More Than a Game. This Is Your Legynd.
The Song Of Eldross
​​The First Age
Legend speaks of a time when there was naught in Eldross but a small island surrounded by the timeless chaos of the Nethyrial sea churning below the endless Aethyrial winds flowing above. Great and horrible beasts roamed the Nethyrial sea unchecked, and imposed their treacherous wills upon the raw untamed world. These beasts, the Behemoths, Titans, Leviathans, Chimera, Shining Ones, Tenebrae, and Eldritch, warred ceaselessly and crushed all hope that peaceful life should arise. Descending from the starry celestial skies came Aetera, the Incarnate Queen, who drifted down through the Aethyrial winds and came to rest on Eldross, within the waters of the Nethyrial sea.
Aetera, the Incarnate Queen and Mother of Eldross, placed her hands and will upon the heart of Eldross and shaped the land to her liking. Where she willed it, life emerged. Where she saw fit, rivers parted into oceans. Where her hand trembled, the earth shook and brought forth its mountains and valleys. Here, she did battle with the Beasts and vanquished them to the stars, birthed in their place creatures both savage and simple.
The Incarnate Queen summoned from the stars her loyal few Anchorites, who witnessed the world beneath them as true and good. The Anchorites would serve as Her Knighthood in this new world, and they were blind, silent, and loyal, yet had sight beyond the land. The Anchorites brought their will to bear in seven great pillars surrounding Eldross, each fortifying their way to their Queen, their home, and ensuring that Eldross would never be taken by the Neytherial tides. ​
​​​The Second Age
Here, upon the fundament and firmament of Creation, the mortals of the land of Eldross now rose as if from a long dream. They beheld the land and knew only awe. Stumbling and unsure, they struggled to speak. Their words were broken and their senses overwhelmed. They feared the night and each dawn. In the number of gifts they possessed, there were none to spare them from the barbed world in which they now dwelt.
From caves they came, from beaches they swam, from forests they hunted, and from peaks they descended upon the land. They were clad only in the flesh, and struggled against the cold, heat, rain, and wind. In time they discovered simple implements, fire, and truths given to their knowing by the Supernal beings witnessing them from on high. Yet they knew not inspiration. They knew not ingenuity or creativity. In not knowing these things, they knew not violence, murder, greed, or hatred. Like sleeping children they wandered their lands, and multiplied.
Eldross was in bloom. The land knew five great continents, endless islands, and blessings unknown. The world above was a starlight night, and the land of Eldross knew peace. The Wars of the past were an incomprehensible dream.
To the East, was the great continent of Naras, a bright land, and embodiment of the power of Astra, its peace most striking among its people. To this, they named their capital, Solheim, for it was written upon the rock of its founding. Here they studied the arts of the bow, and the gentle graces of courtly etiquette. They named many noble houses, and virtue was among them. Highest of these was the house Eres, for they recalled the name as if from dreams. Upon the lands of Naras, they built great ships to explore the world of Eldross, and searched for distant shores. Though among them, they knew not inspiration, and the vast seas remained a mystery.
To the West, was the great continent of Tyras, a land of shade, and embodiment of the power of Umbra, and its solace was known to its people, and rest came easily to those of age. They named their great capital Undryn, for it was written upon an archway to a darkened valley. Here they built a great city, and the peaks surrounding it they named the Midnight-Mountains, for it ever cast its gentle shadow upon its city. They made many covens of gathering, as houses, and they prized the secrets they discovered. Highest among these was named house Ulthas, for they uncovered the name from a buried stone. Here they studied the art of the dagger, and the caution of whispers. Upon the lands of Tyras, they explored each cave and forest, and searched for simple truths hidden in the dark. Though among them, they knew not inspiration, and the endless corners of the land remained a mystery.
To the North, the great continent of Ondras, the land of wonders, and embodiment of the power of Weave. Its craftsmen and tailors were well known among its peoples. The many ruins upon the land were a mystery, a gift from the Incarnate Queen to be deciphered in her sacred language of the Supernal. Upon the highest of peaks, in the coldest of regions, they built a great tower-city, and named it Achyria, for the steps of its foundation had been marked so. Here, the gifts of iron were studied well. Ever higher they wished to venture, and upon the highest peaks, they built mighty towers as testament to their wish to reflect the majesty of the world they could not truly see. They gathered in clans and named them houses. Highest among these was House Harcon, for it was a name engraved upon a mighty ancient hammer. Here they marveled at wonders they would never understand, and a small sadness was known to them, for they knew not inspiration, and their craft was wanting.
