Well met to you, whoever you are reading this book, I am Prince Altair, son of Princess Hope, daughter of Queen Faust and King Laurent, sovereigns of the Great Alicorn Kingdom, fallen now to darkness and obscurity.
As I write these words, it is my hope that they will carry the memory of the world as it was during the reign of my species, for I am the last of my kind, and was spared the fate of my kin only for the time necessary to fulfill the duty of a chronicler, to recount the history of the cosmos from its creation to the end that, by our own folly, we brought on ourselves (1).
Here follows, recounted in brief, a summary of the knowledge acquired by the scholars of our realm, along with what was declared to Queen Faust by the Creators themselves.
The Creators, our creators, now wear forms in the shape of mortals, yet they are much more than what the senses can discern, and nothing of their true nature can wholly be known, except for the name with which they call themselves.
They are the Humans.
Of the Humans
The Humans are six, and their chief instrument is their Voice.
It was used before the beginning of time to dictate the workings of the Universe, but in later days they forsook its usage, for its power is too great for the world to bear.
No mortal has ever witnessed their true form, and no creature would survive a glimpse of their real majesty, for they are beings whose glory and might goes far beyond the narrow borders of the Universe and expands into the depths of the timeless void that is outside.
They knew, even before its creation, that the fragile cosmos would never be vast enough to contain them, so to experience and live with all the things that they created, the six assumed physical forms.
These forms would later be known as Aspects.
At the beginning of time, when the Universe was still unshaped, and long before life itself, these primordial Aspects would appear like colossal forms of elemental power, vastly greater and far more terrible than anything that had ever, or will ever, manifest in the cosmic reality.
Often they would appear in a form that later will be known as “humanoid”, which is bipedal and erect, with long limbs and a head whose face shone with a glorious light of power.
Other times they would instead appear more similar to natural elemental phenomenons, albeit of cataclysmic proportions.
And on some occasions they would not appear at all, for their presence could move through the fabric of space and time completely unseen and unfelt even by the most keen sensed creature.
When their first great labors were finished, the world completed and the first life established, the Humans once again perceived that their original Aspects would be too great to abide among mortals and so, for the second time, they choose to assume a new, even lesser form, more similar to the creatures they would one day interact with.
They would keep their humanoid shape, but this time made of flesh, blood and bones, and they would assume a gender, either male or female, in the same fashion of many living species, and according to the preference and difference of character that they had since before the beginning of time.
Yet they would not completely hide their nature.
From their eyes shone still a great light, a brilliance that stunned and blinded any creature that was to look upon it, and their bodies show signs of the infinite majesty that was barely held within, so great in fact that any creature approaching an Unmasked Aspect could be overwhelmed by the mere radiance of their aura.
It was only after the Humans began to wear their Masks, which are artifacts forged by the greatest alicorn artisans of old, and then hallowed by the Six themselves, that the Humans would become easy to approach even for the least among mortals.
From then on these new forms would be called the Masked Aspects.
Yet even in this most diminished form, within all the limits and rules they set for themselves, the Humans wield far more might and wisdom than all the other powers of the world combined, for their true form extends far beyond the Universe, and goes back into the endless and timeless void.
Indeed the wise say that the Aspects, and even more so the Masked Aspects, stand to the real Humans like a puppet stand to the puppeteer, nothing more than a vessel with which they can exist within the Universe without disrupting it (2).
Only once have mortal creatures witnessed a fraction of the true power an Aspect possesses. On that day a Human took off their mask and put forth the power of the Voice, and in doing so the world and the very structure of the cosmos were changed, our entire species failed and our grandiose realm fell forever.
Here now follows a short description of the Humans, in the order in which they entered their creation.
The first Human is the one called Sol, also named the Lord of Flames, and The Eternal Light.
He was the one that conceived fire, light, and energy, and his creation was the first thing to appear in the empty hall that was the Universe at the beginning.
His Aspect sometimes appears like a living sun, a pure flame whose brilliance would blind any eye, and whose radiance would burn to ashes any mortal.
In his masked form he is male, tall and strong, with brass colored skin, and long amber hairs that move like a roaring fire.
He clothes himself in a segmented golden armor, and his flaming red cloak billows as if in a constant current of hot air. His mask is also made of gold, as are the laurels on his head.
He is sometimes wrongfully regarded as almost hostile to life, but while he might appear to have little care for the mortals, he and his fire have marked the beginning of civilization since the beginning of time.
To him call all those that wield or seek a position of power, like nobles and governors, but also those whose duty is to protect the others, like soldiers and guards, and to them he teaches the skills of statecraft and combat.
The second Human is called Azibo, the Foundation of the World, and the King of Stone.
From his mind came all that is solid and enduring. He forged the world and made all the substances of the earth in forms of stones, minerals and gems.
In his unmasked form he appears like a giant colossus, a mountain taller and more massive than any other that ever existed, or will ever exist, and with his movements the continents themselves shake.
His Masked Aspect is male, shorter than Sol, but more massive. His skin is colored like dark granite, he has no hair but has a thick black beard seemingly woven out of metal.
He wears armored legwear made of thick iron plates, leaving his torso and arms naked. His mask is made out of roughly carved basalt stone and on his head he wears an iron crown studded with many gems.
In character he is solid and steadfast like the earth, slow to move and change, almost lethargic at times, but utterly relentless when he chooses to do so.
