PAE prologue scene 1 A Brief History of Pangaia

*Pangaia Airdtriath Èirich* Prologue — *My Mother's Death* →

**Summary:** Brief description and history of Pangaia and the area the game takes place from the viewpoint of Myrddin. Athelbert Athelradson is the default name for the protagonist.
**Location:** Inside you home in Rithertun & unknown pass in the mountains.
**Time:** ?-years ago.
**Cast:** Athelbert Athelradson (page 14-years-old), and Myrddin Emrys-pen y Ddraig.
No player interaction, all cutscenes. This can be skipped, though if first time playing this game it would add more to the storyline.

[fade from black]
You are floating in a black void. You can see your body but blackness beyond with no sign of anything else. After appearing out of nowhere, a woman approaches. She is bountiful and gorgeous, garbed in a hooded and generous robe. A welcoming smile eases a bit of your confusion and fear, far from all.

【unknown woman】 「Welcome one and all.」 You look around seeing no one else, at this, the unknown woman gives a hidden grin. 「I will pass on a glimpse into the history of Pangaia to you. There will be many things, of course, I will not mention no matter the impact it made on Pangaia as a whole, instead, focusing on the history that relates to that which I am chronicling. That of Pangaia: Airdtriath Èirich.」 She smiles, 「What do you think? An outstanding title, is it not?」

【unknown woman】 Not giving you time to respond she continues, 「Oh, wait, where are my manners? My name. Have I yet to give it to you? Then again, Rycharde — knew him when I fished him out of that damned pond as Rhisiart, Rhisiart pen y Ddraig being his full name. You, of course, know he was the founder of the House pen y Ddraig, known in modern times as House Pendraig. You do recall he is Airdrìgh of Afallon?」

【unknown woman】 Giving a bit of a scowl she translates, 「All right··· Airdrìgh means Highking. I hope you figured out Rhisiart is Rycharde. And I'm not even going to translate pen y Ddraig.」 She gives you a hard and cold stare.

【unknown woman】 Again you look questioningly at her. Putting a hand to her forehead, closing eyes, she asks whether you know you are living in the kingdom of Afallon. When you nod, she gives a small sigh of relief.

【unknown woman】 「It shows that not all farmsteaders are ignorant of the world.」

【unknown woman】 Knowing she is speaking to someone from a backwoods farmstead, she continues, 「Rycharde has commented several times over the past few millennia that my manners sorely lack.」 Laughing, she gazes into the void, 「One of these centuries I should work on that.」

【unknown woman】 「Oh, Airdtriath Èirich, in your colloquial language means Highlord Arise.」

Scratching your head trying to keep track on the flow of Myrddin's conversation will be difficult, but you will persevere, you hope.

【Myrddin】 Turning her attention back to you she rubs her chin, 「Now, where was I···? Ah yes, my name. I have yet to pass it on. Myrddin, my name is Myrddin, actually, Myrddin Emrys-pen y Ddraig, that's Emrys-Pendraig to you.」

【Myrddin】 Disgusted that people don't know how to pronounce simple names and know what they mean no matter the country, she continues, 「Pendraig was added by myself because I'm of the House Pendraig. Not a requirement, I know … In fact, I think I'm the only one to do that. Hm? I cannot remember why. My memory's sharp as a new needle, nothing like Random's. But that is another story, the bit about Random. You will meet her in a couple of years.」

【Myrddin】 「Now, can we get on with my history lesson? I dislike being interrupted.」 Before you can object, she continues, 「So, a billio-. No, you don't want to go that far back. Probably would not believe me anyhow.」

【Myrddin】 「Hm? Got it! Several million year-.」 Looking at you, is she thinking of something important? 「Dinosaurs are probably out of your league right now, and again, you won't believe me, plus it has nothing to do with my tale.」 She laughs at some hidden joke it seems.

【Myrddin】 「I got it! First, a map. Yes, a map will do well now. Not right away since I have much to cover before coming to this map··· Well, onward.」

【Myrddin】 「A few millennia ago··· That's it!」 Looking quite pleased with herself she carries on, 「Hm? About 12,000 years ago, as I know you remember?」 She turns her full attention to you and waits.

【Athelbert】 「Um? That is a long time ago. I live in a small farmstead, Rithertun. I have not learned anything but was is necessary for farming, taking care of the livestock, a bit of blacksmi-」

【Myrddin】 「A pity that. We'll have to fix that before you go to Paradisi Lycæum. You know, part of the Paradisi Academia in Kamylla.」 Again she waits for your recognition. Looking at your flustered face filled with ignorance, she is shocked. 「You know Kamylla, at least? The capital city of Afallon?」 A pleading look of concern written across her face.

