They Passed Through Fire

From the personal diary of Eldin Farrow

This is no single tale, but a thousand pieces of one. Each page is a shard, set beside others, until a world begins to take shape.

To piece together the Codex, see here.

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We’ve begun our journey Southeast, for the great drake. We now find ourselves in the borderlands of the Undying Caliph’s empire.

That is to say, this place isn’t quite civilisation yet. Many ruins surround us. A dust storm blew through the plain and we took shelter in the ruins of… Well, I don’t rightly know. It is a circular structure, all facing a deep pit in the center. The wind and dust have eroded most of the art. From what I can make out, there is a recurring figure cut from stone. He stands guard at each entrance. Though his face is gone, one still feels the oppressive stare. His character is simultaneously awesome and terrifying.

In the shadow of one of this statues was a bronze brazier. This posture was different. It loomed forward, arms outstretched and palms facing upward in welcome. The stone face was cocked to one side. I imagined, though I had no reason to, a strange grin upon its visage.

I did not feel welcomed.

During my investigation, I found myself in the pit. Buried beneath a thin layer of dust were a great many earthen vessels and pots. I opened one and found a scroll so well preserved, if it were not for the ancient script written upon its face, I would’ve believe it sealed only yesterday.

I could not understand it. A rudimentary image of a minotaur was painted upon the top. The rest was script in a long-dead language. I also found a great many bones within the pot. Some I recognized immediately: lamb, goat, and bird. Others I did not. They were small and chipped, clearly burnt offerings of some sort. I confess that I did not inspect the contents closely, I was much more interested in the scroll.

One of my scholarly companions, Brother Halewyn of the Silent Tongue (let it be known that he does not live up to his order’s namesake), refused to enter the structure. He fixed his tent to the outer wall and went about shouting his thoughts to us on the other side.

I was glad for him, however, for he is able to read the tongue of the Old World. I took the scroll out to him and had Brother Haleyn read it.

His face grew white as a ghost and he made a sweeping motion around his neck (the sign of his religion). “We should leave this place,” he insisted. “Before the sun sets.”

He threw such a fuss that we acquiesced. To my surprise, it was Kael of Ceorhame who relented first. He is a well known adventurer. His reputation was the reason we hired him for this journey and up until this moment, he never once showed fear. It is perhaps because he and the Brother share the same faith.

In any case, I relented but only on the condition that the holy man should translate the document that I had acquired.

So we sat in the back of the caravan and I demanded him to uphold his end of the bargain.

“Nothing, nothing,” he whispered.

“It is not nothing.”

“No, you do not understand,” said Brother Haleyn. “This place worships nothing. It is what good is not. It is a void. It is a place away from our Great Unfathomed, the True Star. The light burns but it provides no warmth. This god… no, this devourer… has no name worth speaking. It does not bless. It only opens its mouth. It takes the living, it takes the innocent, it takes all, until even memory is swallowed. And still it asks for more.”

I confess to have shivered. “But what does the text say?”

“They are directions—”

“Say no more,” snapped Kael. “As you’ve said, this is no name worth speaking. And this is no shrine.” Hand on the hilt of his sword, he spat for good measure. “No prayer has ever risen from this place.”

This was the end of the conversation.

Now, I cannot find the document. I suspect that Kael or Brother Haleyn has stolen it and (most certainly) destroyed it.

But perhaps it is for the best.

That night, I was struck with a terrible nightmare. Surrounding me was a sea of scarred faces. Their skin was stretched and melted, eyes yellowed from the sun. I could not move, but found myself transfixed upon a a small child. It screamed. I fell into its open mouth. I fell and fell and fell. It was so cold and so dark—far from any light above.

I do not wish to think of that place again.

I shall keep to my fauna.

-Eldin Farrow