Prologue
On this earth there are many courses of change. Some like the shifting seasons are expected and welcome. Be it the steady trickle of the spring melt , or a hint of summer heat on the chill spring air. Even the various radiant hues nature dawns as the night sky grows cold, and the sun sets one final time over the land, is something familiar and calming. But every once in a while, something unexpected occurs.
The earth moves as if with a mind of its own. Scorching temperatures interrupts the deepest winter freeze. Strange howling winds rage in the most unusual places. Crops fail and game grows scarcer by the hour. Tides rise, swallowing whole civilizations in a single day. The ground shakes and massive mountain ranges arise from the sea, while once verdant fields and forests turn to dust in mere months. What once was deep ocean trenches, rich with life, becomes dry arid salt flats .The bleached bones, of those who once swam those frigid waters, rise up like skeletal fingers to claw vainly at the sky. Wild turbulent storms ravage the land sweeping away all fragments of organized life.
But when all is settled reason creeps stealthily back into the midst of chaos. The earth calms herself, in time seeds will sprout and new forests will grow. The oceans will once again pulse with the rhythm of abundant life. New creatures will arise from the dust of the past. Those few remnants of lost societies will be looked upon with newer eyes, stronger bones tougher hides. New bodies able to cope with the extreme climes of this sphere. When the time is right, one group steps forward with the means to cope with this new formed earth. They grow and prosper, soon generations have passed and almost none remember the chaotic movements of the earth. These new species will thrive on the bounty provided beneath the smile of the Sky Fathers, Daymaker and Nightmaker. These tribes will spread to all corners of the earth adapting to the resources and climes of that land.
Here in the low mountain passes of the Land Beyond the Great Desert, where all life began, a tribe comprised of three individual clans unites in honor of a ceremony to welcome two young boys onto the path of manhood. These clans gather in the high meadows beneath the glow of Daymakers blushing face. From the Western Hills far across the grassy plains comes the hearty Three Hills Clan. From the rich loamy forests at the foot of the mountain comes the secretive Flatwood Clan, and from the cloud shrouded high meadows and sun kissed valleys of the mountain its self, the spirited Lightfoot Clan welcomes them all into its embrace. The festivities commence through out the day but as Daymaker disappears behind the western hills, many skilled hands prepare for the nights ceremony. |
