BOOK OF MUGOWUMPOIS

The summons hit me right in the third eye, filling my inner vision with
a pulsating white light and filling my head with an irritating tonal
vibration. Of course, I immediately recognized the touch of Xyl. But
what could prissy Xyl want? Someone to hold his hand while he made
crystal gewgaws to hang about his ruddy crystal spires? I didn't really
care so I banished the summons from my mind.

"Are you alright, Mugowumpois?" asked Blooredi, frowning at me.

Realizing I must have been standing motionless in the swamp for some
time, I blinked and then laughed. Looking down, there was one of
Blooredi's crocodiles trying to gnaw off my foot. It rather tickled.

"Oh, just warm hearted Xyl wanting me to come look at the stars or
something," I said, pulling the crocodile off my foot. "You know, Bloo,
your creations rather remind me of Xyl."

"Why? Because they're cold blooded?"

"No. It's because they have just about the same range of expression!"

We both laughed, and I tossed the crocodile to Blooredi. He stroked its
ugly green hide and rocked it back and forth in his arms. Not that it
was a baby or anything, it was in fact an enormous bull. But, you know
the Seventh Circle. They're all a bit weird when it comes to their
creations.

"So what do you think, Lady Mugs?" he asked, looking imploringly at me.
"Do you think the crocodiles have a chance?"

"Oh, you never know," I said, trying to be polite. "Maybe in a couple of
aeons..."

Of course, I lied. There wasn't a chance in any of the four corners of
the Void that Blooredi's crocodiles would ever coalesce a collective
consciousness. I should know, as I had been studying formation of
collective consciousnesses since the first one manifested and I
developed a sense for which ones would form Great Spirits and which ones
wouldn't. Yes, it had a little to do with how many there were--the
population had to reach a critical mass--but there was something more
underlying which ones rose. Not intelligence, though that helped, but an
essential quality to their inner essence. And crocodiles didn't have it.
I'd guess they'd stagnate in this spiritual state until the end of time.

"Great Yudhe!" cursed Blooredi, unmaking the crocodile, and tearing it
apart into etheric strips. "Am I the only one of the Seventh Circle who
hasn't had a Great Spirit? Pah! Even that simpleton Viravain has Raven.
And if an idiot like Tae could raise a Great Spirit, why can't I?"

"Didn't Xyl name a sector in the heavens after your crocodiles?"

"Oh, la-la-loo, how lucky for me," he said, spitting and rolling his
eyes contemptuously.

I politely tried to look interested as Blooredi began creating a new
creature out of the etheric soup which was all that was left of the bull
alligator. He had a point. It was hard to imagine someone like Viravain
creating a Great Spirit, especially as she usually created such small
insignificant creatures. But as soon as I saw the ravens, I knew they'd
quickly form a collective consciousness. There was something woven very
deep within them, very mysterious. I'd been keeping an eye on Viravain
ever sense, and I no longer am taken by her poor-little-me routine.
There's more going on behind those baby blue eyes than the others
suspect. Except perhaps her brother, Shikari, but who'd he ever share
anything with.

"Well what do you think of this one?" asked Blooredi, holding up his
newest creation.

"Oh, well... erm, it looks... I mean, I'm no expert but it looks..."

"I'll call it an alligator!"

A second summons hit me in the third eye, and this one was so bright and
loud that it was almost painful. I'd never known Xyl to be so insistent
and, well, rude. Who did he think he was? More curious, who would have
thought he'd show so much backbone? But he wasn't going to use my head
as a drum, so I hurled my own thought bubble back at him, strong enough
that I imagined it'd drop him onto his bony glass arse. Moments later he
hit me with a third summons that was stronger than the other two. And
this one was painful!

"That blasted fool!" I screamed.

Or at least, I would have screamed if my mouth didn't suddenly fill up
with swamp water. That last summons must have knocked me on my arse!
Enormous hands belonging to Blooredi pulled me up out of the swamp and
set me on a rock.

"Xyl again?" he asked.

"Yes, Xyl again. Well, I'm going to see what he wants. If this isn't
something good, I swear I'll shove his crystal spires somewhere he wont
like!"

Blooredi laughed and waved good bye, as I wrapped myself in a bubble and
flew off to the House of Xyl. Atop the highest--and coincidentally the
most power-laden--mountain upon the First World was a conglomerate of
tall spires that he had been building with one of the Fourth Circle (I
forget her name--somebody insignificant) for aeons.

As I approached the crystal spires, I had to grudgingly admit to myself
that I was a little jealous. They were gorgeous constructions, that was
a given. But more awesome was that they were situated atop the First
World's fulcrux of energy, and the crystal formations magnified these
energies, making the House of Xyl one of the most powerful instruments
ever known.

