Atasovegust-ungubith
In the First Circle of Time, Melyúnas, or Negobith, as he later styled himself, or Ungubith as his servants named him after his Unhousing, or as the Entellári name him, Oigenas, the Wicked and Cruel One, who was great among the Doitherúna, stirred up strife among his fellows who inhabited the Midworld. This he did secretly. The warring parties, led by the Gangri, believed that their causes were of their own making. They did not at first perceive that Oigenas had sowed the seeds of strife among them from his hidden lair in the heart of Ombros, under the earth.
It was Ingos, Father of the Hyûvandri, who discerned the spite of Negobith, for it was, in truth, the Hyûvandri that Negobith most hated. That the Doitherúna had been sent into Thrâyeldim for the purpose of preparing it as a home for the Hyûvandri excited in Negobith an envy and revulsion which he could not contain, and he sought to express it by kindling the fraternal dissension of the Doitherûna.
When the Giants’ wars had wrought their full destruction, Ingos found the way into Ombros. He overpowered Negobith and, some say, placed his foot on his neck, a gesture that Negobith never forgot; but others say that it was the foot of Slungandi, the sly Drumster of the Deep, that so shamed him. With Negobith disarmed, all the force drained from the disputes of the Doitherúna. They ceased to desire war. But the divisions and destruction wrought by the war could not be wholly undone. Many Doitherúna, who could not die by nature, lay slain by the hands of others. Most gravely, the division of the Entellári between Féor Êlesti and Ailindâl remained.
Nevertheless, all the chiefs of the Doitherúna came together to pass sentence on Negobith. He was imprisoned within his lair Ombros under the great mountains of the north-east of the Midworld. The Gangri laid upon him the most powerful binding-runes of all, the Marûthénath Dagnedh, or Great Runes of Binding. These were sealed with the life-force of the three greatest Gangri, Dreygan, Fúdrofûr, and Mivgâ. As long as these three lived, Negobith was confined to his deep realm, unable to work upon the outside world. Thus ended the First Circle.
The Second Circle of the world began in comparative peace. Nevertheless, the Valkari of Nanôr remained faithful to Negobith, but they had no communication with him. Even darksight could not penetrate the seal laid upon Ombros. Yet they worked quietly and carefully to bring about the return of their master Negobith. While the Giants were still wise and active, they dared not reveal their intentions by making any move that might be detected. But a great part of the Giants’ power had passed into the Marûthéna: they gradually sapped the strength of their spirits, so that they came to be known as Kât’ Engúna, the Three Do-Nothings.
Dreygan retained his company of Falakkazri and the Runewives, who had served him during the Giants’ wars. In his weakness of mind he did not perceive that they had been won over to the cause of Negobith. The Angûthégri of Nanôr, led by Murnag ta-Valka, had worked upon them, using the medium of darksight. They prepared them to receive Negobith into the stronghold of Kapgar Kûm, as soon as Dreygan should be no more.
When the time was ripe, Slungandi the Drumster of the Deep, who bore a violent grudge against the great Icesmith for depriving him of the Talyoran, contrived that Dreygan and Fúdrofûr should destroy one another. In the course of their strife, Mivgâ too was slain, devoured by Haldo Malvân, the Grey Sleeper. Then passed away the power of the Marûthénath Dagnedh, and Negobith’s prison was unsealed.
On the day of the Giants’ downfall, the two Captains of the Falakkazri, Angash and Ligrut, with two companions, were riding the giants’ road on swift skulldeer in pursuit of Dreygan: either to prevent the battle between Dreygan and Fúdrofûr, or, as they hoped, to ascertain that its outcome had been deadly for them both. As soon as they saw the distant clouds billowing up from Mount Zôyeglummi, they knew that the Giants had destroyed one another. They paused in their journey to confer. Ligrut and one lieutenant returned to Kapgar Kûm to set all in readiness for the Lord of Ombros, while Angash and the other Falakkaswa continued on their way to Zôyeglummi to make sure that the Giants were slain. For now their deeper purposes could be fulfilled.
Soon after the downfall of the Gangri, in the dead of night, the few dwellers in the far north-east of the Midworld heard a terrifying noise that seemed to come from the depths of the earth. It resounded like thunder in the high mountains, or the drumming of Brandubur in the Deep magnified a hundredfold. As it died away, a voice came, a cold, dark voice. It said:
Sónulte Theruta Gangri!
Nusste im lando rî raunedhet!
Kugrulder Ûthénath Dagnedh.
Rothi guntsule ailulde
Raugat Ombros.
Ru-ataváteth
Te-ro-nombe Raunedhet.
Rikadreth
Oye-dáye Brigyatungubith.
‘The age of the Giants is over!
Their rule is ended and forever!
The Runes of Binding are broken!
Now the Lord of Ombros has arisen in power.
He will take back his rightful realm.
All peoples will receive the Yoke of Negobith.’
Then a great dark being, shaped like a nyanda, with head and limbs, but with no visible face, came striding through the land. The Moon was shining, but the figure raised its arm and a thick grey mist streamed forth, making the Moon’s light dim. And in the mist came a fearsome flying creature with vast wings. It flew towards the dark figure and as it flew it made a fearful bellowing. It came to the figure and he ascended on to its back. As it rose upwards its great shape blotted out the light of the Moon. And many voices, voices of the Sheefra, were heard, howling, baying, screeching, roaring. And they all cried Mikhan-dâ!
Negobith, Lord of Ombros, mounted on Hugturágis, the loathsome monster, came swooping down to his new abode, the stronghold of Kapgar Kûm. He alighted at the great gates where the Falakkazri and the runewives all stood ready to receive him. Falling to their knees, they acclaimed him in the name of Night. Then all stepped back in fear of Hugturágis, and in revulsion at his putrid stench, but Negobith had the power to daunt the creature, and led him down to the former den of Firungwáfi, Handuvandur, where, with much trouble for the wormwardens, he was confined by means of the collar Boyglir and the chain Kâwrungdaga.
Then Negobith, Lord of Ombros, ascended his throne in the Round Halls.
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