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Great Tome of Highest Knowledge of the Great Eagles

Due to their lack of an easy means of writing, the culture and traditions of the proud and noble race of Eagles were largely oral, but there was a single notable exception: the Great Tome of Highest Knowledge of the Great Eagles. What would have appeared to the layman as a very large coating of bird droppings on the side of the Tallest Mountain of Battal was actually a very long and comprehensive text in the Eagles' written language, consisting of all historical knowledge known to the Eagles (their great wisdom and impressive eyesight giving them a unique vantage point from which to view the history of Battal). A thorough reading of this text was an important coming-of-age ritual for all young Eagles.

The importance of this text was most evident during its 431 Eagle-year absence. This period, known to the Eagles as the Darkest of Ages, began when the writings were damaged by the Burning of Portund, rendering them largely unreadable. This incited the Eagles to join the Great Journey of Two Months of Great Joinification'ing in order to seek revenge. However, this did not fix the problems caused for their culture. Young eagles of the Darkest of Ages began to doubt the righteousness of the Eagles in relation to the other races of Battal. Eventually, Eagle society was at such great risk of massive negative change that Ryghwai the Celestial, direct descendant of the Tome's original author, the Great Philosopher Wairhyg, took it upon himself to re-compile and rewrite the entirety of the Tome, despite the fact that the massive amounts of defecation involved ultimately killed his predecessor. Indeed, Ryghwai, although successful in his efforts to rewrite the Tome and enable the repairing of Eagle society, also died as a result.