Part 17: World History

What I experienced in the Junkyard...I've read about it before. I think it's time to go back through my library and read up on the history of Fa'Diel.





The Beginning



I wonder if this really can be called a history book, as it starts off with a creation myth. I know most of Fa'Diel worships the Mana Goddess, including myself, but what if it didn't happen?

The Moon Gods



The Names of Stones



The Moon's Names



So the basic elements that dominate Fa'Diel stem from the Moon Gods. You never hear their names much anymore, and they've fallen out of common worship. I wonder how old this tome is.

The Creation



And from them stem the elemental spirits. I think I can remember them all... Undine of water, Salamander of fire, Gnome of earth, Jinn of wind, Aura of gold, Dryad of wood, Shade of dark, and Wisp of light. These spirits dominate everything, from monsters to lands to plants to time itself. It is from them that mana can be harnassed and used for battle. Though the Moon Gods may be forgotten, the elemental spirits are still an important part of everyday life in Fa'Diel.

Flammies



Dark Clouds



The Hole



The Moon Gods were flawed, and from their own greed and ambition came the fall of Fa'Diel. It's as if Fa'Diel had fallen and come back many times throughout time.

A shame I've never been able to see a Flammie. I probably never will, either.

Rebirth



The Thoughts



The Revelation



The Moon Gods sleep in the cosmos, while the remaining Flammies went their own path out of despair. The negative traits of all intelligent beings consumed the gods and ruined them. So were they really gods if they could be affected by such desires? And I wonder what became of the Flammies, as it seems this is the last they are mentioned. Did they too fly into the cosmos?

The Prophecy



The elemental spirits are what guided our ancestors after everyone else left. It seems this is when all the creatures of Mana that exist today came into being.



Man and Faerie



The Dark One



Though the Flammies abandoned Fa'Diel, their influence lives on even today. Our ancestors managed to usher in a new beginning for Fa'Diel, rebuilding it from the disasters of before. At least we've been successful so far.

The Fallen



It's scary to imagine that there could be creatures even today that could possess the strength of Flammies. I hope I never have to meet a wyrm, let alone face one.

The Work of Man



Appearance matters not, for in the end we are all one and the same. Though my experiences haven't affected me, and I don't recall anything about my parents. But then everyone is distinct in appearance, so it's not really worth thinking about.

The Work of Faerie



I must have seen young faeries during my adventures. It's rather amazing that they live alongside us even today yet we have little involvement with each other. I wonder if their invisibility was just chance, a design of the goddess, or intentional on the part of faeries to keep distance from other races.

The Mana Tree



Sorcerers



I must admit I've never wielded the power of Mana, though in these days technology has advanced to the point to harness Mana through instruments. Still, from what I've seen it's not really that strong, so it must pale to the power the mages of old wielded.

Anise



Unknown Stones



Golden Age Ends



Uraklius Aeon



It's hard to believe that man could possess the means to create their own tools of Mana. Of course, these powerful stones of old have evolved to weaker instruments, but considering the devastation it caused, it's for the best.

The Holy War



And that explains why faeries are to this day untrusting of man. Of course, from the attitudes toward faeries I've seen of my race today, I don't really blame them.

The Hidden



This sounds like a story worth reading. A shame this tome only glosses over it, but reading about man and faeries work together to take out these powerful mages would be a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Eyes of Flame



The Underworld



I don't get it. Why was Aion banished to the Underworld? He led the side that won. Did man betray him? Was he seduced by the power of the Eyes of Flame? Did he sacrifice himself to manage the Underworld? I really wish this tome didn't simply gloss over these events.

At any rate, he chose to not be born again, but rather to rule the Underworld. I wonder if he did it to protect Fa'Diel or for power.

Seventh Moon



So in the end, the first mage was killed by a power that surpassed her own. Fitting, really.

A Brief Peace



Mages' Tower



It's amazing what greed and ambition could do. Rather than live in peace after being granted a new beginning, the mages stuck with their own ways and ended up promoting more war. Sad, really.

Mountain School



Artificers



I wonder what sorts of artifacts this tome is talking about. That doll did say I was an artificier. Is it the ability to create magical weaponry, or is it the power to create new lands out of ordinary items? The tome makes me think the former, but anyone can do that. I haven't seen anyone yet who possesses my ability to shape the land.

Argot



...Wait a minute. You mean the guy who summoned a bunch of monsters originally wasn't evil?

Lucemia



...Wow. That creature must be fearsome to be that powerful. I hope I never have to run into something so devastating.

The Lilipeas



I've never seen a Lilipea. They supposedly still exist, though few have ever seen them, and even fewer have made contact with them.

The Ashes



Anise's Fire



...Wait a minute. A doll with red eyes?

