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| Cool-Ghoul graphic courtesy of the Ghost Hunting Theories blog http://www.ghosthuntingtheories.com |
Horror is a major theme in our work on Wermspittle, but it is not the only theme, we're very interested in the interplay of the rational and irrational, the real and unreal, Beauty and the Sublime, and how Horror is right there on the continuum of Awe and Dread and Wondrous and Marvelous, words that hold a lot more meaning that what people who use them casually and often are likely to realize.
"Even the dead go armed in Wermspittle. Few are so foolish as to think themselves safe in a place as infested and squalid as this festering mass of ruins, heresies, and outcast remnants from a thousand decaying or extinct principalities. Damnation and revelation walk side-by-side through the rubble-strewn streets of Wermspittle, Beauty and Terror hold court within the burned-out shells of crumbling palaces, Genius and Madness dance wantonly across the ruins of places where no one dares go any more."
Horror, if you accept Mister Lovecraft's premises and observations as put forth in his excellent essay, is based upon fear of the unknown. In Wermspittle, the Unknown is all around; it has not only intruded into people's daily lives, it has subverted everything around them. Madmen may in fact be correct, but they are still madmen. The world has regained a tremendous amount of uncertainty, ambiguity, and mystery. Weak Points lead to all sorts of places that might not or ought not to exist. The Cold Roads lead the unwary beyond the named or known regions, and even Wermspittle itself is not on most maps. It is a place few outside the immediate regions know about, except in folklore, rumor or superstitions. And those who know anything know that it is a bad idea to travel to Wermspittle in Winter.
"It is a strange old place, much haunted and folded in upon itself many times over as though collapsing under the weight of all its sins and secrets. It is as if all the emptiness of this place outweighed the occupied sections. Wild beasts have taken up residence in overgrown gardens. Toothsome snails slither along the cracked and peeling walls of the damper areas. Weird roots grow bloated beneath the floors of empty houses. Feral children, changelings and throwbacks of various sorts congregate behind the heavy chimneys of the rooftops, despite the danger posed by hunchbacks, prowling grotesques or worse things. And there are worse things lurking within the cellars, the closets, and the attics of this dreary place. Things that feed, and things that whisper, and things that take more than just their name from the dead. The streets are not safe at night. The surrounding woods and the near roads are even more treacherous whether they are obscured by the lingering fog or revealed by the pale moonlight. As bad as it might be in Wermspittle, it is far, far worse on the outside."
The real root of all the horrific things that take place in Wermspittle, from the Corruption Trade based off of the by-products of the White Powder and how it degrades and destroys human beings, to the Winter-time trade in 'Questionable Meat,' just to name two strong examples, is all about the consequences of appeasement and accommodation. In Wermspittle, the majority of the people allowed bad things to go unchallenged and slowly, at first, things eroded and became corrupted and tainted. Then the process accelerated. In the midst of the Midwive's Rebellion they hung (nearly) all the lawyers thereby effectively ending the rule of law, though the Low Courts still function, after a fashion and there are wandering Jurists backed-up by theirgangs companies of thugs Bailiffs.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
In Wermspittle it will take extraordinary efforts to roll back the deeply entrenched forces of evil, forces that have had their way for a long, long time and aren't about to give up without a fight. Moral courage failed in the past, mostly because it was not backed-up with action. Horrific conditions have become the norm, the basis of traditions, accepted as facts of life to be endured when necessary, and to be ignored when the good weather returns. Evil has been allowed to triumph. But it need not, must not be allowed to go on. The only question is; what will you do about it?
"Even the dead go armed in Wermspittle. Few are so foolish as to think themselves safe in a place as infested and squalid as this festering mass of ruins, heresies, and outcast remnants from a thousand decaying or extinct principalities. Damnation and revelation walk side-by-side through the rubble-strewn streets of Wermspittle, Beauty and Terror hold court within the burned-out shells of crumbling palaces, Genius and Madness dance wantonly across the ruins of places where no one dares go any more."
(From: Less Than That)
Horror, if you accept Mister Lovecraft's premises and observations as put forth in his excellent essay, is based upon fear of the unknown. In Wermspittle, the Unknown is all around; it has not only intruded into people's daily lives, it has subverted everything around them. Madmen may in fact be correct, but they are still madmen. The world has regained a tremendous amount of uncertainty, ambiguity, and mystery. Weak Points lead to all sorts of places that might not or ought not to exist. The Cold Roads lead the unwary beyond the named or known regions, and even Wermspittle itself is not on most maps. It is a place few outside the immediate regions know about, except in folklore, rumor or superstitions. And those who know anything know that it is a bad idea to travel to Wermspittle in Winter.
"It is a strange old place, much haunted and folded in upon itself many times over as though collapsing under the weight of all its sins and secrets. It is as if all the emptiness of this place outweighed the occupied sections. Wild beasts have taken up residence in overgrown gardens. Toothsome snails slither along the cracked and peeling walls of the damper areas. Weird roots grow bloated beneath the floors of empty houses. Feral children, changelings and throwbacks of various sorts congregate behind the heavy chimneys of the rooftops, despite the danger posed by hunchbacks, prowling grotesques or worse things. And there are worse things lurking within the cellars, the closets, and the attics of this dreary place. Things that feed, and things that whisper, and things that take more than just their name from the dead. The streets are not safe at night. The surrounding woods and the near roads are even more treacherous whether they are obscured by the lingering fog or revealed by the pale moonlight. As bad as it might be in Wermspittle, it is far, far worse on the outside."
(From: Introduction to Wermspittle)
The real root of all the horrific things that take place in Wermspittle, from the Corruption Trade based off of the by-products of the White Powder and how it degrades and destroys human beings, to the Winter-time trade in 'Questionable Meat,' just to name two strong examples, is all about the consequences of appeasement and accommodation. In Wermspittle, the majority of the people allowed bad things to go unchallenged and slowly, at first, things eroded and became corrupted and tainted. Then the process accelerated. In the midst of the Midwive's Rebellion they hung (nearly) all the lawyers thereby effectively ending the rule of law, though the Low Courts still function, after a fashion and there are wandering Jurists backed-up by their
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
In Wermspittle it will take extraordinary efforts to roll back the deeply entrenched forces of evil, forces that have had their way for a long, long time and aren't about to give up without a fight. Moral courage failed in the past, mostly because it was not backed-up with action. Horrific conditions have become the norm, the basis of traditions, accepted as facts of life to be endured when necessary, and to be ignored when the good weather returns. Evil has been allowed to triumph. But it need not, must not be allowed to go on. The only question is; what will you do about it?
Love the name! Wermspittle? Are you kidding me? AWESOME!!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy A to Z!
This is going to be a really interesting month and if I'm not careful I might actually learn a thing or two. :) What a great start! I'm a huge horror fan!!
ReplyDeleteA nice overview of Wermspittle.
ReplyDeleteHello and Welcome! Thanks for dropping by; we appreciate the comments. Wermspittle has been a lot of fun to write about and it just keep getting more interesting as go along.
ReplyDelete