Origins of the Edge

by Sam Bennett

Have you ever wondered how life came to be on The Edge? wonder no longer

Long ago before the adventures of Quintinious Vergenix or the journeys of Twig Vergenix or the battles of Rook Backwater and the decent of Nate Quarter. Before the mighty Sanctaphrax rock loomed of the Skye's and the Edge water river flowed off the top of the world and the Deep woods stretched on endlessly into the unknown, The Edge was Barron and cold. It was stone from begging to end no life no colour not even a chance of finding a good story to tell or a sight to see or topics to study.

However that is not the edge we know today something must have happened to change all this. And something did. The Cloud Eaters travels in vast herds throughout open sky beyond The Edge and lived a life of calm and peace. However they were not alone, on their back grew small creatures unseeable to the likes of you and me. Microscopic bacteria festers on the backs of the Cloud Eaters and over thousands of years they grew to become large insects and bugs and plants forging nests and gives on the backs of the Cloud Eaters. Over time this began to irritate them and they were in need of a solition. The spun their tails round fast as fast as they could go untill they had created a storm the likes of which had never been seen before. It would later be called the mother storm by residents of the edge. The Strom swept the bugs and plants and seeds of their backs and carried them east to The Edge. As the storm raged through the land the seeds and bugs were dropped on the cold hard floor and quickly died. When the storm reached the mighty rock that would become Riverside a powerful bolt of lightning strike k the tip of the rock and a sea of water was released and became the edge water river. The ground atop the rock became soft and the seeds found their place in the rich soil and grew into many beautiful plants and trees and only a short few years later the garden of Life was born. The plants were not alone however the bugs that had been swept to the garden of Life lived in prosper amongst the beauty of the garden, and over the next thousands of years they grew and evolved into the mind readers the Waifs. Riverrise was their home and they would die to protect it.

As the Edge water river pushed on through The Edge the water split off into many hundreds of other rivers and lakes that turned the hard and cold ground of The Edge into good prosperous soil. Bit it was soil without seed, nothing could grow their because nothing was ever planted there but that was soon to change. After thousands of years the Cloud Eaters had been infested with a new set of bugs and plants and therefore had to create another storm to rid them from their backs. As the new set of plants and bugs came to the edge riding the great mother storm once again many of them were dropped on the now good welcoming soil of the new Edge. Soon trees grew strong and tall and all manner of plants arose and so the great Deepwoods were born.

Over the next thousands of years life began to grow and evolve just as it had done in the garden of Life all those years ago. The Waifs looked on as they saw the new life progress and they fears for what they might do to them and the garden of life. A small number of them were ready to defend Riverrise and wanted to keep it hidden so they filled barrels and containers full of the most pure water on all The Edge the water drawn directly from the Riverrise lake. They journeyed down to the fledge of the deep woods and found a single thorn bush between them and the rest of the world. All they could think to do was spout the water on the thorn bush and hope it would bring protection to their lives. As they did the thorn bush grew faster than any other replant had ever done and in a few short years Thorn Forest was born. Alas they were not satisfied, smaller creatures could fit through the forest and emerge out the other side unharmed. Larger more civilised creature developed tools to cut through the thorns and push their way to Riverrise. The Waifs planted and a single tree between Thorn Forest and Riverrise and once again poured the water from the Riverrise lake on this tree and a new forest was born populated only by a rare tree called the night tree. Many Waifs left Riverrise and found their new homes in this forest. None would ever look at Riverrise again or attempt to travel there. Their lives now we're in The Deep Woods.

