Ukerikes Vyndal – The Gathering Era (-8000 to -6000)

Little is written in terms of credible scholarship on this era, for it is a great challenge to separate what is fact as opposed to fiction. Most of what is known about the era is either steeped in exaggerations and half truths, or entirely fabricated by story tellers and bards. The remainder is known from oral stories and written fragments, isolated and missing context. The Eshan remember much, and communicate it when prompted, but they are the least trustworthy to account any era, for their own feuds taint the world. We speak little of it. What is known to the common individual is that the term Qalyndras means first light or birth in ancient Etayen, and that Vyndal is their word for era or time, but little more than it being a long time ago. Most olûndi know the era in simple vernacular as the Gathering Time, when the innumerable seedlings of civilization matured into sproutlings.     It is through this lens of birth and beginnings that this period is best understood. The era of Olûn had ended with the First Feud and Eshanic Mandates that followed, but a new status quo sprouted from that turmoil. It gave the Alor’eshan freedom to pursue their ambitions of olûndari creation without their bothersome lesser siblings (the author included), and they quickly utilized it. Theycreated their singular, desirable races of olûndi in Qadal, including Aemar, Etayen, Daorhu, and the Elivas. The Ebal'eshan were forced to create beyond that land, in the Second World as it is known by most olûndi. It is a place buried beneath thick layers of mystery, perpetuated in equal parts by great distance and a lack of willingness by Eshan to discuss it. In reality (as I shall reveal), it is titled Voryndal, or the Realm Beyond the Sunset, named after the appearance of that land to the Alor'eshan. Numerous races, such that they cannot be counted, dwell in that place with hideous result. Death is the linguistic shorthand, and lifetime there might be measured in single years. It is accursed. I know that as truth. We shall speak little more of that place here.   The first great occurance of the Gathering Era was not centered but the Alor’eshan, but instead a subordinate Ebal’eshan named Pokon. If memory serves the reader properly, he was a close ally to Atun during the First Feud, sharing many of the hardships of battle. His wounds clove deep and his nature was jaded just as many others. Yet, he expected reward from his loyal service, if not under Acolitus then under Aebaster. When Atun betrayed Acolitus for Aebaster he considered little the situation of his followers who now became isolated between camps, offered nothing by anyone. Indeed, the world was divided into two parts and Atun departed with his winnings, extending nothing to Pokon or any allies. A deep anger was bloomed inside Pokon’s heart. He did not leave Atun’s service, but remained close to him while he established a domain in Etal and prepared to create the Etayen according to his liking. Pokon took note of every act in this creation, just as Atun stole wisdom from Qazun.   Atun, according to the designs of Qazun, created an Eshanic race of dark flesh and golden horns. He named them the Etayen, and imbued into them the mechanism of Esseythu, such that the fabric of Acolitus could be kept from consciousness. Pokon was pleased with the work of his master and requested that he be granted such lands to build upon and races to create. Yet, Atun denied him, explaining to Pokon’s relationship was subordinate. It would be unfitting for him to create a new race to compete with the Etayen and to take their land. Instead, he should invest him power into the Etayen as well. Pokon was wounded by the response. It was an insult to his shared experience alongside Atun. It was an insult against his position as a sibling Eshan! Pokon made no immediate response, but departed from Atun’s presence and did not return for some time. Atun took little notice. He was too interested in the growth of the Etayen and the sowing of Etal into a beautiful domain.   Pokon departed the realm of Atun and travelled to the outer reaches of Qadal where Eshanic eyes did not often pry. He looked toward Vussalas and spoke to Aebaster, eldest Eshan and rival to Atun. He explained that he knew the secrets of Qazun and watched Atun put them into practice. Aebaster asked the price of such information. Pokon responded with nothing beyond protection, for he was spurned by Atun and angry, and desired only to be guarded from his wrath. Aebaster accepted. Pokon then regaled the secrets of how Qazun crafted Esseythu with Eshanic power and placed it within olundi vessels. He also revealed the great progress which Atun had made with the Etayen race. Aebaster was delighted and immediately began working upon the Aemardic race. Pokon was then glad with spite.   