From the Book of The Serpent
Which Manifests the Logrus:
And the Serpent looked upon Its works and
saw Its children struggle to grow stronger. So in Its Holy Wisdom, It
created four more children, and named them to be the Riders, to go
amongst the rest to aid in the struggle.
It bade the first of these Riders 'Go!
Spread among My children War and Strife so that they may grow strong
in battle with forces from without!' And so it was done.
It bade the second of these Riders 'Go!
Spread among My children Hunger and Need so that they may grow strong
in battle with forces from within!' And so it was done.
It bade the third of these Riders 'Go!
Spread among My children Pestilence and Disease so that they may grow
strong in battle with forces from their lands!' And so it was
done.
The last of these Riders it bade 'Go! Spread
among My children all manner of Death! To do otherwise is to waste
their children's heritage!' And so it was done.
Myths and Legends of the Riders within and without the Courts of Chaos
Horsemen for the 21st Century...
The need is clear. The 'Net's
counterparts to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are among us.
Their names are Pestilence (viruses and worms), War (cyberterrorism),
Famine (insufficient security resources) and Death (brand defamation
or loss of customers and revenue).
It took War to put IT on high alert, but
we were already on edge from Pestilence-made-real by Code Red, Nimda,
Sircam, MSBlaster and other exploits. Some of these viruses have
plug-in architectures and never may be fully expunged, and according
to estimates, one out of every several hundred messages on the
Internet is virus-infected. Multimedia instant-messaging software and
Web services without designed-in security will also become infection
vectors.
We know the symptoms of Famine but have
not dealt with its cause. Security resources are stretched thin
across fragmented IT environments: Typical applications require
duplicative account repositories, access control lists, policies,
audit and enforcement logic rather than leveraging general-purpose,
standards-based directories and security.
Process rot runs rampant: Audits on
business networks have found administrator accounts belonging to
individuals who are Dead. The state of a typical company's security
architecture is dismal. A soft intranet center succumbing to
fragmentation and process rot is surrounded by a hard-shell firewall
with gaping holes as road warriors and external business partners
clamor for access rule exceptions...
War Pigs Have the Power...
Jerrold Alexander was raised in the sprawling complex that was once known as New York City to a poor but hard working family. Beaten frequently when he did the least thing wrong, Jerrold learned to respect power and authority above all else. When he was old enough, he joined the police force and dominated the streets with his own brand of power, that of the badge and the club.
All this changed the day the Wardogs hit New York. By the hundreds they came, flooding in from the south, killing and looting wherever they went. They overran the 666th precinct where Jerrold was stationed, butchering his coworkers and leaving him for dead.
Some say what rose the next day was not Jerrold but something far older usin
g the man's body as a conduit for its power. Some say Jerrold just went stark raving mad. But whatever the truth, when he stood next, what once was a man was now possessed by an unstoppable inner fury. Striding out of the wreckage of the precinct house he challenged the leader of the Wardogs to combat and within minutes was gorging himself on the man's heart. Calling himself War he took on the aspect of the warrior-leader. Like his namesake Alexander the Great, he stood not behind his troops during battle, but on the front line, risking all to gain their fanatic support.
Then came the great Concolation of the Apocalypse. From the four corners of the world, Jerrold called the most callous, depraved, inhuman of the independants together. Hunger and the Starving Legions. Pestilence and her Inmates. And Death who walked alone. Together with his Wardogs, he proposed they become as one. Alone they were a force to be reckoned with. Together they would be invincible.
The Hunger Eternal...
Born Henry B. Williams to a poor Tennessee family on a version of Earth wraught with strife and anarchy, during the period of expansionism in the Americas. A fair gunfighter, 'The Tennessee Kid' made his way across the Great Plains, killing and thieving like many other young men of his era. However, the dangers of his occupation eventually caught up with him and he was seized by native Americans and after prolonged periods of torture, was left to die, hooked to a pole on the top of a lonely mountain.
What the natives didn't reckon with was his amazing endurance and heretofore unknown shapeshifting abilities. With these he was able to survive physically, though his mind had been forever shattered by the experience. He was little more than flesh hanging from his bones by the time he was rescued by a small wagon train heading over the mountains in the dead of winter. By the time summer came, Henry, known as Hank to his 'friends', had tortured all 47 men, women and children to death, forcing them to perform unspeakable acts both on him, themselves, and others before they were allowed to die. To this day, he keeps the skulls of the family who rescued him on his belt as fond memorabilia.
Now on an almost holy crusade to free bones from the prisons of flesh, he rode across the states, first on horseback and later as part of a motorcycle gang who idolized him. Calling themselves his Starving Legions, they terrorized in his name, a roving pack of near suicidal ravenous cannibals. Given the anarchical society of this world, no policing force was strong enough to stop him and as the years went by, his name became one used by parents to scare children into behaving.
