Mythology of the Elves take 2
I am trying to emulate the Bible here. That is, more or less my inspiration. Names have been changed, and the whole story is in place, at least as it would be related in a holy text... or maybe history book.
Before time there was the Void. And into the Void stepped the Creator.
The Creator spoke the First Word of Power. And the Void condensed and there was the One Light.
The Creator spoke the Second Word of Power. And the One Light shattered into the stars, the sun and the moon.
The Creator spoke the Third Word of Power. And the Fire spun in place.
The Creator spoke the Fourth Word of Power. And the Earth covered the Fire.
The Creator spoke the Fifth Word of Power. And the Air wrapped itself around the Earth.
The Creator spoke the Sixth Word of Power. And the Water poured forth from the Air onto the Earth
The Creator spoke the Seventh Word of Power. And Life came to the World.
And into the void the Creator called forth its three daughters.
The Eldest was called Lahnah, the Maiden of Light.
The Youngest was called Dhemek, the Mistress of Night
And the middle daughter was called Jaysa the Grey Lady.
The Creator taught the First Word of Life to its Daughters. And the trees grew, and plants spread across the earth even unto the bottom of the seas.
The Creator taught the Second Word of Life to its Daughters. And the seas and the rivers and the lakes filled with fish with their bones within, and fish with their bones without, and fish without bone.
The Creator taught the Third Word of Life to its Daughters. And lizards and snakes came forth in the Rivers and Deserts and Forests, and Birds filled the air.
The Creator taught the Fourth Word of Life to its Daughters. And the animals of fur and fang flourished in the World.
And Lahnah went to the Palace of Light, and returned with her servitors, the Sina.
And Dhemek went into the Darkness, and returned with her servitors, the Khadha.
And Jaysa Went neither to the Light nor the Darkness, but rather into the Shadow, and returned with her servitors, the Khanel.
And Lahnah spoke the Fifth Word of Life, and from the hills and Mountains came the Detet
And Dhemek spoke the Fifth Word of Life, and from the swamps and deserts came the Ketash
And Jaysa spoke the Fifth Word of Life, and from the earth and the water and the fire and the air came the Anahs.
And the World was formed, and the Creator was pleased.
*****************************************************************
Now these were the first days, as Anahs and Detet and Ketash learned to live in their world and with each other. All wrestled with their surroundings, and learned the secrets of blood and bone, of plant and animal. All learned the secrets of the hunt.
And the Detet wrestled with the stone of their mountains, and learned the ways to live there, and learned also the secrets of the earth and fire, of metal and gem. And the kingdoms of the Detet grew rich.
And the Anahs wrestled with the lands and learned the ways to live there, and learned also the secrets of earth and water, of plough and ox. And the kingdoms of the Anahs grew rich.
And the Ketash wrestled with the swamps and the deserts and learned the ways to live there. But their leaders sought not the secrets of earth and air, of the earth's blood and breath and bones. And the kingdoms of the Ketash did not grow rich.
They turned an envious eye to the wealth of the Anahs and the wealth of the Detet. And they called out to their Mistress. The priests of the Ketash called it justice, but it was not justice but greed that drove them. And Dhemek looked at the wealth of her sisters' people, and at the poverty of her own people, and she too began to covet for her own children what was held by the children of her sisters. And she sent her servitors the Khadha, to help her children the Ketash. And the Khadha scorched the fields of the Anahs, and the Khadha smashed down the mines of the Detet. And the Ketash took what was left by force of arms.
And the Anahs and the Detet called out to the Maiden of Light and the Gray Lady, and they sought justice and their claim was true. And Lahnah sent her Sina down to the Detet and the Anahs alike, and they sought out those who could lead the Anahs and the Detet against the Khadha and the Ketash. And where such a person could not be found, the Sina mated with a mortal woman, and a Champion was born. And Jaysa sent her Khanel down to the Anahs and the Detet alike, and they became teachers and trainers to those that the Sina chose to stand against the Khadha and the Ketash. And the Champions of the Anahs and the Champions of the Detet led their peoples against the Khadha and against the Ketash. And the Ketash were driven back to the swamps and back to the deserts, and the Khadha were slain even by mortals.
