The Book of Arath-Aev

Long before any texts were to be found, the world was created. According to the Kobold Archives the oldest myth of creation is recorded in The Book of Arath-Aev. It is believed to have been a holy book of the Neliavth people, the oldest civilization of Myrth, now a mere memory manifesting in scattered ruins across the world.

The Book, actually consists of five texts, each describing a different time period. It is written in poetic edda and steeped in religious dogma. The following extracts could be reconstructed from various sources and translated. No full copy has ever been found.

Book 1 - Genesis:

"

In the beginning Aevum created the universe. There was no plan or purpose. It merely was, as the most divine of wills cannot be without existing. It was an empty shell; a void of potential. Within it incubated the spirit of all things that can be, and will be and ever has been. For time is no master to the creation of Aevum. The shell was a vessel for all things to be made true.

The spirit grew vast and lit up the void with a burst of unfathomable energy. For the briefest of moments the stasis was no more than a thought. The structure broke apart and ripped across the void to bring forth many stars and uncountable worlds. Each of these was the true reflection of Aevum’s potential, yet each of these was unique as Aevum is all possible things and none of them at once.

In some of these Aevum was made into being. His spirit became substance and his name became known. In this world The People was made. And in this world it is written down.

"

— Book 1 - Genesis

Book two - The Old ones:

"

Aevum-of-two-faces gave birth to his first daughter and called her Gaia. She was half stasis and half entropy, but none of these at all. The stern face of the father loved her laws and blessed his child with eternity and substance. The mad face of the father loved her chaos and blessed his child with tempest storms from core to sky.

He made for her a companion, Jarla the Great, a titan of the skies. But Jarla was dim-witted as he had not been born from Aevum’s essence, but from his magic. He wandered amongst the stars in fascination to their brilliance.

So Aevum gave birth to the twins Aegis and Nox, each the opposite of the other. One stern and one mad, like the two faces of the father himself. He looked upon them and loved them both, but felt them incomplete without the other.

For them he made a pet, Mekla the Great, a serpent to circle the world. But Mekla had a fire inside her that could not be tamed and she spent her time trying to cool her body in the oceans of Gaia.

The twins grew envious of their older sister and soon started fighting amongst themselves. Aevum grew disappointed with them and returned to the void from which he came, to join his brothers in the beyond.

But opening a gateway to the void left a hole in creation. It drew in the stars around it creating a great darkness at the edge of the cosmos.

"

— Book 2 - The Old ones

Book three - The birth of Arath:

"

Mekla, spending most of her time on Gaia, became fond of the first sister and they spent many ages conversing. The fire in the serpent kept on burning, however, and she had to leave in order to cool off in the oceans.

In an attempt to get back at their sister out of envy, the twins proposed a plan. They could not reach the surface of Gaia themselves, but the Sky Titan, Jarla could breach the gap between worlds. Aegis would use her law to give him a sense of purpose. And Nox would use her chaos to fuel his desires. Awakened by their magic, he would then be able to cut out the fire inside the serpent and relieve Mekla of her agony.

Gaia and Mekla agreed, never knowing that the twins intended for the serpent to die from the ordeal. But something which they did not expect happened. Jarla cut open the serpent and pulled from her an orb of fire. It burned in the sky and gave light to Gaia from the heavens. The brilliance shone so bright that the twins had to shun away from it and they went to hide in the shadows behind their sister.

But not all was well with Mekla. Her fire was gone and with it her desires. She fell into a deep melancholy and went back to the oceans of Gaia. Jarla, now awoken, and Gaia both felt sorry for their companion. The first daughter of Aevum allowed Jarla passage into the depths to console their forsaken friend. The union of the titan and the serpent brought forth a new pair of races. One of the titan, who claimed the lands on Gaia as their home. They were called the people of Arath. The other of the serpent, who roamed the skies above the oceans and beyond. They were called Draco.

"

— Book 3 - The birth of Arath

Book four - The First war:

"

The peoples of Arath had many children but their honour was carried by the Neliavth. It was they who embodied the true spirit of Aevum-the-lost, their creator and great grandfather. The Drakes, however, grew restless over time, their mother still lost to the oceans since their birth. They had no purpose other than her resurrection from the depths.

A thousand times over and a thousand years hence, the sister Nox played her role, and the Dragons were driven mad with longing. They roared and spew their fire and acid to the lands below. Their lightning rained down on the people of Arath. From it came the war of a thousand years, where the sky burned red and the oceans boiled to steam. From the misty waters came the Mother of Dragons, her children rallying to her cry. And from her burning magic came the Ethdarin, our greatest loss and our biggest gain. The people of Arath would never again be the same as their ultimate question was answered by their mother.

And when the Ethdarin will be collected again, rebuilt and understood, only the Drakes will be left to tell the tale of Aevum and his lost children

"

— Book 4 - The First war