'Go to sleep or Hank will come and strip the flesh from your bones', they'd say. He'd become the boogeyman of his world within several decades of his rebirth.
Hank agreed to join Jerrold as killing had become a bother to him, his real interests lying in freedom through torture. Jerrold used Hank as a threat to the few he wanted information from instead of merely their deaths.
His hobbies as well as those of his Legions include: Bulimia, Necrophilia, Cannibalism, Sadomasochism, and Expressionistic Thanatology (An art form he is credited with creating).
From the Holy text of Ahriman, the Doubt of The Creator
Book V Chapter III Verses 12-13
And it was said that in the last days of the World, Ahriman the Mighty did rain down upon the lands all manner of destructions. Famine, pestilence and disease struck down the men of the false religion science and the nations that they ruled. And it was said that in the first days of the New World, Ahriman the Mighty will return to finish the job started so long ago, devourering the last of the unworthy and raising those of strength and fortitude up, exalting them to a stature equal to his own greatness. Amen.
Letter from Gregory Rossi to Professor Daniel Armstrong-Morgan of New York University...
Professor,
I must admit my initial apprehension regarding the issue for which you asked my assistance. Nevertheless, I have researched the matter extensively and am now rather intrigued with my initial findings.
For example, among the pagan nations it was a common practice to name specific demons, deavas, genii and the like, after the afflictions for which they were supposed to cause. For example, in Mesopotamian literature, plague and pestilence are regarded as agents of Ira, the god(dess) of disease. In Assam, the Hindus worship the goddess Manasa who, in times of pestilence and disease, is invoked as the goddess Marai.
Some of the commentators (e.g. The Interpreters' Dictionary of the Bible) suggest that such ideas are also found in the Old Testament, Psalm 91:5 - 6 being given as an example. Note particularly the description: "the Pestilence that walks." As if Pestilence is a being! Certainly, this supports your theory, does it not? However, concerning this example and others it is also stated that all the references occur in poetic passages, and it is therefore open to question whether they are really nothing more than were figures of speech. I will continue my research.
Gregory.
F
rom the writings of the historians of Yyvrael
... and among the honor guard of the body of dead Yyvrael were the four Riders. They who joined the ruler in her battle against the Twilight now honored her in death. A tale of the times relates that of all assembled only Death, of the Riders Four, was allowed to accompany the High Priestess Sycorax to the final burial. And that War, Hunger, and Pestilence stood guard so that none would disturb the most holy ceremony.
Adventures into Mystery Vol. 1 No. 45:
Prologue : The empire of the Nile, run by the all-powerful Ramses, had devised an evil scheme to destroy that avenger of the night, Captain Darkness. By interupting the illegal flow of liquor to the Triangle Bar, they were able to lure the Captain from his hideout and into a trap! For awaiting the fearless hero were not only one of Ramses' crack legions, but also the hideous Am-mat!
As faithful readers already know, the cannabilistic Am-mat first appeared to test the resolve and might of Ramses, as the Gods' way to confirm his divine right to rule. After assuring himself that the mummy was indeed the rightful Lord of the Nile, Am-mat swore to help him uphold this rule by devouring any who would stand in his path.
This brings us to the latest scene where the valiant Captain Darkness, having felled most of the now routed Shocktroopers, prepares to defend himself against the bared teeth of the Devourer of Souls, Am-mat!
To : General George T. Hartford
From
: Captain Harcourt A. Carson
Sir, may I first congratulate you on the birth of your first son. I am sure George Jr. will do you proud. Unfortunately I have some troublesome news to report. Recently a disfigured gentleman, if one could call him that, by the name of Henry B. Williams has been seen in Sacramento, purchasing all manner of prospecting equipment with a small gang of men of equal stature in the community as their leader. By itself this would be of little concern, however these persons have not yet staked a claim with the assayers office. In addition there have been reports of travellers and homesteaders beyond the immediate purview of this regiment disappearing from the face of God's Earth during periods of time when this gang was off prospecting. If you have any further information regarding Mr. Williams, who goes under the alias The Tennesee Kid, I would greatly appreciate it.
Yours Truly, Captain Carson
The Legend of the Black Devil of Mars, as described by Zanthar, official scribe of the Turquoise Barony :
Kator, the Black Devil of Mars that has been sighted recently, has not even been spoken of outside Black society for ages. The legendary Lord of Hunger and the Afterlife is said by the Blacks to be the god that judges all souls upon their deaths after a trial of courage and resolve. Those who are found unworthy are devoured whilst those who finds Kator's favor are granted everlasting pleasure and eternal joy. Though few other races proscribe to these tales, there has been noticeable discomfort at Kator's return as more and more Blacks return to his fold out of fear of divine displeasure being greeted upon them.
