The Holy Unified Church of Ede Rame:  The Book and Life and Death

The Darkness Beyond the Goodly Light of Miran's Love

Book Two

“...ever existed the Beyond Darkness. In the Beyond Darkness lived the Elder Ones, the Unclean, and the Damned, all creatures not lit with Miran's Holy Touch.

“The Darkness Beyond lay at the feet of the Great Pillar, but one aspect of Mighty Miran's Wondrous Mind and Being. In the Darkness Beyond Creation, the unclean and Untouched writhed without light, longing for warmth.

“First amongst the Elder Ones, wicked yet powerful creatures named The Titans, whose mouthes were filled with unclean flesh and whose hands carried naught but pain and hunger, wandered the Darkness Beyond, torturing Tortured Creatures and Slaying the Unliving.

“Upon the Great Pillar, Loving Miran so loved the world that he peopled it with his Creation, the Beautiful and Bright-Eyed Sarta. The Sarta were born from Mighty Miran's Heart and Mind and they erected great and wonderful buildings. Miran so loved them that he wore Sartan flesh and walked with Sartan bones amongst them, sharing his love and wisdom with them.

“Amongst Miran's First Servants, those known to the Sarta as Angels, there was great jealousy. One of these Angels grew so jealous that they called Mighty Miran Unwise and Unfit and declared himself Beyond Miran. This Angel was Shogu, amongst the Most Loved by Miran.

“Shogu's treachery hurt Mighty Miran without end and hurt his Impenetrable Heart. So hurt was Mighty Miran that he left the Sarta for four days and sought only solitude.

“However, Shogu's treachery continued and declared that Mighty Miran fled the world and declared himself Lord of Mun and Heaven. Claiming Lordship of All-Creation, Shogu claimed The Godhead for himself and sought worshipers amongst the Sarta, leading some of the weak-willed away from Mighty Miran's Endless Love.

“When Mighty Miran recovered, his anger overflowed his loving heart and he took the sword in his hand and hate in his heart to cast down The Usurper and condemned him to The Darkness Beyond.

Book Three

“In the Darkness Beyond, Shogu wandered blind and alone in the Darkness Beyond. Shogu, lamenting his loss of the Love of Mighty Miran and his Defeat of All-Time, wandered in fear and despair across the Darkness Beyond.

“Shogu eventually came upon Qingu, the Dark Water of Beyond, the vast sea of Dark Things. Qingu found the alien creature and immediately sought out The Titans of the Darkness Beyond. Qingu sought council with The Titans who hurried to Shogu carrying corruption in their hearts.

“Shogu was alone and lost and The Titans provided comfort and companionship. At great length they questioned him about his home and the Great Pillar and the lands of Mun and Heaven. Shogu, alone and lost, gladly told them his tale of deceit and woe.

“The Titans, who wandered the Darkness Beyond forever and believed that they knew all to know, sought out the Great Pillar and looked upon its splendor in jealousy and awe. Using stealth the Titans approached The Great Pillar and entered the lands of Mun.

“The Titans wandered the Golden Lands and saw the mountains and oceans, hills and lakes, and plains and rivers and saw that it was good. Then the Titans saw the towns and cities of the Sarta and coveted them themselves.

“It was then that Mighty Miran's All-Seeing-Eye saw the Unclean Titans darkening the Golden Lands of Mun. Thus Miran cast aside his Sartan flesh and descended upon the Titans, demanding their names. The Titans responded in turn: Cluo, Naggarium, Becheloss, and Saphir.

“Mighty Miran ordered the Titans to leave the Great Pillar and return to the Beyond Darkness. The Titans, though fearful, refused so great was their longing to possess the warm lands of Mun. Miran's Hand was guided to war, but his heart and mind quailed at the thought. Though his might was unlimited, making use of his Holy Fire and Thunder might destroy the whole of his creation. With Rage in his heart, Mighty Miran returned to Heaven.

