The History of Avenir
Transcribed by Barouke, amanuensis to Seer Haime
In ancient times, long before the gods re-shaped the world, there existed
a profoundly beautiful and peaceful land. It was an isolated land bounded
by impassable mountains and a sea from which none who ventured to cross its
waters ever returned. Great forests covered the lower slopes of the mountains,
giving way to a deep and verdant valley. Through this valley wound streams
which delivered waters both hot and cold into the Great Sea, here and there
forming islands and marshes.
Those who dwelled in this land called it 'Avenir', a place that would always
be, the Future. It was home to people of many races--some of which are no
longer known, erased as they were by Time as surely as the writing upon
parchment fades when exposed too long to the Source.
It is said by the Seers that the world was forced into a new shape and its
heart stolen, eaten by a great gluttonous god whose actions have been passed
on through the ages, but whose name is no longer spoken. In the throes of
change, fires consumed the world, seas fell and deserts flooded, mountains
crumbled and others rose. A monstrous fissure rent the land, opening a hole
into which the Great Sea poured, hissing like a serpent.
The People of Avenir abandoned their valley and sought refuge in the mountanous
caves. Yet even there, deep in the living rock of the world, the acts of the
Shaper had created havoc. Dwarves and gnomes alike found their tunnels twisted
beyond recognition. New hazards confronted them; people died by the thousands,
their lives claimed by darkness, crevices, projections, despair, and strange,
unseen forces.
Unbeknownst to the People, the upheaval of the re-shaping had awakened and
liberated beings that had been trapped since the making of the world. Though
temporally weak, these spirit creatures, or 'gods' could exert their wills
upon the physical plane. They took great delight in terrorizing their new-found
pets, driving them into bottomless pits, acidic pools, and the lairs of
predatory monsters.
Soon these beings came to the realization that the population of 'pets' was
diminishing greatly. Between the sporting deaths caused by their actions,
the accidental deaths, and the suicides, less than one-tenth of the original
number remained. Some of these sprit-beings, seeking to preserve their
entertaining pets and enhance their temporal power, sought and found a place
in which the temporals could live and reproduce.
A large cavern, flooded with waters from the Great Sea, was discovered.
Numerous islands projected up through the water, some close together, some
few far enough away that they could not be seen from any other. What made
the cavern most fitting for the former surface-dwelling people was the vein
of curious mineral which snaked its way across the great cavern ceiling. With
a small effort of will, the god-like creatures could make it radiate light.
Unto the People these Gods appeared, tantalizing them with promises of
Sanctuary. They showed them images of the cavern, a place of safety and
light. Yet the People refused these gods, for their fear of their tormentors
overpowered their fears of darkness and homelessness. Days became weeks
and then months, and still the discussion raged. Scores of people died in
that time and still the racial leaders digressed. Verily, it was the sad
death of the last of the hobbits that shocked the leaders of the remaining
races into accepting the offer of Sanctuary.
With the spirit-beings a pact was made. The People swore themselves, their
children, and their children's grandchildren in eternal servitude to their
new gods. They offered their bodies up for possession, their seed for
manipulation, and their wills to the gods' whimsy. In exchange the spirits
promised that the cavern would be a place of sanctuary, well-lit and
undisturbed by future Shapings. Never again would the People have to flee
their homes and live in utter darkness, so long as they upheld the Pact.
And so it came to be that cavern and all it contained was named Sybarus,
the tunnels from which the People had been safely delivered were named the
Utterdark, and that which sheds its light upon the People revered as the
Source. The People called themselves the Faithful, and all who had not sworn
the Oaths were given the same name as those who had broken them:
Infidel.
Barouke, Amanuensis
Addendum:
Do note that Barouke and his master, Seer Haime, were Executed for Heresy.
By the Order of the Lord High Inquisitor, anyone caught espousing these or
other Heretical views will be dealt with in similar fashion.
