The Book of Ancients

"The Book of Ancients" by the Mad Monk Lazra of Uxrighia claims that Dragons cycle between living and spirit forms and that their hoarded treasures have mystical significance. They do certainly become enraged if even a single coin or gem is removed or displaced. Most agree this likely has more to do with Draconic greed than some magical significance. He wrote that Dragons were originally a race of spirits that accepted material form, while other branches refused - one set falling to Corruption and another repenting the choice and seeking merger with living bodies and seeking ascension. He doesn't explain why we have elemental spirit dragons and Dragon spirits of the land ( see Dragons in the world ), but the bodies do not follow, nor why they change from spirits to living things. Nor if the spirits of dead dragons take on the other aspects or if they are pre-life forms. His book says that he spent many days in conversation with a Dragon over several years. That he should not be devoured at once is amazing enough, but to claim lengthy converse with these monsters? This he claims as the source of his lore, rather than the works of wiser scribes and scholars. Lazra says that Dragons take on and shed physical forms like we change garments. Scholars agree that Lazra likely spent more time with followers of Esereti Dragon Worship and became enamored of the Eseret people. Yet it is well known that Dragons can be slain by great warriors, wizards or armies. Few scholars put much confidence in much of Lazra's nonsense, though mystics and occultists seek copies of his works.

Amongst the Tzokhan sect of Esereti Dragon Worshipers, "The Book of Ancients" is taken as a truth. These followers claim that the Great Yellow Dragon King was the offspring of a mortal human and an actual dragon. The Tzokan sect explains that just as a lesser Ryujin dragon spirits may manifest and assume physical forms - including humanoid, the greater dragons may do the same. Their texts and icons about the Legend of the Yellow Dragon Kingdom depict the draconic parent as male or female but with dragon horns and slit pupil eyes. The sect finds holy symbolism in the incidental production of the book in the Second Yellow Empress's reign around 528-529.

In the eyes of most Imperial scholars the book is a collection of myths and legends. The Mad Monk Lazra of Uxrighia discussed a variety of nonsense without substance or reference to any previous scholars or works. It is generally accepted that the book was produced in the Imperial Year 529 and distributed and copied from the city of Uxrighia, a mountain kingdom city state of Zucha people related to the residents of Brinesariqua and the surrounding regions. The first chapters at least have the virtue of citing well known myth and history of the Demon Age and The Tumult. But from here he jumps to hidden cities in the Salt Spire Mountains and other places. These chapters culminate in discussion of a hidden world within the core of the world, deep beneath the earth.

He talks of sealed Gateways between fractured realms and lost worlds. While the fissures between realms are known, Gates are not. Of The Gateway Seals only the Imperial Gateway at Kuan is known and dark rumor speaks of one in The Harrowland. The Temple at Uxrighia was destroyed by Yokai monsters from a fissure, supposedly in pursuit of one of these Gateway Seals.

The later sections talk of dragons and their relation to the spirit dragons, or rather says that they are one and the same. The claims are made without reference to any book or sage. Though supposedly handed over in talk with a dragon - not even a name is given. Thus scholars dismiss this too as fantasy.

The last section is devoted to places beyond the fissures, beyond The Umbral Realm and even The MIsts. Some arcanists say these places do exist. Isolated prison realms in an outer darkness such as Tslal the Black Isle. Tslal described as a barren place shrouded in darkness with only a ring of black pillars surrounding a cage, with violet lightnings jumping between the pillars, and the cage. Another is the crumbling ruins of a city with golden walls and inhabited by hungering gaunt shining beings with claws a meter long. A tower has great mirrors shining light upon it constantly. Then comes Ekaduzantul where buildings rise and fall on great gears and the land is swept by flood, fire and poison while dissipated ghostly entities attack and consume anything living, drawing out it's spirit to become one of the ghostly predators. In the center of this place is a pit said to be infinite and inhabited by some eldrich creature. The final is Bochukoguni, a city of bird people lost to the world. Lazra claimed that these had forbidden Death from their city and lived eternally. They keep lore of a world ending monster bound beyond a crystal mirror in it's own prison realm.