Lyrics : The Downfall of Fire-Enmek

I. Prelude
II. Despair, hope & wrath
III. From Death to the Unknown
IV. Embers of Hate
V. Encounters
VI. Heading North
VII. Revel in Blood
VIII. The Last Stand

I. Prelude

Aeons ago, when the world was yet young, there were three lands. The Land of the Living, Firë-Enmek where dwelt men, doomed to die who strove endlessly in bitter toil to till the soil that fed them. Then there was the Land of Namwell across the wild and misty oceans where the righteous dwelt. There reigned peace and quiet in a land of beauty without compare where magic and bliss eternally sat. And lastly the land of Medral Nok, that lay in the northernmost wastes of the world. It was a cursed land where volcanoes spat ruin and evil deceit over a wilderness of sorcery and damnation.

Then it came to pass that Men grew numerous and powerful and there was strife between these imperfect beings, torn as they were between the forces of wickedness & uprightness. Some turned to theft, slaughter and confusion and thus sullied their souls. War was brewing. In the meanwhile, the lords of Medral-Nok heard of the sorry state of the world and plotted an utmost foul scheme so that they would seize power and hold sway over the world.

War started, blood ran down palace walls and peasants huts alike, cities were burnt down and razed to the ground, and the peoples of Firë-enmek were overwhelmed and drowned by the flow of powers that strove to prevail: magic against sorcery, malevolent, foul creatures wrestled with Mortals who were on the brink of reaching the point of no return.

Then it is, as is written in the ancient scrolls of KarBad, that The Dragon, the Great Leveller, came... And peace was achieved at last...

II. Despair, hope & wrath

O Mortal, thy thirst for power choked thee. Thou shalt pay the price of thy pride...

The Breath of fire hath passed and cleansed the world of Men
Broken are the statues of mighty kings of old
Swords and plough alike rust in the frosty morning,
Palely gleaming in the wan sunset.

Who shall till this soil?
Who shall wield this sword?
Who shall bow to the sun,
To hail its rise?

Then did Men start to multiply,
Amidst the ruins of what was once
A proud empire of powerful Men,
Survivors, bred an offspring
That was to mend Man's ways
Like a bud in a heap of dust and dung,
Sprang a wish to start anew.
This race of men spread even brighter.

A few survivors put their dead.
On hallowed funeral boats,
and leave their departed
for the sea to do its will
To the Pure the realm of Anwel,
Land of eternal peace and bliss
To the impure the realm of Meldral-Nok,
Land of the Damned and everlasting flames.

"Leader of those Armies Bright
If once they hear that voice,
they will soon resume
New courage and revive,
though now they lie
Grovelling & prostrate on yon lake ... of fire"

"My sentence is for open war.
Armed with Hell-flames,
Infernal thunder, black horror
And fire shot with equal rage"

So spake the Lord of Meldral-Nok in his overwhelming wrath,
So swore the Emperor of doom and black death

Then did Men start to multiply,
Amidst the ruins of what was once
A proud empire of powerful Men,
Survivors, bred an offspring
That was to mend Man's ways.
Like a bud in a heap of dust and dung,
Sprang a wish to start anew.
This race of men spread even brighter.

So spake the Lord of Meldral-Nok in his wrath:
"The race of man shall rue that ever it was"

III. From Death to the Unknown

On his funeral bark Lord shades goes a-wandering
Upon its guardian he fell And thus spake he:

"Thou hast not yet fulfilled thy destiny
& thou shalt not yet rest on the hither shores
Thy soul we may keep amidst the Elected ones,
Thy soiled body shall roam on the thither regions

Thither, in Meldral-Nok Thy soul shall await,
Until thy fate is sealed to the eyes of the Gods."

Lord Shade's fate was not yet sealed

Sad was he who came from such a long journey
Who looked forward to stay amongst the blessed.
Thus it came to pass that Lord Shades
Maimed of his soul turned his back on Anwel.

His heart did ache when upon his skiff he embarked
Once more looking back on those tempting shores
Henceforth forbidden to him, a wandering outcast
Doomed to seek his fate to fulfil.

