The Book of Sudhra

An Open Letter to Dulcimar

My Dearest Lady of Dulcimar,

I suppose the situation a thousand years ago could have gone either way for the both of us. It doesn't really matter, as that history is now dead and forgotten. I find it strange that I have become a central figure in this new religion; I've been hailed as a prophet and a saviour of the mortal races.

Every story starts somewhere and mine begins long before the Setting of the Stars. My first memories have no images, only the sensation and smell of hot wood and smoke. I recall lying there, my eyes dead and lit by the sunset. I remember waking and sleeping as a young girl, her only friend a mysterious low hum. I remember the heightened sense of gravity in her empty stomach. It takes a great deal for me to recall details so long ago; most images are mere fleeting moments.

I also possess the power of Txaena. I believe my existence is somehow a side-effect of His death. I never claimed to understand it. I have spent too little time in Elijah's Realm to have any understanding on the full nature of my life. To be honest, I have spent these past few decades exploring the world and have fallen out of touch with the current situation. I had left my home behind with the hope that my role in history was complete. Unfortunately, I suspect that now this may not be the case.

Forgive me, my Lady. I should remember that you know very little of my own world or it's history, so perhaps I should start over.

My name is unimportant as it changes much too frequently. Even now, I write to you through another. The name signed upon the envelope of this letter is the young girl and apprentice to my power; her eyes are likely closed and her hands writing furiously. I have been described, accurately, as a wanderer. That is a familiar term for you, and perhaps now you find this letter unbelievable. You may suspect, correctly, that you know who it is that should write you such a letter of address, given that my magic has proven itself before your eyes in the past. I must remind you that, even still, I am still mortal in my ways and thoughts. I write this letter in the hopes that you will better receive and understand the importance of the package delivered to you. The book you hold now in your hands was written as a basic guide to help you and your land understand our civilization.

As you know, knowledge can itself be quite a formidable power. I am saddened to think that your tensions with Del Rai will only grow more common as the command of magic across our own lands becomes more refined. I offer this book and its knowledge so that you will see that some of us still hold on to the idea of peace.

The Setting of Stars

Unlike your lands, magic has become commonplace only recently. There was a time in our histor which... well, it's no longer important. I loathe discussion of such ancient history. It is sufficient to say that there was a time when the technology and artifacts that exist today were not considered ancient and forgotten.

A war broke out between man and his Gods. I can only remember events as they surrounded me at the time and they offer no clue as to why such a devestation rang out from the heavens. I recall at the time the priests of many different religions crying out about End Times. They spoke that now was the time God had chosen to strike down the villainy in man's behaviour and build a new existence out of the ashes.

However, in the war between man and his Gods, the Gods lost. Man triumphed with his advanced tools and science. They believed themselves a race which had grown beyond the need for a Keeper. They fought for this new ideal and won. But their victory was meaningless. In the three days and nights that followed, our civilization was without sun or stars. Soon, it all began to fall apart. Humans had only stopped God from building a new future; they no longer had the strength to even stand after this terrible war, let alone rebuild. Few survivors were found, little technology was salvaged; all knowledge and science mysteriously vanished from thought during those three days. Most technology was rendered useless.

Now that I think of it, I may be the only one that truly remembers that final holocaust. The memories of all men were wiped clean and were reborn in their minds as children.

Brave New World

Even in the absence of technology and knowledge, we were able to struggle on. New beings appeared in many different parts of the land, claiming to be the mortal vestiges of Deities which had been struck down during the war. They called themselves the leaders of our brave new world; could it be another attempt to build the future they had promised? Perhaps, but whatever their wishes, their new mortal bodies brought with it mortal conceit. Nations rose and fell quickly; "wars" could barely become more than skirmishes due to low numbers on both sides. Everyone wanted Lost artifacts for themselves in this play for power. One empire was able to rise and take control, eventually unifying others in their own version of a brave and terrifying new future.

Other beings, many similar to humans, were quickly discovered in our lands. Their racial memories were mostly barren. Like the humans, they had their memories destroyed. Had they even existed before the Setting? No one can remember, not even myself. These different races of the world began to form their own cultural identity.

The Birth of Magic

Eventually, like all mortal things, the deities died. But they left behind far more than their crumbling empires. It began with the new-born children. The deaths of the deities spilled powerful blood into the ground and into the souls of their followers. The children displayed frightening abilities to their elders. It was soon realized that a whole different way of thinking would be necessary to incorporate such power into the daily existence of each person. Although many did not have powerful magic, they would still be capable of performing rudimentary spells such as closing doors or heating water. Each generation brought new tricks and ideas to teach their children. Eventually the study of Geomancy became a standard part of academia.

