Historical background

The year that later would be known as Year 0 was Naagha hit by a comet. The collision occured in a continent not yet inhabited by large civilisations and created a total extinction of animals as well as plants in an area of hundreds of square kilometres. The collision also created earth quakes all over the planet and generated a tsunami that swept several times over Naagha. The enormous dust cloud created by the impact covered the atmosphere in three months and obscured the sun completely all over the planet. The event had indescribable consequences both for the natural environment and for the later civilisations.

A large portion of all living animals and plants were extinct during the three months long night that was the result of the dust cloud. Partly because of the considerable drop in temperature and partly because lack of sunshine. As the sun returned life slowly came back with a remarkable pace. The ground were covered by decaying plant parts fertilizing the surviving plants. The predators living on the planet could feast on rot carcasses.

For the people the darkness was followed by years of catastrophes. The first years harvests failed and pandemics ravaged the land. Cults and sects desperately tried to milder the gods rage and wave after wave of sacrifices, suicides and bloody rituals followed the next years. Countless small states and reigns succumbed and several early civilisations were totally extinguished. Large migrations resulted in lasting changes in the continents demography. Iiamor tribes were forced out on the plains where they came to pillage and plunder the fertile lands in the west and east. Jukis and Valtars funded new societies on formerly unused grounds and all people mixed in an extent never before seen.

Historic descriptions

Many descriptions of the occurrences that made up the great dark still does exist. They come from all of Naaghas people.

From the chronicle of Menaxander VIII (king of Hasel year 7 btd – 2 atd):

“The fourteenth day in the first month in the seventh year of the Kings regency began with a bright sunshine, clear sky and cool breezes from the west. The birds sang and both rabbit and deer moved freely in the fields. In the ninth hour a loud thunder was was heard and a minor tremor shook the earth to be followed by total silence. The wind calmed, the birds stopped singing and the animals withdrew. Just minutes later a violent blast came and cloaked the world in a compact darkness. In the fifteenth hour the first wave struck the harbour, it crushed the small boats which were moored by the quay and pulled the anchors loose from many of the large ships laying on the roadstead in the bay. In the sixteenth hour the second wave came and threw the loose ships against the quay and in the seventeenth hour a third wave came and tossed several minor ships into the town, crushed the rest and drenched the whole city in water. Of the harbour nothing remained and of the town houses only a few still stood when the wave had passed.

The darkness stayed for three months and first in the fourth month the sun was once again to be seen, if only weak and blood red for days. As the light returned fully the earth was scorched, the town was torn to pieces and the people in shattered. Of the two thousand inhabitants living in the town at years dawn only a couple of hundreds remained. Plague, disease and famine followed for years.”

In the Apocryfic texts, found in the library of Hazel is Samush “the evil world creators” third name. The other names are Yaldabaoth and Saklas. In this context Samush means “the blind god”. The blindness theme is a general theme within the haagian texts. Samush was born as the Wisdom tried to breed a child without the involvement of the Spirit. In the haagian texts Samush is described as a snake with a lions face. Samush is also mentioned as Arush in the haagian book of creation.

In Jukian belief is Samush the “Angel of Death”, who rules over the fifth (sometimes also seventh) reign of the Dreamtime. He is also one of the seven kings and served by two million angels. In the Jukian texts Jalkia I and Suta is Samush described as the guardian angel of Esian and in Lizer the Prayers is he both the one who spread the seven keys over the world and who entices the people of Naagha to make use of their gift. Sometime Samush is mentioned as Gadrush, but at other occasions they are mentioned as different beings. Samush appears in many shapes. A popular tale in the Mermian popular faith is is how Samush in the shape of a normal man convinced the people of Serofemeel not to follow him into the sea but to turn around and walk back up on land. In an other version of the same tale is Samush physically trying to stop Serofemeel but slips on a scallop which gives Serofemeel time to walk out in the sea. This popular tale is the reason why many Mermians are using scallops as charms or decorate their homes with scallop ornaments, as a protection against bad luck represented by Samush. The scallop is even seen on the Mermian flag.

In an additional tale Samush is throwing a stone (or keki nut) at Samush and hits his heel, with the effect that Serofemeel isn't able to walk but crawls into the sea. This is the reason why stones or keki nuts often are used as symbols of Samush in Mermian popular culture.

Valtarian scholastics often view Samush as “The Speakings Rage” and thus not as an antagonist to him. In the book “The holy hierarchies” (by the scholastic Briha) is Samush explained to be one of five arch angels living in the Dreamtime. In different mystical words is Samush mentioned as the companion to female demons such as Litah, Eisbeth Zenunim, Na'amah or Agrat Bat Mahlat. Samush is sometimes confused with the angel Chamush - “The Seeing who can see The Speaking”.

The Khoms regard Samush as one of the seven spirits of Dreamtime: Aael, Gabrish, Mihuk, Oriphush, Ragnorak, Samush och Zaharak. They are all believed to have special importance as Time spirits, everyone for a period of 380 years. The spirit believed to take over for the next period is Gabrush. Four spirits are also believed to reign over the seasons: Ragnorak over the spring, Urash over the summer, Mihuk over the fall and Gabrush over the winter. The spirit are good or evil according to Khom belief. Some spirits are believed to cooperate with the evil god Aramnael, who's goal is to separate the Naaghians from the Dreamtime and to make them slaves to material values.