The Legend Of Dukilula Chapter 1: Part 1, a metalocalypse fanfic

THE LEGEND OF DUKILULA

Rating: PG13
Warnings: some violent imagery, deaths
Pairing: none
Words: ~ 3500
Summary: The prophecy of Dethklok, translated from the ancient Sumerian, in epic poetry form. Yes, really.
Note: Tons of research and lots of author's notes at the end.

PART 1

PROPERTY OF LORD SELACIA AND THE TRIBUNAL:

Eight (8) clay tablets from the mountains of Assyria, dated from the Jemdet Nasr Period (approx. 3100-2900 BCE), including:

One (1) with a carving of the past incarnations of the band (7) with cuneiform writing, detailing the prophecy of the past incarnations of the band Dethklok.

o - o - o - o

THE LEGEND OF DUKILULA

Translated from ancient Akkadian
by Dr. Olthea Ninnymangler, Professor of Ancient Languages at Oxford University,
Apocalyptic Prophecy Expert for the Tribunal

TABLET I

Hear, now, the tale of the great Dukilula,
the fateful players of music which
could destroy a world.
The five men who were as gods
upon thrones of black metal and
whose songs burned like fire
in the souls of all who heard them.

Before great king Gilgamesh,
before king Dumuzi,
before even the age of the kingdom of Kish.
In the time of King Ubaratutu,
lived the warrior Natum.
Stronger than ten oxen, with hair
blacker than the blackness of eternal night
and eyes greener than jade,
was the great warrior Natum.
He fought in the city-state battles for many years,
leaving all who stood against him
in blood deep as an ocean.
His bravery earned from the King
the possession of land east of Sumer,
high in the mountains of Zagros.
There Natum commanded his own soldiers
and they gave their lives to his will to build a city.
This city he called Madalamhu.
At the heart of the city there was built
a fortress of stone shaped as the great dragoness Tiamat.
And he named this grand palace Namusga.

Natum one night dreamed of a new music,
its sounds deep and dark as Irkalla.
In his dream he saw five man-sized animals,
dancing upon a lightning filled sky.
There was a great cat, a many-legged sea creature,
a bird of prey, a wild hare, and a giant lizard.
And he saw all the peoples of the world below them,
dancing and shouting and praising.

Natum called for an oracle to divine his dream.
An old man, priest of Nanshe, came and a ram
was slaughtered on the very floor of Namusga
and the priest read the entrails.
He declared that Natum must seek out
four other men to play the music,
for which Natum must write words to sing.
These men would be strangers from lands far away,
marked by strange ways and strange appearance.
The old priest warned that the music
would become a force unto itself,
brutal as a deadly axe and heavy as a hammer.
It would change the world and take them
down a path that even he could not predict.

o - o - o - o

TABLET II

Natum's wise and stoic sagia Apudunsen
advised against his wishes.
Natum was an amelu, not a commoner,
to play such music throughout the land
would be viewed as strange.
But Natum's will was stronger,
his eyes fierce and his voice loud as thunder,
and Apudunsen relented though he had tried his best.

Natum went forth in the company
of his soldiers to find the special musicians
so that his music could be heard by all the land.
Natum commanded Apudunsen to inscribe on clay tablets
words he created for the new music.
Natum called this new music agarilu,
for it lamented upon life and weighed heavy
as lead upon the heart,
yet it made his soul leap with joy.

He and his men searched for many days
but no man was found that fit his dream.
On the fifth night, he sat drinking
one hundred jugs of the brew of Ninkasi
at an esdam in the city of Lagash.
As he drank there appeared a small man,
carrying a jug of beer and staggering as he walked.
The small man was strange in appearance,
with carnelian coloured braids twisted
about his head and eyes green as reeds.
The man was called Pihukulus.
Natum asked for his story,
and Pihukulus told of his life.
He had travelled from the land of Eriu
many thousands of leagues east of Attalia.
He had fled from his island world
after a fight with his brother.
He had for a time joined with a
band of musicians who travelled across
the lands beyond Sumer.
He sang and played tambur and liliz.
Natum's soldiers brought forth
drums and sistrum for Pihukulus to play.
He played liliz and si'im and ada
with fiery power, as though going to war.
No one had seen such skill.
Natum knew this was one
musician from his dream,
and he bade Pihukulus to join him.

