The Fourth Era – by Elgarion De’Kahli – narrated by Asclepius - Echoes from the Caverns

[Jack T. Lamplighter 15]

Hello everyone, this is Asclepius, with the next chapter in the fascinating saga brought to us by Elgarion De’Kahli. It is entitled
The Fourth Era
Background music by Smartsound

On Moonandai, the 9th of Novembre, the Month of Thanks, the Laborious Season of Harvest, in the Midnight Hour
A New Era Began — “The Fourth Era: The Oracular Enlightenment, 250 P.C. to Present

The age following the Obsidian War of the Third Era, as many ages do, commenced with an end of one great power and the coming of another. As the final lance broke upon the shield of a weary soldier and the last sword spilt blood upon the death mired terrain of now forgotten battlefields, the Obsidian Empire diminished to mere fragments of its former glory, broken and defeated. And from the gloom of this former darkened age arose a seer–an entity of such reach and power that her eyes gazed upon all. Her coming was herald to a new age of hope and prosperity to many though others did not enjoy her prying eyes. In the beginning, her Watchers were scattered and few, but towards its culmination, the eyes of The Oracle were everywhere and there was never a soul who did not feel their ever-watching stare upon their backs.

As the realms of the world recovered from the great war of the previous age, villages, towns and cities once again flourished as they once did in the ages of old. For the first time since the great Cataclysm, a renewed hope entered the minds and hearts of the masses, and the lords and ladies of the land sought treaty and peace over territory and strife. As the villages mended their fences and tended their sheep, the grand cities built high walls and spires in honor of their former glories. But within each settlement, another structure became common as the years passed, for the Conservatories of the Oracle were built and her reach and sight and influence soon became known to the world of New Britannia.

In time, it was rare to converse with anyone that had not sought her guidance, whether by need or mere curiosity. The Conservatories of grand cities would oft be wrapped in long lines of people seeking her audience. One by one they would enter, and as they departed, they would forever feel her whisper and guidance upon their supple minds, gentle yet persuasive. So many cherished the words of The Oracle as a grand wisdom–unchallengeable.

But where there is love, there is also suspicion and hatred. For the kings and lords of the realms, if not bending to her guiding hand, oft worried for her influence upon their peoples. To what end could she desire? Did The Oracle guide their people against the rule of law? Did their people now see her as the higher power? Even some religious leaders of the lands took to similar jealousy or worry as tithing or faith waned. Overall, however, her presence was accepted. The Oracle’s influence grew nearly unabated, and the The Fourth Era of The Oracular Enlightenment, unlike many of its predecessors, did not end in bloodshed. It ended with the return of the Avatar, and the peoples of New Britannia once again were graced by outlanders from other worlds.

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