[Chanak]

Interregnum

The stars are innumerable. To the primitive mind, they are departed ancestors suspended in the heavens, looking down upon their progeny from the lofty heights of the mysterious night sky. There were oracles who would consult these ancestors for knowledge, for they were high above and could see far. They were sacred, to be honored and revered, and always the primitive eyes were drawn to their glittering beauty shining above, behind the moon who was the night-god. Always these eyes were searching, and ever this mind would wonder, asking questions long into the sleepy silence of the night.

It was soon discovered that the stars had more to offer than spiritual advice. Over time the learned ones, whose duty it was to keep them in rememberance, discovered patterns in the sky amongst their whispering radiance. Through the generations these were recorded by primitive hands, pictures on carved bone, painted rock, or dyed skins, and told the tale of their movements across the sky. Always seeking, ever wondering, the primitive mind understood that the stars could show them the way, guide them across the land where new hunting grounds lie...and back again to the hearth, safe amongst their brothers and sisters, blessed by the gifts they bore.

The sun by day was warm and bright, but the stars by night were mysterious and cold. They beckoned. They called out to the primitive soul, awakening a restless spirit that could only move forward, never back. The first frontier was the land, the claiming of hunting grounds and sacred groves...but an even greater one lie in the waves of the sea, and so the Makers slaked their souls upon the deeps that reflected the stars above.

They constructed craft to ply the waves of the sea, taking them to distant places never before dreamed of. The bold set out on voyages, often never to return...but the few who did were forever changed, and their tales held the spirit of the Makers spellbound. Over time their tireless minds built greater and better things, improving upon what came before, and opening doors to those who would come after them. Ever this wanderlust drew the Makers to spread across their world, and though their first recorded histories tell the tale of conquests and desire for land, it was always the stars the Makers longed for in their souls.

By the stars the Makers had gained knowledge and wisdom: from the humble beginnings of the oracle, to the ancient mariners and learned ones, to the scholars who knew their ways and advised kings, their gifts brought blessings abundant. So it was by the stars that the Makers gained mastery over their world, spreading to its four corners, erecting great edifices to bring them closer to their heights in the heavens. They were ancestors, they were gods, and they were beacons that illuminated the destiny that awaited them. It was only a matter of time until they themselves tread in their heavenly abode.