To the South, the warm forests of the continent of Onma, a land of plenty, embodiment of the power of Wyld. Its hunters and tamers were well known among its people. Here the arts of the natural world were learned well and appreciated by all. Upon the lands of Onma, they held fast to their first understandings, and the times of tribes and rites remained well into their mastery of implements. Upon Onma, the gifts of beasts, and the land, were studied well. They made a capital, Aughym, recognized beneath the mightiest of trees, and the name was a whisper as wind through the trees. In many tribes they gathered. From this beget their clans and houses. Highest among these was House Silvas, for it was in the sound of the groaning branches. They traveled wide and far, swam to distant islands, and spread the beauty of their simple lives. Though among them, they knew not inspiration, and the true majesty of the wilds remained a mystery.
In the center of these great continents, there was a great island. It was called Chrossus, and it was a land of mysteries. It was the embodiment of the power of Tempus. More than any other continent, it bore the markings of the Supernal. There were nearly endless ruins, each with writings indecipherable. Among them there were archways, roads, and crumbling structures. Here, the people knew some amount of hesitation in their travels, for they would step upon a path, and never return. It was considered bad luck to step upon a road, pass beneath an archway, or enter the ruins. Here the art of navigation, map-making, and knowing the ways of travel were well studied. These studies held no shortage of fascination and necessity among the people of Chrossus. They learned quickly of the written language, study of the celestial bodies above, and the foretelling of dreams. Here the most learned among them gathered into councils to study, and these became houses. Highest among these was the House of Draxos. It was a name that echoed to them from crumbling archways, and broken obelisks. The people of Chrossus mapped their Great Island from shore to shore. They made lighted towers upon them so that others from distant lands would not crash upon their reefs. Though in their endless understanding, their feeling of aloneness plagued their peace. Among them, they knew not inspiration, and the mysteries of time and space danced about them without grasp.
In time, the eastern ships of Naras braved the great oceans, and to each, they brought the light of their continent with them. They brought gifts, fruits, gold, and ornaments. First of these was Onma, the savage land of warm forests. The Narasian people enjoyed their revelry and sport. The Onmanians appreciated their gifts for song and archery. The two continents shared in their mutual delight of life and nature, and in time their highest houses met, House Silvas and House Eres. In this they shared small hope that there may be other lands to the west and north.
With the Narasian and Onmanian people united, together they made a great pilgrimage to the west, in search of other continents. Third to be discovered was the land of Tyras. Though its forests and valleys were dark, and its land seemed marked by a perpetual fog, these travelers braved its dark shores. They brought gifts upon its sands of furs, meat, ornaments, and art. They sang and danced into the darkened forests and filled them with sound. The Tyrasians they found surprised them, for they were wrapped in darkened robes and clung to the shadows of the forest. They were silent and studied them with intensity. The Narasian people sensed their unease, and withdrew their song and light from the woods, returning to the shore. The Onmanian people followed, and left their steps easy to follow, that the Tyrasian people might find the gifts they had brought before them there. With the falling sun, the Tyrasian people stepped upon the dark sand, in bare feet, silent and with peace, each carrying the still cups of their finest wines. In quiet offering, they blessed the far weary travelers, and rest was their gift. In the morning, the gifts had gone from the shore, the meats, ornaments, and art now being enjoyed in the great capital of Undryn. With a single guide, the houses of Silvas and Eres were taken before the house of Ulthas, and in quiet explanation, the ways of Tyras were shared in their passage.
Now three continents united, and the Houses of Eres, Silvas, and Ulthas shared a kinship that was wordless, as if a long forgotten family had been found. Their mutual respect grew in their differences. To this, House Ulthas wished to aid them in their discovery of the lands of Eldross. They shared their study of the night's cycles, and learning of the tides of the moon, that their travels be upon calm waters. In company, the Tyrasians, Onmanians, and Narasians gathered to sail once more across the oceans of Eldross. To the cold north they braved through fog-covered waters, frozen flows, and harsh storms to their destination.
Until at last, they arrived upon the shores of Ondras. Across the great distances, they beheld the magnificent towers of its people high above. In wonder they were frozen, not by the cold, but by their splendor. Through the hills, forests, and mountains they traveled unto the very steps of the highest peak. There, in great procession, they were received into the city of Achyria. It was a wonder of iron, stone, and gems. Above all the people of Eldross, Ondras had gathered the knowledge of implements far beyond their sister continents. Here, in their greatest of halls, House Harcon welcomed them as weary travelers first, and eager students second. The halls of the great capital of Achyria, the tower city, echoed with celebration, and the songs of the Narasian people awed them. The quiet secrets of the Tyrasian people tempted them to delve into mysteries they had only wondered upon. Though above all, the grace and dance of the Onmanian people intoxicated their senses, and passions unfelt stirred the Ondrassian kin. To each, they marveled at the knowing each might share, and their knowledge was fourfold. Here, the houses joined for many days and nights, until, with the aid of House Harcon, they set sail once more.
