The Book of Flower

=The Birth of Tomdwir=

When every rock, lake and tree had settled in its place in the world after creation, Pėjart made another body for himself so that he may travel and explore the world while his original body held it together. He fashioned for himself a body of a man draped in a long blue cloak with intricate golden patterns in the cloth, his eyes disagreed on what colour to be, his right eye shone yellow and his left eye shone blue. He began in Dwisgavar where he took joy swimming in its endless oceans. Next he travelled to Panarlumvar and marvelled at the bountiful grasslands and forests that stretched as far as his eye cared to see, there wasn't a piece of land there wasn't filled with rich beauty. Next he travelled to Jamavar where the endless, colourless wastes made him weary and hungry for a unsorrowful sight to see, he did not stay there long. Next he travelled to Pėjylvar where he feasted on a great deal of fruit. There the trees would bear endless fruit, there he had no hunger or thirst. Next he travelled to Maku where danced in the empty landscape, his feet kicked up so much dirt that he formed great valleys where he tread, and great mountains where the kicked up dirt landed. Next he travelled to Kwonarun where he explored the many caverns with curiosity, he squeezed past many cracks and even made some new ones of his own, this was his favourite world. Next he travelled to Hȯkaramau where he clumsily but gleefuly slid around on the cold ice. Next he travelled to Sėamau where his eyes feasted on the glimmer and glamour that the land seemed to give off. He was at the end of his journey yet he still had some curiosity in him. In Sėamau he was at the edge of the universe, there was no further lands or realms to explore, he looked up and wandered what lay above. His feet took him to the Nyylkkń (“kissing mountain”), so named for its peak kissed the edge of the universe, beyond that peak is where existence stops. Pėjart climbed the mountain, he climbed so high that the clouds looked like a snowy landscape far beneath where he stood, he finally climbed so high that he reached the very edge of the universe. All that he saw was darkness mixed with darkness. He could not perceive how far the void above him stretched, did it end not far above his head or it did it extend into eternity? The fact that concepts such as space and time don't exist in the void make it possible that none of those answers are true, truly it was nothing that lay above Pėjarts head. However Pėjart was still curious so he let out an epic roar to see how far reaching the void was. The roar was so mighty that it caused the whole mountain to rumble, it shook so hard that it collapsed in on itself so that it no longer reached the void. The great roar echoed out into the void. It was then that something unexpected happened, out in the void was another roar of equal power which was headed towards the universe. The two roars collided together in a furious storm which battered the void, filling the skies of Sėamau with vivid, violent colours as the two forces mixed. When the storm settled a cloud had formed, the cloud descended from the void and down into Sėamau where it took the form of a lion. Such was the birth Tomdwir, the first god, the god of declaration, messages, promises and intention, the son of Pėjart. As well as having the form of a lion, Tomdwir was a gargantuan spirit whose body was wispy and took no solid form, occasionally the wisps would take the form of paws or hands, his head was like that of a lion but with a shorter snout and in place of a mane were great grey clouds emitting from his neck. The light passed through him in a way that made him appear slightly translucent. His voice rumbled deep and powerful. One question still echoed in Pėjart's mind, just what was the second roar? where did it come from? was there another Fate out there that was equally as powerful as Pėjart? These questions would trouble the Fate for eternities afterwards. =The Land of the Dead=

It was a calm day that Pėjart and Tomdwir were on a small island in Dwisgavar. The island floated freely with the waves and its sands were white and soft, a pleasant spot for to rest to the sound of gentle waves slushing against the sand. Pėjart had his form of a man in blue robes and Tomdwir had his form of a lion, on the beach they rested lazily and stared into the sky. Not only admiring the beauty of the clouds, but thinking of his last experience of what lay above the universe. Tired of these thoughts, he fell asleep on the beach. After a while he was woken by Tomdwir who pointed his father's attention to the sky, where a large colourful cloud could be seen just where the universe ends. Pėjart felt a rush of excitement and fear in him, he had to see what this was, so he took the form of a bat and flew high into the sky and hovered before the cloud. He stared into it and saw nothing but nebulous gases floating and mixing. Pėjart stared deep into the cloud and focused on it deeply, his yellow and blue eyes shone two colourful beams into to clouds. But then the two beams seemed to grow short and shorter, until at the very ends of them a face appeared, itself with one yellow eye and blue eye, unlike Pėjart, the left eye was yellow and the right eye was blue. The face then seemed to form a body which was identical to the bat form that Pėjart had. With every flap of his wings the shape in the clouds did flap its own. This shape seemed to be no more than a reflection like one would find when looking into the surface of a still pond. But this reflection was more than that, it started to make its own movements independent of Pėjart. First it took a deep breath and inhaled all of the gas around it so that every wisp was now inside it. The two bats floated there high in the sky, Pėjart was bewildered, he asked his clone what its name was, the bat responded with slow and oozing words…”I am Bidyro”. The words slithered out of its mouth and hung in the air like a foul smell. Pėjart was too astonished to notice this however. Bidyro was identical to Pėjart as he presented himself to the cloud clone, but the similarities were for the eye only. Where Pėjart was honest, Bidyro was deceitful, where Pėjart was kind, Bidyro was cruel, where Pėjart was generous, Bidyro was greedy. Bidyro asked Pėjart if it may enter the universe so that it may have a home, it gave many compliments about the universe, saying how beautiful it looked, how strong and mighty Pėjart must be to hold such a massive creation together, how sweet it must be to dwell with the Fates. Pėjart didn't hold himself back when he invited Bidyro to live in the universe with them. As soon as the words of permission had left the Fate's mouth, the sly bat plunged down into the world and entered Maku, there Bidyro flew to the far south and found an empty land. It perched upon a boulder and let out a giant breath, releasing all of the cloud into the air around it, turning it foul and thick. The land which had been devoured by the cloud became Bėsowrimau the Land of the Dead. The specs and dust in the air mixed with the clouds to form small bats which made Bėsowrimau their home. Any living creature that travels there and breathes in too much of the gas is at risk of becoming an undead spirit, indeed it is warned that one shouldn't travel to far south when in the open sea for fear of being washed ashore into Bėsowrimau. Humans that would have the misfortune of ending up there would turn into a frightful remnant of man, and so the Naddarussrriv race was born, a race of wicked and evil people with a sickening grey skin, who would go on to be the bane of the world.

=Birth of the Giants=

On a day as dreary as the one before and as dreary as the one that would come after, Bidyro lazed in the branches of a dried out and distorted tree, it's wings hanging down like lifeless flaps. Bidyro watched the clouds that covered Bėsorimau, the batty eyes followed the wisps as they hung in the air. Bidyro noticed however that a small portion of the clouds slowly rose high into the sky. Curious as to where they were going, the bat took to the air and followed the rising clouds, Bidyro kept a very close eye on the cloud as it rose, not paying any attention as to what lay above, for in the sky there surely is nothing but air and wind? wrong. As Bidyro flew upwards it suddenly stopped, its head smacked against a solid surface and its body thudded into it with a loud bang, angrily the bat let out “fuck! such solid air”. It turned its bruised head upward to see a large ceiling of rock stretching beyond every horizon in the sky, Bidyro had crashed into the base of Kwonarun. It looked at the cloud rising beside it and saw that it rose into a small hole in the ceiling. The bat flew through the hole to find a large cavern, in the cavern was no flame or star yet it was brightly lit. Bidyro found a small tunnel in the cavern and it explored it, the deeper and deeper the bat explored the more caves and tunnels it found. By chance the bat happened upon Wondunappanam (“Royal Cave”) which is the main home of Bawülh, the Fate of Kwonarun. Bidyro stood by the mouth of the tunnel and gazed upon Bawülh with lust. The bat took one step closer, one step which shook the ground with barely any force, yet enough for Bawülh to sense. She turned around to face the visitor and took in some of the air with her large mole nose. Bawülh asked Bidyro what it was, Bidyro replied with “I am Byymart. I have come here to seek the most beautiful sight. First I saw a glint of joy shine in the kingfisher's eye, yet I was not satisfied. Second I saw the sky of Sėamau burn bright below with vivid, violent colours of an epic storm, yet I was not satisfied. Third I saw you, my dear, and now I am satisfied.” Bawülh giggled at the flattery and was very amused. “Well, Byymart, might I say the same if only I had eyes!” Byymart asked Bahwülh if she would lay with the bat. “Only if you can give to me a berry that can fill my cavernous stomach, only then.” So Bidyro went back down to Bėsowrimau to find a berry that could satisfy Bawülh's hunger. But no endless searching could find any fruit in the dead land. Rather than admit defeat, Bidyro saught another option. The bat found a giant boulder, close enough to a giant berry the bat thought, only the colour gave away any deciet. So Bidyro sank its teeth into the flesh of its left leg and let the blood flow freely over the boulder, colouring it red as if it were a giant, ripe berry. The bat then sunk its talons into the blood soaked boulder and flew upwards. Bidyro brought the red stone before Bawülh who then spoke with joy, “Byymart! you returned, and such a fresh berry that you placed beside me, I suppose that we will mate”, and so they did.

