Page 30 - World of Darkness

10-1478- The people grew afraid. They had no weapons mighty enough, no warriors powerful enough to slay one of the 027-‘1-3-
‘101“20‘830- 2474-2=0‘—
440-8-‘4- Ancients. All they had were songs and stories. And so they whispered and sang in low voices until they had ‘-4-74-0‘-
04‘-40- woven a careful dream that deepened the Ancient One’s slumber, stilling its anger and quieting its thirst for 47‘-4-4-
‘0327920- 7‘4-
20‘4—0274-4- vengeance. And the magicians covered the angel with soil, piling it higher and higher. When they were done ‘042720-
027-‘1-3- they changed the mound to stone, calling it Ula-ru. 24—024574-
2474-2=0‘—‘- 0274-
4-74-0‘-47‘- 272‘17‘0-
4-4-7‘4- And the Ancient One, hearing the stories and dream-songs of the natives, was pleased. It made a pact with ‘7‘450-‘2-
‘042720-24— them, agreeing to stay its wrath and share with them stories of how they and their world were created. But if 042472‘-
024574-0274- 02-8-042-
272‘17‘0- the people stopped telling the stories and stopped singing the dream-songs, the Ancient would awaken and ‘29‘=‘2=72‘9290210922‘0‘0237‘209724709‘1040‘040‘-
‘7‘450-‘2- unleash its curse. So today the aboriginal Anangu people continue the songs and rituals laid down by their 01-‘-
042472‘-02- 2797‘-‘-
8-042- ancestors. Ula-ru remains a place of great power, where spirits gather and strange energy flows. The govern- 734-‘-
‘29‘=‘2=72‘9290210922‘0‘0237‘209724709‘1040‘040‘- ment of Australia has ceded management of the surrounding land to the Anangu rather than try to deal with 4‘729279‘0-
01-‘-2797‘- 812912-
‘-734-‘- reports of lights in the sky, fluctuating magnetic fields and unusual animals. 4081-4-42-
4‘729279‘0- 09464-
812912-4081- Of all the people of the earth, it was those who came to dwell on the South American continent who carried ‘01273-‘-
4-42-09464- ‘12757757572“7‘8‘262‘82626242‘713303103001373711“203704011047010110104645691—
‘01273-‘- with them the greatest knowledge of their time in the city of the Ancients. Their journey from the fallen city to 1471481-
‘12757757572“7‘8‘262‘82626242‘713303103001373711“203704011047010110104645691— what would become their home took many generations, and some understanding was lost. But they remem- 4389419‘9371913171301937104971“7073047119102173000‘7039071010371030170‘0‘0‘0730‘70330731764461001016400100‘0171361210“3‘90‘033030370—
1471481- 371006‘0030047‘0302402-
4389419‘9371913171301937104971“7073047119102173000‘7039071010371030170‘0‘0‘0730‘70330731764461001016400100‘0171361210“3‘90‘033030370— bered much and built mighty civilizations, rediscovering and developing the arts of writing, mathematics, ‘3370‘3‘-
371006‘0030047‘0302402- astronomy and farming. The children of this group became the Xi, and their children the Mayans, Incans, ‘-
‘3370‘3‘-‘- ‘30492961919921‘374291037628919‘-
‘30492961919921‘374291037628919‘- Toltecs and Aztecs. As their various tribes, city-states and empires rose and fell, secrets of the Ancients were ‘730‘09‘127130170‘0‘19743651811‘272-
‘730‘09‘127130170‘0‘19743651811‘272- spread and understanding became more refined. ‘7362‘-
‘7362‘- 1023378290364024-
1023378290364024- “‘64-4‘-
“‘64-4‘- Yet that knowledge would be their downfall. At the bottom of the world, one of the Ancients watched. It saw 0492742—1-
0492742—1- that the elite among the cultures of the sun were close to mastering the Star Rites, the rituals of becoming 17‘-
17‘- 4890402472—
4890402472— which opened holes in time and changed men to gods. “It is not right for the Third Children to become Lumi- 372-2‘-
372-2‘-2737— nous Ones,” the Ancient said, and begged permission of the god-machine to deliver its curse. The god-machine 2737—
‘844560‘3470- ‘844560‘3470-
274384746831- transmitted: “You may speak your curse, but let it be but a whisper, for I desire that secrets be only hidden, 274384746831-
‘-38‘-3883- not destroyed.” So the Ancient took the name Strife and sent its voice far across the world to a ship in the ‘-38‘-
7465‘-‘- 3883-
4570-479272- south Atlantic, where a pilot dozed at the wheel. 7465‘-‘-
‘-392790-‘- 4570-
37- “Steer south,” the Ancient One whispered. “Steer south.” Half-awake, the sailor turned the wheel and the 479272-‘-
2‘=45‘790940‘1464090‘640‘- 392790-‘-
‘4-137464‘9- course of an entire fleet of ships was altered. Shortly after, a storm hit, and the ships were battered. They 37-
