And when there was nothing, became something. That which was not became was. All things occurred and all things dissolved. Such was the nature of things and the nature of no things…
‑ Insane Ramblings, Yuniok Juum
A time had passed. An age, perhaps three.
Seven decades of warfare, and the consequent century of disease and ruin, had taken their toll upon the land. Civilization existed only meagerly. Much knowledge was lost; the great repositories, libraries, and reliquaries, once magnificent places of learning and erudition, had been reduced to charred rubble long since. The cities were in ruins. Remembrances of the way things were, before the Fissurewar scattered society and drove the free races into seclusion, famine, and fear, were scarce. A dearth of knowledge locked away in the war-addled minds of the eldest among them, sickened and senile. Perhaps lost forever.
Perhaps not…
From the ashes there arose a phoenix. No soaring bird this, alight with feathers of flame, but a young child. A plague-orphan; a lad possessed of no advanced years, but of wisdom far beyond his age. “Why,” said he, “Why do we live in caves? Why do we sleep in filth? I have been told a grand history, a history of our forbearers and the might and wisdom they possessed. This might, this wisdom, led them to destruction, but we, the children of their grandchildren, are armed with afterknowledge. We shall relearn that which they learned. Let us seek out the ruined libraries, the crumbled archives, and the shattered reliquaries. Let us arm ourselves with knowledge, with history, with forethought and responsibility. Let us gather unto ourselves weapons and courage and lead the campaign to regain our lost dignity.”
”Our enemies have deserted the rubble of our once-grand cities, if, indeed, any among us actually remember who our enemies are… I am but a lad of twelve years. I possess no great knowledge, nor great wisdom. But I refuse to live in ignorance and filth for one year longer. Gather unto me, friends. Let us travel the world and seek out the lost artifices of our ancestors. We can become great once more. Let us find the secrets of agriculture, the knowledge of commerce and interaction. Let us emerge form our seclusion. Let us hide no longer. Let us explore this world in which we live. Starvation. Disease. These shall be as shadowy memories to the children of our children.”
And thus, the people emerged from their shadowy caverns and rotting fens. They gathered unto themselves those meager possessions that they had hoarded and went off in search of lost knowledge.
Eventually, in their wanderings, the people found that which they sought. A great repository was built, a grand Archives to hold all knowledge. Civilization returned to the continent and that which was lost had become found. The people declared that never again would they be driven into caves or annihilated by disease or famine. To this end they formed, with the Phoenix (the lad’s true name has been lost to history) as their leader, a society of explorers and diplomats, naturalists, artists, and others charged with the honorable task of acquiring knowledge, culture, and tolerance and overseeing its dissemination to the masses.
And thus, many centuries agone, was formed The Wanderers Guild. The original founders are long since perished. Their names are forgotten, but their story remains…
‑Yuniok Juum means me
