Introduction
Although the events described in the novels of The Redemption of Erâth are perhaps the most pertinent to the ultimate salvation of the world of Erâth, there are many, many other important events that have occurred throughout the 30,000 years or more of Erâth’s history. These range from the birth of the race of men and the founding of the Ageless, to the specific details of the War of Darkness that ended the Second Age of Erâth and set in motion the changelessness of the world.
As time progressed, many of the oldest events were lost, first to legend, then to myth, and finally to all memory. The events chronicled in The History of Erâth detail many of these events in an impartial manner; such is not the purpose of this work. Rather, the hope is to share some of the tales that have endured; the stories that have been passed down, generation after generation, throughout the rise and fall of Ages.
As such, it is important to recognize that Erâth, as it stands today, is much changed from what it once was. Men no longer rule all the world, and their memory is fickle. What was known during the First Age was lost to the folk of the Second Age, and so it was with the Third Age also. The races of power, such as the Illuèn and the Sarâthen, remember the old world, of course, but ultimately Erâth is a world of men—that race that so often tries to destroy itself, yet endures nonetheless.
Consequently, the tales contained herein are those of men, and not the tales that the Illuèn would tell, nor those that the Sarâthen remember. This is not to say that those other tales would not be worth telling, and indeed there may come a time for those stories as well. For now, though, the world is returning to the hands of men, and so it is these legends that ultimately will endure through the ages of Erâth.
As evidenced by The History of Erâth, there is much more known about the Third Age of Erâth than about any previous age, and the details of the prior times are few and far between. This is largely because of the near destruction of all civilization during the fall of the First Age, and the role of changelessness after the fall of the Second Age. Very few tales remain from the earliest days of Erâth, and those that do are seen today as mere myth—fantastic stories of creation and destruction that are hardly believed to be true, so far removed from the reality of the everyday are they. Those that have endured, such as the mythos of the seven powers of Erâth and the coming about the Ageless, will be told in the first few chapters of this work.
The rest of this book focuses on several important tales in each of the four major civilizations that currently reside in Thaeìn—the last remaining land of Light in Erâth. These stories, unlike the myths of the ancient world, are more founded in fact than superstition, and it is generally believed by each culture that these stories, glorified as they may have become over time, did indeed occur as they are told.
In Erârün, kingdom of stone, there are two critical events that are remembered by, if not all the people, at least the scholars of that land. These are the abdication of King Daevàr after the War of Darkness, and the discovery of dragonstone which made that kingdom the strongest military power in Thaeìn. These stories are to be found here, along with the events that led to the War of Two Hundred Years—the longest period of extended battle in the Third Age.
For Kiriün, land of green and growth, it has long been a consolation against the withering of their fields to remember the old days, when the plains were fertile and rife with cultivation. Oldest of these tales, dating back to the earliest days of the founding of Kiriün, is that of the Life Tree—the ever-enduring tree that grows tall in the center of Courerà, heart of Kiriün. Along with this, the people of Kiriün also have never forgotten the betrayal of their people by the king of Erârün, and the tale of King Starüd, and how he died defending a foreign land, is often told. Both of these stories are to be found in this book. Lesser known tales of Kiriün include the romance of Sarathi and Galdeàr, as well as the enduring line of Starüd through the daughters of Sóriana.
The Hochträe are also an important folk in Thaeìn, despite their lack of involvement in the War of Darkness. They are the only folk of men who remember the Dragon Lords and their fate, and in the absence of those same Dragon Lords, are the only remaining folk to have successfully defied the Duithèn and the powers of Darkness. In this regard, many of their tales of the past focus not on battle, but on peace and discovery.
Lastly, the realm of the Cosari, spread across the isles of southern Thaeìn, form a largely unknown kingdom of Erâth. Descendants of the seafaring Piren from the eastern land of Cathaï, they came to Thaeìn during the War of Darkness, and remained when the Duithèn abandoned them. Although they have since cast off the yoke of Darkness, they are nonetheless a violent race, delighting in the glory of battle and death. Their tales often focus on such treachery, and it is not forgotten by them how they once made war against Thaeìn.
There are, of course, countless other tales that could have been included here, but the stories that follow are considered by each culture to be of the highest importance, and are often those told by parents to their children. They have attained the status of fairytales, lore and legend; were a stranger to each land ask of the history of that kingdom, they would be asked, “Have you ever heard of the voyage of Barthòl?” or told, “Let me tell you the tale of how Darkness tempted the Hochträe.” Every civilization must have its staple stories; these are those that remain in Erâth.
