Disclaimer: Almost all characters are property of Marvel Comics-- no copyright infringement is intended, non-profit, blah blah. Any characters not of Marvel are fan-created, and it'd be best to check with Alicia before using them. The Shadowlands are her wonderful concept, and more information, and many more Shadowlands stories, can be found at the Shadowlands archive.
Thank You's: First of all, Alicia McKenzie for her incredible beta and unfailing support through the whole process, beginning to end. Also, Persephone, who has been as inspirational and supportive as Ali, and who was always ready to listen to crazy half-baked theories -- and turn them into something more. Also Heatherly, for a generous beta offer; Luba, Kristina, and Doqz, who always asked to see more; Twiller, Doqz and Persephone for spell-checking; Lynx, who nags far too often; queenB, who listened to ravings about plot; and River, who always listens to raving. And everyone who helped me, in any way, or liked the first one and wanted to see more. Thanks so much. :)
Continuity: This is the sequel to 'Renere'. This also brings in a lot of ideas that are going to be explained more fully later on in the Oasis continuity.
The quotes in the beginning of the chapters come from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
Anyone interested in some of the mythology used to create these metaphors may want to check out the Egyptian Book of the Dead, or the many diverse flood myths from around the world. The title, 'Appellere', is a Roman verb; meaning can be found here. Roughly speaking, it means 'drive to' or 'come ashore'.
Appellere, "drive to" or "come ashore"
by Lise
"And in the thousandth day of the seventh cycle-- which translates to sometime in August, year twelve of the New Julian calendar-- a prophetess came to the Oasis, and she was met with cautious approval, then wariness, then outright hostility. A prophtess' job, the seeing of the future, is hard enough. The added difficulty of seeing more than one future and having no way to unwind the threads of fate to identify which thread is which, put so much stress on Irene Adler that she-- cracked.
"People have looked, but they can't find her. So goes the legend."
--from A History of the Oasis, by Nathan Dayspring, edited by En Sabah Nur.
~*~
i. An Introduction To the Oasis, by En Sabah Nur
~*~
I would like to tell you a story.
In my country, the Egypt of old, there was a flourishing industry for the mummification of bodies. The soul could not go into the afterlife without the proper preparation. I, myself, have supervised thousands of mummifications.
There are ritual words that must be said, ritual symbolism that is vital to this process. The Goddess, Isis, the lord of the underworld, Osiris, and his son Horus-- they have hymns, and prayers. For the soul to go to the afterlife, the god Osiris must be honored.
The funeral boat is traditionally full of mourners; the mother-figure, priestesses that represent Isis and Nephthys -- the cow goddess, said to be the consort of Set, the god of dark. Priests, who will perform the ritual sacrifice, and, of course, the mummy.
Nathan, through all of his madness, would never call himself 'Horus'.
Domino might.
~
Resurrection, like anything, is a tricky thing.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a guideline for bringing the soul into Neker-khurt, the world of the dead. Thoth will weigh the deceased's heart, and decide whether they are worthy of the honor. The family will bring offerings, and the body is prepared for burial, with all the things it may need. The prayers to Osiris Ani are said; written out on long strips of cloth, which then protect the body from harm.
Nathan may seem a gruff man, but his deeds are honorable. His trials, like the judgement of the soul when entering the after-life, are not easy. But he will persevere.
I saw the face of Osiris, as well, in my time on this earth. He didn't look like Scott Summers... but it is possible that Scott Summers may look like him, now.
~
You want another story? Very well, then. Let me tell you about a dark day, a black day, called the Ragnarok.
Once, when I was much younger than I am now, I travelled to the north-- the land of the Norse.
The Norse were a fierce people, coming from a world of ice and snow and fighting. My people come from the desert; they used reed boats to travel up and down the fertile rivers, and great ships to traverse the seas.
The Norse have a legend, about the end of the world. First, a triple-winter will hit the lands, and conflicts. Then Skoll, a terrible wolf, will eat the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon. Darkness.
And then, a boat will come, carrying the dead to earth.
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