The End of the Dark

Yn Unaryk Szkiem (ɨn unarɨk ʂkiɛm)

The Unaryk Szkiem is a prophecy known all over Nys, native to the Rojgrasz. It cryptically foresees the end of the "darkness" by the hand of an entity who earned "true power". Most people interpret it as either the return of the Dark Lands to its former prosperous condition or the final defeat of the Abyss.

The Prophecy

A long journey awaits the heroes, from their native snowfields to the end of the dark. Through worlds, they will travel, with little hope. Against all Nys, they will fight, for their sacred holy task. When everything seems lost, true power will be found, and from the old fire, a new sky will rise.

— An old man, before disappearing in a murder of crows.

The Prophet

In 1541, during the first full moon night following the summer solstice, an astronomical event monopolised everyone's attention in the Dark Lands. A deep red colour painted the moon, while a disembodied voice echoed in all of Rojgrasz, announcing the prophecy.
In the following months and years, a Zatjal alńy recounted how they witnessed with other people in the same village, the appearance of a prophet. They felt a disruption in the spiritual world and saw an old man appearing mid-air, enveloped in a dark fog. He announced the prophecy and turned in a murder of crows that flew high in the sky. They claim the moon turned red before he appeared and went back to normal after he disappeared.
It is still unclear whether they lied about the appearance or they told the truth. Since there seems to be no benefit in coming up with this story, most people around Nys think they were genuine. Some, especially rival Rojgraszian villages, ask whether they were under the effect of some poison or alcohol since they were celebrating the kiformeła merz. These provocations found no ground to grow on.

Cultural Reception

Interpretations for the prophecy are wild.
Everyone tries to interpret it to help their cause or bring fame to their organization. The elements generating controversy are the native country of the heroes, the nature of the dark, the fight against Nys, the origin of the true power, and the presence of the old fire and a new sky.
For the native country, snowfields are the hint. If this indication were literal, then the country would be, without doubt, the undead Frozen Lands since it is the only region with actual plains covered in snow. However, most people interpret this detail more loosely, including some northern Rojgraszian areas, consisting of woods and hills covered in snow, and some mountains in the Free Lands and Doujate. Wayfarers reminded that snow entirely covers some of the kanvæ, but everyone else agrees the prophecy is about Nys strictly.
About the dark, most people outside Rojgrasz think it refers to the Abyss. The prophecy would foretell the final defeat of the Abyss. Within the Dark Lands, instead, most people think it refers to Nogry Węsz, the Dark Swan. It would foretell a return to the prosperity of the four kingdoms. Some timidly advance the hypothesis that the two interpretations do not exclude each other.
The detail about Nys is unclear. How would it be possible that everyone will hinder and fight the heroes when their goal is so important? Some think it will be because the Arkadhian New Empire will conquer Nys, thus making virtually the whole world be against them. Wayfarers point out most countries already hinder their tasks for the sake of power, so maybe the prophecy is not talking about direct and explicit opposition. Most people avoid discussing this detail.
As for the true power, the Moon Church claims it's from the Moon Goddess, as it was for Damparo in the previous era. Others think the true power has demonic origin: since the heroes would be fighting everyone else in Nys, their source of power would be the Abyss itself, in a "fight fire with fire" fashion, especially considering the following words in the prophecy. In the Dark Lands, most people think it refers to the spirit world. This would likely give the Zatjal folk a significant role in the prophecy.
Finally, the most feared detail: the fire. The Church claim it is a metaphor for a powerful cleansing. After it, people could look up at the sky in a new way, without fearing for a return of the Abyss. In Rojgrasz, most people take it more literally, imagining a fire that will burn the woods and the fog, allowing them to see a clear sky once again. Wayfarers point out the whole situation recalls a lot the motto from the Undead "Fire over Rot", but nobody's listening to them, once again.

Date of First Recording

1541

Related Locations

• Dark Lands