WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0009 0009
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Chapter 1: ONE WORLD AMONG MANY
flexive (not a sentient) response to hopefully slough off this
wakefulness and return to its preferred eternal slumber.
This reaction arbitrarily afflicted such magical offenders in
many ways, from the subtle to the obvious.
Stranger still than wizards and priests were those
whose minds twisted the fabric of reality by sheer will
alone. These mind benders, or sarhaks, frightened the
established wielders of magic, who feared the unseen
limits of such minds. An initiate youth with a finely honed mind could challenge or even conquer the
strength of a wizard despite a lifetime of laborious research and study. Jealous mages and priests became allies in a pact, directing their influence against the mind
benders. Where possible, they subdued them directly
and discreetly. More often, they used subtle rumors to
poison the minds of the common people against them,
painting sarhaks as grave harbingers of pestilence, famine or worse.
The Ages of Khitus
The Barbarian Age - Prehistory to 2,000 years ago
Primitive tribes appear and wander the face of Khitus,
a time of wars and chaos, and migrations.
The Classic Age - 2,000 to 1,000 years ago
The rise of nations and city states, watched over by
the beneficent Dragon Kings, a time of grace, plenty,
and justice.
The Age of City States - 1,000 to 200 years ago
The gradual, inexplicable retreat of the Dragon
Kings, leaving power in the hands of jealous and
ambitious mortals, also called the Age of Decline.
The Age of Despots - 200 years ago to today
The Dragon Kings are completely absent, foul rulers
pursue their own greed. Cold Skins and Krikis are ascendant, and the world is being mercilessly plundered.
Ancient Gods
Primitive Khitans worshipped several savage, animalistic gods who strode like titans across the face of the world.
The gods offered no delicate exchange of philosophies or
any pretense of guidance through life’s difficult struggles. Their compact with mortals was simple and direct.
Give us your unquestioned worship in exchange for protection—protection from the young world’s harsh climactic changes; protection from the other savage tribes; and
most importantly, protection from the gods’ own wrath
that would be forthcoming without the expected worship.
These early religions were purely rituals of obedience and
fear as straightforward and brutal as Khitus itself.
The Barbarian Age was a time when the priests in their
stone temples held ultimate authority over the tribes. The
gods granted their priests spells and powers as a means
of keeping order and further instilling obedience within
the flocks. Clergy demanded and accepted nothing less
than total supplication, enforcing it with terrible magical
retribution. Dark magical craft streamed from their deep
warrens to waft out over the villages like a smoky veil.
Ultimately, the savagery of the priestly lawgivers over
oppressed human tribes caused many to defy their au-
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