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[The Commentaries of Manos Cosmatos]

The Commentaries of Manos Cosmatos

In the light of Ysium äe Rued's enduring wisdom, we find ourselves in our late Age — an Age where the laws of the stars, once understood in purely metaphysical terms, have begun to crack and reveal their true nature. We must now contend with anomalies that defy the accepted paradigms of our cosmology, ripples in the fabric of space and time that blur the line between the metaphorical and the literal. These abnormalities, I believe, are the true meaning of the Parable's message, brought to life in our very midst. This is no longer just a story of spiritual wonder; it is a direct interaction with the very structure of existence.

Ysium's meditation that "the stars mirror our souls" must be expanded, for the stars do not merely reflect our inner selves — they are the gateways to other selves. To other worlds. Encounters with these elusive permutations — often mistaken for visions or hallucinations by those who have experienced them — are, in fact, parallel worlds bleeding into our own. They are physical manifestations of the Parable's teaching, revealing that the "Ten Thousand Discs" are not only a figurative journey through our universe, but a literal one. The Parable's protagonist, as he wanders from Disc to Disc, is not simply learning life lessons; he is stepping between worlds, at times treading so close to the edges betwixt them that he is able to catch glimpses of other lives, other realities.

As of the Imperial Year 7789, such glimpses have multiplied in prevalence across the Great Ash. Those who experience them describe contradictory versions of events: alternate futures, alternate pasts — fragments of possibilities, all of them coexisting at once, yet none fully realized. These subjects are left with a sense of strain upon their minds, as if something attempted to break through their narrow perception of reality.

In these glimpses, I see not a simple distortion of the natural order, but an invitation to something more. An encounter with other worlds, while harrowing, offers us an awe-inspiring look into what Ysium referred to as "the eternal cycle of existence." It suggests that the possibilities we perceive as distinct — our own lives included — are in constant flux, brushing against one another in ways we do not fully comprehend. Perhaps this is a chance for us to live out the story of the Parable itself — to learn of the places where one Disc overlaps another, where the boundary between present and future is thinner than we had ever imagined.

Some would argue that such disturbances are harbingers of doom. That the collision of worlds threatens to unravel the fragile balance of our lives. But while such encounters present irrefutable danger, I would urge you to consider the opposite. These moments of revelation, though disorienting, may be a profound gift. That feeling of pressure upon the mind, the sensation of being drawn toward an infinite corridor, is not an intrusion, but an invitation to transcend the boundaries of our own lives.

We have long been confined by the limits of our dying Disc. But in this Age, we are reminded that there is more — far more — than what we can see and touch. The stars, as Ysium suggested, are mirrors of ourselves, but they are also doorways to other truths, other possibilities. The Parable is not just a philosophical allegory; it is actuality. The traveler, the one who seeks to understand, is wandering not only through his own life, but across an infinite number of lives, each one reflecting a piece of the greater whole.

What, then, does this mean for us, for we who still cling to the old ways of storytelling and communal wisdom? We must now look not just within, as Ysium suggested, but outward — toward the stars that surround us. We must recognize that our lives are not isolated; they are part of a spectrum that stretches across space and time. And perhaps, with time and great wisdom, we will learn to traverse this spectrum as the wanderer does in the Parable — not just in our minds, but with our own two feet.

The Parable and its manifestations continue to challenge us, confuse us, and stretch the limits of our understanding. But in our confusion, there is also clarity: we are not alone. Our world is one of many, and the sky above us is a doorway to infinite possibilities. The Parable of Ten Thousand Discs is no longer a myth. It is a prophecy — and we, the wanderers, are only beginning to step through the door.

[The Commentaries of Ysium äe Rued]

The Commentaries of Ysium äe Rued

During the reign of Osman I, the historiographer Ysium äe Rued, in his meditations upon the original Parable, considered the idea that each Disc represents a life, a stage in the eternal cycle of existence. The stars, speckled with distant worlds, mirror our own souls, existing in parallel and yet separated by an unbridgeable void. Yet, are we not all bound to this paradigm? Are we not all reflections of a greater truth, even if we remain unaware of it?

Ysium posits that the traveler's experience, the encounters with each Disc, are a metaphor for human existence — we wander through life searching for meaning, unaware that the answers have always been within us, scattered across the heavens like the stars themselves. To understand the law of the stars, one must look inward, for each soul contains the fragments of ten thousand worlds.

Thus, the Parable is not merely a tale of cosmic wonder, but a reminder that we are all connected, our lives intertwined with the lives of others across time and space, bound by the same laws that govern the heavens.

