Cult of the Red Star/The Book of The Star

The Prophets of the Cult of the Red Star have laid down a record of their visions and communions with The Star for the benefit of their priests. While the bulk of the text remains secret, and untranslated, some passages have been deemed acceptable for public viewing, and translated for the benefit of those who seek transcendence.

Excerpts

Here we shall provide, as the prophets see fit, that wisdom which has been deemed acceptable for public viewing.

Book One

Editor's note: What follows is a partial text of the first book of the star, as translated by a high priest of the star. Though the subtle and infinite wisdom of the star is wholly beyond the power of the mortal mind to grasp, this first volume has been annotated with translators notes and interpretations to ease your transcendence. Most novices consider this book to be the most important of the books, but this is a very silly illusion.

1:1 "Whence the people of the earth arose, and ate up all the people of the sky, slipping backwards into animal forms and burning up all of their souls, from there shall* the light of the star shine brightest, and from there shall the shadows creep across the land"

This line is usually interpreted as a reference to the zombie uprising, the "people of the earth" being the immutable dead, rising from their graves, and the "people of the air" the nimbler, but flightier and more delicate, survivors. The term "shall" is an imprecise translation. The book of the star uses strange tenses, and it is often unclear wether it is refering to events which are going to occur, or those which already have.

1:2 "The red star shall feast upon the soul-pyre, and feed back a purer flame, wherein the people of the earth shall languish beside the people of the air, until only ash and flame remain"

This line is often the source of debate between priests of light and priests of darkness. Priests of light generally contend that the soul-pyre itself, the essence of humanity, will be cleansed and reforged into a new people of fire, and the people of earth shall be reduced to ash. Dark prophets contend that the people of earth, who feed the soul-pyre, shall be rewarded and cleansed of their current form, transcending to the form of flame while their prey, the people of air, have their souls consumed to feed the flame and are either detroyed or converted into the newer form along with the people of earth.

1:3 "But whereof the flame must be fed, first there shall arise a great army* from the form of the star, and it's prophets shall walk ahead, in light and in shadow, until all is the star, and the star reshapes the world.*"

This line is central to the purpose of the cult, but is sadly vague and variously translated. The line "great army" has also been translated as "famous school" "notorious gathering" and, most laughably, "large church." A more literal translation would be "...there shall/has/is arise/arising a large or well known group or groups of people gathered for a purpose" but clearly this does not suit our needs. The line "and the star reshapes the world" can also be read "and the world is the star" "and the world is/was the shape of a star" "and the star became/will become a world." There is, however, little debate about the accepted translation. The prophets, as usual, remain mute on the subject, insisting that understanding shall come as the star wills it, however it's general meaning can be inferred from their actions: the prophets are assembling an army to fulfill (or perhaps simple prepare for) the prophecy of the star.

1:4 "But the army will not rise as a sapling from a seed- it will be as a tree, and die before its first flowering."

This line is troubling to those tasked with forming the army, for obvious reasons, and the prophets have only recently consented to its revelation to the public.

Book Two

The second book is mostly composed of stories which are interpreted as moral and practical guides for everyday life.

2:1 "In a house of many rooms, there lived a wealthy man, and he held dominion over all the others that lived there, and much land in all directions, and was named as Mardsimar"

The phrase "house of many rooms" has a number of potential translations- it can refer to any building, residential or not, with a large number of rooms. It is generally agreed that this probably refers to a mansion, but the most popular alternative interpretation is that the "house of many rooms" is actually a fortress, and "wealthy" could be interpreted as "powerful," as there is no distinction in the language of the book between ownership of material wealth and control over it. "Mardsimar" is as direct phonic interpretation of the symbols used in the name, but the approach is debated, as the symbols also have an independent meaning, usually interpreted as "Iron Patriarch." The most popular alternative translation reads "In a fortress resided a powerful man, and he held dominion over all the others that resided there, and much land in all directions, and was called an iron patriarch."

2:2 "And he was an unkind man, and full of guile and poisonous greed."

Poisonous can also be interpreted as "contagious", and the two are often used interchangeably.

2:3 "He took all that he desired, and there were none who would deny him when he confronted them, except for one woman."

"None would deny him when he confronted them" is generally interpreted as meaning that nobody would deny Mardsimar to his face, perhaps meaning that some would keep from him what he wanted by deceit.

2:4 "Mardsimar desired the woman that was named as Noma, but the woman was married, and loved her husband greatly, and denied Mardsimar openly, and many knew of Mardsimar's adulterous desire, and Mardsimar had a wife who knew of his lust."

"Noma" is, again, a phonic translation of symbols. The symbols themselves are usually interpreted as meaning "garden." Mardsimar's wife knew of his "lust", but it is unclear whether this means she knew that he desired a specific woman, or if she only knew of his lustful heart.

2:5 "Though he treated her poorly, Mardsimar's wife, who was named as Bedzie, loved him, and tried hard to have his child."

"Bedzie" is the phonic translation- the symbolic meaning is "a cart or wagon." "Loved" is sometimes translated as "wanted."

2:6 "Bedzie was unable to conceive, and Mardsimar removed her from his house, and began looking for a new wife."

This is almost always taken as a line describing a divorce, but a few interpreters claim that Mardsimar actually killed Bedzie.

Further portions of the text are still being translated.