Atun soon learned of the progress which Aebaster was suddenly making, and was baffled to the cause. How? How did Aebaster learn these secrets which Qazun had whispered into his ears alone? Atun questioned his allies with a deathly vigor before realizing that Pokon was no longer present in Etal. It was him! Pokon was the traitor! Atun departed from Etal for the first time since the First Feud to hunt him, moving swiftly and secretly through Qadal. Pokon kept a nervous eye upon Etal all the while and noted that Atun was now gone. This could only mean one thing. A shiver ran down his back. Atun wanted revenge. Pokon thus reached out to Aebaster for power and protection. Yet, the eldest Eshan was entirely silent. He made no reply nor motion to assist Pokon. Atun drew ever closer and Pokon knew that he had been tricked by BOTH Eshan. He was nothing more than a tool for either party.   “I saw Pokon emerge from the shade of over-hanging crag. He wore the old raiment of Acolitus, changing nothing since I had last seen him. He breathed loud. The fear dripped down his face. He knew what I had come for, and I dared not disappoint. I stepped forth preparing to fight, but he did nothing. He raised no arm against me. He said: ‘I am sorry, master. I have made an error which has cost me greatly. I looked upon his eyes and said, ‘yes, I know it.’ I grasped him around the arm, and he still move no motion to resist. I explained to him that I sought to bring him away. He made no motion against it. I thus took him away to the place where the Churning Layer is close and never did he resist me but only apologize. A shame for once a friend.”   - Atun recalls Pokon Gatherings of the Zolrassal - 2340   Atun grasped Pokon within the power of his fists and dragged him to what is now eastern Everos. Thereabouts was a fissure wherein the land separating Churning Layer below and Growing Layer above was quite week. Every two or three passages Eshanic power erupted with immense force straight toward Vussalas. Atun put it to cruel use. He tore the flesh from Pokon’s body in long strips, each burning with a hideous light. He stacked the flesh into neat piles. When Pokon was close to death Atun relented, then dangled him over the Eshanic fissure when the eruption occurred. The Eshanic power restored Pokon’s flesh upon his body, which Atun then tore off again into long strips. When enough were gathered, Atun wove Pokon’s flesh into a noose, then tighted it around the victim’s neck. He yanked at the fleshy cord as hard as possible, crushing Pokon’s neck to ruin. Poor Pokon perished with babbling sorrows upon his lips. When he was dead, Atun cut his body to pieces and scatterd those pieces across Etal.   In the early years following Pokon’s revelation, the Alor’eshan worked tirelessly to settle their beloved races and tailor the land to their olûndari needs. Without the assistance of Ácolitus and his infinite power the process was draining for those deities that remained. Indeed, we are wiser than than we were then- all Eshanic power was diminished the more which was created, for Eshanic power is a finite resource. It was harder for us all, even if it wasn’t known yet. Aebaster was suffered the most, for he used the greatest amount of strength to create the high populations of Aemar that spread throughout Qadal, whether they be in the north of Everos, the forests of Othos, or the rocky islands of Nevan. Once the process of creation was completed, Aebaster was weak beyond his ability to recuperate. His energy, down to his very essence, had been drained. The other Alor’eshan looked on with morbid curiosity, looking upon their own hands when Aebaster grew weak. Would they suffer the same? He withered for some time, but in the end, was forced to surrender his olûndari form and recede back to the realm of Ácolitus from whence he came. It was then that he took control over his dominion of Vussalas, claiming the esseythu of the faithful Aemardic dead. He was the first to pass in such a manner, sowing fear among the other Alor’eshan.   “Are we destined to fade? The greatest to the lowest, nothing more than ephemeral energy given a temporary form? It touch together my hands- how REAL they feel, physical, pulsing, and strong. I look aloft to Vussalas, where Aebaster dwells now- staring his eyes into mine. YOU SHALL SHARE MY FATE are his unspoken words. No pride is sufficient to compel a response, for my hatred for him is second to my fear that he might indeed be right. One day it comes for us.”   