o - o - o - o

TABLET III

Many days passed and they came
to the city of Sippar in Akkad.
They sought women for company,
and went to a temple of Inanna.
In the main court was a kalu musician,
surrounded by harimtu of every age and type.
He had hair of gold and eyes like lapis lazuli,
and stood nearly as tall as the huluppu tree.
The man was called Siaksuzigir.
He played a strange tambur with two long necks,
his fingers flashing between them,
hands swift as the deadly shrike.
None in the land had seen such skill.
Natum asked for his story,
and Siaksuzigir told of his life.
His mother had come from the land of Skane,
many thousands of leagues north of Attalia.
She had borne Siaksuzigir in Akkad
and joined the temple service,
leaving him to be raised by the other harimtu.
As a child he had been chased by gallu demons
in the mountains and fallen into a cave
where the strange instrument was found.
It was a gift to him from Ninatta and Kilutta.
Now his soul and the music were as one.
Natum knew this was another
musician from his dream,
and he bade Siaksuzigir to join him.

Before they left Sippar,
a young slave boy approached.
He had eyes like pale chalcedony and
hair the colour of a fallow deer.
His name was Taka, and he begged to join them.
His voice was strange, and Siaksuizigir knew
him to be another of his race from Skane.
Natum asked for his story,
and Taka told of his life.
He had been captured as a child,
enslaved and sold to traders who
brought him to strange lands of Akkad.
He worked for many years in the household
of a cruel kurku priest who lashed him daily.
By dark of night Taka stole away,
but knowing he was only arad and not free,
gave himself as usga in service in the temple.
He watched Siaksuzigir play tambur for many years,
and learned to play the zabitum,
taught only by the love in his heart for the music.
Natum's soldiers brought forth
a lyre for Taka to play.
His fingers flew nearly as fast as Siaksuizigir
and the sounds were sweet and fierce.
Though Siaksuzigir insisted Taka only copied,
still no one had seen such skill on the zabitum.
Natum knew this was another
musician from his dream,
and he bade Taka to join him.

o - o - o - o

TABLET IV

Natum and his people rode across all of Sumer
but no more musicians were found
who were the men of Natum's dream.
One night they set camp in the wilds
between Dilbat and Sharuppak.
From the darkness came the strangest man
they had yet seen.
His brow was lowered in a fierce frown,
arms crossed over a large belly.
His eyes were those of a lion and his
hair like muddy briars.
His teeth gaped far wide in front,
so that his speech hissed and spat.
They believed his name to be Mesdurpesur,
so difficult was it to understand his words.
After much anger and waving of a dagger
did he convey his true name,
which was Musdarpasu.
Across the man's back hung
a strange instrument none had yet seen.
It was tall, standing high as his shoulder,
with a long thin neck and a large round body
that rested upon the ground.
He called it a kora.
Natum asked his story,
and with difficulty, Musdarpasu
told him of his life.
He had lived among the animals
in the land of Kemet,
driven out by his people for his strange ways.
He grew tired of this life and travelled
toward Akkad, thinking to enter Sumer
and offer himself as a musician.
Natum asked him to play
this strange instrument from a distant land.
Musdarpasu sat it against his shoulder
and plucked the strings.
It made a deep and solemn tone
which Natum felt through the very soles of the feet.
No one had seen such skill.
Natum knew this was man,
though strange and wild,
was the final musician from his dream,
and he bade Musdarpasu to join him.

o - o - o - o

TABLET V

And the agarilu music of Dukilula was
known throughout the land.
It was dark and deep as Irkalla.
It was brutal as an axe and heavy as a hammer.
The songs told of underworld and
sea creatures rising to devour humanity.
The songs told of hopelessness of life
and desire for death.
The songs told of the world burning and
all in it dying in blood and pain.
The people of the land heard the agarilu music
and fell under its spell and
thoughts of death and destruction
became joyful.
The people followed Dukilula throughout the land
as sheep driven by demons.

