Introduction

The history of The Ascendancy has long been tainted by the restrictions of the Compact. To make matters worse, the Defenders of the Compact have also cost us most of our histories dating back far beyond the formation of The Ascendancy.

Fortunately my formative years spent amongst the academics of Hyrios and my education in the Imperial War College have given me a fair appreciation for our rich heritages and I've long harboured desire to learn more about our past.

Much to my disgust reliable sources untainted by officialdom are impossible to find in The Ascendancy. Happily, I have discovered a rich trove of historical information in the Puddleby library. Many of these works are the same ones I'd read years before, but a few were written by exiles long dead.

I have spent a great deal of time reading these histories and compiling them as best I can into one coherent volume.

This task hasn't been made easier by many apparent contradictions. Whenever possible I've detailed any difficulties I've had in authenticating our history as well as any contradictions that I have found, as well as my own interpretations of events.

The origins of the Darshak have been explored elsewhere, so I'll begin with Mobius' appearance in the Human Kingdoms.

Marcus Antonius (536)

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