The Book of the Twelve Domains
The Book of the Twelve Domains refers to a series of texts written on the walls of ruins found throughout Keshwar, predominantly built along the length of the Duum RIver. The earliest examples of this text predate the Empire of Keshwar by several thousand years. The authors of the text are unknown, but it has been attributed to a long-since vanished civilisation known as the Ancient Anther.
Purpose
The purpose of The Twelve Domains is not entirely clear, but appears to have evolved over time. The earliest sections of texts are funerary in nature and were discovered at major tomb sites. This has prompted suggestions in the scholarship that, originally, the various sections were intended to guide the deceased to a specific afterlife.
Over time, however, the texts become more complex and shift from references of a more religious nature to describe specific spells, then tools and machinery that could be used to access the afterlife and a Domain of the Gods that was not merely part of a creation myth but physically real and accessible.
Eventually, the different texts appear to have been formalised into a series of documents describing the process for accessing and using The God Machine, a device that would allow living Humans to not only reach the Domain of the Gods but also to become united with a specific god and form a combined being, known as an Avatar.
Historical Details
Background
Not much is known about the Ancient Anther, although ruins attributed to their civilisation are found throughout both Ameron and Iscarion. It is apparent from some of the more accessible of these sites that the Anther had become proficient in the design and construction of machinery powered by or using Kata, Ana, and even Heka.
The predominant theory (as of 4633 AIA) amongst Amnari archaeologists and anthropologists is that the Ancient Anther must have predated the Five Empires period by at least a thousand years. What led to their demise is not entirely certain, but evidence from sites in the area north of the Nas Ashca and Amin Duum indicate that the Anther became divided into a number of subgroups, fighting over access to and use of machinery like the God Machine.
History
The many texts of The Twelve Domains have been collated and documented in successive phases. Early scholarship by Amnari historians indicate that the first attempts to collect the various surviving versions were made by the Keshwari, who may have conducted searches for or attempted to build a new God Machine in order to access the Domain of the Gods.
Physical copies of the stone texts were assembled into single books, written on Aaru reed paper that could be more easily studied and transported. This effort may be partially responsible for the early evolution of technology in the Empire of Keshwar.
The rise of the use of kata-based technology led, eventually, to The Last War. Keshwar made extensive use of the technologies and devices described in The Twelve Domains, but owing to a limited understanding of kata, relied on the enslavement of millions. The constant need for more people to fuel these devices led to Keshwar to expand its territories and impact neighbouring groups.
Several developing civilisations, including large empires in Basat, Ganjapur, Tikhtai, and Turat, resisted the Keshwari onslaught and then fought over the ability to make use of such devices. This conflict eventually pushed the environment to the brink of destruction and prompted the empires to come together to ensure a truce. This led to the foundation of The Council of the White Tree, which was intended to ensure peace between the Five Empires.
Surviving aaru copies of The Twelve Domains were ceremonially destroyed, and the empires vowed not to make use of such destructive technology in future. This also led to the ceremonial demolition of several Ancient Anther ruins, in an attempt to ensure the texts could never be used again.
However, despite this, copies circulated amongst archaeologists and scientists. Eventually, it appears that the scientist Tallat, who had been experimenting with forms of kata technology and Forced Kata Extraction at her base in White Tree City, was able to bring together disparate sections of The Twelve Domains and effectively reproduce the powers of the Keshwari Empire.
Tallat was initially banished by the Council of the White Tree for her activities, but may have received funding and support from House Mukh, a powerful clan in the Empire of Basat. It is believed that Tallat was instrumental in the development of later devices and the final conflict that led to the end of the Five Empires period, known as The Rending War.
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