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The Court Of Cromford

by Verulium

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1.
Sailing down a river on the mission of our lives This vessel carved from ebony is blessed and will arrive Meandering, focusing on matters scarce of time Decreed in sacred manuscripts in Cromford we will find Splendid decay Hiding away Lost paradise Jewels that entice Widen the search We’re avoiding the curse We must out perform To weather the storm Reach the high forged iron gates and scale a perimeter wall Into a realm of fantasy like nothing seen before Scout the land, close to hand, warriors proud and true We must succeed and remedy the wrongs cast hitherto Splendid decay Hiding away Lost paradise Jewels that entice Widen the search We’re avoiding the curse We must out perform To weather the storm In the court of Cromford Hope will save the day For in the court of Cromford Our past is locked away Weather the storm We must out perform Jewels that entice Paying the price They’re paying the price
2.
Rising tide the fog comes in The ancient rites are broken Desecrated fabled land No adverse words were spoken As the witches glide across A stony grey horizon Stormy seas deliver us A present from Poseidon Gaze upon Gaze upon The wonder of our time Gaze upon Let’s revere This wonder of our time In a humble open box Neither dead nor still alive We have to understand it And rise to The challenge that we find Gaze upon Gaze upon The wonder of our time Gaze upon Let’s revere This wonder of our time In a humble open box Neither dead nor still alive We have to understand it And rise to The challenge that we find
3.
Fields 06:04
Weaving through the tapestry Beauty grace and artistry We can whisper pleasantries But time is moving on Basking in the candlelight Chasing shadows through the night We still have the appetite But time is moving on It’s moving on The truth is I don’t mind So long as we sing and the sun still shines With farmers ploughing in the fields The wheat and the maize are the crops we yield The crops we yield Into the fields everyone Soon the summer will be gone We start to see the darker nights The winter frost begins to bite Begins to bite Building roads across the land Dividing us with a sleight of hand But we are staying while we can We’re not moving on We’re not moving on Building roads across the land Dividing us with a sleight of hand But we are staying while we can We’re not moving on We’re not moving on
4.
Sorrow 07:44
In the embers of the day When all is said and done With just a hint of irony the entropy has won So gather round and cast a vote Find a seat and make a note To all of the future candidates who want to fight again If you can find another time When all the planets will align And break the cycle from above Then that could maybe be enough But the problem still remains And takes us to a different plane And where the does the endeavour of the future lie? If I’m always on the edge On the point of breaking through Will the cosmos wait for me? And if I’m taking back control From the powers up above Why does this feel wrong to me? Aching limbs wade through water In a silent hell Devastation blood and slaughter To the sounding of the knell The sorrow The sense of disbelief The sorrow The trauma and the grief All hope is torn asunder When the light reveals the vista of the land Pins you down with bolts of thunder Stamps your heart into the ground The sorrow The sense of disbelief The sorrow The trauma and the grief And you’re walking away I can’t hear what you say I don’t believe it You’re walking away You’re walking away … In the aftermath For as far as the eye can see An opportunity To rebuild if we agree It’s all in vane If the cycle starts again
5.
Solid foundations from long ago Crumble from pressure up above The fate of the text of all we know Is buried deep below Out of the dark uncertainty Rising from a valley full of pine The force of the flow forms a furious glow Shining through distant time To and fro From emotion From the legend Of all we know Forge ahead For the oak For the ram For the sake of the dead Let them rest Let them rest Now that the past is fading fast We learn and we listen and we know The bane of the Earth will fall to the cursed This is why we must go Fly on the wings of Gloria Pray for the seventh and the age Let all the papers fly away Leave the hand of the sage To and fro From emotion From the legend Of all we know Forge ahead For the oak For the ram For the sake of the dead Let them rest Let them rest To and fro From emotion From the legend Of all we know Forge ahead For the oak For the ram For the sake of the dead Let them rest Let them rest
6.
In the haze of early morning Where the summer breezes blow Sad events that we remember Long long ago Underneath a blood red sunset Troubled voices laid to rest By the hand of men that we knew Long long ago Can you find a lesson That we all can learn from In the violent maelstrom Of rage and thunder Rage and thunder From long long ago Long long ago To the tune that’s played before us We can dance a merry dance But the pain is not forgotten From long long ago It’s over It’s over It’s over now Keep watching Keep listening In case they break the vow But it’s over Is it over Is it really over now Keep watching Keep listening You know they’ll break the vow In the haze of early morning Where the summer breezes blow Sad events that we remember From long long ago Can you find a lesson That we all can learn from In the violent maelstrom Of rage and thunder Rage and thunder From long long ago Long long ago
7.
Coronation 06:22
There’s elation in the court below Crowds converging through the portico In golden robes and finery At last, the king is crowned Jewels from Asia shining bright Clad the carriage, bring the light Now that the son is the only one Rejoice and dance through the night In the days of old In times of trouble When the hope is gone There comes a day And be as it may He is the only one He is the only one Long live Cromford and his reign Coronation preordained Applause and cheers ring through our ears He wears the golden chain Now we all must look ahead Pray for better times instead For everyone all is said and done Bring an end to this dread In the days of old In times of trouble When the hope is gone There comes a day And be as it may He is the only one He is the only one In the days of old In times of trouble When the hope is gone There comes a day And be as it may He is the only one He is the only one … Cromford the king Will reign in excelsis The long road of destiny before you

