The stories and tales of Skyreach are as numerous as they are obscure. Many tell them as if they were factual histories, but in reality, there is little to differentiate between what is true and what is fanciful or exaggerated. However, this is of little concern, for the knowledgeable Woodkenner who endeavors to know the legends of old knows that while not all stories are true, there is some truth in every story.

Kosci, the First Human Facekenner

Long ago, the Second Age of Mankind flourished, having fully dedicated itself to the worship of their genetic gods. But it was not to last. As a result of their sovereignty over themselves and the world, mankind again renewed the might of their hubris, as they had done at the end of the First Age. Their pride and power grew beyond them, and so they sought to create life to embody that pride and power. Thus, mankind had turned their backs again on their gods, seeking to create life out of dirt as their gods had. The result of this work was dragons, as terrible and mighty as they have never been again. Humanity sought to control their creations as they had previously done over lesser creatures, but to no avail. The dragons tore asunder every chain they were bidden to wear, and they nurtured in their hearts a hate for the ones who had created them only for enslavement. No longer wishing to be the lap-beasts of fools who played gods, the dragons fled their masters.

The land wyrms tunneled deep into the ground where humanity could not excavate, the drakes ascended mountains too high for humanity to climb, the sea wyrms dove into the oceans too deep for humanity to swim after, and the sky wyrms flew too high for humanity to shoot them down from.

For a time, humanity scorned the rebellion of what was supposed to be their perfect creation, but they soon found it within themselves to leave the monsters behind and to return to their ways. Some say that they even began to forget that such creatures existed. And yet, the peace that they had found without their dragons was a fleeting one. Eventually, the dragons returned, all at once, in great multitudes. One day, when the rising sun shone red like blood, the dragons descended from the mountains and sky, and ascended from the ocean's depths and from the earth. But it was not their numbers or strength alone that made them feared by mankind.

For the dragons, patient by virtue of their longevity, had developed for themselves terrible powers that vexed and puzzled humanity, which was unable to bend their minds to understand a power that did not conform to their ways of logical analyses. At a glance, a dragon could understand a person's very soul, often bending them to their will. With this power at their disposal, generation by generation fell into the dragons' maws. In time, it seemed that humanity was at its end, hurtling towards extinction due to predation by the dragons.

Then came the prophet, Kosci. A humble man who had long since grown disillusioned with the ways of mankind. Kosci alone did not fear the dragons, and it was Kosci alone who sought to understand them. Where others trembled at the approach of the dragons, Kosci stood his ground. Where others fled from oncoming danger on swift feet, Kosci walked boldly towards it. Such resolution soon brought him to the feet of the fiercest dragons in all the land. But showing that he would not flee as a prey animal, they did not see him as food. The dragons then tried to work their magic against him, but to no avail, for Kosci had learned that a dragon must see a person's naked face to command them, so he had worn a mask.

Day by day, month by month, year by year, Kosci would abide by the caves and halls of dragons, observing them deeply, watching how they worked their magics. In this period of observation, he learned that the dragons did not just have power over humanity, but over anything they desired, even each other. Their power ran deep, and Kosci sought to know this power, and so he waited and watched, ever expanding on his knowledge and understanding of the dragons.

He would return from his observations on occasion, descending down mountains or rising from caves, in order to share what he had learned. And yet, there were few who would listen to him. There were many who retreated into the deep canyons of Skyreach to seek guidance from the old ways. These were the first Wierdkenners. There were others who retreated deep into the world's caves. These were the first Nightfolk. There were few who remained on the world above, and even fewer were willing to hear what Kosci had to say, seeing him as nothing more than an old fool with delusions of victory against the dragons. And yet, there were still some who listened and learned.

Kosci came to them, and even in the relative safety of lowlands far from the dragons, he would not remove his mask, warning his followers that even the slightest glance of someone's face would be enough for a dragon to work their magic. When told that there were surely no dragons near or far, Kosci warned his followers further, telling them that powerful dragons need only know of someone's face, as told to them by another they had ensnared, and thus bid all his followers to wear masks, not just to hide from the dragons, but to safeguard themselves from each other.

