The Useless Silken Tablets of Telvan, Prophet of Mepahala- Tablet (1) "Mephala Conceives Sex"

Hearken to the call of my weeping. Come to hear the hollow words of Telvan. Now I tell you of the hoar goddess, the first to seduce Lorkan with her names. Here are the most unimportant details of the first kalpa, for none who lived it noticed the hidden work of the Black Hands.

This is the Kalpa of the Beetle, when Mephala walked the earth as Androgyne

Peerless-Beauty was indeed beautiful, for she had written herself into Mundus as such. She convinced herself and all the names of Nirn of her false concept of “perfection.” All would look upon one-another, from the smallest Ngagnanlo deep in the sulfur-oceans to the most flattened Mast-Creature, they would shiver in the way of Dibe, and out of them would come a new name. These new names were useful from birth, like the Dead One’s; each was promised permanence but in the maw of AKA, and all are affronts to PSJJJ.

Mephala Makes Ready

Mephala sat upon nine-times-nine thrones, taking the verisimilitude of useful names (for so she loves us) and taking tribute from the meek. “Namir,” whispered our Lady, “prepare, for soon the Stark Axiom of Dibe will fall from her form. Witness this, and let it not be taken to the void until the Wheel itself is being swallowed.” Hearing this, Namir wound herself up as if to be a spring and idled upon the Mundus.

Blessed Mephala descended upon the Mundus wrapped in a name made from darkest silk she had seen once fall into the Maw of Sithis. She came as Androgyne, half/fully in the Mundus. For skin, she wore the pelt of one of her most loyal. The Velomounths of Venanda had four long limbs with skin as smooth and as pale as silk. Each limb had five daggers upon its ends, pointed to strip the flesh off “reality” at Mephala’s behest, and to kill their parents upon their birth. Where others had teats, they had hands- so that, despite imminent matricide, mothers could strangle their children. They had three sheathes, one for their heads to rest within, one for birthing, and one for dying. They were Mephala’s most ardent worshippers and obedient spinners.

Mephala now looked much the same as these dutiful ones, but for two things. Beneath the lowest sheathe, the birthing aperture, she fashioned the first Spear so as to fit perfectly within it. As for the second difference- her head was crowned in Flame.

Dibe lay by a sulfur stream, letting down her hair as to rest from her day of rest. From the corners of Nirn watched Namir, curious- for she saw none of the intricacy of Mephala’s plans. Though she could see through the veil of Peerless-Beauty, Namir marveled at how delightful Dibe was. Dibe’s skin had deep, festering pockets that would ooze frothy excrement. From her withered eyes fell legions of slugs and hornets. Her scalp was constantly growing, for a rot grew upon it and demanded sustenance. Dibe’s breasts hung low so that the fonts of sour milk would mingle with the river’s sulfur and give succor to the names that lived within. Her nails grew long, curling back into her gangrenous feet so that she may not be made to walk upon the earth but, rather, laze upon it. Namir was enamored by this visage and how such a creature so lovely could be so wicked. She shuddered in the way of Dibe and gave birth to her her only begotten child- still nameless for it was a child of Namir, but useless and full of purpose.

Here is the scene of the fall of Dibe, most beautiful of liars:

Androgyne prefaced a storm of names, each clamoring to see her spear. She swung it thusly, and many swooned with twice the swooning from any of Dibe’s gifts. He impaled it into one of the throng and they shuddered in the Way of Mephala. None had ever felt such a gift, Blessed be Mephala. All lapped up the power that flowed from Androgyne’s Spear, attempting to fashion one for themselves. All failed for they tried to make it from the poor materials of wood, dancing, or gold. None knew the secret of the Spear- blood and flesh. All these new words Androgyne brought with her, all these true false words Androgyne brought with him. Since they were new and false and true, none had seen their like, not even the Gods of Get-Along.

Dibe felt this disturbance. “I have refined their rapture,” said the jealous goddess, “what is this love shaped like a spear?”

“You speak of me?” Sang out Androgyne. “This is but nothing to your divine form.”

“Bring it hither, small name.” Dibe beckoned to her first aperture, rotten and rancid.

Androgyne plunged his spear into the goddess and hid its glory within her for eight by eight of eight ages, and the goddess writhed in pleasure. Upon the end of the first age, half of Androgyne’s revelers had abandoned him. Upon the end of the second half of them had abandoned, and upon the end of the third age only an eighth remained. So it was for the full measure of those ages until it was whittled to the measure of one reveler, who was plainly told to leave. No name watched the pair now, but Namir (for Namir’s offspring was still nameless and blind).

Androgyne retracted his spear and said, “My goddess of ‘Peerless-Beauty,’ sheathe thy sword in me so that we may make pleasure until the Winged One renews the world.”

Ashamed, proud Dibe admitted, “I have no such spear, for though I have made all peerless in beauty in this world by my great names, you have risen above all others.”

“There is the problem, for I was once peerless to.” Intoned Androgyne “Look, for my name is now simply ‘Beauty’ but once it was ‘The-Peerless-Beauty,’ but a word apart from yours.” And Dibe did see Androgyne’s true name to be “Beauty.”