With iron compass upon their ships, anchors for taming current, and masts stronger than mountains, the mighty fleet of the people of Eldross dared the most untamed seas. For years they searched. In their search, trade grew, and their nations prospered. Though the last continent remained undiscovered. In time, Onma, Naras, Tyras, and Ondras grew in wealth and power. The land was peaceful, and it was from the sweat, blood, and tears of mortal hands. Though a great mystery was beyond their answering. A few lived beyond mortal lives, and when met with the certainty of death, they would return once more. Across the lands they searched for answers to these questions, and were desperate to know the scope of their reach, and yet Chrossus eluded them in their search.
​​​​The Third Age
In the Supernal above, Aetera, The Incarnate Queen, witnessed their toil. She saw the peace She had made and was pleased. Through her will they had not found the paths they sought, and only through her would they glimpse the greater wonders of Eldross. Hopeful in her plans, She waited patiently and bore witness to the acts of slumbering wills, that their Omnus be tested.
Ages passed, and the people of Eldross remained the same. And yet they searched the seas, lands, and deepest caves for riddles that eluded their knowing. In this, She knew the futility of their task. For though She did not seek to meddle in their fate, yet was She desperate for them to know She was just. On the island of Chrossus, She stepped, clad in the vestments of a mortal queen. She walked among them, and where She set foot, they followed. Word traveled quickly across the land of her magnificence. The light above her brow, her third eye, shone with her power and nobility. She wished to walk among them, and behold their worth for herself. Aetera wished to know if peace might be in their making, or if their slumbering wills would forever curse them. Here, She hoped for them to find Truth. Here, She hoped to make her land complete.
From among House Draxos She chose two children of promise, and raised them in her image. So beget the house of Aetera, The Incarnate Queen, and among those of the land of Chrossus, She was noble. From them She withheld inspiration, and yet through them her word was law. She chose a girl, Eonia, and a boy, Rohen, and upon them She fashioned crowns that they might rule as prince and princess, until the day of their succession. She showed them how to gaze upon pools both still and reflective, to see the shores of Tyras, Onma, Naras, and Ondras. She taught them of the Weave, Wyld, Umbra, Astra, and Tempus, that they were forces ever outside of their mastering, and that they were not of their will. She revealed the hidden secrets of the Aethyr, and how it might be shaped into simple Magicks for each Paradyne. Aetera ensured that they saw they were separate from, and subjects of Creation; that they belonged to it, and were not its masters.
Eonia and Rohen learned her lessons well, and wished to see her will fulfilled. They asked their Incarnate Queen, “Why shall we not bring our knowing, and our peace to those distant shores, that they know the truth you have given us?”. In this the Incarnate Queen thought long, until on the breaking morning sun She brought forth answer, “Yes, my children, I shall help you unite these lands, but know this... these lands shall be your responsibility, and if they fail in peace, then I shall leave you, and return nevermore”. Eonia and Rohen understood, and weighed their decision carefully. They wished to fulfill the will of their Incarnate Queen, and feared her disfavor,
“I, Rohen Prince of Chrossus, will never allow your lands to fall, where I go, I will unite all people in the wisdom you have brought”. To this Rohen swore, and looked to his Princess.
“I, Elonia Princess of Chrossus, will never let the virtues you have taught us to fear be tested, and where I go I will bring fairness and peace to the lands of Eldross, that they behold the truths of your wisdom”.
Aetera was pleased, and yet She saw that they must be given their final command. “Eldross is yours to protect. Swear that you will never abandon it, lest it shatter forever.”
They heard the words and knew that they would never abandon the land they had been sworn to protect.
“We swear that we shall never abandon Eldross”, they spoke in harmony.
Aetera knew She had chosen well, and set them to their tests. To them, She gave gifts of knowing, that they might find their way through the great fog, storm, and spiraling compass surrounding the island of Chrossus. To the people of Chrossus, She shared the lessons of the stars, that they might find their way across the vast oceans of Eldross. With these secrets of knowing, the island prepared to visit each shore, and unite the land of Eldross under their banner.
To each shore they sailed, and upon each shore, Elonia and Rohen were welcomed. They were wise, just, and stood with power as if from a distant mystery. Their words carried the weight of the Incarnate Queen, and their message held the promise of answers. From each land they brought a ship with them home to the island of Chrossus, and taught them the paths that they might tread, and those they should not, for the ways of Chrossus still carried great dangers. They brought them to their capital, and founded from the ruins of that place, their city, named for their Queen, Aeteras. Many years passed, and the great rulers Elonia and Rohen lived, loved and prospered. Though still a mystery to them, it was known among the lands that those of greatness seemed to live beyond the limits of mortal flesh. The people of the land of Eldross knew great peace in those days. House Harcon, Silvas, Ulthas, and Eres were united in banner under house Aetera, in the city of Aeteras. They shared what knowing they had among each other, and prospered.
