Weeell that little story (which is not random ... was written in response to the expressed concern of Guar Lovers (also based off MK's post) came from the Provincial Library (see my sig) - oops, there is no more Provinces and no more Empire ... does that mean the Imperial and Provincial Libraries must now change their names or will we see a new Empire ruled by Guar? ^^
Somehow I like the concept of the white guar leading other animals to safety. But what are they doing, walking on water?
There's still an Empire; Titus Mede rose from warlord to Emperor a number of years or decades after the Oblivion Crisis. The novel "The Infernal City" is set around 4E40.
Reminds me of Melville a little. "All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event ? in the living act, the undoubted deed ? there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall?
To me, the white whale [guar] is that wall, shoved near to me . . . "