#treachery

[disasteradam]

my prediction for Treachery

Original image if anyone wanted it lol

[oscarisaacasimov]

Unreal Unearth, August 18, 2023

1st circle, Limbo

2nd circle, Lust, "Francesca"

3rd circle, Gluttony, "Eat Your Young"

4th circle, Greed, ("But the Wages?")

5th circle, Anger, ("Damage Gets Done?")

6th circle, Heresy, "All Things End"

7th circle, Violence, "Butchered Tongue"

8th circle, Fraud, ("Unknown?")

9th circle, Treachery, ("Swan Upon Leda?")

[distressedbeanpole]

Okay Ultrakill Crack theory on who the next prime soul is. I personally think the third prime soul will stick with the Greek King theme.

In original Myth, Minos was the king that built the labyrinth, and had a wide who cheated on him with a bull (compelled by Poseidon but whatever) Minos was made a judge of hell in Greek myth AND in Dante's inferno.

We know in Ultrakill itself, Minos started as an esteemed judge in hell, and fell from grace so to speak by uplifting Lust.

Then we have Sisyphus. While he doesn't exactly show up in the Divine comedy, traces of him do, especially in the greed layer, where the greedy participate in the Sisyphean task of pushing their wealth past someone with a similar amount of wealth.

[insert rest of breakdown of existing prime souls because I'm tired] oh but one point I want to make is that Sisyphus was made low, and kept down after the insurrection.

My guess is Odysseus, or as he's known in Inferno, Ulysses. Wasn't Odysseus the hero of his story? Yeah, but the Romans HATED this guy. He went around, lying about who he was, tricking his foes and all that. The Greeks saw him as clever and cunning. The Romans saw him as a dishonorable backstabber. His story ultimately ends with him returning to his kingdom (after YEARS of being away) he dresses up as a stranger, joins the competition to win his wife, and after he wins goes "Heyo it's me, everyone who tried to get with my wife is gonna die now. And also also, everyone who tried to get with the guys that tried to get with my wife can be hung."

Known for the strategy of the Trojan Horse, this guy was a trickster. So how does he translate to.Ultrakill?

I think, Ulysses was involved in some sort of rebellion similar to Sisyphus and Minos. While Minos and Sisyphus were trying to improve the lives of those around them, Ulysses joined a similar cause, but betrayed them from the very start for a promise of gaining leadership.

Ulysses is the current ruler of a layer of hell, gained by forsaking those around him, those that believed him to be a leader, ones that believed his counsel.

Ulysses will be built of fraud, every action, and every word an attempt to raise himself up. Ulysses will have started at nothing and pulled his way up above everyone else.

In terms of gameplay, I think Ulysses would use their Flesh prison as a Defensive mechanism, like a Trojan horse. You'll be fighting this thing, and then when you get it almost low then BAM this guy pops out and uses some fancy language to say stuff like "Thanks for getting rid of the competition" and "I've worked too hard to let you ruin this"

Then he AND his flesh vault will be attacking you. Things start getting bad for Ulysses he'll retreat back inside.

I feel like the idea has merit but babysitting and class has ruined me, so I'm just gonna set this down and go. Let me know what y'all think

It could also be midas, cause it seems like Midas Sisyphus and Minos are grouped as like 3 bad kings but Ulysses might be dope

[sunflowersandcherryblossoms]

The fucking disrespect using "Treachery" on the Squad Zero vs Sternritters fight scenes...

That's Aizen's song as much as "Number One" is Ichigo's.

Thought as an ironic usage, framing Squad Zero as the actual villains/traitors in the plot, it was kind of funny.

It's like "Remember the real motivation behind Aizen's plan? Yeah... these guys suck..."

[random-xpressions]

From time to time, everything will reveal its colour of itself. All you've to do is to just wait and watch. I wonder why it took so long as his last breath for Julius Caesar to see through the treachery in the eyes of Brutus? But then someone that's blessed with the divine light like Jesus so clearly projected about Judas: "Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”

Random Xpressions

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

Naturally, the subservient Palestinians would be their useful stooges to undertake the overthrow of both regimes. Yasser Arafat and his duplicitous cohorts were overjoyed at their backer’s belief in their military capabilities and were only too willing firstly to overthrow their Jordanian brothers who had not only housed them but contributed financially and politically supported them since their creation in the 1960’s. Egypt would soon follow.

September 1970, known as Black September was the chosen date for the Palestinians to achieve their treacherous agenda which they naively considered to be an easy task. The Jordanians however were sensible enough to call on the assistance of their ally Pakistan and an ambitious Pakistani army officer, Brigadier Muhammad Zia-al-Haq who with elite Pakistani troops and the 2nd Division of the Jordanian army annihilated Arafat’s militias resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and the expulsion of thousands of Yasser Arafat’s followers and their families to Lebanon.

To this day those Palestinians and their heirs were stripped and still barred from obtaining Jordanian citizenship. Treachery has a price. The exact death toll has never been quantified as media support for the Palestinians disallowed coverage let alone expose a humiliating defeat at the hands of Jordan (and Pakistan) their former supporter. Research suggests that up to 25,000 of Arafat’s army were killed and over 100,000 ‘ethnically cleansed’ to Lebanon.

As a comparison the 75-year conflict with Israel has resulted in half that number of deaths.

The Lebanese did not want but had no option than to accept the defeated Arab Palestinian presence in their country and did their best to accommodate.

Typically, as is befitting of the Palestinians, Lebanese goodwill was met with treachery. On January 20th 1976, during the very start of what was going to be a fifteen-year civil war, the Palestinians siding with Islamists, attacked a sleepy Maronite Christian town, Damour, on the main highway south of Beirut.

Armed Palestinian militants committed barbarity after barbarity, atrocity after atrocity on old men, women and children. They made mothers watch the slaughter of their children before the mothers themselves were raped and beheaded. Young men were lined up against a wall and sprayed with machine guns whilst their parents were made to watch.

