Human First Empire

It seemed the night would never end during the war
with the Sar Trell. Before the appearance of Our Great
Emperor, Dessimbelackis, our legions were thrown
back on the field of battle, again and again. Our sons
and daughters wept blood on the green ground, and
the wagon-drums of the enemy came forth in thunder.
But no stains could hold upon our faith, and it shone
ever fierce, ever defiant. We drew our ranks tall,
overlapped shields polished and bright as the red sun,
and the one among us who was needed, who was
destined to grasp the splashed grip of the First Empire’s
truthful sword, gave his voice and his strength to lead
us in answer to the well-throated rumble of the Sar Trell
warcries, the stone-tremble of their wagon-drums.
Victory was destined, in the forge-lit eyes of He of
the Seven Holy cities, the fever-charge of his will,
and on that day, the Nineteenth in the Month of
Leth-ara in the Year of Arenbal, the Sar Trell army
was broken on the plain south of Yath-Ghatan, and
with their bones was laid the foundation, and with
their skulls the cobbles of Empire’s road . . .

The Dessilan
Vilara
MT, UK Trade, p.531

"The First Empire, from which vast fleets had sailed forth to map the world. The coasts of all six continents had been charted, eight hundred and eleven islands scattered in the vast oceans, ruins and riches discovered, ancient sorceries and fierce, ignorant tribes encountered. Other peoples, not human, all of whom bled easily enough. Barghast, Trell, Tartheno, Fenn, Mare, Jhag, Krinn, Jheck . . . Colonies had been established on foreign coasts. Wars and conquests, always conquests. Until . . . all was brought down, all was destroyed. The First Empire collapsed in upon itself. Beasts rose in the midst of its cities, a nightmare burgeoning like plague...The Emperor who was One was now Seven, and the Seven were scattered, lost in madness. The great cities burned. And people died in the millions."

MT, UK Trade, p.421

"Her daughter chose the Path of the Soletaken, a fraught journey, that. She was hardly unique, the twisted route was a popular alternative to Ascension. More...earthly, they claimed. And older, and that which was old was in high favour in the last days of the First Empire...It was understandable that Elders of the day sought to ease their children's chosen path. Sought to create a new version of the old, risk-laden one - for that had crumbled, weakened, was cancerous. Too many of the Empire's young were being lost - and never mind the wars to the west-'

- Heboric on the Human First Empire and Soletaken
DG, UK MMPB, p.514

"The final days - so long ago, now - had been chaotic. The ritual had unravelled, unexpectedly, unpredictably. Madness gripped the Soletaken. Madness splintered the more powerful of its kin, broke one into many, the burgeoning power wild, blood-hungry, birthing the D'ivers. The Empire was tearing itself apart...

I (Treach)was there at the end, one of the few survivors once the T'lan Imass were done with us. Brutal, merciful slaughter. They had no choice - I see that now, though none of us were prepared to forgive. Not then. The wounds were too fresh.

Gods, we tore a warren to pieces on that distant continent. Turned the eastlands into molten stone that cooked and became something that defied sorcery. The T'lan Imass sacrificed thousands to cut away the cancer we had become. It was the end, the end of all that promise, all that bright glory. The end of the First Empire. Hubris, to have claimed a name that rightly belonged to the T'lan Imass...

We fled, a handful of survivors. Ryllandaras...Messremb...'

MoI, UK MMPB, p.313-4

"Soletaken and D'ivers...The ritual unleashed powers that ran wild. Like a plague, shapeshifting claimed thousands, unwelcomed, no initiation - many went mad. Death filled the city, every street, every house. Families were torn apart by their own...All within but a handful of hours'

DG, UK MMPB, p.516-7

"The pool lay in the centre of a garden. Pale undergrowth carpeted the cracked flagstones on the footpath, white and pink leaves like shreds of flesh, colourless globes of some kind of fruit depending from vines wrapping stone columns and fossilized tree trunks. A garden thriving in darkness...Eyeless white fish darted in the pool, seeking shadows...Kulp: Is this fruit edible?...Heboric: It was when it was bright red, nine thousand years ago.'

DG, UK MMPB, p.518

"Alchemies that slowed ageing...Six, seven centuries for each citizen. The ritual killed them, yet the alchemies remained potent."

DG, UK MMPB, p.515

"(Felisin) reached trembling hands down, slipped them into the cool water. The sensation rushed through her like ecstacy...Heboric: 'Residue of alchemies...There will be...benefits to drinking this nectar."

DG, UK MMPB, p.518