Now when her servitors were slain, the Mistress of Night appealed to the Creator, claiming that it was the malice of the Grey lady and the Maiden of Light that led them to teach the mortals how to destroy the immortal Khadha. But the Creator saw through the deceptions of Dhemek, and it denied her request. Dhemek withdrew then to the darkness, and her Khadha withdrew with her. And the Ketash remained within their deserts and their swamps.
Now the Mistress of Night grew bitter that it seemed that the Maiden of Light and the Gray Lady were favored over her. And she grew blind to the knowledge that the hand that brought such things upon her Khadha was her own. Instead she turned her anger on the Creator and on her sisters.
And she returned to the court of her parent, and she was welcomed back by Lahnah and by Jaysa. And there she walked among their servants, and she found those that were not happy with the ways of their mistresses. And she told them of her hidden place in the darkness and there they went with her. And when her forces were enough, she unleashed them on the palace of the creator, and on the world below.
The Mistress of Night brought two thirds of her army to lay siege to the palace of the Creator. And the other third she appointed to wreak havoc on the world to draw away the forces of Jaysa and Lahnah. But Lahnah brought two thirds of her Sina to help the Creator, leaving one third of her Sina in the world to help the Detet and the Anahs. And Jaysa brought two thirds of her Khanel to help the Creator, leaving one third of her Khanel to go to the world and help the Anahs and the Detet. And in the heavens, a mighty battle raged around the palace of the Creator.
For though the forces of Dhemek were not so many as together the forces of the Maiden of Light and the Gray Lady, they were fierce and fought cruelly, with cruel weapons brought forth from the Darkness. And many were the Khanel and Sina and Khadha who's existence ended in that battle. And the celestial blood that rained down upon the World became as a mist throughout the World. And where it pooled, strange creatures were born of it. And among the Anahs, and among the Detet and among the Ketash were born those who were touched by it, and who likewise could touch the mist, and use the mist for their own ends and the ends of those around them.
The Daughters of the Creator did not remain separate from the battle, but instead joined their enemy on the field. And Lahnah did battle against Dhemek directly, but both were evenly matched, and Jaysa would not unbalance the fight against her sister. She turned instead to directing the Sina and the Khanel who were still loyal to the Creator against the Sina and the Khanel who had turned against the Creator and the Khadha that served Dhemek. And the Forces of Night were not able to withstand the Forces of Light and the Forces of Gray. And those that were not destroyed were captured and brought before the creator.
As she saw her forces defeated, Dhemek reached out and touched the mists, and in so doing caused Lahnah to stumble. Yet before Dhemek could take advantage of the weakness, Jaysa saw and also reached out to touch the mists, and in so doing came between Lahnah and Dhemek. And when Lahnah returned to the battle, Jaysa did not withdraw, but remained by Lahnah's side. And the Mistress of Darkness was defeated. And of the Khadha who had once served her, only thirteen remained free in her service. All the others were either slain, or else held by the forces of Jaysa and Lahnah.
And the Creator was filled with sorrow that the servitors had turned against their mistresses, and that they had all turned against it.
And it spoke the first word of Sorrow, and formed a prison of Fire, and within it sealed the Khanel who had turned against the Gray Lady.
And it spoke the second word of Sorrow, and formed a prison of Water, and within it sealed the Sina who had turned against the Maiden of Light.
And it spoke the third word of sorrow, and formed a prison of Earth, and within it sealed the Khadha who had fought in the siege against the palace of the Creator.
And it was with a heavy heart that it spoke the fourth word of sorrow and formed a prison of Air. But before Dhemek could be sealed within, she fled the palace of the creator and vanished into the Darkness.
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Dhemek lived in her palace in the darkness. And she heard the cries of her Khadha sealed within the prison of Earth. And she heard the cries of the Khanel who had left Jaysa to serve her that were sealed within the prison of Fire. And she heard the cries of the Sina who had left Lahnah to serve her that were sealed within the prison of water. And she resolved to free them from their prisons, that they might return to her service and she might plan a new rebellion against the Creator and her Sisters.