The Palestinian Charter of 1968 not only commands Jew extermination but also subservience to Islam or death of all other races and religions. They certainly attempted to achieve their latter objective at Damour.

That’s how the Palestinians repaid Lebanese generosity when they were forced out of Jordan. Yet again mainstream media chose to ignore this episode given the bad light that would have been shone on Israel’s enemy. Again, the number of deaths and casualties is unknown but even the most pro-Palestinian journalists such as the late Robert Fisk, who were later allowed access to the village estimated the numbers between 300 and 500 deaths. Others suggested 1000 plus. To this very day the Lebanese naturally detest the Palestinians and impose a a system of apartheid against them. And who can blame them.

[attiredpan]

Everyday I question how Nog got Sisko’s a desk out of that office and each day I drive myself nuts trying to come up with the most logical possible answer

Like bro probably just picked it up and took out the back door for all I know

[asoiafreadthru]

A Game of Thrones, Eddard II

“Treachery was a coin the Targaryens knew well,” Robert said. The anger was building in him again. “Lannister paid them back in kind. It was no less than they deserved. I shall not trouble my sleep over it.”

“You were not there,” Ned said, bitterness in his voice.

Troubled sleep was no stranger to him.

He had lived his lies for fourteen years, yet they still haunted him at night.

[monsterohnenamen]

[sjsmith56]

The Last Time - Chapter 38, Lord Buchanan

Summary: King David joins the battle, knowing that today is his last. Buchanan is severely injured and must transform into his wolf to survive.

Length: 4.6 K

Warnings: Graphic description of battle, including death of a character, and severe injury of another character.

Author’s notes: Although this chapter is written mostly from the viewpoint of King David, it also is meant to emphasize his admiration of Lord Buchanan.

<<Chapter 37

🗡️ ⚔️

One month later.

King David rose from his cot in the small room next to the command centre. He looked at his arm, noticing the blackness had extended down to his hand and over his shoulder. Next to his cot was the draught for the pain and he downed it, knowing it would do little for the intensity. If the original shot had hit the target in his chest it would have killed him within days but taking it in the arm had slowed the process. Regardless, once the blackness descended from the shoulder into his chest he was done for. He cursed Duke John Walker once more for the treachery of his betrayal. At the washing station he threw water onto his face and dried it off with a cloth. Gingerly he pulled his singlet on, then his tunic and breeches. He looked at the reinforced vest, strong enough to deflect arrows. Instead of it he would wear a regular vest, one with his crest on it, and carefully put it on, followed by the jacket. The circle of stars on the patch on the left side drew a smirk. It looked just like a target. That's probably where the marksman had aimed his poisoned shot on that day when he was first hit. Well, today he would make himself a target. Today was the day he chose to die.

Opening the door he could see the command centre was already bustling. Fury was at the map table plotting out where the assorted companies would ride out to. They had succeeded in reclaiming much of Amarillo since the arrival of the 1900 strong army of his son. His son, whose youth had been wasted by insolence and no sense of purpose had turned into a rallying point even for his troops. His youth was evident, but so was his heart and natural leadership. It had been the right decision to send him with Buchanan and his gratitude to the man could never be paid back in his mind. Once Quin was king he could bring in the many changes needed to make their part of the world a better place. They had spoken often of his father’s hopes for the Kingdom of the Western Plains, hopes that included a major change to how it would be ruled.

Inside the mess hall, he found several lords helping themselves to some food. Most saluted him and he nodded back then wondered why they were here and not with their men. Ever since Lord Buchanan and Quin arrived, then immediately joined their men he had openly spoken about the need to be on the battlefield with their companies. Fury only stayed to be with him and make sure he functioned but his own son was out there with his soldiers taking on his father's role. These few men stuffing their faces had never ventured outside of the castle except to visit the brothel.

"Out, all of you," he ordered. "Go to your men, see to their needs before your own. No wonder we're at a stalemate. Go!"

They scattered and he was left alone. He winced as he felt pain below his armpit and then it suddenly staggered him, making him gasp as he struggled to breathe. An arm came around his waist and he was helped into a chair. Fury's face came into view as he kneeled before his king.

"Your Majesty, have you taken your pain draught yet?" he asked, his face full of concern.

King David nodded then the pain eased and he was able to talk. "As soon as I rose but its effect is uneven," he said then his voice rose in anger. "Why are these leeches in here eating my food and drinking my ale? Why aren't they out in the field with their men? How are we supposed to defeat John if these fools don't command their troops?"

Fury said nothing, knowing the pain was directing many of the King's words, valid as they were. "Is today the day then?" he finally asked, noticing the King was wearing a regular vest and not the reinforced one.

"Today is the day," said the King. "The blackness covers my shoulder and that last jab of pain was under the armpit. I won't die screaming, restrained in a bed. It will be on the battlefield. My right hand still works and it will be holding a sword when I draw my last breath."

"Alright," said Fury. "Then I will accompany you. Which company?"

"My son's," said the King. "I want to fight alongside him for my last battle." He stopped talking for a moment then looked his friend in the eye. "He has surpassed all of my expectations, Nicholas. I am so proud of him."

"We all are, Your Majesty," said Fury, with a tremor of emotion in his throat. "I wish I could have influenced him like Buchanan has done. The day he came to these lands was the day that changed everything."

"He is noble born," said the King. "I say that knowing he was a farmer's son. True nobility was in his blood even then. Like you, my dear friend."

"David ... my King," said Fury, struggling to speak. "I promise to be a true counsel for the Prince. He will always have my fealty."

Fury wiped the tears that had escaped from his eyes then stood up and straightened his clothes. He brought a plate of food for the King then left the mess room, closing the door behind him. The King could hear Fury ordering the lords out in the command room to get out to their forces and be on the battlefield, this day of all days. He looked at the plate of food in front of him and put it aside. He wasn't hungry. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a large locket containing the cameo portrait of Camila, given to him on the day he agreed to the marriage. It had stayed in a drawer until the day he sent his mistresses away and begged her forgiveness.

