Literature

Literature exists in both Xadia and the Human Kingdoms. Valuable and ancient documents record the history of both sides of the continent and are often kept in great libraries, such as the library of Katolis, the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea, and the Royal Library of Evenere.

Books and Scrolls

A Short History of Giants

A Short History of Giants is a beige book kept inside the library of Katolis that covers the history of giant humanoids such as Stone Giants.

Chronicles of Elarion

The Chronicles of Elarion is a thick, red book bordered in gold plating that chronicles the history of Elarion. Stories, tales, and poems are written in the book. It is currently owned by Vinaya.

Dark Magic Spellbook

The spellbook holding the secrets of dark magic is a thick, dark purple book with a cover featuring the six Primal Sources surrounding the symbol of dark magic. It contains several spells and instructions on ingredients needed to cast dark magic. It was originally kept by Viren and is currently owned by Claudia.

Lost Secrets of Xadia

Lost Secrets of Xadia is a book written by the elven professor Delilah Giehl. It is a thick book with a red cover featuring the title and author. The book is kept inside the library of Katolis, and includes a page about the Startouch Elf Aaravos. However, upon reading the page, it becomes distorted.

• Translated
• Untranslated

"Finally he told me his name. I had never heard a name like his, but I had also never imagined an elf like him. He is stronger, older, and wiser than any other magical creature in Xadia. Despite that, he is a friend to all humans. Where others look down on us, call us inferior, he sees great potential in us. When we accept the gifts that Aaravos has promised us, they will pay for their conceitedness, they will be forced to see us as equals. And when we are equals, we can take our fate into our own hands and build our future. I see it before me in my dreams, a grand, glorious city, the pride of all of humanity. A place where we are no longer forced to hide, frostbitten and frightened, from the prejudices of elves and dragons. A place that can stand against any abuse/assault, and stand in the history of mankind for generations. It will not be easy, but with help from our benefactor..."

"Endelig fortalte han mig sit navn. Jeg havde aldrig hørt et navn som hans, men jeg havde heller aldrig forestillet mig en elver som ham. Han er stærkere, ældre og visere end noget andet magisk væsen i Xadia. Alligevel er han en ven for alle mennesker. Hvor andre ser ned på os, kalder os underlegen, ser han stort potentiale i os. Når vi tager imod foræringerne Aaravos har lovet os, skal de betale for deres indbildskhed de vil være tvunget til at se os som ligeværdige. Og når vi er ligeværdige kan vi tage vores skæbne i egne hænder og bygge vores fremtid. Jeg ser det for mig i mine drømme – en storslået glorværdig by, hele menneskelighedens stolthet. Et sted hvor vi ikke længere vil være nødsaget til at gemme os, forfrossen og bange, før elvernes og dragernes fordomme. Et sted, der kan stå emod ethvert overgreb, og stå i menneskelighedens historie for generationer. Det bliver ikke let, men med hjælp fra vores velgører..."

Love Amongst the Dragons

Love Amongst the Dragons is a romance book and a favorite of Claudia. It is a blue book with golden writing on its cover. The story revolves around a Dragon Emperor who is cursed by a Dark Water Spirit to live in mortal human form.

Poetica Cosmica

One of the books in the library room in Aaravos's prison.

Realms Beyond Time

One of the books in the library room in Aaravos's prison.

Scrolls of the First Elves

The Scrolls of the First Elves are scrolls containing opaque information about Startouch Elves. They are kept in the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea.

The Four Ancient Gifts

One of the books in the library room in Aaravos's prison.

The King with 1,000 Eyes

The King with 1,000 Eyes is a book Amaya reads to Janai. It is a story originating from Katolis about a king whose trusted advisor betrayed him, much like Miyana did to Janai. Slowly, the king started doubting everyone around him and had them spy on one another, making them lose trust in each other. His kingdom became strangled by paranoia and chaos. In the end his fear became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and he was abandoned by everyone before dying alone. Later, Janai mentions to Amaya that she left out a part of the story; the king's true love had stayed by his side, but he lost trust in her too and banished her.

Tome of Translation

The Tome of Translation is a book originating from Xadia that contains a translation of native runes into the common word. It was discovered in Xadia by Amaya and sent to Callum so he could attempt to use it to decipher the runes engraved into the frame of the magic mirror that acts a window to Aaravos's prison. When the reader of the book writes a rune on one of the blank pages, the book will immediately translate the rune on the blank page next to it.

Unlabeled Book

Another unlabeled book makes mention of Aaravos.

• Translated
• Untranslated

Of all Primal Sources, the Stars are the most mysterious. No other creatures except Startouch Elves have understood the Star arcanum and, unlike other primal sources, human mages have exhausted themselves by just trying to express the concept in words. The study of the stars is made more difficult by the scarcity of magical creatures connected to the stars. The only known creatures connected to the stars are the mysterious Startouch Elves and the rare, fascinating unicorns. Dark mages have tried to hunt the unicorns to better understand their power, but their stellar magic and their devious cunning make them almost impossible to hunt. As for Startouch Elves, there is very little trace of their existence in Xadian literature. They seem evasive, inscrutable, distant from the rest of elvish society. No Startouch Elf has ever been seen by humans - except one. Known by many names in ancient stories - "The Fallen Star", the last of the Great Ones, the bearer of gifts. But his real name was Aaravos. Words mentioning his name have been truncated since the time of the great schism, although there are disagreements about his role in historical events. Some describe him as a beneficent figure, an ally of humanity, willing to share his great magical power with those who needed it the most. Other portray him as...

