On the Black Ice

This is a translation of the original text “Vom Schwarzen Eis”

Faithfull transcript of a lecture on the subject “General Mitrasperology”.

… all right. Let’s repeat this for all those who still have gaps here. The Black Ice is a creation of the Ancient Rulers, now known as one of the Forsaken. The first important thing to know is that the Black Ice is not a natural element. It was created many millennia ago by a powerful Ancient Ruler of Ignis and his researchers. Who can tell me the name? Yes, over there, please! (interjection) Exactly. “Sephistikos”, the ruler and builder of the legendary city of “Viria”, which today is the capital of the Black Ice, if you will, located on the Northern edge of the burnt Plain… (interjection) Yes, please? (interjection) Even though this is not really the subject here, in general, it should be noted that the people of the Ancient Rulers at that time were at odds as how they should continue with their culture, the elements and everything that belongs to it. Many wanted to turn to something new, while others wanted to keep with the tried and testes… (interjection) … “sceptics” and “adamants”, yes, exactly. Viria was generally regarded as the centre of free spirit (interjection) Yes, yes. There were certainly many followers of the Ratio located there, who also added their ideas (interjection). May I ask for a little more silence! Back to the topic. According to all we know the Black Ice was intended in the beginning as a weapon, or as an improved army compared to the Servantkind of the “Lona”. In a gruesome process, huge numbers of Lona were killed, and their blood was transformed in a paradoxical process. The Blac Essence was created, and the Ancient Rulers learned to shape and control it, but not for long. One day, only after the sealing of the Ratio and the Time of Champions, if I may add this information, Sephistikos lost control and was devoured by his own creation. Thus, the Black Ice was a freed and independent force in the world, now with a will of its own. This, by the way, was the reason the Quihen Assil send the Avatars to make the Ancient Rulers a little more… well, this is not the issue right now. When the war of the First against the Second Creation, which the Adamants famously lost, ended in the Worldfire, the Black Ice was locked under a seal by the raging Eternal Ones… (interjection)… namely under the one in the Eastern Seal, that’s right, and sealed with the power of the land. So, this should be the history in short form.

Now to the more practical parts: The Black Ice in its current manifestation is an army of soulless homunculi, i.e., alchemical golems formed directly from the Black Essence. Some have the ability to form others as well. If you smash them by physical or magical force, they lose their form, so they virtually melt. The essence seeps into the ground. In general, it should be noted that Essence in its pure state is extremely cold and corrosive and works its way through stone and metal… (interjection) Excuse me? Yes, it is heard again and again that there are certain alloys that can hold up to Essence.

The ”soldiers” of the Black Ice, if you want to call them that, call themselves “Rakh”. They appear in groups called a “fist”; larger groups are called “swarms”.

Within such a group there are several special units, different ranks, and leaders. The “Sharun”, for example, are high-ranking leaders which only an Archon can match. A special position is held by the so-called “Khor’Ottar”, who are the ritualists of the Black Ice, and thus especially dangerous. They are able to raise new units, sometimes with astonishing speed, on the battlefield, erect barriers and ritual circles in which they know how to concentrate the power inherent in the essence for malicious purposes (interjection) Yes, the Khor’Ottar are also made of Essence and without a soul.

The Black Ice, as I said, has no sould, but it does have a shared consciousness in which, in a diffuse way, unimaginable knowledge and the will of millions of unfortunates who were fated to enter the Black Essence are bound together. (Unrest in the hall) More about this in a moment! The highest manifestation of the essence is, according to all we know, a being of apocalyptic power, originally called “Imperator”, the image of Sephistikos, the creator of the Essende, but after his destruction newly emerged as “Amon Karr”, which means “will of the essence”. Stronger than ever.

In general, the Black Ice is not inventive or creative on its own, but capable of imitating almost everything. Not clever, but docile, not beautiful, but effective. While a Rakh is barely capable of language, Khor’Ottar and Sharun are sometimes quite eloquent. Each manifestation of the essence possesses only the skills necessary for its purpose.

The Black Ice is constantly striving to improve itself. Now here the concept of “perfection” should be briefly mentioned… (interjection) Silence, please! Yes, it is true that the Black Ice is of course not perfect. So, according to our understanding, perfection does not mean a state but agoal. The battle cry “for perfection!” can be interpreted in this context as definitely praising the ultimate goal of the essence, whereby this hypothetical perfection is implying an assimilation of the entire world into the Essence, for this is what would happen in the event of the ultimate victory of the Black Ice, may the Elements preserve us. Peace through perfect assimilation.

At this point we must briefly touch on a very unpleasant subject, the matter of assimilation. Black Essence in the human body causes a complete loss of will and control of the victim. The experience of victims of assimilation is generally described as a dream-like state in which one has the feeling of floating alone in a vast black sea, free of all feeling, affects, fears and pain. This state is described by many as highly pleasant… (interjection)… and this leads to a weakening of the will for mental resistance. As time goes on, one hears first a whisper, later very clearly, the voices of countless others who have entered the essence before oneself. These are the signs that one’s own spirit is beginning to dissolve itself into the essence and become part of the collective, as the thoughts of the essence are increasingly mixed with one’s own. Therefore, if someone has been subjected to assimilation, haste is needed to save them and drive the essence out of their body again. Even the strongest healers, mages and even Nyames, once the dissolution of the soul has happened completely, cannot reverse it. This process generally takes places over the course of a day and a night. Often it is enough to knock a person unconscious and unable to fight to drive the essence out of them, but in the advanced stages the purifying power of Aqua is required to drive the essence out. Ignis should by no means be used, as this would be everything but beneficial due to the origin of the essence.

There, I think this explains the basics. For your further studies, please consult my reading recommendations. Let us now begin with the exact spherometric formalism for the determination of…

(This is where the transcript ends.)