Long ages have my people revered the blood red Quo'in gemstones. Bewitched by the fire and Ga held within, it is believed that when Our Lord Bu made his sacrifice for Siberlee's child, his blood was spilt upon the world. There it soaked into the ground and became that which my kin prize above all other treasures of the earth. And now the Quo'in stones adorn my tomb.

My name is Goran Tulken, as spoken in the Common Tongue of Men. Long is it since I passed beyond the veil of sight and sound of the mortal realm, but Death was not to be my fate. I have forsaken the corporeal world to become a Disciple of Elsen; my spirit lives in the earth itself. From the barren mountain tops to the fertile tilled field, from the sand on the shore to the endless Caverns of the Sunless Deep, I roam all of Mernac. The rocks and stone are my domain and my control over the rocks of the earth is absolute.

I was born of flesh and blood to the Azeman clan of Meng’alion. The House of my Fathers claim direct descendency from Tringle himself, as do all who remember and honour that name. Yet only the Meng’alion lay claim to the ruins of Tar’Nual, the fabled Azeman City of Dreams and Tringle's crowning glory. Early in my youth the Priest's of my Clan foresaw that my destiny lay not in the chaos and blood that befalls most of my kin. My path lay instead for the strength and eternalness of solid rock. I was born to endure. Those rare Azeman skilled in the arts of the Humustulen Path became my mentors and I retired to their hidden mountain retreat. Many seasons I studied and my skills grew. In time, the Student became the Master and I returned to my Clan. Here I became a benefactor to my people; clean mountain streams and springs where diverted to provide fresh water, the ground remained ever fertile, providing food aplenty. The Great Western Wall was repaired providing ample shelter and I brought forth the riches of the earth providing my clan with wealth and metals. The greatest prize of all was the Heart of Bu; a Quo’in gem the size of an Azeman skull. It burnt with a red fire that captivated and entranced all who saw it. The very air about the stone crackled with energy. Such riches stir jealously in the heart of many and eyes where drawn to the Hidden Vale. The mightiest of these was BlufKrag the giant. Many of my kin joined our Glorious Dead in their defence of our home that day, until, at last, in the Umbra Vale I brought down the giants ruin. He lies there still beneath the weight of the mountain where only the rocks can hear his cries. Our Lord Bu did not answer our calls that day, but my actions did not go unnoticed. My victory over BlufKrag drew Elsen’s gaze and I became known to him.

Where BlufKrag failed through strength of arms, others may succeed through guile and cunning. So it was that the Grey Pilgrims, that noble heroic band of adventurers, stole into the Hidden Vale and bore away the Heart of Bu. The wrath of my kin was terrible and the grey Pilgrims were pursued across Mernac. But the Grey Pilgrims where themselves deceived, for agents of their sponsor, the shadowy figure known as the Creeping Doom, took the Heart to a secret location in the City of Oranisis. The walls of that city were stout and the eyes of the guards, ever keen. No Azeman force could breach the defences by force or stealth. I summoned all my strength and called upon the powers in the earth to tear down the city walls and shake the foundations of the city. In the chaos of the collapsing city, my kin were able to retrieve the Heart. But there, amidst the flame, dust and death, Elsen revealed himself to me and claimed me as his Disciple.

And so it was that I passed from sight in this world and my Clan thought me dead. They erected a grand tomb in the heart of the temple before the Great Ziggurat of Tar’Nual and adorned its walls with Quo’in gemstones. From here I observe and still converse with the priests who possess some small training in the path of Humustulen. Where possible I guide and aid my people still, but I have little time for such distractions. It is to Elsen that I now, willingly or not, offer allegiance. Old vows are broken and sacred oaths betrayed. The rocks show no compassion or prejudice.

The existence of other Disciples was a revelation to me. Vickie and Anemo seemed fickle and insubstantial. Like the wind and fire they personify, they are sly and unpredictable. They taunt my strength and call me slow to anger, but cannot deny the purpose and power in my actions. They assume I am inflexible and always tease and press with riddles to discover my thoughts. Yet they know me to be dependable and loyal.

The very ground may shake at my touch and I am a bringer of death, but a giver of life also. Following in the path of Vickie’s fires, I bring forth that which life needs to grow from the ashes of her doom; where dust and sand prevail I bring fertile soil. Know then that I am the very foundations of the world and, as prophesised so many years ago, I will endure.