The Grand Cycle

Nameless one, origin of all, awoke and saw the peace before him. He wander the scarred and broken places. And in the peace, he was unfulfilled. In his restlessness, he craved challenge. Among the broken and fragmented, he forged a new world and named it Samagri, the Gem of the Heavens. And before him, a name was spoken: "Iyem."

And the Nameless One felt the power of the Iyem, for he was the Heir of Destruction. And Iyem was made to oppose the nameless one. But Iyem knew that he could not win. Thus, Iyem spoke the name Agtodeir to offer an omen. And Agtodeir, the Heir of Fate, offered a prophesy how Iyem could defeat Iyem. But there were visions Agtodeir saw that he did not tell. In the shadow, Agtodeir fled to Samagri. There, Agtodeir watched the conflict unfold. For he knew that the nameless one would discover the deceit and seal the pair in the Jelakhav, the sealing. For Samagri was forged by the nameless one as the palce of battle. Within the world, great weapons were buried to gain every advantage. Buy Iyem met with Agtodeir in the shadow unseen by the nameless one. And Iyem leapt from the shadow to the throne of the nameless one.

When the nameless one saw Iyem upon his throne, he named many. And when Iyem strode toward the nameless one, Iyem behind the withered form before him. And Iyem seethed at the nameless one's snare. In anger, he spoke a name Ukt, to unmake that which the nameless one had spoken. Then, the nameless one closed the Jelakhav around his throne. And the names that had been spoken had yet known their purpose. Yet, Agtodeir hid himself in the dark. For soon the names would awaken to their great purposes.

And in the morning of the Jelakhav, Zamigdral saw before her the vast waste of the Samagri. She shed a tear and great waters covered the depths. Spoke and wind went frorth from her mouth. With a word, plants took root and created lushness over the world. Above her, the great light she called "Gerit", the "Light Bearer". And the Gerit watched her and her creations. And that light gave the plants heart and made the wind dance. In this day, Zamigral rejoiced. So is she called the Heir of Nature.

Yet, while Zamigdral filled the world with life, Osgolip awoke. Within him, he wrestled an unending hunger. His feet dug into the dust and he fell to the ground. And before him was lush green pasture. And he took the form of a great bull that strode over the land, feasting on the grass and gulping up the water. His hunger growing, he created animals that swept over the land, tearing at the growth. Those that traveled far or dug deep in dark places, those that took to the water to discover hidden treasures kept from his eye. And Osgolip was known as the Heir of Hunger.

And when Zamigdral saw the creatures, she gloried at their beauty. Yet, the beasts destroyed her pastures and her timbers, her moss and seagrass. Then, Zamigdral caused her creations to bear fruit, that the beasts would rest from their destruction. But the beasts consumed all. And Zamigdral mourned for her creations and sought to tame the creatures of Osgolip that their hunger would be calmed.

Awakening from his slumber arose Shuna. And Shuna saw the beasts that spread over the world. And he saw their passivity. And he waited in the brush. Then, leaping forward, brought one of the beasts to heel. From the beast spilled the silvery essence. And shuna tasted the meat that held the essence within. Shuna reveled in the taste and gloried in his hunt. And he rose up mighty predators to strike and feast on the roaming beasts. Massive creatures that lay in wait, those that bite without mouths and scratch without claws. And Shuna was known as the Heir of the Hunt.

But Ukh saw the fall of the beasts and the rotted flesh. With his hand, he tore the essence unclaimed and consumed for himself. And saw the conflict between those before him. And saw teh plots laid bare. With his terrible dagger, he waited in the shaodws.

When Osgolip saw the creatures of Shuna and his slain beasts, he grew troubled. For in that day essence was pulled from him. The form of that creature suffering the final death. And he mourned the creature and felt pain. And Zamigdral witnessed the creations begin to fill the world and expanded her joy, though the creations were not her own. The life she brought thrived on the light of Gerit, which she did not know was the Jelakhav.

Then Osgolip grew angered and spoke with vengeance. And his shadow rose from before him and took shape. Osgolip name "Shodar", the first shepher, to watch over his creations and kill those that rose up to contest him. And Shodar took the bones of the creatures to create a spear and leapt into the world.

