Tome of the Kingdom V1

-- Volume 1 --

Transcript from an early teaching of the Lord Taleteller, Balrose Demisaga

Prium, 7th of the Vigilant Week

The Month of the Nourished Spark

511 of the First Age A.A.

The Idolons of the Myst

 ___________________________________

“Oh, if only to have an Eternity,” lament some among ye! To be forever free from the grasp of time, chained no longer by the weakness of mortal flesh. Yet ponder, what is eternity without the gift of Aesor, without the abundance and blessings of the Óhin? Naught but suggestion, essence echoing about a vast emptiness, a recurring nothing in hollow space. Such was the existence of the earliest immortals, reigning eternally in the empty Myst.

These immortals were known as the Idolons. The fog that clouds our knowledge of history before the creation of Aesor remains ever thick, so very little has been written of their true nature. However, I have studied long and given their story great thought. Listen, and I will tell of what I can.

                It may never be known what force gave rise to these boundless beings, nor whether they or the Myst, preceded the other. Perhaps, born by the twin-necessity of the other’s existence, both appeared simultaneously; the Idolons needing a place to exist, and the Myst unable to provide the catalyst of creation itself. Even from their mysterious origins, the fates of the Idolons and the Myst seemed to be symbiotically and inescapably intertwined.

                Of the Idolons, there were three. Godly entities of enormous power, they carried the noble mantle of all possibility and purpose. If the Myst was the promise of creation, then the Idolons were to be the executors of that promise. Two of the three Idolons were diametrically opposed: Vals of Darkness, and Haeis of Light.

                Vals, the Idolon of Shadow, was the incarnation of entropy and decay, indiscriminate destruction, and the shadows that envelope it all. As long as Vals was in the Myst, chaos would resist order, and no law could permanently bind reality into form.

Haeis, the Idolon of Radiance, was the embodiment of hope, will for life, and the belief that only law and order can provide for posterity. Haeis was the light at the end of the tunnel, the candle inextinguishable against the evils of the Shattered Night.

In accordance with their nature, these two Idolons waged a timeless war across the Myst. Vals would nearly engulf Radiance, threatening to forever plunge the Myst into total darkness, but for Haeis to shine even brighter, leaving only the deepest reaches in shadow. These cosmic clashes often shook the Myst to the core, causing it to crumble and break, to be reshaped and again destroyed, for uncountable eons.

                Ensnared by their very immortality, Vals and Haeis were forced to repeat their conflict, neither able to achieve their base purpose, neither able to claim their place at the foundation of creation. For an eternity this feud continued, cyclical and unyielding. So, for an eternity, it seemed that forever would be the downfall of the Myst.

However, remember that in the Myst there existed a third Idolon, one of considerably more mystery than Vals or Haeis. We do not yet know by what name it was called, and for the purpose of this history's clarity, the bright minds of Aesor simply call it; The Third, Idolon of Judgement.

                Third knew that the purpose of the Myst was to cultivate reality and that this purpose could only be fulfilled by establishing a balance between chaos and order. Third had watched and waited as an eternity passed, as the Myst waxed and waned, before eventually deciding that no balance could be achieved without an intervention of some kind. It was at this point of decision that time as we know it began, and a wonderful power of the Heart of the Myst was revealed to Third, who recognized this power as the key to all of creation.

                Third showed the power of the Heart of the Myst to the other Idolons, hopeful that they too would see the truth that it represented: that they must either use this power to finally achieve balance or otherwise doom the Myst to the finality of nonexistence. However, when the Heart of the Myst was revealed to Vals and Haeis, they were unable to see a cause beyond their own desired ends. Each redoubled their efforts to entirely overwhelm the other. They were confident that, with the help of this new power, they could finally emerge singular and victorious, and were grimly determined that it not fall into the hands of their adversary.

                The Myst trembled and flashed, flickering blindingly between nearly total light and dark. Never had the fighting been so zealous, never had it seemed so certain that this clash of contrasting ideals would lead to certain ruin. Third watched the spectacle in horror, watched as the Myst faded, watched the whole of the cosmos die before life had been given a chance to prosper. Had there ever been any reason to believe that this could end any differently? Was harmony just false hope, worthless and wasteful? The Myst began to dissipate, dwindling, shaky wisps…

                No! In the final moment, Third knew what to do. There was still a way to fulfill the purpose of the Myst, to deliver the promise of life unto our cosmic cradle.

Third took the power of the Heart of the Myst for itself, discovering and unleashing the Five Elements hidden within. With all of its might, and bolstered by the keys of creation, Third struck out at Vals and Haeis alike. In predictable acts of defiance and defense, Shadow lashed out at Radiance, and the light withdrew as a dense gleam. However, the combined power of the Five Elements was all-mighty, and neither of the warring Idolons could withstand its pressure long.

  In a phenomenon of unimaginable scale, energy burst from the Heart and tore into the incorporeal cores of Vals and Haeis power. Color and matter erupted out and created direction, the power of the Idolons scattered far across the new ocean of space. Nebulae bloomed, brilliant rainbows of order and hope, as waves of inky black filled the expanse between. The Myst bled in Radiance, and shed its skin of Shadow.

No longer did Vals and Haeis exist as they once had, their power splintered by Third, scattered wide to create our stars, and the cruel void of space that separates them. In completing this process, Third was exhausted of nearly all power, vanishing from the cosmos, leaving behind only the seeds of a new conflict, the Heart of the Myst, and the hope that it had done enough to prepare creation for what was to come.

                Of course, this new peace was not to last, for the Judgement of Third had not achieved balance at all. However, that is to be a story for another day. For now, you have heard all I shall tell of the Idolons, the Myst, and the time before time. Take this knowledge and reflect on it, share it with your kin, and rejoice in the grace of the Shattered Light that the Óhin provides.

As is the loftiest of my duties, our story, from me to you. Let the words of truth flow through you, and their wisdom illuminate your path.