Again, when he returned to his followers, more were dead by the powers of the dragons, and there were few people who remained alive on the surface of the world. By now, Kosci's followers knew him by his mask, so even when he was still far away from them, they ran to him for safety. They fell at his feet and begged him to save them, for they knew that he was learned in the ways of the dragons, and so sought his wisdom.

Kosci had pity upon them, and so told them that they would find little safety in the world other than in the canyons or caves that many had already fled to, but his followers did not wish to do so, neither wishing to live in darkness or live seeking out wisdom from the profane past. Again, he had pity on them, and so he gave them his guidance. He bid them to flee into the great forests and mountains of Skyreach. He told them that the dragons would have difficulty hunting them there. The mountains would be too high for the sea wyrms, the trees would be too dense for the drakes, and too tall for the sky wyrms, and the roots would be too great for the land wyrms. There, they would be safe from the dragons. His followers rejoiced at this, but before they could take their leave of him, he warned them of the path they had asked him to set them on.

He regaled them with the history of mankind, telling them all about the First and Second Ages. He told them of the mechanical and technological power of the First Age, and reminded them of the genetic powers that defined the Second Age. Kosci impressed these things upon them, and just when the wonder of what he was saying was at its greatest, he tore it away, telling them of what terrible times these ages were, and how horrible their advancements had become. The world had endured long before each Age of mankind, and it would endure long after the final age. And despite that, humanity had always forsaken the world, turning their backs on her in favor of more alluring gods. As such, the world had turned her back on mankind. In the First Age, mankind had forsaken their machine gods in order to survive, now they would need to forsake their genetic gods.

When asked what new god they should turn to, Kosci said that there was no such god. He reminded them of the enduring power of the world herself, and that she alone was worthy of the respect and awe of a god, telling his followers that the ages of mankind have fallen away time and time again, like ash on the wind, and yet Dakhoma has always endured.

They heeded Kosci's teachings, retreating deep into the forests of Skyreach, leaving behind the ways of genetic worship and seeking to reconnect to Dakhoma and know her ways. These were the first Woodkenners. However, Kosci did not go with his followers, for he still sought to know the ways of dragons. And so, while the Koscites forged a new way of life in the forests, Kosci returned again to the dragon halls.

One day, when closely observing one particularly large den, Kosci witnessed a terrible fight for dominance between two powerful dragons. Their fight shook the halls of the cavern, and when one emerged victorious, its anger could not be quelled. It saw Kosci, and despite the bond he had forged with these dragons, this one attacked him.

In this, which should have been Kosci's final moments, he did not fall away from his convictions. Where others would have fled, he stood firm. When the dragon was upon him, he called upon it to be still, and in an instant, its rage subsided, and it did as it was commanded, for in that moment, Kosci had truly seen the dragon's face. And so, Kosci had finally mastered the power of the dragons, and on that day, he became the first human Facekenner.

Kosci returned one last time to his followers, descending down upon the forests on the back of a dragon. His followers, who had now grown quite numerous, looked at him with both awe and fear. When he was among them again, he bid them all to be at ease, saying that the days of fearing dragons were close to an end. He remained with his followers longer than he ever had before, teaching them the ways of Facekenning, mystical as they were. Only after he had been with his people for a long time, after having imparted all he knew, he mounted a dragon again and departed, presumably back to the dens and halls of dragons. That was the last that was ever seen of Kosci, the first human Facekenner.

While it has been many generations since Kosci lived, his most loyal followers were sure of his return. They adhered to a prophecy that many ardent Koscites still believe. According to the prophecy, Kosci will return one day to deliver mankind from its endless cycle of self-destruction. It is said that he will ride on the wings of a dragon, and that he will know the face of the world.

There are few who truly believe this prophecy, but even so, his teachings are still here, and we still continue to learn from what has been passed down. His teachings endure, and his people remain. Because of this, we avoid the ways of the First and Second Age. We know that our lives are fleeting, and that our ways will not last forever. It is as Kosci said; "The ways of mankind have fallen away, time and time again, like ash on the wind, and yet, Dakhoma endures."