In that day, Tala, who sat in boredom, saw Shodar slay the great predators and she gave her faavor. And she went to Shodar with her charm and envied Shodar's passion. And she took a piece from him and herself, and created a creature in her likeness. And she called the creature "Ashun", or "risen from the ash". And the creature hungered like Shodar. And the Ashun soon spread over the world. But Shodar did not know love and forget the Ashun. And Tala mourned for her creations.

For when Shodar forgot his children, the predators of the world came. And the people of Ashun were found. And Tala pleaded with Shodar to protect them, but would not. And Tala grew dark and stumpled into agony. And great power spiraled within her. And with love, descended to offer gifts to her children. And she touched the gem within them. And so the words of power within the Ashun were set free. And the Ashun fought for themselves. And they became a great people. And their words were powerful, for they had been given a gift. And they praised Tala. And they called themselves Taladin, the Children of Tala. And yet they hungered for the taste of power.

And Ukt saw that the power of the Taladin was Untamed. And in the dark, severed the bond of the Ashun. And spoke the name Lilligulp, the Heir of Pestilence, to cause the essence to boil and the frame to fail. And great illness was found within the Ashun. And Ukt and Lilligulp severed bonds of many things that were not so carefully watched. And Tala send her children to feed on teh creations that filled the world, that they would not wither. And the crafts of Lilligulp were abated.

Yet, Shodar went to defend the designs of Osgolip, many of the Ashun fell before him. But one among them, Vinima, rose before Shodar. And he took the word of power that he had been given and fashioned a spear from the teeth of the creations of Shuna. And Vinima and Shodar fought. And Shodar stripped the body from Vinima and revealed the first death. And Vinima skewered the essence within. And Shodar fell to those who he raised, but he drifted in a slumber. And Tala wept for Vinima. When Zamigdral saw this, she spoke the name Graciure to shepher calm to the hurt that was born. And she spoke the name Bari, to tend to the essence that was lost. And she spoke the name Gedu, that wrongs be righted. And when Graciure, Bari, and Gedu met in council, they restored that which was broken that they be made whole. And Vinima rose. And they named Vinima for protection of those forgotten. And they forged a great plane where they could rest, the Gloaming Shroud. But from then on, the lines of teh Ashun needed to be remade. And those that came from the Ashun were made without bond and did not know Tala.

And when Osgolip could not find Shodar, he wept, for he only desired to eat the grass and drink the water. But in his rage, his stumbled. And he found for himself a place where he could mourn freely. And in the darkness, he fashioned beasts to bring pain to the world. And acid dripped from their bodies and their minds were unfounded. And his hunger for revenge magnified. And with a word, he named Baied to make feral from teh tame. And Baied took a vile form, one wreathed in pain and a putrid stench. And Osgolip sneered at the spiteful nature of his creation. And Baied would stir all things to lust, rage, and greed. And Baied forged deadly creations of his own. Then, Osgolip cut the chains that held them within his domain. And tainted creatures ravaged the world. And many of the plants decayed, and the Taladin were slain, and the predators brought low.

And in that time, Bari beheld Ukt moving along the broken bodies where chaotic essence struggled with their bonds. And Ukt severed the essence from teh forms. And Ukt drew the lines into himself and began to magnify his presence. And the second death was revealed for those who no longer were. And Bari gathered those that would come, that they would be hidden for a time in the Gloaming Shroud. And Bari offered them sanctuary, that the bonds unmade could be remade. That they migth prevent the second death. But there were many who would not leave the bodies that were made for them, or leave the world that help them captive. And they bartered with Gedu that they could roam and make their wrongs right. And the world was stirred with anguish. And there were many who would continue to roam. And Bari could not reach them.

And a great cry spread over the land. And Zamigdral behld the calamity and Baied had stirred her. And she spoke terrifying words. And those words forged the fires, and hardened the world, and caused the billowing tides, and caused the great storms. And great elemental creatures gathered together. And she fashioned golems and terrors that thrashed against the coming savages. And Baied was powerful, but the chaos was stilled. And Zamigdral banished Baied from the face of the world, that all things divided from her would resist his presence. And Baied was banished from the world. And yet the creatures of the world fought.