"My wife," he whispered. "I am so sorry I didn't realize the treasure you were until it was almost too late. I have written a letter to be given to you upon your return after my death. For a small time, at least, I loved you as you deserved to be loved. You were ever steadfast in your love and support of me and I can never repay that. Be a good counsel to our son. He is a much better man than I ever was."

He kissed her image and closed the locket placing it back inside the left inner pocket of his jacket. Then he stood up, straightened his clothes and took a deep breath, daring the pain to jab at him again. The pain draught had finally taken hold and he felt better so he went to the door, opened it and nodded at Fury. The man in black nodded back, instructing one of the aides to take over monitoring the maps and positions of the various forces. Both men went out to the courtyard where their horses and the King's Guard waited. King David took it all in after he mounted his horse. The bright morning, the sound of birds all around him, as many seemed to have flocked to the castle for safety. Then he looked at the castle, his birthplace and the birthplace of the kings before him except the first one, an Air Force general before the calamity who had taken charge when the bedraggled survivors had come to the base begging for help. He had fought off bandits, looters, and armed gangs with the remaining soldiers on the base. His diary had documented the struggles of those early days. He didn't call himself a king but the people he saved had referred to him as one. When he died they convinced his son to take the title and offered their fealty to him in exchange for his protection. Quin would be the last king. They had already spoken about it, turning the kingdom into a republic where every man and woman was equal at birth. They would elect people to govern them and would ensure that no one would be homeless, no one uneducated and no one forced into servitude.

"Your Majesty?" Fury's words cut through the King's reverie. "Shall we go?"

King David smiled and nodded, turning his gaze away from the castle and riding out of the courtyard for the last time. Riding into the morning sun with his best friend, King David William George Walker felt alive, on this, the last day of his life.

They reached the edge of the battlefield less than an hour later. Buchanan and Quin were in their command tent with their commanders and sub commanders. Their numbers had lessened a little as their force had shrunken due to casualties but their force had done better than many of the others. As the King and Fury strode into the tent there was a call to attention which he waved off immediately.

"Your Majesty," said Quin. "Do you join us on the battlefield today?"

"Yes, that's my plan," he said, smiling. "I have heard many stories of the bravery of these troops that I wanted to see it for myself. Go on with your briefing. We will watch and listen in."

Buchanan's look lingered a little longer and the King knew that the man had likely figured out why he was there. He nodded grimly at the man and Buchanan nodded back, just as grimly. What he wouldn't give for more men like him. Truly, Buchanan and Fury together could take on the lawless ones in their lands and be victorious. Buchanan returned to the mission at hand and assigned the four units their positions. The archers were to position themselves in camouflaged locations and with an Oklahoman sharpshooter paired with them look for snipers and take them out by either bow or carbine. Buchanan and the Prince would shuttle between all four units, always in communication with them.

"Everyone clear?" asked Buchanan. "Go, see quickly to your breakfast and your horses. It is a cloudless day, so make sure you have your water supply secured. Good hunting."

The briefing ended and Buchanan extended his arm to both Fury and the King, receiving theirs in turn. They stepped out into the morning light and Buchanan turned to the King.

"Have you eaten yet, your Majesty?" he asked. "Our mess cook found some wild chickens and has kept us stocked with fresh eggs."

"I have, thank you," replied King David. "Please feed yourself. Don't let us stop you."

They went to the mess tent where both Buchanan and Quin grabbed fried egg sandwiches, eating them while standing. Both washed them down with a cup of strong coffee, made from freshly ground beans.

"I liked coffee well enough," commented Buchanan. "But freshly ground coffee is another experience entirely. You need to work on a way to preserve that freshness in your exports."

King David laughed. "I'll get my coffee men working on it," he said.

Both Buchanan and Quin smiled, knowing that his coffee men was a single man, a former dresser named Jose. His sole task in this war was to preserve the coffee plantation that had been started as part of the marriage arrangement with Isabella. So far, he had proved his knowledge was as good as his claims, the plants he had painstakingly smuggled out of the lawless lands had thrived in the land he cultivated for them, producing a high quality bean that produced a rich brew. Finishing their second cup each, both men put their cups down and pulled their gloves on, ready to mount their horses.

All four men, the King, Fury, Buchanan and Quin, mounted and began the ride to the farthest position where Buchanan's men had already taken their posts. Coulson saluted as the King asked him about his men.

"Almost all new recruits, your Majesty," he replied. "We worked them hard back in our kingdom and they have come through well. I would put them up against any force of battle hardened veterans. They keep me hopping for they are still full of the vigour of their youth. Practical jokes are played often but I let it ride as it relieves the tension for them." His attention was diverted elsewhere for a moment. "Liam! Have some decorum, man. There's a king here!"

They all looked to where he was yelling and Quin sniggered seeing his friend Liam standing on his horse mooning his comrades. Liam noticed who was watching and pulled his breeches up, then waved at them. Even the King smiled, remembering some of the pranks of his youth.

"I'm so sorry, your Majesty," sputtered Coulson. "I'll make sure he's disciplined."

The King waved it off and laughed outright. "To be that young, and full of piss and vinegar," he said. "I envy the boy that he can still make people laugh in the middle of a battlefield. Leave him be."

A single shot from the other side signalled the beginning of hostilities and suddenly all the soldiers, Liam included, were all business, facing towards the other side while drawing their swords. Coulson raced forward, and began calling out commands as they began advancing. Suddenly the tension ratcheted up and Coulson gave the command to attack. The King watched, impressed with the recruits, agreeing they could go up against a veteran unit anytime. He turned back to Buchanan.

"That's a good commander you have there," he said. "He has good control of his soldiers in battle."

"He is commander of Isabella's garrison," said Quin. "He came to protect her investment, in me."

