Dragons of a Vanished Moon Part 46

Mortals are born into the world of Krynn for two purposes- each ordained by the High G.o.d. The first is internal: for the growth and enhancement of their own souls and those of others as they develop faith and exercise their agency of choice between Evil, Neutrality and Good. Some souls, when challenged by Evil, [image]

choose to darken or lose themselves in the fires; others pa.s.s through such tests without failing but without attaining higher virtue; still others are purified and s.h.i.+ne brighter than the stars, reflecting and radiating the High G.o.d's Light.

The second purpose is external: that mortals should take up their role in shaping the world of Krynn, bringing it to perfection, and, in the wake of the deeds of Chaos and the fall of Takhisis and her cohorts, repairing the wounds of Evil. The freedom of will given to mortals by the High G.o.d means that mortals may turn to dark ends. Yet the High G.o.d weaves Neutrality and Evil into the unfolding of the Tobril, inevitably bringing forth Good out of Evil. What mortals have called Fate is the expression of the High G.o.d's subtle but prevalent will upon Krynn.

Death, feared by so many mortals, is both an end and a beginning. For souls who have chosen by their faith and actions to stand with the High G.o.d, death is an end to the trials of this life and a gateway to sharing in the love and glory of the High G.o.d. Those who chose to turn their backs on the High G.o.d, though, cast themselves into the Abyss, tormented by the wickedness they embraced in life. More than that I cannot say, for some things must be left to faith.

Some mortals fear the pa.s.sage to the world beyond, either out of fear of the unknown or, if they are wicked mortals, a suspicion of what awaits them. In some cases, the Evil G.o.d Chemosh responds to this fear and offers mortals a chance at a fake and perverted form of immortality. This attempt to ''cheat death" and circ.u.mvent the progression of souls is but a sad joke that Chemosh delights in perpetrating. Those who accept his temptation find themselves trapped within their dead bodies or otherwise bound to the world of Krynn, doomed to a horrid existence until destroyed or freed from Chemosh's bonds. Even dragons are not immune to Chemosh's seductions, as the recent case of Cyan Bloodbane indicates. Some wizards have pursued a similar fate through dark magic. I have heard it said that Chemosh and Nuitari conspired to release the secrets of lichdom into the world for their own gain.

Glory of the G.o.ds: The Four Powers

The life and death of mortals upon Krynn gives strength to the G.o.ds. This was ordained by the High G.o.d, both for the sake of the G.o.ds (that they might benefit and learn from the unfolding of the Tobril's Plan) and for the sake of mortals (that the G.o.ds of Evil would not destroy the balance). As mortals act on Krynn, their beliefs and deeds lend power to the G.o.ds aligned to their actions. This is especially true when they die and make their final commitments of the spirit. The G.o.ds not only benefit from this power but return it to their followers. (Fig. 1) Two kinds of power can be said to exist on Krynn: the spiritual energy of faith, fueled by the heart and spirit of mortals, and the elemental energies driven by creation. These powers exist in two states, the ambient power of Krynn and the directed energies of the Cycles of Faith and Creation, which connect G.o.ds and mortals. From these sources comes the magic of Krynn.

The ambient power of the world is the source for the magic of the Fifth Age, both mystical (ambient spiritual energy) and sor-cerous, or "wild magic" (ambient elemental and creative energy). These arts were also practiced in the Age of Dreams but largely forgotten after that era. This magic is fueled by mortals and their relations.h.i.+p with Krynn and thus survived even during the G.o.ds' absence. Wild magic is "wild" precisely because of the damage done to Krynn by the forces of Chaos and Evil. As it reflects the state of creation, it also shares in the disordering of the world.

It is from the harmony between G.o.ds and mortals that the powers of High Sorcery and clerical magic derive. As mortals revere the G.o.ds and pursue the acts of living faith, they channel power to the G.o.ds. The G.o.ds complete the circuit by returning that power, whether Good, Neutral, or Evil. The cycle thus rewards both G.o.ds and mortals, providing magic to the mortals and energy for the G.o.ds in their cosmic struggle. However, the G.o.ds are not equal, nor are all mortal beings, and there is constant flux and volatility.

The Fifth Age-Another Perspective

Despite the turmoil of Krynn and occasional disruptions of the Cycles of Faith and Creation, the Progression of Souls remained unthreatened until the Chaos War. (Fig. 2) Krynn normal motion in s.p.a.ce, time & reality [image]

Chaos, released from the Greygem that had trapped him, resumed his challenge to the High G.o.d for mastery over Krynn. Some say that Takhisis enticed him into this mad scheme, but it certainly seems likely that she was the one who coaxed the Irda to crack the Greygem. It must be understood that the Chaos War was not fought merely over the world of Krynn, but over the souls of mortals.

