|
The Lunari |
|
The Lost Civilization of the Lunari, as told by Damus |
| The Cannaeus were cruel masters. For a time, they sacrificed their
own to pacify their malicious idols and to prove their malevolent power.
For a time, the people accepted this as life, never daring to question
the Theocracy. But with the arrival of the Prophet, the time of death
and destruction was put to end. He spoke of great Spirits who would lead the people to peace and prosperity. He spoke of the kindness of these higher beings, contrary to the cruelty of the Cannaeus Gods. The people of the east gathered beneath Him and protected Him from harm as the Theocracy sought to silence Him. And when the Prophet began to speak of the Holy Land far beyond the borders of Cannae, the people listened. And when the great Tower fell, the people acted. The Prophet led the believers across the forest lands. Those who pursued the violence taught by the Dark Gods were left behind, never to find the path to the Holy Land ever again. Those who opposed the Prophet left with their followers, though they never prospered the rest of theirs lives. The Prophet led those who truly believed across the forest lands and through the great cities of the east. All let them pass, and so they did, until they reached the great ocean. The people of the Prophet gathered their tools and built vessels that would carry them to the Holy Land. And so they sailed, away from the darkness that had settled upon their homelands, journeying across the waves to the peace the Prophet promised. And they found that peace among the rugged mountains and foreboding rocks of the island Crescent, the center of which was as fertile as any ground they had yet trod upon. It was here the Prophet drew their exodus to a close, and it was here that the Lunari tribe was founded. This land, however, was not theirs to claim. The Lunari made contact with the natives and through mutual friendship began to merge. The culture of the Cannaeus was finally stripped away as the culture of the island dwellers was embraced. Here was where the Prophet first learned of how to commune with the Spirits, finding it similar to the way the Cannaeus communed with their devils. No blood was shed, however, and through careful contact with the Higher Beings, the art of Summoning was born. The Lunari prospered and built their temple upon the waves to honor the High Spirits. The Prophet carefully taught his people to reject violence and hatred while embracing patience and virtue. His people flourished beneath his tutelage and his words were inscribed in tomes to be spread to all the world. And indeed his word spread as the Lunari grew too big for their island home. As they emerged from their long isolation on the Crescent Isle, the High Priests were left to stay at the Temple of Ages to learn all the wise Prophet had to teach. It was then that the Lunari began their quest to teach the world all that they had learned. They made homes of where they laid their sea vessels, living off the land as they were taught to do. Never did they dishonor the civilizations across their expanding borders and never did they seek to undermine those authorities. And while some villages fell to the aggressive kingdoms of the Dark Ones, enough survived to spread the Prophet’s teachings. As His word spread, the Lunari renewed their bloodline with the foreigners who chose to follow their teachings. In this way did the societies of the Lunari Foxes, Hawks, and Hedgehogs emerge, among other species. It was not long until the true Lunari bloodline faltered and the mixed-breeds became the inheritors of the Lunari arts. They kept true to the word of the Prophet, though it was said that no two villages were alike. The Lunari embraced this period of constant learning and peace with open arms. The Prophet himself, at home on the Crescent Isle, felt proud of what his people were accomplishing. Theirs was a truly utopian society. So long had they lived in peace and harmony that they were caught unaware by the Catastrophe. Long had it brooded in the dark corners of the world before striking out at the light. The Lunari colonies began to fall, one by one, to this Disaster that seemed to have no end. Finally, the chiefs of the scattered Lunari tribes returned to Crescent Isle to consult with the Prophet. Long was their discussion, though all came to the conclusion that such Catastrophe could not be allowed to spread from their lands. It was then that the High Priestess Gaea of the forest-dwelling Lunari Hedgehogs, ArchPriest Cain of the hot-tempered Lunari Echidnas, Lady Imbrium of the mammalian Lunari Merfolk, Sky Priest Kaios of the Lunari Hawks, and Lord Thanatos of the Lunari foxes united their powers with those of the Prophet to lock away the Disaster so that no further damage could be done. So it was that the Catastrophe was sealed away before ever wreaking its terrible havoc upon the world. The Lunari had sacrificed themselves to achieve this, however. Their colonies were weak and were soon invaded by their long-time neighbors who had hoped to gain from their loss. The tattered tribes were taken by the Elders to a new land, far from the darkness of the world, to begin anew. Only the Prophet chose to stay upon the Crescent Isle, warning those who left that the prison they had built for the Disaster would not hold. His words went unheeded. And so the great Lunari tribe fell. Scattered villages still exist upon the mainlands of the world, sheltered from time as they slowly fade from the world. The Lunari bloodline still runs true in a select few, but is slowly dissolving with age. It is said that the Prophet never left his home on the Crescent Isle, and it is believed that he may still live upon its shore. Some years ago, during an exodus from Tolaria, the Raiders stumbled upon the Lunari, guided by the Planeswalker Urza and his companions Solis and Lunis. After a trial of worthiness fought in the Temple of Ages, the Raiders were formally recognized by the Prophet as a force of good and was given an artifact that would protect Tolaria. Since then, the Raiders remain on good terms with this hidden Lunari society. Jenifer 'Rave' Aegis, the last known Lunari Fox, has served as the unofficial ambassador between the two peoples. |