Eldross was at peace, and yet its people still ever longed for more knowledge. Mystery occluded much of Chrossus, in its fog, and in its many un-tread paths. The enigma of Chrossus echoed the riddles of all of Eldross. From among mortals there lived those who would not die, and who seemed destined for greatness. There were wonders across the lands of Eldross that no mortal had shaped, and carried a forgotten legacy in their silence. There were dreams dreamt of times that had never been, of tragedy, greatness, and entities swimming beyond consciousness. There were crumbling texts in languages long unspoken, not bound by the hands of mortals. Eldross was full of secrets untold, and so it was that now inspired, mortals delved deeply into these hidden mysteries.
The Fourth Age
Upon the lands of Chrossus there were many gates, and to each of them the Incarnate Queen held those ways shut. They were among the roads, archways, and obelisks across the land. Mortals had long known not to tread upon them, and feared their disappearance should they dare. From these ways, laughter was heard, it came from before, it came from after, and it was an echo of vanquished foes. The laughter took hold in the minds of some mortals, and they braved the gates to uncover where they might lead. Many perished forever in the winding ways beyond, but there were those who learned to navigate the twisted ways and paths, and discovered long truths hidden, and beings long banished.
Ever had the beasts beyond Eldross possessed a cunning, skill, and ferocity that awakened savage instincts within the hearts of mortals to survive beyond their short lives. They spoke to the mortals of their true potential for everlasting life. Driven and inspired, now did mortals seek to find the answer to the riddle of the immortals and how they might conquer the cruel design of their single lives. In the passion of their search they found knowledge better left untouched by mortal minds, for in their novitiate experiments they produced abominations that made a mockery of immortality. Subtly and slowly, a creeping darkness leaked its way into the world. Nights across the land carried longer darkness. Shadow whispered at the edge of harkening, from the beings that once feasted upon mortal souls, and seemed to hunger for their end. Eldross was forever changed.
Aetera, the Incarnate Queen, seeing the land in impending peril, returned to the Supernal, that She might ward the world of Eldross from disaster. There She beheld the ways were shut to the worlds beyond and above. In the breath of the moments of Her absence, years passed upon the world of Eldross.
Elonia and Rohen searched all of Chrossus for their Incarnate Queen. They sent their houses, and each of their emissaries to the distant lands in search of Aetera. To each capital they traveled, and each great house welcomed them, to no avail. And in each land, they found evidence of the darkness and how the knowledge of their Incarnate Queen had been twisted by mortals. Anger, conflict and fear were now known among the people.
Elonia and Rohen feared they had failed their Queen. They recalled her promise, that if the lands of Eldross not be united in peace, that she would depart, and never return. To retain order, Rohen and Elonia were wed, and proclaimed King and Queen Incarnate. Their pageantry and celebration was held for a time as hope that they might bring the wisdom to Eldross that it so desperately needed. The lands of Eldross needed their guidance, and they did not wish to fail, for they hoped in the absence of their Incarnate Queen, that they would be worthy successors.
Once again, across the island of Chrossus, a cachinnatory laughter could be heard; it came from before, and it came from after. It echoed in the ears of those who were wise, now full of fear, and without Supernal guidance, and this time it took hold in the minds of immortals. From the Supernal Mundi, Aetera beheld the peace she had brought torn apart in the briefest of moments. In the world below, her chosen children rallied against uncertainty. Rohen took those who were loyal to him across the lands of Ondras, Onma, Naras, and Tyras and put those and each of their houses to question. With banners raised, and weapons in hand, he saw treachery and deceit at every corner. The hearts of mortals held fear in him, for he, like many across Eldross, lived beyond mortal lives. He witnessed their unknowing, and their fear of him, and took it as guilt. Without answers, he levied punishments upon mortal flesh. With those united to him, he laid sentence and judgment upon mortal lives. He rallied the houses of Harcon, Ulthas, Silvas, and Eres to his aid, each who had high members in noble standing, each who held the mystery of their long and unending lives. They begged Rohen to see mercy for those among them that feared them, though he was certain that it was from their blood that the crimes must lay.
Elonia, Queen of Chrossus, witnessed from between mortals and those who held long life, that there was great imbalance, and she sought justice as she searched for answers with her King. Swayed to mercy, and unrelenting in her desire for answers, she laid a plan. That they would separate mystery from truth, and discover the roots that had sown this malice. To each great continent she commanded loyalty from the immortal Houses, and asked for their aid, to each of the great houses she decreed unity in their task. To each one she called for what was required.
Shackles meant for beasts were refashioned for mortal necks, and wrought by hands from the lands of Ondras. Daggers meant for delicate art were put to mortal backs, and held by hands from the lands of Tyras. Lanterns of truth were forged to light fearful faces, and wrought by hands from the lands of Naras. Savage beasts hunted mortals who fled, and were leashed from the lands of Onma. A great prison was made for them, on the land of Chrossus, and in counting their years of sentence they wrought a great year-glass of flowing sands, and at its neck it was the width of a single grain of sand, that mortal lives be measured to death in its counting.