Not long after Bawülh bore two daughters named Giiledwodru (“destruction of satisfaction”) and Kjarnast (“one who petrifies”). Once the daughters were born, Bawülh thought to finally eat her prize. She picked up the “berry” and swallowed it whole. She didn't notice until it was too late that the meal was in fact nothing but stone. She banished the bat from ever returning to Kwonarun and cursed it with a fury of words:

Fool! Unadept one! Parasite in rotten smoke!

fill your mouth with shit,

and fill your arse with lies,

though it will make no difference for you,

Begone from my land,

And never return.

The rock that she swallowed had gemminated within her and not long after she gave birth to two sons Labhăs (“hold-throw”) and Larswör (“battle-charge”), and three daughters Sėpmnjo (“sprout-feed”), Öödboj (“shatter-seek”) and Dwikefskad (“analyse-discover”), all of them formed the first giants. While as children they loved to play for hours within the many caves and tunnels of Kwonarun, as adults they grew so large that they could barely fit into even the widest of tunnels. So they punched a large hole in the floor of Kwonarun and they lept down into Maku and they landed in the far north. There they had plenty of space to do as they willed. However Since each of the siblings were the first giants, none had any wives or husbands, for the only other giants around were their own siblings. Bawülh took notice of this and to answer it she made two wives and three husbands from rock and sent them down to Maku to join her children. With that the race of giants had begun. Bawülh's eldest, non-giant daughters remained with her in Kwonarun. Giilerdwodru grew beautiful with dark brown hair and pale white skin, she became the goddess of hunger and starvation, and Kjarnast had no ability at all, much to her disdain. Despite her morbid domain, Giilerdwodru was a cheery and happy woman. Kjarnast was anything but, she skulked in the shadows with shame, for being the child of a Fate she felt embarrassed to have no domain of her own. Whenever her sister showed prowess with her power, Kjarnast would often lurk away in a tunnel, muttering to herself while seeking solitude. On one such pout she came across a little bat.

“Why, who are you?” she asked it.

“I am Byymart, I must ask...why are you sad?”

“I starve in my sister's shadow, She is powerful but I am weak.”

“Well, well...I must fix this.”

“At what cost?

“Come to my land! The clouds there will give you power.”

Kjarnast couldn't resist this offer. As soon as she agreed, the bat grew immensely in size and told her to cling onto its back. With her arms and legs tightly wrapped around the beast it took off, soaring through the tunnels until it reached a hole in the ground. After that Kjarnast found herself hundreds of miles in the sky of another world, she clung with extreme desperation and fear. She clung so hard that when they reached the ground she could barely hold on, let alone lift her arms or legs. She panted as she panicked, in doing so a good deal of the foul air rushed into her lungs. Every new breath brought with it more wickedness in her soul. She stopped feeling fear altogether, instead feeling anger and sadistic impulses. “Where is my power?” she barked at the bat. “Well well my great daughter, stroke the deer that grazes there.” Behind her she saw a deer gnawing away at a sorry excuse for grass. She approached it calmly and held out her hand. As soon as she felt its soft fur, she felt it harden. The whole beast was a mere statue of the deer it was. A hoarse voice slithered nearby...”Well, you petrified it.”

=Birth of Gilgak's daughters=

One year after the meeting of the Fates, on his way home to Sėamau, Olh stopped by in Maku for a meal. His hoofs tread over the bare soil and his head was held high so that his eyes might seek out a morsel to eat. Upon entering a forest, Olh spotted a delicious feast hanging from the branches of a tree. Before him in the near distance was a tree that had grown thick and wide, with an explosion of fruits dangling from its branches. Olh couldn't believe his luck, for a moment he just stood still in awe of the sight. The burst of edible colour breached his eyes in mind, causing his mouth to overflow with drool. The saliva flowed over his lips and spilled onto the soil below, where it was absorbed by the roots of all the trees in the forest. The deer's potent saliva mixed with the trees such that the quality of antlers, hoofs, hair and feet were taken on by the trees. Above ground, the trunks and branches of the trees became antlers, below ground, the roots had formed themselves into deer. When Olh finished his meal, he noticed the transformation around him, so one by one he grabbed each tree with his mouth and pulled out the deer that was under it. He did this until the entire forest was uprooted and had become a herd of deer. And so the deer were born. Much like Olh, these new deer were hungry and in need of a feast, yet the ground was bare and the only food was on the branches of the fruit tree, but feasting from that tree would be like cannibalism to the deer. So the herd wandered away from their birthplace in search of a meal, yet everywhere they went greeted them with the sight of bare ground. The hunger and desperation of the deer was not unnoticed. As the deer were galloping over the land they sent vibrations into the ground which were felt by Gilgak, god of the underground, he who was born from the soil and groundwater when Maku was first created, son of no one. Gilgak was a kind and gentle soul and he was deeply worried by the plight of the deer. So in answer to their wails he stretched out his finger. From his finger a long and slender sprout grew, it grew and grew until it reached the surface of the ground where it grew into a great oak tree. The trunk of the tree widened and then it unravelled itself to show that a goddess was born within it. The new goddess stepped out of the tree, her light green skin contrasted with the dark brown of the bare soil. Such was the birth of Mnoja, goddess of grass, grazing, pasture, comfort, insulation, rope, thatched roofs and protector of deer, daughter of Gilgak. Much like her father, Mnoja took pity on the hungry deer, so using her godly domain she caused blades of grass to emerge from the ground so that the deer could eat it, And so grass was created. The herd rejoiced and feasted on the grass until their stomachs were full and satisfied. To make sure that the grass didn't wilt from thirst. Gilgak squeezed the land around him so that all of the groundwater was wrung out and poured over the surface of the land. The water then flowed in many directions, in some places it formed into rivers and so the river goddess Nonast (“I who separate”) daughter of Gilgak, was born. In some places the water formed into streams and so the stream goddess Tyrsast (“I who trickles”) was born, daughter of Gilgak. In some places the water stayed still and formed into lakes and so the lake goddess Türtast (“I who reflects”) was born, daughter of Gilgak.

=Birth of the Sun and Moon=

An event was taking place which happened in the same manner as the one in the year before and surely in the same manner of the one in the year after, the Alh Lerdwirisȯn had gathered to discuss the fate of the nine realms. After decisions had been made and agreements had been made, the nine Fates set out to return to their respective homelands. Two of the Fates thought to stop by in Maku for a rest, as their spirits were heavy after the long meeting of the council. The two Fates were Olh, the white deer with shining silver antlers, and Bawülh, the giant mole made of stone. Olh had found for himself a lovely patch of grass on which to feed, the stalks were long and thick with a deep green colour, the very sight caused Olh's mouth to water. He trotted towards his meal, and just as his teeth were about to graze the bottom of the grass stalks, the ground erupted under him, sending clumps of dirt all over him and his pristine fur. Olh found himself standing on the back of Bawülh. The giant mole had been burrowing underground when she sensed the movements of a delicious worm, unknown to her it was right beneath where Olh was grazing. Olh was enraged. “My fur! my pristine fur! you made it all dirty!”

Bawülh gave a deep apology and she disappeared back into the underground. Olh, now less than pleased, trotted with heavy hooves to another patch of grass, this patch looked even tastier than the last. Just as his teeth were about to graze the bottom of the grass stalks, the ground erupted under him, sending a muddy mixture of roots and moss flying into his antlers, where they hung in a tuggy mess. Once again he found himself on the back of Bawülh. The giant mole had sensed the movements of two juicy worms, unknown to her it was right beneath where Olh was grazing. Olh was furious. “My antlers! my pristine antlers! you flung bits of mud and moss, and now you got them stuck!”

Bawülh apologized deeply and disappeared back into the underground. Olh, now fuming with rage, galloped with steps that pounded the earth with fury, to another patch of grass, this patch looked even tastier than the last. Just as his teeth were about to graze the bottom of the grass talks, the ground erupted under him, sending dozens of worms flying into his mouth. Once again he found himself on the back of Bawülh. The giant mole had sensed a small cavity in the ground which was filled with worms, unknown to her however it was right beneath where Olh was grazing. Olh was angrier than words could tell. “That is enough! I spit the shit that you call food! fight!} With that, Olh lowered his antlered head and charged directly at Bawülh, intending to impale the mole. With a great boom the two divine beings clashed into each other, Olh's antlers grazed against Bawülh's stone body. The silver was unable to penetrate the mole's solid body, instead a chip broke away from Bawülh's body and a tip from one of Olh's antlers snapped. Both fragments flew into the sky where they merged together, the silver antler tip melted and covered the rock, giving it a shining glaze, and so the moon god Pėjürot was born. From then on afterward he would shine with a silver light during every night. At the same time that the fragments of the Fates broke off. Another of Olh's antlers scraped against the rock of Bawülh's body which caused a spark to form. The spark flew into the sky and exploded in an awesome display of fire, and so the sun goddess Asilñe was born. From then on afterwards she would shine with an enlightening light during the day. The two gods had agreed to never shine upon the same land at the same time. However there was one day, or rather night, or day, or night...the two shone on the same land at the same time. On the patch of land where the moonlight mixed with sunlight, a large fiery, yellow serpent flashed into existence, and so Aiskolas was born, son of the sun and moon, god of fire and cooked food.