The last entry in the diary of the renown shifter An Gorta Mor of House Mandrake...
My final studies of the Rider known as Famine is nearly complete. All the stories and writings of the time build for me a picture not only of his feats, but his thoughts as well. The slight traces of his being at the various battles of legend were summoned forth to give me a taste of his essence which I shall need for this perilous experiment to have a chance of success. But what other choice have I? My once great House is falling and I alone am willing to bear the burden of its salvation. Only if the Riders are reborn can true justice be metted out and honor be preserved. May the Wisdom of The Serpent guide me in what will be my final hours.
The Mischief Maker. A Tradition of the Origin of the Mythology of the Senecas. A Lox Legend...
The Mischief Maker warned, "I come from a village where there is great distress. A Pestilence visited the people. The medicine man could not cure the sick; till I came there was no remedy; the tribe was becoming very small. I have come to tell you to prepare for the Pestilence: She will soon be here; She is flying like the wind, and there is no remedy. She is a wicked mistress whose name is Ha-ne-go-ate-geh."
Excerpt from the Legends of The Province House -by- Nathaniel Hawthorne...
There is no other fear so horrible and unhumanizing as that which makes man dread to breathe heaven's vital air lest it be poison, or to grasp the hand of a brother or friend lest the gripe of Pestilence should clutch him.
Arriving opposite the Province House, the mob burned the effigy, and a strong wind came and swept away the ashes. It was said that, from that very hour, the Rider Pestilence abated, as if her sway had some mysterious connection, from the first plague stroke to the last, with Lady Eleanore's Mantle. A remarkable uncertainty broods over that unhappy lady's fate. There is a belief, however, that in a certain chamber of the mansion a female form may sometimes be duskily discerned, shrinking into the darkest corner and muffling her face within an embroidered mantle. Supposing the legend true, can this be other than the once proud Lady Eleanore?
The History of Amonra, Vennim's Saga Chapter 3
When the mighty Lord Vennim's madness became such a flourishing thing that othe
rs could not help but take offense, many sought to rid the Courts of his malignant presence. Among these was the Rider known as Hunger whose mission remains to this day a heated subject of debate. It is generally agreed that indeed Vennim was located by this servant of The Serpent, but both left each others most dangerous presence unharmed. Some suggest that Vennim's madness encompassed the Rider and caused the tragedy that followed. Others say the same about the madness of the Rider and Vennim's final fate. The truth behind this fateful encounter may never be known, so let us move on to more factual details ...
Excerpt from File: Baeril in the records of House Tinzien
Among those who joined in the hunt of Baeril was Hunger, of the Riders of The Serpent. Baeril, though innocent of the charges of aiding the traitor Dworkin in his theft of the Eye, was left little choice but to flee those that hounded him as would a pack of dogs. However, the Rider that followed on his heels was soon recalled by his commander, War, to search for the Eye directly and Baeril's flight remained unimpeded. The Fall of the Riders that followed assured that Hunger's hunt would not be resumed, though there were those who unfairly placed additional blame on Baeril's shoulders for the Riders' end.
The Urban Legend of Typhoid Mary...
The woman we now know as Typhoid Mary came to the attention of the authorities in 1906 when members of a household on Long Island were stricken with typhoid fever. Their cook, Mary Mallon, disappeared, and was eventually located and detained by the board of health in 1907 until her release in 1910.
In 1915, Mallon was discovered working as a cook at the Sloane Hospital for Women in Manhattan. She was detained again by the board of health and lived out the final twenty-three years of her life in their custody. Strangely the typhoid she had contracted never made her ill.
As an asymptomatic carrier of salmonella typhi it is commonly believed Mallon was responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths; stalking the streets of New York, infecting all those she came into contact with, cutting a path of deadly Pestilence, with bodies falling in her wake.
Excerpt found in the library of the Church of the Serpent...
...after all that we have done together, my apprentice the Prelate Barimen has now turned from the Serpent's Will. The Eye is gone. He has stolen it. I knew immediately that the consequences would be dire, should he ever use it, so the four riders were dispatched. They failed in their mission to capture Dworkin and return that which he took back to its sacred resting place. The final consequence was the destruction of Chaos as it was. Things shall never be the same again, so long as the unholy Pattern exists.
As for the riders themselves, they did not return. We sent search parties out looking for them in the debris of shadow, though the Knights were unable to locate them. Perhaps all of their hosts were slain and their spirits scattered and lost as a consequence of being too close to the vile treachery. We shall keep looking for them, for the Serpent does not abandon Its own.
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