Ernst Greywood

## Lights Lead to Falholot

File:Construction Begins.pdf
The lights called to Ernst Greywood from his dreams. The soft yellow orange glow of lights reflected off the calm waters of what Ernst would come to know was the Velstmorad Sea. The lights danced in his vision at night, yet there was always something darker, just at the edge of his vision, that he could never catch. The darkness meant nothing to a man enthralled by the glowing lights and the undulating waves. After weeks of the dreams the call of the lights interfered with his sleep and Ernst began to go nights without rest. Days soon turned to weeks and Ernst began to see the lights swimming in his vision, even without the sweet respite of slumber.

Ernst would come to hate the lights. Hate that they kept him rest. Hate that he would never know where they could be found. But mostly, hate that he was not able to bathe in their glow and finally receive rest.

Five months after the dreams starter, after his lack of sleep has brought him to his breaking point, Ernst picked up everything he had and left his home in Amarillo to find the lights and end his suffering.

The journey was long, and set backs were many as Ernst traversed his way through the kingdoms of Eldham. However, the lights of his dreams began to serve as a compass to Ernst. He was drawn as a moth is drawn to a flame. The power of the lights, the radiance of the yellow orange glow, only seemed to grow stronger as he ventured to the southwest. To Ernst it was almost as if the sun never set, the incandescence of the lights so overpowering in his vision. He went without food for days as he engaged in his single minded search for the lights that haunted his dreams and his waking hours. Eventually, Ernst was able to find the first of the lights scattered to the north of a far flung island nation called Falholt.

When he first laid eyes on the lights that bloomed from the ocean floor Ernst could only sit in his boat and let the current take him from one pillar to the next. The glow seemed to stretch out to Ernst and touch him. At first Ernst was comforted by the lights. He paddled up to one of the pillars and put his hands on the glass and felt the warmth of the light pushing its way through. Tears streamed down his face as Ernst finally realized that he would be able to sleep. To rest. To take his thoughts away from the waking world and the lights that had come to dominate his life.

Ernst feel asleep in his boat and when he awoke he found that he had been washed up on the small island of Falholt, a member of the Commonwealth of Falholt. The lights had left his vision and in its place he saw an unfinished building and space to grow on this small island. Ernst saw this as an opportunity to make a new life. He was unsure what would happen to him if he were to ever leave the glow of the lights behind. Would his vision blur? Would he no longer be able to fall asleep and remove himself from the torment of the day? Ernst did not want to take any chances. Ernst could live his life with the lights, their soft smolder giving him peace and rest. Were these lights a cage, or a key that had set Ernst free…

**Construction Begins**

After days of exploring his limits, Ernst found that he could travel beyond the lights that were perched upon the waves. However, if he were to go too far he would be drawn back to their glow. Headaches, lack of sleep, and the dancing visions of the lights would cloud his vision until he made his way back to them. Ernst did not let this dampen his spirits. When he was near the lights he felt energized, better than he ever had. All of this new found energy needed to be channeled and Ernst found ways to make the island of Falholt his home.

When Ernst arrived there was a massive structure on the center of the small isle. This structure, though half finished, was supposed to be a town hall. No homes sat on the island. No crops, no fields, no trees, but there was one other building present on the island. A light house whose beams could not hold a candle to the radiance of the lights scattered on the waves around the island. Yet still, the structure loomed at the center of the island casting its shadow over this piece of floating land. Ernst felt a call to the building, and urge to finish it. Ernst was still a visitor to this island and to the country that it belonged to so he waited and did what he could for the island itself.

So, Ernst did what he could to add to the island and gain the trust of those living on the islands scattered throughout the Velstomorad Sea. He built up the island, expanding it to almost double its original size. He established a life for himself on the island. Planting trees, raising crops, and going to the mainland to mine and add wealth to the Commonwealth. After a week of work Ernst asked to continue work on this structure.

After permission was given Ernst began his labors. He brought in stone, wood, and glass. He finished the building, after some set backs, and added the flag of the Commonwealth to the town hall as a way of proclaiming his loyalty to the nation. Something was still missing from the building. The urge that had drawn Ernst to finish the construction in the first place had only grown and now seemed to gnaw away at Ernst. The lights on the seas would cloud his vision when he walked past the town hall and would almost draw him to the basement.

Ernst did his best to distract himself. The basement of the city hall was meant for offices and storage, nothing more. So, Ernst set to building a house for himself and places for others to call home on the island as well. As he labors continued he was able to meet some of his fellow citizens of the Commonwealth of Falholt. With the islands spread so far apart it was difficult to meet with his countrymen. However, others also seemed to be drawn to the new building constructed at the center of the island.

Cinderevin, an individual whose reputation precedes them, came to the island and was given a tour by Ernst. After walking through the grand halls and meeting rooms of the town hall, Cinderevin seemed drawn to the basement. They spoke with Ernst about something called Temper. A substance whose brilliance radiated from within and seemed to change the very being of those who were exposed to it. Ernst, nervous at first as to how his experiences would be perceived, finally divulged to Cinderevin what had brought him to Falholt. The lights, the sleeplessness, the headaches, and the continual pressure in his mind to be near the substance that he now knew as Temper. His new companion was not phased. They too had seen the radiance of Temper. Cinderevin had a curious mind and began to wonder if Temper would be worth studying. If a place of learning and safety could be made for those connected with Temper to study it and use it. Ernst agreed. His words of excitement felt true; though a small voice within him, stuck somewhere in the edges of his mind, shouted with all that it could muster "No''.

So the repurposing of the town hall began. The structure would be transformed from a place of meeting to a place of learning and experimentation. Not only would students be present but the substance of Temper itself would be a staple of the university. The gnawing in Ernst's mind began to subside as he engaged in his work and the voice of dissent in his mind was silenced.