Dhemek selected from her servants three champions, one of each of her kinds of servants. The champion chosen from among the Sina was Lamera The champion chosen from among the Khanel was Falkan. The champion chosen from among the thirteen Khadha that remained was Dhakim.
And to them she said "Go, free your brothers and sisters from their prisons. Go and steal for me the Prison of Air. Go you with stealth. Go you with cunning. Go you with bravery. Go you and bring back those who were captured by the Light and by the Shadow."
And the three departed the Darkness.
And the three came to the place of the creator.
And to enter, each made to touch the mists to form a passage into the palace, and it was Dhakim who's spell proved strongest, and always thereafter the Khadha proved best at manipulating the mists. With the passage made by Dhakim, the three entered the palace. Lamera knew the ways of the residents of the palace, and it was her ways that kept the three from being discovered in the palace, her words that distracted those who thought they saw the champions. Falkan remembered best the ways that were the palace, and as his brethren led the champions of Anahs, so he led the champions of darkness to their destination. And the three found the chamber where the four prisons were held.
Dhakim said "I breached the palace wall. First we will free the Khadha."
Lamera Said "I deceived the servitors that walked the halls. First we will free the Sina."
Falkan said "I led us here to the place where the prisons were held. First we will free the Khanel."
And the three fell to fighting. And the force of that fighting was so great that the walls of the room holding the prisons shattered, and the four prisons and the three champions fell from heaven to the world. The Prison of water fell deep into the Western Ocean. The Prison of Fire fell into a great volcano The Prison of Earth fell and became the Great Mountain. The Prison of Air was lost, and none knew where it went.
*****************************************************
Now there was, at that time, no mortal kingdom was where the Prison of Earth landed, where Dhakim landed when he came to the world. And he knew that he alone was not enough to free his brethren. And first he turned to the Detet, for the Prison of Earth had become a mountain among mountains. He reached out and touched the mists, and took on the form of a Detet.
Going into the Deteten kingdoms, he went as a troubadour singing tales of a great wealth within a newly risen mountain. And those that heard his words were bewitched by his command of the mists, and lured by the promise of wealth in his words. Those that fell under the spell of Dhakim went then with him to the great mountain. They set to work, carving deep into the mountains. They built the great hall of the rainbow crystals, where the light of the sun came through hidden channels to reflect a thousand times through the great hall of the Detet. After three Generations of the Detet, at the bottom of the deepest mine, the Detet came upon the heart of the Prison of Earth.
And Dhakim was with them when the chamber was opened. And he wept, for of the thousands of his brethren that were missing, only two hundred remained.
The Detet who were with him saw the contents of the chamber, and turned then on Dhakim, knowing now the truth of his intent. And Dhakim claimed his true form, and the Detet were slaughtered. The blood touched one of the sleeping Khadha, and the dragon stirred but did not wake. And Dhakim understood that the Prison of Earth was more than the chamber that had been opened.
Dhakim's mind wandered the mists, and he learned much of what there was to know of it, though not everything, for the mist is always changing. And he devised a way to open the last door of the Prison of Earth.
He knew that he could not turn again to the Detet, for they would not again be fooled by his words. He knew that he could not turn to the Ketash, for they were too fractious to do what needed to be done. He turned to the Anahs.
Again he touched the mists, and again he changed his form to that of a wanderer. And his form in this day was that of a Anahs. And he again wooed the Anahs with words and with the powers of the mists. And he led them to the halls that had been carved out by the Detet. And the Anahs claimed the wealth left behind by the Detet. And they were not afraid of the Khadha that slept beneath their great city. And slowly, the words of Dhakim turned the hearts of the Anahs that ruled the city away from the Creator, and away from Jaysa and instead towards the Mistress of Darkness.
