Shattered bones mending, fallen flesh serving,
grim resolution and unending duty,
the heir to the twice-born, who was slaughtered and healed,
of these I shall sing if remembrance persists
so speak, history, and lend me the words.

Dionamus raged in the depths of wrath
when he heard of of mighty Urlach's greatest deed,
of his innovation, of his design,
of the vast new armies that he had shaped.
The fool Kiakoda was furious
and she set straight out from the sprawling woods
screaming her hate to the skies, when at least she heard
that Urlach had given the dead new life.
They called for a conclave, demanding that
Urlach give a full account of his new craft
of his strange deeds, of all the things he had done.

Cunning Urlach answered, did as he was bade
and he journied to the conclave, where all had gathered.
His comrade walked beside him, the cunning dwarven god,
Klangratch of the forge, who armed all the gods,
he of the cunning mind, and the skillful hand.
They were awaited, for many gods had come
to pass judgement upon them for their deeds.
There was holy Dionamus, who hid from harsh truths,
who walked with angels, who always kept faith,
who mended wounds and fled from grim death.
There was Kiakoda of the barbarous woods
who found all progress to be displeasing
who could never bear to be proven wrong.
And one walked behind her, Il'vania
who shared in all of Kiakoda's flaws
but she lacked her power and she lacked her skill.
Crystalline Tzaraziko stood apart from them,
she stood in silence, pondering the war.
Juliana stood before all of the rest,
and as cunning Urlach strode up and took his place
she bowed before him, and she clasped his hands
and she greeted him with her hopeful words.

"Cunning Urlach, shard of twice-living Orlachmar,
I greet you gladly, and I call you my comrade
for all of us here fight the grim war together.
There is a quarrel, it did not arise through a fault
on your part of theirs, for all of us have acted
as we deemed best, and our intentions are pure.
There are no enemies here, so speak of your deeds
not in defense, but simply telling the tale
of what you have done, for we all long to hear it.
Rumours are swift, and only one thing is swifter,
the passing of judgement by a mind filled with haste.
Truth comes far slower, but at last it has arrived,
for you carry it with you. Share it with us
that we might think clearly, and know is to be done,
that we might find common ground, settle the matter,
and have peace between all. Come, end this quarrel,
for we have need of peace, the grim war is calling
and we must fight it together, or all shall be lost.
With that in your heart, tell us of your great deeds
Mighty Urlach, shard of twice-living Orlachmar
for all here are eager to listen and learn of your skill
which has won you great fame. Speak now and tell us."

Kiakoda spoke out with a voice full of rage
before cunning Urlach could speak, she shouted her words.
"Yes, world-hating Urlach, tell us your of crimes
and make your defense, if any such thing can be made
by one such as you. Come, list all of your failings,
all the vices you have, which you have mistaken
in your great folly for virtues. Tell us of them
so we can pass judgement, and when he have condemned you
we can go to our work, healing the world
of what you have wrought, as we surely must.
But speak, cruelest Urlach, let all of us be aware
of the evil that you have done. Speak of it all,
and do not be restrained by any humble heart,
or any shred of your shame. Hide nothing from us.
And tell us no lies, they would not go unnoticed
and they shall not avail you. Claim your crimes gladly
for we shall learn all in time even if you conceal them."

Then Urlach spoke out, and his voice was cold
without anger or passion, any feeling at all.
"Come now, Kiakoda, tame your great rage.
You know nothing at all, not what I have done
or how to think clearly, to rule over your mind
and see what truly exists, and needs to be done
instead of the things which you wish to be true.
I shall speak of my deeds, for I know it is true
that you all must know them, and that we are comrades,
but I do not think that all of you will listen
for I see some hearts that are against them, and those hearts
are not restrained by a mind, which is a pity
for it is the mind alone which leads us to truth.
You have faith, Kiakoda, which will destroy you
if you do not shed it, just as I have."

Dionamus spoke then, his voice was shaking,
such was his fury at what he had heard.
"Faith shall sustain us when our minds are silent,
for when we know nothing, we can yet hope
for some better day, and that hope lifts our hearts
so we can fight once again. We have need of faith.
And even those ones who are grimly resigned
to some painful fate, who will face it regardless
who have no use for hope, they still need faith
to lead them to virtue. There can be no hope
of goodness for any who trust only in themselves
and their peers. Even we must be guided
by some greater power, lest we grow proud
and yield up our virtue, and fall down to vice."

Juliana spoke then, that she might keep the peace.
"Comrades, be silent. We are all here today
to hear Urlach give an account of his deeds.
Let us all be silent, that he might speak
for all have agreed that we are here to listen."

All of them fell silent, all of them turned
to listen to cunning Urlach, to listen and judge.
Mighty Urlach saw that, and so he spoke out,
telling his tale to all, he spoke with calm words.

---------------------

"We are assailed on all sides by our grim foes.
All of us know that, we all look to the war
as our highest concern, be it in battle
or the forging of arms, we all must serve
as best as we can, lest we all be destroyed.
This war makes many corpses. How many have died?
Countless thousands have perished, the carrion-birds
feast as richly as kings. Why not deny them that meal
if we can instead put the bloodless corpses to use?
Such were my thoughts as I looked out at the slain.
I saw an army that was ready for war
if it could only awaken, if it could arise
it would be a great boon. I knew it was so.

I gathered the corpses, the shards of the twice-born,
and I went to my work. I needed to learn
of life and of death and the border between.
I studied the bodies, and so I learned of life,
the things warm flesh requires, that was a trifle
for I have long tasted life, as we all have.
Death was a challenge. I had never known it
nor had any who speak, and experience teaches
better than anything else. I made the hard choice
to make my way to the boundry, the edge of the grave
and peer into the darkness, so that I could learn
of the all-hungering void, the fate of the slain.

