A Conversation with the Broken Spoke

Ittimin, The Looking Glass issue 10, 1112

Broken Spoke Daemons, Acquiescence and the Origin and Purpose of the Ritual Network

The following is taken from a conversation with a Broken Spoke daemon at the Grand Erdrejan Fayre 1112.

On the Broken Spoke and Acquiescence

The Broken Spoke are daemons commonly believed to be Evil in alignment due the discovery that their organs can provide a link to the memories of the embodiment of Evil (I have experimented with this myself, it is entirely true). Having spoken with members of the Broken Spoke however it seems that their elemental alignment is very much more complicated. If we are to believe what they have told us then the Broken Spoke were created during the ritual to create Unlife. This certainly would go some way to explaining the alignment of Knowledge and Time in their pattern, which is in line with the old way of things rather than the new. Apparently the Broken Spoke daemons were created from the blood of both Medroth (embodiment of Chaos) and Ashlar Everoth (Ancient of Evil), who were both stabbed during Everon's ritual to create Unlife (from my own sources it is indeed true that Medroth was stabbed, although this is the first mention of the blood of the ancient being used, rather than just his favour). This meant their creation happened at the exact moment that Knowledge and Time switched places in the void, forming Everon's Knot and their patterns were not changed during the switch. This resulted in what they are now - Evil-Chaos daemons with magical patterns and Knowledge and Time the opposite way around compared to the rest of the world. When asked why their patterns were not corrected during later cataclysms the answer was merely "Floris didn't fix everything and bodged it to hold it together".

The Broken Spoke claim not have individual names, calling each other merely 'brother' or 'sister', Although they say that they would still know who was being called across a crowded room.

Acquiescence is the only other being to our knowledge with the Everon 's Knot elements in a pre-knot state within her pattern. The Broken Spoke however claim not to have met her until recent times. The Akari summoned the Broken Spoke to this plane during the war against Entropy, and it was around that time which they met Acquiescence, who also came to this plane when Ashlar Everoth started to be active again (in the form of Entropy). The Broken Spoke say that Ashlar Everoth by this point however was not what he was, that he was very changed.

The Broken Spoke claim to be under a permanent control by Acquiescence. A feat she was capable of due to their pattern sharing the "same resonance". They also claim that she has empowered herself to her current state by eating the hearts of Broken Spoke daemons.

On the Ritual Network of Erdreja

Strangely, during the conversation with the Broken Spoke daemon he insisted that I should be asking "Why did the ancients create the ritual network and delay the egg hatching". This in some way contradicts our current understanding that it was in fact the Cosmic Dragon of War, also known as the Dark Moon, who tipped the egg on its axis slowing the hatching. And although when asked about this point no satisfactory answer was gained, more information about the creation of our current ritual network was offered:

Apparently the ritual network was created by the Ancients because they needed a more stable way of feeding her over a longer hatching period, this being the purpose of the network. A network for the feeding of the egg did exist before this time in the form of the trees, which explains why a few particular, very old, trees are known to act as a direct link to the Dragon herself

The Ancients apparently also needed the ritual network to be able to use what the daemon called 'true magic'. Although his definition of true magic is not the mystical thing it may initially appear to be. His definition is power pulled from the inner void. This is the standard type of magic that many can cast currently – incantation, channelling and shadow magic. All being examples of 'true magic' in this context.

In addition to this it was explained that the transport network and the Paths of Light act as a drainage system for power pulled from the void by us. The very interesting point is that he claimed this was power pulled from both the inner and outer void, although this may merely mean the power we use during rituals and fail to restore to the inner void where it belongs (the source of this power is the Cosmic Dragon of Feast, otherwise known as the Sun, which is resident in the outer void). The wellsprings are also an overflow system of a type, but different to the transport network in that they are outlets for overflowing energy from the void which is excess, not pulled out by beings on the surface.