A Discourse upon the Dissolut Estate of this Present Age

A Discourse upon the Dissolut Estate of this Present Age
Set downe by L. Mertzig, Scrybe of Schwanzfurt, in the Yeare 2505 After Sigmar

Knowen then, good Sirs, that yf mine earlier Treatise spake of the creeping corrupcioun of Chaös in the wyld places and the darker corners of men’s soules, I must now address a matter no lesse grievous, which gnaweth everi daye at my mynd. For I behold in this new generacioun a manifold dissolucioun, such wanton riot and intemperate vice as surely calleth upon the Ruinous Powers like to the tolling of a brazen bell in the dead of night. Yea, I say unto you, yf ever the attent of the fell Goddes were drawn unto mortal follie, it is by the yowth of our day, who maken play & sport of that which should breed dread and humilitie.

For wheras in days of yore, the yoong kept measure in their behaviour, walking not farre from the wisdome of their elders, now do they mocke all sober counsail, & sneer at discipline as thoughe it were a vile thinge. They spend their houres in tavernes uncleen, soaking their wittes in cups unnumber’d, & giving their eares to players of musick so shrill & disorder’d that, to my hearing, it savoureth of the howling of Daemons most vicious beyond the Veile. Some paint strange markes upon their very flesh, boasting in colours & signs they scarce comprehend, yet which be too-near in semblance to the dread sigils seen of olde upon corrupted stones & wayweard shrines. And yf ye wolde admonish them, saying that such idlenesse is the porch of wickedness, they laugh, & thay hight us dotards, as though mirth might sweepe away the troth.

But marke me well! The Ruinous Powers are not idle, nor doe they scorn the follie of mortal men. Nay! Chaös delighteth most in such as give themselves freely unto vice, needing no lash nor threat to spur them toward their own undoing. When the yoong scorneth labour, despiseth virtue, and chaseth after pleasures unbounded, the Wind doth quicken about them, It whispereth with uncleene tongues. For in every excess of gorethirst, Carnage findeth wrath; in every vanity, Lust planteth desire; in every unbounded craving for new lore, Forboden-Knoulech soweth uncertayne thought; and in everi sickenesse ond plaague Pestilens breedeth rot upon the fleshes and soules of hys suffrers.

Thus, doe I feare, with heavie herte, that the very heedlessness of this generacioun be as a beacon unto the Darke Godes, shining through the Immateriee like a torch above a midden heape. They wot nought what thei invite. For once the attent of Chaös be fixed upon a folke, swift followeth the dissolving of bondes, the unravelling of customes, the rising of strife, and the sundering of all that honest men have wrought. In sooth, mankind hath ever been weaker than the world requireth; yet never before have I seen with mine own eyen our yoong display so wilful a desire to fling themselves into the pit.

O that they would but hearken! O that they might perceyve the thinness of the wall betwixt mirth and ruine! For yf this course be not amended, then shall the tale of our empire be but a brief candle guttering in a draught not of earthly making. And whan the last flame faileth, and the night presseth close, none shall saye ye were not warned.

 

Lothar Mertzig – Parting the veil

By Beowulf

Lothar Mertzig, scribe of Schwanzfurt was an idea that came upon me combining two of my most prized passions, historical linguistics and historic editions of Warhammer. I wanted to add a monthly column piece in the vein of the annuals composed by the Anglo-Saxon monks in the Old English period.

The empire in the old world combines a lot of our own history with that of fantasy and I wanted to create a character that could exist in both of our worlds and by doing so bring them both closer together.

So how to straddle the gulf which separates us? The language of the empire is German, but had Lothar written his pieces in that not many of us would be able to enjoy them, the next port of call would be Old English, the language of the Anglo-Saxons circa 500-1100 CE. Now this would be my own personal choice as I adore the language, but alas we would stumble across that same hurdle in that not many people would be able to decipher it. The pseudo-archaic language used by many fantasy authors also would not do as the fact that it would not be historically accurate would offend my own linguistic sensibilities. Yes I am aware the irony of being historically accurate in a fantasy setting.

So, what to do? As in most situations like these a compromise seemed the best solution. I chose instead to base the language of the empire — in this my head cannon — to be right upon the turning point of late Middle English to early Modern English circa 1400-1600 CE with a very liberal dash of artistic licence. This would not only be a linguistic challenge for me to attempt to meet but would also solve the problems of being intelligible to speakers of modern English and hopefully in doing so would part the veil between both our worlds.