The Theft of the World

The ultimate defeat of Chaos at the end of the Chaos War was the last cog in her own master plan, which Takhisis apparently had been developing for centuries. In the last instant of Chaos's fall, the Dragon Queen stole the world of Krynn, removing it to a place, time, and reality unknown and unnoticed by the other G.o.ds. She adopted many guises as she endeavored to achieve this and other ends .. . including that of a Shadow Sorcerer. (Fig. 3) (Fig. 3) However, Takhisis, badly weakened from the terrible theft of the world and deception of the G.o.ds, needed time to rest and regather her strength. She felt comfortable in doing this, for [image]

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while new souls continued to be born into the world, the progression of souls had been stopped. Instead of moving on to a higher plane after death, the souls of mortals were stopped, doomed to remain on Krynn. Takhisis drew power from their spirits as they were trapped in this hideous fate, in a fas.h.i.+on similar to that of her favored children, the Evil dragons, during the early days of this age. As the power of the Dark Queen waxed, these souls became more enslaved. She even began to send them forth to drain magic from the spells of mortals, and spellcasters even began to detect her foul taint corrupting wild magic and mysticism. (Fig. 4) The world became a closed source of power for the Queen of Darkness. While other G.o.ds were deprived of the energies of mortal souls, the Dragon Queen drew power not only from those who served her but from the energy put forth by all mortals. In time, she believed that she would have enough power not only to retain supremacy over Krynn but to challenge the High G.o.d for mastery over all creation. Thus did she follow in Chaos' path, and bring about great misery in the world in doing so.

The Curious Case of the Kender: Then and Again

Time is key to understanding the unfolding of this history of Krynn. As creation would be meaningless without a past, present, or future, long ago the High G.o.d forbade the powers to tamper with the River of Time. Takhisis, typically, believed that this commandment had no real meaning for her, even though her theft of Krynn displaced the world both in s.p.a.ce and and time ... with unforeseen consequences. time ... with unforeseen consequences.

The Future That Never Would Be

Prior to the Chaos War, Ta.s.slehoff Burrfoot-a kender of some renown-was able to travel forward in time ... to a future that would never take place, because of Takhisis's subsequent sin against the High G.o.d.

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Perhaps this ill.u.s.tration will best serve to clarify the matter (Fig. 5). The kender went forward in time (A) prior to his deadly conflict with Chaos. He visited a future (B) where the elves were at peace and Palin had attended Caramon's funeral. He then returned to the past (C) where he was caught up in the Chaos War. At the moment Chaos might have destroyed him (D), he gratefully recalled my admonition to trigger the device once more. In that very moment, Tahkisis stole the world, establis.h.i.+ng it along a new and different timeline. Ta.s.slehoff leaped forward once more to the same time-Caramon's funeral-but an entirely different future. (E) Another way of looking at it is that Ta.s.slehoff jumped ''down" the River of Time a ways, then returned and continued on his regular path through life. At the end of the Chaos War, Tas tried to jump forward again, but at the same moment, Takhisis dammed the river and forced it into a new course, sweeping Ta.s.slehoff along with it.

Time travel, it is true, is a highly speculative subject. Inar-guable is the fact that Ta.s.slehoff had memories of two distinct futures because of the simple fact that he had indeed visited two separate futures.

The Past That Never Was

I have spoken with Palin Majere at length since the end of the War of Souls. He was most curious as to why, when he tried to travel back in time, he found no past beyond the Chaos War. As you can see from the diagram, when Palin used the device inside the War of Souls timeline, he attempted to travel back beyond the point in time when Takhisis absconded with the world. Thus, while everyone on Krynn from that time had lived in the original timeline and could thus remember it, from the point of view of the River of Time itself, there was no past at all (F).

Palin also expressed some confusion as to the relations.h.i.+p between the High G.o.d and Chaos, drawing from what he overheard in the Abyss and while working with Reorx to try and stop Chaos. When he was in the Abyss, the domain of Takhisis, observing the G.o.ds, his perceptions were influenced by Takhisis. While much of what he overheard was accurate in substance, his perspective was colored by the Dark Queen. Confusing Chaos with the High G.o.d, in Palin's mind, must have seemed to Takhisis an excellent way to advance her plans for dominion.

As to Reorx referring to Chaos as "Himself" and "the Father of All and Nothing". . . Chaos remained the mightiest of the G.o.ds until the end, and the magnitude of his presence could be overwhelming even for Reorx. When Reorx came face to face with Chaos, it shook him to the core and left him fleetingly believing Chaos's deluded claims. After the Chaos War, the Forger recovered, but by then the world had been stolen and the mistaken impression lingered.

The Future of the Fifth Age

With the return of the G.o.ds, the progression of souls has been restored, and mortals can now move on to their just rewards or punishments. High sorcery once again functions, and the G.o.ds have been reunited with the lost world with tremendous joy. However, Mysticism and wild magic have also blossomed in the Fifth Age and no doubt are here to stay.

As for me and my future, who can say? The justice of the High G.o.d has been satisfied. We know there are struggles ahead. There is still evil that threatens the balance, and there are still dragon overlords who oppress vast portions of Krynn. The minotaurs now threaten the continent of Ansalon more than ever before in history.

The best that may be said is that there will be a future . . . though what future will be up to each of us. We look forward, if not to a new age, to clearer understanding of this Age of Mortals in which we live. We may not know the future, but as for me . . . I look forward with wonder to see it unfold.