Category: Written Word

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Tales of the Crossroads: Joyful Buddy Buddha

Excerpts from: The Adventures of the Cosmiccomics

The Last Breakfast

One day we (that is the Cosmiccomics ( that is Buddy and I)), not feeling very adventurous, decided to grab a bite from the Cafe at the end of the Universe.

While there we met up with a few old friends. Some of them were there for lack of anything better to do, some were there to catch the ultimate punchline to the longest running joke ever and others (like ourselves) were simply hungry. I was hoping we would catch up with the Space Dandy but we were told he was at a Boobies, the one over by the Tannhäuser Gates. Buddy and I agreed the next time the Universe ended we would go there instead.

At our table, I ordered some pancakes and a cafe mocha, the last in the universe.

“A towel, I need a good towel”

I looked up to see that Buddy had picked up and was reading a copy of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy“ and the look on his face was one of total epiphany.

“You need to read this.” as he passed me the book, his finger pointing to the entry on ‘Towels.’

Ever since, I have carried a towel wherever I go,

On acquiring the magic compass

We acquired the Jerusalem Compass, which always points toward the center of the Universe, from the great mage Alan Moore. Being bound by an oath of secrecy that is all that can be said of that. See “Jerusalem”

Dungeons, no Dragon

The Cosmiccomics (that is we (that is Buddy and I and another) found an abandoned Hobbit hole and so we decided to move in.

While partaking in some pipe weed with a few friends I invited them all on an adventure of Middle Earth, I was familiar with Middle Earth (having explored it regularly since I was a child) and offered to serve as a guide. They agreed.

With heed we did speed fo the isle of Tolfalas In the Bay of Befalas in the south of Gondor, a favorite spot of mine, which at the time remained largely unexplored. As there were no more dragons in the world, with the recent demise of Smaug, we hoped to explore a few dungeons.

What follows are a few highlights of our adventures there, for a full accounting of these tales please see: Unnamed Composition Notes; Unnamed Composition Graphs; Five Star Blue Notebook; Box of Character Sheets; Atlas to Middle Earth by Fonstad; The Similrillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien; Clip of notecards; Oral Histories.

We arrived in Middle Earth during the fall of 2944 in the Third Age (1344 by Shire Reckoning), waking up on “Survival Beach” of Tolfalas. The Grey Beard greeted the party there and had all pledge “By the Flames Imperishable and the grace of the Valar go I.”

The party was later hosted and mentored, for a period of time, by the mysterious Castamir on his homestead south of the town Dôr-ëar.

The first few month’s most memorable events include: the slaying of a few boar; encounters with thieves; acquiring of combat and survival skills; fending off of wolves in the Cervine Glade; the felling of many rabbits for stew and such; the meetings of Orin the Ranger, Ghari the innkeeper (and our pipe weed source); Kiath a captain of Gondor, Re’ad the blacksmith; Wehell (an early settler in those parts) and a friendly bull-mastiff. Side note: we at one time thought the mastiff had tragically perished in an arson’s fire and we were relieved to learn otherwise.

Things got interesting upon learning about and exploring an ancient series of catacombs near the Cervine Glade. It was there deep in the Chamber of Ages that Mor’ke’men the Dark Numenorean was encountered. Seemingly having defeated the evil wright, a gold plated book was discovered that crumbled into dust when touched, ushering the dawn of an endless night of the undead. The vision of the walking dead passed (Though the vision would later prove prophetic, at least in part).

Only ash and the front and back gold-plates remained of the book. Each gold cover portrayed a different image, the front was of an angelic-like lady extending as if to gift a fruit and the back cover was of a lone eagle atop a mountain peak with an unknown mountain range in the background.

Passing through the vision and out of the Catacombs, Raster the bandit was met (but as it would turn out he wasn’t a bandit but actually an assassin of the secret Jinan Syndicate, a mostly unknown opportunistic information network with an “ends justifies the means” creed.) Seems Raster only wanted to lay eyes on the artifacts, as he made minimal effort in relieving the party of its find .

The party arrived back at Castamir’s more or less at about the same time as his past. It was learned that, Castamir was actually Malomar, one of if not the most feared captains of the Umbar Corsairs. Captain Malomar was ordered to raid and slaughter a costal village in an attempt to incite a war. He refused the order and his second, Taseb, attempted to bring him to trial to face the death penalty. Castamir fled and hid his identity. Unfortunately Castamir’s identity was discovered by a recon-party of Corsairs, gathering information on Gondor’s presence in Tolfalas. As it happened this band of pirates was under the command of Taseb. Castamir was waylaid by a squad of corsairs and brought before Taseb, who looked to improve his reputation by adding Slayer of the Dread Pirate Malomar to his moniker,

Taseb arranged for an unfair fight to the death but even a handicapped Malomar/Castamir would prove a match and so they both met their doom at the ruins on the cliff.

The ruins were of an ancient light house that ages past guided white sailed ships offshore (as revealed in a vision which was seen upon discovering a set of plaques that matched the gold covers of the book.) Entering the ruins, a deep underground dungeon was discovered which eventually descended into a massive tomb of a prison. The tomb was made to imprison Mor’ke’men’s lord, the ultimate lock being the book from the catacombs.