Atun Etayasbal Confronts His Rival The Feuds of Twos - -7500   The Aemardic did not falter without its creator, but wandered upon its own path, ignorant of their origin besides those few, scattered chosen people with whom Aebaster still communicated. As the most numerous race of Qadal, the disconnect between Aebaster and his creation had profound effects upon the Greater Half. Incorrect and wild superstitions ran rife in the mountains and river valleys, honoring imaginary spirits, natural elements (formed from Eshara, remember), dead ancestors, and every other phenomenon which was above their ability to immediately comprehend. The world, save the wise Etayen under the stewardship of Atun, followed their path into the shadows. Eshanic history faded into Eshanic myth, and Eshanic myth into corrupted misinformation. None but chosen few among olundi could name Acolitus nor tell the difference between Alor’eshan and Ebal’eshan. They did not recognize the name of Vuasslas nor know their world was but half a greater whole. Eshanic power was extinct among the masses, replaced with smoke and tricks. The dream of an Eshanic paradise with olundi servants withered away as Qadal forgot the Eshan- such that the fruits of the First Feud tasted of ash and sated no appetite.   While certain Eshan quavered in fear such as Atun, many the other Eshan followed Aebaster’s example, partially out of bitterness for the world created by the First Feud and as well as a general sense of strain that being constrained to a weaker olûndari form could cause. Simply, they were tired of Qadal and the troubles that came with it. The races they created had the ability to carry on their legacy. Mesian departed the olûndari world, followed by the Ezontach shortly after. For the latter, the granted the Odyrzid as veterans the gift of Esseythu then forsook them. Everywhere the seeds of Eshanic life were planted but left untended. Behind them they left their chosen people and their blessed Eshanic words, but nothing more. They became fabled memories of a strange time near impossible to confirm as reality. In Vussalas the Alor’eshan embraced peace a growth, allowing Eshara to flow their their Esseythu without expense or destruction. Atûn was unique in that he was the only sibling of the Alor’eshan who chose to remain in Qadal with his chosen people. He achieved this by only creating a small number of Etayen, much smaller than the number of Aemar Aebaster had brought into the world. Less Eshara was expended, and thus Atun could endure remaining among the olundi. They were retained in Etal for centuries, divorced from wider Qadal, so that their sight would not be corrupted by the supertitions and foolishness of their created siblings. Atun’s sight was far reaching, and the fear of others was to his eventual benefit.   Atun’s method was not quite so simple as frugality. Each of the Etayen were created with greater Eshanic power than their olundi siblings. Raw energy crackled through their Esseythu such that their thoughts were close parallels to Acolitus’ unconscious thoughts. Conversation with Atun were commonplace throughout the race. Young and old sat within the twilight groves beneath the Eshor to casually chat with their creator. They spoke of the small things and great things as friends and loving kin, such that every Etayen felt close friendship and emotion with their master. When they grew weak Atun invested his power to make them strong. He perpetuated their paradise out of love, but also to prove his superiority over his rival Aebaster and all those who followed in his path. Their dreams crumbled and their children estranged, but it was he who stroke for stroke carved the path which others sought, in their hearts, but were impotent to create through their actions. In short, the Etayen were Atun’s banner and drum. This is the origin of the physical connection between Atûn and the Etayen that allowed for the later creation of Vojûn, but also led to that deity's demise.   Now, beyond the pale of Alor’eshan actions in Qadal were a small number of Ebal’eshan who, despite the bans upon crossing the unseen borders between the two worlds, saw more value than risk in loitering where Alor’eshan was diverted. Zelai and her daughters are perhaps the most famous example. She never forgave Aebaster for his cowardly betrayal, and thus remained on the peripheries of Qadal to sow dissent. They remained in the olûndari realm, and even had their hands in the affairs of Othos centuries later, during the Wandering era. Others were less noteworthy in their actions, but instead preyed on the adrift Aemar who sought divine wisdom from every gust of wind. Yet, the Ebal’eshan were limited by the Eshanic Mandate- resigned to speaking to olundi through their Esseythu and guiding them from an impotent distance. Only the expense of Eshanic power could prove their power, but any such display alerted the Alor’eshan, who were themselves more active and more powerful in Qadal. Cat and mouse, as the saying goes, between those with power and those seeking power.   