Without the work of Ysium äe Rued, it is unlikely that any version of the Parable would have survived the Ages. Unfortunately, it is said that he was thrown from his horse and suffered fatal injury before these commentaries were completed.

What else might have been said about this ancient story, now forever silenced by a twist of fate?

[Of Eternities and Infinitudes]

Of Eternities and Infinitudes

As told by Manos Cosmatos

On each Disc Ahmad visited, he encountered new worlds, each one filled with creatures, landscapes, and philosophies that challenged his understanding of existence.

But it was not the creatures or the lands that Ahmad sought to understand. It was the truth behind the stars, the interconnectedness of the Ten Thousand Discs.

Each Disc held a truth, a key to understanding the universe, and as Ahmad journeyed further, he began to see that they were not separate worlds at all, but pieces of the same great mosaic.

And so Ahmad traveled on, ever seeking, ever learning, knowing that the answers lay not in the distance between the stars, but in the souls of the creatures that lived among them.

He was, in the end, no longer just a wanderer of the Discs, but a part of the great tapestry that stretched across the heavens.

It is said, to this very day, that Ahmad's journey continues, for the Discs are not merely ten thousand in number, but infinite and uncountable. Some say that his heart now burns as brightly as the stars themselves, a wanderer forever searching, forever learning.

And to those who gaze upon the stars, if you listen closely, you may yet hear his footsteps echoing through the silence of the night.

[Of Bitter Truths and Alternate Endings]

Of Bitter Truths and Alternate Endings

As told by Gregory Quigsby

And then Ahmad ended up living the rest of his days in Shanshir in peace, using his illusion magic to win many, many games of Royal Dragon by scamming everyone who came to his tables.

Until one day, someone found out, and got very, very upset.

And before Ahmad would get shanked and die like a rat, he had to disappear. Just like that.

And the kids never got to see him again.

And he spent the rest of his days trying to find his way back to Shanshir, but he never ended up finding it.

Because he lost it all in a game of Royal Dragon.

Now that's a better ending.

[Of Shanshir and the Bazaar of Wonders]

Of Shanshir and the Bazaar of Wonders

As told by Lujayn al-Farisyya

Ahmad had named the djinni liars, and they were; of course they are, here, and on any Disc. And so the vessel he'd beheld as burnt, was not, for it was only an illusion. Leaving the djinni to their lies, he sped on to his next adventure.

He came upon a disc named Shanshir, which was entirely a glittering city, with countless spires and minarets, bazaars, great places of learning and worship, and beauteous wonder. The gracious people there saw his arrival and invited him to approach the court of their ruler, and he did.

The people of Shanshir were accustomed to many marvels, and it was the practice at the monarch's court that every visitor performed one!

Ahmad amazed them with magics of illusion, which he had learned from the djinn when he became their master. He rode about the throne room on a fiery steed, and the monarch's children were most enchanted.

They asked their father if Ahmad would stay and entertain them, and all agreed. On the next night, he told them a tale... On the next, he showed them how they might tell illusions from truth...

On and on! Each night the princes and princesses would beg Ahmad to stay, and he would relent, and they would share one more evening of storytelling and wonder together.

All the while, there were great feats of magic, and invention, and art and skill, all throughout the city of Shanshir, but Ahmad never did see any of it.

Yet when he finally left, after a hundred nights, he felt his time shared with the monarch and his children, in seeing their joy, was among the favorite of all his adventures.

[Of Ahmad and the Court of Fire]

Of Ahmad and the Court of Fire

As told by Manos Cosmatos

After much time, Ahmad did depart the Disc of the Silent Ones. He sailed then to a different world, in search of himself, for he could go no farther without knowing who he was.

This Disc was a world of fire and molten stone. Ahmad's vessel touched down upon a great plateau of obsidian, its surface smooth as glass, and he marveled at the endless rivers of lava that carved their way through the land like veins of a great, sleeping beast.

There, in the midst of the flames, stood djinn - creatures of flame and smoke, their bodies a blaze that could not be extinguished. Their eyes flickered blue and orange, and their hands sparked with the energy of the Disc itself.

One of the djinn stepped forward, his voice a crackling roar. "You are brave, traveler, to come to this Disc. Few dare to set foot upon our land, for it is here that all things are forged and tested by flame. What do you seek upon this world?"

Ahmad, feeling the heat of the Disc beneath his feet, responded, "Lead me not astray, for I know you are a deceiver. I seek to understand what shapes me, to know what lies in my own heart."