During one of Mor’ke’men’s taunting monologues, it was learned he had stolen the book to free his imprisoned lord, at the cost of being cursed as undead forever more. Bringing the book back turned out to be a bad idea as it broke the spell imprisoning him in the catacombs. Mo’ke’men now unleashed, the ground opened up and the party fell as if into the center of the world. Landing softly in a room in which sat a golden book on a pedestal and a set of magical doors, each emanating the life force of the individual explorers plus one that flickered images of strange and fascinating foreign landscapes…


From: The Eagles of the Lords of the West and Yavanna’s gift, A history of the Rings of Beren and Lúthien

… of Tolfalas in the Bay of Belfalas … with the Breaking of Thangorodrim and the felling of the Blue Mountains and the flooding of Beleriand during the War of Warth… Hîrroval (Lord of Wings) son of Landroval, descendant of Thorondor, during the Second Age settled in the Impregnable Mountains as the Southern Eyes of Numenor…

Guru Rick gets his rocks off

On the road to Jerusalem we were discussing Turvsky’s new book “Crime of the Fathers and Punishment of the Suns” when we were approached by an heavenly celestial being.

“Sorry to interrupt” she said “But I like your towel.” Referring to my blue Turkish towel.

“Thanks” I said.

“Ok, see you about” said she.

“Ok bye” said Buddy and I as she vanished.

“Dang.”

“What’s that, Buddy?”

“I forgot to ask who her God was.”

Since we never could predict when we would next randomly cross path’s with a Celestial we decided to seek one out.

We abandoned the road to Jerusalem and so headed for Colorado. Long we searched the caves and crevices of the Rockies until at long last we found the ‘Cave of the Most Rick.’ Paying homage we approached Guru Rick and he granted us a single boon. I nodded to Buddy, he nodded back and then he asked Rick “Who is your God?”

With that all perceptions melted away and where once was Rick there now was Śivah with Shakti as one, in Mahamudra.

The vision exploded into pure light and just like that he was Rick again in missionary with a strange alien being.

Backing out of the cave we gave reverence and prostrations and thanked Guru Rick the whole while he berated us with countless profanities going on about wanting a little privacy.

From: The Lone Adventures of Buddy

Much can be said about the rise and fall of the Safari King, the world conquering avatar of Buddy, and his many adventures including his ironic addiction to joy. The Safari King atop his noble steed, The Brutal Moose, carved out a massive empire and ruled from horizon to horizon.

After many a battle and conquest and during his reign that followed the Safari King made more than a few bitter enemies. Enemies that want nothing more than to see the Safari King’s head on a platter (or a spike, or the floor, anywhere other than atop his neck.)

That said and as Buddy is still rather attached to his head, for a full accounting of these tales one should refer to the Oral Histories of the Safari King.

Namo

We, the Cosmiccomics, take refuge in the tri-sarana at Mahabodhi where we pay homage to the many Gurus we have learned from. The following are just a few of many:

Namo Guru: JRR Tolkien; Shinichirō Watanabe; Dan Harmon; Douglas Adams;; Alan Moore; Justin Roiland; Pendleton Ward; ; Duncan Trussell; Ivan Turgenev; Fyodor Dostoevsky; Brutalmoose (aka Ian Macleod.)

#TALES OF THE CROSSROADS

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When the bough breaks

INT: Underground military command bunker. Soldiers in futuristic combat garb and weapons.  

Camera pans across the room and slowly zooms in on GARDNER. He has a slightly puzzled look on his face as his eyes scan the room searching for familiarity.

CURAN storms in, spots and heads straight to GARDNER

CURAN: Fucking Zenos, Gardner!

GARDENER (slowly): What?

GARDNER has regained focus it reads on his face now

CURAN: It’s not natives, Gard. Zenos. We are under attack by fucking Zenos.

CURAN and GARDNER both turn to look at the only OFFICER in the room. The OFFICER visibly perplexed as he looks over battle plans and maps spread out over a table. He is mouthing something to himself.

GARDNER: What the fuck, sir?

OFFICER: We…We were sent to recon’. Zenos weren’t expected in this sector for another two lunars. Supplies are in route. Templars are in route … 

He looks up from the table at GARDNER

OFFICER: But were not prepared to fight Zenos. 

GARDNER: No shit. Not a one of us will live to see another day and that’s if were lucky.

GARDNER hand signals something to CURAN. CURAN nods his head in approval, he taps the two closest soldiers.

CURAN: You’re with me.

CURAN and two soldiers leave the bunker.

GARDNER (to the OFFICER): The best we can hope for, sir, is that we hold out long enough to destroy any intel we have in this bunker that includes what’s in our own…

As GARNDER speaks the OFFICER without hesitation draws his service pistol puts the barrel in his mouth and pulls the trigger. As the echo of the report dies down a noticeable silence engulfs the room with the exception of the distant boom of random explosions.

GARDNER (addressing the room): That puts me in charge. I need two volunteers to stay behind here to set scuttle charges.

