Or, the Coming of the Great Crab God...
Once upon a time there lived a big, bad, scary monster named 'Gnon.' Everyone had to worship Gnon, and make sacrifices to Gnon. Human sacrifices. No one liked Gnon, and Gnon liked no one, but as long as the rituals were observed and sacrifices made, Gnon kept its claws out of the lives of its unfortunate worshippers. The people got into the habit of worshipping Gnon, and so Gnon was pleased and did not wreak vengeance upon the people. They kept Gnon's Laws, and things where, mostly, well.
Soon, Gnon declared that he would leave the people for a while, and go and sleep. But, should the worship or sacrifices or lawful obedience cease, Gnon would awake...
But, one day, some people from another place came from over the hills who did not worship Gnon, who did not make sacrifices to Gnon. Indeed, they said that...'Gnon is dead!'
Gnon was not dead. Gnon, content with what worship had been done, what sacrifices had been made, and what Laws had been kept, merely slept.
The influence of those who did not worship Gnon spread more and more. There where still those who observed the old ways, and kept Gnon asleep, but the sleep grew fitful. The numbers of the faithful declined, and the unfaithful built a monument to themselves and the Gnon-free world. They called this monument 'the Cathedral,' and it was a fine thing to behold! It was filled with art and music and vast rooms. Everyone had a say, everyone had all they could eat, and anyone was allowed in, so long as they professed that Gnon was dead. Soon, very few believed in Gnon at all.
The Cathedral grew taller and taller, and the Gnon-believers grew fewer and fewer. The Cathedral reached all the way up to Heaven, and its builders where mighty pleased with themselves. So pleased, that they did not hear the rasping breath from beneath their foundation stones...
They did not notice the cracks spreading into the heart of the Cathedral...
They had not noticed that a few, and only a few, had left the Cathedral's grounds and gone of into the hills, to do things their way...
They barely had time to notice when the Cathedral split asunder up its central tower...
They did not realise that, in their folly, they had built their Cathedral atop the resting place of Gnon!
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