Thus it came to pass that after many dismal encounters
Lord Shades' soulless body came into view of those shores
Of Meldral-Nok the cursed...

IV. Embers of Hate

Then it was that he who dweleth on these damned lands
Of Meldral-Nok the Dark, beheld the soulless body,
The empty husk of him that once was Lord Shades
Lying naked and lifeless on his scorched soil.

A terrible joy crept on his fearsome face when a most foul plan
Crossed his twisted mind solely bent on sheer mischief and pain.

"Empty body, come away, draw near, and hearken to this most foul plan
& thus thou shalt receive my servant's soul & spread death and pain.

"Thus shall he be born again to serve my will.
Thanks to him whose boundless strength combined
To my cunning I shall conquer the land of Man
Who's worth nothing but serfdom & thraldom."

"Alone I am but a puny being
With Meldrok then shall I reach
A boundless power beyond reckoning.
So Meldrok, settle in this deserted body
that thou mayest serve my dreadful schemes."

"Thus I shall smite with my mighty sword
None shall expect mercy, nor be spared"

"Here I am my lord, ready to serve you whom I worship"

"Thus I shall smite with my mighty sword
None shall expect mercy, nor be spared"

It came to pass that Meldrok was seen again with his foul plan
The bane of Mortals, scourge of Human, to wreak havoc and pain,
An army he mustered great and strong and proud bent on his foul plan
He shall once more march on the Land of men spreading fear and pain.

Kill!

V. Encounters

Deprived of soul & body, Lord Shades' spirit was condemned to wander until he was made whole again. His ghost forlornly haunted the Shores of Meldral-Nok when it came upon the dreadful shape of an old hag.

"Hail Lord shades! Thrice cursed! I know thee indeed,
Thou hast lost everything, thy body, soul & aim,
As I have lost everything, the Lord of Meldral-Nok,
Deprived me of my title, the wrath of the dragon fall upon him."

"I was once a proud and awesome Queen, ruler of these lands
But now am overthrown and wait but my revenge.
Thy body Meldrok hath seized, thou must make haste
To recover that which was unlawfully taken from you."

Now hearken what I have to tell thee: I shall if so it pleases you
Lend thee mine shape, body, & eyne. Thus shall we both reach our goals
To me vengeance and grace restored and to thee wholeness returned.
What hast thou to say, thou who hast lost everything?"

Agreeing on these terms Lord Shades' spirit prepared to enter
The dreadful body of this vile being bent on malevolence & evil
Meldrok, for so was her name, uttered some accursed words
From a tongue long forgotten in this world.
And broke a passage into her foul frame.

Her foul frame

Loth was he to creep into this ghastly shape
And so it was that he beheld her soul,
As dark and murky as a moonless night.
His spirit nearly fled in loathing.

Thus it was through these alien eye that Lord Shades beheld this wondrous and most awful sight of Meldrok's army was marching to The mortal Lands.

Lo! Shuffling, lurching in a great hellish clamour,
Barbarous chants and cries of fury and death
Filled the world with their grisly cacophonous din.

Kill!

Unseen did he decide to mingle among this hateful host, to make his way towards the land of Men whom he hadn't forgotten.

On reaching these beloved shores, sad was he who discovered devastated fields and ruined abodes of men that once were fair...
After such a sorry sight, Lord Shades had found his goal at last: Saving the Land of Men from total annihilation.
On his shoulders lay the burden of sparing his fellow men from a most foul and distasteful death.

Lord shades, saviour of these lands,
Fly on the wings of fate,
Release Man from bondage
Seek the Wise on the hill.

Thus did he leave the cover of this ghastly army.
His soul bleeding, he wandered far and wide.
Until he heard word of a dragon
that dwelt in the northernmost wintry regions,
Seeking solitude from Man's foolishness.
Lord Shades set on this long & perilous journey
To seek help from the dragon from the North
And rid his land
Of the most foul doom that awaited it.

VI. Heading North

After journeying over hill and dell, ever heading northwards, with help from the ever scarce people that still dwelt in those desolate places, Lord Shades came upon a fool's abode. thus did the fool speak: Whisper 'fool!'