Everyone in the room raises their hands.

As he speaks GARDNER begins tapping into a keypad and terminal embedded into his forearm. A countdown commences on the terminal.  

GARDNER: Nik, Carl. 

Hearing their names is all the command NIK and CARL need. They set to work.

GARDNER: The rest of you are with me. We will form the last defense and buy our boys here the five minutes they’ll need. I don’t have to remind anyone here that the last thing you want is to be taken alive. Bourtange formation. You know what to do.    

The room clears

EXT: Outside Underground command bunker. Combat is already underway. Screams pierce the inky blackness. GARDNER is kneeling in sling support position. He is firing discriminately. Each shot finds its mark. After several shots GARDNER looks at his forearm. The terminal reads 2:14 and counting down. Just then a loud explosion occurs behind him the scene goes black and silent.

Black screen. 

A distant ringing grows noticeably louder. The scene flickers from black to GARDNER as hey lays on the ground. GARDNER lifts his arm to read out the terminal. He stares instead at a mangled arm the keyboard and terminal are gone. He reaches without hesitation for his service pistol as he does so someone stands on his arm he turns to see a Zeno standing over him. The Zeno aims what looks like a weapon at GARDNER.  

GARDNER screams in pain   

CUT TO

INT: Modern day bedroom. In an instant a heavier softer looking GARDNER jolts up in bed he is noticeably sweaty he looks around the room and slowly sighs with familiarity. He rubs his forearm reassuringly. 

CLARA (from the bathroom): Have another bad dream, dear?

Gardner lives a normal life with his wife CLARA. He has an office job a handful of friends. He loves his life, it is the life he has always envisioned for himself. All is perfect except, every night since he can remember he has had eerily similar dreams where he’s a soldier battling an unrelenting alien foe on a foreign planet. He doesn’t always remember the details of his dreams when he wakes but the reoccurring dream of an explosion that concusses him and severs his arm always feels the most real. Whenever he speaks of his dreams to anyone he is at best dismissed often teased. 

Besides the dreams Gardner is plagued by phantom pains most prominently his right forearm as well as stabbing pain in his abdomen. He’s had these checked but Doctors tell him he is fine and that what he feels is in his head. He’s tried psychiatric help as well as medicine to escape his dreams to escape his phantom pains, nothing’s worked. Instead the pain grows steadily worse, the dreams ever more realistic. He starts to question who he is. Aspects of his life start to feel odd, he doesn’t remember much of his childhood but what he does remember seems from a different time and prelude to a much harder life. 

As the pain and dreams grow worse he feels like he is going steadily insane. He develops insomnia and life quickly becomes unbearable. Aspects of realty begin slipping into his waking dreams, aspects of his dreams slip into realty. 

Reality bleeds into the opening scene.

INT: Underground command bunker from beginning scene but with aspects of GARDNER’s home.   

Camera pans across the room and slowly zooms in on GARDNER. He has a slightly puzzled look on his face as his eyes scan the room searching for familiarity. The bunker contains aspects of his home life. His bedroom bathroom is connected to the bunker. We see CLARA brushing her hair in front of the bathroom mirror.    

CURAN storms in spots and heads straight to GARDNER

CURAN: Fucking Zenos, Gard!

CLARA (from the bathroom): Have another bad dream, dear?

CURAN: It’s not natives, Gard. Zenos. We are under attack by fucking Zenos.

CURAN and GARDNER both turn to look at the only OFFICER in the room. GARDENER looks past the OFFICER to CLARA. The OFFICER visibly perplexed as he looks over battle plans and maps spread out over GARDNER’s kitchen table. He is mouthing something to himself.

CURAN grabs GARDNER by the arm and escorts him toward the OFFICER

OFFICER: We were sent to recon’. Zenos weren’t expected in this sector for another two lunars. Supplies are in route. Templars are in route … 

He looks up from the table at GARDNER

OFFICER: Gardener I need you to tell me where the fleet is. How many squadron of Templars are there? 

GARDNER stares at the OFFICER and starts to rub his forearm. 

CURAN: Gard, are you ok? You should answer. How many squadrons of Templars are there?

CLARA (from the bathroom): Have another bad dream, dear?

  GARDNER reaches for his abdomen as if pained.

CURAN: How many squadrons of Templars are there?

OFFICER: Where is the fleet?

CLARA (from the bathroom): Where is the fleet, dear?

CURAN: Have another bad dream? 

GARDNER drops to his knees, the pain in his forearm and abdomen have grown unbearable. CURAN,CLARA and the OFFICER hound him with the same questions. GARDNER falls to his back and begins convulsing unbearably.     

CLARA (from the bathroom): Have another bad dream, dear?  

Cut to black

The distant thump of a heartbeat grows noticeably louder. The scene flickers from black to GARDNER as hey lays strapped into an alien but what is obviously a medical table. He is bare, covered in probes. Lacerated and without his right forearm, his abdomen is a maze of tubing serving as an artificial digestive system. He begins to struggle against his straps as realization sets in. He begins to hyperventilate he is on the verge of panic he turns to see a Zeno standing over him.

