Abel and the Gates of Solomon

Hello, I'm Lillith, Crown Princess Queen, oh damnit, just Lillith of Abel Kingdom. Yes you. If it's not you us we?. Ah doesn't matter. If it's not you reading it, it's hopefully someone who'll point out this book to you. Yes, it sounds extremely weird. Whatever you do, please just read on. I only just figured out how to "anchor" (for lack of a better word, I'll explain later) the book and I have no idea what happens if it gets destroyed or even just discarded.

Keep the book on you after you read it, you'll know why. When the time comes, you may need to renew the anchor. Hopefully you won't have to. But I guess I'm rambling. We never were good writers, huh? To the important part. When you hopefully read this, you're still Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Abel. Our father will send for new advisors and teachers.

It is absolutely crucial that you get very close with them. Wait, no, not that way. I mean, listen to their lessons and become friends. They'll be the only ones able defending. What I mean is Yuan Yi the "dance" instructor, Hiram the hunter and

oh may all the spirits curse them. They found me again. Looks like they can find the anchor spell. Be more careful. I don't know how long we can ho

sorry

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We could confirm it. Messing with Time is dangerous and the anchor is the worst of them all. They can track it down in just a few minutes and will be all over you before you know it. We failed again. Not enough time to explain much, most of it you'll need to see for yourself anyway.

One point though, Hiram's plan is horrible. Destroying the village doesn't help. It makes everything worse, cutting off the last lifeline our minds have to the kingdom. Our memories are fading fast; recasting the anchor and writing as fast as I can is my last hope to do anything that might help.

I don't know if there have been versions of us that didn't manage to study the Time Sphere and thus didn't reanchor the book. But I think it's absolutely crucial to do so. It's all that prevents us from making the same mistakes over and over. That's all I can tell. I better close and secure the book before it's getting bloodsplattered and unreadable. May the spirits have mercy on all of us.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Has any of you tried to ask father if he knows what's going on? He dies first for spirit's sake! And yes, he knows something, but guards it behind a wall of "fate" and "hopeless" even in the face of his own death. Afterward there is nothing for us but hiding in fear and fighting for hopeless odds indeed. The next one who reads this, ask father!! He knows something. Maybe even a lot, but he's afraid because he condemmned himself to his fate already!

I fear other then that I have no advice to give either. Not destroying the village means only a slow decline. There's nothing to do in the small village with the modest keep and the villagers and even the lord only react with confusion and hostility to our questions about the vanished Abel Kingdom. It's as if we never existed for them!?

Our memories are fading anyway. I have to remind our compatriots that there even was an Abel Kingdom and what role we played in it. The enemy seems content to leave us in peace when we just give up. Giving up until the last moment buys some time apparently. But now I hear the death-cries of our companions as well. Curse their weapons of light and fire. There is no defense against so many.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do you know that he knows something? How could I talk about it all with him when the book was well hidden in his personal library under lock and key? He died when they appeared out of nowhere in the Throne room without warning or foreshadowing. How could I have prevented this?

It is good advice though to lean on your companions. In the months between the death of father and the night where our kingdom vanishes I could use the support and in the later assaults only they kept me alive. I think there is more to them then any of the three that came before me thinks though.

Hiram at least I caught speaking with unseen spirits once. Yuan Yi and Maya have shown fighting prowess beyond the mortal skill I've seen in them during them training me; I might not be a match for them completely but I'm good enough to tell that they had to use something.... else during our hardest sparring to keep beating me as easy as they did.

Wait, is it because I was always a tomboy instead of the scholar my father wanted me to be? I just barely managed to learn the anchor and only did study his tomes because the book told me to. Was that the reason that father never let me read this book before his death?

*rest of the page torn off, with just a tiny scrawl on the un-torn edge*

no enough whining I go and beat some awnsers out the invaders

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To whomever is reading this:

I'm not the Princess. Or Queen if she'll just accept that already. This is an experiment how we can even begin to record our whole experiences for... we don't even know. I guess for these same of us that come behind.

I'm Hiram, sometimes known as the Hunter. The most important part is how I came to write in the anchored book. Lillith gave it to me, told me to take it and get away as far as possible. She hopes that she can lure the enemy away from my track by beating up time as much as possible. She said the spell lasts for 80 minutes. During that time I can write my thoughts. After that it will be in a "stass stae" or something. I didn't understand her. She's probably dead by now and I couldn't do anything. Just take the book, run and write.

