King of Swords 1-2
Chapter: 1
“YNEM E YNNU
YNNU E AP
I am he who protects himself,
Nothing can harm me.”
– Ya’at slave incantation
Kill Six Billion Demons
BREAKER OF INFINITIES
“YNEM E YNNU
YNNU E AP
I am he who protects himself,
Nothing can harm me.”
– Ya’at slave incantation
Allow me to share with you, oh great Paternum, the tale of a young human named Alexander…
“Paternum”
As someone wisely pointed out on the last page, this king rules over a rabble of his own aged children. Clearly they hunger for a share of his immortality, and his amazing beard oil!
Interesting that patriarch Solomon is the demiurge to talk of judging and correcting of children.
In many of the writings attributed to *our* world’s Solomon, he describes these (GEVURAH and BINAH) as two of the feminine aspects of God.
A righteous ruler strives to emulate all ten of the Divine traits, but he warns that exercising them without neutral balance (TIFERET’) is dangerous. They are only truly godly when accompanied by their their masculine counterparts insight (‘HOKHMAH) and compassion (‘HESED). Each trait is only properly expressed through the other nine, as these parts are merely tools that our mortal minds can use to try to understand the glory of the whole.
Kingship (KETER) is in the Kingdom (MALKUTH), and MALKUTH is in KETER.
I have my doubts as to who wrote that. Some argue that it was his mother Bathsheba, while others attribute it to 13th century Jewish Gnostics from Italy. Whoever it was, it wasn’t a man who lacked for wisdom.
Are the next chapters/pages going to be published in bulk or per page? Either way, just some advice: Making an antagonist character have a ‘hero’s journey’ kind of story makes him/her/it much more likable, if the both the enemy and hero are likable and liked by the audience, there is more at stake. This is often done in books like A Song of Ice and Fire where the story is very character driven and based on the characters inner and outer conflicts between other relatable and likable character regardless of their horrid or heroic actions
Perfection is a lie, Solomon David, the truth of it died with YISUN. All things that exist are imperfect, this is the nature of existence itself. And of things that do not exist, they are perfection only lasts until their transition into existence. Most notable are plans and schemes; tis common knowledge that pre-prepared stratagems are the first soldiers to die in battle. No one aside from absolute idiots and the Bearer of the Shape can say with any real confidence how things will turn out for any given action, especially martial endeavors.
This Includes You.
Mammon and Mottom are thy peers, Solomon David. They owe you no respect, or reverence, apart from that which you have cultivated in what is left of their hearts. Barren ground by any measure, and you don’t strike me as a gardener of any skill
You are not their father, and you are certainly not KING. Tread carefully or you will impale yourself on that towering spire named HUBRIS.
Hm. Either there is no heir (“because I’ll never need one”) or the councilors would really rather he pick one of them (“no, this orphaned pig farm boy will be perfect for the job”). My money is on the first one.
Zoss was greater and he has fallen. Gods came before him and are gone too. Nothing is the potential of EVERYTHING and will doom you as it did many far greater, prouder and humbler than thee, most patronizing demiurge.
If Zoss fell, he did so as the fruit falls from the tree. Intentionally, and with intentions to create anew.
Not only did he give up his power intentionally… he seems to have retained something! Perhaps Zoss has realized godhood without the key? Or lives now within it? That, then, would be why he seems to be watching our hera and advising in moments alone.
wisdom will only function so long as hubris allows it
=//=
EGO-DEATH IS THE PATH TO ULTIMATE UNDERSTANDING
Welp. Guess who’s gonna die pretty soon.
Nothing beyond his control? Oh, I’m definitely looking forward to the day his arrogance bites him in the ass.
And here I was worried that Solomon-David would have filled his council with people that were entirely without ambition. I guess the dude thinks he doesn’t have to worry about a coup of any sort.
So we finally see the old King.
I believe the matter of a Successor has already been very definitively settled.
Well, he certainly seems to be doing a better job of holding off the ravages of time than the Dragon or the Imperiatrix, not to mention wozzername who seems to have adopted the Dr. Munoz method for dealing with entropy. And Incubus is not well respected, and I suspect neither is wormface. One would think the existence of Jagannoth would instill a touch of humility, though.
I think the Paternum is possibly gaining his immortality by reversing the power structure the other members of the 7 have, where they loan out their power in the form of minor keys to seconds & subordinates, which would make sense, since none of his seconds on the council have any keys.
Plus, the play on words for an overbearing helicopter parent “living through their children’s accomplishments” just sounds right for him. The pressure these men must be unbearable! Just look at them, they are only in their 40’s!
I rather suspect that virtue is the key to immortality, as I have seen it elsewhere: the virtuous, even if they possess but one simple virtue, if they do not break it, keep a life of spirit that is unbreakable. Translate that through magic into the material, and in fact you *can* become immortal and even potentially youthful if you find a means of restoration through virtue rather than destruction.
Possession of an artifact that keeps the body alive while pretending that age is gone? Not so awesome after all. The part where this artifact grants immense force of will? A game of stacked towers, waiting for the wrong move. Only an authority that owns itself can stand there, and only if it maintains itself.
I like the authority of ever-presence, but it can be painful to wield without virtue. Adding a restoring virtue? Much less painful… as long as you don’t actually get cut.
Enter Intra, or his proxy, to have a chat.
Behold, the pride of tyrants! I say to you all, one who is ruled by pride rules nothing!
Conquer the enemy that is I!
As strange as it is to travel five years in a week, I am here.
So.
Other readers have assumed that Solomon is a body-switcher. If that is the case, he will have Zaid as his heir. And after his current host’s death, he will wear Zaid’s body.
Alternately he might aspire to groom Zaid as his heir, believing that this will preserve his memory as great predecessor of the conquering king. Well, he doesn’t have the time, and Zaid may turn out an even greater fool than Allison, and unfit for power. Solomon looks like the guy who will take prophecies at face value and ignore inconvenient doubts.
Or, Solomon didn’t acquire Zaid. In that case I assume it was Gog-Agog, as Jagganoth+Incubus+Jadis know about Allison while Mammon and Mottom don’t have him. I wonder if our group of heroes will have similar conclusions.
Abel, Precision
Simon, Decision,
a six-grind position
Plot twist: they’re all his sons, waiting for decades to assume the throne.
Except theyre all old and grey now as their quasi immortal dad sits there with his gloriously oiled beard
Everyone’s saying he’s not worried about succession, but that is very much not the message I’m getting. Note that he responds to the question with “You know well my will in this matter [that is, his succession].” It seems to me that he’s supremely confident, as his final statement indicates, but that he’s also well-prepared nonetheless, because he already has a plan for that event that he expects his councilors to know.
That said, I’m also HUGELY biased towards this guy because he’s easily the coolest of the Seven by a few country miles.
Body snatching? BAH! There is greater reason for all his subjects and advisers fashion themselves to his fashion.
Solomon David is a strong king.
Not because he mighty in form or magnificent in spirit, but because he embodies the strength that we all want.
The right of, “I AM.”
It is no wonder all his supplicants desire to become him.
HE IS.
I don’t want to be one to make presumptions. but I do believe that these councilors are the wise king’s sons. What better way to feed endless ego than to see one’s children old and frail while one stays in their prime.
Hoi Abbadon, kerning seems a little too much to the right on first talk bubble, “the war continues to slowly escalate”, not sure if accident but if it were me I’d want someone to point it out to me so here goessss
Solo reminds me of Aizen as first impressions.
from that dude/dudette betting ah ah about a left ovary about Solo’s offsprings/creations also reminds of Aizen.
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