The Book of Migrations

The Duvodeka, or commonly known as the Book of Migrations (CA: Pedanastasies), is a synthesis and completion of various oral legends of the arrival of the settling of Aethera before The Shattering.
It calls itself the "The Book of the Twelve" or "The Twelve", as it was long believed that the Old Aetheran culture and the later Aiolionians were part of the same culture, though this is now disproven from archaeological and genetic findings.

Purpose

It was likely meant as a glossary of various mythic narratives of the arrival of the various races. It may have attempted to observe certain beliefs in order to better understand the Gods.
For example, it is a very reoccuring trend in each section that the gods had protected them from an existential threat of some kind, often taking form in an invading Empire or a religion.

Document Structure

Clauses

It records the ordering of the peopling of Aethera in various chapters/volumes:

1. The Sea People/Aiolionians (2500-2300 before present)
2. The Coastal People/Palmarians (1850-1750 years before present)
3. The Forest People/Gallerians (1800-1500 years before present)
4. The Tower People/Hananei (1750-1700 years before present)
5. The Flame Worshippers/Ehranians (1700-1300 years before present)
6. The Shifting People/Kuzana (1500-1200 years before present)
7. The Desert People/Novadians (1400-1200 years before present)
8. The Oasis People/Sugdaeans (1100 years before present)
9. The Snow People/Slovona (1000 years before present)
10. The North Men/Gutians (900-800 years before present)
11. The Horse People/Haskira (780 years before present)
12. The Wild Men/Marya (750 years before present)

Publication Status

The Book of Migrations is a very popular, especially in academic circles, as its contents are useful for reconstructing society pre-shattering, as much documentation and histories have been lost due to the Ansophist wars and the Shattering.

Historical Details

Background

Much of Aethera is now culturally and linguistically homogenous, With the Aiolionians, Palmarians, Gallerians, and the Kuzana being most culturally/linguistically dominant after the Shattering eradicated most of Aethera's population, and many groups were likewise disproportionately affected.
There has been a gradual trend of assimilation of minor groups, with the other eight ethnic groups oftentimes inhabit small enclaves/strongholds on islands, with exception to the Hananei and the North Men, of which Stormrider Clan and their kin rules over Sleetpoint, and still do to this day.
It is generally believed that several of these groups had interacted with each other before their migration to Aethera; there are several similarities with these scripts that heavily suggest common origin and contact.
Likewise, the language and cultures between certain groups are much more apparent.

History

Whilst the latest element of the Book date roughly to 700-500 years before present, it is thought to be composed of much earlier, now lost, references.
It is believed to depict the settlement of Aethera as a purely human-oriented event, giving no indication of the existence of non-human races, which has led to significant scholarly debate on the nature of non-human races. Historians have proposed several explanations why non-Human races aren't included:

1. The author was a Human-supremacist, not seeing others as sentient
2. non-Human races did exist as some of the aforementioned groups
3. non-Human races had little to no interaction with Humans
4. non-Human races did not exist before the Shattering
5. non-Human races evolved into their modern forms during the Shattering
6. non-Human races are actually Human in origin

No other people have been known to arrive in groups in Aethera with the exception of the possibly the Grave Tree culture. Scholars have historically assumed that the many modern races stem from one of the aforementioned twelve groups of migrants, but it is of heavy scholarly debate over specific identification.

Type

Manuscript, Historical

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

500 Years Before Present

Location

Sunspire