“The Titans declared themselves Lords of Mun and Beyond and found followers amongst the Sarta. The Titans erected The Grand Ziggaraut to dwell within and used foul magicks to create fell and terrible beasts whose mere presence might bring fear and despair to the Titan's enemies.

“The Titans chose members of their Sartan followers to imbue with their dark powers and they were created as Dark Priests.

“O Glorious Miran chose his own champions amongst the Sarta who carried His Word and His Power into battle. With Miran's Limitless Love and Fire and Sword, the Loyal Sartans waged war against the Dark Sartan for time seemingly without end.

Book Four

“The Titans grew frustrated with the deadlock and sought to end the fighting with a dread assault upon all good things. Seeking to fill the Vault of Mun with their own creatures from The Beyond Darkness, the Titans sought out Qingu, the Dark Water.

“Qingu was instructed to carry creatures from the Beyond into Mun and as was instructed, so obeyed. Thus came the FoulTide.

“Rising from the depths of the Beyond Darkness, the FoulTide of the Dark Water rushed up the Great Pillar and flooded into Mun. Great wicked creatures were deposited in the world, including The Leviathan, the Ocholoki, the teeming hordes of the Kal Kari, the Great Sphinx, the Fallen Angel Shoru, and endless nightmarish creatures which defy the imagination of mortals.

“As the FoulTide rushed out upon the world Miran set his will against it. Seeing the damage the Titans were causing, Miran lit the sky with his Holy Fire, birthing Solarus, the Sun. The FoulTide immediately retreated and Qingu returned to the depths of the Darkness Beyond, never to threaten the world of Mun again.

“However, Wise Miran knew that the craven beasts unleashed upon the world would bring more destruction and devastation to his beautiful creation than he could bear. As such, Life-Giving Miran commanded the trees and the rocks and the rivers and the ocean itself to give birth and thus was brought about The Great Re-Birth.

“From the Re-Birth came the Elves and Trolls, Orcs and Humans, Satyrs and Dwarves, all the children who would come to inherit the World. Miran commanded the Sartans to raise up his new children and teach them the ways of the world and bend their strength to the destruction of the wicked Titans.

“Miran further took a rib from his own immaculate body to create Yaarisiddial, the WorldWyrm and Father of All Dragons. Yaarisiddial was powerful of mind and body and his clutch of eggs gave birth to the dragons of the world, whose mission was to hunt and destroy the fell beasts of the FoulTide.

“And thus did the fighting drag on and on and on. Great Dragons clashed with Dark Beasts and Yaarisiddial raged against The Leviathan on land and sea.

“Finally did Miran see that His Hand must be used to bring low the Titans lest the wars continue forever and ever without end. Commanding his greatest warrior, Knute the Good to come to him, Miran fashioned for him The Spear of Heaven and Mun and touched it with His Blessing and His Love.

“Thus did Knute the Good, his body strong and scarred from many fights, take the Spear of Heaven and Mun in his hand and command a great host to him. From across Mun Sartans and elves, dwarves and humans, satyrs and trolls, orcs and wolvers, and dragons came to join his Grand Jihad, the End Wars.

“For many years did the fighting drag on as Knute the Good led his host ever forward, slaying thousands and tens of thousands. So great was his fury that Mun shook and the oceans quailed yet forward he pushed.

“Finally the Titans themselves came before Knute the Good, offering him much gold and power should he turn back from his quest. Yet Great Knute would not stop and thus did he face the Titan Becheloss alone and unaided on the field of battle. Though the Titan was powerful and dreaded, Miran was with Knute and his spear pierced the flesh and no-soul of the Titan. As Becheloss lay wounded, Knute cursed him and many of the Titan's host fled, abandoning their master.

“Great Knute, even so armed, could not slay the Titans but he demanded an oath of The Titans, lest they face his wrath again. So they were demanded to cow before Mighty Miran and accept him as The Godhead and WorldWonder, ever and ever. Amen.”