"Fool that thou art, lonely wanderer
Thou seekest mere dreams
But there is word of a mysterious and isolated cave
Where a strange beast dwells."

Further north did they go, a grim company:
A fool and a hag sheltering a shapeless spirit.
Long and hazardous was the way
In those regions of frost and burning ice:
Glaciers, and avalanches, snow storms did they meet

So hard was the way, the fool and the hag
Felt the cold wind of Death
Attracting them to Its realm

"Where has my former glory gone?
And my happy & thriving kingdom?
But I shall see them again I swear!
I must go on, I must tread on!"

Driven by his wrath, they found a second breath
And reached at long last the long-sought cave.

And what now?
I must go in
And what now?
All alone
And what now?
I must go in
Thou canst not
But I shall.

I'll leave the hag and go in!

And what now?
I must go in
And what now?
All alone
And what now?
I must go in
Thou canst not
But I shall.

I'm leaving the hag and going in!

VII. Revel in Blood

And on the battlefield war raged
Evil armies wallowing
In rivers of human bloodshed
Little could they do
To withstand the flow of wanton rage
from this merciless throng.

A carnage it was
A most foul slaughter
No quarter did they
Make No, they spared no one.

Sword against flesh, blade against throat
fearful heart met with harsh steel
In bloodbath did the evil army
revel & make feast.

Cloven head
Cloven head and shield
Maimèd limb
Maimed leg and arms
Parts of bodies
Scattered everywhere
Here's the work
Of evil sword and spear.

Victory is at hand! Here's the end of those shameful human worms
that crawl wantonly upon these lands. Now nothing shall hamper my reign!

The closer this beastly army came to their goal of destruction
The harsher, the harder they smote their horror-struck foe

The closer this beastly army came to their goal of destruction
The harsher, the harder they smote their horror-struck foe

Blood it rained that day, a day to end all days
fear it reigned that day, as doom of men came near
Gore it rained that day, a day to end all days
fear it reigned that day, as doom of men came near

And on the battlefield war raged
Evil armies wallowing
In rivers of human bloodshed
Little could they do
To withstand the flow of wanton rage
from this merciless throng.

A carnage it was
A most foul slaughter
No quarter did they
Make no, they spared no one.

VIII. The Last Stand

So it was that in the darkness of this cave Lord Shades came upon the Dragon of yore that none but the wise learned in lore though deemed foolish did remember. thus the hallowed beast spake:

"Lord Shades I know thee indeed.
A fearful bane looms over the race of Mortals.
Upon your shoulders lies the burden of saving it from extinction.
So shall I receive thy spirit in mine body,
& thus shall we set things aright"
Upon these words leaving the old hag's body
Lord Shades' spirit entered
The scaled and huge body of the flying worm
Who unfolded His wings. And as one
they took flight
Raising above the early morning light
In the cloudless & pure heavens.

Over cliffs and crags, icy peaks & frozen crests
O'er meadows o'er plains, o'er hills did they glide.

O'er oceans and against breeze that bites or soothes
Until they reached at last their goal: the shadow of Meldrok'

'I can feel the rightful owner of this body getting near
I feel it in these veins, in this flesh that shudders.

And what's that I see over yonder?
Is that a dragon that swoops down upon me?
What's this unheard of devilry?
Whence from doth it came and wherefore?'

'I see thee, in the shape of this hateful dragon
Die !!!!!'

'Fie on thee, mine hated foe!
On thy knees shalt thou be!
And rue the day when
Thou - didst take mine flesh
Now - pay the price of thy infamy
Die from these dragon claws & fangs!'

One shall remain!

And this most hated
Scourge of man did fall
From the dragon's power.
Dead...

But the dragon's fiery breath
Burnt the whole world of man.
Neither thing, nor being remained...

...But void...

Thus it came to pass that this age of man came to an end.
Lord Shades rid this world of its arch-enemy, Meldrok
But once again the world was ruined; none but a few
Survived the fire of the Dragon to start life anew.

And Lord Shades understood that he was doomed to roam without a body for eternity, an errant spirit, an everlasting wanderer.

To be continued...