This status quo continued for some centuries- Alor’eshan sheparding their creations from a distance or not at all. The Ebal’eshan sought to steer away any impressionable olundi for their own purposes, creating small-time cults and other distracting organization. Yet, another element entered this delightfully complicated mix- Nith’eshan, being those Eshan who completely ignored or rejected the Eshanic Mandate after the First Feud and became the equivalent of outlaws among Eshan. These beings were welcomed in no corner of Esha, but thrived where chaos obscured Eshanic vision and unity. Qadal was swiftly becoming such a place in this middle Gathering Era, and this like buzzing pests swarmed around the borders between the two worlds- seeking just the right opportunities to enter.   While Alor’eshan were creating olûndari races; Ebal’eshan were scheming; and Nith’eshan were interloping, another, more serious series of conflicts was brewing. Remnants of the Ebal’eshan and their instinctual races crafted for war remained in Qadal, residue of the First Feud rather than conscious designs of aggression. The Alor’eshan despised that fact and sought to remove everything which was not of their own creation. Why? For that even in these ancient times the spread of Esseythu races was swift, greater on foot than in settlement, but sufficient to collide with the hidden worlds of these forgotten beings. Strange conflicts erupted between them in remote places where the boundaries between the pre-First Feud and aftermath were most hazy. Folk stories were composed and disseminated at lightening pace (for the time) in explanation, further separating the empirical, known truths of the Eshan from senseless fancy.   “See upon the unknown and give it name, give it a weakness, and give it death. We serve but see little and suffer beneath the shadows. Alight your power- full measure of Vussalas, and bring down the Eshor so the dire beasts scatter. If an enemy, ruin them as the First Feud or if an enemy grand us the language to make kindness and kinship with them.”   - Daorhu prayer to the Ezontach to Remembered Memories of Antiquity - -6500   The Alor’eshan watched this development and knew they were at a crossroads- allow the world of their creation to seamlessly blend with the old, damn the bloodshed and chaos, or take that evolution into their own hands, and thus direct the path of Qadal’s growth? Foresight was little considered in those years. Wisdom comes with experience, and the Eshanic experience in this realm was still slight. All the Alor’eshan were able to unite behind this goal of a curated future- Mesian, Aebaster, Atun, and the Ezontach at once, making it the most powerful alliance of Eshan since the First Feud, at least in Qadal, and arguably in Esha. They prepared themselves and began to strategize for their offensive. Collectively, these conflicts are known as the Wars of Exclusion, and are remembered both in Qadal and Voryndal.   In these modern times of Second Feuding the significance of his Eshanic conflict might be lost. Remember that in those days that the true names of Eshan were esoteric knowledge resevered for a few elect individuals. This sudden renaissance of Eshanic power was the formal introduction of the Eshanic into the post-First Feud world. Rallying broad support among estranged olundi was a difficult task. A chosen speaker would command the words of the Eshan in their community, display such Eshanic power as allowed them, and win support. Yet, this process was fragmented. Strange cults arose in all corners of Esha dedicated to various bastardized forms of the same Eshanic being. One tribe might follow Aeylas, another Anast, another Balasor, and the last Aebaster proper. What canon and philosophy each adapted to this Eshanic power was also wildly different, since Aebaster was little concerned with sowing the seeds of a religion,but rather turning his astray creations into war-beasts against Ebal’eshan.   The first of these conflicts was the Threshold War in Nevan, wherein Aebaster and Mesian rallied together an ad-hoc coalition of Aemar warriors to wage war against the Qazunari and rogue Ebal’eshan crossing into Qadal. Indeed, the first war here was perhaps the arch-typical conflict of this campaign. The Qazunari were ancient assistants and allies of Qazun who were cast into evil when Qazun was killed by the Ezontach during a war which Aebaster began on account of his own pride. Now the Qazunari desired to sow destruction in the world which Aebaster created upon the corpse of their master. Of course, the Alor’eshan wished to destroy this overt threat. Aemardic warriors were enlightened with Aebaster’s wisdom for the purpose, while Mesian’s race (Elivas) remained bestial and worthless in primitive Lodon. Instead she sowed disunity among the Qazunari and their races, plying her Eshanic power in subtle ways.   