The Dark Man and other aspects

Nearly all of the early Verbonic settlements circulated stories of a being known as "The Dark Man" that lived in the primordial woods beyond the settlements' borders. Deeply religious and at the same time almost hysterically superstitious, clinging precariously to the edges of an unexplored and therefore terrifying land, it was only natural for people in those times to project their collective fears onto the unknown. For the predominantly fundamentalist sects that first colonized the Viscounty, these projections typically were embodiments of the concept of the Devil.

The Dark Man generally takes the form of a man, sometimes of large or even giant stature but more often no larger than a natural human. He is invariably dark-skinned, although rarely described as a Suel -- most often he is a Flan with jet-black skin, thus combining the refined, cunning intelligence of the Flaness with the base carnality of the Sueloise. He is regularly portrayed as the consort of witches. He has many names: The Dark Man, The Grinning Man, Old Scratch, Springheel Jack, The Evil One, etc., but always his formal appellation -- "Lucifer" or "Satan" -- is scrupulously avoided, a holdover from the tradition that to speak a demon's name is to attract his attention and perhaps even summon him.

More interesting to the folklorist are the names that harken further back than these simple superstitions, recalling a more pagan portrayal of the dark and unknown. These tales, which originate from the more reclusive colonies, often bring out the more animalistic, nature-worshipping aspect of the Dark Man. He is sometimes pictured as being covered with hair, or having hooves instead of feet, resembling Classical images of Pan. His names are more obscure: The Wicker (or Wicca) Man; The Black Goat With A Thousand Young. Therein lie tantalizing clues offering the enterprising folklorist still deeper glimpses into the collective unconscious.

A few rare instances of The Dark Man have been uncovered that point beyond even these antiquated references -- bizarre aspects that seem to reflect some of the less understood concepts of Elven mysticism. Such baroque names as "The Lurker At The Threshold" or "The Watcher Beyond The Stars" point to a substratum of mythology as yet untouched. These versions typically describe not physical manifestations, but rather abstract concepts of Evil and Time that some scholars have linked to the Baklunish titan-god Saturn, before he became characterized as merely the father of Zeus, when he was instead identified with the Ouroburos Dragon, Devourer of Worlds. Hopefully, as more archaeological evidence is uncovered, we will be able to speak of these primordial connections with greater confidence.

The 'Strangling Mist'

Rather unique to the lower Velverdyva River Valley, this tale centers around a seemingly malevolent fog that roams the forests and lonely night roads, choking the unwary traveler with invisible, untouchable hands.

The experience of being attacked by this strange entity is described in an old journal as: "...lyke as thowe a deade man were to put his corpsey fingers downe yr throate withe one hande, & up yr nostrille withe the other..."