Lore / Know thy enemy – know who to loathe

The Serpent lives even when dead, for it is Eternal. It was sealed in the prison made by Meora, but Its influence can reach outside, and some things obey Its commands. Yet with equal hatred and envy they bear towards all which exists, they hate each other for existing as much, giving us a chance to not be overwhelmed with forces we are not ready to face – enemies within and enemies without.

• Jealous Beastiary

Deep inside the Ocean of Mud are born creatures pestilent in their nature. When Meority was divided we were giving them different names, but even different cultures understood these things to be not of this world – Umbral Horrors, Nightmares of Envy, Hellish Spawn – creatures of Serpent’s descent, Its offspring in mind and flesh, monstrosities acknowledged by the Herquisition as Jealous Beastiary. From the smallest pests to the terrifying ancient Leviathans, they exist only to purge us – children of Meora.

The Mud-born Umbral Horrors have no common mold: formless and mindless they have no shapes to evolve from or into – their nauseous bodies are never the same. Meanwhile the Leviathans give births to batches of monstrosities brewed inside their twisted minds, which have no borders for depraved imagination: a swarm of beasts made of glass which erupt in deadly shrapnel upon death, tireless army of hundreds headless bodies and thousands bodiless limbs in control of one distant worm for a brain or a simple herb of armored mountain-eaters…

When enough of Jealous Beastiary are begotten inside the Ocean of Mud, or bred by Leviathans in a gyne frenzy on the Cursed Islands, they gather into shoals and swarms led by dreadful Tyirans and march towards us in a wave of deadly Envasions.

Regardless of what nightmares assail us – we fight and prevail, but even in death these parasites bring ruin and sorrow, like a vile creator of theirs. When slain, the Umbral blood and flesh poison the land, water and air, corrupting existence itself, demanding immediate purification and cleansing, or punish our indifference; yet no less sorrowful fate awaits those who slay these creatures. As chivalrous this duty is, our heroes become tainted by the corruption. Even if loyal to Allmother until death and unburdened by Envy, the Light of existence is no longer pure and bright anymore for those who know the evil so close.

• Infernal Miscreations

Also known in different cultures as Chaosborn, Tarfested, Tarformed, the Warped or Hellgrafted – wretched creatures who were victims rather than evil, like water turned to vinegar.

The Umbral blood and flesh, left untreated, will deform nature before its inner corruption dissolves by itself (yet even then it remains a raw poison). A mercy when it simply kills, but as unstable it is, some animals and plants transform, distort, fuse, and reborn into monsters. As mutated, they become vessels for the Serpent’s bidding, now acting only as vicious execrated husks.

Too many of them gather in violent Tarherds, breeding and spreading new forms of Malady upon Her gorgeousness, but even more dangerous they are when intelligence from a life before is still intact – these creatures understand where we are weak or when we are too dangerous, bringing havoc and ravage that we don’t expect.

Whatever they all are, we shall show pity and obviate them from the misery they now suffer.

• Envious

The worst of all our enemies – Traitors and Heretics, ours sistren who turned away from Her Light, from Her Joy and Gorgeousness… no, not our sistren anymore, they do not even deserve to be remembered as such. Whatever happens to the Envious Souls after death, be they forgiven or forgotten, it is not for us to question the decision of Allmother, but in life they are traitors and deserve to be treated as such.

What they create is corrupted – a conduit for the Alleater’s will. The longer you gaze at their paintings and listen to their singing, the more you read the text they wrote, the further your very Soul becomes tainted and weak.

The seed of taint starts slowly, feeding on the gloom thoughts and urges within. But then suddenly they fully embrace the corruption and we know no about their dark secret when we see them walking among us as fellow sistren. Tempted by the Evil, they seek only to subvert Meority, to own it, to satisfy inner gratification, not even listening to the whispers of the Serpent, yet still making It triumphant through ruinous actions.

They can fall so low as to drink Umbral Blood, or use it to graft themselves to other beings… or even to the source of that blood. And if a mountain of bodies and ruins is what the Envious need to see unreachable dreams on a horizon – then they will raise it with joy.

Even more appalling it is when an Engifted becomes Envious. The Corruption touched by the Gift transform one into a nightmare with powers of creation they should never have wielded. The weakest become Young Abomination and lead small gangs of common-minded Heretics to sate their minuscule greed – they are easily dealt with by Ordono Krano; but the most vehement Engifted become High Abominations and gather massive Cults of Envy – such Cults pose a threat to entire nations… and at this very moment they might be scheming thousands of wicked plan to destroy all of Meority...