Over thousands of years the bugs that Roamed The Deep Woods evolved into what you now know as the species of The Edge. Living at the western side of the Woods as spices know a Forthelings dwelt hunting and fighting the perils of The Deep Woods. Their lives were not long lived or fully live for they were constantly wary of range Rand rightfully so. The leaders of the settlement of Forthelings came to the conclusion. That the Deep Woods were no place for them to live and they should leave and go west to find a safer land and a new life. This was about the time that creatures of the Edge were learning to speak a common language known as Basic. The Forthelings went Wes and found themselves looking up one the Twilight Woods the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. But they were not stupid no, they knew things can deceive. They sent many exploration party to check in the Woods were safe, none ever returned. Fearing that their numbers were growing to small the leaders decided to rope themselves together and prepare to cross the mysterious woods. As they made their way through almost half over their numbers became mad and cut theme loose and were never seen again. Once the surviving colony made it to the other side of the Woods they saw a vast flat grassland that would later become The Mire. Determined to find a new life they pressed on forward until many miles across the grassland they found a new forest. This one was peaceful and calm but there was something else that they saw something none of them could have ever dreamed of existing in their world. A might Rock floating in the air above them. They saw it as a good and they named it Sanctaphrax.

For many years the colony of Forthelings spent their time building a new town under the rock that they would call home. The forest was cut down and the outer edge of the city was dedicated to farm lands. The water was fresh and for a time they felt that danger was a thing of the past. Undertown was what the city was now known as and all manner of creatures had braved The Twilight Woods and crossing the grassland to live in the sanctuary that was Undertown. As more and more people crosses the grassland the floor became dirty and dead under the feet of passing travellers. All that was left of the once beautiful grassland was a black white mire know simply as The Mire. The residents of Undertown began exploring further west only to find indefinitely the tip of the world, the stone gardens where The Edge water river flows off into the unknown. They began to study the flight rocks and learn there properties and values. They came to the conclusion that the great Sanctaphrax rock was once one of these and was blessed by God to be bigger. Brave young explores wanted to look up one the face of God and volunteered to climb atop the rocks and be carried to the Sanctaphrax rock to see what lies up there. As they departed with few supplies the residents of Undertown cheered and clamped and laughed at the brave hero's as the sailed up into open sky. Those people where never seen again. Only a few more trips were conducted before they decided that they where in need of more control and therefore tethers a rope the bottom of the rock so that the explores could be brought back down eventually. As this event was underway crowds flocked to the scene awaiting the return of the explores the first explores to return from their mission. Once they had reached the ground again they told the people of their experience. They had looked upon the face of the rock but there was nothing. No god's or creators just rock, and no way of walking on that rock as the wind was carrying them in the opposite direction and they had no way of steering. The now leader of the colony of Forthelings Jox decided it was his destiny to reach the top of the rock and build his new colony there. He built a sail on to one of the flight rocks keeping certain to have a rope attached to it just in case. He took most loyal companions up with him and used the wind to carry him to the rock and once he was on position he defended and landed on the rock surface. He saw that no god's ruled over him and he had spent his time worshipping and fearing the wrath of a rock. He decided to turn this rock into his domain and it will be ruled by the creatures of The Edge.

Jox named himself Jox Sanctaphrax in honour of his new city. He soon realised that the rock had been shielding Undertown from weather. Rain and wind like he had never seen before was experienced up one this rock. He would build a place to study such incredible phenomenon. And so the city of Sanctaphrax was born. Jox brought supplies up on the flight rocks but it was hard and they couldn't carry much, so he built a platform stretching out of the east side of the rocks and tethers baskets to it in order to make trips easier. More supplies came up and with them more people however farming and food production was impossible on the Sanctaphrax rock all their food came from the farmlands of Undertown. As more and more people left Undertown and came to live upon Sanctaphrax food supply's dwindled and the people of both cities were plunged into a depression. Many went hungry for months. Jox was furious at this and how the people had been so irresponsible. He banished many from Sanctaphrax and orders that they continue farming and producing for both cities. There was little resistance as people knew how dire the situation was. It took time but the people of both cities. Once order has been restored to both cities many wanted to return to Sanctaphrax however Jox wouldn't let the same mistake be made again. He introduced money to their society and claimed most of it for himself, he gave large sums of money to his closest companions and told them to govern Undertown and stop a potentiometer rebellion. They would later become know as the leagues of Undertown. Jox continued to build and develop Sanctaphrax. He became knows as the most high academe and he rules Sanctaphrax. When he died he left behind plans for many different schools and academies to study the weather and one day finally understand open sky.