Sensing activity in the observation chamber, I composed myself and
leisurely walked towards it. I deliberately stopped several times to
admire the view. Damn if I'd give Xyl the impression that I'd come
running at his beck and call.

But it was I who was taken back when I finally walked in. It looked like
the entire Fifth Circle had gathered. Apparently, I was the last to
arrive. Xyl just stared at me with his jeweled eyes glittering. Was he
annoyed? Who knows, I could never tell with him.

"A party!" I said, sweeping into the chamber (and splattering a lot of
mud around which I just knew would definitely annoy fussy Xyl). "Xyl,
darling, you finally are putting your house to good use!"

Several laughed with me as I strolled around. Raezon and Roark were bent
over a game of divine chess, directing the living pieces across the
board. Several others were browsing through Xyl's collection of
knowledge crystals, where he stored collections of his stories and
philosophies. Elcyrion smiled at me and winked when he noticed Xyl
briskly cleaning the mud left in my wake.

"Hello, Lady Muggs," greeted Elcyrion. "How fares the marsh?"

"Just lovely," I said and smiled back.

While Xyl cleaned up, I walked over to the game of divine chess being
played by Roark and Raezon. They were both studying the board with grim
determination. Being the latest game in vogue among the Fifth Circle, I
must admit I was quite good at it. Roark's remaining bishop was wounded
and the line of pawns were broken.

"Try moving out your healthy knight," I suggested, immediately seeing a
way to victory if the knight could defeat Raezon's rook.

"Really, Muggs!" said Raezon. "If you want to play, wait your turn!"

Roark scowled at me and moved his wounded bishop anyway, who barely won
against a pawn. I could see that Roark still had a chance for victory,
but it was obviously not the best move. Such was the way with Roark,
always wanting to do things his own way.

"Attend, please!" Xyl commanded, floating upwards on a spinning
platform. "As you know, I have constructed this observatory to study the
movements of the cosmos. Two weeks ago, I noticed this."

With a gesture, he caused the dome above to darken, then swirl in a mass
of colour, then crystallize into a scene from the depths of space. Xyl's
glowing crystal hand twitched back and forth as he shuffled between
different dimensions.

"Here," he finally said, pointing to a patch of darkness.

With an effort, he magnified the sector he had found. Many of us gasped,
including me. There was a swirling darkness, and a sense of a wrongness
that lashed out even from this reflection. I shuddered and hugged
myself.

"Fascinating," said Raezon. "What is it, Xyl?"

"I do not know," said Xyl. "I was hoping some of you might have some
insight.

"It appears to blot out the stars themselves."

"It is either blotting them out, or consuming them.

"It's getting larger, isn't it?"

"No, it's getting closer.

"Can you magnify it more?" asked Roark.

"I have tried," said Xyl. "It repulses me."

"I find it repulsive too," I said.

Several laughed nervously with me, but the magnitude of what we were
witnessing was too terrifying to be taken lightly. Xyl glared at me and
looked away. I couldn't blame him.

"Let us link and lend Xyl our power," suggested Raezon.

Thus, we linked our minds together and focused on Xyl. He flared with
power and exerted his will upon his crystal observatory. The image
wavered and sharpened, then suddenly magnified. Staring up at the
crystal dome, it was like jumping into a pit of nothingness. As Xyl
struggled to maintain his link, we tried to discern, with whatever
senses we could bring to bear, what exactly we were looking at.

"There!" said Elcyrion, pointing up. "Upper right. There was a flash or
some sort of movement anyway.

Several crystal columns along the edge of the chamber cracked as Xyl
struggled to focus and magnify that sector. For a moment I saw a
gigantic eye open, rimmed with blackness and as empty as the Void.

"An eye," I whispered. "I see an eye."

"And there!" said Raezon. "A hand! Or is it a claw?"

"Could these be half-formed?" asked Elcyrion.

"Hardly," said Roark. "I believe these are the Handmaidens of Magnora."

As though the vile images heard their name, a terrible presence seemed
to leap out from the image on the crystal dome. We all cried out,
breaking our link, and throwing protective shields around ourselves. The
dome above cracked and shattered, raining down on us like glittering
hail. Xyl's entire right arm had likewise shattered and he was sprawled
upon the floor.

It was many minutes before anyone spoke. We silently gathered together
and helped Xyl reform his arm. It somehow seemed appropriate that such
knowledge was received among such destruction.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"We must bring this to the First Circle," said Xyl wearily.

As we gathered to transverse to the Divine Havens where the First Circle
gathered, I glanced at the divine chess board that was left forgotten.
Without Raezon or Roark controlling the game, the pieces had attacked
each other in a frenzied melee.

I want Brother Crocodile! KALO! Let's get to work! 
Poor Bloo - he is even stupider than Tae if he can't get his creations to the level of Hive Soul. Makes me wonder if he is still out there in the void. Meh - Kalo, we have another god to put in your chart.