The King laughed again. "Will he stay with her or the new lord?" he asked. "He would fit in well here."

"We haven't discussed it," said Quin. "But I have thought of it. I didn't think he liked me very much when I first started courting her. I think I've grown on him."

"Discuss it," he said. "You will need men like him when you become King."

"That will be some time, your Majesty," said Quin. "He may wish to stay in the Broken Lands in the interim."

"Of course," replied the King, realizing he had almost said too much. "Well, shall we go on to the next unit? Coulson has good control here."

They rode on to the next unit, the Oklahomans, under the command of Waya. It had taken them less than three days to vanquish the lawless ones from their siege of the garrison in Lubbock. They had then returned to the palace and had flanked the force positioned to the southeast of the palace. Under two fronts of attack the Duke's men had quickly surrendered. When he had been introduced to the king after that battle Waya had stood proud and tall.

"David Walker," he said, extending his forearm to the King. "Greetings from the Oklahoma tribes. I am Waya, Chief of the Cherokee Nation and Head Chief of the council for all Oklahoma tribes. We bring 400 to the fight against a man who would be a tyrant. When this war is over we look forward to opening diplomatic relations with your kingdom."

"Chief Waya," replied the King, taking the man's forearm into his own. "Thank you. The reputation of the Oklahoman tribes is well known in these parts. Your quick victory over the lawless ones is proof of the excellence of your warriors. It would be my pleasure to begin formal relations with your territory. Rest assured that under my watch and my son's after me there will be no movement against your people. You have my word as a king and a soldier."

That day was one of the proudest moments of Quin's life when his father acknowledged the importance of their participation. As he thought of that day he saw Waya approaching the party to greet them on this morning.

"Your Majesty," called out the chief. "You honour us, sir. We have already advanced a considerable distance and should take the objective by the noon hour. I have reports that our sharpshooters, along with Sir Archer's bowmen and bow-women have taken out over a dozen snipers. We'll get them all, I swear to you."

"Very good, sir," replied the King. "Carry on, Chief. You need no instruction or encouragement from me. You know what you're doing."

Waya returned to his warriors and the royal party watched for some time before leaving and moving on to the next unit. As they approached it became necessary to remove their swords as the opposing force was large and aggressive at this point. The King ordered one of his guardsmen to ride to his main force some distance away and request 100 men. He gave him a token from inside his jacket as proof the order came from him. Then he and the others joined the fray fighting back against soldiers that Quin recognized with a moment of shame as allied with his mother's kinsmen, as they wore the patch of the tarantula spider. As he slashed and slew any who attacked him he fought with a fury he hadn't felt before. When the reinforcements arrived and the royal party was able to retreat their swords dripped with blood and each man took a rag from their saddle bags to wipe the red that dripped from their blades before sheathing them. The King noticed the look on Quin's face.

"Do not give them a second thought, Quin," he said. "It disgusted your mother that they should turn on her and you, and support that usurper. They received their just reward on this day. When you ... we take their lords as prisoner they will pay with their life and livelihood."

They rode on to the next unit which was under the command of Bren who rode back to them but kept close eye on his men.

"I'm sorry Your Majesty," he said apologetically. "I can only spare a moment. This unit is most aggressive and we have our hands full." He looked to the field and yelled. "Stone, close that breach, man." He turned back to the party. "Sorry, I have to get back."

He raced back to his men and the King nodded at Fury indicating that his fate would be decided here. Drawing his sword he followed closely behind Bren. Everyone else drew their swords, following him into the battle. Once again they were in the thick of it and were soon swinging their swords at anyone who approached them wearing the opposing force's patch. At one point Buchanan and the King were fighting alongside each other hacking and slashing at the enemy. For a moment they looked to be overwhelmed but both men prevailed and cleared the space around them. They had a moment to smile at each other then Buchanan saw the King's face change from smiling to surprise while the bloom of blood spread over his chest. The King fell off of his horse as Buchanan yelled for help. Dismounting quickly he placed himself over the King protecting him from further harm. Quin, who had seen it happen cried out for a medic and rode to his father, jumping off the horse and coming to his side. His father, whose face was already ashen looked at his son with a fond smile.

"Don't weep, Quin," he said weakly. "I chose today for this. Fury will explain. Just know that at the end I loved your mother, and your sisters, and most of all, you. You will be a great king and you will defeat John Walker. Of that I am sure." The King coughed and blood spray came out as he did. Then he spoke his final words. "The King is dead. God save the King."

He gave one more cough then his eyes stayed open but he breathed no more. Quin bent his head to his father's face and kissed him, then stood up with his sword in his hand and yelled, enraged at the opposing force. Buchanan yelled at him to get back on his horse and Quin whirled, ready to strike him but when he saw who it was he mounted. Buchanan went to mount his horse and hesitated with his foot in the stirrup. At that moment he felt a blinding pain in the back of his left shoulder and almost fell off. Quin, noticing the blood on Buchanan's back grabbed his arm and helped him onto Magnus. Buchanan was hunched over, losing blood quickly. Quin looked around desperately for someone to take him from the field, finally spotting a familiar dark haired soldier riding towards them and called to him.

"Tom!" he yelled. "You must get Buchanan to the hospital. He was shot in the shoulder and I fear it has struck an artery. He could bleed out. Quick man, get him to a doctor."

Tom took Magnus' reins and began to lead Buchanan away but although he went towards the castle he didn't go to the courtyard. He went in the other direction near where the tunnel was that they came through when they first arrived.

"Tom," wheezed Buchanan, for the bullet had pierced his lung. "Take me to a doctor, now."

"No, M’Lord," said Tom. "I was given strict instructions by the Sorceress to bring you here. It is your only chance to live and you must live or else all will be lost."

"Is that why you disobeyed my order to stay with your mistress and look after her?" Buchanan eyed him darkly. "Damn you for leaving her."