Mage and Ruby



So the doll I met was fashioned by the great mage Anuella. Though the book doesn't say when this happened, from what I know she must have been created a thousand years ago. Amazing! A creature so ancient that still possesses life!



It makes me wonder how old Louie is, then. I don't think he's mentioned anywhere in this book, yet he could be the oldest creature in Fa'Diel.

Gaeus



So Gaeus himself was also a creation of Anuella, yet his knowledge surpassed her own. It's little wonder that Gaeus is one of the Wisdoms.

The Conductor



So it was the Faeries that first wielded literal instruments of Mana. I guess having access to unlimited Mana makes up for what I presume to be weaker power. Then again, that could just be the Faeries simply having a closer connection to Mana itself.

Mage Halciet



Wasn't the Seventh Moon what defeated Anise? The text says a Faerie used it, so I wonder how Halciet obtained it from her. Did he steal it from the Faeries?

Geimaswald





Eastern Wind



Emperor Lonway



I imagine this war was what destroyed Mindas, what must have been one of the oldest cities in Fa'Diel. Even compared to other cities at the time, the ruins look ancient.

Ricrot IV



Many of these must have been the discarded soldiers I've encounted in the Junkyard. I wonder who's more at fault here, Anuella for making creatures just for the purposes of war, or Ricrot IV for discarding them after the war was over.

Spiritual War



Hard to believe that Gato of all places was a site of intense interdimensional battles. Then again, I can barely wrap my head around the idea of an interdimensional battle.

Rosiotti



The Chase



Selva



So Rosiotti was a warrior who became a Wisdom. I assume based on this text that Selva was also a Wisdom. That's Pokiehl, Gaeus, Rosiotti, and Selva. I wonder who the other three wisdoms are.

I also wonder why Selva had Flowerings fight for him. The Lilipeas I can understand, as their race managed to subdue and kill a wyrm, but I can't see Flowerings being that capable in combat.

Conjuror Nunuzac



Bud and Lisa have mentioned having Nunuzac as a professor back when they studied in Geo, but it surely can't be the same guy. This war was nearly a thousand years ago, and while I can understand the Wisdoms being immortal, I can't see a conjurer being so. Must be a descendent.

Warrior Olbohn



It takes some bravery to face the leader of the Underworld alone in combat, let alone defeat them.

Freymold



Knight of Truth



I don't see how a "Spell of Truth" could kill a wyrm, unless it actually conjures massive fireballs or something.



The New World



The Academy of Magic still stands in Geo, I believe. I wonder if that portrait still remains. Perhaps one day I'll check it out in person.

Temple of Healing



Anuella



Anuella must have chosen to die there. I wonder where this place is, as I've never even heard of it.

Mana Stones



Dirt



Just as the Faeries and Man have bad blood, so do the Jumi with Man. I really wish my ancestors weren't such jerks, as Faeries and Jumi fascinate me. It's really a shame Jumi had to reduce their powers just to keep their race intact.

Angels



Janna



Angels, huh? With a living ship? I don't hear about that very often.

Incarnation



Malicious Mind



To be fair, I too would be afraid of a living ship. Plus I'm a bit skeptical on whether Zuf'ben's intentions were really that pure to begin with, though this tome doesn't clarify either way whether he was being precautious or planning war.

Unawakened Angels



Ancient Memories



I wonder who these angels were, as I've never heard anything about them or their identities.

Seventh Angel



Janna's End



I'm sorry, but this story is ridiculous. I'm starting to wonder if this was completely made up. Even with all the crazy things I've seen in my adventures, it's hard to imagine angels riding to Fa'Diel on a living ship, losing their memories, and then deciding to fight their ship-gone-evil. It makes absolutely no sense to me. I don't think the Mana Goddess could create something that nonsensical.

Divine Guidance



Deathbringer



I've heard many stories of the Deathbringer. A fearsome emperor who ruled through terror and might.

Holy Knight



The Halloways



So Gato is one of the oldest Mana shrines in Fa'Diel, if not the oldest. Most of these names seem to have died out in the past thousand years and don't seem relevant to my adventures.

Windcallers



Empire's Fall



And thus the Deathbringer still lives, undead, serving the dragon Jajara.

...And that's it. A brief look at the beginnings of Fa'Diel before focusing on the great war a thousand years ago. Many of the Wisdoms became established around then, and they still live on today. No mention of Pokiehl or the three other Wisdoms, it seems, though perhaps some of these warriors and kings turned out to be Wisdoms as well. I do wish this tome went into more detail for the time period between the war and now, but I guess this tome is simply ancient, or focused toward ancient times.

It's hard to believe those toys I've encountered have been lying there for a thousand years. It's amazing that what appears to be an ordinary Junkyard is actually the burial site of soldiers from a war a thousand years ago. It's a lot to process, and it's been a lengthy read, so I think I'll talk to Li'l Cactus for a bit and then retire for the night.