This story is set many years before the events in the Wheel of Time. Indeed, it pre-dates the Age of Legends. The idea came from a comment in the books that the Portal Stones were built before the Age of Legends, which made me wonder about the civilisation that might have constructed them. Since only the most powerful Channeller could use them, I wondered if that might be because the original source of their power was something completely different.
There are a number of stories I could write concerning the Lost Age, and I will probably do so in the future. In the meantime, I've included basic information on Psionics in the appendix for anyone who wishes to write their own Lost Age tale. The powers of the Age are based on the Psionics rules from the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, both second and third edition.
Most of the power divisions are basically common sense, although some powers can easily overlap Disciplines. For example, Flight can be Psychoportation (a travel power), Psychokinesis (picking yourself up with your mind) or Psychometabolism (growing wings or transforming into a bird). The specific choice depends entirely on the desired effect and the will of the author.
Enjoy the story, and please let me know if you decide to write a Lost Age tale.
It is with heavy heart that I now set pen to paper. This morning, news reached me of the death of my good friend Brigid DelKayne, better known as the hero Silverbolt. With her passing, I am now the only person living who recalls the time before The Storm. A time known at its height as the Age of the Talented.
The people who would create this new Age, wielding their One Power to produce marvels, look back to the Age of Technology for inspiration, the Age into which I was born. They point to wonders such as the mighty Lady Liberty who once stood at the entry to a great coastal city, welcoming all who would journey to the New World for a fresh start. They cite the Great Eye of London as a masterpiece of ingenuity and wonder at its true function, little realising it to be no more than mere entertainment. They speak reverently of The World of Dubai, a collection of artificial islands constructed in the image of all the lands of the Earth, unaware that its origin was purely commercial.
All but a few scholars believe this was the world that directly preceded The Storm. The ones who know differently believe the time of the Talented to be but a handful of years, and not the centuries that it was. Many things have been forgotten in the seventy years since the end of The Storm, not least of which being the very nature of The Storm itself. Indeed, many wise and learned people yet address me by my title, Stormwalker, although I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of people who recall how I earned it.
Though I have the Talent of Longevity, some might say Immortality, I am not deathless. The Storm was proof of that, as I will relate presently. One day, I may pass beyond the physical world into the Unseen, to join my friends and loved ones. This chronicle I write against that eventuality, that in years to come, some record of the Talented may yet survive.
This, then, is my story. The history of the Lost Age of the Talented.
{There were many stories during those five centuries. This volume concerns itself mainly with the beginning of the Age and the rise of the Talented, and the Storm that ended it and began this new Age of the Power. Further tales of the Lost Age can be found within the companion volumes.}