From before the beginning the Sisters had walked, and with them they brought their great Art to the barren Spheres that lay scattered within the depthless Void. In time they came upon the blue orb that would be Éoa, the home of the Children, but as then it was barren and empty. And so they called forth Iatu, a great Light, down from the Heavens to illuminate their work. Elšia, who is counted Eldest among all beings, raised up great plateaus from the depths of Éoa’s oceans while Taré danced her fractaling ravines and valleys within, together setting their great Pattern upon the Sphere.
In time the light dimmed and they found Iatu gone – stolen from their sight. In search, they ventured to the underside of the world whereon they found it illuminating a strange land of which they had not crafted. They saw tall monoliths, rounded hills and landforms of shapes beyond their mind. Disquieted and troubled they reformed what they could to their own image before returning the Light to their sky.
Now this new land on which they had trod had been formed by two young Brothers, Hsaern and Kaih, and returning they found their domain ravaged and the Light which they had taken once more gone. At Hsaern’s call Kaih followed to bring back the Light. Once more they dragged Iatu out of the Sisters’ sky and ran, leaving great scars upon that land.
But the coming of the Brothers had not passed unnoticed and the Sisters pursued them to the border between their domains. Much is told in great song of the First Conflict – the War of Creation, wherein Éoa was besieged and so, was made. Elšia conjured up great forms of stone, Hsaern broke their edge and sharpened them to peaks; Kaih called great roots and plants to rip the earth, Taré brought the seas to scatter them. The exhalation of these great beings stirred the air, bringing the wind and its rain to the world.
In time the Brothers relented for they could match neither might nor endurance of the Sisters and so they retreated south, where Iatu did not shine. The Sisters looked upon the land that was and sought to undo what had been done but soon found that nothing new could be formed that was greater than that of which the Four of them had wrought. Curiouser still, this new storm had given Éoa life and the means to shape itself further in ways unpredictable. Tired from the exertion of powers the Sisters were now content to remain upon this Sphere and watch it grow. And so, the Eons passed.
It came to pass that Taré was out travelling, admiring the great grasses that were growing uncalled upon their plains, whereupon she happened upon the form of Kaih – his body broken upon the coast. Lifting him from the waves she did not notice the tiny clay forms he had cradled spill out onto the sand, and so it was that the first creatures arrived upon the shores of that land.
The Sisters cradled and nursed Kaih but to little avail. Both his body and mind were broken and so in silence he sat and sculpted his little creatures. At the sight of seeing their once rival so broken, Elšia’s wrath was kindled. Bringing the storms and stones of the high mountains she flew once more southwards for a confrontation. But Hsaern had not been idle and within his domain she found a dark sea of stone beset with great basalt pillars and twisted mountains. At the centre of which lay the great chasm that is Hsaruk – the Pit. From this depth spilled all manner of monstrosities – creations of Kaih’s, twisted with countenance of fire and stone and lit by an unearthly light. For the domain on which she found herself was not cast in darkness as she had expected, for from the Pit a great stone orb had been lifted and given a mask of half-light in open mockery of Iatu. It was from this lofty throne that Hsaern observed her passing.
Finding no trace of Him, Elšia cast her wrath upon his Spawn as they pursued and assailed her. In rage she reached up to the great stone orb, seeking to shatter it upon that land. It was then that Fear first entered into her heart for she found a will far greater than her own opposing her. For now Hsaern revealed himself, clad in earthen midnight – his echoing laughter casting a dark music upon his domain. Sending his will forth he cast the orb northwards, to sunder and steal the light of Iatu. Knowing that she could neither slow nor stop it Elšia raced northwards, the laughter and dark music of Hsaern deepening behind her. Reaching her Sister, together they broke Iatu from the sky sending it spiralling southwards out of sight to safety. And still to this day the moon ever chases Iatu through both skies.
Seeing his schemes thwarted, Hsaern marched northwards to confront the sisters once more. He beseeched them to return his traitor brother unto him so that each pair may have rule of a half. But the Sisters, knowing now the treachery of the Brother, hardened their heart to him and would not relent. And so once more was War brought upon the Sphere, and the breath and body of Éoa trembled beneath them.
The Second War was no longer one of creation for Hsaern cared now little for the form of the world, delighting only in the sundering and breaking of all. The Sisters did much to abate his efforts but still great swathes of plains were cast to sand and ash; the winds whipped to terrific vortices and the seas to fierce torrents. It took much of the last of their strength to wrest him from that land and cast him to the Void. Within his half-light they bound and entombed him, reshaping it to that that is now Faavtin – the Vault.
Drained and broken, the Sisters returned to the Cradle wherein they had left Kaih, only to find his body cold – the last of life left from him. For he had poured out the last of himself into his newest creation, a small fragile thing not unlike the form of the great Sisters who now observed her. For she is Amna, who is counted as Mother and first of all Children of Kaih. Into this child Elšia kindled a strength of mind and years while from Taré came the gift of gentility and all the colours of thought. From this spark Amna became sudden heavy with child and the child she bore held upon him the countenance of a Brother, for he is Folag – first of men.
Wearied and satisfied, the Sisters lay themselves down beside the form of Kaih, the body of Éoa and the passing of Time covering them in a blanket of earth as they slept and rested under the passing of the boundless Spheres.
July 2019 Challenge: The Cradle
