‘Testament to the Fall’
‘Testament to the Fall’ is the best preserved and the longest example of the Extan language. It was found in a structure named the Sky Tower on the eastern coast of Dain and nicknamed after a theatre play of the same title.
‘Testament’ is written on twenty 30 x 42 cm pieces of parchment of unknown origin. Each page other than the first and the last contains approximately 500 characters, adding up to 10134 total. The first page contains only three words in the center, with the first, resembling ‘Exta’, later becoming the name of the language. The last page contains only 331 characters and is not formatted in a distinguishing manner. Characters are written by hand, as indicated by small inconsistencies between examples of the same letter and rare ink stains. The ink is dark blue and unlike the parchment reacts to sefia detection, suggesting that supernatural effects played a role in its preservation and that it may be an important cultural text. All other Extan texts found to date were not created with sefia-infused ink and were not as well preserved.
‘Testament’ was discovered in 63 BU by a group of copper mine workers, who dug into a vast underground cavern. Dubbed later the Sky Tower, the upside-down spire inside contained a stone chest welded shut by unknown means and several strange items. Together with several other artifacts, it was transported to the Wyeh Royal Palace and exhibited among other curia. In 8 AU, the Erwy Crown requested access to the artifacts brought from the Tower and transferred them to the University of Erwy. This finally resulted in unsealing the chest and uncovering the document.
The document, though intensely studied, is still nowhere near to being translated. The imagery of its finding and tales of Stormbraves fighting the Yellow Storms and recovering additional Extan texts resulted in popularization of the ‘ancient fallen civilization’ theory by Thero Sams, popular theater writer. His play ‘Testament of the Fall’, depicts a pair of lovers finding a text resembling the ‘Testament’ and deciphering it, commenting on a city of sky-dwellers and their fall from grace due to their pride and hate, ending in an enormous magical explosion. The final image is the Sky Tower falling from above and burying itself in Dain cliffs. It was read by the public as a thinly veiled allegory to how Erres-Wyeh Unification War almost resulted in irreparable damage to both countries. It was obliterated by theatre critics, and while not being a noteworthy cultural piece, it sparked a concern for now rampant increase in everyday sefia use. The unease culminated in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the manuscript by one of the Erwy University researchers attempting to save humanity from its secrets. Many copies of the ‘Testament’ have been made since and the original is now kept under a lock and key in the University vaults.
Description
‘Testament’ is written on twenty 30 x 42 cm pieces of parchment of unknown origin. Each page other than the first and the last contains approximately 500 characters, adding up to 10134 total. The first page contains only three words in the center, with the first, resembling ‘Exta’, later becoming the name of the language. The last page contains only 331 characters and is not formatted in a distinguishing manner. Characters are written by hand, as indicated by small inconsistencies between examples of the same letter and rare ink stains. The ink is dark blue and unlike the parchment reacts to sefia detection, suggesting that supernatural effects played a role in its preservation and that it may be an important cultural text. All other Extan texts found to date were not created with sefia-infused ink and were not as well preserved.
Discovery
‘Testament’ was discovered in 63 BU by a group of copper mine workers, who dug into a vast underground cavern. Dubbed later the Sky Tower, the upside-down spire inside contained a stone chest welded shut by unknown means and several strange items. Together with several other artifacts, it was transported to the Wyeh Royal Palace and exhibited among other curia. In 8 AU, the Erwy Crown requested access to the artifacts brought from the Tower and transferred them to the University of Erwy. This finally resulted in unsealing the chest and uncovering the document.
Controversy
The document, though intensely studied, is still nowhere near to being translated. The imagery of its finding and tales of Stormbraves fighting the Yellow Storms and recovering additional Extan texts resulted in popularization of the ‘ancient fallen civilization’ theory by Thero Sams, popular theater writer. His play ‘Testament of the Fall’, depicts a pair of lovers finding a text resembling the ‘Testament’ and deciphering it, commenting on a city of sky-dwellers and their fall from grace due to their pride and hate, ending in an enormous magical explosion. The final image is the Sky Tower falling from above and burying itself in Dain cliffs. It was read by the public as a thinly veiled allegory to how Erres-Wyeh Unification War almost resulted in irreparable damage to both countries. It was obliterated by theatre critics, and while not being a noteworthy cultural piece, it sparked a concern for now rampant increase in everyday sefia use. The unease culminated in an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the manuscript by one of the Erwy University researchers attempting to save humanity from its secrets. Many copies of the ‘Testament’ have been made since and the original is now kept under a lock and key in the University vaults.
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