He is mentor and protector of all those who delight in manual labor, all workers and artisans are dear to him, and especially those that work with the products of the earth, like smiths or sculptors. He is also a teacher of patience and endurance.
The third Human is named Naseema, the StormLady, the Wind Dancer.
From her came all the airs of the world, from the gentle breeze that caresses the grass to the most terrible storm.
In her unmasked Aspect she is a towering column of winds that stretch far higher than even the highest cloud, made visible only by the mists that are lifted by the violent currents, and her speed and agility are without match.
Her Masked Aspect is female, lean and exceedingly quick, her skin is of a light azure, and her hair are long and wild, always moving as if in a constant breeze and changing in color from the purest white to dark like a thunder cloud.
Her raiments are of silk and leave much of her body uncovered and free, and like her hair they continuously move and change colors.
Her mask is a silver lined veil that covers her face like a mist, seemingly always on the verge of flying away, and on her head is a crown of white jewels held together by a silver thread.
She is the most mercurial of the Humans and her fancies change like the turning of the winds, seldom she stays still for long.
She is revered by those mortals who delight in flight and speed, and also those who travel long distances, and to her they call for a swift and safe journey. Among her most beloved are messengers, explorers, travelers, and merchants whose roads take them far away.
The fourth Human is Eimi, the Queen of the Waves, the Heart of the Oceans.
Her rule is over all the waters of the World, from the deepest ocean, to the smallest streams and underground springs.
Her unmasked aspect appears like a cataclysmic wave, a vast mountain of foaming water whose power can uproot and scatter anything in its path.
Her Masked Aspect is female, shorter than Naseema but with softer curves like the waves of the sea, her skin is white like freshly fallen snow, her hairs are long and smooth and dark like the deepest ocean.
She dresses with long and elegant robes that cover her almost entirely, colored in many shades of blue and decorated by pearls.
Her mask is made of mother of pearl, white and featureless, and a coral tiara in the appearance of a foaming wave is on her head.
Her mood is often serene and benevolent, but sometimes can also appear cold and distant.
All artists and educators call to her, and she loves them dearly. She is considered both teacher and muse to those seeking inspiration and improvement.
The last two Humans entered the Universe together, for the thoughts and inventions of one could not exist without the other.
Gaia, called the Allmother and the Lady of Green is the one that created the concept of life, and all living things are under her charge.
Her unmasked Aspect is much less intimidating than the other Humans, as she appears like a colossal tree with humanoid forms, and her presence is soothing and comforting rather than dreadful.
Her Masked Aspect is female, slender yet motherly, her skin is of a pale brown, like the wood of a young tree, her hair are very long and voluminous, they cover her head like a hood, and are colored of a rich green as if made of blades of grass.
She wears a long green dress, covered in all kinds of leaves and moss and on her head is a crown of living plants that grow through her hairs.
Her mask is made from bark, carved and shaped to be simple and with almost no decorations, except for three ovals interlocking on it.
By definition all living creatures revere her, and she cares for them all, still among them she holds dearest those who tend to new life, like farmers and new parents, or mend hurts, like medics and nurses.
Mortis, known as the Father of Ghosts and the Last Friend is the creator of souls, he is associated mostly with death, but from him come also dreams and many things associated with spiritual matters.
His unmasked Aspect appears like a vast and vague shape of black shadow that causes terrible dread to the living, yet those with the courage to bear his sight claim that there is something in that darkness, something just beyond the reach of their mind that calls to them like a long lost parent would call their child.
His masked form is tall, taller than all the other Humans and very thin, his skin is gray and his hair and beard long and white.
He wears a long and simple dark gray robe that covers his whole body, with a hood over his head.
His mask is made of the blackest obsidian, yet on its surface are visible many small gems like stars in the night.
Despite his usual association with death, or perhaps exactly because of it, he is revered by many. His dominion is over the souls and all things that are spiritual and ethereal, including the realm of the mind and of the dreams, but he is also a fervent patron of the magic arts and scholarly knowledge, and he takes most in consideration both those who feel affinity to the spiritual, and those who seek knowledge and mastery of the arcane.
As previously declared, what here has been reported is what was known of certain about the Humans, and yet the wise declare that much more of them is still unknown, and will remain so until the end of the world, unless they bless with new knowledge the species that are foretold to arrive long after mine has perished (3).
Annotations
(1)The irony of the situation is not lost on me, as I am doing the exact same thing that this alicorn did so many years ago, save for the ‘ruin’ and ‘last of my kind’ parts… At least I hope so.
(2)By what i gathered from other fragments of information found in this palace I’d say it’s more complex that this, the Humans indeed are still ‘outside’, but also are ‘inside’ the universe, so in a way the ‘puppet’ and the ‘puppeteer’ are one and the same, perhaps a more apt comparison is how an actor is still himself and knows the script of the story that he’s playing in, but he is also the character within the story and with all its limitations.
To recap:
Primordial Aspects: the shape the Humans took while creating the universe at first, they are unfathomably big and terrible.
Unmasked Aspects: “diminished” to be similar to mortals, still too powerful to approach safely.
Masked Aspect: Same as before but wearing a Mask that lets them contain their power better to let any creature get close.
(3)Unfortunately no such blessing has arrived, and to date I am the first to know about this.