This page details the major events in the history of Reverie and the Tapestry.
As ancient as Reverie itself were the Pristines. Inextricably a part of history, these ancient and powerful gods were those which created and kept the world, even before we were born into it.
The Pristines did not create time, although time was not created before the Pristines. The Pristines did not create space, although space was not created before the Pristines. The Pristines did not create life, although life was not created before the Pristines. The Pristines did not create death, although death was not created before the Pristines. The Pristines did not create everything, although not everything was created before the Pristines.
The Pristines spoke to one another on the future of these components of everything, which were not created before the Pristines, and also were not created after the Pristines, for time and Iktuk, of the Pristines, had yet to become unified.
In a time before we inscribed our history on stone plates, there were the Pristines. These flawless beings were our gods, mighty as they guided us through our fledgling past.
In the first of years, the world was chaotic, shaped by the dark whims of the Other. Continents rose from the swelling magmatic depths, and fell back to the depths to swallow it once more. The celestial bodies, the stars, and the moons, and the light, and the darkness played to the fancies of these foreign laws. All was eternally shifting, the fabric of reality tormented by the impulses of those Other which rested beyond.
With the passing of seven months, so also it came to pass that the Pristines glimpsed the world, drawn to it by their consonant energies, and gathered there at the flowing maw of fire, which they called the Boiling Flotsam, to discuss its fate. And it was called the First Glimpse of Eternity. Each in turn spoke their part, and each in turn voiced their disagreements. After a time, it became clear that the destiny of the Boiling Flotsam was not to be expeditiously decided, and the Pristines, like the chaotic mass below them, broke and met again, and once more, and yet again. They met and broke seven times in total, at times they appointed for themselves.
It was after the passing of another seven months that it was made clear that many of the Pristines doubted the future and promise of their world. With each meeting, it came to pass that Iktuk of Forgery, Wynx of the Stars, Ryleen of Choice, Iro of Thought, Mori of Silence, Unun of Protection, and Tonu of the Belt each spoke the ancient binding words which would eternally separate their fates from that of the Boiling Flotsam. Never again would they glimpse the world the other Pristines sought to soothe and amplify. And it was by the responsibility for this curse of eternal separation that Iktuk became the Pristine of Death, Forgery, and Time, for she once faced eternity alone. So it came to pass that the Seven of the Tapestry were formed, for these Pristines would forever live in the far reaches of the Tapestry, guiding without presence.
Yet with their seventh loss so also came a sevenfold blessing upon each of the Pristines whose energies yet flowed to the Boiling Flotsam. Rakto of Love, Rimnon of Control, Zeph of Blood, Aeron of Sustenance, Hilov of Truth, Oromo of Light, and Piran of Sound glimpsed into the heart of the Boiling Flotsam, knowing its true secrets and its most excellent potential. And it was called the Second Glimpse of Eternity.
And at that time, even moments after their seventh peer had left, they were emboldened by their new perfect knowledge; and each in turn spoke the ancient binding words which would eternally tie their fates to that of the Boiling Flotsam. And it was by leading this knowledge and this control of the roiling fire of the Boiling Flotsam that Rimnon became the Pristine of Knowledge, Fire, and Control. So it came to pass that the Boiling Flotsam was given the name Reverie, for they beheld its truth, and were in awe; and so it came to pass that the Seven of Reverie were formed, for these Pristines would forever be responsible for its fate; and, by their bindings, those who knew Reverie intimately would so know them.
And over the seven months following the binding of the Seven of Reverie to what was once the Boiling Flotsam, it came to pass that its raging surface became mild, its tumultuous landscape surfaced and stilled, its deadly liquid rock subsided, and its chaotic echoes grew faint. By the will of Aeron, the surface of Reverie was coated with life-giving water. And it was by this act of will to prepare the world for the spread of creatures that Aeron became the Pristine of Fertility, Water, and Sustenance.
So it came to pass that Reverie became habitable and the gaze of the unknowable Other was diminished.
After the first one and score months of Reverie's existence, the fourteen Pristines gathered in the Tapestry to discuss Reverie's fate. Though the Seven of the Tapestry had sworn never to directly interfere with the world of Reverie, it was still possible to sow seeds of great power if done from a distance. So it came to pass that Unun swore a two-part eternal oath, such that Reverie would blossom with life by her power and too that she would forever guard that life from the unknowable foreign Other. And it was by this sworn eternal oath that Unun became the Pristine of the Voids, Protection and Life. And Unun set off for the far reaches of the Tapestry to architect her defense against the infinite emptiness beyond.
And so life grew apart from the Pristine of Life. Yet life was never without death, and though Iktuk of Death could touch those who died, she was truly responsible for the keeping of time. At this, Wynx stepped up to her star-studded throne and promised to keep safe all who Iktuk delivered to her. And it was by this promise to safeguard those who had even just begun to fall and provide them with an eternity among the stars that Wynx became the Pristine of the Dead, the Stars, and Hope. In step with the star-child Wynx, Ryleen eyed the stars of Reverie and chose to manifest her will over the balance of space and fate. And it was by this keeping of Reverie, its suns, and the Tapestry that Ryleen became the Pristine of Choice, Fortune, and the Suns.
