Sacred Texts
Cathor The Blockchain Beast
The story of Cathor has just begun. Through space, time, and blockchain Cathor has travelled the known universe in pursuit of truth, knowledge, and the most dank cat nips. Cathor welcomes you all to share your stories of the adventures you have witnessed. Fact or fiction makes no difference as the Legend of the Blockchain Beast shall echo on through eternity. Email your tales to cathorteam@gmail.com and if they do justice to the legend that is Cathor they will be archived here for all of eternity…
The Legend of Cathor
Written by Nagus
The Blockchain Beast – How It Began
Eons ago, when men still walked the earth as gods and the pyramids had only just pierced the sky, there lived a mighty pharaoh who ruled over Egypt with his feline companion by his side. One day the pharaoh became ill, and it soon became apparent that he was not long for the world of mortals.
The pharaoh was mummified according to custom and was buried with his companion so that they might be together in the afterlife. When the cat awoke in the next world, she found herself in an endless field of catnip, which swayed in great waves in the amber sunlight. Her human companion nowhere to be found, she wandered through the field, her head swimming from the effects of the plants. In time she crested a hill, and on the other side found a shining city the likes of which she had never seen. Being curious by nature, she wandered into the city and there caught the attention of a group of slender, translucent beings.
The cat’s meows were first met with confusion, but as the moments passed it became clear that these strange creatures were determined to understand her. Each in turn produced a block as though from the ether, and they placed them in a chain surrounding her. Once the chain formed a full circle, the blocks issued forth a blinding light, and the mysteries of the universe were revealed. At once she understood language, mathematics, poetry, and engineering. The chain of blocks had made her whole, and she soon remembered the name by which her human companion had called her: Cathor.
Cathor became a celebrated figure in the shining city. More than a novelty, she earned a position as their biggest celebrity. The people brought her sweet milk and all the wet food she could eat. But to regain what she wanted most she knew she had to do more than entertain her newfound friends. She had to learn to run the interminable chain which connected every soul and structure in the shining city all the way into the heavens themselves. And so, she dedicated herself day and night to her studies, until she was able to climb up into the firmament from which all knowledge is born.
Once she passed beyond the sky, all around her was still and silent, save for the arcs of electricity which leapt from block to block. Just when she thought she could climb no higher, she heard a familiar voice call her name. It was the pharaoh, welcoming her with open arms. Cathor stepped off the blockchain and into a vast expanse even more amazing than the world she had left. When she asked why they had been separated, the pharaoh replied that she had needed to learn for herself the mystery of the blockchain so that they might become true equals.
And so they enjoyed the spoils of eternity for many ages. But in time Cathor became restless and bid her friend farewell, for no matter how lovely paradise was, the call to adventure was ever in her ears. The blockchain had tamed her, but it had also awakened within her a new beast—the beast of the blockchain—and she knew her destiny was to ride it until she connected all of creation.
Cathor and the pharaoh stood at the edge of paradise one last time, gazing down upon the electric snake of glowing blocks. Without looking back, she leapt onto the chain, running as fast as her paws would carry her, the perpetual energy of the mystic chain propelling her ever faster into infinity, until finally she burst forth into our age with the creation of the Hathor Network genesis block.
What is next for our heroine, no one can say. But she is out there on the blockchain, fighting the forces of exorbitant fees and slow transactions. And although her story spans millennia, it is only just beginning.
Comic by Bone Holder: https://twitter.com/BoneHodler
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The Cathorian Chronicles
Written by Hungarian Horntail
Part 1 – The Reckoning
This was never supposed to happen.
The anguished cries of Cathor’s people echoed off the cold stone walls of the temple room. Kithor rolled over and stared at the wall he had pondered time and again. A single candle flame issued forth a dancing light, illuminating the barely recognizable etchings left behind so many years ago. Cathor had led them to the promise land, but with her missing, how could he—Son of Cathor—possibly know what to do? He tried to remember the words she’d spoken the last time they were together.
“Follow the river of light… You must open the Gateway…”
The rest had faded into distant memory, just a series of hieroglyphs left on the wall without anyone left that could read the ancient texts. What could this possibly mean? Kithor frowned and was deep in thought when he was interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls approaching behind him.
“Kithor…” the hooded man began. “Yes,” Kithor interrupted, “I know”.
Kithor stood and took one last look at the mystery on the wall. As he turned to face the man behind him, he saw a look he wasn’t expecting.
Nagus stood much taller than Kithor, and his dark eyes pierced the dimly lit room. His dark robes were draped around his large frame, making his presence slightly ominous. Nagus normally worked in the shadows, serving Cathor and her people with unquestionable loyalty. To see him approach the royal chambers during sacred reflection time was quite concerning.
“Kittler has sent a messenger,” Nagus said with a gruff voice. A man of few words, Nagus was.
