The Hunger
Composed by Ginger Carrai of Dark Ages

My knowledge on the Shadow hunger is only too well. I hold the misfortune of
being held in it's grasp seven times in my aisling life. It pierces my mind
to remember the fearful moments sitting on the cold stoned floor, trapped in
walls stained with blood. The only thing more terrifying than seeing the bony
dark face beneath the bloody color of the Shadow Hunger's robe, is the
intense moments of waiting for him to come.
Sometimes the helpless victims are in the pit for hours, sometimes moons,
before the demon is summoned. Leaving them shaking to the bone, building the
nightmarish images in their mind of what was to come. Just one-second of not
thinking about your sgathing, was all it took. It is hard to keep your mind
off something so dreadful, hence the reason why they were there for so long.
Just being left in the cell, alone was the most feared part of the sgath.

The Shadow Hungers are heartless demons, composed of the lost souls of
aislings. They feed on the aisling spirit, causing many to believe they're
from the Dubhaim. Others believe they are of a more powerful source than
Sgrios. The source of evil itself, Chadul.
It is beyond many why aislings damn each other to such a horrid fate. Not
because it is just that, but because it is an action powered by evil forces.
An action that only aislings that possess political power can control.
I use the term, control loosely. It is a death wish to say you control the
power of sgath. Only the ignorant believe they control such evil, and with
the combination of evil and politics, ignorance is deadly.

Many do not know where the hungers are, right before they are summoned. It
is to popular belief that they are not from our world, or any at all. What
many fail to see, is they come from ourselves.
Despite the fact some aislings have led themselves to believe that certain
individuals are made with pure love and not an ounce of anything else, they
are only fooling themselves. We each have a Shadow hunger within. The hunger
for vengeance is something we're born with. All aislings start with the spark
of darkness. Whatever happens after that, is up to them. It can always grow
and weaken, but never can we banish something so powerful, that is sown
deeply in our soul.

Given that it is drawn from ourselves, the strength and hate of your Shadow
Hunger is that of yours. It is possible however, to defeat it. Not with
swords, magic, hope, or even intelligence. But with your willingness to
except.
To except your fate is a virtue, but to except yourself is a quality more
powerful than any aisling can comprehend.
Meeting your shadow hunger is as if looking in your heart. The part of your
heart that holds that bit of vengeance then stands before you.
When you're confronting that part, it's as though you're falling asleep. You
grow weak, and lose touch of all that is happening around you. You fall into
a dream where you feel consciousness but still have the weakness of reality.
All you can depend on is your ability to love, and believe. If all you've
ever known is the exact opposite of love, you aren't left with much defense
against yourself.

Love is more powerful than hate. When you love someone, you are willing to
forgive them of their sins. Most importantly, give them the opportunity to
correct mistakes. Whereas hate, is just the opposite. You do not forgive. You
do not show remorse or sympathy. If you've shut out love, you've blocked
forgiveness as well.
Last minute decisions are not possible in the Sgath. You must know who you
are, and embrace your destiny with courage.

After the Sgath, you feel as though you're being born again. And that is
just what you're doing. Only this time, you're being eaten away mentally. The
question will be more piercing; Will I learn to love and except?

I did my research on when this political ritual began and how. Of course, it
is not nearly explained as well as I had hoped it would be. I could not find
a certain date which it started. It's as though it appeared out of air and
everyone treated it like it had always existed. Perhaps it always has, and
always will, as long as there is life. As long as there is that one person
unwilling to embrace the truth, and welcome it with open arms.