I quickly realized that the magic I had possessed during the war no longer made me special. I may have been the first human to be a container for a God's magic, but I now had to deal with the fact that not only was this common, it was no longer a big deal. To see the races of this world adapt to the magic so quickly when it had taken me several ages... well, it was quite a surprise.

Magic here is similar to what my Lady had been taught. I suspect that it functions more or less the same across all worlds, with perhaps subtle differences found in the currents and streams of Essence. There are those that possess the ability to manipulate the thoughts of the mind, the flesh of the body, and the structure of the soul. Then there would be those who have an intuitive understanding of the forces of nature. Motion, heat, electricity, and all of the forces once studied in great detail by a forgotten civilization have now become part of our instinct. And not to be forgotten are the weavers of fate and time. The idea of luck being random changed practically overnight for an entire civilization.

As you can imagine, the development of magic and science took a great deal of time. With the rocky start and nearly non-existent remaining population, you can see how that might cause worry for the future. However, my fears were fortunately put to rest quite recently. There are many of each race and they have become much stronger; I am pleased to see the dangers of magic being handled so responsibly by a people I would have called childish only a millenium ago.

And that brings us to now.

The Modern Age

The past few hundred years have brought interesting political changes to the world. I have seen the rise of Demons to the south, the exodus of the Slaves, and the Tannin Convention to limit geomantic use in civilian areas.

Lately there has been a good deal of public attention focused on the Edge. The channelers who have managed to cross the Edge and return successfully have become incredibly popular, garnering magazine interviews and celebrity status in the main cities. In fact, I believe one my friends was offered a book deal about his latest expedition.

Do not concern yourself with the dangerous sounding name of the Edge. It is simply the limit to the known world. There is a good deal of unknown territory here; places which no one has seen in ages.

The Lady should also be aware that Del Rai is much more established here. Those that you have dealt with yourself were little more than stragglers. Del Rai is quite large in our world; they were the empire to survive the brief period after the Setting. They regulate use of Lost artifacts, hold the largest city, and are quite adept at blending magic and machina seamlessly. Their political grounds are shaky and they are hardly friends with their surrounding neighbours, making them dangerous to consider an ally and even more dangerous to ignore. My Lady would do well to be wary of dealings with their entire Society. The other Societies are much more peaceful and honestly too encompassed with exploration or knowledge to be much of a threat.

Well, that may not be entirely true, as a particular race does come to mind. Not a race of beings, but an unfortunate race between governments to establish themselves as military powers. However, their shows of strength were not of gunpowder and steel, but rather the flow and control of magic. It was this very dangerous race that would eventually lead them all to an international treaty involving magic that was signed in Tannin. Still, for a long time there was a magical cold war in the air between all Societies; the political ugliness between our governments is still apparent even with the treaty signed.

Indeed, magic has been on the forefront of our minds ever since it came to us. The number of children who have been consumed by their obssession with corruption has become unbearably painful for me to even think about. With the Spire, I am glad to say that things have begun to improve. Still, the Path of Sin always remains a danger to our Channelers.

The Path of Sin

Corruption is a great danger to us; it was the source of our fears during the 'magical arms' race. It's effects are both dire and powerful upon the bearer's soul. The best way I could ever describe it is taking a hammer to a window. The soul is made out of a delicate glass, layered and faceted. Magic gently pushes through the soul as light would refract and reflect off glass. Corruption is the destruction of these layers, allowing raw magic to pass through unhindered, leaving behind a disaster in it's wake.

Those that would bear life, instead bear death upon their soul. They become a constant sucking void, searching and devouring any souls they can easily prey upon. As you can imagine, the physical manifestations of this phenomena are considered creepy at best. Many novice Defilers and Pythians believe that their physical character is all that is affected by the corruption in their souls; they don't realize that it is simply a side-effect of a much more critical problem.

Those that hold fate and destiny at their fingertips are driven insane by the endless possibilities. The infinite nature of the future simply overwhelms their minds. Some believe that these insanities can be cured. As if the phobias, schizophrenia, and other horrible mental conditions arising from this corruption could be so easily handled. They do not realize that it is the infinite nature of time that bears down so hard upon the victim's soul. It is a condition enhanced by the very nature of the future which drives Seers and Jikuu alike to madness. This is obviously something that is not so easily handled by popping a few pink pills.

