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 he Book of Chaldea
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Much of the early history of Agon has been lost. The last of the early civilizations were eradicated in a conflict so brutal that life itself nearly vanished from the world. Whatever the first cultures wrote down or built, no structures or primary sources remain.
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What little we know has been passed down by the Chaldeans, a civilization which dominated Agon for centuries, before themselves falling to stagnation and outside pressure. While at their cultural peak, the Chaldeans used a combination of archaeology and magic to compile a history of the world. The resulting book was called The Ashur Agade by the Chaldeans, but is known as The Book of Chaldea today.
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Unfortunately, a complete copy of this book has yet to be found. Only fragments survive, leaving large gaps in the material available to modern historians. Long-lost copies are occasionally found in Chaldean tombs, however, and the present-day powers of Agon seek to assemble versions that are as complete as possible
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Some say that the book contained dangerous information, and that the gods of post-Chaldean cultures bid their priests destroy all copies of it. Some even say that the gods abandoned the Chaldeans after the book was written, and that this hastened the downfall of their civilization.
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he Book of Chaldea,
First fragment:
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The world was a cold marble, hurtling through black vastnesses.
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The goddess came to the world, alighting on the ice-sheets that covered it from pole to pole. She saw the empty wastes around her, and pitied the snow-bound and lifeless rock.
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| The goddess spoke: |
“With fire I awake you”
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Dormant fires awoke within the earth. Molten rock was thrown onto frozen plains, while smoke and ashes hid the sun and the stars. Slowly the ice melted: oceans drew breath, and light fell on dry fields for the first time.
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| Again the goddess spoke: |
“With children I bless you”
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Life first grew within the oceans, and then it burst onto surface lands. Life took wild and wonderful forms, all of which were pleasant to the goddess. For a long time she gazed upon the ever-changing patterns, but in the end she felt alone among voiceless creatures.
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| A third time the goddess spoke: |
“With the spark I ennoble you”
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And from the multitudes arose humans, mirdain, alfar, dwarves, mahirim and orks. They offered prayers to the goddess, and she shone her love and wisdom upon them.
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