I found a tall mountain, I climbed to the peak
and tied a rope to my neck, I hanged myself high
and looked out over the world, and then I took a knife
and opened my veins, I let my blood flow
and rain down on the world. I let my life leave me.
I lingered there for a year. I could only die slowly
for my heart begged for life, and my spark obeyed it
as best as it could. But my mind ruled me
and I kept in my place as my life fled away.
In my last moments, I saw the great Wheel
and taking its own place upon it, from then I knew
what had to be done. The Wheel was the secret,
and I had only to stop the soul from taking its place
and my armies would rise. Once I had seen that
I turned away from the Wheel, though I longed to join it
and cut the rope from my neck, I fell to the ground.

I made a trial of this on the first body I found
that had not yet decayed, I set my mind to the task
and I trapped the soul as it fled out from the flesh
and kept it away from the Wheel. All went as planned.
The body arose, and it obeyed my commands
but there was no mind within it, it could only serve.
The creature was mindless, but it could fight the war
and that was enough. I would not flee from such a tool
when it could preserve us, for I am no fool.

I wandered the world, I gathered the grim harvest,
and made the crows suffer a famine, my forces grew,
as did my skills. I soon made the mind rise again,
but in only one race. The shards of the twice-born
alone kept their minds, and they served me best.
I went out among them, and when one lost his life
it was soon returned by the grace of my arts
and so our strength was maintained. The dead did not die.

Then there was a grim matter, it caused me pain
to take my part in it, but it had to be done
and so I did my duty and let my heart ache.
There are those foes who do not leave us corpses
and one such foe came down on a city I knew
from days long ago. It was where I had risen
to my divine state. It could not be saved.
I saw the grim doom that was coming for it
and I made the hard choice. I went to the city
and brought them grim tidings, and my decree
that all would have to be slaughtered by my own hand
that they might live again and fight in the war
lest they die at the maw of our foul foe
and be of no use to any, even in death.

This was accepted. I saw them die proudly,
understanding the need, without any complaint
and I did them a great honor, I took their lives
with my own hand, I killed each one in his turn.
We turned and we fled. There was not any hope
of fighting that day, we did not spend our lives
in a fruitless battle, in a last glorious stand.
Our city crumbled, its doom at last came,
and I saw its last moments, the death of my home.

I will not dwell on that, for you have all seen
the deaths of your people, the fall of your homes
and know the great pain that comes with such a sight.
Now they are my soldiers who had once been my kin
and they fight for the living, although they are dead
and they do as they must, just as I myself do."

-----------------------

Urlach fell silent, and Dionamus roared
in a voice full of fury, speaking his thoughtless words.
"Why do you not heal them? Surely it is far better
to return their first life than to give them another
at the cost of their soul? Are you a fool
who cannot mend a wound, or do you in your heart
rejoice in your cruelty? There is no other reason
for the things you have done. Choose malice or folly."

Then Urlach spoke, and his voice was still calm.
"I do what I must, and I find no joy
in the deeds I have done, but I am no fool.
I mend wounds where I can, for it is true
that it is better to heal than to give a new life.
One who has been healed may fight just as well
and when he gives his life, then I can claim him
and give him his second breath. That is the way
that our armies should grow. Each man should die twice
after he lives for as long as he can.
But when grim death arrives, whatever the cause
then his corpse must serve. No malice or folly
has a place in my heart, or a place in my mind."

Then the fool Kiakoda spoke out with her voice
guided by passion but not by her mind.
"Such deeds are wicked. The world itself does abhor them.
All must live again, none should deny that
but they must be born through the Wheel, as it has been
from the earliest days, and as it must be
for all the long years to come, no matter the price.
Fight and die as you wish, black-hearted Urlach
and spare the world from your craft. You will destroy it,
just like our grim foes. A world of walking bones
without any life is worse than no world at all."

Urlach spoke then, addressing Kiakoda.
"Life will endure if our grim foes are beaten,
but not if we fail. I will do as I must.
If the two worlds are the same, then our choice is simple
we must choose the one with a chance of survival
for some living souls, and that is my way.
Nor will all corpses walk, I cannot be in all places
and what happens to one need not happen to all.
Change will come, Kiakoda, do not cling to what is
and fear what you do not know. Embrace what is better
and cast the worse things aside. You cannot resist
change when it comes, you will fail in the end
so embrace it instead, and we will all be stronger."

A clamor erupted, there was shouting and fury,
and grim oaths were threatened, and war between them
who fought for the world against the greatest foes.
For some time none could calm it, but then at long last
Tzaraziko spoke out, she broke her silence
with her well-chosen words and her chiming voice.
"All must fight as they please, as they best can.
All things are permitted in a war such as ours.
You may cling to your angels and cling to your trees
just as he clings to the dead. All that is proper
if it is useful. I shall make a prediction,
that this shall not be the worst deed we will do
in the course of this war, you will do worse
if necessity compels you, as will we all.
This strife will destroy us, so let us not feel
any feelings at all, when we look on our comrades
until the war has concluded. Then, when we know
all that which has been done, only then can we judge
our virtues and vices, only then do we know
the full facts of the matter, only then can we judge."

This was accepted, although none were pleased
to hear such a speech, they all saw the wisdom
and let the matter pass by, to be judged much later
when need did not compel them as strongly as virtue.
Distance alone kept the peace, but that was enough
to keep them united until the war's end.