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Lettre envoyée au sénateur impérial Ibiphan Dynix.

[Congress of Historians] Euphanyx Apotheps introduction

Euphanyx Apotheps
History has been at the heart of the works of the Imperial Academy since it was founded by sharükos Abylus the Learned.

For this congress I called upon eminent historians of the New Lands to intervene at my side. Chingi Te-Wuan, the Curator of Jen-Lai, and Salazar Caradini, the Royal Historian, do us the honor of representing their respective nations.
I chose the Dragon Quest as the theme for this conference.

As you know, the Great Dragon is a mythical creature mentioned in an ancient prophecy delivered by the Karavan to homins. Our people have always sought to unravel its mystery.
We are here to provide an inventory of this quest that has involved generations of Patriots until today.

For this purpose I ask you to give a warm welcome to Chingi Te-Wuan, the Curator of Jen-Laï, who will tell us about an infamous sect: the Great Dragon Cult.

She applauds Chingi Te-Wuan.

Chingi Te-Wuan Lecture

Chingi Te-Wuan
Kamia' ata! As Curator of the Jen-Laï Archives, I was brought to work on an amber cube about the history of the Great Dragon Cult.

Its author having been murdered by the cult in 2553, I started again from the works of the previous curator to restore the altered amber cube. It took time, but it was of importance to me to offer the Imperial Academy this work on the occasion of this Summit.

He hands Euphanyx Apotheps an amber cube.

Now, let's turn to the facts. What does this amber cube tell us?

The Great Dragon Cult is a sect that arose in the Desert of Ancient Lands in 2435, following the Fire of Coriolis. It almost disappeared a first time on the occasion of the First Great Swarming since the leaders of the cult did not flee it and all died praying to Fyrak, the Dragon, for him to spare them.

The fyrakists (followers of Fyrak) who had been able to reach the New Lands have then lived in Pyr before being banished from the Empire in 2504 by Dexton for having violently opposed conversions to the Ma-Duk Order. They were then welcomed in the Whitherings.

The division came between the fyrakist refugees of the Witherings in 2506 when Mabreka became Great Mask. The most fanatical went to Prime Roots. They would have took refuge in a town called Leron, which has since disappeared in a wildfire. It is in these depths that the Cult would have been re-founded by Aetis Mekops.

In the 2530s, ritual abductions and sacrifices took place all over the New Lands and were charged to the Grand Dragon Cult. Also, a small swarming plagued Pyr and some saw it as the work of the Cult.

Euphanyx Apotheps taught me that a book belonging to the Cult was discovered by the Empire: the Book of the Dragon. The author of the cube I restored suggests that this Book of the Dragon was written by Aetis Mekops himself.

Several times in History, it has been believed that the Great Dragon Cult has disappeared, but it has an unfortunate tendency to rise from its ashes. We must therefore assume that this sect still exists.

Euphanyx Apotheps
akep Chingi Te-Wuan. As for me, I would have a question: what happened to the Witherings' fyrakists?

Chingi Te-Wuan
The Fyrakist community of the Whiterings has now virtually disappeared. Some of them must have ended up converting to Kamism. It is known that others, such as the author of this book, have been victims of the Great Dragon Cult during the 2550s.

During my seventeen years of practice, I have not had any fyrakist assistant at the Jen-Laï Archives, unlike my predecessors. It is very likely that the past exactions of the Cult are responsible for the near-disappearance of moderate fyrakists...

Euphanyx Apotheps
I see. akep for these precisions.

Conte de Be'cauer Handan

Be'cauer Handan

L’enfant et le Dragon

Le peuple fyros a de tout temps été fasciné par le Grand Dragon, créature légendaire de pure destruction. Ceux qui savent en percevoir les manifestations et les combattre sont des êtres d'exception. L’histoire de l’un deux m’a été racontée lors de mon premier voyage vers le Désert Ardent. J’avais été aimablement accueilli par une petite tribu, et le soir, autour d’un feu, un vieux Fyros édenté a commencé à raconter un conte.
On nous a apporté de petits bouts de viande qui avaient du passer trop de temps sous le soleil du désert ; je n’osais pas y toucher et pour faire bonne figure, j’ai écouté avec toute mon attention en prenant des notes.

