The power of Mularos is a taint. It winds about the mind and tears
through the body like a disease, crumbling the walls of personal
control. We are all of us susceptible to the powers of the Sorrow of
the World, as we are to those of his accomplice, hungry Ivas. They,
like all Arkati, are charged with the formation of mortals. Therefore,
the evil of Lornon is as much inherent to us all as the good of Liabo.
To be made of the stuff of Mularos is not the same as bearing his sigil
on one’s life. The Mark of Mularos lies upon the souls of all creatures
who do not strive to keep themselves pure. Once it has been lain, it is
most difficult to remove.
The stain of Mularos most frequently appears on the forms of the
young. Those who have recently come into their adulthood are easy prey
for the roving eyes of the perverse and twisted. These beings of malice
seem to bear no especial ill will to those they corrupt. Rather, it is
part of their nature, for they, too, are entranced by the magic of
their god. It seems that they desire the comfort of companionship in
the pain-filled purgatory of their lives.
The young are targeted because of the innocence and weakness inherent
to their age. They have not the experience to know ill from good, and
not the strength of self to hold against mental assaults. The charisma
of the Pain God’s servants is legendary.
To prevent one’s child from becoming enchanted by this twisted evil,
it is best to stamp out those things that draw darkness. Impure
thoughts are like a reek that hangs about the form of its source.
Therefore, encourage indifference toward sexual relations. Limit access
to materials that might bring to mind filthy thoughts. Keep the young
indoors from the early evening until the rising of the sun, for
Mularosians often fear to strike when they might be seen by Phoen’s
eye. Tutor them in the arts of the wise, such as mathematics and
literature and sciences, but hold them away from painting and music,
for in the arts the seeds of darkness lurk.
Most important of all, recall this: the religion of Mularos is a
social one. Therefore, be wary if your young often call upon or are
called upon by others of their own age. A proper child has no need of
friends who are not well known by the family.
If, despite the best efforts of a caring family, suspicion comes that
a family member might be touched by Mularos, there are signs that may
guide a careful eye. Visible symptoms include a single scar upon the
neck where no wound has been, a change in a normal walk to a sashaying
gait, a strange lightness of voice and softness of speech, and finally
a propensity toward the wearing of silks and other sheer fabrics, most
especially as clothing that reveals more than it conceals. Those
effects of the affliction that are not readily visible include
experimentation with sexual pleasures, and exploration of the sensual
sort with members of either sex. These deviant behaviors are easily
concealed, and therefore a family should not feel at fault if they are
missed.
If caught swiftly, the solution to this disease is simple: merely
have the afflicted hold to his or her breast a symbol of the family’s
patron Liabo Arkati, and call out these words after speaking that
Arkati’s name: “Deliver me from the baseness of the one named Mularos,
for I was weak and now repent.”
As time progresses, the mark of Mularos becomes nearly indelible.
Direct intervention from Oleani may be used to aid the soul of the
pain-oppressed. In order to properly call for her aid, a fairly simple
ritual may be practiced:
Cut a man-sized board of heartwood from a still-living white oak.
Wash the afflicted and strong woven reeds in a spring holy to one of
the Arkati of Liabo, then use the reeds to bind the troubled one to the
slab. Have a priest of Oleani cast the spell that links the living to
the dead, then call upon the Lady of Spring and appeal to her.
If she denies aid, or if the spell fails, there is only one way to
ensure that the bearer of Mularos’s mark shall not be marred with it
for eternity: burning. Once bound to a construction of any dry wood,
let the afflicted be burned. Although this shall end the life of the
afflicted, also shall it end the affliction.
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Lesser Scrolls.