=Son of Erotru=

A lush green forest in Maku stood tall, mighty and thick with an abundance of plants. A deer feasted itself without much hassle, its mind wondered freely for nothing bothered it. Only when it left the thick shade of the canopy to wander in the open grassland was its vision alerted by a burning beacon. In the blue sky above a yellow sun soared from east to west. While no mortal beings can look directly at the star, a strong willed god may be able to look a bit closer to notice that the sun is fact a gigantic tent of pure gold, glowing with such an intensity that it lights up the land below. This flying abode is the home of the sun goddess Asilñe who wove the house from her very own sunbeams. Within her home she danced a joyous dance, her feet thrashed against a golden rug, which she wove from her own beams and was a part of her as her arms and legs. Her hands waved around without care, her right hand struck a golden knife which hung on her wall, which she wove from her own beams, and was a part of her as her arms and legs. When her hand swiped the knife, the knife went flying out of the tent and it fell down to the ground and plunged deep into the underground. Now deep in the soil, the knife took root and from the knife a giant rosebay willowherb grew. Within seconds the plant sprouted out of the ground surface and grew to an immense size. Very soon after when the plant was fully grown it flowered with a beautiful colour. One of the flower-heads hung heavier than the others, when it opened a female figure fell out and landed on the soft grassy ground. This was Ȯnnüžytekka (“that which emerged from a rosebay willowherb”), goddess of rosebay willowherbs and daughter of the sun goddess Asilñe and the underground god Gilgak, himself born amidst a mixture of ground water and soil. Ȯnnüžytekka came to reside with her mother in the sun tent and there she grew into a fine beauty. She would often leave the sun to walk on the surface of Maku to appreciate the forests and the birdsong. During these visits she had caught the attention of Erotru who reigned over Maku as the Fate. Erotru fell in love with Ȯnnüžytekka and he took her as his wife. Together they had one son named Iskjus (“crafty”).

Iskjus grew into a mischievous, cunning yet not cruel, man. Over the years his pranks and tricks weared his parent's wits down to bare stubs. Eventually Erotru had enough and forbid his son from the surface of Maku until he returned with the permission of his grandmother Asilñe. Iskjus went to live with Asilñe in her golden sun tent in the sky. He was content there although he found the constant golden shining to be tiring on his eyes. Asilñe happily accepted her grandson into her home but she soon saw why Erotru kicked him out, Iskjus's constant tricks wore her patience down until she too forbid him from her home. He would be allowed to return on the condition that he brought her Navalttasoo (“Glamorous thing”), a long and slender sword made of ice and crystal. The sword was fiercely guarded by its creator Ogoga, the Fate of the icy Hȯkaramau realm. Iskjus was ejected from the sun and he landed on a cold icy surface. The shift from blinding beams to the bitter cold shocked Iskjus to his very core. He gasped and gulped as he struggled to stand up on the ice. All around him the freezing air stole all heat in his body. He had found himself in Hȯkaramau. He had never been there before and he had no idea how he would find one sword among the seemingly infinite cold caverns. He picked a random dark path which was identical to the hundreds around it. He walked for hours and hours, possibly days, Iskjus couldn't tell the passage of time without his grandmother Asilñe and her brother the moon marking out the days and nights. In Hȯkaramau there wasn't even a sky, instead there was more ice, indistinguishable from the ice on the ground. At a time that he thought was night, Iskjus parked himself down against a pillar and lit a small fire, being the sun's grandson had its perks, Iskjus could set even the dampest snow ablaze. The small heat quickly radiated into the cold emptiness that filled this world. Iskjus's skin managed to catch some of the heat which gave him some relief. The light emitted by the fire painted the ice pillars around him, casting imposing dancing shadows behind them. Out from the shadows a small snow bunting fluttered its wings and perched by the fire.

“Such an odd place for you, Dahe.”

“Indeed, I can't return home, well, not before I obtain Navalttasoo, would you like some of my bread?”

The snow bunting was pleased with Iskjus's generosity and sat with him over a meal of bread. Iskjus then told the snow bunting of his challenge, and how lost he was in Hȯkaramau. “Don't worry! I will lead you to it! however you must promise to not stray from my side.”

Iskjus was glad to hear that, he agreed, thinking nothing of it. Afterwards both Iskjus and the snow bunting slept as the fire weakened into nothing. When they woke they set out on their journey. The snow bunting flew above Iskjus's head in short bursts, stopping every once in a while to let the son of Erotru catch up. “Remember, son of Erotru, do not stray from my side.”

Iskjus nodded, wondering why he would even think about leaving the snow bunting when the only other option was to be lost in the dark. They trodded on for a fair distance when Iskjus caught a glimmer in his eye. Tucked away in a small crevice was an arm ring that radiated the most entrancing blue aura. Iskjus stopped to admire it, he was going to step towards the crevice when he remembered his promise. All this time the snow bunting had continued flying, causing Iskjus to lag behind a bit. Iskjus shook his mind and focused on catching up to the snow bunting, leaving the beautiful blue arm ring behind. The snow bunting roosted for a few seconds on a small ledge on the ice and said before flying off again; “Remember, son of Erotru, do not stray from my side.”

The two continued on. Iskjus noticed that the further he walked down this tunnel, the windier it was getting. He followed the bird until he saw that the tunnel suddenly ended, with the ground and walls of the tunnel giving way to a gargantuan chasm that seemed to have no top or bottom, besides from the strong wind there was nothing in the chasm but darkness which was pierced by a spec of light opposite to the tunnel where the path seemed to continue. The snow bunting kept flying towards the end of the tunnel, much to Iskjus's worry, and flew out into the open void without missing a beat. Iskjus reached the very end of the tunnel but was stopped in his tracks by pure dread, his toes peeked over the edge, facing down into the doom. The fear shivered inside him, as if a cold hand had reached into his gut and stirred it around, but he remembered his promise to the bird, who was now a fair distance away. Iskjus closed his eyes and hesitantly launched his foot forward over the edge, followed by the other foot. When he opened his eyes, he found himself and his two feet on firm ground in a bright tunnel, beside him the snow bunting was perched on a small icy post. “It isn't far now, remember, son of Erotru, do not stray from my side, Eventually the pair reached a large chamber filled with sparkling crystals and gems that lit up the place with a dazzling light. “You must travel alone now, for I must return to my home. Be wise. With that the snow bunting beat its wings and vanished into another tunnel. Iskjus found the sword Navalttasoo in that very chamber, but it lay at the bottom of a deep and frigid pool. Not even he with his fire casting ability could build a fire hot enough to thaw him from the shockingly cold temperature of the water. “Well, what an ordeal I have, I wish that an otter was here, sure it would swim easily down there.”

No sooner than the words left his mouth had a sleek brown otter appeared by his feet. “The snow bunting told me that you needed help, and that it wanted me to help you because you generously gave it some of your bread.”

The otter then dived into the frigid pool to grab the sword with his little paws and then he swam back to the surface and handed it to Iskjus. Iskjus thanked the otter dearly and made his way home. It is because of this that to this day, the Sumnė always throw some food to a snow bunting when they see one, and it is their custom to thank an otter whenever they come across one. The sword Navalttasoo shone so bright that Iskjus was able to see perfectly in the tunnels, the sword would also point its tip to show Iskjus which way to go so that he never got lost. As the sword wielder descended further and further into the tunnels the chill seemed to retreat, and this ice gave way to stone and rock. He had now entered Kwonarun, the world below Hȯkaramau. Navalttasoo guided him though the stony tunnels...until that it didn't. Now far away from its icy home the sword lost some of its vigour, although it was yet an impressive blade. Iskjus was not impressed to be stranded and lost in Kwonarun though. He wandered aimlessly, his directionless feet just so happened to be walking in the direction of another being, a beautiful being. Iskjus soon found himself in the company of the hunger goddess Giilderdwodru. He asked her if she might guide him through the tunnels and she happily agreed. As the two walked together they found a love for each other and it was too soon that Iskjus had to say goodbye when they reached the end of their walk. He sighed as Giilerdwodru took her steps back into the earthen maze. But he was now at the very base of Kwonarun, he wrapped both of his hands around the sword's handle and thrusted the blade into the ground. The ground underneath him crumbled away and he found himself falling through the skies of Maku. He was spared from splatting against the ground when his grandmother's golden sun tent flew through the sky to catch him. Now back in Asilñe's company, he handed over Navalttasoo to her. Pleased with her grandson's success, she gave him his permission to return to the surface of Maku. His next steps on the soft grass were as a calmer, less mischievous soul. His father Erotru welcomed him back, and all was good. Iskjus even took Giilerdwodru as his wife and soon afterwards and she bore him several children, who came to be known as the Măti spirits. The numerous offspring looked quite unlike both of their parents, rather than a body with arms and legs, they had legless bodies that floated above the ground. They appeared as if they were draped in a large grey cloak, the ends of which hung below where legs would be and faded in a subtle mist. Among them their shapes varied quite a bit, some were tall and thin, some were shorter and stubbier, yet they all seemed to share a similar cheerful but simple manner. Each of the children had inherited a quality from their mother, the hunger goddess. Rather than instilling hunger in others, they felt a hunger within themselves that they filled by collecting all manners of trinkets, jewels and any pretty thing that they could find. These children would go on to become a whole race of hoarding spirits.

