| As Aylad journeyed through the worlds of Graal, he realized that the lands were in a constant state of change. New races, new creatures, new laws - the lands he knew and loved were being buried by time. At last Aylad decided to return to his home to the south of Graal City. When he arrived, he discovered that it, too, had been destroyed, replaced with a walled city. In despair, Aylad retreated to the cave where he had been born, one of the few places left unmolested by time and the inventions of men. There he meditated for nearly a year, eating or sleeping only when the agonies of starvation and exhaustion forced him to. One bleak winter day, Aylad was shown a vision of worlds other than Graal. In a flash of insight, he knew that these worlds could be reached by casting a powerful spell he had learned many years before: the Core of Worlds. Aylad knew that Core Spells could be very dangerous, so whenever he discovered one he entrusted it to an ancient sage he knew well. Aylad sent an apprentice to retrieve the Core Spell under cover of a thick fog he had summoned from the sea. When the apprentice returned with the Core, Aylad poured nearly all of his power into the spell, opening a gate to a distant, unknown world. He arrived on an outer tower of the Mystic Isle, a hidden sanctuary for priests, druids, and magic-users of every description. However, Aylad had been unable to contain the immense energies called upon by the spell, and some parts of Graal - along with the apprentice and the sage - were pulled into the gate as well. As Aylad realized that he had corrupted his destination with shadows of his former home, he was filled with remorse. Fortunately, the Mystic Isle was affected only slightly by this corruption, and the merciful wizards allowed Aylad to remain with them. His apprentice, on the other hand, was somewhat less welcome, and was soon asked to leave. It is said that Aylad's curiosity often led him to leave the hidden Mystic Isle and explore the lands of this strange world. While it is likely that he kept records of these explorations, they have yet to be discovered. The search for the travel records continues, and time will certainly reveal the full story of Aylad's journeys. |
| Aylad's Journey |
| The Beginning |
| scribed by jbearden |