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A divine Tale

                           by: J.A.Strickland

Throughout the ages mortals have delighted in telling one another  
tales, with each tale being different and charming in it's own 
right.  Tales ranging from epic adventures across lands and sea’s 
uncharted by mankind, unexplored alien worlds with cunning and deadly 
inhabitants that can appear friendly and harmless but may secretly 
seek the delight and taste of human flesh. To the more simplistic 
tales that may or may not involve everyday streets and house’s being 
used as a backdrop to there settings.  Tales involving quick thinking 
minds, with twists and turns where beggar can become king and fool 
can turn to wiseman. 
  These are but a few examples of the flexibility and change from 
yarn to yarn, but mostly there is one thing that they do share in 
common.  And that is a moral.
  Surprisingly Gods on the other hand differ from mortals, believing 
that there superior minds hold the answers to all questions and that 
a tale told is but a story, with any meaning and lesson that is meant 
to be learned in it's telling, to them, a complete waste of time. 
  So a tale told amongst Gods is a very rare thing indeed.  However 
the tale of Seglaman the snow God is meant as a lesson.  And the 
reason it is remembered and told is as a warning to an up and coming 
young God who has been assigned a new (run-of-the-mill) world to rule 
over.  Whom just might get itchy feet, or even simply become jealous 
that some of the older more experienced Gods are worshipped on more 
than the one world.
  If this is the case then the tale should serve as a reminder, and 
with a bit of luck the God will hopefully not make the same mistake 
as Seglaman.