And when Shuna saw the cloak of darkness stealing over the world, he spoke the name Felinour, who took from the Gerit a piece, and fashioned a lantern. And strode into the shroud. And Felinour would be the Heir of Light. And when Felinour came, Agtodeir could not remain hidden. And he spoke the name Satir to look over all the world. And Satir named Guja. And Guja learned the things that Satir had learned. And Guja went to the people and began to spread rumors into the ears of the Ashun and the Taladin. But Guja did not stay long, so Satir spoke the name Unen, who loked out and discerned the spoken word. And Unen hated Guja, for he lacked clarity. And Guja and Unen fought, and Satir pondered.

And Agtodeir name Zakil, to ensure that all things were kept in proper motion and balance. And Zakil could not see, but felt the dread that Agtodeir never revealed. And Zakil named Zamsera to be his eyes. But Zamsera was ambitious and stretched her vision to every corner of things that were.

And in that time, all manner of creatures were made, that they might shout the name of their creator. And these creatures would offer up gifts to gain favor. And those they named felt the power. And Zamigdral created sanctuaries for her creations in vast forests and deep rivers. And certain of the Taladin came to Zamigdral, and were touched by her. And they were changed. And others went to Shuna and sought power, and were reformed. And others to Zakil and were given watchful eyes. And Guja tricked those of the Taladin that would not compete for power and filled them with music. And in their jovial times, Guja made them as children, innocent and small. And when Satir found this trickery, Satir repented for Guja. And some listened, yet to regain their stature.

And the children of Vinima moved across the world to establish their domains between those that were changed. And the ties that bound all together were forgotten. And when Tala saw that her children forget her, she wallowed in agony. And she cursed that they would be divided. And in her ire, she spoke the name Enev to create distance between the people. And Enev spoke the name Banik, who bound fragments of power deep in within the world.

And Banik revealed a great gem of power to Guja. And within the gem held a word of power. And Guja and Banik took those that followed and changed their hearts to take the hidden paths. And Enev saw that those among them were of different hearts. And she saw that the seeds of Shuna and Osgolip had been sown among them. And created different paths for those.

And of all these things, Tala was not satisfied. With her jealousy, she spoke the name Dvali. And Dvali created a duality with all, that of two, one may not forget the other. And the Ashun became divided into pairs. And Dvali divided all things that moved upon the world. And Dvali saw the world illuminated by Gerit, and created a mirror world full of darkness. And Dvali waned in power and her essence was consumed with her words. And she fell asleep between worlds.

But the creatures of Osgolip were forgotten. And there was enmity between those who clung to the names from that time. But they kept the word of power that bound their essence. And there were those who gained great favors from their patron. And these became Lords on the face of the world. And Unen met with Zamsera to know of things to come. But Zamsera could not know the things that were. And it was Agtodeir who kept those things secret. And so the world was Uinsel, the truth that would be told in time.

And while Unen spoke with Zamsera, Guja spread rumors, song, and mysteries through the world. And the people could not discern what was. And they held to their gods, whose words were absolute. And there was a war of words. And it was Baied who spoke the name Shkami. And Shkami confounded words. And there were those that spoke names that had not been named.

And from Unen sprang Aven, who took her torch to the Gerit. And far from above would watch all things, but her gaze was unwavering. And there were things that she could not see, as shadows fell over the world. And from Guja sprang Adalbar, who drifted through teh clouds with many of his brethren. But he was the greatest of all. But he became lonely and felt the warmth of Aven. And he saw the fire within her. And he sought to quell the blaze. And on occasion, Aven would listen to Adalbar, and her judgment would soften. And from their affection sprang Beil, who saw Agtodeir. And understood the great things all could aspire to become.

And Ukt went out among them with his dagger to steal away the previous treasures. But Satir knew these designs by Felinour. And Felinour besought Zamsera to wind the world clock. But the Seat of Order was set and could not be moved.