The talismans were scattered,
And the world was lost.
It was dark then,
Peril leered from every shadow.
Creation was in the balance.
Eldritch forces sought to wrest control,
And failing that,
To null it completely.
They minded not that they too were of creation,
Such was the evil of them.
Forces too there were of Life,
They heard the music ‘twixt the worlds,
Reveled in those harmonies,
Though they be at times powered and violent,
Or somber and searching.
Equal they were in number and strength to the foe,
So war raged ever in the cosmos,
And much was lost
That could not be made again.
Then sought they aid from other creatures,
With other wisdoms,
And talismans were made in defense.
The talismans were fashioned,
And hope lit hearts that were thought lost.
Smiths there were upon this world,
Skilled at handcraft,
And easily taught.
Eager minds had they,
And hunger for knowledge,
But too wanting of power perhaps.
Willing hands crafted,
Wondrous objects and powerful,
Crude to look upon:
Carven wood,
Chipped stone or
Shell and bone gathered.
Yet each was imbued with arcane energy,
And alive in their own right.
The talismans were mustered,
And hope burned clear.
Now could the powers of Life press the fight!
Now could null forces be borne back!
Now was the strength of Man revealed!
And the companions of death saw,
And they understood:
Strength can be turned,
And the tool
Made the weapon.
A feint they effected,
A falling back it seemed,
But this was subterfuge.
Darkness they understood,
So they occupied deep places where Man did not go,
They deepened shadows,
They darkened forests.
But more than that,
They whispered.
They lied.
They twisted wisdom and teachings,
They retold histories as myth,
They made themselves both legend and legendary,
They made guides into monsters.
But worse,
They taught willing minds how to make death.
The talismans were sharpened,
And hope fled.
Man now learned fear.
Man now learned anger.
Man now learned hate.
Disaster came among his tribes,
Disaster of his own making,
But was blamed on beings he once revered.
And he came to fear them,
And fear breeds hate.
For he was told that
His busy hands threatened Life,
That his clever mind made those defenders anxious,
That they would destroy him,
For he had become mighty.
And so the Life powers retreated,
And set a watch beyond the moon,
That none of the foe should escape,
And darken light elsewhere.
And so the null forces were imprisoned,
And so also Man.
Now Life slowly marshals its power,
Until such time as that force may challenge.
But here on our world,
Clever Man must contend with dark and void,
Holding to hope remembered,
And promises written cryptic,
And often spoiled with false narrative,
For darkness will not suffer clear truth.
The talismans were scattered,
And the world was lost.
At whiles are strange objects are found,
Rough hewn,
Of no clear purpose,
But venerated at least for their antiquity.
Perhaps they may reveal their function in time,
Perhaps we will be told again.
The talismans were scattered,
And the world was lost.
But we are here yet…
We are here yet.
Cliff Lake 2/10/2026
Copyright © Clifford Lake 2026