Dukilula commanded to be crafted
five chariots bound together as one and
pulled by five black steeds.
They raced through the streets of
Sumer, Akkad and Assyria.
The people traveled far to see them,
from Arzawa in the west, Elam to the west,
and Levant to the south.
The people cried always for more,
slaying each other in desire to please Dukilula.
The musicians grew prideful and
looked upon the people a lowly animals.

At Namusga the soldiers were branded
to show their loyalty and were named the Zagsu.
Fierce urbara were bred to roam the grounds,
eating any who dared
come near without invitation.
The Zagsu brought women into the fortress
and even women of high status
sought their company.
A hot spring was found in the mountains and
the water channeled to a large basin
in the floor of Namusga.
Dukilula bathed in the hot waters and drank
jugs of beer and were entertained by
female dancers and lesser musicians.
Once an alunza was brought and he
displeased all but Taka with his strange ways.
Apudunsen had the alunza beaten and dragged away.

Dukilula's hunger for tribute grew.
They called upon the greatest irhandis of the land
and demanded their sorcery
to create special gifts.
An usbar of great power was created
and when Natum held the short staff
his voice would carry across a city.
Musdarpasu received ability to
play the kora with his zikaru
and from that point onward
never wore clothing.
Pihukulus commanded he be
given more arms so that he could
play liliz and si'im and ada at one time.
Siaksuizigir and Taka argued for the
greatest ability to play their instruments.
Natum's great voice boomed throughout Namusga
and decided for them.
Siaksuzigir remained swiftest
and he was given instead
tireless strength for lovemaking and
was thereafter to be found with
no fewer than three women in his bed.
Taka too was given great strength and firm body
and every toy he had never been allowed
as a child and was content.

Yet they were all as spoiled children.
They fought among each other and claimed
they cared not for each other and
their arrogance grew.
Apudunsen advised them to be calm
but the men shouted at him
and Apudunsen relented though he had tried his best.

o - o - o - o

TABLET VI

Within a scant year Dukilula were
considered as gods and
temples were raised in their names
and the old gods
of the land were forgotten.
The gods grew angry,
and in their anger they took to
their anzinhur ship and returned to the stars and
their home of Niburu travelled away from the world.
The Seven Who Decreed Fate
swore they would one day return and
punish the humans for following Dukilula.

Soon a strange man came seeking
audience with Dukilula.
He traveled easily through the mountains of Zagros,
through the city of Madalumhua and past
even the strong and brave Zagsu
and subduing the snarling urbara with a word
to enter the great halls of Namusgu.
His name was Seluzia.
He was known to be a great irhandi who knew
magic as strong as that of
the gods themselves.
He stood taller than Siaksuzigir and was
more broad and powerful than Natum.
His hair and eyes were both
as grey as storm clouds.
He bade them to visit his home and be his guests
and if they played their agarilu music for him
they would be treated as kings.
Apudunsen sought to advise them against this for
the wise sagia did not trust the grey magician
and believed Seluzia to be a monster.
But the musicians did not listen
and Apudunsen relented though he had tried his best.

Dukilula went to Seluzia's grand palace that lay
north of Nineveh inside a deep mountain cave.
Upon the walls were paintings that moved and changed
to show scenes of great battles,
games and beautiful women.
Dukilula were enchanted and dazzled by
this magic.
Seluzia'a many servants gave them
foods they liked best.
For Pihukulus there was a green plant called braisech
boiled and served with salt-cured immal and a
white fleshed root called meacon.
For Taka there was fish cured in salt and
agestinak and sauce of a
berry called tyttebaer on bread.
For Siaksuzigir there was chopped meat
cooked inside sagningin and
paste of cheese and honey on gidesta.
Musdarpasu and Natum shared the strangest meal,
flat emmer bread which was baked
with cheeses and thin sliced sahzeda and
the sauce of a fruit called tomatl,
considered poisonous,
but which the brave men
declared delicious.
They were enchanted and dazzled by
Seluzia's generosity.
Dukilula played their agarilu music,
dark and deep as Irkalla,
brutal as an axe, and heavy as a hammer
for Seluzia and he was enchanted
and dazzled by their power.
Seluzia gave Dukilula great gifts from lands
only he had yet seen.
Bright cloth from Cina that was soft as feathers
and created by zana worms.
Bright jewels from dusty Afar that were clear as water
and harder than iron.
Rare skin from the golden and black striped mindinu
hunted in the wild land of Indus.
Dukilula were enchanted and dazzled by
Seluzia's gifts.

