In your Timeline of the Mother Countries, O uneducated and semiliterate students, you should have already read (but, I expect, did not) that the Five Men War took place in the 388th year of the Eternal City Ka-Rone. This is a lie.

The Five Men War began in that year, now over eleven hundred winters ago — but it rages today. It rages very, very slowly. Five fight it, the titular Five Men of the war’s name, although in truth three of them are genderless mojh and one of the others is a woman, so Five Men War isn’t necessarily a terribly fine name for it.

Pol-Tandem is counted a casualty of the Five Men War, although (in truth) he yet lives, just as the war yet rages. High above us, in the rarefied air near the Celestial Firmament, where the round planets spin in their strange orbits, there is a place of battle, where such mighty spells are wrought as would certainly crush the Mother Countries and everyone in them, but for the massive spell of draining-away-of-speed.

The details of the war are sketchy. The participants are locked away from Living Memory, their brains moving much too sluggishly to be read, and none save them witnessed the origin of the conflict. What is known is that in the sky above are five of the most pussiant members of the early Council of War: Pol-Tandem, Qu-Rocca, Rising-to-Meet-the-Darkness, Piercing-the-Veil-of-Ignorance, and Largeminded-Guardian-of-Knowledge. They are locked in battle with one another, displaying magic such as today’s greatest spellcasters can only yearn for. Why, none know, for prying into the affairs of the Council is dangerous at the best of times, and these are not the best of times; the Hoarding of Secrets Act applies to us all.

Every hundred of our years is but a second to the Five Men. One day, one side or the other will win their battle, and dispel the draining-away-of-speed and then they will either level the Tower of Tongues or else return in glory to rulership of the Diamond Isle. Given that few magical duels on that level of power last more than a handful of seconds, I’m sure we’re all doomed any day now.

Questions?

SEE ALSO: Council of War, Hoarding of Secrets Act, Qu-Rocca