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Table of Contents
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| Home » Legends » Barsil Barag |
| Barsil Barag | |
|---|---|
| Champion of Death. | |
| Founder of The Iron Fist. | |
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| A sketch of Barsil Barag provided by Kushim. | |
| Status | Unknown |
| Abode | Hoofstaad |
| Personal Information | |
| Parents | Unknown |
| Relations | The Iron Fist (founder of), The Pantheon (rival to) |
HABITAT(S): Unknown
May 22, 2020
This document serves as a gaze into the history, folklore, and beliefs of our ancient predecessors. The majority of the information comes from rumors, myths and legends which have only survived through oral tradition, leaving many of its sources untraceable.
Description
Barsil Barag, a key figure in a number of songs and stories, was described in some instances as an ancient hero and protector of the humanity — while other legends, especially later ones, contradict this depiction, instead portraying him as a cruel traitor. What is known for certain is that he was a warlord, who fought the worshipped deities of the old world, and is the supposed founder of the group known today as The Iron Fist.
Physical Description
Barsil Barag is described as a tall individual, with long black curly hair. The most striking element of his appearance is a metal mask embedded into an object resembling a crown, which he is consistently depicted wearing. Very few of the Iron Fist's members actually saw his face, with the exception of his closest confidants. The right half of the mask is blacked out with no eye socket, leading to speculation that he lost his right eye in the war against The Pantheon and their worshippers.
Feats
Wielding anomalous objects and possessing an extraordinary power, Barsil had strength far beyond that of an ordinary man, rivaling those who stood atop the world. He was known to have divided his soul, imbuing small fragments of it within his most loyal warriors, lending his own strength to them. This procedure not only gave one power, but also left an eternal mark on one’s soul and body. This was known as "the mark of the eclipse", and was regarded as the highest honor one could achieve in The Iron Fist.
Appearance in Text
Barsil Barag taught his men the secret behind slaying gods, later waging war against the Pantheon to reclaim the freedom of the mankind. As the years passed, more people saw the opportunity to completely erase a need of deities, grasping onto their newfound independence, resulting in the collapse and disbandment of The Lost's formerly theocratic government. Following this, however, people in the backrooms were left alone in a neverending fight for survival amidst the aftermath of the war, which persists to this day.
In a fateful battle with Gatekeeper, Barsil Barag was gravely wounded. It is said that, in an act of self preservation, he summoned back all the slivers of his soul, revoking not only his own power from his champions, but even their very souls. As a result, the symbol of the eclipse instead took on a more negative connotation, being regarded as a bad omen. This superstition continues to be held by The Lost to this day.
The ultimate fate of Barsil Barag remains unknown. Some speculate that his attempt to save himself was unsuccessful, and he died anyways. Others believe that he was assassinated by another leader of The Iron Fist as retribution for killing his champions. And yet others believe that he is still alive to this day, remaining in hiding where he quietly repents for his past sins.
Regardless, The Iron Fist would disappear alongside Barsil Barag, almost as soon as it had been formed. The group was practically erased from history, left forgotten by all.
October 6, 2023
Although several modern descendants of The Lost have been, it seems that there is little remaining information about Barsil Barag. which they are willing/able to to provide. However, new information would finally come to light with the testimony of Kushim:
Of course I know this legend; it is practically as old as humanity itself. A story about prisoners of this reality, forever dreaming to escape it, and a harsh lesson of their cruel saviors. Once, this world was much more like an ancient epoch, rather than an agonizing array of empty spaces lost in time.
There is a special road in this graveyard. It keeps and treasures all the past stories of this world, unfolding before those who walk its way, listening to its recital with one’s mind, heart, and soul. You’ll need neither eyes nor ears to witness it, but I will ask you to walk with me this path, to heed the story that I shall bestow upon you.
[Walking through the endless memorial stones and plates just several steps ahead, Kushim proceeds to narrate the ancient story.]
In olden days, many were lost to this world, just as they are today. Though not as cruel and oppressive as it may be today, this world was still just as abstract and surreal. It was completely untamed and alien to those who had fallen in, leaving practically no chance of survival alone.