=The Hauling of the Moon=

On the island of Ślajăti, long before the island was given that name by man, lived Ȯnnüžytekka and she praised the coming summer. This was her time to rejoice in the fields of rosebay willowherb that would grow, for that was the very plant that bore her and she loved it dearly. When she noticed the coming of summer she would walk around her land every day to see if the rosebay willowherbs had begun to grow. During this particular year the growth of the plant was rather weak and dwindled. Instead of her eyes being visited with the sight of blue blossoms, they were met with the sight of drab grass. Ȯnnüžytekka's heart deflated at the sight, but she would not accept it at that. The daughter of the sun wove a flame in her hands and she caressed it over the grass, setting it alight, hoping that her plant will flourish in the charred land. Among the wailing of the blades of grass, Ȯnnüžytekka heard a distraught voice howl some words; “Don't you dare burn my children!” The voice came from Mnoja, goddess of grass, grazing, pasture, comfort, insulation, rope and thatched roofs, also Ȯnnüžytekka's half sister. The green skinned woman with long grass for hair came pounding down from a hillock and she charged towards Ȯnnüžytekka in a blind rage. “I hear your wails, my dear children!”

When Ȯnnüžytekka turned around to run away, Mnoja ordered the grass to wrap around the sun's daughter's feet to trip her over. Once Ȯnnüžytekka was on the ground the grass continued to cover her, forming a green net holding her against the ground with her unable to move even a finger. Mnoja then gave out a shrill cry: “Come my dear deer! and graze on this bulging patch of grass!” When the command bounced in the ears of every nearby deer, a stampede followed and many hooves battered the ground to reach their meal. They surrounded Ȯnnüžytekka, still trapped in the grass, and they began to tear away at the grass, but they kept tearing away until they reached Ȯnnüžytekka's flesh, they kept tearing yet until they reached Ȯnnüžytekka's bones. The terrifying screams didn't bother them at all for they were under the vengeful lull of Mnoja. When the deer were done, they raised their heads, the snouts of which were bright red with blood. To this day the descendants of those deer are known as talharpažtekkü “They who swallow rosebay willowherb” all bearing bright red snouts, and while they don't care for flesh, they are known to feast on the rosebay willowherb plant. When the fury of deer parted after their meal, nothing was left of Ȯnnüžytekka but a pile of bare bones and her shining golden hair. Mnoja gathered them and from the bones she fashioned a harp, and from the golden hair she fashioned the harp's strings, the music played on that harp, called Satrenimgar Gara (“The Harp of Sorrow”) could soften even the most callous soul.

Ȯnnüžytekka's husband Erotru was distraught when he learned about her death. He was so filled with anger that he cursed all the grass in Maku to wither and die. He mourned for his wife for months in a deep sadness. After so long of his depression, Bawülh sought to cheer Erotru up by holding a celebration at the end of his mourning, so that he may know again what happiness was. All manner of different beings of different worlds showed up to the celebration, all giving Erotru gifts and telling him jokes and stories. First the Măti gave him a bottle filled with a curious liquid. They told Erotru that they had travelled to Bėsowrimau and had collected the foul clouds in the bottle which had then condensed into liquid, as collecting was in their very nature, but had themselves wandered freely in the land without being deformed by the rank air. Erotru was warned to only open the bottle when he needed to. Next the giants gave him a large statue carved from stone which depicted the beauty of Ȯnnüžytekka. Erotru was taken back by the memory of her face, and he asked the giants to place the statue on the spot where his wife was killed after the celebration was finished, they agreed and set it down nearby. Over the coming millenia the wind and rain would batter at the statue, eroding away the fine details, but the stone still stands there today in the form of a large stone pillar called Žtekkerėitasa (“eternal rosebay willowherb”). Next the sun goddess Asilñe gave him a single golden beam of sunlight, and the moon god Pėjürot gave him a single silver beam of Moonlight. The gifts, while pleasant, did not lift the spirits of Erotru. He moped and sighed yet. No joke would conjure even so much as a smirk from him. His guests were at a wit's end trying to figure out how to cheer him up. To answer this Erotru's son Iskjus thought to use put his mischievous nature to use. Iskjus went up to the giant Larswör and told him that in the nearby forest of Enserpes there was a boar that could come back to life after being eaten, so that it could provide lifetimes worth of meals. Larswör ran to the forest in hopes of finding it, the ground rumbling as he ran. While the giant was distracted, Iskjus took Larswör's cup and drank all of the wine in it. Now this was a giant's cup so to Iskjus it felt like he was drinking from a small lake. When the cup was empty, Iskjus leapt into it and turned into a lake of wine, filling the cup up to its brim. Soon after Larswör returned empty handed from the forest, he had hard luck finding the boar that didn't exist. He sat down by his cup disappointed and noticed that it seemed just a little fuller than he remembered. Regardless he picked up the cup and swilled every last drop of wine in one large gulp. Iskjus sloshed within Larswör's cavernous belly before returning back to his original form. Then he pounded against the giant's stomach, causing Larswör to throw him up. Iskjus was flung out of the giant's mouth and he landed on a nearby campfire, around which many guests were eating their meals, covered in vomit and lumps of undigested food. The fire was smothered by the goo and the guests all turned away in disgust, some became nauseous themselves and ran to a nearby stream. Little did they know that earlier on in the party, that Iskjus had replaced the freshwater stream with a saltwater one. The poor souls that dunked their heads in the stream and gulped down, hoping the clean freshwater would ease their stomachs, instead found themselves with incredibly parched mouths and throats. After the second shock they ran around the party with arms flailing, hoping to find a drink. Iskjus approached one such guest, the Aiskolas, and offered him a cup of drink. The fire spirit grabbed the cup from Iskjus's hand...not noticing the cheeky grin on his face. Instead of feeling parched, Aiskolas felt his mouth sting even worse and this time with a taste twice as foul. What he didn't know was that Iskjus had filled the cup with some of Larswör's vomit instead of wine. Aiskolas flew away in a blinding fit and plunged into a nearby lake, he made a splash so large that it caused a large wave to wash over the whole party, soaking everyone. Erotru looked at the ridiculous sight before him, he saw gods and mighty giants whinge, moan and wail over the silly events, and he burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that a wave of joy and relief swept over the guests and silenced their complaints, and soon even they started laughing. Iskjus had done his job. The joy within Erotru caused all of the grass in Maku to be relieved of death, with each blade being fully restored to life.

The laughter that resonated throughout the party was interrupted with a croaky voice that was barely audible over the roaring din. “I bring two gifts for you, Etrotru.”

The voice came from a figure clutching two sacks in her green hands, her grassy hair flowing past her shoulders. After Erotru had cursed all of the grass in Maku to wither, Mnoja had suffered incredibly for it. So much that she sought to seek peace with her victim's widower. “It saddens me that the land has such sorrow. Your wife was killed out of revenge. She burned my children. I come to make peace.”

Just the mere sight of his wife's killer brought a great rage upon Erotru, any laughter had died upon hearing her voice. Mnoja stood meekly, shivering with fear ever so slightly as Erotru stood up screaming curses at her. He held in his hand the gift that Asilñe had given to him, a beam of golden sunlight, and he shot it at the grassy goddess. The intense heat of the beam hit her left leg and caused it to erupt in flame. She fell to the ground and flailed around like an injured beetle. Erotru looked at her with manic eyes, the manic eyes then drifted to gaze upon the statue of his wife. He looked at her as the fire that was torturing Mnoja shone a dim light over the carved stone. He calmed at the sight of Ȯnnüžytekka, and the flames reminded him of why she was dead in the first place, she provoked Mnoja by killing her grass, her children, for her own selfish needs. In a moment of clarity, sadness and forgiveness, Erotru picked up the beam of silver moonlight and shone it at Mnoja. The cool light extinguished the fire and soothed her burns. Erotru explained that he now understood that Mnoja attacked only to defend her domain which Ȯnnüžytekka put under threat. While he could not utter the words to say that he forgave Mnoja, he let her live, and then asked her to reveal her gifts for him. Mnoja limped to pick up her two sacks and she threw them at Erotru's feet. In the first sack was a grass rope of infinite length, the loose end could travel a hundred miles and the other end will remain in the sack. In the second sack was Satrenimgar Gara, the harp made of his wife's own bones and hair. Somewhat pleased with the gifts, and finding some relief in holding his wife's remains, he thanked Mnoja, but he explained that while Mnoja had a right to kill Ȯnnüžytekka, the gruesome manner in which she did so was unforgivable. As a punishment Erotru declared that as the grass had withered for months this year before coming back to life, it shall do so every year, and so he created winter and the passing of seasons. To ensure that the coming of winter was fulfilled, Erotru mixed snow with wind and created Brumnos, god of frost, cold and autumn, son of Erotru.