about

Verulium are:

Steve Blakeley - Vocals, guitar, keys
Finlay Smythe - Bass guitar
Mark Durrant - Drums and percussion

Songs and production by Steve Blakeley
Creative Commons License 2023

The Court Of Cromford:

The red sands of the East Devon coastline were cold and wet.

Two witches walked slowly along, fighting the sea breeze as it tugged their bedraggled hair. A rough woollen shawl worn by the elder witch dragged along the sand, soaking up brine from the freshly departed tide. Blind, her eye sockets seemingly covered with wizened flesh, she pointed across the sea towards the horizon:

'What is it I spy in the distance?' she rasped in a low pitched whine as if contaminated by the tar of a thousand ancient meerschaum pipes.

'Nothing much' replied the younger witch, a haggard figure in her early 60s dressed in drab brown layers of hessian and completely unsurprised by the elder witch's ability to observe the object.

The elder witch pulled on a clump of long grey hair sprouting from a mole on her chin and contemplated waiting.

Out at sea, a rectangular box floated, bobbing up and down as the waves crashed back and forth in an unpredictable manner trying as hard as they might to displace the contents into the grey, stony cold waters.

It was unlikely to happen since the box, a coffin shaped artefact hewn from the darkest ebony, had travelled all the way across the Atlantic and into the English Channel with its contents still intact despite being open to the elements the entire time.

The two witches continued their stroll along the shoreline collecting washed up debris to be used at a later date for various spells and potions. The elder witch muttered under her breath, something unintelligible it seemed.

The wooden box continued its journey ever closer to land. The witches changed direction and headed for a secret cove, the wheels of their small barrow squeaking ominously in time with the lapping of the waves.

Later that morning, an elderly gentleman, a captain of sorts, waited patiently on a stretch of coastline not easily accessible by those not in the know. Dressed in a yellow sowester, offering at least some protection from the elements, he soon spotted the wooden box. Just as he'd calculated, it was due to make land fall at precisely 8.30 am.

As the box was delivered unceremoniously by the waves, it jostled across the pebbles and the old man rushed as quickly as he could to rescue it. Securing a rope to a hook on the side, he dragged it behind him to a grassy area further up where his companion was waiting with a Bedford van.

The driver of the van jumped out to assist.

'You got him then?'

'Oh aye' came the reply.

Before they loaded up the van they examined the contents of the box, which was indeed an open coffin.

Inside lay the body of a man neither dead nor alive, somewhere in between in a form of stasis. The body was wrapped in very loose, filthy bandages with only the face exposed to the elements. Covered in wretched slime and seaweed, the corpse, for it appeared as such, was soaked with the salty, briny water that transported it and had collected creatures of all shapes and sizes along the way. There was a very strange smell. He did not move or speak.

'Should we clean off the filth?' enquired the driver.

'No, let's just get him on his way'.

They heaved the coffin and its contents into the back of the Bedford van and set off along country lanes heading towards the M5 and onwards to the North.

What remained of Cromford, the last ruler of a fabled tiny medieval kingdom nestled high above the market towns of an ancient civilisation, unknown to most both past and present, must be transported and placed in the secret location specially built to house the precious entity.

The newly constructed Court of Cromford drew many parallels with the ancient Kingdom. Nestled high above a temple to modern consumerism, the secret complex is completely inaccessible to outsiders with only very few people knowing of its existence. An enclave of sorts, a courtyard with gardens, a number of dwellings exclusively for direct descendants and, most importantly, the precious artefacts from the kingdom enshrined in grand show cases of pure extravagance.

The most important artefact, the King himself, was soon to be interred in his final resting place. Once in situ, it was anybody's guess as to what the future might hold.

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released April 14, 2023

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Verulium UK

Verulium are a side project featuring members of the prog/space rock band Outstation. Expect melodic 'power trio' 70s style prog pock with a hint of folk for good measure.

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