Lekos Daraan n'était qu'un enfant lorsqu'il a vu pour la première fois l'Incendiaire. Une vague de sécheresse s'était abattue sur le Désert Ardent. Un jour où ses jeux l'avaient entraîné hors de la surveillance de ses parents, Lekos perçut l'émanation d'une énergie puissante autour de lui. Il se trouvait alors à l'est de la Forêt Enflammée, dans un périmètre sécurisé par sa tribu. Alors qu'il cherchait ce qui pouvait bien provoquer cette sensation, les bothayas des alentours se mirent à rougeoyer d'étrange manière, délivrant progressivement l'Incendiaire de son entrave d'écorce.
Avant que l'enfant n'ait eu le temps de comprendre la menace et de se mettre à l’abri, les premières flammèches émergèrent d'un bothaya pour le prendre en chasse. Une voracité menaçante semblait animer le brasier naissant qui ne tarda pas à gagner en intensité tandis que l'odeur âcre émanant d'une fumerolle arrachait une quinte de toux au jeune fyros en déroute. Dans un souffle, le Dragon exhala une fumée sombre qui obscurcit la vision de l'enfant et acheva de le désorienter. Autour de lui, la combustion fulgurante des végétaux semblait mue par la volonté du Dragon dont les pas se mirent à résonner sur l’Écorce en de terrifiants craquements. Lekos sentit son cœur se serrer lorsqu'un zerx couvert de brûlures le renversa dans sa fuite éperdue. Sans parvenir à se relever, l'enfant se saisit d'une petite branche qu'il brandit vainement vers le sol, défiant courageusement le Grand Incendiaire. La sueur et la fumée qui piquait ses yeux l'aveuglaient et il crut un instant que le monstre du mythe était là, face à lui, s'apprêtant à le dévorer.
Des cris lui parvinrent soudain. Sa tribu luttait vaillamment contre les flammes. Une chaîne homine s’était formée depuis une citerne située à proximité. Des seaux d’eau s’abattaient en rythme tout autour du départ d’incendie, circonscrivant la menace dans un étau de sciure humide. Des mains puissantes se saisirent de Lekos et, avec un soupir de soulagement, son père le souleva pour le serrer contre lui. En ramenant son fils à leur campement, il lui révéla alors : « Ce que tu as vu, jamais tu ne dois l'oublier ! Souviens-toi que ta vigilance sera toujours ta meilleure arme car jamais Son feu ne faiblira. Un jour, à ton tour, tu seras chargé de veiller sur le sommeil du Dragon mais aujourd'hui tu viens d'apprendre ce que c'est que d'être un Veilleur. »

Levant les yeux de mon parchemin, j’ai croisé le regard malicieux du vieux Fyros. J’allais l’interroger lorsque nous avons été interrompus par deux enfants qui s’étaient assis devant moi pour profiter du conte. Le premier s’est écrié avec emphase : « Rooaar ! Je suis l’Incendiaire ! Je vais te dévorer ! » provoquant l’hilarité de son jeune camarade qui lui a répondu sur le même ton : « Même pas peur ! D’abord, j’ai des pouvoirs de Veilleur ! » Les deux enfants ont alors fait mine de se livrer un combat épique en mimant une joute avec force détails, tout en se poursuivant autour du feu de camp. Comme vous pouvez vous en douter, l’un d’eux n’a pas tardé à se brûler sur une petite branche qui dépassait malencontreusement du foyer. J’ai aussitôt sorti de mon sac un nécessaire de soins pour lui faire un bandage. Le garçon m’a adressé un sourire carnassier en me lançant en fyrk : « akep, atalmalos »*. Sans se départir de sa moue narquoise, mon ami conteur s’est levé en prenant soin d’étirer ses articulations avant de disperser son jeune public en s’écriant : « Allez zou ! Retournez vous amuser maintenant, mais n’oubliez pas : on ne joue pas avec le feu ! »

* Merci, tonton

Salazar Caradini’s Lecture

Euphanyx Apotheps
Since everything is back to normal, I now call Salazar Caradini, Royal Historian, to tell us about the place of the Dragon in the teaching of the Karavan.

She applauds Salazar Caradini.

Salazar Caradini
Deles silam esteemed colleagues! First, I would like to thank Euphanyx Apotheps and the Pyr Academy for the invitation to this Congress and the opportunity to contribute to it. It is much appreciated.

As Serae Euphanyx Apotheps said in her introduction to this congress, the existence of the Dragon was announced to homins by the Karavan. He is also called the Prince of Darkness because he had deprived hominkind of light until the Goddess returned it to them by locking the Dragon in the bowels of Atys.

