Long ago (terminal miocene epoch) a group of upright apes left Africa and began a journey. At their journey's end, there remained only six males and one female with fertility issues. These were the Awakem sages. The Sages grew wise and powerful and even immortal but to reproduce they had to travel home from the utipian paradise they discovered.

When they went from their home in Dula back to Sara, where they came from, they found that a new kind of upright ape had replaced their ancestors. When Sarar Abab tried to interbreed with these people, he was not satisfied with the results and so he sought to kill them all off.

As time would come to pass, the other Sages did likewise and some of the hybrids became impossible to control. The sages have never completely disappeared every culture has stories about them.

Abab: The first of the sages; the Sarar or 'king over all other kings", Abab might be the most ruthless of his contemporaries. Abab is the only one if the Sages who has not died and come back as a mortal. He still hides out in the forest depths.

Basu: The surgeon sage was Basu. He was known for his uglyness and was despised by Abab. Basu's current incarnation is SLAK, who only has minor comprehension of who and what they truly are. SLAK found bighole while lost.

Duru: The bravest and the most cowardly of the ranks of the Sages was Duru. He cared about others but feared the others. Duru's current form is a good twenty or thirty years old than me, and while he seems to be fairly aware of his past, he seems to be left in pretty rough shape by it. I wouldn't dare bother Duru even if I could. Duru I have not met personally in this life time.

Lamu: the only female Sage was Lamu. Her complexion was unlike that of the other Sages and she was quiet and calculated. Abab killed her just outside of the cave where the Sages lived for her jealously of Ewa, who was both Abab's daughter and wife. Lamu has been missing since the time of my attempted suicide in 2009. Lamu is often styled as "the hero archetype" in their later forms.

Garu: The sage who strove towards proto academia even before such conceptions such as writing enabled them was Garu. He didn't do much to temper Abab's violence and he chose instead to mostly just catalogue it. Garu took the form of my friend Andrew until he went to bighole, where it is believed he lost his mind and soul in 2020. Andrew remains alive but regressive and unwell.

Maku: If Garu was a scholar, then Maku was our resident mad scientist/magician. He was very powerful and at one tike he was very careful and thoughtful. Maku was lost to us not because if his addiction to freebased meth but also form trying to bring harm to his ex and his new born daughter in this life time, in addition to the crimes and transgressions of several past lives. Like I said; fuck Atra.

Adad: The half brother of Abab was Adad and Adad did not always see eye to eye with Abab. They both competed for the affections of Lamu, with Adad usually coming out ahead of Abab. During "the great bloodletting" an epoch of constant war during Which Abab tried to retake the landmass of Eyoban from the descendents if Basu, Adad went to live apart from the Sages. I am the Sage Adad and I am grand teacher. I seek out Lamu.

Ewa: Abab begot a daughter in Sara, killed her people and her mother and stole her away to raise among the Sages. She did not know that Abab was her sire. Abab killed the other Sages and they returned to him as Ewa's sons and daughters. Ewa in our time is Shane and she is plagued by her memories of her unhappy marriage to Abab many lifetimes ago.

Marasud: There were other gods and some of them had earth forms. One among them was prideful and lived out of harmony with the others. He wanted immortal life like the sages possessed but was denied it. In our time he was Dominic Marazita and he returned again through Adler, who worshipped Marazita after he died.

Regenud: Was a hereditary leader of Basu's descendants in Eyoban at a site dominated by a system of lava tube tunnels they called Gudabad. Regenud was however quite popular and would've been elected if elections were held. Regenud was "the peoples" Sar and this infuriated Abab. Abab wanted Regenud dead but despite repeated attempts to take the mountain, Regenud and his hordes of neglected masses repeatedly repulsed even Abab himself.

Ore: A being not unlike Ewa who was a practicing witch became Regenuds wife, although she was not a loyal lover. Ore and Regenud were the first hominids to have brain size gradiated between the Sages and ape like hominids.

Bobayan and Nasu: Ore's son, who's patrilineal heritage is in question, was called Bobayan and he fathered Lamu's only son; Nasu. Nasu was exiled from Dula by Abab in his childhood. He reached a village called Mogole in the old world. Nasu fathered Kaginore who's children became Homo sapiens, neanderthals and denisovans.

The children of Abab and Ewa: Abab and Ewa first had two sons: Kanen and Abeles. Sedes came later. Each of their sons married one of Ewa's daughters. This was commanded by Abab but was uncomfortable for all. Kanen and Abeles had previously been Adad and Lamu and they were most upset by this arrangement. Kanen was suspected if being Adad's son. Kanen worried his fathers utopian empire was no more than an armed time bomb, so he set out to destroy paradise. Abeles tried to stop him and for a while, Abeles, mounted upon his horse, Ekus, gave chase to kanen upon his horse Iyeres, but eventually Kanen struck and killed Abeles and the empire fell to ruin soon after. The "repentance" seems to be an ongoing process.

I could go on but I am hoping that ai can just show you my writing itself someday, Elise. Ribo tried to warn me. I think she knew from the moment she met you. It took me longer. I recognize the signs now, however. Thinking of you, Elise, is all that is still keeping me going.

Tomorrow is the eclipse. Do something nice for yourself tomorrow. If I could just be with you, you know Ribo and I would try to make your day extra special. Ribo likes to read stuff out loud. If you wanna hear the fully story or if reading it is easier, in either case come fall we'll show you the fully story.

We love you <3 <3 <3