Fade to black

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Circuits: Intro and Episode 1

INTRO: 

This series takes inspiration from a few influences but it pays homage to one. Growing up I was a huge fan of James Burke’s “Connections” series and his show “The Day the Universe Changed.” The genius of Burke was the way he retold history as a series of intertwined and dependent discoveries and events. I would time and again be mesmerized by the revelation that vastly different occurrences in human history were indirectly related but it was even more fascinating to see how discoveries could change our collective perceptions of understating. 

I in no way can approximate the charm and genius of Burke I can only acknowledge his influence and carry on as he taught me… to explore history not as a direct linear path but as a  circuitous set of events. 

Every article will pick a person, an event, a discovery an invention and choose from a long list of other people, events, discoveries or inventions that make the first possible. We will do that again and again backwards and forward through human history.  

Thank you,  James Burke.      

Episode 1: Maxwell’s house

This episode was written  using my personal “smartphone”. The smartphone is a marvel made possible through the confluence of science, technology, engineering, math and art. The iPhone and other smartphones like it place immense computing power and immediate access to the repository of all human knowledge into the palm of our hands. With a connected smart phone in hand there is almost nothing you can’t look up within seconds, from the current weather in Edinburgh, Scotland – a Sunny 20 degrees celsius to the current federal debt of the United States updated by the second- over $26.7 trillion and counting as of this writing. 

To borrow loosely from Aladdin’s Genie, “Phenomenal cosmic powers [in an] itty bitty  space!”

You may be familiar with the history of the iPhone and how Apple was able to change forever the telecommunications business by introducing the first consumer friendly smartphone.  But before Apple’s iPhone cellular manufactures, also referred to as OEMs or Original Equipment Manufactures, marketed their devises directly to the Telecom Carriers. In many ways the carriers would dictate what features would go into a phone. What Apple did instead was target the end-user consumer and offered Cingular Wireless, later renamed  AT&T Mobility, exclusivity. Apple was able to command a “take it or leave it” set of terms and conditions retaining complete control over the design, manufacturing, and marketing of the iPhone. As part of that deal Apple was able to introduce WiFi into the cellular market when the first iPhone released in the US in June 2007.  

It’s not hard to imagine why the TeleComms were reluctant to bring to market a WiFi enabled phone. Up until then all data, including voice, had to traffic over the cellular network, controlled and tolled by the TeleComs. With WiFi a phone’s data could bypass the TeleCom metered cellular networks and access the internet directly through a personal wireless network. And Wi-Fi networks were increasingly made available at home, work and in public.       

What you may not realize is that WiFi is actually certified trademark owned by the WiFi alliance, a consortium of member and sponsor companies. The WiFi trademark applies to a set of international standards maintained by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a professional association that’s adopted the motto “Advancing Technology for Humanity.” Collectively the standards the Wi-Fi trademark represents are known as the IEEE 802.11. It is suffice to know that The 802.11 set of standards define specifications for implementing wireless local area networks, WLANs.                           

The very technology that makes it possible to connect a devise such as an iPhone to a Wi-Fi network is the same as which connects a cell phone to a cellular network.  

We barely even think about it but the antenna is probably the oldest and single most important technology that enables any smartphone. Look around you right now and try to identify all the antennas in your immediate presence. I would wager you miss more than a few. If you are near a newer iPhone there are at least two antennas in it alone. If you are near a modern computer it uses antennas to connect to both WiFi networks and Bluetooth devises. If you use a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard well guess what… And those are just the obvious ones. Even if you are hardwired to the internet the data you send and or receive at some point most likely was transmitted over the air using antennas.

Antenna’s work with radio transmitters and radio receivers to transmit and receive radio waves. To transmit an antenna simply converts electric power into radio waves and reverses that process to receive. The first known Antenna was built by the German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1888. Hertz would change forever our understanding of the universe as his work with antennas would prove the existence of electromagnetic waves of which light itself as well as radio waves are a type of.      

We will come back to electromagnetic waves shortly but for now, to understand radio waves it is important to understand the concept of a wave. Waves are oscillations or repetitions over time that transfer energy through space or mass. There are several features of a wave but for our discussion it is suffice to know that a wave is a series of crests and troughs. The crest being the highest point of a wave while the trough is its lowest. A waves frequency is the number of crests or troughs that pass a point during a set interval of time. Drop a stone in to water, the top of the ripples are the crest, the lowest point between the ripples are the trough, how quickly the waves are traveling outward are the frequency.  

Radio waves travel at the speed of light at frequencies from 300 GHz to 3 kHz with wavelengths ranging from 1 millimeter or about (0.04 of an inch) up to 100 kilometers (or 62 miles). As you can probably guess the “hertz” in Gigahertz and Kilohertz is a unit of measure named in honor of our friend Heinrich Hertz. A hertz refers to a cycle per second, so a gigahertz is one million hertz per second and a kilohertz would be one thousand cycles per second.     

Imagine a ripple of water not even and inch high now imagine a wave 62 miles high and you begin to realize the range of spectrum that constitute radio waves. But unlike waves of water which travel through mass radio waves travel through space at the speed of light, an important facet of radio waves if for example you are on a ship and want to communicate with other ships or with the shore without dragging cables as you crisscross the ocean. 

