Before counted time, before the age of men and steel, before even light or darkness, there was only energy. Unbound, living energy, flowing, swirling faster and faster into a mass of creative force. From the force flowed the first darkness and out of the darkness breathed first light. For where there is darkness, there must be light and where there is light, there will always be darkness. Light and dark turned and twirled together – each circling the other in a dance – darkness leading and pulling tighter and closer, as the pull of darkness is always strong. Light, not to be outdone by the pull of the dark, swirled into itself creating the first tiny bits of rock, ice and stone. These pieces of rock forced wildly through the mass of energy created by light into a centrifuge of orbits. Thus, the galaxies were born – still cold and formed of ice and stone.
Energy gave birth to darkness. From darkness came first light. Out of the twirling dance of dark and light came rocks of all sizes. Barren bits of hardened stone orbiting larger, hotter swirling masses whose heat burst forth to birth new light. The child giving birth to the mother. Light, illuminating father darkness and breathing life into the icy rocks circling the newborn mass of energy.
Fire, air, earth, water – all born of energy. Particles of dust gather to form rock. Icy cold of darkness penetrates rock. Rock turns to clay. Heated by fire, clay returns to hardened rock. Orbits spinning the larger rocks faster until pressure forms crystals deep within the barren clay surface. Crystals become gems – hard and cold as their icy father . . . and precious metals – glowing and warm as their shining mother.
The energy from which we are all born – light and dark – earth, sun, moon, sky, stars, fire, air and water. Man, plant and animal. This same energy created the first rock and clay. Hands, born of clay, shape it again into functional form. Glazed and heated with fire, useful vessels aid the dawn of man. Metals are dug from the earth. Weapons are formed, as are jeweled adornments. Art and war, born of the same materials.
Civilizations and religions rise and fall. Languages are born and die again. Ancient magics are created, lost, and created anew.
And now once again, as in times of the lost religions of Legend, from fire, water and clay, precious metals are formed.
