A Mysterious Book

The Fundamentals of Eramyn
by Lily the Dreamer
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The Differences

Greetings to you, readers. My name is Lily, and I will be your guide through this strange and intriguing world within my dreams. This world goes by many names, depending on where you ask, but on the continent of Ansilia, where I have settled, it is known as Eramyn.

There are many interesting things about the way Eramyn works as compared to the world I am from. Perhaps the most visible difference are the creatures who live here! Humans seem to be the constant factor, and there are elves, though much unlike the ones I know of. And so many more unusual sapients! But I could go on forever about such things, so I'll regulate THOSE observations to a later chapter. Perhaps it's the other kind of life that's more interesting. Eramyn has normal animals, to start with. Rabbits, deer, songbirds, the tiniest insects and the largest mammals. But they are by and far not the dominant species in their spheres. No, those would be a particular type of monster. Of its monsters, Eramyn has two main classifications. The 'true' monsters that you and I are familiar with. Mandragoras, harpies, chimeras, the undead. These things are still here. But there are also less wild creatures, a cross between monster, and animal, and legend altogether. These creatures, the 'pocket monsters' (shortened to Pokemon) are the most plentiful creatures on the planet. And sapient species have entered a sort of symbiotic relationship with them, using a process called 'rune-bonding'.

Pokemon start off at animal-level intelligence for the most part, with a few outliers. Those capable of psychic power seem smarter than normal, but still not anywhere near human intellect. Some simply break these conventions outright, such as the Lapras species. But the 'spoken' races of Eramyn have devised a way of using magical glyphs called Runes to share with Pokemon the gift of sapience. Emotion, Wisdom, and Willpower, as they call it, apparently after a set of their gods. This rune-bonding process seems to only work on Pokemon, and not animals or true monsters, which is rather curious. I wonder if it has anything to do with these creatures being seemingly made in the image of the gods the Spoken races worship? Despite this, it's kosher to actually eat unbonded Pokemon. The hard and fast rule seems to "if it understands you or it's undead, don't eat it". Animals, Pokemon, Monsters, it's all good. The undead concern isn't just about cannibalism or hygiene, either. Both Ghost Pokemon and other manifested spirits, for example, are made of a substance the locals call 'spiritflesh' (it's ectoplasm). Living creatures eating this stuff has some really funky effects, usually corrupting them into monsters themselves.

Speaking of Runes... That does bring me to another rather important point~ No one in this world can use magic naturally. They are simply unable to tap into the source without the aid of these Runes. Runes are both created and naturally found, I do believe I'll make a chapter on that, later.

The Gods of these world seem to be encased within Runes themselves, for some reason, and are not ruled by the worship of their followers like the gods I am familiar with. But in the same vein, they are also passive and cannot act without a bearer, who can call upon their power. Old problems, huh?

I visit this world each time I lay down to sleep, and each time I find myself discovering myriad wonders and beauty beyond belief. Whether I've succeeded in taking this book back with me, or whether you're a reader from Ansilia, I hope my insights prove enlightening... For now, I return to my home in the city of darkness beneath the twin moons...

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More to come later.