"Go ahead and damn me, sir," replied Tom, tying the horses to a small group of trees. "If you die, Lady Buchanan would die from losing you so I had no choice but to follow the orders given me. Now, let me help you off."

Buchanan had lost the use of the arm on the side where the bullet had shattered his shoulder. He held on with his good hand while he tried to slide off but he still ended up falling onto the ground as Tom was much smaller than him and couldn't support his weight. The young man dragged him into the trees and began to undress Buchanan.

"What are you doing, man?" snarled Buchanan. "Stripping me of my belongings before I'm even dead?"

"No sir," protested Tom, his eyes watering as he struggled to explain. "You have to transform into your wolf, sir! It is the only way you will live from this injury. There is poison in the bullet but the wolf is immune to it. By the time you reach home as your wolf the effects of the poison will be dissipated and you can be healed of the physical injuries. But you must change quickly before it is too late then you must make the journey home, alone."

Awareness appeared in Buchanan's eyes and he allowed Tom to disrobe him. Tom saw the wound on the back had already started to turn black, hoping he had convinced his lord soon enough to transform. Struggling to stand, Buchanan waved Tom away and calmed himself. Then he envisioned himself as the white wolf and Tom watched in a combination of fascination and fear as his lord became the large white beast. His left shoulder still bore the wound and he limped when he walked but his eyes were full of understanding as he approached Tom, lifting his paw to the young man.

"Go through the tunnel and follow the path home," said Tom. "If the Sorceress is correct this war should be over any day and we will arrive home before you. You can discipline me when you transform after. I'm sorry to have disobeyed you but your life means everything to our kingdom."

The wolf whined but he looked Tom in the eye once more, turned around and began trotting towards the tunnel. Just before he entered it he looked at Tom one more time and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel. Tom packed up Buchanan's clothes, noticing the jewelled crucifix, thinking of the one he gave Beth, then placed the bundle in Magnus' saddlebags. He untied the horses from the trees, mounted his horse and rode towards Bren to give himself up. Bren, Quin and Fury turned to Tom as he approached with Magnus.

"Where is Lord Buchanan?" demanded Quin. "Why are you not with him in the infirmary?"

"I didn't take him," replied Tom. "The bullet was poisoned, like the bullet that was killing the King before he chose to fall in battle. Lord Fury knows of what I speak. The white wolf is immune to the poison so I took Lord Buchanan to a quiet place so he could transform. He still has the physical injury but if he can make it home he will survive and become Lord Buchanan again."

"Who told you of all this?" asked Bren, sternly.

"The Sorceress," said Tom. "It is why I begged to come as it was my destiny to save him. I offer myself for arrest for disobeying orders."

Quin turned to Fury. "It is true," said Fury. "The bullet that hit your father before your arrival had a poison in it with no antidote. It was slowly killing him. This morning he noticed the black flesh had spread to his shoulder and the pain to his side. He made the decision to die in battle today and he fulfilled that. If Buchanan can survive by being his wolf then he should take that path instead."

"But I have no general now," said Quin, his voice quivering. "I have lost my father and my general within minutes of each other."

Fury drew himself to his full height in the saddle. "Do you think so little of me King Arthur?" he asked. "I pledged my allegiance to your grandfather, and your father. Now I pledge it to you. Together we will defeat that bastard John Walker and you can begin the changes your father envisioned and shared with you. Are you ready to be the last king of the Western Plains?"

Quin looked at Fury then set his jaw firmly. "Yes, I am King, the last King," he replied. "We will contact Buchanan's castle with the ham radio and advise them of my father's death and Buchanan's transformation. Lady Buchanan deserves to know that much. Then call in all lords, commanders and sub commanders this evening for my father's funeral, my coronation and a briefing. Tomorrow we throw everything we have at John Walker and we finish him for good. I will not go through another day losing good men to that traitor."

Fury nodded and put his hand out for Magnus saying he would make sure the horse made it to the stables. "Stick to the plan for today," he said to Quin. "Visit your men, and they are all your men, now. The King's Guard are yours. I return to the castle to come up with a plan to take tomorrow's battle and the war. We will have a burial and a coronation tonight, Your Majesty."

He bowed, then rode with Magnus and the King's horse, upon which the King's body had been fastened. Quin turned to Bren and Tom. He nodded at them both and began riding to the next unit, as a good king should. Bren studied Tom for several long moments then turned back to the battle with his sword in hand. Pulling his own sword out of its scabbard, Tom joined him and rode into the fray.

Chapter 39>>

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[midnightfire830]

So what does Dice win by making sick the Prince Cuphead

Dice works for the devil. Their plan is to bring about the fall of the dish kingdom. Initially they wanted to kill Cuphead via poison but frame it so it’s as if he was sick so there wouldn’t be any suspicion. Then kill Mugman while he was on a mission as a knight. All that would be left would be the king and queen to die and because dice is their advisor he’d be next to the throne with the heirs out of the picture.

[libertastandem]

Don't trust anybody that doesn't know the lyrics to Aizen's theme song.

[kmac4him1st]

Faithful God

The Sun comes up every morning and this is a very STRONG reminder of our God's Faithfulness to us. God bless your day.

I will sing of your strength and will joyfully proclaim your faithful love in the morning. For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble. To you, my strength, I sing praises, because God is my stronghold — my faithful God. Psalms 59:16-17 CSB Good Morning SonShine In the morning, the sun comes up faithfully as God maintains what He has created and faithfully shatters the…

[femroe]

ok guys we've had a nice run but i'm deleting this web sight now

[evilhorse]

You can’t treat the United Planets like this

[mask131]

Dante’s Hell: The bottom of Hell

Before moving on to the next parts of Dante’s Hell, I want to insist on something I haven’t clearly spelled out before… But in the poem it is make clear that Hell, the Christian Hell depicted by Dante, is the same dimension as the Greco-Roman Underworld. When Theseus and Hercules went into the Underworld, they actually just went into Hell – but a Hell that didn’t have yet all of the sinners it has now since, before Christ’s death, all souls went to Limbo and the other circles were empty, or merely filled with the mythological creatures we get to see in Inferno (Furies, Medusa, Cerberus, etc…).