I'm not even sure what to write, even with all the time in the world. She chose me because I'm most likely the best to flee our hunters. I'm no scribe or poet.

Well, I guess I can write about myself. That I told my secrets will after all be only the problem of the “next” Hiram. I'm indeed „talking to spirits“ as the last princess calls it. My faithful hounds need appeasing whenever they aren't allowed to roam free in this world. Hell Hounds made of Flame and Hate that is.

I know that this will get me killed as evil Warlock in most lands. But I can't help it. I always had my little companions. From tiny fey talking to my toddler self and begging to be set free to the ancient tree ghosts promising help for my hunts in my youth.

For the smallest, freedom and a little time to roam was enough. But the more powerful, the more specific the terms of their freedom get. My most faithful hunters, the Hounds of Flame and Hate will only agree to my terms if they can't be called back until they hunted and killed three major living beings for each of them summoned.

Mhm, these were no 80 minutes yet, but the enemy hunters are already fresh on my trail. My guardians' howls are clear enough. So, you're dead, princess, then. Time to call everything that will listen to my side and prepare for my last stand. Let's see how their wands of light hold up against the legions of hell!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm Maya.

That I'm writing is a sign that we could not discover anything new. Thus it was decided that I should flee and record my thoughts. I won't bother with anything I don't understand or my own story. I think an important part left out so far is the identity of our enemies.

It seems in fact possible that some encounter the book before our enemies from the writing. Thus I give you a description in my task as bodyguard and tactician:

They are mediocre armored, in plates of (steel?) but not overlapping. The armor leaves plenty of room for movement, and shows below a black padding material (silk or cotton?). It is unknown if they're human or some kind of fey as their helmets conceal their faces with (glass? It looks like darkened glass, but doesn't shatter on weapon's impact).

Their weapons are shot by a small lever under the stock, like a crossbow. There is no chance to evade the shot of light and it burns through a body instantly unless you were only grazed. It arrives at once where the weapon points. Also, reloading time is extremely short, less then a second. Don't linger when a shot missed you, continue to evade where the weapon points and close in. Because:

While these weapons are fitted with blades for close combat, our enemies are in my experience rather bad at it. They only know basic stab formations and are utterly lost when caught off-guard.

Be aware that I might soon stop writing. Unfortunately I don't have the warning talent of Hiram and th

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lillith here again,

we haven't come closer to any solution or gathered any more clues. We were one of those who couldn't talk to father after we discovered the book, so nothing to gain there (maybe the ones who were able to discover the book before the throne room attack did something special? Please try to recount your life as closely as possible if one of the next Lillith are able to. Hmm, that won't be useful to the one reading it though either. This whole affair is almost maddening).

Yuan says that he can't even beging to explain her techniques before I don't train a few more years under her and Maya is her usual stoic self. So much for the key resting in our companions. But at least they do use their full power from the beginning when confronted with the knowledge that the book gives me us.

Most significant is that we had a good idea (I think) how to secure ourself from their final assault when the anchor is casted. We persuaded Lord Julius to wall off the entrance to a tiny cellar chamber in his keep with us inside with quite a few threats and open display of power. There is literally no room for them to appear anywhere inside and outside a dozen hell-hounds await intruders.

I... I sincerly hope that the innocents in the keep can keep out of this. I hear the barks, roars and screams outside already, but so far nothing has gone through our wall. How long it will stop their light-bows after they defeat the hounds I do not know.

Hmm, I guess what I can do is to do some theory-crafting about the time sphere in case some have indeed difficulty about it. The repetition seems to hint at a sort of time circle and in the libraray of father there were indeed such theories, but this seems very powerful and the question is where we are when the people no longer (or won't yet) remember our kingdom. I know from my history lessons that our name and Dynasty at least reaches back 230 years.

From what I understand a time circle of that magnitude is impossible to accomplish for any single or even 10 sages. Leaves the question if we are no longer remembered, maybe with our bones rotting in the ground and our grand palace crumbled? That seems even more unlikely though? And where do our enemies come from?

Hiram is in tears from the deaths he feels from his faithful hounds though and the first beam of light has pierced into our crawl-space. Hmm, if their weapons are able to pierce massive stone, our brilliant plan has achieved nothing but to condemn us to be shot to pieces in a tiny cellar closet without being able to resist. Great.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ave dhat fedthg that hiding really well like ouith fkikkdefk.

