Mysteries of the Void

A Record of Prehistory...

Mysteries of the Void is the most authoritative text that we have detailing history prior to the creation of Valtena and the era before civilization. It's an incredible piece of work by Kalenhira, the only known Speaker of Fate. The document is part history, part autobiography as it details her discovery of being a Speaker and choice to live as an ascetic in the desert. She talks about meeting with Fate and seeing memories and the future through the Fountain of Fate. Since its original discovery by Lord Komarq, it has been translated into Modern Draconic and widely distributed. It lines up perfectly with the other myths we have about prehistory, and it allows scholars to finally prove the correct understanding of events. This puts an end to many debates about what happened.

Or An Elaborate Fanfiction?

The whole purpose of prehistory is that no one can know exactly what happened. It's preposterous to think that one person would have access to that knowledge. Really, it's shocking that everyone accepts it as truth so blindly. We're not sure even if Kalenhira exists! How convenient that this half elf of no known parentage shows up and claims to be the only Speaker of Huirtal to exist ever. No one else can prove it, and prayers to Khemina don't offer any guidance. My primary rebuttals are as follows:
1. Kalenhira as a Speaker of Huirtal.
There has never been a Speaker of Huirtal before Kalenhira, and there's never been one since. It's a well document phenomenon that most Speakers are for one of the gods of creation or a minor god. Demigods and Primordials don't have Speakers. To think that Fate touched one person and revealed information to her is difficult to believe when not only is there no precedence, there's no substantiating proof that's what happened. Kalenhira could have been delusional and imagined all of this.
2. Kalenhira as a historical figure.
Outside of speculation that Kalenhira is the same person as Ilunia, there's remarkably little evidence for her existence. She doesn't appear in any birth records or myths even among the desert nomads. Plenty of people chose to live as ascetics in the desert, particularly those with strong religious convictions. The caves tend to be clustered, and one would expect there to be some settlement around the only Speaker of Huirtal who could tell the future. The evidence for that is lacking.
3. Alignment with myths found in other holy texts.
Many of the beliefs espoused by Kalenhira were already well known. Other texts refer to what the world used to be like before written documents existed. It's not unreasonable to believe that Kalenhira was a well read individual or series of individuals who crafted a new narrative to fit the stories into. Whether this person was Ilunia or not is irrelevant. Nothing in Mysteries of the Void is revelatory to those who knew their theology. The early parts are meant to be unknowable. That's pure fabrication.
4. Predictions of future events.
Many diviners are capable of predicting the future. Books of predictions exist all over the place, and it's more likely that these predictions were drawn from other sources. Some may be genuine, and based on the historical record, it does seem like there was someone who lived in the desert and had the power of foresight. But that description on its own isn't enough conclusive evidence that this person was also a Speaker of Huirtal who saw the future by peering into the fountain.

— Pollud aln'Ouk

History

Discovery of the Text

The first known records of Mysteries of the Void suggest that it was penned sometime between 488 EDK and 510 EDK. However, this still covers a span of nearly a century. Most of the early texts come from the elves of the Nefalina Forest and were acquired by Lord Komarq in 611 EDK who was known to have a personal interest in scholarship. According to his personal diary, he flew them to Kabat to deliver to his close friend Gerritab vol'Akh-Uszd. The lord knew that Akh-Uszd had a personal interest in prehistorical myths, and Mysteries of the Void proved to be a pivotal piece in his refutations of common beliefs regarding prehistorical theology.
Over the next several years, Akh-Uszd translated the documents into Modern Draconic from the original unknown language. In later centuries, many suspected that it was written in a form of Elvish because Kalenhira was raised among elves, but others believe that it was written in the God Tongue. Once the text was translated, it was widely spread amongst the scholars and theologians in Galag Rok. It was well received, and there was a flurry of debates over the exact meanings of the text and how those aligned with the stories that already existed.

