Excerpts From Nonexistent Books

Hasis, Taasme, and The Xikru were the Firstborn of dread Engidir, and each was brought forth in an asylum or similar sanctum for the insane, as to touch any denizen of the Beyond even in dreams was to succumb to disordered thoughts and madness. The Triplets, as they came to be known, thus had none of the relatively pampered and stable upbringing that their “cousin” Qudma enjoyed.

Hasis was the first and most terrible of the three, and the one that cast the longest shadow. Known as a “he,” in a deliberate contrast to Qudma, Hasis was taken from his mother at birth for study, as it was realized that such a child meant that another from the Beyond had begun to become aware of, and interfere with, the world of matter. That she, along with every being made of matter within a wide radius, was mortally wounded by the arrival certainly did not help matters, nor did the fact that Hasis was unable to be perceived by ordered minds of matter from his very beginning.

Eventually, clad in a garment that he termed a “caul,” Hasis was taken in and raised by cultists of Sukhallu, one of many such sects that had arisen. On attaining his majority, and apparently at his “father’s” behest, Hasis began a series of brutal experiments on his followers, apparently with the intent of testing the boundaries between the world of matter, human dreams, and the Beyond. Cultists–now following dread Engidir rather than Grandfather Sukhallu–were the first willing subjects, and many were mutilated and killed for their loyalty and faith. Apparently as a method of further study, Hasis sired a number of his own children–sources differ as to how many, but certainly at least three and perhaps as many as twenty–and set them up as majordomos in his growing cult. The relatively large number of Engidirans extant today can trace their lineage to these.

Eventually, it seems that Engidir grew tired of the experiments, finding them fruitless or perhaps simply dull, and took personal control of its son to put an end to it all. It was then that the cult–or such that Hasis had easily at hand–was slain to a one in the Red Omen. Particulars are difficult to verify, but it seems that Hasis slaughtered his followers and his own children one by one, systematically, before using their mangled bodies and their spilled blood as elements in a massive eldritch sigil. He himself, brought down by some secret method whispered by his “father,” seems to have sealed the ritual.

The area is today known as the Rift, and remains dangerous and off-limits. It is said that anyone with the blood of Engidir or Hasis is eventually, inevitably, drawn to that place where the veil between the world of matter and the Beyond is at its thinnest.

Though it is now universally known as dread Engidir, dreadful Engidir, baleful Engidir, or the Red Omen, this was not always so. Indeed, when this powerful denizen of the Beyond began appearing to the world of matter in the form of cryptic dreams, many saw it as a way to bypass the stranglehold on knowledge and communication that Qudma, the first of the Firstborn, exercised in her early days, when her form and voice were still conceivable to minds made of matter.

The idea of another Firstborn, to reveal the purported secrets of the Beyond and the immortality and infinite power that many believed lay within, was tempting, and it appears that Engidir was able to make its goals known even though its touch, even in dreams, was enough to result in permanent and debilitating insanity. This is why all three known Firstborn of Engidir were said to be born in asylums, and why its gaze soon came to be regarded as less of a blessing than a curse.

Unlike Sukhallu, who for whatever other ulterior motives it may have had seemed to be interested in communication first and foremost, Engidir seemed from the start to be seeking control. Its Firstborn–Hasis, Taasme, and The Xikru–were all known to suffer frequent monologues from their “father”–though unlike Sukhallu, the use of “it” to refer to Engidir is near-universal–and appeared to occasionally fall under direct control from the Beyond.

To the extent that any motivation can be ascribed to the presences of the Beyond, Engidir’s seemed to be “what may I gain” as opposed to Sukhallu’s “what may I learn.” Its interest seems to have waned, as has Sukhallu’s, but for a time it and its Firstborn were among the most active Beyond influence in the world of matter.

It is said that of the twin children of bereaved Qudma, Uznu hewed more closely to the lineage of “Grandfather Beyond.” Surviving sources consistently describe Uznu as “towering” and “inhuman” and despite occasionally being described with male pronouns, and having sired known offspring, Uznu preferred to be called “it” and reacted violently to any other appellations.

As the second link in a chain, along with its sister Zigaa, that allowed alien and distant Sukhallu to communicate to the world of matter from the Beyond, Uznu was from birth expected to fulfill the role of interlocutor. It apparently resented this, despite being responsible for several inventions such as specialized lenses that made it possible for matter beings to look upon its mother Qudma without danger. While Zigaa toiled as he public face of her mother and grandfather, even as both she and Qudma became more alien with time, Uznu refused to do so, being relegated to the role of inventor or bruiser.