Finally there are those that can feel the folds of reality itself. I suppose it isn't too much of a surprise that the corruption they bear lashes out at them. Their perception of reality, and indeed reality itself sometimes, is altered slightly; sometimes causing horribly strange effects. I have seen Conscripts burn to death in fires created by their own mind.

I suppose my Lady is quite aware of this highschool explanation so I will move on with a final word upon the subject: Once corruption stains the soul, it is difficult, if not impossible, to remove it. And in the process of removal, many do not survive. It is a matter which the channelers here have only now begun taking seriously. Fortunately, the Societies have been able to come to a long-needed agreement on how to handle this situation. That was the final aspect of negotation involved in the Tannin Convention.

Construction of the Spire

With the treaty signed, Panthoth was given the power of jurisdiction over the new laws of our civilization. Avna gave up a number of secrets in order to regain the trust they had lost during the power struggle. The three Societies in power (and many smaller ones) at that time agreed to put their faith in a virtual unknown. The small Society from the desert would serve as a cold observer to these new laws. They were trusted to enforce these laws. Such a decision likely sounds suspect to you; how could these powerful governments be so willing to turn over that much political power after such a dangerous struggle? You need to remember that at that time, magic was nowhere near as developed. Also, Del Rai was the one that chose this small House.

I'm sure Del Rai chose them as the international law-keepers simply because they were insignificant. Del Rai likely wanted to advance subtly by controlling the new Society from the inside. Del Rai is no stranger to such espionage. But even they could not keep up with the incredible growth of Panthoth. Eventually, the new Society grew beyond the outside control of anyone. And now they preside over the Clerics and indeed play a very large role in maintaining the Temples of Sudhra, Hadra, Kushti, and Azad. Txaena Sabris, their spiritual leader at the time, was more than happy to accomodate the Spire at Sudhra itself. There are rumours that the Spire will be moved to the new Temple once construction is complete.

So many years later, the Spire is now a vital and integral organization to the operation of Sudhra. At the time, I felt it was an event worth celebrating; for our civilization to triumph over magical temptations brought me nothing but joy for my people.

Carpenters of Flesh

Unfortunately, not everyone would learn from the mistakes of the past. There were those that persisted in the Secrets that they had discovered. They formed underground Guilds, sharing this powerful terror with would-be followers. These are the ones you should be most concerned about; it is here that I will end the history lesson. The Guild that would become the most powerful was known as the Carpenters of Flesh. They believed themselves so powerful that they rose up against the Clerics. This war was brief, only a year, and contained mostly beyond the Edge out of public eye. The Spire had become a difficult opponent for any channeler willing to break the international laws, and this was no exception. Although the Carpenters were powerful, they eventually lost. Their guild is still rumoured to exist, splintered as it may be, but doubtful to be a threat at any time in the near future.

However, it was during this war when certain discoveries were made on both sides. You may be wondering why many travelers have been appearing to you from my world, or why your own explorers occasionally disappear into mine; it may have been because of this war.

Ethereal Junction

The power of Ethereal Junction grew as our knowledge of magic increased. The island was a secret spiritual retreat for centuries, but over time it became considered a place of incredible power. My people have set limits for themselves with the treaty, but secret Guilds and uncaring government branches have ignored it. The more powerful channelers have begun to look for manners in which to cross the Threshhold of mortality and become much more powerful and much more dangerous. I fear that Ethereal Junction, and places like it, could one day be abused by those seeking a higher magic.

Perhaps I make our world sound more concerning than it truly is. I expect that your visits here could be pleasant. The cities of Del Rai may be an area you wish to avoid; even the channelers and scholars from our lands tend to stay away from Amherst. Now that you understand a little bit about our history, I have hopefully given you a context in which to read this guide. This book has many contributors, all writing about the races, societies, and magics developed since the Setting of the Stars. We would be honoured if you would read and accept this guide as a token of peace.

The death of the deities, the formation of Societies in their honour, the secrets formed in the power struggle, and the eventual backlash between the Clerics and the Carpenters were all important steps that make us and our magic what it is today. If you ever again meet a wide-eyed traveler from our world lost in yours, I hope that you will receive him well.

Peacefully,
        From the desk of Txaena Ciel, Headmistress of Sudhra and liaison to verAvna