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The Book of Shadows Part I: A Story Yet Untold
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Appears On Starfall
Track 9
Length 3:13
Written By (music) Holmlid
(lyrics) Mörck
Preceded By To the End of the World
Followed By The Book of Shadows Part II: The Curse of Qa'a


The Book of Shadows Part I: A Story Yet Untold is the ninth track of Dragonland's third full-length album, Starfall. It is also instrumental.

Lyrics[]

Starfall[]

Booklet Lyrics[]

May 4th, 1883: Oxford University, Great Britain

"My story starts out in the middle of the afternoon on a warm spring day, with the sun gazing down on the university of Oxford, which dries of the last signs of the previous days. The open yards bustling with activity due to a warmth that is rarely seen this time of year upon the rain-tortured English isles.

The sun rays break into the windows of the great library of the university and fall upon an elderly man with a white ragged beard and deep glasses, who is carefully cataloguing ancient scrolls, scriptures and parchments in small, numbered shelves. The man is Sir Henry Winterborough, an esteemed professor at the university, yet well known for his clumsiness and eccentric behaviour.

'Egyptian stone tablets, 17 A', he mumbles to himself quietly as he puts the precious piece of stone into a cardboard box. His handling of the age-old documents makes clouds of dust flow into the murky air of the great hall, making it obvious that the scriptures have remained untouched for several decades. He pauses every now and then to ponder upon the passages and stories telling of kings of old and ancient myths, while his glasses rest upon the tip of his nose. The library walls around him are filled with large portraits of contributors and men recognized for their great accomplishments, and the professor sighs as he observes them with the envy of a lesser colleague.

'You will all see in time, I shall prove my worth to anyone doubting my competence', he says out loud to himself before he resumes his work.
"
"Suddenly a high-pitched yell makes the few students in the library turn their heads from their books for a moment. The yell is followed by a small bang and the sound of heavy boxes hitting hard stone floor.

The professor has once again shown his lack of dexterity by accidentally tearing down the oldest catalogues on the highest shelves while climbing a ladder. With an embarrassed look on his face he begins to collect the old sheets of paper that now lie scattered across the floor. He falls in complete shock as he realizes that that one of the most valued pieces of literature in the entirety of the library lies with its thick covers broken on the hard floor. The tome known only as "The Book of Shadows" is described in many historic documents, but little is known about it due to its unreadable language. Even the most skilled linguists have failed to decipher its outlandish glyphs, but the tome is probably most known for the fact that it is the oldest known scripting bound in book cover.

As he examines the extent of the damage his attention is directed to a small note sticking out from the broken cover. With trembling fingers he reaches for it and unravels it quickly, and as his eyes lie upon it he holds his breath and feels blood rushing to his head in excitement over his discovery. Skilled in the arts of linguistics himself he quickly realizes the contents of the note; it is indeed a key to unlocking the strange letters in the ancient tome. Without further delay he collects the remaining scattered documents, puts them in their rightful place, and then rushes for his office.
"
"After a full afternoon of making diagrams and reference sheets in aid of translation, he starts reading the introduction aloud to himself in his dimly-lit office. It is a passage not spoken for centuries upon centuries. As he finishes the last words at the end of the first page the outside wind blows open a nearby window, letting in a small breath of air revealing that the afternoon's sunny weather has turned into a chilly, and somewhat rainy evening.

What lies within the ancient scripture's pages is the telling of the mighty Egyptian Pharaoh Semerkhet and his vast kingdom, which covered a large part of northern Africa. It continues with a description of a long alley of pillars, fronted by two grand statues of the Pharaoh himself, which led into his mighty palace, surrounded by a great number of beautiful palm trees.

As Winterborough excitedly switches pages he comes across the story of Prince Qa'a, and his love one Neferin's prophetic dream:

In her vision she saw herself at the entrance to the alley of pillars, with a huge Starfall soaring across the sky directly above the Pharaoh's palace, telling of things to come.

And as young prince Qa'a tried to claim the rule of the empire long before his father's natural death through a coup that failed horribly, a huge ray of light lit up the alley of pillars, even creating clouds of sand and dust before Neferin's feet. Struck by immediate sense of danger she hurried to his assistance only to find him bound in chains.

As Winterborough reaches the last passages of the book he comes across the ill fate of young Qa'a; he was imprisoned alive together with his love, and the stone door of his catacomb covered with wards riddled with curses for anyone ever daring entrance.

The section is followed by the curse inscribed upon the inner door of the tomb, and as the professor speaks the words in ancient Egyptian tongue, a large crack of lightning tears his attention from the scripture. The rain is now pouring down outside, and he notices he is shivering from the cold emanating form the window. He once more turns his attention to the last page, which obviously is a description together with a simple map regarding the location of the damned tomb. He slams the book shut, determined to follow the path now laid out before him in his mind.
"
"Several months pass and the news of the professor's findings reach the ears of the British Museum, who are almost immediately set on sponsoring the old man with an excursion to find and excavate the ancient grave site, and reclaim its valuable contents to the civilised world.

A small team of archeologists is thus gathered, and as the party sets out on their journey they find themselves in the heart of the river Nile but a week later. An adventure with promise not only of great treasure, but also archeological finds behind comprehension now await their eager hearts...
"

Japanese Lyrics[]

Trivia[]

  • In the Japanese release, the artist info for this track is listed as "Dragonland/Johanna Andersson".
  • The Line "In her vision she saw herself at the entrance to the alley of pillars, with a huge Starfall soaring across the sky directly above the Pharaoh's palace, telling of things to come." references the cover art of Starfall.
  • When this track is imported via iTunes, its name is written as "The Book Of Shadows Part 1:A Story YET Untold", this also occurs when importing to an XBOX 360, though like the other tracks, the entire name cannot fit when importing to the 360.
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