The distant religious guidance Aebaster provided the disparate Aemardic tribes guided them on warpaths into shaded Loseya, greatest of the islands in Neyas and home of the Qazunari. These were nothing more than pitiful warbands, however, paling in comparsion to the immense armies of flesh the Eshan were able to create from their fingers during the First Feud. Worse, these Aemardic bands were nothing aside the beasts the Qazunari created as sport from centuries of experience beneath Qazun. Campaign upon campaign was created to bloody pulp upon the beaches.   After long enough, it became clear that the limitations of Kovunkal were more impactful than the Alor’eshan originally believed. Working through olundi proxy diminished the power of Eshara, rendering Aebaster’s advantage as the eldest and most powerful of the Eshan near worthless. Mesian was in no real position to assist either, for without her own race or ability to create another, her Eshara was supplemental at best.   A century after the Neyasi bloodshed was the Wrath of Aebaster against the Eitureys. They were a remnant race given sentience by their master, Eiterenis, and dwelled in relative peace in Gisuvollos. They made no war against the Aemar nor made a nusience of themselves. Yet, their mere existence was an affront against Kovûnkal.   The world the Eshan departed from was a far call from the world as it existed in later generations. The civilizations of olûndi were not developed and sustained themselves through small scale agriculture and hunting. The settlements they created differed depending on location, but they were all pitiful compared to modern cities. In even the most populated areas during the Awakening there may have been no more than 1,000 olûndi living together. The resources available to them allowed for only that scale. The only potential exceptions were settlements located upon valuable resources, such as iron or gold, for such things drew many people together in their attempts to become rich and powerful. Norinian in Othos and Stonehill in Everos are examples of such settlements that became powerful in this time and survived into modern times because of their importance. The settlements of the lowlands and river sheds were as well successful, but not to the extent of their neighbors at the foot of mountains, for their lack of metal resources made them vulnerable to conquest.   Aemarda began to lay down its roots in these years, both physically and otherwise. Communities of varying sorts came into existence across Qadal, such as the tribal democracies seen amongst the barbarians of northern Everos and the early ancestors of the Vestanir in Othos, or the early feudal governments that became the basis for nations such as the Ghetunbalastod ast Corgastor, the Trade Cities of Nevan, or the Empire of Eurobia. Whilst they were the most numerous, they were the most severely divided of the races. They experienced the dynamics of settlement established above, but more so than any other race found themselves unable to advance beyond basic development. It was such that whenever a warlord grew in power among men, the others who were less powerful would grow jealous and destroy him. Only a select few areas managed to form into somewhat notable nations, such as Stonehill because of its iron, or Eld because of its proximity to the ocean. In Othos the case was similar, and Aemarda battled amongst themselves and the Odyrzid for control of resources and land. In Nevan, the people there were quick to create boats and became rich from fishing and trading, which is reflected in their civilization today. In short, Aemarda was able to crawl forward, but only slowly.   The Etayen began their development in these years as well, but they had a major advantage. Their Eshanic master was still amongst them and could guide them to become a great civilization. They began to build large cities of impressive wealth and great beauty, populated by thousands of Etayen. Indeed, some of the oldest examples of Etayen civilization date back to roughly -5000. Nothing older has yet been identified within any place, or so goes the understanding. For this reason, historians generally agree that the most accurate date to put at the beginning of the calendar would be around -5000. For our purposes that is a sufficient estimate. During that period of time the Etayen busied themselves expanding across the continent of Etal, becoming a large a unified nation. The arts and writing were brought to their nascent stages, and the centuries of relative isolation helped refine their unique style that is known today. Most importantly, the growth of Etayen civilization led to the growth of Atûn's power. As he grew stronger he was able to more effectively assist his people, making them ever greater.   