Alhazred's Old Book Collections

Old Book Volume 1
"The Story of Creation"

"In the beginning, all that existed was Darkness.
For a long, long time, Darkness lived in solitude, growing ever so
lonely."

"Out of sorrow and despair, Darkness shed a tear.
From the tear were born two brothers:
Sword and Shield."

"Sword claimed it could cut through all that exists.
Shield claimed itself impenetrable. "

"Thus, the conflict was born-- a truly vicious conflict, lasting seven
days and seven nights. "

"In the end, Sword breached Shield, and Shield shattered Sword.
Pieces of Sword rained down to make the sky.
Pieces of Shield rained down to make the ground. Stars were created from
the sparks of that battle."

"The 27 gems adorning Sword and Shield transformed into the 27 True Runes.
And thus began the world as we know it."


Old Book Volume 2
"The Sun Rune and the Night Rune"

"Long, long ago, the Sune Rune and the Night Rune were born into the world,
their existence intertwined. They had a strong bond between them, as one
controlled light, while the other reigned over darkness."

"Before long, however, the Night Rune became annoyed by the dazzling
brilliance of the Sun Rune. The Night Rune could stand it no longer!
Turning itself into a sword, the Night Rune severed the bond between them,
and went off on its own."

"From the fragments of the bond left behind, the Dawn Rune and the Twilight
Rune were born. Ever since the Sun Rune lost its other half, legend has it
that these two new Runes have remained by its side, acting as guardians."


Old Book Volume 3
"Nether Gate"

"The assassination organization Nether Gate long supported the Queendom of
Falena from the shadows. The organization was often criticized, however, for
its inhumane methods. As such, Queen Arshtat and Ferid made the decision to
abolish Nether Gate several years ago."

"But Nether Gate refused to obey the order to disband. Of its five leaders,
only Shinatsu, the head of the intelligence division, acquiesced.
Hinoyagi, the head of the subversive activities division, put up heavy
resistance to the order."

"After a grim struggle, he was finally cornered by the Queen's Knights,
committing suicide just before he could be captured."

"Rumor has it that Kayanu, the head of the assassin training division, and
Takefute, the head of the assassin division and overall supreme commander
of Nether Gate, fled to Nagarea."

"Tsuranami, head of the drug development division, vanished completely.
There has not been the slightest hint as to his current whereabouts."

"With its five leaders finally out of commission, Nether Gate was promptly
dismantled. Free of this poison, the Queendom of Falena's armed forces
are now manned solely by the regular army."

"However, with three of its former leaders still at large, Nether Gate
remains a threat to the sovereignty of the Queendom."


Old Book Volume 4
"The Ancient Armes Dynasty"

"Long, long ago-- indeed, even hundreds of years before the arrival of the
legendary Sindar race, a mighty dynastic nation held power in this land. That
nation was the Ancient Armes Dynasty."

"Blessed by the Sun Rune, the dynasty was prosperous beyond compare.
Its vast territory stretched across what is now known as the Queendom of
Falena, the New Armes Kingdom and Nagarea. One fateful day, however,
the King suddenly and inexplicably went insane."

"His madness caused the Sun Rune to go berserk, destroying everything in
its path. The magnificent Armes Dynasty, the pinnacle of civilization, was
gone in an instant. In its place lay only dry and barren wilderness."

"Some theorize that the capital of this dynasty was near Amdort Mountain, in
the center of the present-day Queendom of Falena. However, no trace of the
civilization remains. However, it's safe to say that if the Sun Rune indeed
burned all vestiges of the capital to the ground, then there should be no
remains to discover. Although the people of the modern-day New Armes Kingdom
claim to be descendants of the Ancient Armes Dynasty, there is no proof that
they have any racial or cultural relationship to the dynasty whatsoever."

"The New Armes Kingdom's claims are likely just nationalistic propaganda,
aimed at building itself up into a nation as great as the Ancient Armes
Dynasty once was. Since most people now identify the name "Armes" with the
New Armes Kingdom, the true Ancient Armes Dynasty is usually just referred
to as "The Ancient Dynasty" or "The Ancient Nation."


