Founding of an Empire: Ophion Mythology

Purpose
To understand the home of the raccoons, one must know the foundation story they built their lives around.

Publication Status
The Royal Planetic Society of Bildung of Letters - Class: Preliminary and Sensitive

Background
The mythology's author or authors is unknown. Primary sources are scarce. However, the raccoons do not care. "It's a good story, nonetheless."

Type

 * Study, Scientific

Location

 * Tiber

Authors

 * Sir Bartholomew Belton Barlow - Note: Rather than landing in Anastasius, The Dignitar requested Virgin Galactic to land north in a small fishing village called Leto. Local inhabits believe Leto is Marius' birthplace. On arrival, one of the The Dignitar's emissaries invited me on a sizable marine ship with sails waiving like washing lines of linen, a robust blue and black hull, and a dark, warm deck. The emissary's mission was to relay the myth to me as we sailed to Anastasius, as is their custom when visitors of note visit the first time. I was given a necklace with an amulet showing a sailor knot comprised of multiple ropes - file symbol under religious iconography.

= Founding of an Empire: Ophion Mythology = During Nights of The Lone Veil, Sister and Brother danced. Sister’s happiness gave moon its light and Brother’s will its direction. Every night, a blazing moon sent twin-kits dancing. The merrymaking caught the attention of others. Creatures capered out of mountains, sands, and grasslands to join. A ballroom made whole and joyful.

But then all of them soon about-faced, for trappers far away saw a glint and became hungry. The Agere came and transformed the night’s melody. Tiber’s creatures could did not dance like before. Some joined Agere’s dance as best as the could while others scurried back to where they came from. The twin-kits did not leave. They’re already home.

Agere built The Gates and more of them arrived.

Some twin-kits resisted but got culled. A light was snuffed.

Twin-Kits did Agere’s doing for many nights. Out to sea, the Agere made merry during a night until a twin-kit named Marius brought them the wrong drink. Enrage, a trapper used magick to throw him off the big boat and deep into the water.

There Marius waited to die but two big, ancient sharks appeared. The sharks put Marius in a bubble and talked.

“Marius, we are the bones of this world. Agere hurts us. The water and air is changing. They pick at mountains’ back.”

“What can kits do?” replied Marius

“Here is a box with a scroll inside. Bring it to the leader of your tribe.”

Marius then found himself on a beach of familiar sand. He ran.

“What is this?”

“A scroll”

“What kind of scroll?”

“Do not know. Big sharks gave it to me”

“What else did the sharks say?” replied Dorothea.

“They’re bones and our home is famished. I was instructed to deliver the scroll to my tribe’s leader.”

Dorothea uncurled the scroll and told Marius to go home and stay low. The Agere will return. In the moon’s shadow, Dorothea sent word to the shaman leaders of the twin-kit tribes. The shamans convened and asked the Moon’s light guidance in a cave. Through a round hole, the light showed Agere leaving but a crescent covered its circumstances. Fearing what may happen, their curiosity pushed them. They went to war against the Agere.

For the twin-kits, a bloody battle followed.

Losing hope, Dorothea studied the scroll Marius gave her months ago. She sent word to the leaders through shadow again. Gathering at the coast of Gen village, all the leaders gathered in a group at night, holding incantation bowls with magical glyph and liquid inside to the air, chanting. A straight row of raccoon soldiers holding lit torches chirped as Agere approached with drawn swords of purple light. The Agere mowed down their enemies.

In one last breath, a raccoon threw a lit torch into the group of shaman leaders. A roaring flame erupted. A funeral pyre turned magical spell. A circular glyph of moonlight surrounded the fire and the Gate’s runes burned a white light. Frighten, the Argene withdrew to their compounds. The night sky gave a howl followed by a wail of grief.

The Sister and Brother now walked on Tiber.

Shadow wolfs and moonlit indrik hunted the Argene the following nights. Magic and purple swords did not help. The remaining Argene entered The Gates and closed it behind them. The creatures who served them returned to their home, many of them not making it.

Twin-kits across the land rejoiced. But laughter and dance soon fell, for the Sister and Brother walked among them, each weighing heaving on their hearts.

Sister and Brother’s influence pulled the twin-kits apart, some tribes attracted to the former, some the latter, and some between. Civil war broke out. The kit’s appearance changed. The aspects of Brother and Sister made skin. The twin-kits were no more.

Sister wept.

Wishing to bring the conflict to an end, Sister came to Marius and gave him her secrets. Sister turned into a moonlit indrik and made a horn-bleat. A whispering growl in the air replied.

Sister, Brother, and the leaders of their followers convened at a cave on the coast. After shifting back to themselves, the Daughter told Brother the dance is over and they must go their own ways as their siblings had. Enraged, the Brother spoke Lykourgos, introducing its magic to Tiber. It threw itself at Marius, sword in hand. Before Brother could stab him, Sister came between them. The blade opening her stomach. Sister laid on the ground and felt the tears of Brother on her chest.

“Goodbye” said Sister and she looked to Marius.

Pulling out the scroll the sharks gave him, Marius trembled. Sister gave Marius her last secret. Then used her blood to enchant the scroll and closed her eyes the last time.

Marius took out a lead stake and punctured the middle of the curled scroll. A gate wreath in purple and shadow appeared at the entrance of the cave. It pulled Brother into it. Desperate to escape, Brother turned into the wolf. Midnight’s gate pulled the Brother closer. Realizing escape was not possible, Brother bit deep into his arm. Like Sister, his blood now laid on Tiber. He was gone.

The kits looked at one another, awe and uncertainty in their eyes. A strong wind came over them. All closed their eyes and put their hands up to shield themselves from the sand. The wind died down and the kits opened their eyes to see a Raccoon kneeling beside Sister. Sensing their uneasiness, Raccoon stood.

“Do not fear me. I am Uncle”

“Uncle?” replied Marius in a nervous yet reverend tone.

“Who you call Brother and Sister were my litter mates. We danced for an age. Then, as custom, litter mates part ways. Brother and Sister didn’t. Too happy together, they saw no reason to and made the moon home.”

Marius looked up to the moon and saw a lunar eclipse.

“Do not worry, raccoon. Sister hid Kits in Nebula’s Chimney and will arrive to guide you, for you will rule over all of Tiber.”

“I do not understand,” replied Marius.

“You will in time. Now I carry Sister to her tomb in the Moon. The night will not have a full moon every night but bound in a cycle of light and shadow, and will turn into blood if Tiber is in trouble.”

A strong wind came over the raccoons again and Uncle and Sister were gone. Raccoons of both sides bowed to Marius. Thus ending the civil war. Gods came as Uncle said and helped Marius build Anastasius – The capital of Ophion Empire.