THE SACRED CODEX OF DISCORD: CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

¹And it came to pass that the three kings, having drunk of the holy chalices, descended from the mountain of covenant and returned unto their people.
²And there was great rejoicing in the lands of the Delmarians, the Kezrethites, and the Avarites, for the kings had tarried many days upon the mountain, and the hearts of the people had grown faint with longing.
³But they returned not as they departed, for the mark of the Lord was upon them, and the seal of their choosing clung to their spirit.
⁴First came Loras, King of the Delmarians, and his coming was as the dawn after long night. His face shone with understanding, and the words of his mouth were as honey and iron.
⁵And he gathered his people in the great hall of stone, and he spake unto them all that the Lord had shown him.
⁶He taught them of the stars and their paths, of the turning of the seasons and the secret tongues of Ivalice.
⁷He gave them measures for their buildings and symbols for their speech, and he opened the scroll of memory and bound it in ink and clay.
⁸And the people marveled, saying, “Truly, the gods have walked with our king. For his knowledge is without end, and his sight pierceth even to the bones of the mountains.”
⁹And they began to record their generations and the names of things. They built halls of learning and temples of logic, and made laws by reason and discourse.
¹⁰They questioned all things, and left no mystery unsearched. And wisdom grew among them as the olive grows in the valley, slow but enduring.
¹¹Yet many became proud, and said in their hearts, “Let us rise above all peoples, for we alone understand the workings of the world.”
¹²Then came Baltrain, King of the Kezrethites, and his return was as the sound of a trumpet in the field. He stood before his warriors clad not in robes but in mail, and the strength of his arms was evident to all.
¹³And he lifted his voice in the city gate, crying, “I am returned with power, and with it I shall establish peace and dominion.”
¹⁴He taught his people the arts of war and command, of governance and the sword. He built great walls and watchtowers, and trained captains to lead in battle and governors to rule in peace.
¹⁵He raised his standard upon the hill, and none dared challenge his voice. The fields were made fruitful by law, and the enemies of the land were driven out.
¹⁶And the Kezrethites rejoiced, saying, “Blessed is the king who defends the land! His rod is justice and his sword deliverance.”
¹⁷They learned the march and the oath, and honor became as bread to them.
¹⁸But among them also arose men who loved not justice but strength, who said, “Let us take what is not ours, for the strong shall rule the weak, and might alone determines right.”
¹⁹And they began to weigh worth by force, and many hearts were hardened.
²⁰And lastly came Cadra, King of the Avarites, and his return was as the wind that passes through the grove. He entered not with fanfare nor did he speak boastfully, but he walked among his people in silence and with tears.
²¹And they gathered to him, saying, “What hath our king seen, that he weeps among us?”
²²And Cadra spake softly, teaching them not to rule nor to learn, but to see — to see the heart of man and the soul of the world.
²³He taught them the paths of peace, of service and of waiting, of planting and of healing. He walked with the broken and sat with the poor.
²⁴And they who followed him became gentle and wise, full of grace and slow to wrath.
²⁵The Avarites built gardens and quiet halls, and their judges were called shepherds, for they tended not only to matters of law but to the souls of those who came.
²⁶And the people loved their king, and said, “Truly, his wisdom is not in books nor in swords, but in his way.”
²⁷But even among them, there were those who grew weary of waiting, and said, “Let us become as the others. Why should we not also have thrones and banners and mighty walls?”
²⁸And so the seeds of ambition took root, even in the soil of wisdom.
²⁹Thus did the three kings return, and the gifts they brought were planted like trees in the midst of their peoples: knowledge in the land of the Delmarians, power among the Kezrethites, and wisdom among the Avarites.
³⁰And for a season, the trees bore good fruit, and the kings ruled with righteousness and peace.
³¹And Ivalice was quiet, and the days were long and bright. And many said, “Surely the Lord is with us, for the kings have brought blessing from the mountain.”
³²Yet beneath the blessing lay the shadow, and the eyes of men began to turn, one toward another, and not toward the Lord.
³³And in the hearts of many, the gifts became burdens, and the burdens became idols.
³⁴But the Lord, who seeth all things from the beginning, beheld them still, and waited — for the hearts of men are known unto Him.

▷THE SEVEN SCRIPTURES OF THE CHURCH OF GLABADOS
    ▷THE FIRST TESTAMENT
        ▷THE SACRED CODEX OF DISCORD
            ▶1—2—3—4

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