So it was that on the night of April 15, 1912 the RMS Carpathia was crossing the Atlantic having set sail from New York on her way to Austria-Hungry. Onboard the Carpathia was Harold Cottam who was serving as the ship’s wireless operator, a relatively new job function in the shipping industry.   

At the time, wireless operators communicated using Morse Code. Morse Code simply codes  the individual letters of the alphabet as well as the first 10 decimal numbers  into a series of dots and dashes that could be readily sent over telegraph and eventually wireless telegraphy. For example the letter “S” was represented by three dots (…). The letter “O” was three dashes (—). The repeating sequence of thee dots, three dashes and again three dots constituted “SOS” which in 1906 was codified as the international signal for distress.          

Morse Code was developed by Samuel Morse an American painter of some renown who in 1811 gained admittance into the Royal Academy. While on commission in Washington, DC Morse received a message from his father delivered by a messenger on horseback. The message essentially informed Morse that his wife was recovering from an illness. The very next day a second messenger arrived to inform Morse of his wife’s sudden death. Leaving immediately Morse would not get home to New Haven, Connecticut until after his wife’s burial. Those events would lead Morse to explore means of faster long distance communications.           

Morse would go on to develop Morse Code and the pairing of Morse Code and telegraphy allowed for immediate communications over vast distances. Even with wireless telegraphy ship-to-ship communications sometimes relied on third parties to relay messages over immense distances but considering that ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications historically relied on line-of-sight and to some extent sound you can realize how revolutionary wireless communications was. 

That brings us back to Cottam, it was a morse code message he received broadcast from Cape Race, Newfoundland the night of April 15, 1912. The message asked him to further relay a set of messages to the RMS Titanic. At the time, Titanic was herself steaming east in the North Atlantic toward New York having set sail from Southampton, UK on her maiden voyage. Cottam contacted the Titanic but received back an unexpected reply. The Titanic replied with a repeating three dots, three dashes, three dots. Titanic was sending an SOS message. 

Onboard the Titanic were two wireless operators, Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, neither of whom were employees of White Star Line the shipping company that owned the Titanic. Instead both Philips and Bride were employees of the Marconi International Marine Communication Company. 

Though it was Cottam that received the Titanic’s SOS and it was he who rose his captain from sleep so that the crew of the Carpathia could pluck from the ocean over 700 of Titanic’s passengers, rescuing them from certain death it was Guglielmo Marconi who was given the credit. In the words of the British  postmaster-general at the time  “Those who have been saved, have been saved through one man, Mr. Marconi…and his marvelous invention.” An interesting side note, Marconi was actually offered free passage aboard the Titanic but fortunately for him he choose to sail across a few days earlier aboard RMS Lusitania… Yes, that Lusitania. 

So what was Marconi’s marvelous invention the post master general alluded too? Nothing other than the wireless telegraph also called the radio telegraph or simply the radio.

Born in Italy April 25, 1874  Marconi would eventually win the the Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions toward the development of wireless telegraphy. Marconi would pick up on the works of our old friend Heinrich Hertz and make viable commercial radio by developing what is considered the first practical radio receiver and transmitter. 

You remember Hertz, right? The inventor of the antenna and the one to prove the existence of  electromagnetic waves? We keep circling back to Hertz and it may seem he is the focus of this article but where Hertz may have proven the existence of electromagnetic waves it was the a man of understated genius that predicted them. 

And who is this hero of the day? Someone you very well may not have even heard of but who’s achievements make possible our modern world. A person who’s contribution’s are as important as those of Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein when it comes to our current understanding of the universe and how it works. 

It would be all but impossible to overstate the achievements of James Clerk Maxwell. 

His contributions are many and immense that it is hard to choose where even to begin when discussing Maxwell and so I think we shall start with some of his poetry…

“An inextensible heavy chain

Lies on a smooth horizontal plane,

An impulsive force is applied at A,

Required the initial motion of K.”

Those are the first few stanzas of Maxwell’s poem “A Problem In Dynamics.” A poem about the laws of thermodynamics. Hard not to love this guy.  

The Man Who Changed Everything: The Life of James Clerk Maxwell
by Basil Mahon
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Tales of the Crossroads: The coming of Old Guy

Excerpt of an excerpt from Old Guy’s Compositions:

“‘A lost wanderer without a map, I tended to my Earthly duties all the while with realization that it was all for naught. For while in self- reflective meditation and having unwrapped ego, like one would a mummy, I found only more wrapping and eventually no mummy. “What need of anything has a mummy? What needs has a no-mummy mummy?”

Seeing my incarnation as it truly was, zombie-like I rose realizing carnal cravings as ultimately unfulfilling. Rotting flesh consuming rotting flesh but with nourishing mind, “Carry on carrion but know, only illuminous light can abate this appetite.”