The djinn's laughter echoed through the molten sky. "Then you must face the trials of the fire, for only through the heat of the forge can one be truly shaped. We, the Court of Fire, are born of flame, and it is only in its heart that we are reborn."

Ahmad knew that djinn were liars, and saw the trick for what it was. Yet he saw no way out of this test, for when he looked back, his fantastical ship had become mere wood, and was burnt to ruin.

He swallowed his pride and stepped into the flames, expecting only great suffering. But to his surprise, it made no pyre of his body, but a crucible of his spirit. The fire revealed his fears, his doubts, and his deepest, most secret desires.

Each trial burned away a layer of himself, and each time the djinn proclaimed their victory, for they thought nothing would be left. But each time it was too soon, for he withstood the flames, until at last he emerged, his heart purified by the fire.

"I have passed your test," said Ahmad, "for there is nothing left of me but that which burns true."

Then the djinn did bow to him in deference, for he had become their master in all things they pretended to be.

[Of the Silent Ones and the Pool of Knowledge]

Of the Silent Ones and the Pool of Knowledge

As told by Manos Cosmatos

The second Disc Ahmad visited was a place of eternal dusk, bathed in a soft, golden light that never wavered. The landscape was lush, filled with immense jungles of towering trees whose trunks were wrapped in vines of crystal, refracting the light into a thousand prismatic colors.

Strange, bird-like creatures with long, flowing tails flew in silent formation, their feathers glinting as they moved.

Ahmad wandered through this world, enchanted by the beauty that lay before him, until he stumbled upon a pool of water so clear it appeared to be made of liquid glass.

In the pool's reflection, he saw a strange figure - a woman with skin as dark as the night, her hair flowing like the stars themselves. She spoke-not-spoke in a voice that echoed like ripples from across a vast pond.

"You have come to the Disc of the Silent Ones," she said-not-said, her eyes filled with ancient wisdom. "We are the guardians of silence. Our world exists in perfect stillness, untouched by sound or time. We have waited for you, traveler, for it is said that those who seek the knowledge of life itself will one day come to us."

Ahmad, his heart alight with curiosity, asked, "What is the meaning of silence? Is it not an absence of life, of joy?"

The woman's eyes darkened with sorrow. "Silence is the language of the soul, the language of the heart that transcends words. In our silence, we find the truth that words cannot speak. You have come, but the silence will reveal only what you are ready to hear."

And with that, the woman vanished into the fading light, leaving Ahmad alone beside the pool. For many days, he sat in quiet contemplation. He fed upon only bitter roots and leaves, waiting for the woman's return, hoping that she would return to explain the secrets she had promised.

When weeks had passed and she had not returned, Ahmad searched for his vessel. But no matter how hard he looked, he could not find it again, and he soon began to despair. He cried out for help, but no one answered him. He screamed in anger, but found no object for his rage. When he could think of nothing else, he knelt by the pool and wept.

Ahmad knelt until he no could no longer remember how long he had been there, until at last, he let the stillness of the world seep into his very being.

He listened to the silent path of the birds overhead, and to the soundless noise of the grass growing beneath him. This place did not exist to fulfill his desires, but in its own right. 

Only then did he understand: silence was not absence, but presence in its purest form.

And for awhile, he was content.

[Of the Keires and the Endless River]

Of the Keires and the Endless River

As told by El'vel Serian

Surely, did Kadir and his vessel plumb the darkness, through gulfing black, to find the next Disc...

And when he found it, it was not so much a Disc at all. It was a river, going up and down; out beyond, there is little of up and down, but he knew, just by looking at it, up and down it went, more down than down and more up than up. At its sides were sand-banks and greenery for some half-mile in either direction.

So he approached, approached, approached, and as he grew near, all the sudden, Down was the river's course, and SPLASH! Did his vessel get caught up in its flow, going ever upwards through the night-sky.

His vessel was wrought to traverse the journey between Discs, not the river-bed, so it was slow going. He could at times walk alongside to forage and return to his deck to eat and drink. But his vessel - it would not escape the river, no matter how hard he pulled its reins.

It was not long before another vessel, swifter, came from behind and nearly overtook his, before throwing down an anchor to slow its passing. This was a vessel made for rivers.

It was crewed by strange creatures which were as one large eye, from which extended like a mane many arms. "Hello," one said with no mouth. "We are the Keires. Where do you seek to go?"

