Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon

Dak'kon possessed The Circle of Zerthimon, a small round stone comprised of a number of interlocking circles, cunningly attached to one another so the user could fold them back into a compact shape when done.
When activated the rings slide into new configurations, and upon the rings form a series of symbols. The script is like no writing I The Nameless One had seen, and was formed from a series of interlocking geometries, with circles pre-dominating.
Just looking at it, TNO knew the symbols and he could read them.
The First Circle of Zerthimon: The First People arose when they knew themselves, emerging as flesh from chaos. Through the knowing of matter, they shaped the First World, dwelling there with their knowing to sustain them.
However, some of the people grew to not know themselves, and in them arose strong emotions and new thoughts. These emotions served as a guiding stone to enemies, who only knew flesh as tools for their will.
These enemies were the Illithids. These tentacled beasts did not know themselves, and had also learned how to make others not know themselves as they shaped their minds with their thoughts.
The First People became slaves of the Illithids.
The Illithids took the People from the First World, to the False Worlds, and learned to know suffering and death of both body and mind.
The First Circle of Zerthimon is the knowing of how the People lost themselves, and how they came to know themselves again.

The Second Circle of Zerthimon: It tells that flesh cannot mark steel, but that steel can mark flesh, and in knowing this, Zerthimon became free.
Zerthimon was working the Fields of Husks, as a tool of the Illithids as he did not know himself. The husks were discarded in the fields after the Illithids had consumed their brains.
However, while working there he found a husk that had its brain retained. It had died yet had not been consumed by the Illithids. The husk had a steel blade in its skull, and this was what had killed it.
He looked at the blade and knew himself when he saw his reflection in the surface of its blade. He realised the Illithids did not see the power in the steel, and in knowing that he realised the steel was stronger than the Illithids.
Through this realisation he knew that steel was the scripture of the People by which they came to know freedom.

The Third Circle of Zerthimon: The Third Circle of Zerthimon tells of Zerthimon labouring for the Illithid Arlathii Twice-Deceased for many years, and how he was eventually summoned before him in an effort to know if Zerthimon was a slave or a rebel.
Zerthimon realised this and chose to hide his hatred and submit to the Illithid’s punishment.
By appearing as a slave he protected others like him, and remained free in his heart.
Quenching his flames of hatred had the Illithid assess him as weak, eventually leading Arlarthii Twice-Deceased to die a third time by Zerthimon’s hand.

The Fourth Circle of Zerthimon: Know that the Rising of the People against the illithid was a thing built upon many ten-turnings of labor.
Many of the People were gathered and taught in secret the ways of defeating their illithid masters.

• They were taught to shield their minds, and use them as weapons;

• They were taught the Scripture of Steel, and most importantly;

• They were given the knowing of freedom.

Some of the People learned the nature of freedom and took it into their hearts. The knowing gave them strength.
Others feared freedom and kept silent.
But there were those that knew freedom and knew slavery, and it was their choice that the People remain chained. One of these was Vilquar.

• Vilquar saw no freedom in the Rising, but opportunity.

• He saw that the illithid had spawned across many of the False Worlds. Their Worlds numbered so many that their vision was turned only outwards, to all they did not already touch.

• Vilquar’s eye saw that much took place that the illithid did not see.

• To the Rising, the illithid were blinded.

Vilquar came before his master, the illithid Zhijitaris, with the knowing of the Rising. Vilquar added to his chains and offered to be their eyes against the Rising. In exchange, Vilquar asked that he be rewarded for his service. The illithid agreed to his contract.
At the bonding of the contract, a dark time occurred. Many were betrayals Vilquar committed and many were the People that the illithids fed upon to stem the Rising. It seemed that the Rising would die before it could occur, and the illithid were pleased with Vilquar’s eye.
It was near the end of this dark time when Zerthimon came to know Vilquar’s treacheries.

• In knowing Vilquar’s eye, Zerthimon forced the Rising to silence itself, so that Vilquar might think at last his treacheries had succeeded, and the Rising had fallen.

• He knew that Vilquar eye was filled only with the reward he had been promised. He would see what he wished to see.

With greed beating in his heart, Vilquar came upon the illithid Zhijitaris and spoke to his master of his success. He said that the Rising had fallen, and the illithids were safe to turn their eyes outwards once more. He praised their wisdom in using Vilquar’s eye, and he asked them for his reward.

• In his greed-blindness, Vilquar had forgotten the knowing of why the People had sought freedom.

• He had lost the knowing of what slavery meant. He had forgotten what his illithid masters saw when they looked upon him.

• And so Vilquar’s betrayal of the People was ended with another betrayal. Vilquar came to know that when Vilquar’s eye has nothing left to see, Vilquar’s eye is useless.

• The illithid gave to Vilquar his reward, opening the cavity of his skull and devouring his brain. Vilquar’s corpse was cast upon the Fields of Husks so its blood might water the poison-stemmed grasses.

The Fifth Circle of Zerthimon
“Zerthimon was the first to know the way of freedom. Yet it was not he that first came to know the way of rebellion.”
“The knowing of rebellion came to the warrior-queen Gith, one of the People. She had served the illithids upon many of the False Worlds as a soldier, and she had come to know war and carried it in her heart.
She had come to know how others might be organized to subjugate others. She knew the paths of power, and she knew the art of taking from the conquerors the weapons by which they could be defeated.
Her mind was focused, and both her will and her blade were as one.”
“The turning in which Zerthimon came to know Gith, Zerthimon ceased to know himself. Her words were as fires lit in the hearts of all who heard her.
In hearing her words, he wished to know war. He knew not what afflicted him, but he knew he wished to join his blade to Gith. He wished to give his hate expression and share his pain with the illithid.”
“Gith was one of the People, but her knowing of herself was greater than any Zerthimon had ever encountered. She knew the ways of flesh, she knew the illithids and in knowing herself, she was to know how to defeat them in battle.
The strength of her knowing was so great, that all those that walked her path came to know themselves.”
“Gith was but one. Her strength was such that it caused others to know their strength. And Zerthimon laid his steel at her feet.”

Participants

Dak'kon instructs The Nameless One in this lore

Related Ethnicities

• Githyianki
• Githzerai