Translation of Crystal 9: History

[cactusjesus]

Additional transliteration by Artazusta, with assistance and confirmation from Staff.

Crystal 9: History
Crystal transcribed by Astraea


At first, there was [Chaos]. From [Chaos] came [Gaia], [Eros], and [Tartarus]. [Eros] climbed high out of view and [Tartarus] fell away beneath [Gaia]'s feet, leaving her only knowing what she did not have. From this solitude and inspiration, [Gaia] created life. She gave herself form and filled her most somber solitudes with [Pontus] and [Uranus] to look upon above her as she dreamt. As she dreamt, the rest came to be, establishing [earth/primordial/gods] at the heart of [Chaos]. But the strain was too great, and [Chaos] gave out, collapsing in on itself to create a void to live in the shadow of [Gaia]'s splendor. Soon, [Tartarus] followed suit, becoming the final cavern into which the waters of life would pour.

[Gaia] and [Uranus] enjoyed the bounty of creation from there, making scores of life to fill every corner of their existence. At first, their children were beauteous and without flaw, but overtime, they became more and more warped and corrupted as a sign of [Gaia]'s discontent: The Titans, the Kyklopes, the Centimanes, and so on. [Gaia] wished to rest, but [Uranus] would not hear it. She found solace in the arms of [Pontus], and so bore us, hidden from [Uranus] far beneath the waves.

It was with us that [Gaia] shared the secrets of [device/destiny], giving us the [ritual/knowledge] to make use of [magic/gnosis], and teaching us the [power/danger] of her [lifeblood/ore]. Through this, we were able to craft miracles of [stone/gem] and [lifeblood/ore] that allowed us to establish ourselves. Due to our small comparative size to other creatures of the era, we had to adapt with our intellect and technical prowess, using the gifts of [Gaia] to carve out a place for ourselves in the ecosystem. Our greatest breakthrough came with the discovery of [bone/water anima] at Korállo, which was capable of building itself if properly fueled. Imbuing [bone/water anima] with our [lifeblood/ore] meant we were able to grow incredible, carnivorous structures capable of defending themselves from hostile entities and enabling vast ecosystems of friendly entities.

As our [knowledge/ritual] grew, we came to understand a [crack/weakness] in our [magic/gnosis]: it could not travel through [ocean/sea/water]. Luckily, our artisans had discovered a way to input directly into [stone/gem], but more delicate work had to be done. Finding more [elements/anima], we were able to establish [mine/quarry]s in Máramaro and Aurkalo, which helped us expand our civilization across the sea. Using a combination of [bone/water anima] and [vein/earth anima], we were able to build temples to our [earth/primordial/gods], which enabled us to explore the symbiotic relationship between our worship and their strength.

It was through our worship of [Gaia] that we learned of the horrendous actions of [Uranus]. In Her sorrow, She called out to [the Telchines] and helped us find a safehaven in [the depths/hiding] where She shared with us the secret of [lifeblood/ore]. [Gaia] drew of Her own veins to give us the [lifeblood/ore] we would need to craft a [harpe/sickle] for Her favored [Cronus]. From its usage came Adamas, the greatest outpouring of [lifeblood/ore] we had ever seen, and the tides of the [earth/primordial/gods] changed forever. [Cronus] and his brethren used this as a chance to [ascend/empower].

In gratitude for our help in crafting the [harpe/sickle], [Cronus] and his brethren granted us the island of Telchinis, which we have since come to accept as our homeland. Nearly any [Telchine] you'll meet today hail from Telchinis. Still, the current is ever-moving, and progress never stops. With a renewed understanding of [other/liminality], we opened new [above/city] on Adamas and Aetir, granting access to [lifeblood/ore] and [other/liminality] like we'd never before anticipated. These allowed us to create [den realms/pocket dimensions] to store our most precious belongings from the eyes of the angry [Uranus] and ambitious [Cronus].

And that brings us to the creation of this [above/city]. Our greatest assets are stored here, behind the Three Doors of Adamas, where they will hopefully remain safely until a time of great need.

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