The Tale of the Two Tribes, Part 1

In the fifteenth year of the first epoch, the first conclave was called to determine how large this new land was that they knew so little about. The Gnomes, the Goblins, and the two elven tribes of the Anach and the Olkanh, which we call today the Elves and the Deep Elves, though the Deep Elves still call themselves the Olkanh. The conclave began in the central temple of Phopolis, though the city had no name at that time and had only been discovered and populated that year, though populated is a sad word to use for the mad rush from the rain and cold outside into the shelter of the city by the group of people not large enough to fill up half the city.

The temple straddled the river, and acted as one of the main bridges connecting the two sides of the city. Beautiful in raiment, it was covered in statues glittering with gems for eyes and golden icons upon its face. Strange letters covered it in patches, some wearing away from time, but others as fresh as the day they were written. A common motif on the temple was a pattern of four followed by the saying in an indeterminably ancient language: "Ah mafit A, lh mafit L, kh mafip K, yh mafip Y." The pattern is of the four capitalized letters, Y, K, L, and A clockwise in a diamond pattern with Y at the top and an arrow pointing to it from within the circle, the shape of a compass.

The conclave was started by High King Lightviewer, the first gnome and arguably first sentient creature to view the world at the beginning of the first epoch (the next story I get around to doing). After the first six hundred days of life in the new city, High King Lightviewer sent out messengers to the four races inhabiting the city, asking them to each send three of their members to the central temple which had been commandeered as the main governing building. The four groups sent in three of their best men, Dranton, Rockmover, and Stimps from the Gnomes, Illuin, Nimalor, and Korael of the Anach (Elves), Asgalor, Mentilith, and Gabbint of the Goblins, and Draelinh, Nethelinh, and Darshesinh of the Olkanh. The story of the conclave itself is to be left for next time.