              The Sorry Tale of The Snow God Seglaman 

The perfectly flat plain flowed for mile after mile, covered in a 
thick cold sea of purest snow.  Occasionally vegetation peeped 
through adding dots of colour to the blinding white landscape.
  After surveying his surroundings the ice God Seglaman breathed a 
frosty sigh of relief.  It felt good to stand once more on the world
he had left behind in search of others. 
  For the last four thousand years he had travelled to seven other 
worlds.  Worlds without Gods, that you'd think would surely crave a 
deity such as he.  Planets that where hostile and heathen in culture, 
ferocious and ignorant in thought and creation.  Planets that had 
lacked the beauty and the belief that the Gods power could so easily 
provide.
  True, the beauty that Seglaman would bring would be a biased 
beauty.  With massive ice storms and permanent snowfall, ferocious 
winter beasts that would help keep the population in check and 
dispose of any who rebelled against Seglaman's laws.
  In return though, Seglaman like all good Gods would give them 
gifts and food.  In his case an unlimited supply of fish would swim 
in the frozen sea's and lakes. Rabbits and seals would  provide his 
people meat and specially selected vegetables (mainly brussel-sprouts, winter carrots and winter cabbage) would litter the lands all around.
  But on each planet Seglaman was limited.  For unlike the planet 
Seglaman had been given to rule over these planets he now sought to 
conquer where not ice planets like Mazzzula, these planets where only 
partially frozen, or frozen in different places at different times of 
the worlds year.
  Although this did not limit Seglaman's mystical powers it did limit 
the places he and his twenty four thousand snow warriors could travel 
too.  And in the places that Seglaman could not reach, people would 
still live.  These people would ignore Seglaman’s reign, instead 
preferring to live off lands unfrozen where children could be raised 
under the imagery of false gods, thus allowing minds to grow and 
technology to develop.  And as Seglaman and his twenty four thousand 
snow warriors where unable to travel to the warmer climes of these 
planets he was completely unable to lift one gigantic snow fist to 
prevent the inevitable from happening.
  And as technology progressed and the imaginary Gods became more 
divine in the minds of the unholy, war would eventually be called 
against Seglaman. 
  And the mortals that worshipped the lies could be beaton back to 
there lands only for them to return years (sometimes centuries) 
later, equipped with better weapons and better strategies for 
defeating Seglaman, his snow warriors and the people who gave him 
worship.  And although an eight foot high snow warrior is immune 
to practically all barbaric weaponry, time would create new weapons, 
weapons that the barbarians could use to defeat the God's mighty 
army with.  And Seglaman would have no other choice but to flee the 
world and leave the mortals (who where unable to fly to other planets 
like the God and his snow warriors) and try once more on a new world 
to convert it's people to the worship of a true God. 
  But history had an uncanny habit of repeating itself and a new 
planet had to be sought out as the snow God continued in vain on his 
holiest of quests.  Until eventually Seglaman's powers began to wane 
and he had no other choice but to fly back to his beloved Mazzzula 
where he could rest, recharge his powers, and mend the ego that had 
been dashed by seven consecutive worlds.
  To Seglaman, Mazzzula hadn't changed one little bit.  Looking 
across the snow covered plain he could just about spot the great city 
of Mooog.  And it was in that direction he now headed.
  On his way, Seglaman rebuilt some of the snow warriors that he'd 
lost on the other worlds.  Indeed on the very last world (a 
particularly nasty and godless planet called earth) the slaughter of 
his flock had been so great he'd been reduced to a mere thirty six 
snow warriors.  However, by the time he'd got within spitting* 
distance of Mooog (*This being still some distance as Seglaman's 
frost spit was a remarkable thing indeed, resembling a two foot long 
icicle that could travel similar distances to a spear thrown 
by the strong arm of a soldier from the eleven tribes of Lokuuupfol 
(a Lokuuupfol soldier being renowned for the distances achieved in 
there spear-chucking exploits)(Though it would be much more accurate 
and deadly.) he'd rebuilt twelve more of his white monstrosities.
  The city had changed little in the four-thousand years he had been
away.  If anything it was a little smaller than what he'd remembered, 
and the houses where now built with rock instead of snow.  This 
though was but minor detail and Seglaman was pleased when he noticed 
a crowd gathering at the cities borders, watching as he and his 
warriors approached.  He noticed the crude snow statues that stood in 
many of the Mooogarian gardens and he cried great snowflakes at the 
thought that after so many generations the people had not forgotten 
there God.
  The snow God was however wrong.  The people of Mooog did not 
remember him at all, and in there hands they held weapons to greet 
Seglaman.  And before Seglaman had time to announce his long awaited 
return, the people of Mooog attacked.
  Mainly they fought with primitive weapons such as axes or clubs, 
but some of the populace carried a more advanced weapon, a weapon he 
had encountered before.  It had also come into existence on the seven 
planets he had sought to rule over, being used ineffectively against 
him and his snow warriors on many an occasion.  On each of the seven 
worlds it bore a name and each name he knew well.  On the world of 
Klop it was called a "Zagnifop", on the world of Miminch it was a 
"phut-phut", on the world of Gawiuj a "kneegok", a "rols" on the 
world of Fangralon, on the world called earth it was called a "gun", 
on the world of Josofogohorotowoso a "-o-o", and finally on the world 
of !@#$%^&* a "**2*".
  On seeing the weapon Seglaman became afraid.  He knew that if such 
a weapon had been created then surly too the other weapon, the weapon 
that had become Seglaman's very nemisis had evolved as well.  But 
then Seglaman remembered that he stood against the citizens of Mooog. 
Greatest of the cities and mightiest in the world of Mazzzula.  If the
might of Mooog did not possess such a weapon to fight him with then 
there was no doubt whatsoever that such a weapon had not been created 
at all.  And as Seglaman watched the people of Mooog as they 
harmlessly hacked, pounded, and slashed at him and his snow warriors, 
he grew mad.
  And madness turned to white cold rage as he realised the snow 
sculptures he'd at first perceived to be in his honour had been 
defiled with obscene vegetables and dirty black rocks.  He wrongly 
assumed that these had been made as an insult to him.  Wrongly 
thought they had been made by malicious and ungrateful hands, instead 
of by the hands of mere children playing in the snow.  Wrongly 
thought that the humans who now attacked him where black of heart and 
evil in thought, as a command was given by Seglaman for the snow 
