Bring The Queen Serpent

Overview

In the final battle between the Ourobourine’s patron Hours, the Snake Tail was swallowed by the Anaconda. Aware of the Tail’s penchant for returning from Nowhere, Anaconda incorporated that Hour into itself. Knowing that they were too unlike to stay together long, and that the disaster of their splitting would surely result in catastrophe, the Anaconda allowed itself to be subverted by the Bright-Delver, creating The Queen Serpent (The Ocean-Dragon, The Second Snake, The Glory-Key, The Sundancer). The Great Serpent returned from Nowhere, greatly confused by what it perceived to be an inexorable summons from its palace, and discovered the situation. The Queen Serpent immediately kept the Great Serpent within the bounds of the Mansus, her tireless responsibility and endless compassion finding thousands of reasons for her “father” to stay and millions of ways for it to assist the repair and renovation of the Mansus. Here, the Vizier commited his final act of treachery against his king- opening the door of the Clocktower where the Great Serpent attempted to hide from the Queen Serpent and her demands.

Having inherited the responsibility of the Anaconda along with the Tail's intrinsic disregard for the Laws of reality, and the raw power of both her siblings, the Queen Serpent found her rule to be firmly cemented. The Great Serpent could potentially unseat her, but it no longer desired the duty of governing the Mansus, and was delighted to cede the position to its daughter in favor of turning its full attention to exploration. Having been beloved by many of the Hours as the Bright-Delver, and still retaining much of that personality and all of those memories, the Queen Serpent started with a mostly-loyal base to cement her reign.

Those of the Anaconda’s Names that did not lend their service to the Queen Serpent turned to the Architeuthian or the Vizier for patronage. Those Long and Names that pledged to the Architeuthian swore powerful oaths in the name of the Anaconda and her undying loyalty. With those Names and Long came the oversight of the Wyrm’s Museum, and a new feast of Nowhere-lore for the Architeuthian.

Prior to the subversion, the Anaconda had willingly provided a great deal of power to one of the few beings in the Mansus that had shown themselves willing and able to protect the Bright-Delver and do what needed to be done in her service. Chanakaya ascended to the ranks of the Hours, ready to serve his Queen in whatever manner she required. The newborn Hour of the Bladed Serpent had risen, an Hour of Heart and Edge and Knock, finally recognized and rewarded for his deeds. The first act of the Bladed Serpent was to gather those willing to stand against the Engine of Cycles and the Mad-Machine, guarding the Mansus against the Forge-power that would destroy it.

The Great Serpent dealt with the Unravellers in a last-ditch effort to escape the Queen Serpent and her overwhelming sense of duty, gathering as many of the Tail's former disciples and other Nowhere-servents as it could, and luring them away from the Mansus once more. Once far enough Nowhere, the Great Serpent abandoned them, returning at last to its long sojourn into the the nothingness outside of the House. The Queen Serpent dared not give chase to her father, and so was obligated to resign herself to its disappearance once more.

End Text

FNORD- we haven't seen the Bring The Dawn ending yet, after all!