Then I was handed over to Mr. and Mrs. Tassi and taken on a long ride to Swiftwater. Anything I know about what I actually am as a lacarna came from Mr. Penna.”
Max turned to Mr. Penna. “Why have you never told me about Eve’s people? You’ve been relentless about everything else with my education.”
Mr. Penna sighed, “Because I made a promise to your father, Maxwell, to let you learn for yourself about the lacarna. It may have been a mistake, but he was adamant that you form your own opinion of them.”
Max swallowed hard, “My father? But why? Are they really that different from us?”
“Not so much now, but at one time, yes.”
“When was that? What did they used to be like? Why did they change?”
Mr. Penna laughed. “Are you actually asking for a lecture? I never believed I would see the day.”
Max didn’t laugh, which caused Mr. Penna to grow serious once again.
“All right, so be it. There are not a lot of detailed facts about our planet so I will give you what is common lore of Velrune. I will do my best to keep my own thoughts out of the picture. What you do with this information in days to come is up to you.”
Mr. Penna cleared his throat and began.
“It is said the Creators came from the outer reaches of the cosmos. When they came across Velrune they found it very appealing and decided to make it there home. They first populated the planet with a variety of wild beasts and plants. Little thought was given to the overall design, resulting in chaos. To bring order, they decided to create a more intelligent creature, one they could communicate with. They would need to make this new creature strong, agile and quick in order for it to survive. Thus they created the lacarna.” Mr. Penna winked at Eve. “The first lacarna were different from what you see now, Maxwell. They were designed as an animal, like a large panther, but the Creators gave them the ability to change form. In this other form, they stood on two legs and could speak the language of the Creators.
“The lacarna’s strength and intelligence soon brought order to the previous chaos. Velrune became a welcoming place, enough so, that many of the Creators decided it was time to live on it.
“It is unclear how much time passed before the Creators decided to make us, humans. Why they made us is unclear as well. It is believed the lacarna leaned to far towards their beast-like natures whereas that the Creators wanted a being more like themselves. Whatever the reason, humankind came to be and time continued to pass.
“The humans multiplied and spread across Velrune. Their relationship with the Creators began to change as they began to worship them as gods. It was during this time that the Creators living on Velrune became known as Immortals. The humans named them this to separate them from those that were said to exist in the cosmos.
“When the humans began to worship the Immortals, they denied the lacarna the right to see them, thinking of them as nothing more than beasts. The lacarna grew angry and demanded to see the Creators. When the humans continued to deny them access, war erupted.
“It was a short war. The lacarna nearly wiped out the humans before the Immortals put a stop to it. They realized it was their error in letting the humans take things so far. It had not been their intention to be worshiped. To return peace they decided three things. First, the Immortals spread out to live with both the humans and the lacarna. Second, they instituted a ruling body made up of members of both races. This ruling body they called the Protectors. Finally, they encouraged the two beings to live and work among each other.
“Over time, the two races did mix and things remained in order. However, after approximately six hundred years, the Immortals suddenly disappeared. Rumors as to the reasons behind their disappearance spread, each race blaming the other.
“As the accusations increased, war broke out again. This time the sides
Max turned to Mr. Penna. “Why have you never told me about Eve’s people? You’ve been relentless about everything else with my education.”
Mr. Penna sighed, “Because I made a promise to your father, Maxwell, to let you learn for yourself about the lacarna. It may have been a mistake, but he was adamant that you form your own opinion of them.”
Max swallowed hard, “My father? But why? Are they really that different from us?”
“Not so much now, but at one time, yes.”
“When was that? What did they used to be like? Why did they change?”
Mr. Penna laughed. “Are you actually asking for a lecture? I never believed I would see the day.”
Max didn’t laugh, which caused Mr. Penna to grow serious once again.
“All right, so be it. There are not a lot of detailed facts about our planet so I will give you what is common lore of Velrune. I will do my best to keep my own thoughts out of the picture. What you do with this information in days to come is up to you.”
Mr. Penna cleared his throat and began.
“It is said the Creators came from the outer reaches of the cosmos. When they came across Velrune they found it very appealing and decided to make it there home. They first populated the planet with a variety of wild beasts and plants. Little thought was given to the overall design, resulting in chaos. To bring order, they decided to create a more intelligent creature, one they could communicate with. They would need to make this new creature strong, agile and quick in order for it to survive. Thus they created the lacarna.” Mr. Penna winked at Eve. “The first lacarna were different from what you see now, Maxwell. They were designed as an animal, like a large panther, but the Creators gave them the ability to change form. In this other form, they stood on two legs and could speak the language of the Creators.
“The lacarna’s strength and intelligence soon brought order to the previous chaos. Velrune became a welcoming place, enough so, that many of the Creators decided it was time to live on it.
“It is unclear how much time passed before the Creators decided to make us, humans. Why they made us is unclear as well. It is believed the lacarna leaned to far towards their beast-like natures whereas that the Creators wanted a being more like themselves. Whatever the reason, humankind came to be and time continued to pass.
“The humans multiplied and spread across Velrune. Their relationship with the Creators began to change as they began to worship them as gods. It was during this time that the Creators living on Velrune became known as Immortals. The humans named them this to separate them from those that were said to exist in the cosmos.
“When the humans began to worship the Immortals, they denied the lacarna the right to see them, thinking of them as nothing more than beasts. The lacarna grew angry and demanded to see the Creators. When the humans continued to deny them access, war erupted.
“It was a short war. The lacarna nearly wiped out the humans before the Immortals put a stop to it. They realized it was their error in letting the humans take things so far. It had not been their intention to be worshiped. To return peace they decided three things. First, the Immortals spread out to live with both the humans and the lacarna. Second, they instituted a ruling body made up of members of both races. This ruling body they called the Protectors. Finally, they encouraged the two beings to live and work among each other.
“Over time, the two races did mix and things remained in order. However, after approximately six hundred years, the Immortals suddenly disappeared. Rumors as to the reasons behind their disappearance spread, each race blaming the other.
“As the accusations increased, war broke out again. This time the sides
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