It wasthue to a very gege grghhset of evthat I ever found thehtook in a htd off tiny cellar chthdmber. I have no ideathdo find itthd.. or if thattdhetdhvdthrs. Will the circle go on forhtd htif it happentoften enough? Witdhtdhy end it if there is a vertdhomhtdtthd

least it's pret crgrs now that we'rsthehhinjzezjfdjd in thdOtherwise I woudz havddzjzs place.dkgr attempt wasfuujo. oö gftuufrfetty pafduklz. We companifnklslful didn't get afuolnfgulat all and esuflecially Hiraful left us to sdzee if he kdzuld jfuk a siff life in his profflueperfu

I ukikfted someikumfkes and weukflk, as myfkl that stuffuk?fk What was ukf fwkfrint

Hiram here. It is weird. Lillith's memories are alomst gone by now and she came to me to beg me to help her with the anchor, but she wrote like the frantic scribbles of a child that hasn't learned to write yet. I almost said no as I was content in my new and well... almost as the former life. I had an oath to you. I'm sorry that I left you and will stay by your side to the end. I guess there's nothing left but to prepare for our death. There's nothing much left of you anyway, Princess. Wouldn't it be more merciful to have died?

Wait, why am I still fine? Why is my mind still clear as the summer sky when Lillith's is gone? Where is the enemy anyway? Shouldn't they appear after only a few minutes? At least that's what the book says?

Why has it to be me to ask these questions? I'm no scholar and I don't know the awnser! Sooo... it tells me that I have 80 minutes. I thing about 60 are gone already from when she stumbled into my cottage.. Let's see. According to the book, everything went wrong this time. We argued, fought and everybody went their own paths. Sure, Maya was still faithful as guardian, but I could tell that her heart wasn't in it.

Especially after the enemy didn't attack for a while guess that's the worst thing they can do. Just leave us to do that mind-rot. But why didn't it happen to me? I wish I could find out how the others fared to compare. Still no sound. What is it about this place that holds them away better then any magic, beast or wall?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do believe that Hiram's keen observations in the last page were highly valuable. First though about my own circumstances.

I am another Lillith and I too couldn't confront father before his untimely end as the book was well-hidden. There isn't even a 'tomboy' excuse as I was most dilligent in my studies and I believe that I learned all that proved possible.

I couldn't find any Lord Julius in the historic section, so I assume we've been tossed farther back then 500 years as the rule of our lands was well documented that far back. Another crucial point is why only we or if indeed only we were transported out of the entire kingdom. I couldn't reach a satisfactionary awnser, maybe a different incarnation might be more successful.

But the point where we achieved a great success was in proving that Hiram taking his former position is of great help. At this moment we are in fact as Hiram's family and servant because we swiftly discarded any idea of us others trying the same. Maya is disadvantaged as she doesn't have her menacing reputation that allows her to get called upon as bodyguard in the first place, Yuan Yi's foreign arts haven't found acceptance yet and the most ridiculous notion would be for me to actually become Princess again.

Yet it proved valuable to study the facts of one who isn't affected by the mind decline. He was able to stimulate us with reminders of our common history and slow our own decline up until this point where I feel compelled to put my thoughts down to paper before a catastrophe like the previous page happens.

In short my recommendations as a common embarking point would be Hiram's previous position as it's the easiest to attain and maintain. As always I do hope that our following identities may have a key to unlock this mystery and that my account is of assistance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear spirits, what a stuck up bitch. We discarded the plan with Hiram. He wouldn't have any of it as he was sworn to my side. Not the other way round. we may go down, but on our terms.

I'll commit treachery. Maya and Yuan Yi tried to explain finally. It's about projecting your life energy. Either as extension of your blade or to drive your body to incredible feats. Evil sorcery as much as Hiram's spirit talk. Maya is screaming to erase that at once. But she got no control over the stasis state of the book. Not when I say Done


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The book gets more confusing with every new page. I can (as another Lillith) see myself and my friends in some of them, but the tone and actions of others are very alien. Hiram agreed here too to the plan with him taking his old post as hunter and game-keeper again and it at least helps to gather thoughts and plan what to tell. As said and done a few times before. I am too wondering how one of us managed to find the book before father's death. Noone since did this feat it seems.

About something new. I don't think the other positions are as impossible to attain as thought. We... just have to be tricky and kinda ruthless about it. They won't laugh about Maya trying to be a bodyguard when she actually rescues Lord Julius (from an assault we do ourselves with Yi's or Hiram's creatures help).

