Origins

	Russian Motherland, 1806.
	s I traveled deep into the forest I could hear the voice of my mother in my mind.
	"You be careful while In the forest young lass. There are things that lurk deep in the woods that you should know nothing about."
	"Shut up mother," I said aloud.
	The sound of my own voice brought me out of a trance. I quickly realized the path I had been following was gone. All around me hedges of sharp thorns mocked me and my absent-mindedness. With the day showing signs of drawing to a close, I began to feel worried. I frantically looked around for the path I used to enter this thicket only to find it was gone. It was as if the thorns themselves had sprung to life and covered the pathway as I traversed it. Only a small hole in the thicket lie before me.
	I got on my hands and knees, pulled up my dress (to avoid getting it caught on the sharp thorns) and proceeded to carefully squirm my way through the thicket. The already small opening slowly grew smaller and I found it difficult to move without being scratched or punctured by the nasty thorns. I trudged on until I saw the end of the thicket. Cut and bleeding, I finally managed to free myself from the thorn prison only to discover the last vestiges of sunlight disappearing over the horizon. Just before the last shreds of sunlight finally faded, I noticed an old cabin in the distance. With trickles of blood streaming down my face, arms and legs, I trudged on towards the hut.
	At the foot of the doorway I noticed a strange, unpleasant aroma emanating from inside. It was a smell that was somehow familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. It was as I contemplated whether or not to knock that the door swung violently open. Startled, I released a sharp yelp and quickly took a step back. In the darkness, I lost my balance and fell backwards, smashing my head onto the cold, hard ground.
	When I came to, I was lying on a rug next to a fireplace. The burning embers of the low fire cast eerie shadows across the room. Just across from me, sitting in a hand-made wooden rocking-chair was the oldest woman I have ever seen. Her skin was pulled tight against her frail bones. Her nose was like a crooked twig, and reminded me of the horrible thorns I had recently encountered. Then there was her eyes. In the dim light of the fire I could barely make out the features of her face, but I could still see those eyes. Glowing with a creepy greenish light, there was a power and malevolence there I could not begin to describe. And even though this ancient creature was an evil thing, I somehow knew she meant me no harm. I could sense she had need of me still, and as long as that need existed, I would remain unharmed.
	She began to speak; at first in a low, almost inaudible tone, then slowly growing into a rhythmic cadence that was hypnotic in timber. And as I listened raptly to the story, I remember thinking, "You're right mother, there are things in the woods I should know nothing about."
	I am ancient beyond your wildest imagination. I have been known by many names, in many places, at many times. From the anointment of the first Czar of Russia, To birth of your God Christ, To the construction of the oldest Egyptian Pyramids I am older even still. Yet it will be centuries before I am born. I was once a child of the sacred and hidden valley. A creator, a visionary, and a hope for humankind I then wandered into the lair of the absolute destroyer And in the darkness, I saw the light. For many years I was imprisoned and tortured and killed By creatures from the darkest depths of Abyss. It was only now that I was able to understand the true meaning of the universe And love the essence of the one I call Master. I now gladly serve its awesome and formidable power The Interloper, the BlindSerpent, Tanin'iver. Preparing the world for my master's consumption Is a task of which I gladly partake. Your most distant and greatest of progeny, Will become fodder for the Dark One's insatiable hunger This is an honor beyond all compare. For to become the nourishment to the one known as Tanin'iver Is all that could ever be yearned for.