HISTORY OF THE CRYSTAL OF HEALING

As told by Trenara of Mathisma at a lecture for pre-guiders before the coming of Starsight

“The origin—there are many differing ideas about that. The most popular and certainly the most enduring, is based on the old ballads that were handed down at the time. You have heard the story of Goddess Ethos descending from the heavens and entrusting the Crystal of Healing to us for safekeeping, until she returns to retrieve it and place it back in its rightful place among the stars. To be honest, I think that and all other embellishment of it are a lot of rot, though there are those who would ask my immediate expulsion for saying so. Personally, I’m more of the opinion that the crystal did come from the heavens, but by a much more conventional route, simply falling from the sky when it came close to our world. Many of the scholars are now studying the heavens and have theorized that there are many such stones floating in the heavens. Not perhaps as the crystal is, nor radiating such force, but they have found other plainer stones in odd places that could only have gotten there in that way. But I won’t pursue that. I have never had much interest in rocks from the heavens, except the crystal, so I can’t elaborate.

“But however the stone came here, the fathers found it and discovered its great power, though in rather a hard way. It is said that many people died from its touch the first few seasons it was here—thus the forming of Assemblage by the first Provost, Cessas, nearly a millennium ago. Unbelievably, the crystal was thought by most to be evil, a blight to the world. The first Assemblage guiders were considered demons or madmen. But Cessas had a great curiosity and many think he was a genius for his time.

“Of course, back then the world was quite barbaric, being for the most part several small countries that were in essence no larger than villages that bickered and warred among themselves. Cessas gathered what people he could and took the stone to where Thrain is now. There he began a methodical study of the crystal and its amazing properties.

“It is said that he discovered its healing powers quite by accident—his own, I’m afraid. He had received a great injury and was laid in the same room with the stone. When his servants came to check on him the next morning, he was completely healed. He had gained a great measure of knowledge concerning the stone and Ethos after that. He began to teach its uses to his disciples and sent them out to find others that were special in the way they were; thus the custom of search each season. They grew in numbers rapidly, extending well beyond the borders of Thrain into the other provinces.

“Soon Ethos and the Crystal of Healing were thought of as gifts from the gods.

Certainly, crops and people fared better when a starguider was present with his or her vias, which were made of the actual crystal in those days, rather than fabricated from other stones as they are now.

“The land began to have purpose and unity. Some seasons later, Thrain was looked on as the ruling province, and more and more the Assemblage was looked at as being the law. It’s no small wonder Cessas in the last seasons of his life, conceived of the idea of the Imperium, a world governed by two bodies, the empire on the one hand to govern the provinces, and Assemblage on the other to promote the religion of Ethos and provide knowledge to the world. He had always wanted to study and learn, increasing his knowledge and that of Assemblage. He felt that was the purpose of the group. But more and more the people turned to Assemblage for leadership and the guiders became judges, administrators, and the like, until there was little time left for study.

“It wasn’t until after Cessas’ death that the Imperium began, when Felos was blessed as the first emperor. The empire began to run the land, and Assemblage retired into study. However, Felos was killed soon into his reign, assassinated by the king of the north’s guard. This sparked the Great Northern Wars, and the northerners attacked the still embryonic empire, nearly destroying everything Assemblage had built.

“That war lasted nearly sixty seasons, but finally Assemblage succeeded in driving the northerners back to their land on the other side of the mountains and dispersing them. Of course, the war continued for over six hundred seasons after that, but during this brief respite, they built the Keep to protect the young empire from attack, so they could find a more suitable place to continue their work. It is said that many of the corner stones in the Keep were placed there by the starpower, although I half wonder if that is not some fanciful tale spun by minstrels of the time. In any event, the Keep was built, much to the relief of the growing Assemblage. Once the empire could stand alone, they removed themselves to Mathisma, where they finally built their schools and temples. They took the Solemn Vow never to interfere in the affairs of the empire, except as advisors. The Imperium was at last complete.”