It was also during this time that the Daorhu holds began to form. Like the Aemar their Eshanic creators had departed from them, so could grant them no guidance. Unlike the Aemar, however, the Ezontach had granted onto them knowledge of the mountains and the treasures hidden within. It was through this knowledge that the Daorhu, though in an inhospitable and cold part of Everos, were able to build for themselves a great civilization. They created the seven major Daorhu holds that reigned supreme over Nemrohed throughout later history. In this time they were disunited and weak. Their holds were shallow in the mountains and they had not yet become masters of metalworking and warfare. The best they achieved was to claim some dominion over each other at varying time of the Awakening. Yalagah Ofr of Metaorbu Dembadur, for example, brought two of the other great holds under his control as tributaries during the -2000s and became rich. That being said, it wasn't until the 500s that the Daorhu holds were brought under a single sovereign for the first time.   The stubborn Daorhu and the northward expanding Aemar of Everos came into constant conflict with one another during the Awakening. As Aemar populations became more numerous, migrating bands of them spread farther north, away from competition and turmoil. They adapted to the harsh conditions of the northern Evosmar tundra but ran into their first real difficulties when they attempted to approach the mountains that spiked above the flatlands. They learned that they were not alone in the north, but that a strange race of short Aemar looking individuals had already occupied the peaks.   Given the disunity of both the Aemar and the Daorhu in the north at the time, it's impossible to make sweeping generalizations of their interactions. Some tribes of Aemar, who would one day evolve into the feared Karthuuzar, waged war on their new-found neighbors for dominance of the scare resources and strategic sites available. These conflicts often worked against them, as the Daorhu were able to retreat into the mountains when hard pressed by conflict, while the Aemar were unable. The battles between the men and Daorhu were bloody and bitter, but not all interactions were violent. The tribes that did not fight the Daorhu established lucrative networks of trade and were in some cases given the right to settle at the foot of the mountains, so they too may share in the rock's protection. In these cases, though fewer in number, the relations were positive between the two groups. In the best cases trade would pass between the mountain holds and villages below, and each group would protect the other. Intermarriage between them has even been recorded from the ancient oral tradition of the Karthuuzar, though reproduction isn't possible.   The unpredictable nature of Aemar interactions with the Daorhu has influenced the confusing geopolitical map of Nemrohed up to the present day. Indeed, the history of centuries past may determine if a tribesman is stuck down by a crossbow bolt or if a Daorhu is crushed by a double headed axe in 3451. It may also determine if an Elivas to slain by a man, or if a man is poisoned by an Elivas. Indeed, history may even predict which men slaughter each other over feuds long forgotten. The Awakening arrived and passed more than 5,000 years ago, but the tremors it left behind are still being felt in the land of Everos, and will be for generations to come   In Othos, the Awakening was the period in which the various tribes of Aemarda coalesced and matured, gaining a sense of identity and history for themselves. Eurobasar, Vestanir, and Lohasar were nonexistent, but groups such as the Algesians, Balesians, Tembris, and Velkin were roaming the heavily forested and river-hewn landscape. They did not settle into cities, and the camps they created lasted for mere months at a time. The primary conflicts arose from the large number of small tribes and cultural groups that turned the land into a nebulous political patchwork. This volatile environment created a vicious cycle of boom and bust for the tribal leaders who managed to almost assemble something comparable to a kingdom. A certain culture would rise to power, enjoy success in smashing the weaker groups around them, but they would inevitably be torn down by some hastily organized opposing confederation. If not destroyed by exterior forces, many of these upstart peoples collapsed due to internal struggles, either during a ruler's lifetime or immediately following his or her death. After all, no semblance of standardized government yet existed to solidify gains won in vicious wars. Governance was a matter of common consensus, and the most a rule could muster to support claims to domination was violence. However, this undermined fragile rule more than bolstering it. Everything was consumed by chaos in its most pure form, with false peace and betrayal being the mode of survival, while reason and stability fell to the wayside.