The land of Eldross knew fear, it knew imprisonment, and it knew the rule of law, though it knew no guilt, and only misfortune. Where Incarnate nobles resisted, they were imprisoned along with mortals on suspicion of apostasy. The great Labyrinth of Labyrinths was made, and it was named Carcerus, and was built upon the island of Chrossus. It held those that defied the will of Elonia and Rohen. The houses of Harcon, Eres, Ulthas, and Silvas remained compliant, and aided their King and Queen in their search for peace. It was by noble hand that slaves were made. Though they sought freedom and peace, they brought wickedness from fear. A decade passed, and the lands of Eldross were not the same.
The world around them crumbled with their reign, and in their endless search, madness grew. Though they now had families of their own, and had crowned themselves King and Queen, they now grayed in their long lives, and had long forgotten the needs of their people. As an endless wheel of shame, their actions were wanting of mercy, peace, and understanding. The hearts and wills of Rohen and Elonia only knew the absence of their Incarnate Queen.
The city of Aeteras was built mightily on the backs of slaves, Incarnate blood and mortal alike. Those who questioned the wisdom of their great rulers, and the peace they would bring, were sent to Carcerus, to live out their long days lost among its walls. Aetera, the Incarnate Queen, beheld this in the flickering moments above, and shook with sadness, Her great wisdom and struggle for peace mounting in defeat. One more time, the laughter echoed across the land of Eldross, infecting the ears of both mortals and Incarana alike. In these passing moments in the Superal Mundi, generations of mortals upon the land of Eldross lived and died, and were swallowed into uncertainty. Immortals lived undying, their memories now short and their lives slowly fading into dream.
The Song of Eldross was forgotten, the rule of the Incarnate Queen faded into myth, and the memories of another time naught but dim echoes in the people’s minds.​
​​​​The Fifth Age
The Legend of Kannan
Outside the capital Achyria, upon the land of Ondras, was born in that time a mortal by the name of Kannan. The capital was home only to those of Incarnate blood, who lived beyond mortal lives. It was home to the great mysteries and wonders of great works wrought by skilled hands, its doors now long shut to the passage of mortals. More than life, Kannan desired to echo their great works with his mortal hands. Each day, the nobles of house Harcon passed in the mortal markets beyond Achyria, and with each day, he desired to impress them with his wares. Though he knew not inspiration, and only knew the toil of his work. For in this world of Eldross, one hammer was like any other, and would not have exception. He struggled each day, in his short mortal life, to perfect the simple shapes he knew, and his work was his suffering.
It was upon a sunrise, he set his hammer, early to work, and his hands new blisters, blood, and were the rough work of his life. Kannan looked to them, and in his gaze, he glimpsed the briefest of truths- that his hands were his masterpiece, and inspiration flooded his mind. The barrier of his will cracked, and the whispers of great knowing stirred in him. Kannan rushed to the great doors of Achyria, and beseeched them to witness his greatest work. They were unmoved, and Kannan was called madman. To this Kannan raged, and in his fury, gathered his finest tools, and set upon the wild. In the lands of Ondras he traveled, and beheld first the great wonders that were the mountains, streams, beasts, and the untamed beauty inherent in the land. In his dreams, and in his searching, he traveled evermore to the shores. The winds challenged him, and he tamed them with his sail. Beasts sought to devour him, and he bested them, for he tamed his heart, he hummed in his work, and felt the rhythm of the world deeply. Its song echoed the mysteries of his forge. And in this, Kannan was inspired once more, that the world was full of its own savage beauty, and that it might be tamed with a fearless heart.
Kannan reached the shores of Chrossus, searching once more for lessons, and the great spark of inspiration he had felt, and desired it again as if it were air. At the edges of what Kannan knew, he beheld the vastness of the Nethyr, Aethyr, Tempus, Umbra, Astra, Weave, and Wyld in those moments upon the shore, as if a great many things had once been enacted on some version of them. In the sand he heard distant thunder, and the falling of another world. They echoed in his dreams and during his travels, and this land of Chrossus begged for him to pick for those answers, as a great lock, whose tumblers desired to fall into place. He sought the capital, Aeteras, in defiance of his station as a lowly mortal from a lowly unnamed house. To the pathways of Chrossus he tread, and dared step upon roads forbidden, and beneath archways forlorn, and feared not where they might take him. Long and far did he travel, for he found answers in studying them, and heard things echoed across those stones from times and places long lost.
Night set upon the island of Chrossus, and in shadowed paths he crossed, and met those who guarded those ways, under the orders of house Aetera. They held him at point of spear, and made him their prisoner. Kannan was brought before the old and weathered King and Queen. Rohen and Eonia beheld this simple man, with their family in company, and his defiant grin. Kannan did not fear death, he did not fear imprisonment in the halls of the great labyrinth of Carcerus, and he did not fear the will of those who claimed to rule him. Rohen and Eonia beheld his defiance, and his lack of fear and considered him a great mystery. Instead of imprisonment, or death, he was asked many questions. They desired to know this man, and what he had discovered, and he spoke of his inspiration, though he had not the words for it. He ignited their curiosity, and they wondered how a mortal of shortness in life might know what he had discovered. To this Kannan saw his calling, he asked them, “I beg you, my King, and my Queen, that I be allowed to build something to please you both, express the magnitude of my mind, and in its creation nothing shall be its greater”.
