These are the twelve legendaries of the first age of man…

First of Salus the Wise, Lengthener of Days. In the beginning days of advancement, men had begun to wrestle free from the fears of beasts, exposure, and scarcity; but they could not escape the truth that all human lives were as the worm, and had an end. Even in the midst of relentless progress, this fact still paced hauntingly in the back of men’s minds like a caged leopard awaiting its escape. Neither the archetypes nor scholars had found a way of freeing mankind of this reality in the first two centuries after the Condescension of the archetypes. Salus spent his early years as the son and apprentice of a keeper of bees. It was he who, as a young man, discovered the restorative properties of the honey made by his bees from the nectar of the Solstice Lilly. Salus spent his life breeding these lilies to be more potent. He brought the idea to Devon to plant more of these lilies, and to give the honey freely to all for their health. As a result of his work, the years of a man’s life more than doubled from three score to six! Salus himself, as a result of living so closely to the elements of his work, lived to be two hundred and one before his death. Men had not escaped death altogether, but could live longer, more fulfilling lives.

Second of Inselle the Deft, Evoker of Awe. Born daughter to a carpenter, she grew skillful in working with his tools and created works of art to amaze all who beheld them. Chosen by Jasper at the age of sixteen, she headed the building of monuments, wonders, and yards that filled the two valleys with beauty. Glass towers that shattered the sunlight across fields, flower gardens that covered hills, and massive marble amphitheaters where the most achingly elegant performances were given – these were her gifts to all. A great palace was even built in the Capitol for the governor who had supported her works so enthusiastically. The works that she created brought beauty to the realm far past her death.

Third of Fasil the Astute, Master of the Elements. Schooled in the Capitol during his youth, Fasil proved to be a genius among his peers. Working alongside Devon, he invented mathematics as they came to be used. He worked extensively with different mushrooms; studying their abilities to alter performance and perception. He is perhaps most known for working alongside Basil to synthesize the material known as sun-steel. He forged this material into impervious implements which survive to this day.

Fourth of Edrelle the Brave, Slayer of Dragons. With parents who transported goods by river through the valleys, Edrelle spent little time on dry land. When she came of age, she purchased a worthy vessel with what she had earned and sailed past the mouth of the river into the great icy sea to the north. After returning with her crew, sporting a dozen heads of dragons, her governor commissioned her to chart the coasts as far as she would desire. She did not stop until she and her crew had recorded all the coasts of the land, the mouths of four additional major river networks, thirty thousand new types of plant life, seven thousand new types of animal life, as well as many unknown tribes!

Fifth of Ganon the Just, Defender of the Throne. Ganon rose up as a governor in the eight hundred and fiftieth year after the Condescension. It was he who commissioned great additions to the granaries and lily fields in the Capitol, and was able to decrease labor from eight days in ten, to six days in ten. No administrator ever brought about more rest and plenty than he. Perhaps most importantly of all, Ganon the Just held the throne during the rebellion of Kalron.

Sixth of Kalron the Bold, Subverter of Allegiances. Ganon the Just commissioned a fleet to find and return with whatever foreigners they could. His plan was to have them educated and integrated into society where they could live free of fear. Kolron raised objections to this in the Palace Council — that the cost would be too high, and that the foreigners might be dangerous or resistant to assimilation into such a different world. His most recognized objection, however, was that the foreigners were responsible for their own condition, and that they must do their best to provide for themselves. With this, he gained the ears of some, and defended his case deftly, even against the wisdom of the archetypes themselves. With the men divided for the first time, the archetypes made a decision to regress until unity was again established.

Seventh of Yevonne the Innocent, Champion of the Weak. She was a faithful wife, loving mother, and beloved Sitter in the Palace Council. Yevonne proposed that foreigners be taken to facilities in the North with their families, and be served and educated to a point at which they could choose for themselves whether to integrate or to return to their previous way of life. Her proposal, once implemented, quelled much of the discord, and left Kalron with only a small faction to his side. All of the foreigners who were put through the program chose to join in the progress of civilization, rather than to be returned to the cold, hungry, and fear-filled existence from which they had come. Yevonne’s initiative had proven to be a success. Then, one night, she was taken from her bed.

