"You want to hear a story, do you?" His eyes burned into hers, and she realized that she felt hot. She wished she had worn a different chemise, but dismissed the foolish thought and returned his stare with all of the courage of the Northern that she could muster. He seemed to take her silence as an answer, and nodded.

"Very well, child. I shall tell you a story that has not been told in Ages. The priests will tell you that this or that happened in a certain way, or that perhaps that did not happen at all," He said. "But I was there, and the story that I will tell you now is as it was, is, and always shall be."

Very well, child. I shall tell you a story that has not been told in Ages. The priests will tell you that this or that happened in a certain way, or that perhaps that did not happen at all," He said. "But I was there, and the story that I will tell you now is as it was, is, and always shall be."

"In the beginning there was nothing. All was silence. It was the void of eternity. Within this void, there was nothing, and nothing was within the void. But one day, which has been lost in time, there came a single whisper of sound from the center of the void. A single rush of air, and with it came echoes of sound and shape, a veritable vortex of colours and sensations.

"This was Chaos, in Its truest form. The Chaos gave birth to the one the priests call Daos, who was Father of All. The priests would have you believe that Daos is the one who created everything, but he could not have begun his Song without the stuff of Chaos to form. Remember this, for it is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn."

The girl almost rolled her eyes at his words, but something in his voice stopped her. Her hair stood on end when she realized with a start that this man truly believed that he had been there at the creation of time. His hood cast shadows across his face that almost seemed to dance in the light of the candles. His smile glimmered white against the flickering orange of his features, but only for a moment. Then it was gone, and he continued.

"Oh, it is true that Daos' song gave life to us as we know it. It is true that he heard nothing but the whispers of Chaos, the songs of Krivlarik in the darkness and void of time and space. He was the only creature of light. Loneliness drove him to sing out against the whispers. Selfishness drove him to sing the Gods into being.

"The Father of All sang the Gods into being, wove their souls with the notes of his famous song. They were creatures of light and energy. Daos forged the stuff of Chaos into the realm, and each god added his or her song to help mold the realm into a vision of peace, and love, and beauty."

<Read On....>