"Taking into account all the evidence at our disposal, an

enlightened person must remain open to the possibility

that other universes exist. The theory postulating that

some of the stars seen in the sky are worlds separated from

ours by time and space continues to gain more and more

proponents among sorcerers, scholars, and astrologers.

Though such deliberations are not viewed kindly by most

members of the clergy, the priests' protests should not stop

us researchers from trying to discover the truth. For just

as the shape of our sphera mundi has been proven beyond

all doubt, despite pressures from the priesthood, so may it

be that the correct answer here will be found again not in

religion, but in unbiased and unwavering Scholarship:'

Anonymous

It is said that ancient dwarven tales hold that the oldest inhabitants of this region of the world
were the gnomes. Others claim that there is circumstantial evidence that races such as vrans or the
nearly extinct werebbubbs also date back, many thousands of years. As you, dear reader,might
correctly surmise, it is therefore difficult to ascertain whether the gnomes truly were the first people to
dwell here. It is a known fact, however, that they had small colonies in the mountain reaches of
Mahakam and Tir Tochair that existed long before dwarves arrived in these lands,some three to four
thousand years ago.

What is certain, gnomes did not live in an empty world. Apart from wildlife in many different forms
and shapes on both land ,sea and air, some of the beings now known as relicts inhabited the world as
well as several sentient races. However it is difficult to discern how, when and from where those and
later races appeared. We know the event called the Conjuction of the spheres that happened some
1500 years ago brought to our world both monsters and humans but it cannot explain sudden
appearance of some prior races on the Continent such as dwarves and elves after the original gnomes.

Perhaps this phenomenon is periodical, with Conjunctions connecting many different worlds
happening in precise intervals, with levels of magic increasing and vaning with each age. There are
several facts that would point towards this theory. If so, then our task is to discern who were the first
sentient races, and in what order they appeared. For that task we have no choice but to turn to few
translations we have of Gnomish esoteric texts.

Though gnomes became increasingly atheistic and only culturaly religious as their expertise in
all sciences and alchemy grew over the millenia, long ago it was not the case. In fact their very wish to
understand and grasp the concept of creation of this world, it’s secrets and nature of divinity is what
drove their first philosophical, alchemical and later scientific advances. Of Creation there are many
myths among all races of our world and even more tales of gods, spirits and different entities but most
are fables of the younger races both alien to this world and relative newcomers. For who truly knows
how the world came to be, and it is not our goal to write a theological discourse. By citing mystic
Gnomish writings we intend to give reader a rough idea of Gnomish early beliefs and culture as well as
a broad picture of our world in those days of yore.

Ain Soph Aur

"Ten wordly elements, ten corner stones. All emerged from these ten. Seeker, lift your eyes,
search your past and you shall find.

He who knows your course holds Wisdom and will share it when asked.

Another has gained uncountable riches, yet has Compassion in his heart.

Your heart, in turn, does not harbor Love, but it is with one who knows mercy, one able to love.

Once blind, now plunge into your mind, your memory. Dark and dangerous is the path from
enslavement to the promised Kingdom.

A goddess thrice over — Virgin, Mother, Old Woman. Three faces, three graces: Understanding,
Power, Glory. Achievable through sacrifice and prayer.

The Foundation lies in the deep. Be not tempted by the errant fires. Defeat death and you will
be rewarded.

Victory is gained only by fighting its sentry.

He who leads through labyrinthine mysteries will offer you the Crown of consciousness.

At your path's end, Awareness will be yours, you will comprehend. What is locked will open
before you.

The ten names are: Wisdom — Chocc'mah, Understanding — Veen'ah, Love — Kezath,
Compassion — Tipperath, Power — Ghe'vrath, Victory — Neh'tza, Glory — 'Oth, Foundation — Y'esath,
Kingdom — Maal'kad, Crown — Keth'aar."

Sephirot — Kalkstein, the alchemist, describes them to Geralt thusly:

Alchemy contends there are ten elements of the Tree of Life — aspects of divinity we are
capable of knowing. [...] the Sephirot are the Words of Creation carved as symbols into ten stones. The
channels connecting them are the branches of the Tree of Life. There are ten Sephirot, divine Words of
Creation: Keth'aar — Crown, Chocc'mah — Wisdom, Veen'ah — Understanding, Kezath — Love,
Ghe'vrath — Power, Tipperath — Compassion, Neh'tza — Victory, 'Oth — Glory, Yesath — Foundation
and Maal'kad — Kingdom.

