----------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE TALES OF AYELSFARN (An Aethereal Menagerie) (Second Edition) Copyright 1991 by Robert Bryan Reinhardt ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Includes all original and revised poetry and prose ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Tales of Ayelsfarn; An Aetherial Managerie I (1985) The Tales of Ayelsfarn; An Aetherial Managerie II (1991) Copyright 1985, 1991 by Robert Bryan Reinhardt ISBN 0-8059-2988-6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ .c2. Ayelsfarn and The Final Judgement "It has only been five and two-score years since, my Count." "Aye, that it has, that it has, loyal Trinn. But gaze upon this nervous world for just one moment and ponder of the time it shall take to restore order the way it was before my deep sleep." Ayelsfarn the Count, the Elder of a millenia, gestures toward the multiportaled opaque window at the north end of his domain. "During my anatomical suspension much has occured to change the balance of order and chaos among all of Nede. It is to my very amazement that you have managed to properly maintain the foundation of my house, especially with the misfortune of having acquired many new enemies, some born during my short absence." "Count, may I summon the Council of Order? It is approaching the time of convention?" "Yes, by all means, and spare not precious time, for there is much, much to be done." Count Ayelsfarn presides over the Council of Order. Although the council's most learned men had continued with their duties, all aspects of leadership among them had been sorely missed during Ayelsfarn's absence. Within a chamber of couches covered with the finest furs, tables and pillars of ivory, the eager elderly gentlemen of Nede's Council of Order one by one take their places, awaiting, perhaps impatiently, the elder mage's first spoken word to them in forty-five years. "Friends, men of Nede, Council of Wisdom, Order, and Law, hear my words. I would have that you heed their tone and impending meaning." "Today I have returned from a most awe-inspiring journey throughout the eternal sands of time. I searched and wandered for many millenia, stepping o'er the cobblestones of each past, present, and future year. For all my efforts and countless deliberations I finally have found the answer to man's greatest questions and discovered the essence of the centiverse, that spawned them. I have sealed these things within my immortal form for prudence and posterity and have prepared for you an artistic conception of this vision." "Gentlemen, the end of our world's first cycle of entropy draws ever nigh! To try to begin to explain the parameters of this event is beyond the capabilities of my mortal form, and even less would be your ability to comprehend them." "Men, fathers of our world's future men, I have only to give you one answer to one question through which all questions shall be answered to you all, in due time." "Brothers," Ayelsfarn says as he gestures toward the Glass of Seeing upon the east wall, measuring twenty by twenty by ten yards, and actuates the remote control by his side, "Behold and comprehend the centiverse, that which was all, is all, knows all, and circumvents our lives and the path our world follows. Gaze upon an image spawned by my soul's memory of the visage of our Creator, given to me for you presence by Same. Brothers, this is he whom all have sought for countless generations in vain. For, my friends, this is God the Father, whom we have forsaken and transgressed all our unfortunately immortal lives, for it has been given unto me to deliver the message that, indeed, we all shall perish for our evil misdeeds of sorcery and science. Our souls will accompany that of the original sinner and his company upon the Lake of Fire at that hour of judgement. For we have forsaken our God, the only one true God, and have indeed taught generations to be fools and carnal sinners to follow upon our deeds and transgress against the Lord by similar means as we." "Friends, I give to you this one last promise to save your souls and your families and you respective counties from the aforewritten torment of the Hell of Hells, spawned to be our punishment if we do not repent and rebuke our past deeds. Today we all must return to our homes and unbury and unburn those Testaments we have scorned yet kept sacred for ages." "I came to you today a wizard, a mage of mages, a sinner of sinners and demon-manifest of demons on Nede." "I now give to you all a man born again and washed of his sins in the Saviour's Blood. I rebuke all the sciences and wizardries and false powers and propecies of our world, that which I professed to rule over for ill-spawned centuries. Now I give whatever time on this soil that God shall grant me to undo these deeds, learn anew the truth, and reteach those whom we have taught wrongly for countless ages." "I pray that all of you would comprehend my words and join me as I number myself among the Lord's chosen and aid me in coordinating efforts to lead all the world of Nede to the Word of God, that they may all profess the Holy Spirit and be filled with Same, that all may be saved through the Blood of our Lord and Saviour." "At this moment I release all those whom previously tendered to me as servents to their separate paths with hope that they shall all be led to the truth. If any among you would stay beside me in these final days to present the Lord to our fellow men, then strike your name upon the ledger along the south wall, and we shall begin our efforts immediately. If you would prefer not to heed my words today and care not for your own souls or those of your fellow men, then you are also free to leave these halls upon your own respective paths." Not one word was spoken other than Ayelsfarn since he began his oration; now, not one man ventures forward to leave his house. All have been touched by the Holy Ghost this day and all the lessons and deeds of their lives are suddenly mistrusted; all turn toward the Word of God for guidance along their newly found path. Such is the way of our Lord, the depth of the Holy Spirit, and the Will of God the Father. "Only one question yet remains, sir," says the faithful Trinn. "Why did you first present yourself in a manner that portrayed you still as a man of science and arcane knowledge when first you awoke from your slumber?" "Why that is quite simple, my friend. It was a vehicle through which I was able to grasp your attention. If I had shown you my true o posture at once, you would have thought me mad, and paid me no heed." "May God's will be done on that distant celestial spheriod, Earth, as it is in heaven and the land of Nede." -------------------------------------------------------- / / /__,_ _ o ____ /_ __. __ /_) (_