Arbiter of the Eons

In the depths of time, in the infancy of man, there were those who sought knowledge beyond what was meant for mortal minds. They delved into mythic secrets, seeking to acquire cosmic foresight, to peer into the very fabric of the universe itself.
  
Among these seekers was a cloaked figure, draped in shadows, chiseled features hidden in the darkness. He was drawn by the allure of knowledge, the promise of enlightenment beyond the bounds of sanity. Through ancient tomes and forgotten rituals, he delved deeper and deeper into the abyss of understanding, until he stumbled upon a truth that was not meant for man.  
   
He had read of it before, in Dante's Inferno, where it was spoken of as a place of madness and chaos, ruled over by an entity so great and terrible that even the gods themselves feared it. And yet, he could not resist the pull of this cosmic force, this eldritch power that whispered secrets too profound to ignore. He sought to uncover its secrets, to unravel its mysteries, even as it drove him to the brink of madness.  
   
In the end, he succeeded, but at a terrible cost. His mind shattered, his sanity consumed by the all-encompassing truth he had uncovered. Yet, even in his madness, he was filled with a strange sense of peace, for he knew that he had seen beyond the veil of mortal knowledge, into the depths of a reality that lay beyond the comprehension of man.  
   
And so, he wandered the world, a shattered figure, whispering tales of the truth he had found, of the knowledge that was not for man, of the cosmic power that lurked at the heart of the universe.  
   
   
Part 2  
   
Dr. Randford had always been intrigued by the stories his patient had told him. Even though he had written them off as delusions brought on by the man's shattered mind, there was something about them that stuck with him. And so, after the man's death (under mysterious circumstances), Randford found himself drawn to his patient's home, searching for answers to the questions that had haunted him since the man's tales first began.  
   
As he combed through the man's belongings, Randford discovered a treasure trove of occult books and ritualistic material, each one more ancient and forbidden than the last. The more he read, the more he began to understand the depth of his patient's obsession, the lengths he had gone to in order to uncover the truth that lay beyond mortal comprehension.  
   
But even as Randford delved deeper into the man's secrets, he began to feel a strange presence lurking in the shadows, a sense of foreboding that grew stronger with each passing moment. It was as if the man's madness had followed him, infecting his mind and leading him down a path of cosmic understanding that he was not prepared to traverse.  
   
He could not stop himself. Driven by the same allure of knowledge that had consumed his patient, he pressed on, until he too was consumed by the same eldritch force that had claimed the man's sanity. Despite the sense of foreboding that lingered in his mind, Dr. Randford could not resist the pull of the knowledge that lay within his patient's belongings. He collected the occult books and ritualistic materials, tucking them away in a leather satchel before leaving the home.  
   
As he made his way to the local library, his mind raced with questions about the truths that lay hidden within the pages of the ancient tomes he carried. For days on end, Randford poured over the texts, his mind racing with the implications of what he had discovered. He read of beings that existed beyond the comprehension of mortal minds, of cosmic entities that lurked in the shadows, waiting to claim those who dared to seek their secrets.  
   
And yet, even as he read, he felt a strange flood of understanding growing within him, a knowledge that he could not explain but that seemed to resonate deep within his soul. As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, Randford became more and more consumed by the search for knowledge, driven by a thirst that he could not quench.  
   
Dr. Randford knew that he could not continue on his own, for fear of being consumed by the same eldritch force that had claimed his patient's sanity. And so, he began to search for someone who might be able to help him decipher the rest of the text that he had discovered. It was then that he heard of a supposed druid named Malken, who was said to possess knowledge of the ancient and arcane that surpassed even that of the most learned scholars.  
   
With a sense of both reproach and hope, Randford sought out Malken, hoping that he might be able to shed some light on the secrets that lay hidden within the pages of the forbidden tomes that he carried with him. Dr. Randford had turned Malken in hopes of finding a way to decipher the arcane texts he had discovered. But as he presented his findings to the supposed druid, Malken's eyes grew dark with a look of disdain and condemnation.  
   
"You are dealing with forces beyond your kin!" Malken said, his voice carrying a weight of warning that Randford could not ignore. As Malken spoke, Randford felt a sense of fear and guilt creeping up within him, a sense that he had been delving too deeply into things that lay beyond his understanding. And yet, even as he felt the weight of Malken's warning, Randford could not bring himself to turn away from the knowledge that lay within the forbidden tomes he had collected.  
   
For days on end, he continued to scan over the texts, his mind racing with the implications of the cosmic truths that lay hidden within their pages. As he read, he could feel a sense of unease growing within him, a sense that he was treading on ground that no mortal should ever venture upon.