o - o - o - o

TABLET VII

And Dukilula played their dark agarilu music
throughout the land and the people
traveled far to see them,
from Arzawa in the west, Elam to the west,
and Levant to the south.
Seluzia's servants followed and reported
back to him how the power of the music grew.
Many strange things came to pass
when the music played.
Birds arose in massive flocks like black clouds
and devoured people.
A mountain erupted with
fire and burning rock.
Desert whirlwinds came into the cities and
the sea swirled and swallowed ships in the harbor.
Stars fell from the heavens
and smote the land leaving
great abysses in the desert sand.

Men grew angry and bitter against Dukilula.
Their crops had been destroyed, their ships sunk,
their homes burned by fiery rocks and
even Dukilula's agarilu music could not calm them.
They gained weapons of magic
and planned to destroy the musicians
and have revenge.
And so Seluzia offered the musicians refuge and they
joined him in his underground palace.

But a great secret Seluzia kept from them.
In his palace was a gishkin tree he had stolen
from the gods before they flew away in
their anzinhur ship to the stars.
For Seluzia was an Annunaki
and he was angry at the gods, who were his family
but who had left him behind.
Now he wished revenge upon them.
And in Dukilula's power
he saw a way to return to Niburu
and punish the gods for their betrayal.
For Dukilula's powers were born of the gods' powers.
Many generations of the god's magic
had become part of the land,
tilled and served first by Igigi,
then by humans who were made of
the clay the gods created.
A piece of magic was born inside each man of Dukilula
and brought into the world through
the power of their agarilu music.
And this magic could be harnessed like oxen
and driven by the rod of one with
stronger magic and it could be
used to reach to the stars.
But it would take much time for Niburu
to return close to earth.
Dukilula were mortal and could not survive until then
but the gishkin tree bore five fruits,
enough for each musician.
The fruit would make them immortal.
Seluzia planned to feed them the gishkin fruit and
bind them with his stronger magic.
When Niburu returned he would
lash them like yoked oxen with the whip of his magic
so they would play their agarilu music and
draw down the gods.

But the fruit was stolen from the palace
and Seluzia's men searched everywhere
but could not find it.
Seluzia in his fury killed the Zagsu that
protected Dukilula and
cast Dukilula out into the streets in chains
into the hands of the angry men
who sought revenge.
The crowd fell upon Dukilula like mad urgulas.
As their bodies were torn to pieces,
the agarilu music sprang forth
and shook the land, splitting the earth.
Rain poured down as though
the heavens cracked apart and
blazing stones cut furrows in the fields
burning away the year's harvest.
The great Tigris and Euphrates rose from
their banks and great cities were
washed into the sea.
All was lost and
the people cried out to the gods,
begging forgiveness for their sins.
But the gods were silent.
Their own plan to punish humans for hubris
had been fulfilled bythe humans themselves.

Seluzia sought the old priest of Nanshe who had
once predicted to Dukilula
of the destruction they would
wreak upon the world.
The priest divined a prophecy
which was marked upon clay tablets.
In a distant time when magic became
commonplace and humans had
the knowledge to reach the stars themselves
would the men of Dukilula be born into new bodies
and their powers reborn as well
so that the agarilu music would play again.
Seluzia the Annunaki
would then reach the gods
and have his revenge.
To wait until this distant time
Seluzia locked himself away in his dark cavern
and fell into a deep sleep to awaken
when the musicians were reborn.

o - o - o - o

NOTE FROM DR. NINNYMANGLER:

Though the prophecy ends here, it is my belief that another tablet existed at one time, which might have continued and told of the future in which we now live. Unfortunately, the site in Assyria where Tablets I-VII were unearthed had been raided by thieves long before. It is extremely likely that any further tablets, if they still exist, will be so badly damaged that even our best technology would be unable to decipher the text.