It was with the rise of Gilnetek that the plans of Dhakim came to bear fruit. It was Gilnetek who was finally led to believe that his kingdom could rule all the world of men and Detet and Ketash if he could harness the Khadha beneath his city. And he turned to his nobles, as corrupt and as decadent and as greedy for power as he was. And they turned over two hundred of their sons and daughters to Gilnetek and to Dhakim. And Dhakim taught Gilnetek how to touch the mists, and taught Gilnetek the way that he had learned to awaken the Khadha. And two hundred Anahs souls were freed to awaken the spirits of the Khadha.
But then something went wrong in the plans of Dhakim.
For the Khadha did awaken, as he desired. But no longer were these the servants of the Mistress of Darkness. Their time in the Prison of Earth showed them that it was their mistress and the Ketash who were wrong. The Mistress of Darkness was the one who was petty and jealous. The Ketash were vain and lazy, and wanted what they had not worked for. The Khadha who had been held in the Prison of Earth knew this now. Had not Dhakim caused the Prison of Earth to fall into the world, then the Creator would now have freed them. But they were no longer in heaven.
And they wept over the way they had been freed.
Gilnetek and those who had turned over their children to be slaughtered were not pleased by this change from the mighty Khadha that they had sought to rule. But these Khadha were not to be ruled, neither as servants of the Mistress of Darkness nor as followers of the Creator. And they turned on those who had awakened them. And the nobles of that kingdom were destroyed.
Dhakim too would have been destroyed, had he remained. Instead he saw that his plans had come to nothing, and he fled the world and returned to the Darkness to tell his mistress what had happened. When she was told of the two hundred that had been lost to her not because they were imprisoned, but because they had chosen the side of the Creator, the wrath of the Mistress of Darkness knew no bounds. She reached deep into the mists, and called forth a curse upon those who had once served her
She took from them their strength. She took from them their scales. She took from them their power. She took from them their wings. But she could not take from them the touch of the Mist. She left to them their long life, that they might always remember what they were, that they might suffer lifetimes watching the Anahs around them die ten times before death claimed them. She marked their forms, so that they were like and unlike the Anahs that were the favored of Jaysa. For it was Jaysa that held the special hatred of the Mistress of Darkness. And the thirteen Khadha that were in the Darkness with their mistress were cast out. And the two hundred Khadha that had turned from her fell in pain. And the Khadha were no more.
When we stood. We were Dhakhal
Before time there was the Void. And into the Void stepped the Creator.
The Creator spoke the First Word of Power. And the Void condensed and there was the One Light.
The Creator spoke the Second Word of Power. And the One Light shattered into the stars, the sun and the moon.
The Creator spoke the Third Word of Power. And the Fire spun in place.
The Creator spoke the Fourth Word of Power. And the Earth covered the Fire.
The Creator spoke the Fifth Word of Power. And the Air wrapped itself around the Earth.
The Creator spoke the Sixth Word of Power. And the Water poured forth from the Air onto the Earth
The Creator spoke the Seventh Word of Power. And Life came to the World.
And into the void the Creator called forth its three daughters.
The Eldest was called Lahnah, the Maiden of Light.
The Youngest was called Dhemek, the Mistress of Night
And the middle daughter was called Jaysa the Grey Lady.
The Creator taught the First Word of Life to its Daughters. And the trees grew, and plants spread across the earth even unto the bottom of the seas.
The Creator taught the Second Word of Life to its Daughters. And the seas and the rivers and the lakes filled with fish with their bones within, and fish with their bones without, and fish without bone.
The Creator taught the Third Word of Life to its Daughters. And lizards and snakes came forth in the Rivers and Deserts and Forests, and Birds filled the air.
The Creator taught the Fourth Word of Life to its Daughters. And the animals of fur and fang flourished in the World.
And Lahnah went to the Palace of Light, and returned with her servitors, the Sina.
And Dhemek went into the Darkness, and returned with her servitors, the Khadha.
And Jaysa Went neither to the Light nor the Darkness, but rather into the Shadow, and returned with her servitors, the Khanel.
And Lahnah spoke the Fifth Word of Life, and from the hills and Mountains came the Detet
And Dhemek spoke the Fifth Word of Life, and from the swamps and deserts came the Ketash
And Jaysa spoke the Fifth Word of Life, and from the earth and the water and the fire and the air came the Anahs.