 XV) The Giants

As our duo arrives at the end of the Eighth Circle, through the murky mist and thick darkness Dante identifies what looks to him like the great towers of a city… Only for Virgil to inform him that these are not towers, but Giants, who stand in the “Well” that is between the Eighth and Ninth Circle – their feet resting at the bottom of Hell and their bodies appearing at the border of the Eighth from the navel upward. Now, what does Dante means by “Giant”? Well, he uses this term to cover both the Greco-Roman “giants” (Giants and other affiliated big-sized monsters “sons of the earth”) and the Biblical “giants” (in the Biblical myth, it is believed that there were giants that existed in the early times of Earth, mostly but not all wiped out by the Great Flood), united here in their “evilness”, as both were seen as hostile, monstrous, destructive species that had to be wiped out. In Dante’s own words, it is because, unlike other “natural” giants like elephants or whales, which just had “brute force” and great size, these Giants had too the gift of “intellect” and an “evil will”, which made them true threats.

The first giant they meet belongs to the “Biblical giant” category – it is Nimrod, the man responsible for the creation of the Babel Tower, and the resulting divine punishment of not two men speaking the same language on Earth. Nimrod has a special punishment in this pit: he is now doomed to speak nonsensical gibberish no one understands, while not understanding the words anyone says – as a reference to the outcome of the Babel Tower. Whenever he is angry, all he can do is blow in some horn he wears around his neck, which causes a great, loud noise. The second giant the duo encounters is Ephialtes from pagan myths, who, for his “rebellion against the almighty Jove and the gods” is now bound with heavy chains twisting his limbs so that he may not move anymore – Virgil mentions Briareus is also suffering from the same punishment. The thing to understand here is that Dante (the author) creates a parallel between the Biblical and Pagan Giants: both are seen as figures that rebelled against a form of divinity and were punished for it. Dante identifies Nimrod’s Babel Tower, a rebellion against the God of the Ancient Testament, with the Gigantomachy and the various Giant rebellions against Jupiter/Jove, ruler of the Roman gods (and while Virgil name-drops the “gods” in plural, there is a clear focus on Jupiter/Jove, making him somewhat the Roman incarnation of the one the Hebrew would call their God). It is another attempt to unite the Inferno’s rivalling sources, Biblical and pagan traditions, with this very prominent concept of the Greco-Romans as being “proto-Christians”.

PLUS, Dante also places a high focus on the motivation of this rebellion: arrogance. Nimrod’s actions, with the Babel Tower, are highlighted as “prideful”, and the Babel Tower stays one of the most famous Biblical fables tied to “the pride before the fall” ; and similarly, Ephialtes’ rebellion against Jove is said to have been born out of an arrogance making him try to match Jove’s power. This all is meaningful in two ways… One, this makes the Giants aligned with the various fallen angels of Hell – who rebelled against God and were punished for it – especially with Lucifer/Satan, THE embodiment of rebellious pride and vicious arrogance, that is located right beyond the Well of Giants. In fact, many people have pointed out that Dante (the character) mistaking the giants for a “city with great towers” is meant to evoke the Walls of Dis, with their great towers, and filled by the various fallen angels and demons. Second, this shows that despite Dante stopping the “seven deadly sins” list at the Walls of Dis, seemingly forgetting the last two vices – he actually still has them in Hell. It is just that Envy and Pride are widespread among the various sins of Malice, and here the Giants embody these two vices perfectly well.

Virgil finally reaches the third giant and the one he wanted to see in the first place: one that can “speak and is not chained”, unlike the previous two, Antaeus (who is apparently in a similar situation to Tityus and Typhon. Virgil says  that these giants are not chained because they did not participate in the “rebellion of the sons of the earth”, aka Greek Giants, against the gods/Jupiter, but still went to Hell for their other various crimes – however, if you know your Greek myth, you know Typhon definitively would be chained… But Dante had a very medieval grasp of the ancient myths, through the prism of both exclusive access to the Roman texts and massive Christian readings of all these texts – so a very… bizarre grasp (the same one that makes him identify Briareus as “having rebelled against the gods during the Gigantomachy”, for some reason).  After bribing Antaeus with some flattery (Virgil promising that Dante will spread the giant’s fame and glory on earth, again some sin of pride here), the giant agrees to take them in his hands and lower them through the dark abyss that is the Pit/Well of Giants, so that they may end up in the ninth and last Circle of Hell…

XVI) The Ninth Circle: Treachery

We have arrived at the last of the Circles of Hell. The Ninth Circle. The smallest of them all, but reserved for the worst of sinners. We are at the bottom of Hell, where the devil dwells. Here, all the rivers of Hell pour into one giant lake, the Lake Cocytus (which IS the Ninth Circle, the same way the Styx marshes ARE the Fifth Circle). Cocytus is however constantly frozen due to the low temperatures and high, cold winds of the area – so you walk on ice rather than earth. This was Dante’s own little play on the very popular and widespread conception of Hell as a place of eternal fire and constant burning – a belief as much in actual Christian religion than in folk customs and popular art. He did play this concept fully with the City of Dis and other places of Hell – but for the very heart of the infernal realm, he decided to do a full reverse and rather have a land of eternal coldness and painful ice. An ice even said to be “more like glass” than actual ice, due to how it doesn’t crack or breaks in any place – it is a perfectly smooth, translucid “endless plain” of glass-like ice. And this ice is the punishment of the sinners, as they are stuck in it, unable to move, suffering the consequences of the extremely low temperatures and freezing winds.

