrial plane.

4. To Me The Obelisk Calls:

The Enkari put much store by visions and revelations. One of the most important of these was the Grand Revelation of Sureth, who was drawn to a journey far from his homeland in search of the Obelisk. Falling unconscious at its base, he awoke with newfound knowledge, which he then proceeded to preach across the land. He was thus instrumental in the rise of the Cult of B'ahn across Lashmir.

5. Into Bondage Born:

We do not know exactly how long the Enkari warred. But we do know that the Perpetual War lasted generations; generations which, over time, transformed Lashmir into a warrior culture where the young were born to serve B'ahn in constant battle. By The Fires Of Ascension Shall I Reach The Sky - this Sermon tells of a fallen Cultist, succumbing to their wounds and then of their soul's ascent to the Celestial Heights, where the Cultist continues their Perpetual War at the side of B'ahn.

6. By Blood And Bone Do We Bind:

The Cult of B'ahn practiced the Ritual of Binding, whereby Initiates had their left pinkie finger cut off at the knuckle. B'ahn himself received a similar wound in His battles with Karnifor, and the Lashmiri believed that mirroring this wound would bind them to B'ahn, allowing them to reach him in death.

7. Blackened Loom The Walls Of Ishpan:

The walls of Ishpan were foreboding. By the time of the Third Siege, they were heavily scarred but just as heavily fortified and had never been breached. This instrumental sets the stage for the last Sermon of the Grand Meditation.

8. For Violence Was Wrought Upon Me:

For the Cult of B'ahn, the ultimate failure to become so badly injured that they could no longer fight - and therefore could not fall in battle. It was therefore common for Cultists to take to the field bearing such horrendous wounds that, in a less fervent society, they would have been considered suicidal. This Sermon tells the story of one such Cultist as they prepare for yet another battle in their lifetime of war.