And the World was formed, and the Creator was pleased.
*****************************************************************
Now these were the first days, as Anahs and Detet and Ketash learned to live in their world and with each other. All wrestled with their surroundings, and learned the secrets of blood and bone, of plant and animal. All learned the secrets of the hunt.
And the Detet wrestled with the stone of their mountains, and learned the ways to live there, and learned also the secrets of the earth and fire, of metal and gem. And the kingdoms of the Detet grew rich.
And the Anahs wrestled with the lands and learned the ways to live there, and learned also the secrets of earth and water, of plough and ox. And the kingdoms of the Anahs grew rich.
And the Ketash wrestled with the swamps and the deserts and learned the ways to live there. But their leaders sought not the secrets of earth and air, of the earth's blood and breath and bones. And the kingdoms of the Ketash did not grow rich.
They turned an envious eye to the wealth of the Anahs and the wealth of the Detet. And they called out to their Mistress. The priests of the Ketash called it justice, but it was not justice but greed that drove them. And Dhemek looked at the wealth of her sisters' people, and at the poverty of her own people, and she too began to covet for her own children what was held by the children of her sisters. And she sent her servitors the Khadha, to help her children the Ketash. And the Khadha scorched the fields of the Anahs, and the Khadha smashed down the mines of the Detet. And the Ketash took what was left by force of arms.
And the Anahs and the Detet called out to the Maiden of Light and the Gray Lady, and they sought justice and their claim was true. And Lahnah sent her Sina down to the Detet and the Anahs alike, and they sought out those who could lead the Anahs and the Detet against the Khadha and the Ketash. And where such a person could not be found, the Sina mated with a mortal woman, and a Champion was born. And Jaysa sent her Khanel down to the Anahs and the Detet alike, and they became teachers and trainers to those that the Sina chose to stand against the Khadha and the Ketash. And the Champions of the Anahs and the Champions of the Detet led their peoples against the Khadha and against the Ketash. And the Ketash were driven back to the swamps and back to the deserts, and the Khadha were slain even by mortals.
Now when her servitors were slain, the Mistress of Night appealed to the Creator, claiming that it was the malice of the Grey lady and the Maiden of Light that led them to teach the mortals how to destroy the immortal Khadha. But the Creator saw through the deceptions of Dhemek, and it denied her request. Dhemek withdrew then to the darkness, and her Khadha withdrew with her. And the Ketash remained within their deserts and their swamps.
Now the Mistress of Night grew bitter that it seemed that the Maiden of Light and the Gray Lady were favored over her. And she grew blind to the knowledge that the hand that brought such things upon her Khadha was her own. Instead she turned her anger on the Creator and on her sisters.
And she returned to the court of her parent, and she was welcomed back by Lahnah and by Jaysa. And there she walked among their servants, and she found those that were not happy with the ways of their mistresses. And she told them of her hidden place in the darkness and there they went with her. And when her forces were enough, she unleashed them on the palace of the creator, and on the world below.
The Mistress of Night brought two thirds of her army to lay siege to the palace of the Creator. And the other third she appointed to wreak havoc on the world to draw away the forces of Jaysa and Lahnah. But Lahnah brought two thirds of her Sina to help the Creator, leaving one third of her Sina in the world to help the Detet and the Anahs. And Jaysa brought two thirds of her Khanel to help the Creator, leaving one third of her Khanel to go to the world and help the Anahs and the Detet. And in the heavens, a mighty battle raged around the palace of the Creator.
For though the forces of Dhemek were not so many as together the forces of the Maiden of Light and the Gray Lady, they were fierce and fought cruelly, with cruel weapons brought forth from the Darkness. And many were the Khanel and Sina and Khadha who's existence ended in that battle. And the celestial blood that rained down upon the World became as a mist throughout the World. And where it pooled, strange creatures were born of it. And among the Anahs, and among the Detet and among the Ketash were born those who were touched by it, and who likewise could touch the mist, and use the mist for their own ends and the ends of those around them.