King Rohen and Queen Eonia studied Kannan. Queen Eonia asked, “What could you possibly build that we would grant such allowance, and spare you the embrace of Carcerus? For do we not rule fairly, justly, and have finally brought peace to Eldross?”.
Kannan grinned, and quietly gestured upward with his hands. “What I offer is what you truly desire, to find your path to your surrogate mother, your Incarnate Queen, to test yourselves as I have been tested, I offer you the way you must struggle upon, and in proving your worthiness, your Apotheosis”.
Queen Eonia stood from her throne, “We will grant you what you ask. Mark your time a year and a day from this, and upon that morning, if you have not built this great thing you speak of, then your home shall be Carcerus eternal”.
Kannan bowed low to the King and Queen in turn, each given his reverent lips gently upon their hands, and promised, “In a year and a day, this great thing will be yours to do as you wish, and the way to your dear Aetera, the Incarnate Queen, shall be yours”.
And so, the strange mortal man, Kannan, from the land of Ondras, set upon the island of Chrossus. In his disposal he had a hundred hands. Stone was taken from the ruins upon Chrossus. Platinum and Gold was taken from the mines of Achyria, that Kannan’s construction be certain, and that it would draw magic from the land. Ironwood was taken from the city of Aughym, that Kannan’s construction be beautiful, and that Prana would flow that it might be alive. Petrified Bone was taken from the catacombs of the city of Undryn, that his construction offer rest to souls claimed by its halls. Scintilium was taken from the city of Solheim, that Kannan’s construction might lift the spirits that gather there in celebration of worthiness. In his work Kannan toiled tirelessly. It was vast, a small city unto itself, and it was walled on all sides. It knew no limit to its doors, paths, halls, and passages. In its belly, chambers and tunnels twisted endlessly beneath, like rivers to all sides, a Labyrinth of its own to rival that of Carcerus. In its center, a great Colosseum was built. Surrounding this, steps on all sides rose ever skyward, that the people of Eldross might gather and bear witness.
Lost in his work, Kannan knew his followers well, and knew that their loyalty and tenacity would be tested. For each great work, there are great prices, as those who have worked hands will say. This great construction was no different. For among its halls and monoliths there were those that were lost to the labor. Both to aid Kanna in his great endeavor, and to keep watch upon his methods, there was an Incarna among them, who was unsettled by the cost of their toil. His name was Loloch, and he was a smith without rival. His sweat shaped the hinges, portcullis, and great gears within Kannan’s construction. Each thing knew its place in his work, while Loloch desired answers withheld.
Day after day, among those loyal to Kannan, Loloch raised doubt and question. Through his view some that were loyal were swayed. Through his words dissent grew among the great labors of Kannan. Loloch watched as those who dissented were crushed beneath great stone. He saw them lost to the depths beneath Kannan’s construction and drowned. He tired of the edict of the King and Queen of Eldross, and wished their labor to end. He came to Kannan, with those allied to his cause, and called,
“We toil as you do, Kannan, and we wish to know what we break ourselves upon, and why this must be so?”.
To which Kannan replied, “The secrets of your freedom are within your work my brothers and sisters”, he said with raised hands.
Though the inspiration was lost upon many of them, and they remained blind to his truth. To some, the great trial had begun, and they hungered for inspiration. To some, they saw only that they suffered, and knew not inspiration. Among these was Loloch, who had tired of the lie.
In the dark of night, Loloch and those he had swayed left Kannan’s construction, and sought out the King and Queen’s court in the city of Aetera. There with great guile, he laid bare the falsehood he saw in Kannan. To this, the King Rohen and Queen Eonia lent their ears to his betrayal. Loloch claimed that Kannan had squandered their great efforts, and that his great construction served only his madness.
King Rohen and Queen Eonia filled Loloch’s pockets with riches, and gave the laborers loyal to him sanctuary. They desired to know how this great work might bring them their dear Aetera, and in Lolochs words, lost heart and hope. They saw only one choice. That they would allow Kannan to deliver his great work, and deny him his glory for their own. If it was indeed the work of madness, then he would be condemned to Carcerus. Should his great work prove fruitful in their way to Aetera, the Incarnate Queen, then they would be first in her presence.
