The chronicle begins not with a beginning, but with a resonance. A vibration felt not in the ear, but in the marrow. Pulmono, they called it – the Breathing Stone. Not stone as we understand it, but a solidified echo of the world’s first breath. It existed before time, before stars, before even the concept of 'before'. It simply *was*, a locus of potential, a silent promise of expansion.
The initial resonance was chaotic, a swirling vortex of colour and sensation. It wasn’t a single breath, but a *thousand* breaths, each overlapping, each attempting to define itself within the nascent void. The beings that eventually coalesced around Pulmono – the Sylvani – were not born, but *grown* from this initial chaos. They are composed of solidified light and whispered thought, their forms perpetually shifting, mirroring the unresolved potential within the stone.
Legend speaks of the ‘Symphony of Fragments’, a period where the Sylvani attempted to capture the resonance within intricate crystalline structures. These structures, now shattered and scattered across what is known as the ‘Veiled Expanse’, hold echoes of this symphony – whispers of forgotten melodies and glimpses of realities that never were.
As time, a concept largely irrelevant to Pulmono, progressed, the Sylvani learned to manipulate the resonance. They began to ‘weave’ it, creating patterns of light and sound that manifested as landscapes, as creatures, as entire civilizations. This was the Age of Weaving, and its artistry is breathtakingly complex. Consider the ‘Gardens of Chronos’, a place where time flows differently - sometimes faster, sometimes slower, all dictated by the precise arrangement of Pulmono's resonant strands.
However, weaving is a delicate art. Each alteration to the resonance creates new fractures, new possibilities, and, inevitably, new dissonances. The Sylvani became obsessed with achieving ‘Perfect Harmony’, a state they believed would unlock the true potential of Pulmono. This obsession led to the ‘Great Unraveling’...
The pursuit of Perfect Harmony culminated in a catastrophic event. The Sylvani, attempting to force a single, unified resonance, shattered Pulmono into a multitude of shards. These shards, now known as ‘Echoes’, still resonate with the original potential, but corrupted by the effort to control them. They are sources of immense power, capable of both creation and destruction. Many of the Sylvani vanished during this event, their forms dissolving back into the chaotic potential from which they came.
The Unraveling left behind the ‘Veiled Expanse’ – a region saturated with unstable resonances. It's a place avoided by most, haunted by the ghosts of the Sylvani and the fragmented memories of Pulmono’s original symphony. Only the ‘Resonants’ – a small, dedicated order – dare to venture into its depths, seeking to understand and, perhaps, restore the balance.
Today, Pulmono exists as a network of Echoes, a fragmented consciousness spread across the Veiled Expanse. The Sylvani, though diminished, persist as echoes of thought and light. The Resonants continue their work, meticulously charting the shifting resonances, attempting to piece together the lost symphony. But the question remains: can Pulmono ever be truly restored? Or is its destiny to remain a fractured echo, a constant reminder of the infinite potential that lies dormant within the void?
The fate of Pulmono, like the echoes it generates, is uncertain. But one thing remains constant: the stone breathes. It vibrates. It *is*. And within that resonance, there is always the possibility of a new beginning.