Storybook - Expedition to Reshanta

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The Unknown Abyss: A Tale of the Elyos.


- Amunderr


Where does one begin?


Modern Daevas never think of going to battle without a Kisk, but there was a time when Valorous Daevas cut through the pitch black darkness of the Abyss like shining beacons of light, risking Vanishment for Elysea, for their loved ones, and for their honour.


My tale is about those heroes who lived such a life, or disappeared in such a way.



I, Amunderr, ascended during a time of dark discovery, when Abysses appeared and disappeared without warning. Brave explorers related frightening dangers within. Daevas were trapped on the wrong side when Abysses disappeared.


One abyss seemed different: Reshanta.


While Reshanta's persistence led us to surmise it was a permanent Abyss, only the bravest would venture there. So many Abysses had closed themselves off so suddenly, we feared Reshanta might do the same.


However, with the discovery of abundant Aether and resources there, the exploration and development of Reshanta got underway in earnest.



Many expeditions left for Reshanta, and I was in one of them. As a Daeva of Geography, I was to locate suitable land to construct a safe fortress for the Elyos in Reshanta.


But I also had a personal goal--to complete the map left behind by my teacher, Illdena. My decision to join an expeditionary squad was partly due to her influence.


Illdena was a distinguished Daeva of Geography. While she had absolutely no talent for combat, her passion for the new world was great, and she spent much of her time exploring and mapping Abysses.



After several trips to Reshanta, Illdena decided to concentrate on making the definitive map of that region.


She was near to completing her map and brimming with enthusiasm as she departed on her last expedition. We never saw her again.


Within a year of her disappearance, I left for Reshanta with a copy of Illdena's incomplete map of Reshanta placed carefully inside my Cube.


Every night I would throw some logs onto the fire, unroll the map to pore over it again and again, and pray silently before I went to sleep--"Illdena, if you are somewhere in the Abyss, please lend me your strength."



My colleagues and I had explored smaller, more mobile Abysses, but the scope of the Reshanta mission was new to all of us, and none had any detailed knowledge of the area.


What we did have was information obtained through the sacrifices of those who went before us. Our expedition relied heavily on Illdena's map, but it provided only rough sketches and approximate locations.


The map Illdena had sacrificed her eternal life to make was sadly incomplete. But each night I vowed anew: "I will complete the work Illdena could not see through to the end."




The Elyos weren't the only ones who pioneered into Reshanta. While crossing a barren wasteland covered with the remains of spirits and Balaur, we discovered several long-dead bodies.


Remnants of grey manes and black feathers told us these had been Asmodians. We found broken exploration equipment nearby, and a small notebook filled with writing we could not read.


But we could not feel joy for our enemies' misfortune--this could easily be our fate as well. We buried the Asmodian corpses in the sandy soil and left the notebook on the mound.



We walked lands smouldering in flames and infested by ghosts. We left our footprints on lands poisoned by the venom of the Balaur. To conserve our strength, we did not spread our wings unless it was absolutely necessary.


Food and water ran out too soon. Bandages, potions and magical items were gone even sooner. We'd lost contact with the supply group almost as soon as they'd entered Reshanta.


When there was no longer a choice, we were forced to hunt alien Abyss creatures for food.



Sustained by our faith in Aion, we continued to explore. We came in time to the ruins of a vast city of incredible scale, with relics similar to those unearthed in the ancient ruins at Heiron.


One of our party was an archaeologist, and his first sight of that city brought the first smile I'd seen on his face. But too soon we had to leave once again to complete our mission.


The archaeologist agonized over his decision, but decided to stay behind. Researching that place, he said, was something he could spend a lifetime on. We left him behind in the ruins.




We were exhausted and hungry, and only half our number remained alive. There was just one portable Kisk left in our Cube--the last of the prototypes created by the ingenious craftsmen and priests of Sanctum.


We had already used one during a battle with the Balaur, and another had been destroyed by a cluster of meteors. A third had proved defective when we installed it during yet another battle against the Balaur. Several of us suffered Vanishment that day.


We knew the device was experimental, and we clung to the hope that the last remaining Kisk wasn't another faulty one.




Not far from the ruins was a small group of linked islands trailing down and off into the distance. We followed the path downward, and made camp in the islands that night.


But our presence had awakened vengeful spirits who attacked us in the darkness as we slept. We never knew if our attackers were the shades of Elyos or Asmodians.


We abandoned our camping tools and equipment and ran, taking flight when we reached the edge of the floating island.



Strength slowly ebbed from our wings, and we were within seconds of certain doom. Was I to Vanish like this? Would I return to the flow of Aether if I Vanished in the Abyss? These were my thoughts as I reached the brink.


Then...salvation! Another floating island lay before us. As my wings could carry me no farther, I landed not caring what the place might be.


As I arose from where I'd fallen, a warm, gentle breeze blew across my aching limbs. I lifted my face to a shower of pink flower petals.




It was a flower rain, a sight only seen in Elysea. I could not have said then if it was real or if I was already Vanished and witnessing the world beyond.


But it was no illusion. A great, glorious Siphora tree rained its petals on us. It stood proudly on a corner of the floating island, rooted in what looked like solid rock.


Although they are rare now, Siphora trees are said to have been common in Atreia-that-was. We had discovered a floating island reminiscent of our perfect world before the Cataclysm.



Exploration revealed the ideal location, and the construction of Teminon Fortress began immediately after our report to Sanctum. Fear of falling behind the Asmodians had made our leaders anxious.


When the Obelisk had been raised in Teminon Fortress, I returned to the map and eventually completed it. Our archaeologist comrade also survived, and studies the Ruins of Roah to this very day.


Now it is a distant memory, but back then every step we took in the Abyss was a desperate struggle for survival. Young Daevas of today, remember that we have Reshanta and Teminon Fortress precisely because during the early days of expansion into the Abyss, other Daevas sacrificed everything.