To the workers that had followed Kannan, they were now tested and loyal followers, and in the year and a day that had passed, they had each seen and learned much by his hand. Though they had lost some of their number to Lolochs folly, they had not lost sight of their great lessons. Their work was great, and their sacrifice to the place substantial. From among them they had given blood, sweat, tears, bone, and breath. Their destinies and paths had led them to his side. From among them, there were those who had witnessed workings never meant for slumbering eyes, and in scarring they were now blinded. From among them, there were those who knew its whispered secrets never meant for slumbering ears, and now they were forever silent. From among them, there were those who now marred their brows, in marking their third eye, in reverence to his vision.
The work was complete, and Kannan had built a marvel. Gathered upon its forbidden paths, doors, and ruins across Eldross, a great power coiled and resonated across the lands of Eldross. Great Statues stood at seven sides, depicting faces unknown to the people of Eldross. The first, Kannan called Ultas-Kronos, for its likeness was that of a man, though in its resemblance was likened to Aetera the Incarnate Queen. To the others he named them each. The second was Yon-Baltu, the Untamed Beauty, and her eyes shone with the vibrance of the Wyld, and her statue was of delicate Ironwood, nurtured from a year of fitful rains, and given from the streams of the place. The third was Anbar-Arcas, the Wonder Worker, and his frame was mightiest of them all, and his statue was of hardened platinum, hammered from a year of tireless work, and given from the stones of the place. The fourth was Mala-Koth, the Darkest Lord, and his stillness deepened the shadows, a statue hewn of bone over a year by cold hands, and it drew the power of souls towards it, that they might find their way to respite. The fifth was Sehnu-Sol, the Shining Queen, and her voice hummed softly as air gathered through her statue of scintilium, and that those who heard it might have their spirits lifted. The sixth was Nah-Atu, the Empty Empress, and her likeness was a great work made living upon the waters that flowed beneath the place, in the deepest darkness, guided by the streams that flowed there carved by silent hands. The seventh was Anur-Ahu, the Prime Principality, and his likeness was seen in the fog and swirling sands of the arena, guided by the flows of power wrestled by hopeful labor.
As the sun rose on the morning of the final day in counting, the King and Queen of Eldross gathered with the people of each land. House Harcon, gathered in parade to witness its doors opened, and behold what their great wealth had made. House Silvas gathered among the wild people in revelry, to see what their many beasts of burden had made possible. House Ulthas offered ceremony in masks, that nobles and common folk might gather as equals and share their secrets of the day. House Eres filled the city with their song, that all might hear the splendor carried on the backs of their charity and compassion.
To Kannan they gathered, and in great number, and the Colosseum was filled, and on highest seats the King and Queen sat. Beneath them, wrapped in dancing winds, and pronounced by swirling fog, Kannan raised his arms to the gathered people in recognition. The crowds cheered at him, and the wonder he had crafted. He was not the man they sent to work a year and a day ago. He wore many markings, had seen many marvels, and his eyes shone bright while his shoulders weighed heavily. For in completing his great work, he knew the bitter sweetness of its completion. To them he called and proclaimed,
“Behold, The Crucible!”
King Rohen and Queen Eonia searched across its great expanse. They saw sand, stone, great statues yes, and not the power of the place. Above, they saw not the likeness of Aetera, but of Ultas-Kronos, and knew not his face. King Rohen spoke, “What is this...great...wonder you have promised us, is it not a road to our beloved Aetera, the Incarnate Queen?” To which his Queen joined, “Yes, in all of this, we desire only to see her once more, and yet you have made her likeness of stone, as a man, in your own hubris it seems”.
“Yes, it seems strange, but know the truth of it”, Kannan continued, “Know it well, for from it you shall slumber no more. If you wish to find your dear Aetera, the Incarnate Queen, then you must be worthy in the eyes of the First Incarna. Here, in the Crucible, you will either find Apotheosis, and the paths of Tempus shall be opened to you, or you shall ever be lost upon the tides beneath”.
His words were a mystery. The Queen raised her hand to silence, and there was no echo.
“Kannan, it is you who are strange, your work is mad, and you have fooled us once”. King Rohen stood, and gave command,
“You have not done what you promised, but we shall find the root of your madness, and our great folly”.
With the King's will, Kannan and his followers were encircled and brought low.
“The price for this is your freedom, and now the halls of Carcerus shall be your home eternal”.
“No”, Kannan called in defiance, “I beg you for those who have sacrificed everything for this great work, allow us to die here, in trial by combat, in honor of you King Rohen, and your kindness, and in Honor of you Queen Eonia, and your fairness. Please let me repay you and your people with my life, for your amusement, and bear witness to the power of this place. We gladly give ourselves to prove our work.”
Kannan’s gaze searched among those loyal who had gathered, each who’s shoulders were among the stars, in spirit, they stood with him.
“Very well...Kannan, you shall die here, and so shall those loyal to you. You must kill those among you, and ensure us that each wound prove fatal. For certainly the sting of hurting those you care for shall prove suitable punishment. I grant you this sport”, King Rohen proclaimed, and his warriors withdrew, leaving them spear and sword, that the spectacle of their deaths be carried out.
