I will be the first to admit that I consider myself to be a man of facts. When I started writing this chronicle, it was with the clear intent of providing my readers with the true history of our world and those who live within it. As such, I wrestled with myself many a time over whether or not to include what I'm about to write about. But, while the following tales are highly unlikely, they are, nevertheless, vital to our culture and heritage. As such, though my logical mind may hate me for it, I will now take some time to discuss the dawn age.

From the time we are old enough to listen, our Mothers, Fathers and elders will have told all of us of this mythic time. Supposedly, it was the first era, a time of legendary figures, great powers and extraordinary events that not only created the world, but also shaped it into what would become the world we inherit today. Nobody truly knows when the dawn age began, though most learned individuals, and I use that term loosely, tend to agree that it was approximately ten thousand years ago.

To their credit, our people were supposedly not a literate group during that period, and as such, it is unlikely we will ever know what truly transpired in those far-off days. The dawn age is often heralded as being the birth-time of many of the great heroes and figures of our history. The sun-maker, the mythic progenitor of House Solaris, was from this time, creating the sun from his or her magic and bringing light to the world. But, we have already spoken of this figure elsewhere, so we need not repeat it here.

But, the sun-bringer was far from being the only revered individual of this time. Tales are about of those with magic that dwarf what todays mages are capable of. Stories of those who could fly through the air, like birds. There are even stories of those who could perform feats so extraordinary that, to my eternal frustration, they could not even describe them. These are fanciful tales, and have been a delight to children for countless generations. And while my adult years will always afford me a raised eyebrow to them when I hear tell of them, I cannot deny that, in my youth, I often took a great delight in hearing my own elders regale me with such stories.

But, not all stories have been of a pleasant nature in this mythic dawn age. For our tales also speak of darker figures. Individuals or groups that were neither pleasant, nor heroic, but of a more malicious and destructive bent. There are stories of the mad god of chaos, who sought to turn the world just as insane as he was, turning up into down and making day into night. The world, supposedly, was twisted into a mockery of itself by this individual before his eventual fall, and this undoubtedly serves as a parable on the importance of harmony and order over base anarchy.

There are tales also of the "Queen of many faces", who, as her name would suggest, could alter her appearance at will, to the point where even the most astute could not tell the difference between her and their own loved ones. Supposedly, this figure was a temptress, a seductress, who used her powers to lure in individuals, man and woman alike. What she did with them, nobody could say, only that, sadly, they never returned once she set her sights on them. If such a power truly existed, it has never before been observed in the years since, and thank the Light for that.

Also, there is the tale of the "devourer of magic", a figure who scorned all mortal peoples and wanted nothing more than their obliteration. A far cry from the subtlety of the aforementioned Queen, this great destroyer was exactly that, one who sought to tear down all around him. His title, as one can probably already guess, suggested an ability to steal the magic and energies of those he encountered, making him an almost-impossible foe to vanquish. And yet, vanquished he was, driven down into the depths of that terrible realm of Tartarus, which shall be discussed in greater detail in other chapters.

But the oldest stories hear tell of a yet worse figure. No name is given, no description and no title, such as Lord, was ever conjured, yet this figure appears in several of our most ancient tales. To the people of those past eras, it was simply known as "the darkness". According to legend, it was a force beyond imagining, covering the world in shadow, threatening to consume all life within it. But, in the end, it was vanquished, by mythic artefacts known as the Elements of Harmony.

These Elements, crafted by the great smiths of the time, were said to be the most powerful objects ever created. Magical on a scale we cannot even comprehend today. Using their power, the darkness was driven off, and a new era of peace and prosperity was ushered in. A simple story, it must be said, and yet, not without merit. Some have speculated that the darkness in the story is the very one banished by the sun-maker. Others have disagreed, saying it may be unrelated. Others have said that the sun-maker's true creation was not the sun of their name, but the Elements.

As for the darkness referred to in the story? It might have been some ancient mage, corrupted by their own power. Or perhaps it was a vast army, bent on world domination. We cannot know for certain, and we probably never will. So, for now, such tales, like all others, must remain the realm of conjecture only.

But then, such is the nature of the dawn age and all of the stories related to it. They are incredible, fanciful and, to many a child, a wonder to behold. But, as I'm sure many of you will agree, they are not to be taken seriously. They have played their part in shaping our culture, and for that, we are indebted and grateful. But to take them any more seriously than that is, surely, folly.