Book 5, Thegainvald

EXCERPTS FROM THE THEGAINVALDE, BOOK 5 OF 65 65 

(Page located in a “library” within the Schism beneath Solitude)

“Herein is the account of Ylgar Ysgrammored and his description of the Magnia-et-BalEn, the Falmeric Eye. Dictated to Thegaine, amended by Thegaine.  

It approaches as if from a great distance, inexorable, drawing, defiant. The Eye itself is massive, larger than the masted warship even, but I hold it at length between my thumb and finger. It refuses Will done upon it, and all my efforts to that end are as water. Still, like melody half-remembering itself, or a cry beyond my hearing it describes. Describes what? There is a language that I cannot see. True language, like wyrm-tongue, but slower. Honey-speak. Perfection. This cannot go to Father, blunt, crude-mannish and headstrong. He would not understand, even as I scarcely begin to.  

Here is a space of seven months, wherein Ylgar Ysgrammored was taken nigh into madness made much by study of the Eye. This is but one example of many speeches dictated to Thegaine.  

Sing great architect, geometer-primus, revelation. Call out in Truth, cascading, decadent linework. Infinite polygonal! Minute precision! Sing Lord of Compasses, whose angles are secret succession, forseen infinite! Whose Will is the ten-thousandth of a degree stretched about ten-thousand years! I have begun to hear, and by hearing to chart the hyperbolas of Scripture. I begin to learn, Thegaine. See, take now into your heart a graph, macro-soidal, and lay upon it Rhythms, like tides, multiplied upon themselves, split infinite dimensionally across all axes, and you begin to see the True Shape. And when you see this, know your place within it. Then all-chartable all-calculable all-deducible infinity! Here within is a secret shape, not yet revealed, whose vector is Future. I will find it, Thegaine. I must.

Here after seven months of madness was Ylgar Ysgrammored returned, by Mara’s grace, to his senses. Now is he become dour and grave, and consults the Falmeric Eye rarely if ever. Many questions were offered on the nature of this grief, few were answered in total. Here is the meager understanding offered Thegaine, and so summarized.  

The Falmeric Eye is an elven reliquary, possibly their god’s eye in actual, possibly only symbolically. Regardless, the weight of such symbolism has made it a cultural cornerstone of Falmer society, one which in loss they have despaired over. Moreover, it contains immensely powerful magics. The Prince speaks of these in riddles and circles, but this is my interpretation of his speech: The Eye is a looking-glass of sorts, like might be kept at the prow of a ship. But instead of oceans of water, it looks across oceans of time. And just as a ship is steered by the sight of its glass, so it seems our ages -- even the earth beneath our feet -- are steered by the sight of the Eye. But whither the Prince’s sight is fixed I cannot know.”