Eighth of Hatris the Cunning, Layer of Snares. Hatris was a known private trader along the coasts, noted for his ability to raise large profits for those who hired him. Noting the opportunities from the recent Council divide, he pledged his allegiance to Kalron, who had gained the ears of many of the more wealthy Sitters. When discord turned to subterfuge, Hatris and his crew took contracts to damage Ganon’s cause. His men trapped one hundred and seventy wild, foreign men, whom he smuggled into the Capitol by river by night. Armed with blades, unleashed in the marketplace, and overwhelmed by the chaos, the wild men dissolved into frenzy. No formal defenses had ever been arranged, nor ever needed. As civilians panicked, some fled, while others fought back, and the violence only escalated. While the market was in chaos, Hatris and fifty of his men, dressed and painted as wild men, dashed through the city. In teams, they broke into the houses of several of the Sitters who had aligned themselves against Kalron, sedating them and taking them to their ship as hostages. Hatris himself went alone into the governor’s palace, where he placed a note with demands and instructions for ransom.

Ninth of Marena the Kind, Consoler of the Suffering. A noted doctor and the most wealthy woman in the community, Marena mobilized her servants and resources to provide relief for those suffering in the aftermath of the frenzy. She stitched the wounds of the injured, aided in uniting lost children with their families, and provided meals for the victims, as well as for the panicked wild men, who were but victims themselves. She also gave much of her wealth to repair buildings and restore damages to those affected.

Tenth of Jeron the Loyal, Protector of the Crown. A Sitter in the Palace Council, and most trusted friend of Ganon the Just, Jeron awoke in the night of the frenzy and rushed into the streets where he helped to fend off the wild men, bind them in horse-chains, and tend to the injured. In the morning, he was the sole Sitter whom Ganon brought into his chamber to discuss the contents of the note that Hatris had left behind. The demands were simple: Ganon was to lie to the people, stating that the turmoil had been due to a failure of Yevonne’s initiative, and that the program was to be discontinued. The alternative was to discover to the public that their government was in a schism, destroy the unity of the people, and secure the deaths of the hostage Sitters. Ganon and Jeron both agreed that the news might destabilize the Capitol; but that, above all, a government must always be transparent and forthcoming with its people. It was a principle held by all of the Sitters. Jeron chose to be the one to inform the public, but with his magnanimous speech and reputation of integrity, he united the people not only to redouble in their devotions, but to band together to defend the Capitol by force. A militia was formed, and Ralcot, a strong and noble Sitter, was placed at its head. Plowshares were beaten into swords, and pruning hooks into spears. When word of their resolve reached Kalron and his cohorts, he sent a company to ensure their compliance and ask for safe passage back into the city. The company, dressed all in black to show their humility, was welcomed into the throne room to hold session with Ganon. As soon as the door shut behind them, they each pulled hidden blades, and began to fight their way past the volunteer militia guards to Ganon himself. Overwhelmed by the sheer numbers or guards, the party of assassins was at the point of defeat, when Hatris the Cunning pitched his knife for the throat of Ganon. Acting immediately, Jeron threw himself in front of the blade, taking it in his heart, and died.

Eleventh of Pastin the Earnest, Savior of the Innocent. Husband of Yevonne, Pastin was one of the first to join in the ranks of Ralcot’s militia. While not a Sitter himself, he was still highly esteemed for his work as an architect, and for his passionate love for his wife. After the assassination attempt at the palace, he led the mission to rescue the hostage Sitters from Kalron’s camp to the south. For seven days, Pastin and his crew of twenty other volunteers scaled high granite peaks, weathered freezing rainstorms, and fought with dragons until they came to the place where Kalron and his men had set up their site. Under cover of night, they crept in unnoticed, spilled the blood of the guards, and led the captives free to hide in the hills nearby, awaiting their full rescue.

Twelfth and finally of Ralcot the Valiant, Champion of the People. Ralcot was a master of numbers. He was as great in strength of arm as strength of mind. Known and trusted by the people of the Capitol, men flocked to his side the moment that Ganon appointed him leader of the strike against Kalron and his band. All told, he amassed a force thirty times the size of their enemy, for to him, the objective was not only to crush the opposition, but to make clear to all potential enemies of the Capitol the war that they would be inviting to themselves should they choose to act out their hostilities. They marched over the hills, followed by musicians, attendants, physicians, and carts full of bread, water, and dried game. When they encamped around the site of Kalron and his men, their numbers swallowed them up like a flood. The sight of their tents and campfires drove almost all of Kalron’s men to request surrender, but no place for surrender was given. In the morning, Ralcot’s men assumed their formations, pressed through rampart, soldier, and spear; and choked the rebellion.

Are these not the twelve sung about to this day?