From the Kings side Loloch witnessed Kannan’s conviction, and the fire of his madness. He was no coward, and now beheld that the madness of Kannan would claim the lives of those who remained at his side. Loloch wished to slay Kannan then, and end his grip upon his fellow crafters. Loloch climbed from on high, leaving his great wealth at the feet of the King and Queen. King Rohen and Queen Eonia looked in astonishment as the Incarna leapt to meet Kannan in combat.
“Fools”, Loloch called, “This is madness, I shall silence the tyranny of Kannan!” A wild laughter seemed to follow him as he dashed to slay his foe.
The gathered people cheering grew silent. Before them those who had built the place now turned on one another; the first spun on Kannan, who drew sword high and low. In great sweeping motions he cut his fellows to pieces, while singing, cursing, and his face alight with the fury of combat. Loloch brought his spear into the chest of Kannan. Kannan, the Maker, the Mason, the Master of the Crucible smiled at the honor. Kannan spun his sword in hand severing both haft and tip of the spear, leaving the bloodied wood buried. The King and Queen stood, eyes widened by the horror and majesty unfolding before them. They battled before their King and Queen hungrily. With Kannan at their center, they fought gloriously, and without remorse. Before them the doors of their greatness were opened, and witnessed by those that had gathered, their selfless deeds echoed the purity of their purpose. Kannan spun upon Loloch, and with weathered blade freed his foe's head from his shoulders. The crowd rose to roar. Now equal, their fighting wrestled them from their slumber, and the inspiration of Kannan touched their beings. Loloch’s form crumbled, headless, into the sand. The ground around him seemed to engulf his torn corpse, drawing it into the earth below.
The struggle of those who followed Kannan was nearly complete. The tide of battle reached its apex, and spent, the remaining combatants took knee upon the floors of the Crucible. There, in the fires of their conflict, they now crawled to one another, and in arms they gathered as brothers and sisters. To the Crucible, these mortals gave their final spirits. In their sacrifice, the path of Apotheosis called them. Forged in trial, their resolve united, now they were more than they once were, they were Apotheon, and the door beyond them beckoned.
To the gathered people in the stairways above, and aghast did King Rohen and Queen Eonia stand awestruck at the spectacle beneath them. The skies above the Colosseum illuminated and enveloped those upon the arena floor, for the ritual of their theater was complete, and their awakened minds loosened Eldross from them. In moments, the thunderous light departed, leaving only blood, scattered instruments of war, and the echoes of a glorious battle. As the light faded, the roar of the Crucible shook King Rohen and Queen Eonia. Slowly, the roar turned to chanting, and the names of those who had fallen rose to life from its tremor.
The loudest among them was Kannan. Now no more a man, his Legynd was written upon the slumbering minds of those who had witnessed his sacrifice. As if in rhythm with the chanting, the skies above swirled and formed into a storm of both dark and light, and drew down into the arena like a tempest. The Colosseum began to crumble and tear apart, and the nobles of the Incarnate Houses began to flee for their lives. As the storm’s fury grew, it tore the walls of the great structures apart, sending stones flying in a swirling vortex. The land beneath began to rumble and then tear into chasms, pieces of it falling into the yawning depths below. And yet Kannan and his people remained unharmed, and arms united, they were lifted by the storm and engulfed by its force, and in a final flash of brightness, vanished into its eye. The tempest began to slow, until all that remained of Chrossus was a great crescent shaped island, the violent storm slowly swirling in the sky and the sea at its centers. The Colosseum lay in ruins, but the strange statues remain unharmed, coldly staring into the heart if writhing energy. The great Nexus was now awakened, and the secrets of time, space, and the passage between realms beyond stirred in the storm. Upon horizons unseen and shores undreamt the paths began to open.
In the chaos following the opening of the Nexus, the King and Queen were nowhere to be found. In the days that followed, the wisest among the King and Queens’ court gathered, and those who had heard the lessons of Kannan were gathered for questioning. They wished to know the secrets of the Crucible and of those who had followed in his teachings. To each of them they did not give answer, for they were blind to its secrets, and silent to its mysteries; they offered no quarter in knowing, and sought only the glory of the Crucible and their freedom. To some they were condemned to the halls of Carcerus in secret, and entombed living there.
Though Kannan was now gone from the people of Eldross, his name was spoken more loudly, and with greater claim than the King and Queen. The story of the King and Queen spread, and voices whispered that their subjugation of the mortals of Eldross echoed the workings of Aetera, and in its folly sowed the seeds of discontent. With each passing cycle of the sun and moon, the land of Eldross whispered of the return of Kannan, the Mason, the Maker, the Master of the Crucible. For he had not died at the hands of Loloch, but had gone to a place beyond knowing through the Nexus. The land of Eldross knew inspiration, and its rebellion would soon be at hand.