Yuan Yi's position is more difficult as Lord Julius has no children; his title passes to his nephew who resides quite far away from these lands. But if he would somehow adopt me as his daughter, then it won't be a problem to appoint Yi as my teacher.

I can't even begin to speculate about how to achieve this. Take him hostage to force his hand on an adoption declaration? We certainly don't have enough time to spend years on manipulating him into it.

Which leads me into speculation of the fallout. What will happen when we kill guards while taking him hostage. Hell, also important what will happen if we usurp the title from his nephew? Will there even be an Abel Kingdom in the future in such a case?

Worst thing about it all is that I'm a coward. I can rest easy in writing into the book knowing that the future will have to actually do my speculations. I will not be the one ordering to kill innocent guards when taking the Lord hostage or ruining the future with our experiments. I wouldn't blame you if the next ones won't either.

I'm sorry for the burden I feared to take.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We don't even know what the point of the endless circle is! Destroying the petty county we're in might just be what the enemy desires for some reason. I refuse to do threaten and kill at random before we know what will happen or what is supposed to happen. My plan is to put all our efforts into the capture and interrogation of one of the goons that keep assaulting us.

Our missing knowledge is our severe weakness and I won't take it any longer.


It worked. Luckily it seems to work as well to anchor the book twice. There might be some weirdness though in the later attempts. But in the carelessness described in the pages before, they only sent a token force. We got them. Sorry Hiram. The bait got eaten.

The prisoner describes himself as a Solomon soldier. He's human alright, of the Solomon Dominion as he calls it. In a desperate struggle against the evils of Abel Christ and his crusade against all of the world. He says Solomon most not fall, or all is lost.

What have we gotten ourselves into in the future? I hear the snap sound of their light bows already. They got wise and sent a bigger force this time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think our enemies are just as trapped as we are. In this attempt I try to find out as much as possible a bout the time m ec hanics. Th i s Hiram delay (that I f ollowed for more investigation time) is interesting, but t he attack rep etition o r the lack of may be the key. I t seems they always follow the same rythm unless we d isturb it. Th ey c an't learn from our measures!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

think our enie are just as trpe n this atpt try to fi as much possible a bout the time m ec hanics. Th too repeated... everything seems to collapse? i Hiram dey (that I f llowed for mrenstigation time) is interesting, t t hewhy is is tisszzzzzzwz attack rep etition o r thelack of m be the key. I t seems tey always foll he same rythm unless we d isturb it. Th ey c an't lear

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

think our enie are just as trpe n this atpt try to fi as much possible a bout the time m ec hanics. Th too repeated... everything seems to collapse? i Hiram dey (that I f llowed for mrenstigation time) is interesting, that I f ollowed for more investigagrgbnugö#öpü#o#jö
nothingg.............tion time) is interesting, but t he attack rep etition o r the lack of may be the key. I t seems they always follow the same rythm unless we d isturb it. Th ey c an't learn fr YFol!kglp

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is happening? Help? Everything... gone..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So tired. Did it even take? Is everything back? How many did we lose? Please tell me they didn't lie. Please, if I can read this somehow from beyond, write that they aren't really the enemy. That it helped.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I .. I only can guess that the mysteries carry on. What happened there? The enemy aren't actually the enemy? Why do they attack us then? Why was everything scrambled like that in the last pages? Because of the double anchor? The "Hiram Method" is pretty well documented by now and I, no we use it too. I can't think of anything new when reading the book. If everything repeats, what's the point?
Maybe our companions are more enlightening?

Hiram's thoughts: Mhm, their hunt as described is weird indeed. Always after a certain point, as if we crossed a territory line. And they escalate when they fail. Nothing more from me.

Maya: Their attacks are always in overwhelming force, or at least what they think as overwhelming force. To compare with future selves: The Throne Room attack is comitted by 8 soldiers; overwheliming only because of their light bows; able to pierce any mundane armor and in a perfect position to shoot all the defenders before they close in. Two of the Royal Guard escape to get reenforcements, but arrive only to a slaughterhouse. Will it be different in future assaults?

Wait, wait. I don't want to die. I just realized something. The people, the me! previousoi ones were me! And they died . Many more were talking like I wouldn't , or thinging like Why the hell should we sacrifice for some uncertain
We got her. Good job Yi. Later people, gag her. Yes, we're sacrificing ouselves for another go. If you don't like that I don't know what to say. Maybe we'll even survive this one. Most likely not and the circle continues.

