The Empire of Masks, a History of Asor

Chapter XXIX - The Last Asoritan

As discussed previously, though the Collapse of the Asoritan Empire and the subsequent plague left the whole continent devastated, the Kalada River Basin clawed its way out of the catastrophe with surviving vigour and swiftness. A notable historical aside is how much of the reconstruction and post-collapse religious awakening to the figure, Jana the Healer.

There is much debate among historians in the modern day on if Jana actually existed, but many historians of old seemed utterly convinced - Jana, almost single-handedly, rebuilt a society that had been all but destroyed, giving rise to the system of councils seen in many cities following the plague. Countless advances in medicine, politics, mathematics, and alchemy have been attributed to her, as well as many tales of the Mlida religion. Her story was obviously embellished, for if they were all true she would have to live nine hundred years and to have sired eight thousand children.

Many historians argue that the multitude of Jana's works had to be accomplished by many people 'invoking her spirit.' It was a custom of post-Collapse literature to attribute the topic of writing to another source, a muse. And though several sources from this period have been recovered, many have cited Jana the Healer as their muse. This isn't even to mention the fact that many Mlida findings that have survived have only been dated to two hundred years after Mlida lived, and three hundred after the commonly-quoted date of Jana's death. The timeline as it is presently understood does not work in Jana's favor.

And yet too many records of Jana's existence and deeds persist to dismiss her entirely, though some overzealous historians discard her as merely a fable. Much Mlida literature quotes her as either being an aspect of the goddess Ahyora (a derivative of the fallen Sun-Queen Asor), or having conversed extensively with a spirit of the goddess. Perhaps it was that Jana was a symbol, fabricated like the Sun Queen, to inspire a panicked populace that they could return to prosperity through peace and togetherness.

Indeed, this author believes that we historians have perhaps been too cynical in our studies. Perhaps we historians think too highly of the theories we understand them, and shun dreams. Perhaps once, long ago, there was a woman named Jana who lived in a land called Asor, who walked the land and inspired many to do great things. Perhaps she once cleansed the land of the curse and wandered, smiting down vile warlords left and right, and reclaimed the Corpse Quarters of Asor. Perhaps she had eight thousand children and grandchildren, and perhaps she did see visions of a fallen goddess. We historians are certainly not infallible, as recent excavations of the Asoritan sites have shown. Maybe ten million gathered for the funeral of this great matriarch. Maybe one day we will find her lost tomb. Maybe all us historians were wrong about the Last Asoritan, because we did not dare to dream a legend as great as her life.