By: Dorothy Bixler <mudmh10@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu>
& Donald "Oops Da Ogre" Bixler <mudgb4@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu>
"...Before there can be a beginning, there must be an end, my friend," Mithras said quietly. Odin nodded, solemn. Despite the best care that the Norns could provide, he felt in his bones that the Yggdrasil was weakening and soon to fall.
"I concur, shining one. Observe." The Odin One-Eye pushed gently against the trunk of the ancient ash tree and winced as the World-Tree gave slightly, sending a burst of pain through his frame. Mithras turned away in embarrassment for the leader of the Aesir, noticing motion a distance away.
"We have visitors approaching," said the persian god, his appearance nearing his true age despite his youthful body. Privately, he was glad to hear that the time was growing near; he was greatly weakened by the lack of followers and wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain his godhood.
Athena and Legba approached the other two deities, making an odd couple. Legba hobbled to a stop with a faint smile and leaned against his staff; Athena sat down next to the venerable loa, setting her spear and the Aegis across her lap. Since the loss of Zeus, she was never without them.
"Good day, my friends. How are you doing? I know that times have been difficult on you both, but I trust you are not too unwell." Mithras smiled up at the old man, but Odin merely nodded and rearranged his eyepatch.
"What council have you received?", inquired Mithras.
"Apollo has declared that the time to avenge the deaths of our family is rapidly approaching. He says that he can see a great struggle ahead, one where a terrible war will be initiated by the angels and demons. He suffers greatly, for he sees millions of innocents destroyed by this battle."
Legba nodded silently. "Likewise, my associate Orunla and I have been consulting the Tables of Ifa. We are in agreement; there is a great war ahead of us, one which will not be delayed for long."
A shadow passed over the assembled gods as a giant bird slowly circled above. Eagle glided quietly down to the the lowermost branches of Yggdrasil to alight. The tree gave under the spirit's weight, however, sending a brief stab of pain through Odin's chest. Eagle quickly took flight and landed quietly upon Legba's walking stick. Eagle took a moment to settle himself while the others watched.
"I have just come from the realm of the Archangel of Animals. He has been given word by Yves to clear his charges from the places of man as best as he can. He told me this so that we spirits of the 500 Sisters may prepare for the shock ourselves. He is confident that Armageddon is nigh; the warriors of Heaven are preparing for war."
The loa sighed. "I must say, it appears that there is no doubt to that. All of our auguries agree with your appraisal."
"Pardon me, old man. May I intrude upon your sewing circle long enough to put in my two pence?" A gaunt black man dressed in the black clothing of a gravedigger approached, smiling as he adjusted his sunglasses.
"I trust that what you have to say is relevant, Baron?"
Baron Samedi grinned sardonically. "Of course, my fearless leader. I would never dream of disturbing such weighty discussions without important news."
The loa of the dead tipped his top hat to Athena with a wink as he joined the group. "Ma'am, gentlemen, I thought you might be interested in a tidbit or two I picked up in Hell. "My brothers and I were approached by Saminga for some work. Curious, we agreed to help since every other time that we had done so, the fool had let a comment or two of interest to us slip. It seems that Saminga has been instructed to increase his undead horde in preparation for an offensive against the angels. He needed some assistance to meet the quotas and we were more than happy to oblige."
"Now don't glare at me like that, bird. We used the original recipe with all eleven secret herbs and spices. Those undead are loyal to us and bright enough to keep quiet until we need them."
Legba sighed. "Thank you, Baron, for the information. Would you now leave us to our business?"
"Whatever. Oh yeah. Hey geezer, when you finish up here, stop by. I have a few things we need to talk about too."
Chuckling softly to himself, Samedi walked away, singing under his breath. The faintest bit of song wafted back to the others, "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."
Mithras turned his attention back to the old man and arched an eyebrow quizzically.
The chief loa stared back, looking frailer than usual. "I do not believe that there can be any more doubt; it is time to prepare our forces."
Mithras is the persian god of light and defender of humanity.
Odin is ruler of the norse gods.
Yggdrasil is the norse world-tree. It binds Asgard (heaven), Niflheim (hell), and Midgard (earth) together. At Ragnarok, its roots will have been devoured and the tree will collapse.
Athena is the greek warrior goddess of wisdom. She leads the greek pantheon since the fall of Zeus.
Legba is the most important loa of Vodoun (Voodoo). He is the Keeper of Gates and the most far-sighted of the vodoun gods.
Orunla is the Santeria loa of divination and master of time. He is good friends with Legba and the two often consult and work together on important matters.
Baron Samedi is the Vodoun loa of the dead. He is an interesting being, known for his crude behavior, foul language, and his mocking of the pretentious. There are several other spirits sharing similar powers and abilities as him, but are less well-known, such as Baron Cimetie and Gedenibo. This group of spirits consider one another brothers.
Divinations both on earth and elsewhere begin to indicate a great disaster to come.
The various gods of prophecy and divination become worried and meet to discuss the future.
Supernatural activity on earth increases as the veils between the ethereal realm and the corporeal weaken.
Heaven and Hell start gearing up their war efforts at the insistence of Yves and Kronos.
Jordi begins to move the wild animals away from likely areas of conflict in the battles to come.
Vignette.
A call to arms is spread among the pagan gods, creatures, and their followers. The pagan soldiers are directed to certain areas that are expected to be safe during the approaching war.
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Elizabeth McCoy <arcangel@prismnet.com>
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