And what is the sin of these damned souls? Treachery. Now treachery is similar to Fraud, in that it is the act of deceiving, tricking, cheating, lying, falsifying, stealing, etc, etc… BUT there is a big difference that Dante is clear about. Fraud is basically deceit towards people that did not place their trust in you. A thief steals from persons he doesn’t know ; a maker of false-money cheats out a system, etc etc… But Treachery, however, is what happens when you commit fraud on someone who expressly placed their faith and trust in you. It is betrayal, and for Dante it is the worst form of evil a man can commit, because while Fraud destroys the “bond of love” that is “natural” and innate between two members of the same species, here two humans, Treachery destroys a special, “extra” bond of trust and love that is not natural but rather made between two specific individuals – and thus to be cherished much more than the simple natural trust between two humans.

Similarly to the Seventh Circle, the Ninth Circle is divided into four “rings”, each of them covering a different form of treachery and betrayal depending on who was the victim of it – the outer ring being the “least worst” treachery, the inner ring the “worst of the worst”. Keep in mind that through this travel, Dante throws in some heavy commentaries about the own civil war, political struggles and social betrayals he witnesses and live through in his life, and putting this into context explains the specific hierarchy he makes here. The outer ring is called “Caina” (after Cain, who killed his brother) and is dedicated to those who were traitors to their family – they are plunged waist-deep into the ice, their upper-body bowing against the strong winds, their teeth constantly chattering. The second ring is Antenora (named after Antenor, the Trojan warrior who betrayed his city to the Greeks during the Trojan war), where the sinners are plunged neck-deep into the ice, their faces “purple with cold”, for they were traitors to their country, their city, or their political party.

The third ring is called Ptolomea (after Ptolemy who killed his father-in-law and brothers-in-law to a feast and killed them ; or maybe after Ptolemy XII for the murder of Pompey) – it is where the traitors to their guests, who broke the sacred law of hospitality, are sent. Only their face pokes out of the ice, constantly stuck contemplating the dark void above the circle, and the harsh winds making their tears turn into ice right into their eyes… Interestingly, by speaking with one of the shades there, the Pilgrim/Wanderer learns that Ptolomea (or Tolomea) is a specific zone of Hell where the souls can end up BEFORE their natural death (evoked here as the work of Atropos, one of the three Moirai/Parcae) – indeed, if someone ends up betraying by breaking the sacred vow of hospitality, sometimes their living souls ends up in Ptolomea while a demon from Hell goes to the surface and inhabits the body of the betrayer… As for the final, inner Ring, it is Judecca, named after Judas – the Ring of those who betrayed their lords, their benefactors and their saviors, punished by being completely frozen into the ice, unable to move. Some are parallel to the surface, other perpendicular with their head or feet up, some even have their bodies “curved” like bows... As all their love in its warmth and life had been destroyed in life, they are now frozen, mute and immobile in eternal coldness, forever…

 XVII) Lucifer

We’ve arrived. The very center of the Ninth Ring, the bottom of Hell. We have arrived… to the one call Dis, Satan or Lucifer. We have arrived to the one who’s fall created this crater that is called “Hell”. We have arrived to the Devil himself.

And… he isn’t sitting on a throne. He is actually stuck in the ice of Cocytus, like the other sinners here. He is stuck in the ice up to his chest, of such an enormous size that even the Giants of the Well could barely match the length of one of his arms, and all the wild, violent, freezing winds of the Ninth Circle, those same ones that keep the ice from returning to water? They are caused by Lucifer’s wings – six huge wings, similar to those of a bat (a parody of the six feathered wings of the seraphim, the supposed highest choir of angels) ; six wings that he constantly flaps around in hope of releasing himself from Cocytus, to no avail. It is something Dante really wanted people to focus on, and his own interpretation of the Christian Devil – he isn’t a king of Hell, he isn’t a true ruler of demons, Hell isn’t his private domain he can do with as he wants. We saw previously in the poem that most of the structure of Hell was ordered by the will and power of God, not by the Devil… Because the Devil was actually the first sinner sent in Hell, the first prisoner of the infernal realm. He is damned, like all of the others, and suffering for his betrayal of God. Dante particularly highly that by showing that Satan is actually constantly weeping… It is “his” Hell yes, as in his eternal punishment, not his “domain”.

Dante also added a very specific and unique aspect to his Devil. “Once the most fair” of all angels, now turned into a “foul” monster by his fall, Dante decided to have the Devil sport three faces on his head, each one a different color: one in the front, bright red, one above his right shoulder, colored a blend of yellow and white, and one other the left shoulder, the color of “the skin of those who live below the river Nile” (aka black). The decision to have Lucifer wear three faces is very clearly a way to show him as a perversion of the Holy Trinity, Christianity’s interpretation of God as manifesting simultaneously through three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The choice of three different colors for the faces has been a subject of debate for a very long time: what would be the meaning of this? Some interpreted these faces as embodying the fundamental sins and manifestations of evil (for example some read it as a manifestation of Aristotle’s tripartite evil as being made of Incontinence, Malice and Bestiality – Dante reused the first two for his Hell hierarchy, and while he mentioned the third category through Virgil’s word, it never appeared in the Circles of Hell) ; other rather chose to see the three faces of Satan as representing the three known continent and human populations at the time (the black face for Africa, made evident by the “Nile” remark ; the pale-yellow face for Asia, and the bright red face for Europe). But the most agreed on and popular theory rather points out that, if the three faces are a parody of the Holy Trinity, then each color must reflect a perversion of the three main features of God. Since God is All-Knowing, the keeper of truth and the highest wisdom in the universe, one face of the Devil represents pure ignorance (black) ; since God is all powerful to the point of omnipotence, a second face represents impotence (the yellowish white) ; and since God is the strongest and purest form of love to exist, the last face represents pure and undiluted hatred (red).