"I wish to leave," said Kadir. He had many Discs to see, and by the day's end had his fill of the river.

"Well, just follow the river, and you'll get somewhere," said the Keires. "Would you like to ride our boat? It is faster than yours."

Their boat would not sail between Discs, so he declined, and he followed the river, for ninety days and ninety nights, getting nowhere, it seemed.

Eventually, another boat caught up to his from behind. "Hello, traveler. Be careful. We are on the move, and only three boats after ours remain on this river," said the many-handed creatures. "Would you like to ride with us? Those behind are not as kind."

Again did Kadir decline, intent to see the end of this endless river that went up-and-down.

After ten more nights, one hundred days upon this river, did he lose his mind, and wish to know the secret of how his vessel was so trapped. And so he jumped. And then jumped higher. And then jumped higher.

He jumped so high, he found the wall - the place where Down changed. He was half-caught between it, and he spun and whorled and tumbled as his vessel fled.

The first of the last of the Keires' boats came. "We will fish you down and take you along for all your food," they offered. He had many Discs to see, so he declined.

The second of the last of the Keires boats came. "We will fish you down and take you along for all your clothes," they offered. Kadir again declined; he could not travel the Discs so shamefully.

The third of the last of the Keires' boats came. "There are no others. If you do not accept our trade, you will surely die. We will fish you down and take you along for your Name."

Thus it was that Ahmad did meet his vessel down-river, and with the tow of the Keires' boat, grant it enough speed to escape. To visit the next Disc, knowing his Father no longer knew his name, for he had not known what was important.

[Of Al-Mustafir and the Lonely Disc]

Of Al-Mustafir and the Lonely Disc

As told by Lujayn al-Farisyya

After kindly repairing the damage to the kingdom, Kadir boarded his vessel, and it was not long before he found the next Disc in the vast darkness. It was curious to him, how its point of light remained so small, even as he approached...

For he found it was not larger than this platform of stone we now stand on, with barely enough space for Kadir, his vessel, and a man sitting cross-legged on the rock, on a threadbare carpet.

Kadir greeted the man, introduced himself, and said, who are you, who sits here alone?

And the man, who held a little box in his lap, said: "I am Al-Mustafir, the Enlightened One, and I know all! There are no secrets of this Disc I do not possess." And the Enlightened One was very pleased with his knowledge.

Kadir looked this way, and that... the edges of the tiny disc were so near he could see their ends, and the endless starry fields of darkness beyond, as Al-Mustafir smiled at him.

Kadir, ever curious and thirsty for knowledge, while also courteous and well-mannered, asked Al-Mustafir to share his vaunted total knowledge of the Disc they stood upon!

Al-Mustafir lifted his chin and demurely replied that he would only take knowledge in trade. And what, he said, could Kadir offer him, that he did not already possess? He had walked the entire circumference of his Disc...he had long pondered its secrets!

(This could be done in the space of five minutes, but Kadir did not say this.)

Kadir told him he had seen other worlds, with serpents, and games of chance, and strange beasts, and little people, and said he would regale Al-Mustafir with these tales.

But Al-Mustafir raised his hand, calling for silence, with an imperious expression. He had never seen these places. How could they exist? He saw the entire world from his seat. There was no knowledge he did not already possess.

Seeing there would be no trade of tales, Kadir thanked the man, and left him a gift of bread and water. He returned to his vessel, leaving Al-Mustafir in his total comprehension of everything that exists...

And on another Disc, had an adventure the Enlightened One could never have dreamed!

[Of the Colossal Disc and the Unseen Kingdom]

Of the Colossal Disc and the Unseen Kingdom

As told by Tharrik Inkhands

Journeying on, Kadir found himself landing on a Disc that looked untouched. Pristine. Old-growth forests, with trees as tall as mountains. Rivers so wide, you could scarcely see the other shore. And beasts, oh the beasts!

Eight-legged deer, who stampeded in great herds to escape shimmering wildcats. But through all of this, Kadir found no people.

Not a city, not a town, not even a humble village - but he could have sworn he heard whispers, the faint blowing of war horns, the shouting of armies.

Having gathered more supplies for the next leg of his journey, he returned to his craft only to find it quite thoroughly seized - by an army of men half an inch tall.

The leader of this army, a strapping fellow of three-quarters inches, demanded Kadir repair the damage he had dealt to their great kingdom.

For in taking in the vast sights around him, he had forgotten to watch for the details underfoot.

Thankfully, such repairs were easy for a giant - and he was able to move along soon enough, certain to watch his step.