warriors to fight back, meeting axe's and clubs with monstrous body 
breaking snow fists. 
  The terrified people did not stand a chance.  And even there best 
weapon, the weapon that spewed out supersonic chunks of metal proved 
useless against the solid snow bodies of Seglaman and his warriors.
  The humans did fight bravely but victory for Seglaman was 
inevitable.  And in the end forty seven mortals lost there lives as 
Seglaman and his mini-army, looking more terrifying than ever to the 
remaining humans (with patches of blood from the dead or dying 
soaking into there snow white skin) stood proud and tall around the 
bodies of the mortal slain.
  And seeing that they fought a futile battle, they quickly 
surrendered to Seglaman, throwing themselves to there knees and 
begging the snow God for mercy.  And with victory his, Seglaman 
raised his great white face up to his white heavens and roared in 
triumph.  For Seglaman knew that word would spread fast across the 
lands of Mazzzula, of the defeat of Mooog, greatest of all cities.  
And undoubtedly this would have every mortal on the planet terrified 
of him.  He also knew that once he had rebuilt his army not a human 
on the planet would dare raise a finger against him.  Soon, very soon, 
would times be as they had some four thousand years before.
  Seglaman decided to give the citizens of Mooog instructions.  He
ordered that they build him places of worship, provide him gifts and 
sacrifice, but most of all he ordered that they worshipped him.  Of 
course they had no other choice but to agree, fearing being ripped apart by the God and his minions, but asked for Seglaman to give them time to build him these magnificent temples of worship.  Time to rip down there old temples.  Temples they had built for a false God that 
Seglaman told lived only in there tiny imaginations.
  Seglaman (who needed time to build his snow warriors) agreed to 
there requests, saying he'd return at the end of the month.  He 
warned those who knelt down (shaking in front of his terrible form) 
that he'd show no mercy if the temples and the gifts received on his 
dreaded return did not meet his personnel standards.  And before he 
and his snow warriors stomped off he bellowed out in a roar that 
could uproot a small forest that his standards where very high indeed.
  But Seglaman had made a mistake, for no longer was the city of Mooog
the greatest the world of Mazzzula had ever witnessed.  Nor was it 
indeed a city at all.  You see, in the time Seglaman had been away 
other cities (greater cities) had been formed.  Cities that did not 
consist of hundreds or even thousands for a population, but millions. 
In’fact millions upon millions upon millions where the new cities 
numbers.  Cities where technology had grown and flourished throughout 
times wake.
  As for mighty Mooog, it and it's few hundred or so inhabitants 
where now looked upon as a small fishing village, a place that Times 
long fingers had reached, but, only with the faintest of touches.  
 And it was this faintest of touches that would prove the downfall of 
Seglaman.
  If only Seglaman had flown across the white lands of Mazzzula, 
exploring it's landscape, seeing how man had divided and conquered 
it's (once thought of) unhospitible regions.  He would have seen the 
many and magnificent metropolisis, with there towering buildings and 
oxygen eating factories that spewed out vast clouds of black oily 
smoke.  He might well have seen how the once pure white snow that he 
loved so much could be turned a dark putrid colour as the blackness 
from the factories fell upon it.  And if he where to look really 
close he might just spot some of the ingenious creations these 
factories conjured up.  Objects of mechanical genius, requiring 
precision design and expertise manufacturing.  Objects with many 
forms and use, such as vehicles for land, sea and air, and weapons of 
mass destruction.  
 He'd have also seen how the beasts of the lands, that had served him so well in the past where now extinct or on the verge of extinction.  Indeed, the most impressive of these, the ferocious and carnivorous sabertooth tigers, the thundering herds of mammoths and the gigantic blood thirsty cave bears, had all been completely wiped out centuries ago.  As for the others, the wolves, the whales, the giant eagles and the sabertoothed penguins etc..etc, now only existed in sad neglected zoo’s.
  Unfortunately though, Seglaman did not.  Weather this be because 
his powers had grown too weak or he just could'nt be bothered, no one 
will ever know.  What is known though is how the people of Mooog 
(using a  technology that had come into existence a mere hundred 
years before, created by the legendary inventor A.G.Beeell) got in 
contact with a city that lay a mere twenty five leagues from them.  A 
city that on hearing of the horrors of the evil and murderous snow 
devils, sent out an army of armed men.  An army set on hunting out 
Seglaman, finding him and his warriors (now numbering eight hundred 
and ninety two) settled on the snow plain Glipppomb where a titanic 
and muddy battle was fought.
  And although the snow warriors fought bravely, they where no match 
for the army who to the dismay of the snow God fought with the weapon 
he had most come to fear.  A weapon that at some point throughout a 
civilisations history (probably created faster if indeed the said 
world is being threatened by monstrous snow built warriors), and 
given enough time for it's creation will certainly come into 
existence.  A weapon that Seglaman knew to have at least seven other 
names.  And each name he hated with the same abandon as the next.
  "O-o-o-" on the planet of Josofogohorotowoso, "midsigna" on 
Fangralon, "jusfjo" on Klop, on miminch a "woot-woot-noooo", a "**9*" 
on !@#$%^&*, a "puyjan" on the world of Gawiuj, and on the planet 
known as earth, the planet that Seglaman recently had fled after
experiencing his greatest loss the weapon was called a "flame 
thrower".
  Nobody knows the exact reason why Seglaman did not flee the army.  
Some say it was because he had grown to weak over the four millennia, 
wandering from planet to planet.  Others say that Seglaman had grown 
sick of running or perhaps just plainly refused to be thrown out from 
the world he had once ruled so nonchalantly.  Who knows the true 
reason but the Gods themselves......and I'm not telling.
  What I will say is that the army killed him long before all his 
snow warriors where destroyed, easily picking out Seglaman who had 
created his form in the same shape as one of the warriors, but 
making himself twice the height and an easy target for a well trained 
soldier who has been given strct instruction to seek out and destroy all leaders.  A well known tactic, and one that will crush the moral in 
an opposing force. 
  This was not quite the case though for the snow warriors, as the snow warriors where mindless entities, given movement and instruction by the Gods very powers. So as Seglaman died, the warriors who still fought ceased to function and it is said that to this day over three hundred eight foot high snowmen still stand statuesque on the plain of Glipppomb.
    

                              THE END