"Delle sei Sorgenti Primitive, le stelle sono le più misteriose. Nessun'altra creatura al di fuori degli elfi Toccodistella ha compreso l'arcano delle stelle, e, a differenza delle altre sorgenti primitive, i maghi umani hanno faticato anche solo ad esprimerne il concetto a parole. Lo studio delle stelle è reso più difficile dalla scarsità di creature magiche collegate alle stelle. Le uniche creature delle stelle note sono i misteriosi elfi Toccodistella e i rari, affascinanti unicorni. I maghi oscuri hanno cercato di dare la caccia agli unicorni per capire meglio il loro potere, ma la loro magia stellare e la loro subola astuzia li rende quasi impossibili da cacciare. Per quanto riguarda gli elfi Toccodistella, è rimasta ben poca traccia della loro esistenza nella letteratura Xadian, sembrano evasivi, inscrutabili, distanti dal resto della società elfica. Nessun elfo Toccodistella è mai stato visto da esseri umani - eccetto uno. Conosciuto con molti nomi nelle storie antiche - la stella caduta, l'ultimo dei grandi, il portatore di doni, ma il suo vero nome era Aaravos. Testi che menzionano il suo nome sono stati trovati dai tempi del grande scisma, anche se i racconti sono in disaccordo riguardo il suo ruolo negli eventi storici. Alcuni lo dipingono come una figura benefica, un alleato dell'umanità disposto a condividere il suo grande potere magico con coloro che ne avevano bisogno, altri lo ritraggono come..."

Poems

Midnight Star

Midnight Star is a poem describing the rise and downfall of Elarion. It is one of the poems kept inside the library of Katolis and will distort upon attempting to read it.

“

Elarion, trembling seed, lay down to earth in icy night, and in the cold her roots took hold defying winter’s deathly bite. Elarion, fading bloom, afraid to wilt and dim and die, she searched the dark for but a spark and caught the dragons' hungry eye. Elarion, frightened waif, reached bone-white branches to the night, the stars she asked their light to cast and stop the dragons' fiery might. Elarion, unworthy whelp, Wept as the stars turned black the sky, They donned their masks They turned their backs, And left Elarion to die. Elarion, dying husk, did wilt and whimper in the dark, 'till the last star Reached from afar His touch: a blaze, a gift, a spark. Elarion, searing white, Embraced the great one’s night-black flame. And when she bowed, Her faith avowed, He whispered, "Aaravos," his name. Elarion, black-eyed child, her twisted roots spread deep and far, The humans' might sparked by the light of Aaravos, her midnight star.

”

The Death of the Immortal

The Death of the Immortal is a poem that describes the demise of the Startouch Elf Laurelion. It is one of the poems kept inside the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea.

“

…and though undying, took last breath, immortal Laurelion was no more. …White as the star's heart it pierced, ivory draconic brought death's bite, known everforth as Nova Blade.

”

The Epic of the Void

The Epic of the Void is the only source on Startouch Elves inside the Human Kingdoms and was written by an unknown poet. It is a century-old document that even predates even the fall of Elarion. It is kept behind a locked door inside the Royal Library of Evenere and guarded by a gleaming Ocean rune. Those who wish to study it need approval from the strict High Mage of Evenere, who turns away most scholars to preserve Startouch scholarship. Only one stanza has been shared:

“

Where do the fabled Great Ones hide? What secrets have you locked inside? From rising Sun to Moonlight's grace I search the Sky for any trace Of Starfolk, fabled, fallen, found Once everywhere, now none around. Is all we are to know of thee Consumed by Dark, or cast to Sea? So bound to Earth, are we denied The touch of Stars? Have our Gods died? Where do the fabled Great Ones hide?

”

Songs

The Dark-Eyed Sailor

The Dark-Eyed Sailor is a sea shanty that is primarily sung by Finnegrin and his crew on Sea Legs.

“

Woe to the man, the dark-eyed sailor Ship's adrift and the sea's his jailor Drag him down, Down, down, down, Down in the wicked depths below Lost at sea, the sailor cried: I will not drown, and I will not die! The ocean's rule I dare defy: The sea shall bow to me! Woe to the man, the dark-eyed sailor Ship's adrift and the sea's his jailor Drag him down, Down, down, down, Down in the wicked depths below The fog pressed in, the ice did freeze The sails caught nary a whisper'd breeze But to his pride the sailor seized: The sea shall bow to me! Woe to the man, the dark-eyed sailor Ship's adrift and the sea's his jailor Drag him down, Down, down, down, Down to the depths below! The ship it sank, its hull full tore, The sailor he could swim no more -— But even as he drowned, he swore The sea shall bow to me! Woe to the man, the dark-eyed sailor Ship's adrift and the sea's his jailor Drag him down, Down, down, down Down to the depths Drown in the depths Down in the wicked depths below

”

Unnamed Lullaby

An unnamed lullaby is primarily sung by Rayla to soothe others.

“

Though the sky is dark tonight I still shine for you, my dear The moon is more than just her light I am near, my love is here Though you feel so much alone Oh, my darling, do not fear Hold to what you've always known I am near, my love is here Though my face cannot be seen The answer in your heart is clear I am the moon, the silver queen I am near, my love is here

”

Trivia

• "Love Amongst the Dragons" is a reference to the fictional play of the same name featured in the Avatar: The Last Airbender, a television show Aaron Ehasz worked on previously as a writer and co-executive. This reference was deliberately put in as a nod to fans of the show.