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Ethilrist

by Tom Smith

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about

In the gaming world of Glorantha, Sir Ethilrist and his White Horse Troop were legendary. Then they went into Hell and came back as the Black Horse Troop, and they were heroes... in the sense that they performed deeds only the mightiest could. In no way is this madman a "hero" in the sense of "good guy". He leads the most dangerous group of mercenaries in the world, hardened through the horrors of Hell itself, and riding demon horses. Orlanth help us all if Ethilrist ever decides he wishes to rule....

lyrics

I.

He was born on a night that the elder gods danced
Like a thunderstorm dream in the skies
And he watched them, unfrightened, aware and entranced,
With the madness a-gleam in his eyes.

He grew himself straight and he made himself strong
And he always would keep his control
For he knew he must wait for the coming, ere long,
Of the hero asleep in his soul.

A hero is dying inside every child,
Ignored by a blind destiny,
So pity mad Ethilrist, willful and wild,
Who swore to make Destiny see.

II.

He enlisted in cavalry, rose in the ranks,
An advance he deserved and adored.
Rising up at each reveille, offering thanks
To the gods that he served with his sword.

But the gods kept him guessing -- no hero, just older,
So he cried, "gods and men shun me well,
But I need not their blessing if only I'm bolder,
I'll gain the attention of hell. "

A thousand white horses all at his command,
A thousand bold riders as well,
So watch as mad Ethilrist lowers his hand
And they start on their journey to hell.

III.

Neither lonely nor lost is the pathway to sin,
But there's no way to tell where the road may begin,
And a thousand white horses and men without fear
May ride all their lives and yet never come near –

But Ethilrist ordered and Ethilrist led,
Ethilrist battled and Ethilrist bled,
Ethilrist counseled and Ethilrist cheered,
Ethilrist worried and Ethilrist feared,

And his spirit was tempered, his pain was enjoyed,
His body was strengthened, his mind was destroyed,
Till the only thing left of the man he had been
Was the hero he'd be when he rode out of sin.

And the horses and troops in his iron command
Were harmed by the magic and healed by the land,
Their color grew darker, their faces more grim,
Their spirits were tempered in echo of him.

Till a thousand black horses rode over the plain,
Their cadence a chorus of thunder and pain.
Their riders, all manifest death and despair,
Ignoring all beauty, forgetting all care.

A thousand black riders whom all men would shun,
On a thousand black horses all sounding as one.
And leading them onward, a man stern and grim,
Who only saw destiny beckon to him.

And the demons of hell saw them coming one day,
And they sent out their legions to scare them away.
But the thousand Black Horse troops withstood their attack;
When the demons retreated, they followed them back.

IV.

The demons, they battled; the demons, they bled;
The demons, they charged and they fell.
They gibbered, they prattled, they cowered, they fled,
And the Black Horse Troop rode into hell.

So into the throne room did Ethilrist stride,
And the devil himself to him said,
"This is your own doom, you've no place to hide —
I will build a new shelf for your head. "

The horses and troopers are not to be seen,
The sealed iron gateway is strong;
So fear for Mad Ethilrist, halfway between
Damnation and death without song.

V.

They offered libations, they offered him gold,
And women of velvety skin.
They offered temptations of all shape and mold,
And he still ordered hell to give in.

They tortured, they threatened, they fought... and they fell.
And the devil said, "There is no doubt –
Only heroes and fools know the way into Hell,
And a fool cannot fight his way out."

Now, a thousand black horses with eyes all aflame
Ride out at their master's command.
So stare at mad Ethilrist, quail at his name –
A hero… but no longer a man.

credits

released February 4, 2022
This song features characters from Greg Stafford's Glorantha, used with the kind permission of Chaosium Inc. Glorantha is a registered trademark of Moon Design Publications. You can find their games at www.chaosium.com .

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Tom Smith Ann Arbor

Weird Al with more books, JoCo with more jokes, Carlin with more Cthulhu. Since 1985, Tom Smith has been breaking hearts, minds, and laws of propriety and physics with his insane blend of sf/fantasy, Life With Computers, pop culture, politics, and puns. More than twenty albums later, he maintains the best is yet to come. ... more

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