“HOW I LONG TO BE LIKE YOU” Cried out Dibe, “How did such a lowly spirit like you cut names off? And how were you sure of the result?”

“Beauty is in the eye of the eye-holder. I stood before a mirror of glass and black metal and took this dagger from my finger,” He removed one of the Vehks from his Black Hand, “and sliced off all but ‘Beauty.’ As I gazed in the mirror, the true beauty of the Spear unfolded from my form, for it was what I found to be beautiful, but the names soon rejoined and the Spear vanished. I removed a second Vehk, and made a second cut, but, again, the names regrew.”

“How did you separate ‘Beauty’ from the others?” Asked the Jealous Queen, enamored by Androgyne’s lie-truth.

“Simple, I used this.” Androgyne’s Black Hands reached within the top sheathe and pulled upon the Splinter, “I call it Ebony. It is a Blade I tore from Shithis’ own self as I hurried to the Mundus. This Blade can cut permanently.”

“Show me with Vehk, first,” demanded Dibe, “so that the words may soon rejoin.”

And so he pulled off a Vehk from his hand and gave it the goddess. Dibe did not waste but a moment to tear off “Peerless” from her name and, for she was beheld by Androgyne, her “Beauty” meant a spear of her own, identical to Androgyne’s own. Her skin became smooth silk, her figure supple, her bosom drawn-up, her hair clean flames, and her aroma a sweet bouquet.

The name rejoined, Dibe’s original features returned (to Namir’s delight), and Androgyne announced, “That form I name Vehk, after my own.”

The goddess sighed, “I am one of the Eight, I must look more Beautiful than even you, lesser spirit. Envision me greater than that which you are.”

“Yes, my lady”, lied Androgyne as he plucked another “Vehk” from his hands and gave it to Dibe.

Dibe sliced off her prefix once again and Androgyne beheld her once more. All of Androgyne and more was made of the goddess. The Spear was made of finest flesh, the breasts both full and flush, her eyes held within them the beauty of three suns, her hair burned bright blue so as to transfix all who saw it, the right half of her body was the color of golden sulfur, and the left half was the color of the grey Maybe.

“I call this ‘Vehk and Vehk’ for it is far more beautiful than I.” Lied the Webspinner as Dibe assumed her true form yet again.

“Yes, this form I like for its beauty exceeds any that may ever be in the Mundus. Envision this, and make the final cut with Ebony.” Ordered Dibe.

Androgyne shut his eyes and failed to Behold but with the eye upon his Spear, which beheld a similar spear on Dibe. The rest of the goddess’ beauty was defined by the lustful gaze of Namir. So as Ebony cut off “Peerless” Dibe retained her horrid form as envisioned entirely by Namir. There were no other witnesses, for Mephala’s Black Hands had set into motion events that either killed them, distracted them, or ripped out their eyes.

Thus was “ugly” born to the world. No longer were all unmatched in beauty, but some were more beautiful than others. All were more beautiful than Dibe.

Birth of the Eighth Prince

As the Ebon Blade fell upon her name, it, too, cut off her spear of flesh and blood, flinging it by the way of Namir’s unnamed child. Thus was the child baptized in blood, and the first Male was born. The unnamed’s name became Blood-Red Blood whose false sphere is “hedonistic revelry,” but in truth has a part of the cleverness of Mephala and the Destructive Wrath of Namir. He traps mortals within his spiraling pools of pleasure, leading from pocket to pocket until their depravity makes them hollow, until oceans cannot slake their thirst in the slightest, until they are entirely unbound from the lies of the Aedra, and, in their despair, willingly throw themselves from Sanguine’s bosom into the Maw of Sithis.

Namir, proud of her son, added an empty syllable to her walking name and was thus known as “Namira.”

The Birth of Dibella

The whole of Nirn began to shriek in fear. They cried for half were uglier than the other half and all were uglier than Vehk and Vehk. They wailed for their goddess, who was ugliest of them all. They wept for what they once had, and Sanguine comforted them all but gave spears to half.

The loudest shrieking came from Dibe herself, for she was undulating and gangrenous, pus-ridden and pock-marked, and foul beyond measure. Only three found pleasure in her form- Mephala, for her work was done for this Kalpa; Namira, for such putrid form is the only thing she has ever found pleasing; and Sanguine, for all is pleasing to the Depraved King of Pleasure.

Mephala taunted Dibe, “Watch as the earth shall crack, heavy with so much power, that should have been forever alike!”

So Dibe, swollen, disgusting, and cock-less, killed herself and christened her name “Beauty”- for she made the world still some measure beautiful by being the most foul thing there was- and sank into the Mundus. AKA now took notice and, to hide the shame that one of the Eight gave up on its own creation, swallowed up the world.

The Wheel turned once and there was night and there was day and there was a second Kalpa.

Do you not believe the lies of the Webspinner? Here is your proof: The first Kalpa is named for the beetle, which rolls balls of putrid dung to woo its mate. This is where Dibella went, into both the beetle and the ball of dung. This is why the Webspinner favors them, this is why beetles still fall into her webs.