Anybody something to add? No, maybe when we find out next. If we dare to do that double-anchor again. If she'll calm down to do that it is.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope to be the one who breaks the circle. Like the ones before I guess.But I do have an important theory what happened in the pages before the last.

It wasn't the fault of the twice anchor. The me tried something new. A circle within the circle. I don't know if or why she had the power to do even a day circle. But if she managed it, we can analize every step of the time flow.

As I read that some aren't really scholars and in the case we still need the anchored book, I'll explain further. Father's theories and Grimoires already described very well the theory behind a time circle. Some of us may even be able to replicate it.

Not at any scale as the theorized one, e.g. multiple hundreds of years. But if we take a closer look at the garbled writing and the paniked last words we can assume a certain amount of progress even if it ended in said panik and/or madness.

Especially noteworthy is the progress from garbled writing to clear if uncertain messages that hint to an advanced communication with the enemy, if it is in fact our enemy.

It all calls for further experimentation, don't be surprised when more seemingly garbled messages appear.

I may even try again to double-or triple-anchor. Results might be interesting. Or devestating.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here's my double anchor. Sorry if it breaks everything again. We were becoming desperate and well... charged right into the keep. Took lord Julius hostage and made him proclaim me as his bastard daughter with some effort. So now Maya is my bodyguard and Yi my teacher. Nothing changed except that everything seems a bit unreal. We have hm, I can't really describe it, contradicting memories. We were of course always in that position. It doesn't seem to help with anything. We're no closer to a solution.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And there's the triple-anchor. It seems to work alright. The point why I did it again is that the enemy? doesn't seem to be able to distinguish us anymore. Hard to describe. I was in the position now to send out the soldiers of the county to look for suspicious people and they found some. Weird people roaming around with "spears" and face-concealing armors. Any confrontations didn't go well for my guards. At least as far away witnesses were able to tell.

They don't seem to assault us directly anymore because they don't know who we are; blended into our proper roles. Now what to to with that superior position? I have no idea. The circle affecting us seems on the verge of breaking, we all have weird memories and visions of our actual time in my Kingdom, but all it does is to paint a picture of madness.

I'm not even sure we're still here; everything is .............whenever this is. Did we succeed? Did we fail for good?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not the previous Lillith here. In fact this is very confusing for myself as well. I should introduce myself.

I am Lillith, VI of her name, Sorcerer Princess of Abel Empire. Of the proud and feared lineage of the Sorcerer and by our enemies often called Demon Princesses. Our proud history reaches back 400 years when the first Lillith, Sorcerer Queen and her Demon Companions seized the Kingdom and defeated all pretenders.

By this book it seems it shouldn't be the case. There were some weak assaults as this book predicted, but they failed utterly against our Sentinels of Steel and Flame and their puny assault will be looked into. Father, the Iron Fist Emperor was utterly confused by the book we found as well and it seems there's some looming threat to our entire linage. Just in doubt I repeated the rituals in this book. You can never be too sure with time paradoxes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is no point of discarding such an useful tool as this time-anchored journal. Especially as the predicted assault on our timeline has continued. We were able to ward off the core districts together with the palace, but that won't last long. Even though I am much more powerful in this time, as I benefit from 400 years of developing the gift through a strong bloodline with the help of the three great disciples I still can't hope to reach the amount of power that was poured into making this 400-year circle.

When reading the journal first, I disbelieved it. Then I thought that we will easily conquer the threats that my twin who is also my ancestor couldn't. To some extent that is true. The attacks are no danger. My father is alive and well. He didn't inherit the Gift himself though, even if he's scarily powerful in Disciple Yi's teachings and may have long surpassed him. The Iron Fist Emperor is still the greatest warrior and general the World has ever seen.

But we did lose the wisdom of my twin's father who seemed to have been some sort of great sage if he foresaw the time disturbances. I wonder how that worked out.

My interest and talent though is in the sheer force of decay and destruction; you have to earn that Demon Princess title after all. I might just figure out how to destroy time itself if nessecary.

First thing to consider though is the Solomon Dominion soldiers. I never heard of them, so I guess they'll only be a force 400 years in the future. Will they still be? We captured a few, but they were utterly mad. Completely confused, hallucinating and dying. I guess the time gate that sent them didn't account for the changes. Everything got distorted and they see a lot of possibilities at once. That means your plan worked, Lillith I.

Too bad you didn't live to see your success. Your legacy will triumph.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*might look like the end, but isn't. Merely the beginning of a new timeline. Work still in progress*