Denigoddess2001@aol.com
Saga: The Sacred Texts of Skylaris
Episode: Scroll Three "The Gargoyle Way"
Rated G

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN GARGOYLES. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY. SKYLARIS IS ALL MINE.

Upon the Plains of Gaul
From the Journal of Tacitus Ceruleaus....

I have traveled many places and have seen many things. One night, when the sky was bright with an endless sea of star, I gazed upon the splendor of the Dragon constellation set high above me. Melancholy found me as I stared at the distant stars illuminating the dark velvet sky. Amongst my clan when I was but a hatchling, the Elder told me that one of the stars within Draco is said to brighten a distant homeland meant for the Children of Stone. My heart shatters each evening with each tear shed that my eyes shall never see. My innermost essence mourns for a promised land denied to my clan and me and for those generations yet coming.

With my Master's death, I find myself alone in this vast world. Neither Gargoyle nor Human can cast out the agony and anguish in my heart. I leave behind my beloved Teacher in Jerusalem and make a pilgrimage to pay homage to my homeland. My clan remains rubble upon the distant shores of Caledonia. I have no hatchlings to protect. I have neither mate nor clan to bind me. I am truly alone and justly free with only the Stars of Skylaris to guide me.

The script of my people is said to predate those from the ruins of Babylon. It is swiftly becoming a lost art to pen the ancient tale of my clan upon parchment. My people become fewer with each passing year. Once, my people were revered as gods and friends of man. Now, the Romans seek our destruction because they fail to know us and to understand our natures. It is the Gargoyle Way to protect. It is our heritage. Now, as I journey through the hills and valleys of Gaul, I spread the word of my Teacher's love to the humans. Amongst the clans of Gaul, I seek an apprentice to teach the vanishing ways of my clan: our history, our script, and our way of life.

Yet, as I look upon each faraway, brilliant diamond of light, I know that each star I see symbolizes every Gargoyle's soul that has lived and passed into the Summerlands. The brightest stars are tribute to those Gargoyles who were great protectors and heroes of old. They are the souls who have found their way through the Cosmos to Thubin. That knowledge brings my heart solace. Skylaris dwells in the Cosmos above me and she lives still within my heart for all the days of my life.

I have wondered the face of Gaul for almost two seasons. I find myself here in these lands far from Judah longing for the heather-covered moors and tors of Caledonia. I long to smell the surf of the sea and walk along the moors under the brightness of the Goddess' Eye. I have little to comfort me other than my faith and my writing. Yet, I want for nothing in my travels. Many are quick to toss a coin for my bizarre presence on their traveling caravans. A Gargoyle provides good protection. Many patrons pay well for my tales. I find work for local folk as scribe and tutor. The hunting is good when I must forage. In hostile lands, my wings lift me above the hostile eyes of barbarians.

The darkness walks with me and my dreams guide me. Skylaris knows my pain and has sent good dreams to me for comfort. I write now of the dreams that came to me in stone sleep. Now, because of her blessed sendings do I know what it truly means to be Gargoyle. I will make my way in this world. I shall be what is truly my nature. She showed me in my dreams a path meant for those wing and talon to know. Skylaris' roars resonate in my heart. They give me knew hope and a deeper wisdom that lighten the heaviness within me.

I write these words to her and the hope that she has given me.

Hallowed are those bereft in fortitude,
For the Children of Stone shall brace them.

Hallowed are those who mourn for their rookery mates
For solace will find you and the clan shall again thrive.

Hallowed are those who prove reticent
For Skylaris will bestow us with her blessing.

Hallowed are those who crave rectitude
For wisdom finds us whilst we slumber.

Hallowed are the seekers of truth
For we shall find in the Gargoyle way.

Hallowed are those brave of heart
For in strength we shall show mercy.


