The Tools of the Gods

[Maggot]

Following the unification of the old Clans and their triumph over the infidel merfolk,they decided to erect a vast temple complex to thank the gods for the victory they had given their children the Brave People. This,all the leaders of the Clans agreed,could only be done at the bottom of the sacred lake Laguda. It was believed in Eshal traditions,that below the bottom of the lake lay the abode of the mother of the gods and everything else, the Old Ones. There she lies in her eternal sleep,waking only when she has reached the end of her long cycle and must be rejuvenated by the blood of the gods themselves.  
 
While erecting on that spot what would later be known as Tawichi,the Eshal stumbled upon mysterious and ancient artifacts that mystified them. Convinced that these were the creations of the gods themselves,they  
wondered if unearthing them from the place where they had been buried would provoke the wrath of the gods who would not have wanted their tools of power to be tampered with by mere mortals. The Cuada who were much fascinated by these relics,convinced them otherwise,saying that the tools were probably meant to be passed down to the chosen of the Gods,the Brave People and thus could be used by them. With the instructions of the First Born of course.  
 
The Cuada soon realized that these artifacts were arcane tools of great power. Some of them if unleashed,could have destroyed most of Tarrod. The Cuada for their part,are sure that these tools were created by a long vanished race that must have had great power beyond imagination. But as to who these people were or why they vanished,no answers can be found.  
 
The artifacts and plinths. All of them range in size from small,shiny spheres and cylinders to giant,crystal spires and vast star or triangle shaped constructs that seem to be made of some kind of spongy material. The small artifacts were actually attached to the various large structures,but were found to be detachable,when examined. The large,immovable artifacts are guarded by warriors while the smaller ones are in the custody of the Emperor and the Cuada mystics who serve him.  
 
What both the Eshal and Cuada don't realize,is that these artifacts power the bio-mechanical anchors that keep Tarrod in place. The submerged continent is actually an artificial thing that was created by those same beings. If the artifacts are ever destroyed or removed from the continent,Tarrod will break up into a chain of buoyant islands that will go wherever the waves of the Vaet take it. The consequences of this would be most devastating indeed.

[Maggot]

The Artifacts at Tawichi aren't the only ones that exist. In some parts of Tarrod,where the Eshal presence isn't strong,Cuada seekers have found more traces of the progenitors,in the form of  large tools lying at the bottom of pools and creeks. Some of them are actually powerful beam weapons,but the Cuada of course,have no idea how to use them.
 
 Unfortunately for them,the only trove of Artifacts comparable to that of Tawichi,lies in scattered marshes and swamps of  the restive north-western part of Tarrod where some Anura and Lurdi tribes continue to defy the Eshal. In this region,the natives know of certain places where the half sunken remains of bizarre and arcane looking structures can be seen. They however,do not see them as sacred things,but rather as magnets for the evil that lurks there.These spots are given a wide berth by any Anura hunters or Lurdi packs that see them.
 
 The superstitions of primitives? Or is it something more?There have been those of both the Anura and Lurdi that have snuck away in the dead of night to explore those forbidden places,against the warnings of their elders to give those places a wide berth.And they have returned in the mornings with their heads held down in an oddly submissive way and their eyes glazed.Some rush to them,filled with concern for their missing tribe mates,only to realize that it is no longer their friend and kinsman,when that individual turns on them in a violent rage,all the while cackling maliciously,even as he slays people he has known all his life.They slay and slay,until they are finally cut down by horrified and stunned tribe members.
 
 The tribe elders call these unfortunate individuals,the Doomed. They know that these vile deeds are the work of the Black Ones. Maloveant things that violate the soul and body of a sentient being,taking over his will completely for their own twisted purposes. Tales of these evil things abound in the legends of the Anura and Lurdi,with their grisly deeds often told by elders on dark nights. Those foolish enough to dismiss them as stories meant prevent rebellious youngsters form wandering off on their own,discover too late that the Black Ones are very real. The elders for their part,have no idea why the Black Ones haunt those places where the mysterious things are.  They just know that those fool hardy enough to venture into them,suffer a fate worse than death.
 
 Could this have been the fate that befell the creators of the Artifacts? One can only wander.