【Athelbert】 「Yeah··· Um···? I think I've heard something about that.」

【Myrddin】 Shivering with dread, 「I understand.」 She lifts her hand to her forehead, 「The amount of teaching involved to reach the high standards I placed before allowing people to attend Lycæum, this applies at least double for you.」

【Myrddin】 Myrddin continues,「You mean you do not know of Paradisi Academia? The highest ranking school in all of Afallon? Possibly all of Pangaia?」 Shaking her head, 「I'll fix that, you did transfer a couple days ago. You do not know this since I am the one to inform you, and I just did. We'll go to Kamylla when you wake from these dreams.」

【Myrddin】 Still watching your expression, she becomes quite agitated seeing your confusion building. 「What is it now? Did you not know this is nothing but a dream? Save you and me, we are real, we are having a conversation about the past and present, but everything else is but a dream.」

【Myrddin】 「Oh yes, we, as in you and I, are airdtriath.」

【Athelbert】 「Airdtriath?」

【Myrddin】 「Oh by the angels beyond!」 You see she is angry for the first time. 「Enough of this. Let me show you a brief history.」

【Myrddin】 She sighs, 「Billions of years ago, Pangaia took shape from the bombardment of millions and billions of asteroids. We are not going to discuss that. Billions of years to early.」

【Myrddin】 She gathers herself, 「A few million years ago··· Nevermind. Dinosaurs and the like will do nothing but confuse you further.」

You place your hand upon your forehead waiting for Myrddin to get to the point of this bizarre tale.

【Myrddin】 「Yes, well, on with the history lesson. Over 12,000 years ago··· This is the history lesson I spoke of so pay attention. Over 12,000 years ago, technology and magikology··· Coined that term, pretty cool, eh?」 She waits for your praise. When it does not come, with a silent groan, she perseveres with her lesson, 「Quite. The ability they had with technology and magiko··· er···? magik was at least a century beyond what we know today.」

【Myrddin】 「This knowledge and abilities did not save them from the Great Cataclysm. I will speak of this later.

【Myrddin】 「It took around 10,000 years for the survivors to reach the stage of building cities with governments that started history once again.」

You see a look of deep sorrow upon Myrddin's visage.

【Myrddin】 「I could not help. I would be branded a shedim and executed if they caught me. None of us highlords could. Instead, we looked for the ones who appeared open-minded, we took them under our wings, bringing them to the site soon to called Kamylla. Some call it Camelot, a distasteful, vulgar term.」

Waving her hand, a map appeared below you. An immense map.

【Myrddin】 「It was with them we kept watching over Kaine and his minions. Their land was and is next to Kamylla.」 Pointing to Kamylla and then Kaine's territory. 「 At that time, it was not a huge crater as seen here. The Dubh Faiche crater happened about 5,000 years ago··· Let me think··· Ah yes, 5,269 years ago. It was another magikal attack, this one obviously caused by Kaine. Rycharde, I and some of the other more powerful mages felt the presence of great power welling up within the borders of what would later be called Dubh Faiche. It had been building for years, a couple of decades.」

【Myrddin】 「We were amazed that someone could manifest and then hold onto such power. In the meantime, we sent out teams looking for a couple minerals, I'll not name them, you would not know them nor remember their names. I'll let the præceptors at the Lycæum teach those and so many other things. You will be astounded.」

【Myrddin】 「Back to the lesson.」

【Myrddin】 「The teams of adventures··· Well, more like scouts, explorers. They acquired these two minerals bringing them back to the most powerful of mages could begin assembling the towers, called Ægis Towers, that created and holds the globe of magik, that to this day, guard Kaine's people and creatures from invading our lands.」

【Myrddin】 「Rycharde and I thought about the amount of æthereal energy that Kaine had under his control, and the amount of power she is gathering, that the release would be devastating for miles, hundreds of miles, probably into the thousands. We knew we had to guard against that as well. We designed the towers to do two things. One, to misdirect the æthereal explosion to a safer location, space··· Directly above, you know」 having to see your look of confusion grow.

【Myrddin】 「The other, to create that globe called Ægis which will guard Pangaia.」 Before you could make the confused look Myrddin explains, 「Thing of Ægis being a 『shield of the gods』, and let it do for now. You'll learn much more about it when you attend the Lycæum.」

【Athelbert】 「A quick question. I see Kaine is a bad guy. You are a good guy, I guess.」 Myrddin opens her mouth, quickly shutting it to let the Hero continue. 「But who is Rycharde?」

【Myrddin】 「Ah, a quick question indeed. To fully answer it is another story. The very short answer is he is an airdtriath, like you and I.」 Lifting her hand, 「I will give you the briefest explanation about that as well in a minute.」

【Myrddin】 「Now, may I continue?」 This time a look of kind concern meets your gaze. You nod. She nods.

【Myrddin】 「It was a couple years later that the build-up of power skyrocketed, we knew it was time to activate the Towers of Ægis. It was within a day that the release of energy occurred. True to our hopes, we were able to send it to the stars. Within a couple weeks the globe was in place as well.」

【Myrddin】 「It was with this æthereal attack the crater was formed. Somehow Kaine survived, though, I believe, not many of his minions did.」

【Myrddin】 Giving a big sigh, not out of frustration you believe, rather readying herself for more of the lesson. 「As I said, Rycharde is an airdtriath, a highlord in your tongue, an immortal.」 A look of shock comes over you. 「Yes. You are airdtriath. You are immortal.」

【Myrddin】 「I will tell you some of being what the responsibilities of an immortal being, and why some of what it is like to be airdtriath, but···」 glancing your way, 「I see your mind is tired. I will return, after all, your coma is going to last a while. Plenty of time to teach you many things.」

【Athelbert】 「Coma···?」 Myrddin shushes you saying later she will explain that as well. She smiles, or is that a grin? An evil or, at least, wicked grin.

[fade to black]

*Pangaia Airdtriath Èirich* Prologue — *My Mother's Death* →