After that heavy matter, the party continued on. Jokes were had, stories were told, and elegent music was played on Satrenimgar Gara. Near the end of the feast, some of the guests had entered a contest to see who was the strongest. First Iskjus lifted a hefty boulder and threw it the length of three mammoths. Second Gilgak wrapped his arms around a wide and deep rooted tree, and with one single tug he tore it from the ground, exposing every last root. Lastly the giant Labhăs thought to make a superb show of his enormous strength. He took the endless grassy rope which Mnoja had made and he tied a lasso with the loose end. He had left the loop at such an incredible size that onlookers puzzled as to what he would catch with it, would he try to haul a whole herd of mammoths? would he try to haul a whole mountain? Labhăs let out a brief laugh when he heard those guesses. His huge arms reached back and forth as he unravelled the rope from the bag, until he had unravelled hundreds of miles worth of rope. Labhăs then took the lasso and spun it above his head, he spun it so fast that the wind it made nearly swept away some of the smaller beings. The giant then released the rope and it sped into the sky. The rope was thrown so high and so hard that it reached the moon and tightened itself around it. Labhăs then gave a mighty heave and pulled at the rope with more strength than anything could ever dream of having. The moon was pulled closer to the earth. Labhăs pulled even harder yet and brought the moon even closer. Finally, with one gigantic pull he brought the moon so close to the land that it filled the whole sky and blocked out the sun. The result of this was that a massive shadow had been cast over the whole of Maku. The shadow then took form and became the shadow goddess Saatiotli, daughter of the moon. Not long after Labhăs released the moon where it then returned to its original place. All of that pulling on the rope had severely scraped Labhăs's hands. They bled profusely, the blood soaked into the grassy rope, the life giving blood of a giant. Labhăs threw the rope into a nearby lake where the blood, water and rope all mixed and formed a hideous sea serpent called Sgodŕ, son of Labhăs.

By the end of the party Erotru had finally ceased his mourning for Ȯnnüžytekka. His mournful tunes on the harp became lively and cheery. His impressive skills with music had caught the admiration of the giantess Sėpmnjo. Now that Erotru had ended his mourning he would have need of another wife. So Sėpmnjo sat by Erotru and flirted with him, by her fortune the Maku Fate responded in kind. Not too long after the party Erotru took the giantess Sėpmnjo as his wife and she bore him one son called Tanspür, god of the spirit of fertility, blossoming and well being of forests, herald of Asilñe.

=Birth of the Sabre Tooth Tigers=

A pure white sliver was floating downwards gracefully, it slipped through world after world like a needle through cloth. A white feather from Anepi had come loose from his plumage and began floating downwards from Sėamau to the centre of the universe. It passed through Hȯkaramau, untouched by the cold. It passed through Kwonarun, untouched by the dirt, it passed into Maku, touched by a shadow. The white glimmer had caught the attention of the shadow goddess Saatiotli. The sight of the feather echoed beauty in her eyes. She reached out a hand veiled in blackness and caught the feather. Saatiotli asked Mnoja to make a pendant with the feather for her, so that she may wear it around her neck. Mnoja happily agreed and she wove some fine grass into a small rope on which she tied the feather. The shadow goddess wore the pendant around her neck thanked and Mnoja dearly. The shining of the white feather against her chest seemed to be swallowed by her shade, making it appear incredibly contrasting when she wore it. When Saatiotli next when to sleep, she breathed in and out harder than she usually did, until she took a breath so deep that the feather was sucked into her mouth where it was then swallowed. Saatiotli woke up and was saddened that she had lost her lovely pendant, but she had gained something else, an egg growing in her belly. Later on that day Saatiotli laid that egg and she tended to it carefully until it hatched. When the egg cracked open, the creature inside bore feathers like its father, but had the dark sleek shadow of its mother, this was Žponja, the crow god of theft, cunning, funerals and memory.

Žponja had a deep desire to steal precious items, an urge that he could barely control. One day he thought to take precious items from each of the worlds, surely such a collection would be a fine one. First he flew over Maku to see what was worth stealing. He looked down at the land below him as he soared over it and saw a lovely little treat, a dagger named Selki (“little scraper”) a knife that could strip bark from logs and skin prey all on its own. Now, Žponja's claws and beak were all the tools that he needed, but not all that he wanted. Selki was owned by Iskjus, who kept it in a sheath by his hip. Žponja swooped down and with great swiftness and dexterity he grabbed the handle of Selki with his beak and flew off into the sky before Iskjus even noticed him. The crow god thought about where he would keep all of his finds, surely someplace safe where no other thief could find them. He thought that of the thousands of cave's in Kwomarun, surely one would be small and obscure enough that no one would ever find it. So Žponja flew up and up until he reached the base of Kwonarun. He began weaving himself through the many tunnels until he found a cave that surely no one could ever find. He dumped Selki in the cave and flew back to Maku. Once again he soared in the skies and his eye was alert for anything nice to steal. This time he spotted a bottle of foul liquid. The very same one that the Măti gave to Erotru as a mourning gift. The bottle was decorated with many fine and dazzling jewels which made the crows heart flutter faster than his wings. Erotru rarely used the bottle, in fact he had never opened it, to him it was a fine decoration. He kept it hanging from his favourite tree as at night the moonlight would reflect off of the jewels and scatter in a beautiful array of silver beams onto the ground. Žponja swooped down and grabbed the rope by which the bottle hung in his beak and he flew off with it. He perched on a nearby mountain and then tied the bottle to his back so that his beak would be free to steal yet another item. For his next forage he flew to Pėjylvar, the hero realm. Žponja darted among the closely knit forests there, the heavy vegetation meant that he could barely see far before him, let alone any goods worth stealing. The crow perched on a boulder and rested for moment. His flying and flapping around the trees had caught the attention of the local Fate of this world, the sabre tooth Asdros. Asdros crept under the cover of vegetation to get a closer look at his guest. When he was close enough he noticed that Žponja had Erotru's bottle tied to his back. Asdros wasn't happy at this insult to his friend so at once he leapt from his hiding place and pounced on the crow. The two tumbled about on the ground, Žponja struggling to take wing and escape and Asdros struggling to untie the bottle from the crow's back. During the struggle the bottle came loose and was sent flying through the air, then it smashed against the ground, releasing its liquid content to form a small pond in the forest floor. Now, this liquid was made from the foul clouds of Bėsowrimau, in its liquid form it couldn't be breathed in but it still had its effects. Both Asdros and Žponja quit their struggling to look into the pond. The surface was still without even the tiniest ripple. When the two creatures looked into the liquid, they saw their own reflections. At first the reflections seemed like just that, reflections. But then they started to move of their own accord, and not only that, the reflections took on more feminine shapes. Then the reflections of the sabre tooth tiger and crow burst out of the water to reveal two very tangible beings. Now Asdros was the only being with the long toothed shape, and Žponja was the only being with the black feathered shape, so when they saw women in their own forms they quickly were lulled with love. The reflection of Asdros came to be known as Paltart (“one who bursts banks”) who became the wife of Asdros. The reflection of Žponja came to be known as Emesdanmi (“I am the reflection”). While Asdros was distracted by his new infatuation, Žponja and Emesdanmi fled and escaped to the little cave in Kwonarun. In that cave they mated and Emesdanmi bore many of Žponja's sons and daughters who would go on to form the crow species, to this day Žponja's descendants retain his craftiness and his wit. In the same manner, Paltart bore many of Asdros's sons and daughters who would go on to form the sabre tooth tiger species.

However while Žponja found no trouble with his wife, Asdros was plagued by his. After a long time Paltart became dark and broody, such that when she gave birth to a new litter, instead of protecting her cubs, she ate them. Asdros was furious at the infanticide, he was also confused at the sudden change in behaviour, but then he pondered on her origins. She had emerged from a pool of the foul liquid, made of the very same clouds that can deform even the kindest of souls into a convulsing being of evil. Perhaps Paltart was doomed to be sinister from her beginnings. But now Asdros could not have her dwell in his world, so with a fury he roared: “I declared divorce! I declare divorce! I declare divorce!” With that Paltart was banished to live in Bėsowrimau, the land of the dead. However she was pregnant at the time she was banished. So when she gave birth in Bėsowrimau amongst the thick foul air, her cubs became demonic, bloodthirsty and rabid tigers. From them came the race of Knakkwagi, who the undead Naddarussrriv would ride upon into battle.