As we can see Gnomes most certainly believed in and mused about the nature of a divinity
they called Ain Soph, the Infinite, or Ain Soph Aur, roughly translated the Infinite (Endless) Light often
depicted as a crown (Keth’aar), a starting point in schematic of ten stones called sephirot arranged into
a Tree of Life. Gnomes believed the Tree of Life to be a diagrammatic representation of the process by
which the Universe came into being.
 Among the great early discoveries of Gnomish race is the science of alchemy and study of
matter. Gnomes divided all matter into basic and additional substances. The basic substances include
Vitriol, Rebis, Aether, Quebrith, Hydragenum and Vermilion. They are the basic building blocks of all
matter including bombs, oils and potions made using alchemy. Additional substances include Albedo,
Nigredo and Rubedo sometimes called Sol, Caelum and Fulgur by humans and are used to further
enhance. Inferior substances do not produce a chain of quasi-life structures, for their nature is
substandard in quality and they cannot exist independently. However, it has been proven that they are
paradoxically essential for the chain to exist in spite of their inferiority.

In later ages gnomish alchemy, technology and science advanced to such a level that under
influence of Dwarves they created weapons, buildings and constructs without peer among mortals
such as famed gwyhir swords and vast citadels extending into the depths of mountains. They left
behind them complex alchemical formulae, first standing stones called monoliths and as some
theorise, the first golems.

Of Fire and Stone

Sphera Mundi is divided into four Elemental Planes: the Plane of Earth, the Plane of Water, the
Plane of Air and the Plane of Fire. Earth and Water together form our Planet, around which circulates
Air. Above Air stretches the Aether - Fiery Air, or in short, Fire. Past Fire lie the Subtle Sidereal Heavens
known collectively as Firmamentum, which are of a spherical nature. That is where the Erratica Sydera,
drifting stars, and Fixa Sydera, fixed stars, reside.

The Elemental Planes are inhabited by creatures which can be summoned by use of magic. They
are: gnomes, sylphs, salamanders, and ondynates, all of which belong to the category commonly known
as elementa ("elementum" in the singular).

These writings of early alchemists derived from gnomish texts show, even at that stage they
had understandings of different planes and dimensions that exist in the universe. We should take note
of four species called „elementa“ (unlike elementals) that are listed here as gnomes, sylphs,
salamanders and ondynates with each being connected to an element and an elemental plain and
described as the "invisible, spiritual counterparts of visible Nature“. What is likelier regardless of
spiritual connection is the fact early gnomes connected each element to the race they knew about in
their oldest days.

The first of them are outright stated to be gnomes themselves and we can easily discern their
nature of beings native to the Plane of Earth. Even the term gnomes, supposedly means „earth
dwellers“ in gnomish, though dwarves and elves reffered to them as „deep ones“ and „knowing
ones“(Gnosis=knowledge). Identification of other 3 species specified while problematic, can give us
clue to the original 4 sapient races of the Continent.

After gnomes we have sylphs listed as inhabitants of the plain of Air. To this day it is unclear
what is exactly meant by term sylph. Common etymology says that it signifies „silvan nymph“, being
similar to Dana Meadbh worshipped by the elves, or that it comes from the progenitor species of
numerous other types of nymphs, naiads, hamadryads and after Conjuctions even of beings such as
sylvans and dryads. Text describes them as most humanlike among „elementa“, and thus some claim
they are progenitors of Elves as well.
 Next we have a race these ancient alchemists reffered to as salamanders. While beings we
currently call salamanders are small amphibians it is obvious they are not the ones reffered here since
all other elementa are sapient races. Of all the ancient peoples we know of this sounds the most like
the mysterious vrans, a race that arose in regions now known Korath desert, Fiery Mountains and
southern Haakland, spreading westward during Post-Conjuction period and establishing great cities
such as Loc Muinne. Even though they seem to have more of a reptillian nature, they should not be
excluded from the identification mainly because distinction between reptiles and amphibians in
archaic times was vague and irrelevant in esoteric symbolism. They are described as beings whose
sphere is fire and heat it causes once again fitting with probable origin of Vrans in the Korath desert
where ruins of a lost civilisation can be seen to this day.

Finally the fourth class of elementa were refered to as ondynates, or undines identified as
beings of water (unda meaning wave in the Old Tongue of humans). It is however debated whether
this referes to beings we now know as vodyanoi or are they beings more similar to naiads,nereids and
mermaids (some of which we now know are post Conjunction beings). Judging by doubtless antiquity
and once widespread civilisation of vodyanoi they seem more probable as one of the oldest if not the
oldest sentient race inhabiting this world.

SECOND AGE (working title)