Questionable Authorship

Along with the praise, there was also a lot of skepticism. Until that point, it was widely believed that Speakers could only be associated with deities. The original text remained hidden in Komarq's personal collection. All but the most prestigious theologians were forbidden access, and any research into the original text had to be done at Komarq's estate. In 723 EDK, Komarq died, and his collections passed on to his son who had less interest in scholarship than his father. The original fragments were lost to time, and it's unclear if his son destroyed them or if lack of care and age caused them to disintegrate.
Afterwards, skepticism about the texts flourished, and many theologians came out vocally against the text as fabrication. Some believed that Akh-Uszd wrote it himself to bolster his own arguments about how the world came to be. Around the same time, a new generation of Speakers wrote and illustrated accounts of the world in its infancy. These often contradicted what was described in Mysteries of the Void which only fueled the belief that it was misattributed and unreliable.
Archaeologists in western Kos also discovered manuscripts with myths that were similar to Mysteries of the Void but long predated the text. This led to the widespread belief that it was a compilation of several myths arranged into a more cohesive narrative and embellished under the guise of being written by a Speaker of Fate for authenticity. There was also a shocking lack of record of Kalenhira in the Nefalina Forest despite the elves of that region being exceptionally well known for detailed recordkeeping. There was a half elf named Ilunia who lived around the time that Kalenhira was supposed to exist with a similar tale of being the daughter of an elf father and human mother, but records of her ended after a mere 30 years.
Mysteries of the Void faded into obscurity, and the only texts belonged to a group of theologians known as the Graem Balkth. They were primarily librarians and collectors who worked to preserve as many ancient texts as possible. Actual scholarship was light, but they treasured each of the texts in their possession and recopied them as needed to preserve them. Their meticulous detail down to ink smudges meant that the record stayed as close to the original as possible, and old binding methods stayed alive and well within the organization.

Widespread Acceptance

During the Siege of Kabat, several copies of Mysteries of the Void were extracted by theologians and buried for safe keeping. The exact identities of those theologians have been lost to time with the only records being that during the Siege, members of the Graem Balkth fled through underground tunnels. Unfortunately, they were killed shortly after burying the texts. Knowledge of the Mysteries of the Void remained sparse, though the tales continued to spread unattributed.
In 102 IA, the archaeologist Thtangu vyr'Zarmok uncovered the site where a copy of Mysteries of the Void was buried along with several other texts. This collection became known as the Zarmok Cache. The original text was still missing, and it's unknown exactly how many edits and alterations may have occurred by the time that this copy which was a translation into Modern Draconic was written. It remained in Zarmok's personal collection until 178 IA when Zirla Bekh-aban requested the copy to use as a sample for the printing press she owned. He gladly donated the book for her to use and funded the first several rounds of printing. Popularity of the book soared as many of the tales were familiar as myths. Merchants from Kos helped spread demand for the book throughout Otorveia and further north to Kealriv.
In 245 IA, Namara Salros translated Mysteries of the Void into Otorpese. She was a well known linguist and member of the Sisterhood of the Three Fanged Serpent. Due to her influence, the book became a part of the curriculum at the Royal Mage Academy when it was founded in 251 IA. Since then, very few people in Otorveia have questioned the validity of the text and accept it as truth.
In Kealriv, the elven scholar Tassarion Almiren Mirahana began his own research into the history of the book. Unfortunately, most of the copies were lost when Galag Rok fell, and the only source he could find on how the text ended up in Kabat came from a personal letter between Gerritab vol'Akh-Uszd and the dragon lord Komarq who ruled over eastern Kos. Mirahana traveled to the Nefalina Forest and began tracing the footsteps of Kalenhira to try and discover if she was a historical figure. He spent a century traveling through the Uk Qezin Desert in search of someone known only as the Moon Blessed Monkess. While it would seem that this was all the proof anyone needed, such things are rarely so simple. Amongst the desert nomads, "Moon Blessed" was a moniker frequently given to people with silver hair or pale complexion.
Mirahana's search continued until he found a series of caves not far from the mountains. It was home to a cloister of monks who pointed him towards another cave that had long been abandoned following a rockfall nearly a century prior. Inside, he discovered faded papyrus texts and etched wood. The texts seemed more like delirious ramblings than a cohesive narrative, but they matched up in part with the stories in Mysteries of Void. Mirahana brought the delicate fragments back to Ekkino for further study, but he died of sudden and unknown causes shortly after. His research journal and the text fragments were placed into the archives, and his discovery remained unknown outside of dedicated scholarship.

