My account of the coming of she who later became known as Adresteia may seem strange to you, but the people of the Lion of Singerea had lived in peace for so long that we feared no one. The lion had in our eyes a magical power, he protected us and we cared for him. We had had more than a millennium of peaceful existence. I was the first to see her from my vantage point as chief lookout. It was I who summoned the priests when Adresteia floated into our world. At first I had almost not believed my eyes, for the iridescences of her skin had almost matched the colour of midday sky. As it was one of those days when no clouds had appeared to break my vista, it was a vapour trail that drew my eyes to the vast blue craft.

The priests told me to stay at my post and to send a runner if other crafts appeared, for dispite her size they did not fear her. Most of the lion’s people left our mountain retreat to go and see this strangely hypnotic craft. The lion and my people died the day Adresteia arrived. For a blue vapour poured forth from the craft and spread across our land and beasts came out of its belly to devour my tribe. So that when Velchanos the Eagle arrived only a handful of us remained alive. The eagle carried those of us who remained north across a vast empty landscape. We were to see no other living being until we met the Stone Man. I was to learn later that the eagle saved humanity, without his help it is doubtful any living thing would have survived on our world.