=Birth of Bidăre=

Two of the great and powerful Fates, Anepi and Yrotli, had fallen for each other. Yrotli, having the body of a giant eight finned whale, had difficulty travelling to other worlds where the body of a land dwelling beast would be better suited. So when Anepi and Yrotli wished to be together, Anepi travelled to Dwisgavar and he flew above the waves as Yrotli swam under them. From time to time, Yrotli would surface for air, she would break the sea surface with her humongous back and would unleash spray a tower of water from her blowhole before inhaling a in a great deal of air. The water would be sprayed upwards towards Anepi who flew above, his beating wings mixed the spray with the air to form vapour which hung in the sky. After a long time of this happening over and over again, the amount of vapour grew until a great cloud was formed in the sky. The wisps and licks of the cloud gathered and condensed into powerful being, and so Bidăre “greatest cloud”, the god of cloud, rain, wind, observation and history was born, son of Anepi and Yrotli. Bidăre could either take the form of a stout, barrel chested older man with a long flowing beard and hair, and a voice of deep and booming thunder. He could also take the form of a cloud of any shape in the sky, or as a imposing cloud of massive proportions in the shape of a man.

One day long after the birth of Bidăre, the fire god Aiskolas sat bored in Maku. Asilñe was halfway through her daily journey in the sky and she cast a lot of light and heat during this day. Such so that the shadow goddess Saatiotli had to take to every nook and cranny that she could find to seek shelter from the warm rays, for if every shadow in Maku was extinguished with light, Saatiotli would surely die. Aiskolas meanwhile had no such worry, he rested his long serpentine body on a great slab of rock, lounging lazily as his sleepy eyes slowly scanned the landscape before him. He rested on the rock for so long that his warm body left a large scorch mark in his shape on the slab, hence that area being known as Muhmsjamsik (“burned slab”). While on the journey from right to left his eyes noticed the shadows hiding from the sun in many places. A cruel tickle shivered through him and he took to the sky with newfound energy. He flew above one shadow and beat his wings, bringing forth a burst of flames, the light of which extinguished the shadow. He then flew to the next shadow and did much the same. He did this over and over until nearly all of the shadows had been extinguished by his luminous fire. He wasn't stopped until Bidăre floated above and noticed the cruelty happening below him. To stop the fire serpent, he summoned a great gust a wind to blow over Aiskolas, hoping that the flames on his body would be tamed. Instead all Bidăre ended up doing was fanning the flames, making them stronger. Aiskolas laughed hysterically at this and with every chuckly the flames grew higher and hotter, and Saatiotli weaker. Bidăre became worried and concerned and thought fast of what to do next. He took the form of a stormcloud so wide that it filled the whole sky, a stormcloud so thick and dark that it blocked out the sun and made it appear as if night had fallen on Maku. With the sudden darkness, Saatiotli was able to grew in strength and reclaim all of her shadows, she was no longer endangered. But Aiskolas had no worry yet, his burning body was still emitting its own light. In return, Aiskolas stretched his wings before slamming them together with such incredible force that a flame as strong as the sun burst forth and spread over the land. The fire devoured whole forests and grew all the brighter for it. Saatiotli's shadows were once again threatened by the light as there was barely an inch under a stone that wasn't lit up by Aiskolas. In response to the destruction below, Bidăre brought down a torrent of rain so mighty that even the most incredible fires that roared with oblivion were extinguished into a few cool wisps of smoke. The rain was so powerful that Aiskolas was pounded and battered by the raindrops, causing his own fire to go out, leaving him weak and pathetic and screaming surrender. The rain was so powerful and so heavy that the water collected in the low lying areas of land and became the oceans and seas, and so Dhaspartanhăă (“one who weaves the tide”) goddess of the ocean, and Süncüühihak (“breeze and salt”), goddess of the sea wind, were born.

Saatiotli was so come over by admiration for her rescuer that promised to follow him for all time afterwards. Such that when a cloud drifts across the sky, a shadow will always follow beneath it. Saatiotli would go on to bear two sons of Bidăre, Türte (“greatest glimmer”) god of lightning and travel, and Kialge god of thunder. Türte could take the form of a lightning bolt, a man, or as a giant man shaped being made out of light and lightning. His ability to turn himself into a bolt of lightning meant that he could strike himself anywhere in any of the worlds, giving him the ability to travel anywhere with great ease. Türte could also weave other beings into lightning to transport them elsewhere in the world. Kialge could take the form of a thundercloud, a man, or as a man shaped being made of dark clouds which rumbled constantly. Kialge was always jealous of his older brother Türte and he always tried to do with Türte did but better. Whenever Türte shot a bolt of lightning, Kialge would produce a boom of thunder soon after. Over time this caused a deep rivalry between the two brothers. Kialge would go on to have a son with Süncüühihak called Peryl, the storm god.

=Birth of Bugal=

While the birth of many new and great beings was in full effect at this time, Bidyro's mind was fixed on death. The foul bat would often fly around the edges of his domain and look out over the land that was untouched by him, it looked clean, colourful and beautiful, Bidyro hated it. In Bidyro's mind, satisfaction was seeing all of the worlds coated in his foul cloud, that every beast and bird would be become corrupt with its scent. Bidyro was a powerful creature but he wasn't powerful enough to fight against the gods and Fates, if he were to win then he would fight with cunning and not the club. The bat would often take the forms of other beings to spy on the gods and Fates, to observe them and to learn their weaknesses. In his creepings he found a hopeful weakness in Dalartolk, the wolf Fate of Jamavar. When he looked into Dalartolk, he saw a lonely being, how lovely this was for Bidyro. The bat approached one of his Knakkwagi, the wicked and wretched sabre tooth tigers. He picked out a fertile female and he cast an illusion over her that that made her look like a she-wolf and he said; “I name you Alăggvast (“one who infects”), now go out to Dalartolk and speak pretty words to him. Under his guidance he will take you all over the worlds, when he does, spread our wickedness with you.”

The bat then gave the beast a small orb which was filled with the wicked wisps. Alăggvast was sent out on a boat and she headed north to reach the land of the living. It was during this time the the Fates had finished their annual council and were returning home. When Alăggvast reached the shore she pranced all over the land in search of her prey, and indeed she found it. Dalartolk was walking slowly, his head heavy with the talks at the council. His tired body was given new life when he saw Alăggvast in the near distance. Never before had he seen another wolf, let alone a she-wolf. Before Alăggvast even had to saw a word, Dalartolk had already fallen for her trick. He wasted no time in running up to her and courting her. He was surprised at how eager she was in return. When Dalartolk asked her if she would be with him, Alăggvast agreed on one condition, that being that he would take her to each and every world. With no hesitation Dalartolk agreed and to seal their deal of marriage they mated. The first world that they visited was Kwonarun. They wandered around in the rocky world, with every new step Alăggvast felt her belly grow heavier with pups. Dalartolk was so happy and entranced by her that he never thought about where she came from or how she found him, he just walked on gleefully. Bidyro's illusion had worked well, but not everyone was convinced. The illusion cast around Alăggvast was merely one of sight, such that all who looked upon her saw a she-wolf, but Bawülh had no eyes to see her, rather she had a nose to smell her and feet to sense her vibrations in the ground. When Bawülh caught wind of an unusual smell and felt foreign footsteps she was curious to see who the intruder in her world was. The giant mole burrowed through the rock to get closer to the couple. She burrowed with such care that she managed to get close enough to hear the she-wolf through the thin wall that remained between Bawülh's tunnel and Alăggvast's tunnel. Now that Bawülh could hear the voice of the intruder, she heard a sick crackle and moan where words would usually be. Dalartolk was too sick with love to notice this but Bawülh had no such weakness, she figured out where this cancerous creature was from. The giant mole was enraged that such a created dared to take a single step in her tunnels, she was so angry that she burst through the thin wall with her cavernous mouth wide open and lunged at Alăggvast. With great ease Bawülh swallowed Alăggvast in one gulp and was now rid of the intruder. Dalartolk was distraught and he cursed out the giant mole. Bawülh tried to explain to the wolf but she couldn't get a word in over the deafening howls, so she caused every stone in Kwonarun to rumble and shake, the force and sound was so mighty that the wolf was stunned and silenced. Now Bawülh was able to explain that what Dalartolk thought was a fertile she-wolf was in fact a foul Knakkwagi, to prove this Bawülh vomited one of Alăggvast's arms. The wet and gross arm that splattered on the ground was clearly not one a wolf could ever own. Dalartolk felt relieved to have been rescued from this deception, but saddened that his loneliness would continue as it did before. He thanked Bawülh and then he returned to Jamavar. Some time later Bawülh gave birth to pup with sleek black hair, this was Bugal “digger”, son of Dalartolk, Alăggvast and Bawülh. He looked innocent enough while he was a pup. He had the shape and form of his father but with the burrowing ability oh his mother, but when he grew it was clear that he had the cruel and wicked mind of his other mother. From then on the giant hound would dig around in Kwonarun to seek out trouble and to harass the weak.