Read the Document

Mysteries of the Void

Part 1

I am the one who sees all futures, who sees every path before everyone now and always. I have always existed and always will. I knew you would come since before you were conceived. I know who you will become and might become. I am the Mother of All Life, Wife of Time, and Godmaker.
Before creation, there were primordials. Three uncreated truths to which the world will one day return. Chaos master of the Void ruled for untold eons and will rule again. Mother who sees the fate of all and knows our every desire. Father the steadfast companion for without Him, there can be no future. Ages passed until the moment came when Mother cut a piece of Father and Herself to create Daughter, the first creation. She is the divine soul made to fill a purpose in time. Seeing Daughter's form as light in the darkness, Mother was glad.
Father was the clockmaker. The endless wanderer. He was Time, ever on a journey forward unable to look back. He is the eternal husband of Mother and half of Daughter. He is uncreated and formless, without beginning or end.
For eons, Mother and Father existed in the darkness of The Void. Time passed without purpose. As foreseen by Mother, She took a piece of herself and a piece of Father to create Daughter, the first creation in the Void. Daughter shone as a singular light in the darkness. An age passed in ignorance of what was to become. There came a time when Daughter went to Mother and asked for her future. Mother wept and told her of the future as Chaos' bride, for Chaos who had long since been away in the Void was soon to return. But Daughter steeled her heart and went away to plan in secret. She went away for a time, and when Chaos returned to claim the light, she rebuked him and cast him aside. But Chaos was powerful and did not go quietly. It took all of Daughter's strength until her light shattered into a thousand pieces. But each piece had a shadow and would carry with it a piece of Chaos' corruption.
Ageless Daughter asked Mother, "Mother of infinite wisdom who has bequeathed wisdom upon me, what is my Fate in the Void?" Mother peered into the future and wept at what She saw. "Daughter of all life, the Void will be ruled by Chaos, and He will make you His bride. He will come as a great force through the Void, and I cannot stop Him. I am without power because it is His Fate." But Daughter did not weep. She prepared Herself in secret for the moment when Chaos would come. Her Essence was pure, and She would not become Chaos's bride. When the moment finally arrived, She came before him and spurned His demands. He became a great force and engulfed Her, but instead of giving in to His power, She shattered and exiled Him far into the unknown corners of the Void. Mother cried out seeing the broken Essence of Daughter. She gathered them up and saw a new future full of life in the Void.
Mother molded the broken shards into new beings, the largest of these She called thermagris. The smaller pieces became thervarim. In each of them, She saw Daughter's memory, but it was now tainted by Chaos. In each of them, they knew light and dark.
The first born god held the purest shard of Daughter. She said to Mother, "Mother, I am unhappy in the Void. There is no outpouring of life here. What do you see in my future?" Mother replied, "My child, purest form of Daughter, you and every other reminder of Daughter are outpourings of life. Go and create because that is your future." In her infinite wisdom, She did not tell the first born that Chaos would return to destroy and corrupt everything which had been created. The first born journeyed away from the others as a shining light in the darkness. When she was alone, she shaped a piece of herself into a material form. She shaped the mountains and seas and rivers and valleys. When she was satisfied with her creation, she returned to the others and exclaimed, "Come and see! I have created something to fill the Void!" Mother and the rest of the theras followed the first born back to the material world. Upon seeing it, Mother saw that it was good and came to reside in that place along with the other theras.

