The Avatar History of There is fairly well known. I�ve heard tales of how the world has changed. How life was different before PAZ�s, trees, and other things I�ve taken for granted. What�s not so known are the Tales of the Ancient There, before Avatars roamed the islands from Tiki to Tyr. I have heard these tales from the great storyteller Hawk, and which can be seen at www.hawk.frodo.tv/TalesOfTheOldOnes.php. After reading these stories, my interest was peeked, and I contacted Hawk. Being very kind Hawk offered to take me on a tour of some of the important sites in the stories. Of course, I could not pass this opportunity up. J
The first stop was Salvation Cove. It is told in the first Tale of the Old Ones how the people of Hallas were driven from their home with their fearless leader Aurelia, and traveled in boats in order to cross the waters. During the crossing there was a storm and the 4 ships were separated. Aurelia and her ship landed at Salvation Cove, on an island she called New Hallas, later known as Congrejo. This spot seemed serene while I was visiting this place of honor.
The next stop is known as Beacon Island in the Tales, but more commonly known as The Little Island. At this spot it is told how Aurelia, in mourning and loss of her lost people, kept a bonfire burning for many, many years. She kept this burning in hopes that their lost families and friends would one day find them. When Hawk and I were here there was an array of colors splashing the sky in a beautiful sunset, it was really very lovely.
Next, we saw the reasons as to why the lost people were not able to return to their leader Aurelia. We visited a couple shipwrecks assumed to be of the Hallas and Freia ships. The Hallas wreck is found off the norths shore of Nada Island and had only a few survivors, who made their way to Ootay. The Freia wreck is found on the southwestern shore of Ootay Island. Both of these locations were fairly isolated and undisturbed.
Our next stop is known as Hawk Harbor. This was the final destination of the last of Aurelia�s ships, the Hawk. A lot of mystery surrounds whether there were survivors or not. There are no longer any remnants of the lost ship for it lies deep below the waves of this little bay. This place seemed so isolated and desolate, and upon mentioning that to Hawk, he assured me to the contrary that this place had been a very popular place for PAZ�s and this was the quietest he had seen it in quite a while.
The next stops were some underwater shipwrecks that were not directly related to the Tales, but I found them very intriguing anyway. They are mysterious and no one really knows what they are, but they surely look like ships to me. I cannot say much, for pictures are always better than words. So, take a look yourself and tell me what you decide for yourself.
Next, we took a look at another underwater amazement. These are what look like a wall and some buildings off the Coast of Nada Island. In the Tales, The Flood tells of the Old Ones finding houses built by the gods surrounded by a wall to keep the sea out. They lived in this village until after generations the sea rose above the barricade and covered the city in water, and also killing many of the Old Ones. To them this is a very dramatic and cataclysmic event that to this day brings them much sorrow and anguish.
Next, we went to the meeting place of the Old Ones. The Old Ones have no name tags, are shy, and hide under buildings where we Avatars are unable to go. Hawk has been permitted by the Old Ones to come and meet with them and that is how he is able to tell us their Tales. (I�m told they really enjoy mead and that is how Hawk was able to win their affections.) So, we went to under the building to see where the Old Ones often talk and drink, in Tabu. As a curious Avatar, I tried to save the spot as a favorite place, and odd enough it would not allow me to type a name and thus not save the spot. Whether this was There doing it�s usual �I�m not gonna work for you� routine or the Old Ones not trusting me, I�ll never know LOL. At any rate, we left the building and went to the Temple of the Old Ones. This whole area of Tabu was very dark and menacing, including skeletons and shrunken heads. I was glad when Hawk offered to show me the way out.
Hawk showed me the way out through a canyon that sparkled of light and fresh air. He then told me of how he had once been waiting for the Old Ones and when they did not show up he heard their voices unusually loud in song. He followed the sounds to this canyon, where he heard them lament the Tale of the Flood. This was the only time Hawk had seen them act so boisterous and loud in the open, away from their Temple.
Lastly, Hawk took me to one of the many examples of the Old Ones art that is left behind all over There. The Old Ones were mostly artisans and theologians and these head artifacts are simply representative of the beauty these pre-avatarians once created. After this excursion with Hawk, I try to seek out the Old Ones myself. Perhaps one day I too will be able to convince them with mead to tell me the stories of life long ago, before even avatars scurried all over the known islands.
As a note, I have been trying to encourage Hawk to do a tour of these great legendary spots, so if you too would like to see this happen feel free to let him know if you see him. ;)
�There is always truth in legends, even if it�s not literal truth.� -Hawk