=Birth of Ansotroolke=

Giilerdwodru, the beautiful wife of Iskjus, goddess of hunger and starvation. She was never one to seek out trouble or mischief but that didn't stop her from finding it eventually. Even though she was married to Iskjus, she had become filled with love for Bidăre, god of clouds, wind and rain. There was no rational reason to suggest why she felt that way, but that feeling had smothered her senses and compelled her to have a child with the powerful god. Bidăre was completely unaware of this and he had no taste for the hunger goddess, there was no way that Giilerdwodru could win him over by any honest means. One night when all was calm and while her husband slept soundly, Giilerdwodru snuck away to find Bidăre. Bidăre was himself asleep, his snores sending out large gusts of wind. Giilerdwodru approached him carefully as not to wake him and she placed a lock of her dark brown hair in his mouth before fleeing away to her own home and husband. Upon waking, Bidăre felt a hunger like he had never felt before. He felt a great pit of emptiness in his stomach which caused his gut to rumble fiercely and deeply. The god attempted to eat as much as he could, yet not after long the howling hunger returned. No amount of food or drink would make his stomach happy and it roared out despite the mountains of food that he swallowed. What Bidăre didn't know was that he had swallowed a lock of hair in his sleep, and then in his stomach that hair became a cave lion, a very hungry cave lion. The young creature kept eating all of the food in Bidăre's stomach which caused his great hunger. Whenever there was no food in the stomach, the cave lion howled out in its own hunger, causing the deep rumbling sound. The next day the cave lion burst out of Bidăre's stomach, revealing itself to be his son, named Ansotroolke, god of the wilderness, raw food, lightning, carnivores, floods, storms, madness, caves, the deep sea, mountain tops, the uninhabitable north, and solitude, son of Bidăre and Giilerdwodru.

When news that Giilerdwodru had a son with another being, Iskjus was enraged. In a fit of anger he challenged Bidăre to a fight to the death. His wife wailed both at her betrayal being found out, and at the duel that was about to happen. Iskjus was a strong and brave man yet he was no god. Despite being the grandson of the sun, grandson of Gilgak and the son of a Fate, he was no god himself and he held no godly domain to give him power. Bidăre on the other hand was the god of wind, rain and clouds and he was a mighty beast. Bidăre himself had no desire to duel but since he was challenged he was compelled to fight. The two competitors met on a wide and flat plain. Bidăre brought with him dark clouds that were heavy with rain, Iskjus brought with him Navalttasoo, the sword made of ice and crystal that he obtained for his grandmother. The two beings faced each other as silence surrounded them. Bidăre looked upon Iskjus with a moody expression, he felt sorry for the man. Iskjus on the other hand was nearly snapping at the air like a berserk wolf, his hands gripped his sword tight and fidgeted around the handle as if he was trying to wring water out of it. Then the silence was killed when Iskjus charged at Bidăre, his mind was too filled with rage to come up with his usual sly tricks, rather than come up with a clever plan, he could only think about charging at the sky god and hacking him apart. Bidăre remained relatively calm himself, he stretched out his arms and brought them together in a thundering clap. The sheer force of this sent a powerful wind that nearly blew Iskjus off of the ground. The man managed to stay grounded but only barely. The wind kept getting stronger and stronger yet he was not swept away. He was struggling to move even a step forward however, and his sword of ice and crystal shattered under the pressure and its sharp shards were blown right into Iskjus's eyes and face, the man was now blinded. Yet despite his eyes now being nothing more than useless balls of bleeding flesh he charged forward. This time Bidăre called upon a great deal of rain to fall from the dark clouds above. The raindrops battered Iskjus as if they were boulders tossed by giants. It wasn't long before the rain turned the area into a unmanageable quagmire. Iskjus's feet were sucked into the wet mud, now he was blind and trapped. The rain continued to fall until ponds started to collect on the muddy surface. The rain continued to fall until those ponds grew and mixed together to form a large lake. Iskjus was still trapped where he was and the lake kept rising until it covered him completely. He let out roars of anger yet each roar let more water flood into his lungs, drowning him. His bleeding eyes caused the water to have a slight red tinge to it, and so that lake was known afterwards as Snyrrwėėsaḿ (“Lake of the bloody tear”). Giilerdwodru was distraught to see her husband die. In her grief struck mind she approached Bidăre and told him that that he could take her as her prize. The sky god only replied that he was disgusted by her, that she should be alone and unwanted for her betrayal to her husband. So Bidăre cursed Giilerdwodru with the appearance of an old and withered hag, and that wherever she go, she would be followed by a rain cloud that never stopped soaking her with rain.

=The First Eclipse=

Olh sat in his world Panarlumvar. It was as beautiful as the countless days before and after it. The grass was green and lush and a light melodic bird song trinkled through the air. A truly calm and serene place. Olh’s deep relaxion was disturbed when the still wind picked up to become a slight breeze. He was angered at how it brought a slight chill which made his relaxation ever so slightly less than perfect. Olh stood up and insulted the wind with a flurry of words:

Fucking Bidăre! Fucking hopeless cloud!

I curse you, I cannot fall asleep thanks to you,

Blow your inclinations right into your asshole!

Cheating degenerate! burn in a fire of farts!

These insulting words were carried by Tomdwir to arrive in the ears of Bidăre. Bidăre was less than pleased at what he heard, especially over such a slight offence. So he reacted in an equally petty manner by blowing a gust of wind over Olh’s own beehive, knocking it off from the tree and splattering it across the ground. The delicious honey poured out and took the form of a beautiful young woman named Manêr, goddess of bees and honey. The remainder of the honey took shape as her cat Gepmnêr whose coat was luscious and soft, whose eyes shone with the most elegant gold and whose purr was soft and comforting.

The young sweet beings explored their beautiful world but when they had seen every bountiful tree and every soft flowing stream, they thought to explore beyond the beautiful Panarlumvar. So Manêr summoned Türte and said that if he would transport her and her cat, that she would give him a pot of the sweetest honey to be found. Türte agreed and he wove them both into bolts of lightning and fired them towards Maku. They struck the ground with an immense and aggressive force and they took their own forms again. Manêr and Gepmnêr were struck by the rawness of Maku. In place of the lilting aura of Panarlumvar, there was cold wind that awakened the very bones in their flesh as if waking from a deep sleep. While scary the land was interesting and exciting. The two wandered to wherever they could. A place that took their interest was the Piorrjo mountains whose peaks they saw from great distances. Manêr and Gepmnêr climbed Sölpio, the corpse of the most colossal giant to have lived. At the very summit they could see across all lands in Maku. To the south they saw the wicked Bėsowrimau and to the north they saw a land which no man knows about. The wind blew strong at the summit such so that one of Gepmnêr’s hairs was plucked from his tail and tossed around in the air. The hair caught the sun’s light and cast two reflections. One was cast in the great lake Pirrbiccda down below where the reflection took the form of Ülluga, a terrible canine fiend who swallows light with his roars. The other was cast onto the clouds where it became Ürrümins mother of the giant eagles.

Ülluga the terrible fiend lept out from Pirrbiccda and onto the land. He had the form of a dog with no hair, rather having smooth leathery skin covered in brown and white blotches. His hind legs were shorter than his forelegs giving his back a sloped appearance, leading down to his tail which whipped the air in quick snaps. Great tendrils grew from his neck which served to drag any unfortunate creature towards his murderous teeth. A great hood unfurled itself from around his neck whenever he ate the light. His size matched that of a mammoth. All of this coupled with a base instinct which urged Ülluga to kill anything that dared to move before him. Truly a terrifying monster. When Ülluga first emerged from the lake he galloped over the mountains and swallowed the light as he did. He ended up swallowing so much light that not a single ray touched Maku. The whole world was shrouded in a unpenetrable darkness. So dark that even the luminous Asilñe herself could not bring any light. Not even Asilñe could find her way in the dark. This caused her to crash into Pėjürot. Asilñe’s tent and everything in it shook intensely, such so that Asilñe’s own bukoksalav flew out of her tent and down to the earth whereupon it became Ėbmȯ god of memory who took the form of a man dressed in blue cloths. The Fate Erotru witness the crash and decided that more collisions of the sun and moon would take place in the future, thereby creating the eclipses. Asilñe and Pėjürot managed to untangle each other. Gilgak noticed the fiend Ülluga causing havoc so he responded by opening up the earth beneath him creating a deep chasm which swallowed Ülluga whole. Much like a jaw the earth shut after it obtained its prey, trapping Ülluga under the earth where he would remain for some time.

