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The Beginning is the name given to the time between when the Nine Bright Shiners emerged and the creation of the Charter. Together, the first seven Shiners, Ranna, Mosrael, Kibeth, Dyrim, Belgaer, Saraneth and Astarael decided to bring order to Free Magic by giving themselves into the Charter. However, the other two Shiners, Yrael and Orannis, did not agree with this. Yrael hid to stay neutral, but the Seven found him and bound him to serve the Abhorsen as Mogget.

Orannis tried to destroy this world at he had so many others, but the Seven finally bound and broke him. According to Mogget, this occurred before the world of the Old Kingdom intersected the world of Ancelstierre.

There are some questions about what Shiner was given to which part of the Charter. The only association that is certain is that Astarael gave herself to the Abhorsen bloodline, as she calls those individuals her "children" in Abhorsen, and the Hrule refers to Abhorsen-in-Waiting Lirael as "Abhorsen's get" ("get" being an old-fashioned word for offspring).

It's possible that even if a Shiner gave itself completely to the Charter in The Beginning, small fragments or echoes of them can remain, as seen with Astarael in the well under Abhorsen's house.

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