According to the prophecy delivered by the Karavan, a day will come when the Dragon will wake up from his sleep to consume Atys and the Goddess will rescue Her followers by guiding them to a safe place.

The reason why the Karavan is suspicious of the Dragon quest is due to the Great Beast's ability to corrupt those who seek him.
This corruption is not only expressed in the blind fanaticism of the Great Dragon Cult, nec! The danger is that it may be wearing far more subtle finery.

Thus, a member of the Karavan had been sneakily corrupted by the Dragon. In 2481, Elias Tryton was one of Karavan's agents fighting against the Great Swarming, which was part of the Dragon's machinations. In order to save hominity from eradication, Elias supposedly agreed to a pact with the Dragon.

The power the Dragon granted him had the desired effect, but in turn it started corrupting Elias who began to wilfully weaken the Powers. He rose up as a false prophet - a real prophet in the eyes of some homins, whom he took to himself but he took them away from the light of the Goddess.

While his homin followers are probably not aware they serve the Great Incendiary's purposes, they do no other thing by undermining the established order and weakening Jena's forces before the day of judgment.

The Church of Light and the Karavan have always fought to protect hominity from the Dragon's threat and believe that the Guild of Elias, while probably having good intentions, is since then an integral part of this threat.

Indeed, in the unlikely event that Elias and his followers succeed in preventing the end of the prophecy from fulfilment, the Dragon's breath would obliterate us all and that would be the end of the hominity.

Intervention of an helmeted homin

Helmeted homin
The Dragon Quest is the manifestation of the Pillar of Truth. While this pillar may require us to depart from the dogmas of the Powers, at the risk of attracting their wrath, it is nonetheless essential to our culture. Let us be proud to be Fyros! Let us not be content with the false explanations of the Karavan or the Kamis, and let us pursue the quest, no matter what the sacrifices are!

The mystery of Leron's downfall must be solved. It is time for the secrets of the Empire's past to be unravelled!

Summoned to unveil his identity, the homin shows his face and it is Epus.
Epus is arrested by a guard. When leaving the room, he throws a last sentence:
 
Epus
If that is the price to pay for the Empire to take Truth up again,  I am ready for the ultimate sacrifice! And you, Euphanyx, would you be ready to do likewise?

Announcement

(*) [OOC] Time: Понедельник, 26 Февраля 2018 20:00:00 UTC (7 лет назад)[/OOC]

Lykos introduction

oren pyr, everyone,

I am very pleased with the success of the Summit organized by our Imperial Academy and the participation of eminent experts from a variety of backgrounds. Our four nations share the same thirst for knowledge and it is good to see the healthy emulation that arises from such gatherings.

The Imperial Academy has been reformed by me, and it is, from now on, up to the Patriots to appoint whoever takes the head of this institution. That is why the masters of the chambers of Discipline and Truth are now standing for election.

I would therefore ask you to welcome Messedos Syagrus and Euphanyx Apotheps.

Messedos Syagrus

oren pyr,

Building on my years of practice as Master of the Chamber of Discipline, I intend to lead the Academy toward an era of innovation.

Our institution must provide our people with the technical means to continue building the sharùk of tomorrow for the future generations.

Euphanyx Apotheps

oren pyr,

My experience as an Imperial Archivist qualifies me to lead the Academy in the search for the mysteries that lie within our people's past and more generally to continue to deepen our understanding of Atys and its natural laws.

Lykos

akep to the candidates for their presentation. Now, may the Patriots wishing to participate in the vote prepare their ballot paper then line in front of me and present me with a document attesting to their citizenship.

When your turn comes, please give me your ballot. Only ballot papers mentioning one of the two candidates will be taken into account.

He recounts the ballots.

I have the honour of announcing that the new Chancellor of the Imperial Academy is: Euphanyx Apotheps!

Lykos Conclusion

Let us now turn to the first task that will fall to the Chancellor, because it is important. It follows the annoying incident which took place during the Congress of History.

Epus' involvement in a wide-ranging conspiracy against me and the fact that he violated the terms of the judgment the sharùk put on him should not obscure our judgment on the matter of his recent address.

I have therefore decided to entrust the Academy of Pyr and its new Chancellor to shed light on the causes of the demise of the city of Leron and to discover the secrets hidden in the ruins of this city.

The flame of Truth will enlighten this little-known part of our collective history, such is my will and that of the Empire!

sharùk pyrèkud!

But for now, the time has come to properly close this Academic Summit! I therefore call our Master Pyrotechnician, Plerilus Mecus, for him to exert his art for us.