The gaze of the opening mind’s-eye burst into flame all perceived things. Burning all. All was burning. Burning to the very threads of all conditioning. Amidst the conflagration of annihilation many voices cried out for help. Save one, the voice of a child. “Oh pardon me. Humpf” he said as he made his way to the front of those tortured souls.

“Oh pardon me. Humpf.” Having parted that burning sea, he sat lotus-like before me. OM MANI PADME HUM said he and all was at ease. Enheartened the host departed having heard the message from the enlightening mind of the cosmic child.
A bright-light overexposed all things until only light remained, the voice was in me.

Listening to that long suppressed voice of my inner child, no longer oppressed it sang praises of childlike fascination and wonder and pure love, without hate nor greed nor illusion. And so, as I child I wandered the woods and as a child I saw things anew.

“Like a child of the woods, free. Free to see the trees for the trees, the one in you and the one in me.”

Learning spells I discovered mystic gateways, magic portals to many a realm of Dakas and Dakanis, God’s and Goddess benevolent and wrathful. The many faces of the Goddess.

The saffron veiled key-bearer to the World said, “The messenger is the message and the message is that of salvation of all you love”

What joy. What bliss. Happy and free I came to the Crossroads of the Styx to develop equanimous lovingkindness of enlightening mind with hopes of providing solace to new and old friends alike.

And together we danced, singing praises of the many faces of one.‘“

Namo Gurubhya, Buddhāya, Dharmāya, Sanghāya

#TALES OF THE CROSSROADS

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The War of Ascension

“The growth of power and the fear it inspired made war all but inevitable” H.H Secundus

“The War of Ascension”

From: Preliminaries of the Farsees

The account at the beginning…

Having suppressed expansion of the Zi’anian Empire the alliance between the Ri’cilian Coalition and the Ced’a-meon League were destined to dissolve.

However, the Zi’anian defeat left E’ricle’s fleet unmatched and with extraordinary control over interplanetary commerce and E’ricle wielded it’s power as head of the Coalition to extend its hegemony over the Phateon system. Ced’a-meon’s army unsurpassed in size, fighting skill and ferocity face diminishing influence as does The League.  

Fearing the unchecked imperial ambitions of E’ricle through the Ri’cilian Coalition  the Ced’a-meon League, made up of determinedly independent oligarchies, prepare to once more check empire’s reach.

Phateon States

Zi’an: Inhabited planet closest to Phateon. History of the first age, The Technocratic (Automocratic) Age, has been mostly lost but Zi’an is thought to be the first planet to give rise to sentient life in the Phateon system. Zi’an’s achieved space travel and later with the help of Artificial Intelligence colonized the other inner planets and their natural satellites. The Technocratic Age ended centuries ago with the Fall of the Corpacracies and the Technocratic War. Historical and scientific knowledge was lost during The Purge that concluded the war. Following the “Tech War”, Zi’an was the first to reunite under a common though tyrannical government. Free from planetary war Zi’an built an inter-planetary fleet and invaded E’ricle. This invasion led to the forming of The Alliance between The Coalition and The League. The Alliance defeated Zi’an  and destroyed their fleet, so ending the Zi’anian War. No longer unified, civil war soon returned to Zi’an.

E’ricle: The only planet in the system to be ruled by a fully democratic planetary government. E’ricle is a planet of mostly water and this has influenced strongly the Ri’cilian culture a culture which places prominence on commerce and naval strength. With the rise of interplanetary commerce E’ricle invested heavily in a mercantile and combative space fleet. During The Zi’anian War The Alliance relied heavily on E’ricle’s fleet to transport and deploy Ced’a-meon fighters against Zi’an. Following the war E’ricle investments in its fleet accelerated to include new ships, a space dock and several space elevators. Ri’cilian society values culture and education, it’s elite are prone to excess.       

Ced’a-meon: A planet wide oligarchy controlled by a handful of strong royal families. Ced’-a-meon culture is one of war and hero worship. Every male citizen of age is expected to be a warrior in the service of their regent family. Every female is expected to give birth to an established quota, per her caste, of males. From birth coming of age training and rituals serve only to weed out the weak and give rise to strong citizen soldiers of the state. Planetary conditions are harsh further ensuring physical strength.  Since forming the oligarchy, during time of peace armies are kept at the ready by arranged battles between armies of the royal families. These events are broadcast planet-wide and are used by the royals to settle disputes or establish position in the government and its councils. Ced’a-meon law is harsh and unforgiving and luxuries even among the ruling classes are virtually unheard of.  

Other Influential States:

Metamorphia: Smallest of the inhabited natural satellites of Ced’a-meon. Metamorphia is a neutral state and the first natural satellite to be unified, it is also the only theocratic state in the system. Metamorphic beliefs include the coming of the Paragon (sometimes called the Supreme Intellect). The church keeps detailed historic and genealogical records of all the Phateon humanoid races in the belief that they will be able to decipher the Paragon’s arrival. There are several Metamorphian sects each led by an Oversee, growing in influence the Vidians believe the supreme intellect can only be an AI and they view The Technocratic War as a travesty of history.    

