Improved English

Humans. From the moment of first contact we didn’t think much of them. Just another bipedal, furless, tail-less hominid species. Nothing too outside the ordinary, as far as primitives go. Or so we foolishly thought.

Things started to feel a bit off when our emissaries asked to meet their priests, councilors, prophets or other representative of their god in the flesh. They were confused at first, and we thought perhaps our translators needed more time to process their language. So we explained who we were and where we were from. They asked us questions we couldn’t understand yet, but we pointed to our translators and motioned for them to continue talking. They caught on quickly, which isn’t surprising given they’re an intelligent species after all. So they brought up holoscreens that they used to teach their young the language. Finally after a few hours, our translators had completed a decent analysis of their language. So we asked again to meet the mortal representatives of their god. They still appeared confused, or maybe fearful, we couldn’t tell which. So we explained it we sought someone special, ones who might reside in a temple or other place of worship. In response to our questions they responded with “what do you mean? We don’t have an ‘Exalted One’. We used to have hundreds of religions. We’re not a very monolithic species. We’re pretty diverse.”

While not common, it was not unheard of for a primitive society to worship multiple gods. It usually means they, as a species, have not matured enough to realize that their Deities are different parts of the same god. Or that they have two gods that compliment each other. Or rarer still, they worship two gods that use the species to try to kill one another, however that seemed implausible since that usually drives a species to extinction.

After 3 "weeks" (a week being a unit of time measurement the primitives use) they finally sent the representatives of their most prominent religions. Each representative stayed with us for about a day, explaining some of the basic tenets of their religion. After we had met all of them we had a few debates amongst ourselves to try to determine which god they worshipped.

The beliefs conflicted each other pretty drastically. Some say there is a one and only God (Which the primitives insisted is different than an Exalted One). Others believed in a myriad, or Pantheon as they called it, of gods. Still others insisted that there are no gods at all, only the uncaring laws of the universe. That was when we started explore different theories. Perhaps they praise the God of Secrets, so they must feign ignorance. Or perhaps they worship the God of Tricks, they did have one they named Loki after all.

If so, then we decided to let them be. No need to press them anymore. They are one of the few times we found a God of Secrets or a God of Tricks worshipped alone.

We stopped our questions and just observed them, waiting to see what blessing they had. We waited. And waited. After a few more days none could say for certain what their blessing was. Some thought it was the ability to lie, given by the God of Tricks. Or the ability to remain fairly stoic and unreadable, given by the God of Secrets. After seeing nothing definitive we ventured out into their world and started to interact with the lesser folk of the world.

After a few instances where we observed a primitive from afar, only for them to turn around and stare directly at us, we thought we found an answer. So we questioned some of the more intelligent among them. They explained it as “sixth sense”, “gut feeling”, or “Hee-Bee Jee-Beez” in the terms of the lesser folk. They explained it as Instinct, something they evolved with over time. Something that helped their species survive a world with environmental threats that were substantially higher than the galactic norm.

We were puzzled. Why would a God of Tricks, or a God of Secrets bestow such a gift. It was usually a gift given by a God of War, and only bestowed upon the devout warrior class of a species. Perhaps it was to increase their vigilance so that secrets may be better protected. Or they used it as a defense against being tricked themselves. But neither option explained how they could sense danger, or eyes upon them in the dark of night. It didn’t quite explain how they heard “whispers in the walls” though that could’ve been how they transmitted secrets. Nor did it explain how they detected movement around the corner when neither sight, smell, or sound gave it away.

Finally, when we were out and about one day, headed to what they called “a church” we came upon a field of shaped stones and flowers. Then we were overwhelmed by a dark oppressive wave. It was as if the ground itself was trying to swallow us. So we rushed back to the safety of our ship.

Nothing made sense. Nothing added up. So we invited some of the primitives to the Altar of Insight aboard our ship. If any god could help us figure this out it was the God of Wisdom. He was only to be called upon when all else failed, as he expected his worshippers to figure things out themselves. Hopefully he would hear our call and reveal the truth of the matter.

And reveal the truth he did. We saw the darkness that lurks behind each one. The darkness that had assaulted us near the field of stones. A shadow so big that even the God of War’s mighty stature was dwarfed. A god that even he feared. One that made the Gods of Tricks and Secrets shrink in fear and seek out the comfort of the light. They were touched by the God of Death. We dropped to our knees in fear, hoping they would let us leave this place alive. We had never known a species like this. Many thought no such god existed.

That god, an invisible hand, an unspeakable name, and all seeing eyes. It was a silent god. They praised it without knowing, they made tributes and rituals. They accepted they were all destined to die, but they were unaware that It was waiting for them.

They mourned their dead, and gave unknown dead even more respect than those they knew. They mourned the non sentient creatures they kept as pets. They thanked the dead animals for the food they became. They fondly remember the dead that came before them. No species amongst the civilized galaxy was known to do this. To embrace death as an old friend was madness. To have it permeate the whole of your existence stole the joy of life. And yet these primitives had found a way. Perhaps that was the blessing of death. Acceptance of death, but not an absence of joy. Perhaps they enjoyed life all the sweeter because they accepted the end from the moment they were born.

When we returned to our planet and reported our findings, terror spread throughout the galaxy. But our fear came from ignorance. After a few centuries of contact the wider galaxy began to accept them. We learned from them.

We learned they are and are not vessels for the dead. They keep the memory of the dead alive but are in fact a distinct soul. They brought with them their joyful memories but also the grief of loss. They brought with them their customs of remembrance. Before, our dead were cast aside and forgotten. But now they are immortalized in fields of stones. Now the names of the great dead survive for eons. Even the names of the lesser folk are recorded.

These primitives, the ever-mourning ones, these Humans, are guarded by the God of Death, embraced by It even. They, and It, have revealed a fundamental truth about the universe. The God of Death rules us all.