746‘0‘-‘- were blown south to the isle of Cozumel. From there, the fleet’s commander Hernando Cortez led his soldiers to 2‘=45‘790940‘1464090‘640‘-
44‘292729— ‘4-
‘17‘- the mainland and the eventual conquest of the Aztec nation. The fall of the Aztecs, sooner than might other- 137464‘9-
8409‘7‘70‘9- wise have happened, allowed a rush of European colonization that doomed the native cultures. 746‘0‘29‘=‘2=72‘9290210922‘0‘0237‘209724709‘1040‘040‘-
3-710-49471- 01-‘-
‘7491‘937190‘- 2797‘-‘-
47‘9-‘34‘- But not all was lost. Despite the best efforts of the conquerors, some of the ancient traditions of Mesoamerica 734-‘-
‘7‘=‘749‘73“0‘040‘64‘0460‘— were secretly preserved by the conquered and are honored today by their descendents. The 20 calendars of the 4‘729279‘0-
‘1746‘4-1-1- 812912-
994-0‘74-‘- Maya, the Incan Skulls of Wisdom, Toltec maps of the Black Sun — for those who are diligent and wise, the 4081-4-42-
47-‘—37‘3- formulas to step outside time can be pieced together. 09464-
38‘47-‘—74- ‘01273-‘-
7-“1=‘1- ‘12757757572“7‘8‘262‘82626242‘713303103001373711“203704011047010110104645691—
43748046564- I asked the angel if mankind will ever hear the voice of the god-machine again, or if it is truly lost to us. 1471481-
65756575675666610- 4389419‘9371913171301937104971“7073047119102173000‘7039071010371030170‘0‘0‘0730‘70330731764461001016400100‘0171361210“3‘90‘033030370—
‘38‘6- The angel explained that with the discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum, mankind took its first halting step 371006‘0030047‘0302402-
‘740‘28123‘494- ‘3370‘3‘-
‘74‘- toward communication with the god-machine. For electromagnetic waves are the shadow of the voice of the god- ‘-
10‘12282‘01292‘294794- machine. They are the edge of something that can only be fully understood in more than three dimensions. The ‘30492961919921‘374291037628919‘-
‘74- ‘730‘09‘127130170‘0‘19743651811‘272-
‘39“=4844291- Mayan high priests called them the branches of ceiba, or the tree of life. In 1870 — more than 20 years before ‘7362‘-
‘-92=‘22— Marconi demonstrated his famous wireless — British inventor and scientist David Hughes crafted a device capable 1023378290364024-
920208‘0810“48=‘0‘- “‘64-4‘-
‘48474-‘=- of sending and receiving wireless electromagnetic messages. He did not reveal his invention to the world, however, 0492742—1-
19-2-‘9‘- because he believed he’d stumbled upon something more important than the invention itself. When he first turned 17‘-
0‘9‘03‘84477‘0- 4890402472—
029‘-9‘-9‘- on the receiver, before activating the transmitter, signals were already being sent. 372-2‘-
0‘—9‘9‘- 2737—
8‘9‘-‘9‘- Hughes was a mathematician and musician. To his keen ears it seemed clear that the sounds he heard were ‘844560‘3470-
“911‘929‘043‘18‘448‘47‘7‘22‘- 274384746831-
82-‘2- not random, but some kind of encoded pattern. He spent seven years trying to interpret what he heard. ‘-38‘-
4‘74‘24- Hughes made little progress until he showed a curious friend a diagram he’d made to represent the pattern of 3883-
0‘404‘71- 7465‘-‘-
‘122- signals he’d studied. To the surprise of both men, Hughes’ friend had seen the pattern before — at the British 4570-
2383027‘=03823- Museum of Natural History. The next day, Hughes visited the museum. He saw an exhibit of stone carvings 479272-‘-
‘4‘-4-‘347- 392790-‘-
‘34-473-270- taken from Mayan temples dating back to the first centuries of the common era. 37-
‘2-‘12-01- 2‘=45‘790940‘1464090‘640‘-
9292-0‘—94- After several more years and copious correspondence with experts around the world, Hughes was convinced ‘4-
038‘373- 137464‘9-
08447‘-0310- that he could translate at least part of the message that awaited him when he first activated his machine. He 746‘0‘-‘-
10-1478- confided to his friends and colleagues that he would soon have a spectacular announcement to make. But he 44‘292729—
‘101“20‘830- ‘17‘-
440-8-‘4- died three days before the event. Following the directives of his recently re-written will, his attorney removed 8409‘7‘70‘9-
04‘-40- all references to the mysterious signals from Hughes’ notes and records. Aside from the comments and 3-710-
‘0327920- 49471-
20‘4—0274-4- testimonies of those who knew Hughes, the only extant reference left is among the final pages of his diary:
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VOICE OF THE ANGEL