[TEN THOUSAND DISCS]

TEN THOUSAND DISCS

The Lost Parable

A New Commentary for our Late Age

by Manos Cosmatos

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Preface

As noted in the Three Canonical Treatises of Astronomy, the Parable of Ten Thousand Discs was among the earliest texts known to the star-gazers of the Great Ring. Said to have been bequeathed to Bel the Lawgiver during the old days of the Tutelage, this text supposes that each bright speck in the sky is another distant world separate from our own. The Parable is said to have recounted the travels of a wanderer from one Disc to the next, learning something new from each world.

All original copies of the Parable were lost during the reign of the Caliph Feyd I, "the Pious," who is suspected to have ordered their destruction for conflicting with his own cosmological beliefs. However, the commentaries of Ysium äe Rued yet survive from the reign of Osman I. These commentaries posit that the Parable is an elaborate metaphor for the human condition; a story about life itself.

It is rarely recognized that a small number of Ashfolk have kept the Parable alive through oral tradition across the Ages. But this is where the story diverges, for the tale that survived is not performed like any other you will find in the Great Ash.

In place of a single speaker, the telling of the Parable is divided across its listeners, each of whom is called to participate with their own contribution. Invention and improvisation are encouraged, and any who join in the recital must also tie the journey of its protagonist back to a central lesson unique to their portion of the story. So great are its variations that it is said none will hear the same Parable twice. It is a living narrative with no beginning, and no end.

Within, I have recorded new versions of the Parable of Ten Thousand Discs from among the scholars and storytellers of Ephia's Well, repeating only what I have heard from the masters of the caravan roads. This is perhaps the first time any version of the Parable has been put to the page since the loss of its first teachings. Let us hope that history will not repeat itself and prove us fools for the attempt.

Of Kadir and the Alhyrah

As told by Manos Cosmatos

In the days before the stars faded into myth, there lived a traveler named Kadir. Kadir was a curious soul, driven by an insatiable thirst to explore the unknown. He had heard the ancient parable of the Ten Thousand Discs from his father, a wise and powerful astronomer who had passed down the story like a sacred inheritance. The tale told of worlds beyond the stars, places filled with creatures and wonders beyond the reckoning of men. Kadir's heart burned with a desire to witness these miracles firsthand, to visit the Discs that floated in the heavens like jewels set in the dark velvet sky.

So it was that Kadir, as he came of age, set forth on a journey to discover the Ten Thousand Discs. Using the magic taught to him by his father, he fashioned himself a small vessel made only from the winds of the air and the starlight of the evening sky, and he sailed upon the ethereal currents between the worlds. With each passing day, he drew closer to his goal.

After many months of travel, Kadir reached the first Disc. It was a place unlike any he had ever seen. The sky shimmered with an iridescent hue, a pale green and purple mix that made the air itself seem alive. Upon this world, the land was vast and barren, a stretch of cracked earth as pale as bone. Yet, from the cracks in the earth, delicate flowers of silver and obsidian grew, their petals fluttering like the wings of birds.

As Kadir descended, he encountered the first of the beings he would meet in his travels — a serpent-like creature with translucent scales, its body undulating through the air as though swimming in invisible waters. The serpent spoke, its voice a soft melody that seemed to echo in Kadir's mind.

"We are the Alhyrah," the serpent said, "keepers of the winds that shape the worlds. We are born from the breath of this Disc, and we travel the pathways between the stars. You, traveler, are the first of your kind to reach us in many eons. What do you seek upon this world?"

Kadir, humbled by the creature's grace, responded, "I seek to understand the nature of the stars, to learn the truths of Ten Thousand Discs. Can you guide me?"

The Alhyrah circled Kadir's vessel, its voice rising in his thoughts like a zephyr. "The truth is hidden within, for all things are reflections. To understand one thing, you must understand the others. You must journey farther, beyond the reach of this Disc."

And so, Kadir set sail once more, bidding farewell to the Alhyrah, who faded into the sky like a shimmer upon the horizon.

Copies of this text, already obscure, slowly become even rarer in the coming days...

Away for the weekend - have fun out there EFUians.

Back now but less likely to be IG through the end of the year. If you need something IC feel free to send a letter, etc.

Away for the weekend - have fun out there EFUians.

[Strange notes have been left here and there about the distant lands of the Great Ring. They are left in bookshelves and scroll cases, in tavern corners and inn nooks, where only the sharp-eyed or well-read are likely to see them. The message is left unsigned.]

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