Since the revelation of Sukhallu and the Beyond, many in the matter world had formed cults or societies dedicated to the worship of the denizens thereof, and it was here that Uznu was most prominent. It bestowed favors and gifts in exchange for tribute, claimed to both send and deliver messages directly to Sukhallu, and sired dozens if not hundreds of offspring with those who thought such was a path to the godhood they imagined Sukhallu and the Beyond possessed. The vast majority of those who claim descent from the Beyond do so via Uznu’s line, even today.

Despite this, it was ever jealous of its sister Zigaa, who remained revered and respected in ways that Uznu could only through fear, lies, and manipulation. It is not known what, exactly, drove it to murder her, but it is suspected that a communication from Qudma or Sukhallu arrived, one that criticized Uznu and its works. Rather than see it released, Uznu somehow managed to slay its immortal sister.

This was the key break in communication from Sukhallu, the First of the Beyond. With devastated Qudma no longer able to speak to or be heard by beings of matter, she walled herself up in her apartments to live in immortal sorrow. Sukhallu, too, seems to have cut communication with its unruly “grandchild” over this act, and the cults that had previously kowtowed to Uznu turned away from it to the veneration and worship of its progeny instead.

Accounts vary as to Uznu’s fate. Some accounts hold that it was executed in retaliation, or that it had been mortally wounded by some machination of Zigaa and lived out its dwindling days in agony. Vokar of Lish holds that Uznu sought to join its mother in her burial chamber and, rebuffed, constructed one of its own and remains there entombed. Ob of Reshif prefers the explanation that Uznu was killed by the same, now lost, method used to murder its sister, and dissolved to empty foam in the same way.

Unlike desolate Qudma, who grew further from the world of matter with each passing day, her twin offspring Zigaa and Uznu were able to be seen and heard by sapient beings of matter without the danger of insanity or death for their whole lives. Zigaa, who was known to prefer female pronouns, was said to resemble her grandmother, the mother of Qudma or so-called Bride of Sukallu, whose identity is now redacted or lost beyond all hope of recovery.

Zigaa is described as a prodigy with a generous and caring heart, and she was devoted to furthering contacts between the denizens of the Beyond and the world of matter. To this end, and apparently on instructions from Sukallu (whom she reverently referred to as Grandfather Beyond) she was able to prepare special mufflers that allowed matter beings to hear Qudma and the other Firstborn without loss of life or loss of sanity.

It appears that, although she was able to be perceived and understood without damage until the day she was killed, Zigaa came to resemble her mother and “grandfather” more as she aged. One effect of the Beyond is that any depiction of its denizens, whether mechanical or artistic, is inevitably corrupted and indecipherable. But even in the absence of pictorial evidence, there is no other way to rationalize descriptions of Zigaa that openly contradict one another. She apparently took to dressing in increasingly concealing garments, eventually speaking through a mesh screen when she could and an all-encompassing garment–described in some sources as a “burka”–when she could not.

After Zigaa’s murder by Uznu, her body apparently dissolved before it could be closely examined.

The birth of Qudma, though to this day shrouded in mystery and misinformation, was an important milestone in establishing communication with Sukallu. It is around this time that Sukallu begins to be referred to with male pronouns, though it appears to be genderless, largely by analogy by its role as the “Father of Qudma.”

Qudma’s birth was by every account traumatic, and nowhere is the fate or identity of her mother recorded. The origin and use of female pronouns with Qudma is also unclear; it is thought that her role as “mother of Zigaa, mother of Uznu” is responsible for this. However, by the time she was but a few days old, Qudma proved capable of communicating with Sukallu directly without harm, and also communicating with the matter world with relatively reduced harm, though more and more protective measures were required as she aged.

In her youth, it is said that Qudma could be seen by beings of matter without danger, and that she could speak without danger of rupturing eardrums or splintering sanity. However, as she grew into her majority, the lineage of her “father” asserted itself more, and with time it became more dangerous to behold her and more dangerous to speak to her. Recognizing this, Sukallu–apparently wishing to maintain the ongoing communication from the Beyond that had been established–instructed her to take a lover made of matter before it was impossible to do so without bloodshed.

After the birth of Zigaa and Uznu, the Twin Speakers of Sukallu, they served as intermediaries for both their mother and their “grandfather.” When it became necessary for a being made of matter to interact with Qudma in her later years, extensive preparations were required. Special glass, made to specifications she dictated to Uznu, was required to behold any part of her body. Special dampeners, made to an unknown formula known only to Zigaa, were able to permit mother Qudma to be heard without mauling the mind of any who would hear.

It perhaps goes without saying that her later years were filled with lonliness and sorrow, especially after the death of Zigaa and the dwindling supply of dampeners required to speak to her. The last records have her living in an opulent but sealed suite far below ground, her days lonely and infinite.