Part 2

Part 3

The thermagrisas approached the place where Mother resided. They carried their creations each made in the image of their maker. The earth rumbled, and they trembled when they entered the great palace. "Mother! We have created life, but see how dumb it is! They do not look upon us as we look upon you, and they care only for their own kind. We have crafted them to be like us so that we may always inhabit this place." Mother looked down at the creatures presented to Her as they crawled around and explored at the strange palace. She breathed into the mouths of each one, and they looked up with wonder and understanding. They reached up towards their makers with reverence. "I have given them therimos so that they may begin to understand theras. Their children will also have it, and their children after them. They are now three parts, distinct and inseparable," said Mother. And she sent them away to populate the world.

---

Human

The Lord of Death formed a creature from mud and branches. It had long limbs for running and grasping, and it stood tall in Ril's image. He called it Man, and the other gods were jealous for they also wanted creatures to call their own. At first, Man was dumb and pounded on the rocks and ate only that which it could reach or kill with its hands. In time, Man became smarter and under Ril's guidance, learned to use tools and shape the world to its liking. But it did not look up or acknowledge its maker. It formed small family groups, and The Gaunt King taught them language, but they did not teach their children about him. He mourned his creation and set out to find Fate in search of answers to Man's dumb nature.

Merfolk

The Sea Wife formed a child from the sea foam and kelp able to live alongside her within the ocean's depths. But there were many dangers there, and she set her child in the warm shallows where there were small fish that posed no danger to her newest creation. It grew and frolicked never dreaming of leaving the safety near the shore. The merfolk refused to follow her into the dark depths. Disheartened by their lack of love for her, Selene went to find Fate in search of an answer.

Catfolk

The Lord of Twilight spent many cycles with the Ebony Tree, and he lamented that he was alone in the world with knowledge of the truth of their souls. He took a piece of himself and created a creature that could walk with him in the night. He made them hunters for none would feed them. He made them solitary for none would welcome them with open arms. He gave them sharp eyes to see without light. But his creation turned away from him and hunted alone where he could not find them. They taught themselves and never once sought his guidance. Sorrowful of what he'd made, the Lord of Twilight left the forest in search of Fate for answers.

Birdfolk

The Wind Singer drifted on the winds playing his tune, but it was a sad melody with no one to hear him or join in. From the wind, he crafted the birds to join him in the skies and made them as light as feathers. They sang alongside him, but he wished for a choir. From the snow and floating leaves, he crafted a strange bird that could play an instrument with him and understand the melody as he did. He created the birdfolk and gave them a life of frolicking in the wind. He taught them to hunt like the mighty eagle and hawk, and he gave them language to sing beside him. But the birdfolk enjoyed their freedom greatly and ignored the Wind Singer even when he flew among them. Distraught at his creation's blindness to his presence, he sought out Fate in search of an answer to his woes.

Centaur

The Wind Singer's gift brought The Harvest Maid great joy each day. She became like them in form and frolicked among them. Divinely inspired by Mother, she crafted her own version from the grasses and earth. She gave them arms to reach up to the sky and set their heads high so that they might stand guard among the horses. At first, they were rejected by the horses who saw them as too different to be alike. Menaan wept and taught her creation to live apart but alongside the horse. They cared little for her lessons and warred among one another like stallions fighting over a band of mares. Disheartened by her own creation, Menaan set out to find Fate in search of answers to Centaur's aggressive nature.

Close

Type

Manuscript, Religious

Medium

Papyrus

Authoring Date

611 EDK

Location

Uk Qezin Desert

Authors

• Kalenhira

About Kalenhira

Kalenhira as a historical figure is still up for some debate. Most people believe that she was a real half elf who was born in the Nefalina Forest but spent most of her adult life as an ascetic in the Uk Qezin Desert. If the records are accurate, then she was an incredibly powerful diviner capable of correctly predicting the future centuries before it occurred. Her status as a speaker of Huirtal is still called into question because she is the only alleged speaker who wasn't connected to a deity. What seems more probable is that Kalenhira is a mythical figure with several anonymous authors attributing their works to her.

Translations

Mysteries of the Void has been translated from Modern Draconic to most modern languages. The majority of copies found today are written in Otorpese and Kealima.