In the cycles since I found myself standing before the kami altar in Pyr that first time, I've spent much of my time wandering the deserts honing my survival skills, and occasionally harvesting raw materials to sell in the city for Dapper. I haven't much need for Dapper, at least not yet, but I have acquired some reasonable armour and weapons. I think there must have been a time when Dapper ruled my heart, but I'm too old to let that greed rule my day.

I've met many other Homins, I've worked side by side with members of all Homin races, and cooperation seems a requisite skill for survival in this land. I don't understand this talk of war, of gods fighting gods, of Homin killing Homin in the name of their gods. Doesn't seem very smart in light of all the non-homin species that are trying to kill us at every turn.

Cooperation, now that I understand.

Guilded and non-Guilded, working side by side to harvest the raw materials needed to craft the articles required in everyday life, or to wipe out a mob of kitin-spawn bent on the destruction of everything Homin in this world. This I understand, this is good.

But Homin killing Homin? This causes a chrning in my belly worse than the first (and last) time I got a mouthful of Goari-slime during a battle for my very life.

I've given a lot of thought to this "war", and listened to the orations (or rantings, if you will) of the fanatical from both sides of this conflict. I've even listened to those who claim that the resurrection of comatose Homins and the transportation of homins from one place to another by magical TP Pacts are "gifts" of the "gods" and that we owe them payment.

I say NOT! This much I have learned in my time here. Atys is a living world. Without the sap from the Prime Roots, we would never be able to perform "magic", therefore it would seem to me that this magic is the gift of Atys, not Jena or Ma-Duk.

True, both Jena and Ma-Duk (and their followers the Karavan and Kami) have much they could teach us about the use of Atys' gifts, but did they create the portals that transport us and our mounts from one land to another? I think not.

I think those portals are the gifts of Atys, leading me to believe that the Kami and Karavan are probably not "gods", but merely members of the ancient races of Atys who advanced beyond their wisdom, learned many (not all) of Atys' secrets, and in all probability wiped out much of this world in their battles with each other for domination of this world.

Some people claim the Fyros are to blame for loosing the kitin on the world, but who put the kitin there in the first place? Both Jena and Ma-Duk claim to be fighting the kitin for the preservation of Atys, but their numbers are way too small. It is Homins who must fight the kitin every day, and our numbers are being reduced with the distraction caused by this "call to arms" to fight for the gods.

I awoke in a strange desert camp, dressed in nought but rags, and titled "Refugee" by one who called himself "Welcomer". I know not how I arrived here, or where I came from. I'm not even sure of my own name, 'though the Welcomer assures me its Samardnaz. By luck I managed to survive that first day, a day spent running errands for this Welcomer. I spent a moon-cycle in this place, learning fighting and magic skills, earning dapper by digging raw materials out of the ground. Somehow, I don't think this is what I did "before", where ever and when ever "before" was. Eventually I happened upon a skinny little Priest, one of the Kami or so I've been told, who offered to send me to the great lands of my people, the Fyros. I accepted his offer, and found myself in the desert city of Pyr.

In the cycles since, I've decided that I don't like the city life, and I spend much of my time wandering the deserts honing my survival skills, and occasionally harvesting raw materials to sell in the city for Dapper. I haven't much need for Dapper, at least not yet, but I have acquired some reasonable armour and weapons. I've met many other Homins, and based on what I see in their faces, and in the reflection of my own face in my blade, I must agree that I am indeed of Fyros blood. I've worked side by side with members of all homin races, cooperation seems a requisite skill for survival in this land. I don't understand this talk of war, of gods fighting gods, of Homin killing Homin in the name of their gods. Doesn't seem very smart in light of all the non-homin species that are trying to kill us at every turn. Cooperation, now that I understand.