The sunserpent was one of the most enigmatic creatures that ever existed. Little was known about him except that he came down from the sun once every 7777 years and burned the whole world, staying just long enough to visit the first humans and Mornai after Erfeirin created them once more. After telling them they had 7777 years to alter their fates, he then left back into the sun to await the appointed time in a silent sleep.
Each cycle ran about the same. Society developed along the same lines: the sunserpent and his warning would fade into myth, and the history of the world would play along the same track over and over again.
Then, one day, the sunserpent made a mistake. Somewhere on the sun, a gigantic explosion from an unknown source forced him from his hibernation only 7775 years after the last renewal. Rather than end the track and begin again, he decided to wait and see how the humans–by then nomads living in Amral–would react to his presence. He chose a a small island off the coast of what would become Lamaera as his resting place. His scaly, golden skin, as radiant as the sunlight it reflected, was impossible to miss.
The humans did indeed react. After much deliberation, they sent a boy name Malinor along with nine other men to reason with–or kill–the sunserpent, thus ensuring the survival of the human race.
The sunserpent, sensing danger, attempted to enchant Malinor and his crew so that they would feel intense fear as soon as they drew near. His crew turned back, but Malinor himself persevered, denying the magic’s power and rendering it ineffectual.
The sunserpent then tried a different tactic: explaining why the renewal was necessary. But to no avail. He insisted that men were corrupt, that they would bring about their own demise if left unchecked, but Malinor refused to listen. Eventually, with an ice-cold arrow enchanted by the mountain nomads, Malinor slew the sunserpent just days before 7777.
From that point on, everyone revered Malinor. His tribe, Ithwon, became the first to develop into a settled society, and they named him king. The Lamaerans followed suit and swore to the Ithwonians that the island where Malinor’s heroic deeds had taken place would be preserved as a reminder to all future generations that their lives were bought with great courage. Malinor had preserved his people, and they could progress unhindered, continuing to grow and thrive.
But Malinor harbored doubts in his heart. All too well he remembered the sunserpent’s warning that the corruption of Man would always rule the day. As such, he set up a society valuing wisdom, tradition, morality, and discernment above all else–including the rich natural resources that littered their homeland. The roots he planted ran so deep that they outlasted 99 kings and counting, with Ithwon growing more and more measured and utopic every year. Infused with Malinor’s spirit, the peaceful land defied all the sunserpent’s predictions with its beauty, grace, and intelligence. The snake had been wrong.
World of Amral 