=The Origin of Rats=

It was on a fine sunny day that the weather of Maku presented a beautiful and calm day to those that dwelled in that realm. The blue sky battered the ground and caused the ice to recede for a short while, the strong sky even shown bright light into the rocky realm above it where the trickster crow god Žponja lived. Blue beams of light snuck through some cracks in the ceiling of the world and the ground of the world above. This caught the attention of Žponja who was entranced by the beauty of the beam. This inspired him to fly down into Maku to enjoy the lovely weather. There he flapped his wings gently as he soared over the land, the sun giving his black feathers a bearable and pleasant warmth. The weather was so pleasant that he dozed off while he was gliding in the sky.

When he woke up, Žponja found that he had glided a great distance over many horizons. The crow was now far to the south and headed directly for the sickly realm Bėsowirmau, the land of death. When the trickster god saw the foul mist that smothered Bėsowrimau, he flapped his wings to halt himself, in doing so he created a great gust of wind which blew away a chunk of mist to reveal the land and beasts that it covered. Suddenly a bat was exposed but quickly it fled to the nearest cover. Not exactly one of the barbaric and bloodthirsty bats said to live in the land of the dead. By this time the day was growing old and the sun had nearly finished her journey across the sky so Žponja flew back home to his own realm.

The next day the crow god returned to the same spot and once again he wafted a great deal of wind to move some of the foul mist, this time on purpose. Once again he saw the same bat. This time the bat didn’t flee for cover, rather she flew further into her realm so that she could observe the strange corvid god from a safe distance. “Such a timid creature” Žponja thought. Once again the sun was setting and once again Žponja flew home for the night.

The next day the crow god returned to the same spot and once again he wafted a great deal of wind to move some of the foul mist. Once again he saw the same bat as she was exposed. This time she didn’t retreat, rather she hovered in the sky and looked curious at the crow. Žponja gave out a croak and a caw and he asked what her name was. “I am Kylpirhtik.” By this time once more the sun was setting and once again Žponja flew home for the night. The next day the crow god returned to the same spot. He had been thinking of Kylpirhtik, compared to what he had heard about bats, how they spread their filthy scent as they slithered through the air, and how they harassed any innocent being that dares to exist, that this one bat seemed quite meek in comparison. Rather it seemed she was a poor soul among bad company, such that Žponja pitied Kylpirhtik. This day he decided he wouldn’t leave her in that filthy land, that instead of using his deception and trickery for mischief (as he would usually do), he would use it to rescue Kylpirhtik. So Žponja flew North this time and he found the most bountiful forest that stood on the land, and he plucked a single berry from a bush, ripe and red. The crow squished the berry with his beak and he rubbed the juices over his feathers, giving him the appearance that he was bleeding. Next he flew south to that same spot and once again he wafted his wings. When he found Kylpirhtik exposed from the mist once again, he called out to her for help. “Kylpirhtik! Oh please help me, I was attacked by a horrific serpent and I am wounded! I would clean this blood myself but I can’t preen my feathers in this wounded state, could you come here and lick the blood for me?” The bat perked up this time, both excited at the prospect of blood and at the chance to help. She flew to the trickster god and she licked every feather clean, unknowingly swallowing berry juice instead of blood. She let out a single sentence before flying back to her usual spot, “Why, what sweet blood you have.”

But when she tried to enter her realm she was met with an invisible wall keeping her out, no matter how hard she flapped she couldn’t penetrate the mist. The crow’s trick had worked. For the berry wasn’t pluck at random, it was plucked from Erotru’s own bush. Any being to eat the fruit of that bush becomes a subject of Erotru, and in turn…banished from the land of the dead.

Leaving Kylpirhtik no choice to return to her putrid home, the two flew North where Žponja showed the bat what a wonderful and pure home she now had. The bat was amazed with the sight of green forests, blossoming flowers and juicy fruits. With the help of Žponja the bat had become a peaceful and pure spirit, and soon the two became enamoured by each other and Kylpirhtik fell pregnant. While they were together, each night Žponja had to return to his own realm in the sky, while Kylpirhtik was forced to remain in Maku as she was now a subject of Erotru. This was no issue for the pair however as they visited each other every day.

This was an issue for Emesdaat…Žponja’s wife. Emesdaat became deeply jealous and enraged when she discovered her husbands unfaithfulness. Such so that she sought to take her anger out on Kylpirhtik. As Emesdaat was a crow herself she looked very much like her husband, even Kylpirhtik thought that the angry wife in the sky was her own lover so didn’t dare to flee. Emesdaat took advantage of this, she flew right up to the bat and pinned her to the ground, using her sharp beak she tore Kylpirhtik’s wings off so that the bat would be grounded forever, so that she could never meet her husband in the sky. The angry wife then flew back home in a rage. Kylpirhtik, now wingless, scurried on the ground to seek cover. Now she was a small wingless furry being, she had become the first rat. Soon after she gave birth to four children, each of them rats like herself. They were Amegėl the goddess of persistence, Hadylain the goddess of invasion, Măldŕ the god of cunning, and Skyli the goddess of obstacles. And so rats had come into the world.

=Melodic Bulls=

This poem, written in | Süliktšik verse, describes how the language god Maawatarraa gave language to the melodic bulls, a species of bull native to the Svatol region which have the ability of language.

=Birth of Benskihtȯ=

On a day when the sea was brisk and the wind woke up dormant bones within sleepy fleshy bodies, Ėbmȯ god of memory pushed a sea boat into the water and he rowed against the grey waves. When he reached a suitable distance he stood up on his boat with a harpoon firm in his hand ready for a whale to pass by. Ėbmȯ didn't have to look for whales for he had memorised their migration paths without fault and just as he predicted the whales turned up unwary of their predator above the waves. Ėbmȯ thrust his harpoon into the water and into the flesh of whale. The great sea traveller sang a great song of agony, silenced only by its death. Ėbmȯ fastened the harpoon rope to his boat and went to row back to shore.

The waves however disagreed with his destination. The hunting of this whale deeply insulted Yrotli and so she turned the waves against Ėbmȯ and set his boat south where his boat met the sulky sands of Bėsowrimau. The thick and heavy fog invaded his lungs and his mind and turned him against his own way. No longer was he Ėbmȯ god of memory, he had become Ėbmȯ god of forgetfulnes and the wicked fog in his lungs was the dominion of Bidyro.

Bidyro noticed his new prize and quickly made plans of mischief to make use of Ėbmȯ god of forgetfulness. Bidyro told Ėbmȯ to confuse the names of the gods so that he could watch the chaos from afar. Ėbmȯ wasted no time with Bidyro’s command and at that moment everyone forgot everyone’s name, except those smothered by Bidyro’s fog.

This trick was a subtle one. There was no boom or clash or clang that gave it away. No one knew their memory of names had been wiped until they tried to recall them. When Mnoja went to call upon her herds of deer she could not find their names and they remained unheeded. When Kialge tried to throw a thundering insult to his brother he could not name his intended victim and his insult fell in the wrong ears of his father Bidăre, who in turn waged a great storm in the sky where clouds hid thunder and the patter of the rain masked its boom. Under the storm the various streams and rivers could not call out to each other as they burst their banks as they had no names and so many flooded and collided, forming the three seas; the Skevves Sea, the Ambeekȯ Sea and the Skeblah Sea.

This simple trick had a wide and deep ripple throughout the world yet none could figure out why these troubles were happening. Only Asilñe could see the issue clearly, being the goddess of consciousness. When her golden tent rose from the east she saw the disorder, clearly illuminated by her light. In answer to this she took her rays of sunlight and wove them into the shape of a new son. When the body was complete she shone life into him and so he awoke, Benskihtȯ god of names son of Asilñe. Right away she set her son to work restoring everyone’s names and bringing balance back to the world. When Benskihtȯ had restored everyone’s name he collected every name into a book and since then he has been recording every name of everything that has ever been named. It is for this that no name must be given lightly for it will remain forever in Benskihtȯ’s book. It is also for this that when we give a new name we declare “Benskihtȯ write down this name, _, therefore it is written”.

It is for this that one must never go whaling on an anniversary of having been given a name. Anyone who dares this will be plagued by forgetfullness.

=Jampür and Tampür= This poem describes how

=God list= The God List, or Sėanaga, is a poem put together in 2686AN which lists 150 gods from the mythology. Composed of 50 lines, each lines lists three names which alliterate with each other. The poem was composed to be used as a mnemonic device to help shamans remember all of the names. After it was written it became common for all shamans to be able to recite the entire poem from memory, passing it down to younger shamans unchanged. The result is that even after the Sumric Golden Age shamans continued to recite the poem albeit affected by sound changes in their respective languages. Sound changes did cause the alliteration and mnemonic use of the poem to be lost but it was kept around out of tradition. The many modern day variants of this poem are semi-gibberish chants as some gods listed fell out of local legends, or as new gods become prominent but were not included in the poem. This isn't helped by the fact that each line became treated as a single phonetic unit causing sound changes to affect the names in the poem differently than how they did in everyday speech. Here is a list of the present day versions of the poem in the respective daughter languages.