Yet life and death were only the beginning and end of the newcomers to Reverie. So also was there growth, injury, and disease. To the first of these ends, Zeph promised strength in youth. To the last, Zeph promised to guard the infirm from the worst of pains. And it was by these promises that Zeph became the Pristine of Disease, Blood, and Youth. Yet of the remaining, Oromo stepped in to ensure all injuries and losses were impermanent, and too that the growth of youth was not to be disturbed, nor rattled, but unyielding. And it was by this assurance of impermanence and improvement that Oromo became the Pristine of Change, Bone, and Light.
Though life itself was guarded by the Pristines, the surface of Reverie lacked vitality. At this, Piran praised the contours of the land, and swore to shape the mountains and hills and the land itself to serve all manner of creations and movements. And it was by this powerful extensive work that Piran became the Pristine of Mountains, Earth, and Sound. Yet Hilov regarded the vast oceans of Reverie and the vast expanses of sky, and she brought motion to the seas with lunar tides, and dynamics to the air with wind currents. And it was by this work of currents and motion, in trust that one day it would foster the sharing of language, that Hilov became the Pristine of the Seas, Wind, and Truth.
With this, Reverie began to present a sampling of creatures. Yet these creatures were sickly and mundane, lacking in the power of the Pristines. For this, Rakto brought his passion to bear, stirring up the winds and the mountains to produce iron of war and storms of destruction. And it was by this ardour that Rakto became the Pristine of Iron, Storms, and Love. Yet also it became clear that passion deserved temperance, and from the Tapestry's Belt, Tonu devised the first codices of ruling that Reverie would see. And it was by these regulations and patterns of interaction that Tonu became the Pristine of Wealth, Law, and the Belt.
In the final weeks of the shaping of Reverie, it was determined that the ambitions of the Pristines would come to pass. The siblings Iro and Mori worked together to direct the suns, but kept their distance from Reverie, instead managing its safety against the perils of the Tapestry. Iro chose to take matters into her own hands, leaving her handiwork to be discovered. And it was by these reflective, targeted strikes, illuminated by the dawn, that Iro became the Pristine of the Dawn, Thought, and Blades. Mori directed activity at a far higher level, organising paths appearing mighty which lead to nowhere. And it was by this deceptive guidance to the end that Mori became the Pristine of the Dusk, Silence, and Roads.
So begins the tale of the Pristine Age.
So it was that the thirteen Pristines (all save Unun, for the Pristine of the Voids had left to protect against the infinite Other) inherited all secrets.
In a moment, the course of Reverie's history changed. Over the next short era, the power shifted from our ancient Pristines to a new pantheon of gods. We called these gods the Arbiters, for so also did they call themselves.
As the Perfect War ended, the Arbiters looked on Reverie. The world now theirs, they called it imperfect. Life struggled and was weak; yet the Arbiters believed it should flourish and represent the truth of Power.
Arbiter Destiny looked on Reverie, and proclaimed that there would be a new Life. She sung the words of prophecy, soon to be fulfilled, in every tongue; and not only in those languages which were, but those which had come and gone, and also those which had yet to be, and also those which would never become. And the words of Arbiter Destiny echoed across all of Reverie, in every tongue, in those languages which were, and those languages which had been, and those languages which would be, and in those languages which would never be: "Life will be perfected."
Arbiter Freedom looked on Reverie, and spoke to her fellow Arbiters, describing what she saw in Reverie. She said, "Life is imperfect, for it does not move in perfection. The heart of the world beats with the heat of magma, yet the hearts of the living beat with living death." These words she spoke, referring to that energy which possessed Reverie. These words she spoke, referring to the sicknesses and the self-destructive life which possessed those living in Reverie. And she said, "We must make the life of Reverie move with perfection." And the words settled in the air like rays of light.
Arbiter Power looked on Reverie, and knew that the words which Arbiter Freedom spoke were holy and true. She said, "I will perfect Life." And so Arbiter Power began the most perfect task, and she worked for thirty days and thirty nights, and her skin became wet with exertion. And Arbiter Power withdrew from her work, and displayed the result of her craft, displaying a perfect body; and she called it vim, for it was a perfect heart and a perfect energy. And the Arbiters respected the masterpiece of Arbiter Power, and deferred their judgement, which had before never happened nor has ever happened since; for Arbiter Power has only once named any thing perfect, and they respected Arbiter Power's knowledge of perfection.
Arbiter Discovery looked on Reverie, and knew that it was time to infuse the power of knowledge into Reverie. She looked into the heart of Reverie, with its iron and its magma and its churning, and knew that it was meant for her use. And she took the essence of the perfected body which Arbiter Power had toiled for thirty days and thirty nights to create, in which her skin had become wet with exertion, and she tied its frail remnant of a soul to the celestial force which was Reverie itself. And she looked into the core of Reverie, and she channelled herself into the core of Reverie, and she called it brio, for it was a perfect spirit, as it was the essence of the Arbiters themselves. And the Arbiters respected Arbiter Discovery, for they knew they were perfect, and so also must be this spirit. And she said, "I have found the perfect Life."
Arbiter Order looked on Reverie, and recognised that the perfection of the Arbiters was not spread unto the world yet. And she said, "I will apply our perfect Life to Reverie." And so she sent her subjects, the Order-Keepers, and they swept across Reverie, and they took the life of that which lived, and they patterned it after the perfect Life made of vim and brio. And the bones of the living cracked, and the hearts of the living were stopped, and they were reshaped into a new state of order, as this was the gift of the Arbiters. And Arbiter Order called them the Complete, for they were made of all the gifts which the Arbiters had to bestow.
So it was that the intensification came about.