Arc’ania: A natural satellite to Ced’a-men. The two independent states of Arc’ania are both members of The League. The civilized inhabitants of Arc’ania live in large enclosed cities cut off from the natural surroundings of the planet. The forests of Arc’ania are home to a large but unknown number of primitive humanoids who are continually in a state of undeclared war against the city dwellers of Arc’ania. Larger and stronger than the city dwellers of Arc’ania these so called primitives are masters of guerilla warfare. Besides the primitives, Arc’ania is home to several large predatory species. Any city dweller found outside their city walls are considered all but dead. 

Other Non-united planets:

Lis’inth: A natural satellite to Ced’a-meon and covered largely by water with  two continents. Each continent is an independent state. Like E’ricle, Elean and Peleios have strong nautical traditions and are said to have planetary navigation skills only surpassed by the Ri’cilians. 

Lis’inth (Elean) : Elean missile and torpedo designs are without equal. Elean is memeber of The League    

Lis’inth (Peleios): Until recently independent. At war with it’s co-inhabitants of Lis’inth, Elean, Peleios has asked for help from the Coalition. Tough Elean is in the League, until recently the League has refrained from involvement as it believes that planetary unification is inevitable but it must come from the actions of the inhabitants without outside aid.  

Carnas: A natural satellite to Er’icle. The three independent states of Carnas are all members of The Coalition. Rich in industrial elements including rare metals Carnas is highly industrialized. Manufacturing and mining have made Carna the most polluted planet in the Phateon System.  Most Carnian companies are subsidiries to Ric’illian conglomerates.  

Planetary Law:

As agreed to by the charters of the Alliance and retained in The Dissolution Treaty: 

Except for terrestrial territories and corresponding airspace, a unified planet can claim sovereignty over spherical space extending up to the furthest reaching Lagrangian Point of any of its natural satellites. 

Natural satellites can claim sovereignty extending up until the lowest extent required for short-term stable orbit of their planetoid.   

Metamorphia can claim sovereignty over spherical space extending up to it’s first and second Lagrangian Points in the Ce’dameon-Metamorphia System.    

Main Industries:

Zi’an: Renowned for their textiles they export finished garments ranging from fashion to combat space suits   

E’ricle: Primarily exports commodities that pertain to aquaculture. Primary exported services: Shipwrights. Export of non-renewable natural resources is banned.

Ced’a-meon:  Primarily export commodities pertain to agriculture. Primary exported services: Mercenary. Export of military technology is banned.

Metamorphia: Self sustaining. Primary exported services pertain to medicine and education. With few exceptions it is illegal to physically take data storage devices including books off planet.        

Ced’a-meon caste (bottom-up)

1. Citizen Soldiers :

a. . Reserve: Any Citizen Soldier male aged 3-16.   

b. Guard: Labor force and part-time soldier

c. Soldier of rank

2. Citizen Mother (Citizens Mothers are born into the caste of their father and inherit assets not title. Titles go to next surviving male heir)

3. Respectables

4. Lords

5. Royal Family 

Ced’a-meon culture

Ced’a-meon reserve units are banned from grooming their hair including their beards. Upon graduating from the Reserves candidates are shaved bare. 

Soldiers of rank can grow their hair to shoulder length at most until granted squad command and rank of Sergeant. Upon reaching Sergeant, Soldiers of Rank continue to grow their hair until defeated in combat at which point they join the ranks of the Guard. Soldiers of Rank are allowed to wear their beards as they please and often become associated with their beard style.  

Reserves that graduate but fail to qualify for Soldier of Rank become Guards. Guards can grow their hair no longer than shoulder length. With the exception of Reserves- when in combat garb, hair must be tightly bound regardless of rank.   

The highest rank attainable is that of Strategos of which there are three levels (Strategos, Strategos Superior, Strategos Prime – there is only one Prime ). Strategos of renown are often offered lordship but many decline preferring the ranks of Citizen Soldier.    

Citizen Soldiers can claim for a period of twelve months any Citizen Mother (up to alloted by rank) of or below his caste and must prove pregnancy within three months or relinquish his claim. Citizen Soldiers must cede their claim to higher rank.           

Citizen Mother’s are raised to be consorts and are trained in the art of seduction and carnal pleasures. If a Citizen Mother goes unclaimed for a period defined by her caste or is relinquished three times for failure to bear she will fall into the next lowest caste.   

Upon achieving certain milestones established for their highest attained caste a Citizen Soldier and Citizen mother can retire into their castes’ “Respectables” class with pension. A Respectable Citizen Mother cannot be claimed without her consent.   

Though virtually unheard off, both Citizen Soldiers and Citizen Mothers can at anytime forfeit their caste rank downward until Guard.    

Breeding of Lords and the Royal Family is strictly regulated by the Royal Family and Resident Elder. Male Lords and Royals must also join in the Reserve until the age of ten at which point they become Rangers. Rangers must survive alone in the wild until 15.   

In battle a Lord can trump the commands of his Army’s highest Citizen Soldier regardless of his rank. A Royal can always trump a Lord. Though permissible it is rare that the orders of a Strategos are trumped by the ruling class. The few historical instances where a Strategos had been trumped ended in catastrophic military defeat.        