Old Book Volume 5
"Royal Family Succession Conflict"

"This tragedy started under the reign of Queen Olhazeta, in the late 210s of
the New Capital Calendar. Princess Falzrahm, second in line to the throne,
began maneuvering to win over the majority of the Senate, wanting her sister,
Princess Shahrewar, to give up her right of succession and take it for
herself."

"Rumor has it that the Barows family was the real force behind all this
scheming, as they had married one of their members to Princess Falzrahm."

"Because both Queen Olhazeta's and Princess Shahrewar's husbands were from
the Godwin family, the Barows family became terrified of the possibility of
losing their influence in the Senate and royal family."

"Thus, they would use Princess Falzrahm in an attempt to seize the right of
succession. It is unclear as to whether all-- or even some-- of these rumors
surrounding the Barows Family are true."

"Regardless of the Barows family's ambitions, however, it does appear that
Princess Falzrah herself really did have designs on the throne."

"The situation quickly grew antagonistic between the Godwin and Barows
families, each of whom supported one of the two princesses, and even the
aristocracy that supported the two families got mixed up in the hostilities.
Queen Olhazeta, once known for her brilliance and decisiveness, was getting
old, and she no longer had the strength to resolve the situation."

"Armed forces was never officially used, but a cold war raged between the two
factions, one that used every conceivable form of subterfuge.
And what could be considered the culmination of this secret strife was the
Sacred Games of Princess Arshtat. Even though Princess Shahrewar's daughter,
Haswar, was older than Arshtat and therefore had a higher priority of
succession..."

"Princess Falzrahm and Lord Barows tenaciously persuaded Queen Olhazeta into
letting them hold the Sacred Games for their own oldest child, Arshtat, before
Haswar's Sacred Games. This was, of course, a strategy of Princess Falzrahm's
to lend credibility to the idea that she herself was the predominant
successor."

"But, amazingly, the one who won Princess Arshtat's hand in marriage at these
Sacred Games was a barbaric swordsman from a foreign land."

"If either the Barows or the Godwin family had won, the possibility of a rise
to arms had been expected. This outcome, then, ironically, led to a cooling
down of the antagonism between the two factions."

"But that peace only lasted until 226, when Queen Olhazeta passed away. With
the prospect of the actual throne so close at hand, antagonism was rekindled
even before the mourning period for the Queen was over."

"And that antagonism turned instantaneously into a bloody struggle."

"And throughout this struggle, Nether Gate's nefarious influence was the
cause of most of the bloodshed. Nether Gate is usually under the direct
control of the Queen, but the throne was vacant during this time."

"And so Nether Gate played both sides, executing assassinations for both
Princess Shahrewar's and Princess Falzrahm's factions.
Nether Gate's ultimate goal was to cling to power no matter which side
acceded to the throne. In the end, though, their actions brought unprecedented
bloodshed to the Sun Palace."

"This war of succession saw countless victims, as many from both the Godwin
and Barows factions were slain. In the end, even the husbands of the two
Princesses themselves were assassinated."

"Not wanting to see any more bloodshed, Princess Shahrewar-- not having a
very strong personality by nature-- lost the will to fight and gave up the
throne to her younger sister."

"But Princess Falzrahm had become suspicious of anything and everything. She
thought that even this noble gesture of Princess Shahrewar's might be a trick.
Thus, she ordered Nether Gate to assassinate her older sister."

"After acceding to the throne at last, Queen Falzrahm died of illness only
two short years later. After all the bloodshed that had occured, this ending
was hardly dramatic. These years of internal conflict and intrigue have left
a brutal scar on the Queendom of Falena. This scar will not easily-- nor
quickly-- heal."

"But the Princesses Arshtat, Sialeeds and Haswar are determined to never
repeat their mother's mistakes. Many feel that this will certainly be the
Queendom's salvation."

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