Dawn of the Shadow

Before Threshold, the Caudal Rift, the Courtyard of Awakening, and the Hall of Voices, lay the beginnings of the "Shadow." As the very first Dreamers started to enter the City of Dreams, alone and unprotected, each sought their own way of thinking about the Dream.

Here is the story of but one. Aquiela Val'Des, a Dreamwright, whose search for a non-constrained way of Dreaming led him to isolation within the very heart of City. In this realm, between the Ordered direction of the City and the utter randomness of the Chaos, Val'Des attempted to remove his soul from either, and progressed into what we know today, as the OverSoul. He knew that infinite knowledge and consciousness without restriction lay somewhere outside the mortal shells that they had wrapped around themselves.

During his seclusion, Val'Des experimented in magical arts, alchemy and other unconventional workings. It was during one of these experimentation’s that he had a revelation that would change his way of thinking forever. He recorded the details of this experience in a personal journal which would eventually become what we know now as the Book of Val’Des or, the Book of Shadows. When Val'Des looked out upon the City, he noticed a thin and transparent reflection. As if seen through colored glass, he glimpsed an underlying existence that fed both sides of the spectrum. It was then, that he perceived a thin line between the two planes and a place between light and darkness, positive and negative, along with the Balance of the two. As with his spiritual beliefs he could see it all clearly, the iconized dualism and polarities coming together to form one separate. Not two becoming one as most would perceive, but the combining of two, balanced to perfection, giving birth to the third, The Shadow. Not an easy concept for most to grasp and this is where his struggles began.

He called this place of Balance, "The Shadows" and the Entity within in it he hoped to find "The Shadow." The time was set, the place was here, before him, Val'Des knew what he must do. The Dream was in need of the great knowledge he then had, the truth of the Dreamstate, but how could he tell the others? He knew that they would scoff and snicker behind his back, as all do of one whom have a different idea.

Val'Des set out on his task to find ones he could trust, all the while recording his journeys. They were to be of the Shadows, as he was - the Hidden. So began the first members of Keepers of the Eternal Shadow, the Keepers of knowledge, Shadows, and Balance of the Dream. Many of the ones he found were looking for power, negative power, which they felt, he knew of, yet others looked to him for answers he did not have. Val'Des was a seeker and a learner. All of what he held within him, he held in Honor, and shared it with a trusted few and those of like mind.

As time passed, Val'Des found two others. This struck him as ironic but held more meaning then that of the Trine he had always known, the Triple Moon, the Three-fold Goddess. Why this number yet again, with counting himself, another Trinity. As he meditated and pondered this, it came to him, the Light, the Dark, and the Balance... the "Shadow" was coming together with the other two. This was a great realization. At a meeting of the three, Val'Des, explained his thoughts, and set the first order of The Keepers, the side of Light, or Positive, the side of Dark or Negative, and himself, the Balance. The one, who he set to control the Light was to learn and seek the knowledge, the one, who was set to control the Dark side, was to be the fighters and defender, which later became the "Assassins" of lore, from Keepers of the Eternal Shadow. Little is known of these times, for as all was done, as it was set to be deep within the Shadows of the Dream.