Metamorphic organization (top-down) 

The ArchOversee

Overseers (such as The Vidian Order Oversee) 

Elders:   

The Ascetics: 

The Assembly 

Metamorphic culture:    

The ArchOversee is an Elder elected for life by the Order of Overseers. Elevation of an Elder to ArchOversee takes many years. The ArchOversee is the only one who has complete insight into the governance of all sects. Sects are run by an Oversee. In the past sects have undermined each other but only at the discretion of the ArchOversee as all means justify the coming of the Paragon. 

According to Metamorphic beliefs The Paragon sometimes called the first supreme intellect will unify the Phateon races and usher in a new age of everlasting life and interstellar space travel bringing into the fold yet to be discovered but prophesied alien races from distant star systems.    

The varied governments seek council from Metamorphic Elders. In exchange for this valued council each government must pay an annual tribute as well as provide an annual quota of young untainted minds for joining into The Assembly.

 The Assembly are the Metamorphic masses. They are trained in the accepted arts and sciences from an early age and expected to become unsurpassed medics or educators. These services are exported on a rotation basis in exchange for more young converts. 

Every year during The Choosing, select pubescent members of The Assembly are separated and drafted into an Ascetic order. The Sisterhood will draft select born males into their order, converting them into an androgyne as part of a secret ritual known only as The Mysteries, thereby accepting them into the order. One can never leave an order except in death. An Ascetic is considered a specialized Elder.      

There are five Ascetic sects each governed by an Oversee there is also an Oversee to The Assembly. 

The Elders are purveyors of the sacrament and perform the sacred rituals. Each is charged with a congregation from The Assembly. Off world Elders serving as counsel for a fixed period of time  are charged with the congregation on the planet of their residence for the duration of their appointment.     

Sects of the Ascetics

The Vidians: Believe that the Paragon can be nothing other than an AI. Advocates of technology and secretly study computer sciences in the hopes of constructing an AI 

The Sisters:  Believe in reincarnation and that the vessel of the Paragon is always among us but must be found and filled. They are suspected of child abductions. 

The Izlar: Trained killers that believe the will of the higher order necessitates subtle intervention in human affairs. As tools of this will, they believe, their actions will set in order the conditions needed for the Paragon’s arrival. Specialist in espionage and assassination.     

The Aristos: Believe that the Paragon is hereditary title and that he will be born of royal blood to a house unknown. Because of this Royal Houses prefer their planet’s Elders come from this sect.

The Farsees: Guardians of the Oracles, the Farsees are respected for the prophetic abilities. They never leave Metamorphia and rarely leave the Oracles

E’ricle culture

Though its Army is much smaller E’ricle warriors are second only to Ced’a-meon’s. Their space fleet and surface Navy however are without peers. Made up of merchant ships of various classes capable of trading goods between E’ricle and all the inhabited planets within the system. E’rcile merchant fleet also facilitates trade between the Phateon states for a percentage of the transaction both ways. 

Along with it’s planetary merchant fleet, E’ricle maintains two planetary battle groups which alternate between deep orbit on the ready for deployment and space dock for replenishment, repairs and crew swap out.

Crews alternate between the space fleets and the very powerful surface fleets. Time of rotation is 1 to 3 in favor of surface fleet assignment in order to keep crews from succombing to the adverse effects of living for extended periods of time in zero gravity.   

Built in space the ships of the planetary battle groups are not designed and cannot survive atmospheric entry and must stay in orbit though they carry craft capable of planetary landing and troop deployment. Along with it’s planetary battle group E’ricle maintains a numerous launch vehicles ranging from one-time rockets to reusable spaceplanes. 

E’ricle’s shipwrights are highly coveted by other states and are allowed to consult but are not allowed to divulge current technology.         

Though a democracy both the Admiralty and Defense Industries of E’ricle command enormous political clout.

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Tales of the Crossroads: Bards of the BarDo

Arriving

At a place we called Mahabodhi at a crossroad near Oooo was established a Mission, after having paid homage to the Gods and upon praying for the salvation of all. Carrying two copper coin for the going.
We sang and we danced on the banks of the Styx.

Singing praises of the Goddess in her many form for her love and grace. From her we are born and so no more need forlorn.

We were the grateful dead for the dead can dance and so we did in decadence.

Staying

Betwixt the Space Capsule and the Time Boat and Pleasure “Pavilion” we built an hearth and an alter in the form of a compass. The alter we placed at The Crossroads a meeting of Past, Future, and Now, the junction of There, There and Here.
The Hearth we kept lit and prayed it gave warmth and light to the passing souls we would meet at the Crossroads of the BarDo.

Attending to our duties, let them find us thus, paying homage to the Gods and praying for the salvation of all. Happy. Free. With intent to help Shepard in the BarDo and with desire to develop Perfect Renunciation, Perfect Loving Kindness and Bodhichitta , Perfect Ecstatic Blissful Wisdom.

Here follows Tales of the Crossroads. including the fabled famously fable fabling of the fable “Uddha and Xander on the road to Arayuddha and of their tales of meeting Ammara.”

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#TALES OF THE CROSSROADS