Yet it would turn out that humans were not alone, for this world was in fact the home of great Gods.
A pact eventually arose between mortals and the Gods; for as long as mortals expressed their utmost loyalty and gratitude to the Gods through offerings and worship, they were guaranteed protection and prosperity. With the knowledge and protection of the Gods, this world became a paradise for humans. This period of peace allowed all the humans to unite into a single unified civilization, which you know today as "The Lost". Worshiping the Gods could grant many blessings: peace, sacred knowledge, blazing love…but above all, the promise of a peaceful life without struggle or suffering.
However, a gilded cage is still a cage nonetheless. Though humans lived happy and prosperous lives, they were forever at the mercy of the Gods which created and ruled this world. Men became props on the stage of life, forever bound to be servants and pawns. They took their blessings and boons for granted, relying only on divine indulgence. But nothing lasts forever, and humans would eventually awaken to the harsh truth of their reality in the cruelest way imaginable.
One fateful day, Y’liad Elyion descended upon Hoofstaad to commit the greatest massacre in the history of The Backrooms, leaving naught but mountains of broken bodies beneath Bittersteel. That day left an eternal scar on the fate of this world. Humanity finally had enough, finding the will to fight back against the Gods — but not yet the means of doing so. They studied this cursed world, seeking out any possible way to destroy their tyrants.
That is when he came – Barsil Barag, known then as Barsil Lahama. The slayer of Gods, coated in metal, with his face hidden behind an iron mask. His actions were unbelievable, igniting the long-lost hope in hearts of the people. If one man could rival the Gods of this forsaken world, then there was a chance for others as well.
He gathered all the people who suffered beneath the reign of their deities, and taught them the greatest weaknesses of their gods. Through a combination of ingenuity, rudimentary science, and the anomalous gifts of this world, they labored over the creation of miraculous weapons, armor, and instruments capable of harming the beings they had so long believed to be invincible. Impressive as these artifacts were, none came close to the power and craftsmanship of Lahama’s masterpieces.
He wielded Gishgazan, a spear gifted by the goddess of life to her champion — which she ironically died by the hand of. He wielded Ittidgir, a sword imbued with part of his soul, forged by the suffering of Y’liad’s victims; its strike burned one's soul with hellfire, like a bite of a hungry darkness reaping the very soul, mind, and body of its victims.
[An array of memorial columns unfolded before him, scattering across endless fields towards the horizon. Adorned in beautiful flowers, these black obelisks bloom forever under the white sky.]
Here they lie; heroes of old, crippled souls who gave up everything for the future of the mankind. Long gone champions, and the very people they were fighting for…
Believe it or not, even some of the Gods themselves sympathized with Barsil's cause. As for those who didn't…they fell, one by one, as the Barsil's warriors fought for their liberation. The Iron ruler kept fighting until he drowned in blood and tears, all reason left behind, driven only by the cursed duty to his people which could never be fulfilled. That is how he fell — fighting the supposed deities of this world, losing everything on his path towards the salvation of his people. Barsil's legacy would not be honored by those who fought for and alongside him. In a cruel twist of fate, they themselves fell victim to the temptations of power. They overthrew the tyrannical gods, only to take their place, forgetting the values they fought so hard for from the beginning.
There were no Gods to Barsil Barag. He believed that life is not about triumphing over another. He believed that we, people, create our own kings, our own gods when we need them, but we fail to leave them behind once we are finally strong enough to stand on our own. He wanted to give his people a life without any deities, with only human’s capabilities at their side, embracing both beauty and cruelty of the world. But he failed to see how he turned into another ruler, how his men stopped praying for him, and started to pray to him.
I agree with him.
There are no true Gods in this world. “Gods” are not defined by power or strength, or so I believe. I may be infinitely more powerful than an ant, my mind may beyond its comprehension, my actions may be miraculous to it, and even its life may be just a consequence of my pity towards it, but I am not a god of ants.
Reality – that is the only thing truly above any of us…
