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Posted Throughout Ferein
Posted: 15 Aug 2006 04:57 PM |
After careful consideration by the Council of Ferein as to its authenticity, the following is to be made known to all inhabitants of the Realm of Ferein, being the words of Itarillë Telemnar and Silmarwen Táralóm, Firstcomers.
Before All…
There was Vives, and there was the Lady Elbereth, the Mother of All.
Yet this was not the Vives such as is now known, but a world devoid of life, barren, existing beneath a firmament unlit and empty.
Through the Darkness wandered the Lady Elbereth, Her path lit only by the power of Her own being. As She walked She wept in despair at the Emptiness and gave thought to what otherwise might be. Despite Her efforts through the long years of Her wandering, no solution could She divine or devise, and Her Tears fell unending.
Tiring at last, She laid herself upon the barren ground and there, in a pool formed of Her own grief, entered a reverie.
And dreamt.
Such a Dream has none known since, for it was a Dream of Power.
As She lay thus, it is said, Elbereth became aware of the Nature of all things, from the smallest to the largest; of all manners of plant and flora; of beasts of the ground, water and air; of minerals, metals and gases. She saw not only the nature of such things, but the nature also of a world in which they might exist together, and how through their existence and interaction, their lives, deaths and decay, they might work in harmony to create a balanced whole.
She saw a world that lay beneath a clear sky of blue; of forests green, dark and primal, of pastures lush and fertile; of soaring, snow capped mountains and wide, arid deserts. She saw wide, raging oceans; crystal lakes, meandering rivers and rushing streams. A world where the life which existed upon it experienced birth, existence and death, gaining sustenance from itself and on reaching its end, served to begin anew the Cycle. A world lit and sustained by a bright sun which itself was born, existed and died each day in imitation of the Cycle its period of renewal marked by the dim light in the firmament of a myriad stars.
Long the Dream lasted, how long the Lady Elbereth lay in reverie none have said. Yet from it She learned many things, not the least of which was the Secret of Making.
At last She awakened and wept no longer, but looked around instead in wonder. For the world of the Dream was now a reality and given substance. The lands, waters, flora and fauna which She had seen now had physical existence and the world of Vives born anew.
For years unnumbered Elbereth wandered this world alone, taking joy and delight anew in all that she saw even though, it is said, nothing existed other than had appeared within the Dream. She watched all, observing the Cycle in reality, and was content.
Yet still, amid her happiness, She knew disquiet. Content though She was in all She saw and all that had come about, her loneliness assailed Her; there being no one with whom the beauty and grandeur of the world might be shared.
So it was that She bent her thought upon a solution. It is thought that at first, though She knew means by which Her wishes might be achieved, She hesitated; being aware that with the mightiest of powers comes not solely responsibility but in addition temptation; that there is a fine line of distinction between the powers of creation and destruction.
Yet at the last She resolved upon the use of the Secret of Making.
Seven beings She would make, calling them Elves, the Firstcomers. These it was who would walk with Her in the Dream and nurture it, protecting the Cycle and preserving the balance of all things.
Like unto Her they would be in appearance and form, and both female and male would there be, that they might of their own will increase their kind and further populate the world. Even so, like all that had come before and despite the length of time She allotted them, they would have an End since they also would be subject to the Cycle they served.
Seven there would be yet at first She resolved upon the creation of but one. Why this was so is unknown, yet it is thought that even as She embarked upon the Making there were still doubts within her mind. That should the Making go awry, it would be easier to make amends with the destruction of only one.
Thus came about the creation of the first Elf, first and mightiest of the Firstcomers.
Aros She named him, and to him gave might and ability no less than Her own save in one thing. From him She withheld alone the Secret of Making, feeling it better that temptation would not exist rather than have to be resisted.
Upon his form She bestowed the Kiss of Life and he awoke and Elbereth was happy. For many years they wandered jointly as She had once done alone, experiencing joy and delight as much from each other’s company as from the world around them. As an equal She treated him, and from Her he learned much though not all by any means, being kept in ignorance of the world’s birth and his own creation as well as the Secret.
At last Elbereth knew the power of companionship, and was pleased at first with Her creation. Yet as time passed more and more would Aros seek to explore the world alone, and furthermore shielding from Elbereth his deeds and whereabouts, so that the love which at first She felt for him was extinguished before its full growth and replaced instead by wariness and distrust.
Disappointed though She was, her resolve to continue the Making remained as strong as ever, though tempered by her experience with Aros. Embarking upon the second Making, therefore, She created the remaining six Elves; three male and three female. The males She named Neek, Daeron and Zardoz, the females She named Nim, Silmarwen and Itarillë. As was Aros, so were they like unto Her in form and appearance and, though mighty in power and ability in comparison to later days, yet were they less mighty than he, Elbereth seeing the need to withhold from them the powers She had earlier granted freely and in full.
As She neared the end of her labours She became aware of the approach of Aros and, not wishing at that time to tell him of them, forbore to awaken them but lay them instead in the fairest of all lands of the Dream, which were in after days called Fangduin.
Yet again he returned giving no clue as to his wanderings, nor his deeds while absent, so Elbereth, Her concern lessened not in the slightest, kept silent regarding his siblings and made no mention of them.
At length he departed once more, concealing himself as before from her sight, and Elbereth returned to Fangduin and there bestowed the Kiss of Life upon the Elves. There they awakened and beheld for the first time the rising of the sun above the land. Great was their joy in all they saw and Elbereth was at last content. As She watched and listened it became clear to her that her second Making, the last save one, had not been in vain. That the Elves before her would be content to exist in service and as part of the balance and Cycle as shown in the Dream.
As the first day came to an end and night fell the Elves were at first dismayed, not understanding its import and believing the world they but recently seen would be lost to them forever. Seeing this, Elbereth took pity and embarked upon a final Making. Putting forth her might into the firmament She gathered together such debris as could be found and from it created a body which, by means of the power She endowed it with, outshone the stars beyond.
As the moon rose for the first time above the trees the forest of Fangduin and the world of Vives heard for the first time the sound of Elven voices joined in song, as the Firstcomers gave thanks for what they saw as their deliverance from the Darkness and so have the fair folk ever since looked upon the moon as their friend in no less measure than the sun which lights the day.
*bearing the seals and signatures of the Council of Ferein, save that of Camthalion* |
ELVES! |
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Re: Posted Throughout Ferein
Posted: 15 Aug 2006 04:58 PM |
| ((bumped to main forums)) |
ELVES! |
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Re: Posted Throughout Ferein
Posted: 16 Aug 2006 04:55 AM |
| ((Is it posted only in elven?)) |
IG character: Alis Rapidshill |
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Re: Posted Throughout Ferein
Posted: 16 Aug 2006 05:05 AM |
| ((As per Salt's post and Elvalia's, copies were produced both in Elven and the Common Tongue. It is assumed to be common knowledge since anyone passing through Ferein, or who indeed has spoken to Salt, has the opportunity to learn of it.)) |
ELVES! |
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Re: Posted Throughout Ferein
Posted: 16 Aug 2006 12:27 PM |
| Helena endeavors to have a copy made for herself for meditations. |
"I've got a sword and it's a good one, but all the bleedin' thing can do is keep someone alive, listen. A song can keep someone immortal!" - Cohen the Barbarian |
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