Of the beings in the Beyond, Sukhallu was neither the eldest nor the strongest, but it was the first to notice the presence of beings made from matter, and the world that sustained them, separate from yet intimately connected to the Beyond. And this, in and of itself, was a sort of power. Neither dreadful Engidir nor sorrowful, powerful Nertagmil had broached that barrier before Sukhallu, and their understanding of the matter world ever lagged behind even when it attracted their notice.

Sukhallu soon actively sought out those of matter that were exploring the Beyond, seeking to establish communications of a sort. The first efforts were invariably fatal, but they did succeed in communicating that Sukhallu was a being capable of independent thought and action, and that it harbored an intense interest in the matter world that mirrored the interest that those in the matter world had begun to show in the Beyond. The problem of sustained communication remained, however, and what was learned of Sukhallu came at a cost in matter lives. It is unknown what, if any, effect was had on Sukhallu in turn.

Until the birth of Qudma, though, Sukhallu could only be spoken with in lifeblood.

Originally, it was thought to be a natural disturbance, not unlike the gravitational effect of a large object moving through space. But as the experiments into the Beyond continued, it soon became apparent that the disturbance moved in response to the explorations of other beings, and that its behavior changed over time. Once indifferent to the utterly alien minds and bodies probing its realm, it was seen to eventually begin approaching closer, with a quicker awareness. One of the volunteers, whose name is redacted from all records, was recorded as undergoing a close encounter with the presence and becoming first frenzied, then manic, and finally catatonic.

It seems clear that through their proximity in the Beyond, the presence and the volunteer had exchanged information of some kind. The presence began reacting to the other volunteers in a more purposeful way, and the survivor seemed to have learned something of it in return.

The presence in the Beyond came to be known as Sukhallu, and would later respond to that name, though the only known source for the appellation is the rambling writings on both walls and human flesh that the first volunteer to encounter it feverishly enscribed before their body shut down.

A shocking number of notable figures have died from eating eel soup. There is of course King Henry I of England, who died after eating a “surfeit of lampreys” which many now believe were simple eels. Duke Adolph II of Hessewig-Schleibin similarly passed away after eating three owls of eel soup, leading to a succession crisis and the absorption of his dukedom by the Electorate of Gloamstadt. Archbishop Andrea Mittione, the head of the sovereign Bishopric of Sisa, fell ill after an “eele stewe” during a feast, leading the notorious Archbishop Luigi Aiello to be appointed in his place, leading to the Pentecost Persecutions and the Defenestration of Sisa.

Less well known outside of Europe is the fate of Emperor Qzi of the Lesser Tzin dynasty, whose vicious and successful campaign against the Western Shi was ended when he died after a meal of eel stew in anticipation of his victory. The Sianfong Emperor of the later Qu Dynasty reportedly suffered the same fate after reading of Qzi’s fate and resolving to try the dish. Admiral Masahari of Japan reportedly met a similar end during the first Japanese invasion of Korea, but many suspect his eel soup was actually poisoned.

Listen up, maggots! For the upcoming campaign, we have been issued M335 Battle Tacos for our field rations! As I am sure you know, a new battlefield calls for new chow, and the M335 represents a quantum leap over the old M320 Battle Burrito you are familiar with. I will now acquaint you with the features of this new tactical combat food. Pay attention!

Your M335 Battle Taco is issued with a sealed shell. When opening it, you have approximately 20 seconds to shape it before it hardens with exposure to oxygen. Make sure it is in a shape you can live with!

The ingredients are next, seperately packed. I understand you maggots like to build your own tacos–trading ingredient pouches to achieve double meat or double cheese will be tolerated for the time being, but if it distracts from your combat effectiveness, taco bartering WILL be banned!

Finally, and most importantly, is your M335 Taco Cooking Pack. You are to place your completed taco on it and snap the tab. It will then heat up to roughly 225 degrees Fahrenheit for sixtey seconds, warming and cooking your meal. Do not touch it while cooking unless you want burnt hands! Do not break off the tab accidentally unles syou want a backpack fire! Do not use it near ammunition unless you want the kind of cookoff men don’t come back from!

Taco drills start at 0700. See you bright and early, maggots!

Then I was young, I’d sometimes take a little bit of my dinner, hide it in my pockets, and then bring it out to one of the little anthills that was always dotting the back yard. I’d then set it down on top of the anthill and watch, fascinated, as the little ants seemed to get excited and would promptly begin carrying off the morsel.

Especially when it was a meal I wasn’t that fond of, I admired and envied the ants’ ability to get enthusiastic about it and to eat it without gagging, no questions asked.

My mother, needless to say, was less enamored by the food stains in my pockets and the ant scouts I tracked inside who soon brought friends.