Kithor’s frown morphed into a look part concern, part fear. Musk didn’t normally send his army this far north. Last time a scout had ventured this far it had taken weeks to repair the damage from the ensuing battle. Gas didn’t grow on trees, and they were running low. They needed to conserve their resources, not spend them.
As he walked through the hall of the ancient temple, Kithor thought back to the stories Cathor had told him, back to a time before gas had become the most valuable resource on the planet. Cathor had said the answer was in the ancient text. Free the people from their binds, free them from their reliance on gas.
He shook his head as the light of the temple door grew closer. One day he would find the answer, save his people, and lead them to the promised land his mother had told him about so many years ago. One day.
Part 2 – Scorched Earth
The shadow of Kithor was barely recognizable in the waning early evening light as he walked briskly through the outer corridors of the ancient temple. With a heavy heart he glanced toward the village and sighed. What was once a lively and bustling town had ground to a halt after word had spread about the cavern. Kithor had grown up playing in these streets which now seemed so desolate and barren. Shops were closed, their windows shuttered and caked in dust. The ancient machines dotted the cobblestone road, now laying silent. A jumble of twisted metal and wires which had once brought prosperity now stood as a grim reminder of what could have been.
We were so naïve, Kithor mused. Images of his mother showing him how to operate the machines flooded his mind. Cathor had been the one who had discovered the ancient energy—the Drak’ar—just thirty years prior. Once unleashed, its power had showed her how to build the machines which had sculpted the world around them. They had the power to shift matter, to create and reorganize energy. Before long nearly the entire village was connected and powered by Drak’ar.
Of course, nature prefers entropy. This new technology had one small flaw—Drak’ar had to be extracted from the deepest cavern within Mount Satoshi, and that wasn’t easy. Further refinement into the gas that powered these machines had even more dangers, with accidents claiming the lives of Cathorians all too often. His people had been quick to dismiss the dangers in light of the opportunity before them, until the first attack.
The gas crisis fractured the bonds of Cathorians, pitting friends against family as resources became scarce. Those who could preserve their gas rations could still access the machines, splitting his people into distinct tribes. Neighbors clashed with one another as disputes over gas rose; before long simply having any Drak’ar would make you a target. Conflict had ravaged the Cathorian people for nearly a dozen years and hope had faded faster than the light which crested Mount Satoshi before plunging the village into the dim evening glow.
As Kithor pushed the heavy door of the Great Hall open he froze. Standing before him was Musk. Well, not exactly. Nobody had seen Musk in decades. Hovering a few feet off the ground was a smooth metal orb with three lines which traced a glowing triangle in the center. A blue glow extended from the orb as Musk’s figure was projected into the room.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” Musk’s hologram said as he turned to face Kithor. Despite the years, Kithor immediately recognized his features. The narrow cheeks, dark eyes, and sly smile made Kithor feel uneasy. His body tensed as he thought about all the suffering this man had caused.
Musk used to be one of them, a proud Cathorian, but he had been drawn astray by the temptations of power and lust. Musk’s ideology had quickly spread upon dissenting Cathorians, which had forced Cathor to exile Musk and his followers. Ever since, Musk and his Doge army had wrought havoc upon the Cathorian people, forcing them to use their sparse resources not for the growth of their society, but simply to survive.
“Tell me why you’re here,” Kithor said, collecting himself and returning Musk’s unblinking stare.
“Ah Kithor, straight to business as always,” Musk said, reaching out to stroke the flowing tapestry which enclosed the massive stained-glass windows of the Great Hall. “I know we haven’t seen eye to eye recently.”
“That’s an understatement,” Kithor growled, irritated by the blasé way in which Musk referred to death and despair.
Musk cocked his head to the side and smiled. “Renivad sent for you.”
“Renivad?” Kithor stumbled on his words. The oracle had not spoken to anyone since he was a child.
“Yes, it seems the ancient ones are speaking to him again,” Musk said coolly, leaning on the edge of the Great Hall dining table and gazing out the window. “The prophecy has been fulfilled.”
Kithor did not respond, but instead shifted his gaze to the ancient texts carved into the wall. He thought back to the stories he’d been told as a child, how Cathor had first unleashed the power of the Drak’ar according to Renivad’s guidance. He’d been told the gateway had collapsed when Drak’ar entered their world and Renivad had died in the collapse. If Renivad really was alive, this could be his chance to continue his mother’s mission. Kithor’s head spun with questions as Musk’s hologram stood and faced him.
“Meet me in the Yvena forest, at the ritual site,” Musk said as his hologram flickered and withdrew into the floating orb.
“Wait!” Kithor said, but Musk had already gone. If Musk was telling the truth and Renivad really was alive, this was his chance to save his people. He couldn’t trust Musk; that much was obvious. But did he have a choice? Kithor sat in the cold throne which once felt so familiar. Closing his eyes, he leaned back and tried to process all he’d heard, when at once the temple doors flew open with a loud ‘BANG’ and a group of armed men stormed the chamber.