The Devil cannot actually speak because his mouths are full – in each of them is a sinner, that the Devil constantly bites, chews, munches and rips apart, not with his teeth but also with his claws. And the bloody saliva that drips onto the Devil’s chin from this final torture mixes with his tears as they drop to the icy ground of the Cocytus… Who are these sinners? Well none others than the worst traitors of all time, the very embodiment of Treachery itself! On one side you have Judas, aka the one that betrayed the Christ and led to his death – it does make sense that in a Christian Hell he would be seen as the worst of the worst, having betrayed basically God Himself… And on the other side you have Brutus and Cassius. You know, Brutus and Cassius. The guys who plotted to have Julius Caesar murdered. Now you might be wondering: wait, why is the betrayal of Julius Caesar on the same foot as the betraying of Jesus? And if you have been paying attention, you just need to remember what Dante’s mindset is. To take back an image which has been shared a lot on the Internet – Dante was a massive Ancient Rome fanboy. This is why he reused a lot of Ancient Roman literature and legends to create his Hell, and why so many figures of Roman history appear in his Divine Comedy. But to simplify this as just one’s man obsession would be a mistake, because the truth is that it was one NATION’s obsession. We are at the end of the Middle-Ages, at the early times of the Renaissance – an era where the Greco-Roman Antiquity will be “rediscovered” and heralded, among other things, as a golden age of humanity ; but we are especially here in medieval/Renaissance ITALY, which already out of national pride had considered the Roman Empire as THE golden age of Italy, back when it was the greatest and most influential power on Earth, and all Italians glorify this long gone past, or strive to return to it. And Julius Caesar, as the “first of the Roman Emperors” (he wasn’t ACTUALLY an Emperor but he was on his way to become one in all but name, and it was in his honor that the next, actual first emperor of Rome called himself “Caesar”, and that all of the other Emperors also called themselves this), was heralded as a great national and cultural hero, as one of the noblest and best men of Italy AND the founder of the greatest empire and best civilization to have ever been.  Dante here depicts the worst betrayals of history, on both a religious level (Jesus’ betrayal) and historical/civilizational one. This is doubled – well, tripled by two other things to consider. One, Dante’s personal conviction – having lived in a time of civil war and perpetual conflict between independent City-States, Dante hated to see a self-divided, self-destroying Italy, and glorified Ancient Rome as the “great united Italy”. The betrayal of Caesar led to, at least to his knowledge, big first “real” civil war that split Italy and the whole Roman nation into pieces – the civil wars concerned with Caesar’s succession. As such, he considered Brutus and Cassius as the first to have “broken” an unified and pacified powerful Italy. Plus, there is also a Christian conviction here – f you don’t know, the Roman Empire was one of the first nations to convert themselves to Christianity and make it an official, public religion. In fact, it was thanks to the Roman Empire’s conversion to Christianity that the religion could spread so fast so quickly, and it was thanks to the Empire that the very Christian Church rose up as an institution (and it was also because of the split of the Empire that the religion divided itself between Catholic and Orthodox). As a result, in the Christian mindset of the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance, the Roman Empire was seen as the first true Christian nation, and as having been formed by God’s will precisely as a tool and mean to spread Christianity across the known world. There is a whole logic in Christian cultures of the Roman Empire being a proof and manifestation of Providence, and the Roman Emperors having been tolerated or created by God in preparation for the arrival of the true heads of the Church – which is quite funny, because it is a paradoxical logic that also recognized how the fall of the Roman Empire was something also needed and ordered by God’s Will and Providence, due to them needing to pay for their pagan ways, their antagonistic role in Jesus’ time, and the whole thing of being the main persecutors of Christianity for a very long time… It is one of the many paradoxes of Christian culture, but let’s skip it over – let’s just say that for the Christian mindset of the time, the Roman Empire’s formation was seen as something approved and pushed forward by God himself, and as history of the time agrees, Caesar would have been the first Emperor and form the Roman Empire, if not for his brutal and tragic murder – which means, these traitors were seen as also killing a man appointed by God to do a very important and holy task favoring humanity, thus the parallel between Jesus and Caesar…

 XVIII) Getting out of Hell

Okay, so… our duo got the very end of Hell. Now… where do they go? In Dante’s guided tour through the afterlifes, the next destination is Purgatory, but how to escape Hell? Do they have to go all the way back? No!

You see, when the Devil fell on earth from Heaven, it formed a crater, right? It was because earth itself was so reviled and disgusted by the presence of the Devil it “fled” away as much as it could… And so where did all of this “fled earth” went to, as the big crater formed itself? To the other side of the world, where it formed a mountain paralleling the conic form of Hell. And this mountain, the “twin sister” of Hell, became Purgatory, a way to ascend from Earth to Heaven. So Purgatory is found at the exact opposite point on the Earth’s globe to Hell. And due to the formation of one creating the other, there are actually cracks into the very Earth that inter-connect the two – so Dante and Virgil merely crawls through one of these earth-cracks around Lucifer’s falling ground, to them cross throughout the globe to Purgatory.

There is only one thing… these cracks are where Lucifer fell. Aka, they are basically around Lucifer’s body. It is the fact his body got stuck into the earth that caused them. So… to reach them and travel through them, Dante and Virgil actually have to climb down Lucifer’s very own body. Doing so proves itself quite easy however, because Lucifer has a very hairy, almost furry body, and so they can cling onto the Devil’s fur to climb down and down into the Earth… and then up and up. Dante (the author) has a lot of fun playing with the physics of the world as they were thought at the time, and so while at first they go down, towards the center of the Earth, where gravity becomes stronger and stronger, Dante (the character) quickly says to Virgil “Hey wait… We are going back up! We are going backwards! We are in the wrong direction!”, only for Virgil to explain that no, they are going the right way. It is just that the center of the Earth, which is also the gravitational point of the planet, is located around where the Devil’s hips are, so by crossing this, the gravity reverses and so does human perception. While, from the flanks to the waist of the Devil, Dante had the feeling he was climbing down, starting with the Devil’s thigh, he now feels like he is climbing up, and he does – climbing up to the surface, to the other hemisphere, to Purgatory…