Yet, it is not just these words that give me comfort. In my stone slumber, Skylaris came to me and roared so that it resonated from Rome to Britannia, from Anitole to the land of Chin. "Tacitus, commit to memory these words I give to you. Let not your scrolls and ink be the only means of preserving these things. Engrave these words upon your heart as though it were the mountain stone. Pass it to the hatchlings that come after you. Entwine the Gargoyle Way so that it begets the very essence of their souls. Immerse their minds in these truths. Let nothing be changed. As the stars fall like rain to Earth and the mountains crumble into dust, so mote it be. Let these bright blessings guide hearts of those who seek me and give them strength."

When the sunset later that evening, I quickly searched through my bag for parchment and quill. I sit here now with the Goddess' Eye brightly watching the land from the distant sky. I follow the tenets of my Goddess and I now scribe the words she gave me.

A Gargoyle is the epitome of courage.
A Gargoyle's heart embraces valor
In the face of adversity.

Fear shall tempt us
Yet, never shall the Gargoyle heart succumb
To the taste of cowardice.

When defeat looms and shadows battle,
It is the Gargoyle Way to take up the cause
And protect that which is right and good.

A Gargoyle's essence comprises integrity.
Talons protect the innocent.
A Gargoyle watches vigilantly for truthfulness.

Let Gargoyle Eyes see only good faith in others.
Be one of honor and virtue.
The Gargoyle Way succumbs to the heart's calling for righteousness.

Embrace all those in the clan
And those who touch the clan's heart.
Turn away none who seek and share the Gargoyle Way.

Love is the truest strength of the Gargoyle Heart.
A true warrior denies surrender to the temptations of self.
Life becomes corrupt, meaningless and empty when we deny our natures.

A Gargoyle abhors mercilessness
And stands ready as guardian and sentinel
For those without protectors or champions.

Gargoyle valor defends the frail and fragile.
A Gargoyle heart loves fiercely and well.
Gargoyle loyalty is without question.

It matters not to the Gargoyle heart that her charges
May be without wing or talon and know the light of the sun.
A Gargoyle's nature is to protect. It is our heritage.

Let your words articulate simple verity without distraction.
Let Gargoyle fury quash cruelty.
A Gargoyle's roar brings justice.

Justice knows no death
And let our hearts crumble to dust
Lest we betray our nature.

It is our way to protect.
It is our nature to serve.
It is our heritage to love fiercely and well.

The Gargoyle Way eternally shines
When the Heart burns brightest with the Fire of Love
And the Valor of Honor.

That is the Gargoyle Way. So mote it be.
As it is above, so shall it be below.
Let these words endure longer than the mountain stone.


Now, I pen these words in the stillness of night and I no longer am alone. I know that my heart is loyal and finds goodness in the words Skylaris revealed to me. Words such as these are not simply for the Children of Stone, but also the Children of Gaia (they know it not.) If goodness and truth are sought, so shall they come to you with fierce roar, cleansing fire and Dragon's wing.

I am a Gargoyle. I need neither temple nor sacrifice. I can just as easily find her in a burst of wind, the falling of rain, the richness of earth or the flicker of flame. She dwells in the cosmos and within the heart of all who love her. We Gargoyles have little need for ritual and altars. We need only to look for her within our hearts. She inspires me to pen this simple meditation. Let it light the path to commune with her in her haven.

Beloved Guardian and blessed Mother
In you I contemplate the mysteries of Nature
And know her innate ways.
In this quiet way,
I come to you in humility and service.
I walk your path
And give my heart to you, Goddess of the stars.
I breathe you into my lungs
And feel you surging in my blood.
I know your words within me.
You give me clarity of thought and lucidity of purpose.
Make me one with your essence.
Let us love fiercely and well.
Allow us to know well the bounties of good hunt and harvest.
Allow us compassion and amnesty
To bestow upon others so that it shall befall us in turn threefold.
Keep us vigilant against iniquity
And release us from transgression.
Let The Gargoyle Way be our true, best destiny.
This is my way. Between all worlds 'twixt Gaia and the Summerlands,
I shall love you always.
In all hearts let it dwell.
And it is above, so shall it be below
And permitted to dwell within me as long as the
Mountain stone endures.
So mote it be.

-Tacitus Ceruleaus, somewhere upon the Plains of Gaul.