The Quest of the Elowyn Game

The game unfolds within a mythic story world where future legends and ancient myths converge in the battle for humanity's survival and our planet's revival.

Read this short story from the forthcoming “Elowyn Chronicles,” by Anneloes Smitsman to discover who or what Moloch is, and your opportunity as a gamer of Elowyn. The characters from the Elowyn Chronicles build on the stories of the award-winning bestsellers of the Future Humans Trilogy by Anneloes Smitsman and Jean Houston.

Introduction to the Game Lore

"Long ago, when the battle between civilizations began, it was said the gods walked among humans as avatars with human-like features,” the magus Verdandi says to the young gamer.

“But, what if those so-called avatars were actually our own ancestors?" the gamer protests. "You know, like from outer space. The universe is so vast; I’m sure there must be other planets like ours with even more advanced civilizations.”

“Been watching those movies again?” Verdandi grins. “You and Rose will have much to catch up on. Shall I go on?”

“Yes. And tell me about their powers, that’s what I’m most interested in. I also want to make miracles. My life would become so easy... No sweating for school exams. I click my fingers, and my parents agree with all I want, and crowds flock to my social media account. I’ll be the most popular student in school.” The gamer grins.

“Perhaps the real miracle is that you won’t need any of that,” Verdandi teases. “In those days, and perhaps even now, to be believed as an avatar, one also needed to have the gift of prophecy and revelation, not just performing miracles.”

The gamer is still not impressed. “Now we can use AI to do all that. Do you think some of these avatars could have been time travelers with AI tools? Or what if they sent their advanced superintelligent holograms to our planet to appear like humans and tell us all kinds of things about our world that we were yet to discover?”

Verdandi smiles. “The real avatar consciousness is a little more advanced than these intelligent machines you seem to dream of. More importantly, it’s about knowing their deeper motivations. This will be even more important for your generation since you’re growing up in a world with much fakeness and illusion. It might also help you in becoming aware of ‘Moloch.’”

The gamer pauses for a moment. “I’ve heard that name. Isn’t that the ancient god from the Middle East that people sacrificed their children to?”

“Yes, it is, and it’s so much more than that. It’s also an archetypal force that lives among us and grows from our shadows—the emotions, desires, and intentions that we repress and deny, yet that drive what we do and who we are becoming. Your shadow contains powerful stuff for the growth of your consciousness, yet suppressed and denied, it becomes what undermines your path.”

“It seems that our world is made of shadow stuff. I’m probably too young to think about all this, but tell me more about this Moloch. He sounds scary and fascinating. Is it wrong for me to feel attracted to the darkness?”

“Not at all, as long as you understand the nature of the attraction. Desires can be tricky, and Moloch is there at every corner to offer a shortcut. To lure you away from your true dreams, to undercut your destiny, and to exploit your weaknesses. But here’s a little twist in the great Cosmic plot: Moloch can also become your greatest ally by forcing you to wake up to your true potential. Yet to achieve this, your first test will be whether you can regain your mind from Moloch’s influence. And remember, Moloch is just a name; more important is for you to get to know the forces behind it.”

Verdandi pauses for a moment, then listens to the croaking sounds of the raven in the distance. She takes this as her clue to continue. “Long ago, when civilizations began to battle for control, a dark force grew from the dungeons of human misery. A force so cunning and deceptive that it was able to lure people into sacrificing their children. This evil force demanded the blood of the pure and innocent, deceiving people into believing this would secure their future or that this was demanded by the laws of the land.”

“But why did this Moloch force make people do this? I don’t understand,” the gamer says worriedly.

“Because it needed our pain, terror, and blood to animate its existence. This shadow force has no life force, no soul, and no essence of its own. It needs us to give it existence.”

The young gamer sighs, “Sick. This is so twisted. But didn’t people believe it grants us the right to exist and succeed? So what happened?”

Verdandi nods. "Those who came under the influence of Moloch started to identify with it to the point where they became its shadow agents—devoted to a mission of false progress, domination, and control. The Moloch game sets the rules for who wins and who loses. It’s a game where shortcuts, quick gains, and the sacrifice of life are justified to push yourself forward and advance. A game that is most seductive yet comes at a terrible price that many only realize when it’s too late.”

“So when you play by the rules of the Moloch game, does this mean it’s okay to cause harm as long as it gets you ahead in society?”

“Yes, sadly, yes. But life is not made of those rules; these are our human ideologies and projections,” Verdandi sighs. “The Moloch game is full of deception, trickery, and false promises. One of the most persistent deceptions is the proclamation of rights that set us apart or above the web of life. Moloch is essentially a game of self as well as world destruction, cleverly disguised as the game of progress and advancement.”

“It sounds like most of our world is stuck or trapped in a Moloch game,” the young gamer exclaims with an agitated voice. 

“It is, and there’s more,” Verdandi affirms. “But to understand that, you’ll need to enter into a mythic mind, the type of mind that one day can become legendary…”

“That sounds exciting, I love legends! If you’re indeed a magus, surely you can show me how, right?” the gamer asks with a cheeky smile.

Verdandi smiles. "Ah, but that requires you to accept the game of the quest. Those are entirely different rules than the ones played by Moloch. This quest will guide you to powers, abilities, and prophecies that belong to the forgotten lands. The magical worlds of Elowyn, known only by a few who kept its secrets for the time of the great turning. You can only access this by playing the high game, the Elowyn game led by elves and legendary animal guardians that bring you to places where Moloch can’t enter. From there, you’ll discover the ways and the powers of a new time from a future world where Moloch has transformed…”

© Anneloes Smitsman, 2024. A short teaser from “The Elowyn Chronicles."