The Daughters of the Creator did not remain separate from the battle, but instead joined their enemy on the field. And Lahnah did battle against Dhemek directly, but both were evenly matched, and Jaysa would not unbalance the fight against her sister. She turned instead to directing the Sina and the Khanel who were still loyal to the Creator against the Sina and the Khanel who had turned against the Creator and the Khadha that served Dhemek. And the Forces of Night were not able to withstand the Forces of Light and the Forces of Gray. And those that were not destroyed were captured and brought before the creator.
As she saw her forces defeated, Dhemek reached out and touched the mists, and in so doing caused Lahnah to stumble. Yet before Dhemek could take advantage of the weakness, Jaysa saw and also reached out to touch the mists, and in so doing came between Lahnah and Dhemek. And when Lahnah returned to the battle, Jaysa did not withdraw, but remained by Lahnah's side. And the Mistress of Darkness was defeated. And of the Khadha who had once served her, only thirteen remained free in her service. All the others were either slain, or else held by the forces of Jaysa and Lahnah.
And the Creator was filled with sorrow that the servitors had turned against their mistresses, and that they had all turned against it.
And it spoke the first word of Sorrow, and formed a prison of Fire, and within it sealed the Khanel who had turned against the Gray Lady.
And it spoke the second word of Sorrow, and formed a prison of Water, and within it sealed the Sina who had turned against the Maiden of Light.
And it spoke the third word of sorrow, and formed a prison of Earth, and within it sealed the Khadha who had fought in the siege against the palace of the Creator.
And it was with a heavy heart that it spoke the fourth word of sorrow and formed a prison of Air. But before Dhemek could be sealed within, she fled the palace of the creator and vanished into the Darkness.
***********************************************************
Dhemek lived in her palace in the darkness. And she heard the cries of her Khadha sealed within the prison of Earth. And she heard the cries of the Khanel who had left Jaysa to serve her that were sealed within the prison of Fire. And she heard the cries of the Sina who had left Lahnah to serve her that were sealed within the prison of water. And she resolved to free them from their prisons, that they might return to her service and she might plan a new rebellion against the Creator and her Sisters.
Dhemek selected from her servants three champions, one of each of her kinds of servants. The champion chosen from among the Sina was Lamera The champion chosen from among the Khanel was Falkan. The champion chosen from among the thirteen Khadha that remained was Dhakim.
And to them she said "Go, free your brothers and sisters from their prisons. Go and steal for me the Prison of Air. Go you with stealth. Go you with cunning. Go you with bravery. Go you and bring back those who were captured by the Light and by the Shadow."
And the three departed the Darkness.
And the three came to the place of the creator.
And to enter, each made to touch the mists to form a passage into the palace, and it was Dhakim who's spell proved strongest, and always thereafter the Khadha proved best at manipulating the mists. With the passage made by Dhakim, the three entered the palace. Lamera knew the ways of the residents of the palace, and it was her ways that kept the three from being discovered in the palace, her words that distracted those who thought they saw the champions. Falkan remembered best the ways that were the palace, and as his brethren led the champions of Anahs, so he led the champions of darkness to their destination. And the three found the chamber where the four prisons were held.
Dhakim said "I breached the palace wall. First we will free the Khadha."
Lamera Said "I deceived the servitors that walked the halls. First we will free the Sina."
Falkan said "I led us here to the place where the prisons were held. First we will free the Khanel."
And the three fell to fighting. And the force of that fighting was so great that the walls of the room holding the prisons shattered, and the four prisons and the three champions fell from heaven to the world. The Prison of water fell deep into the Western Ocean. The Prison of Fire fell into a great volcano The Prison of Earth fell and became the Great Mountain. The Prison of Air was lost, and none knew where it went.
*****************************************************
Now there was, at that time, no mortal kingdom was where the Prison of Earth landed, where Dhakim landed when he came to the world. And he knew that he alone was not enough to free his brethren. And first he turned to the Detet, for the Prison of Earth had become a mountain among mountains. He reached out and touched the mists, and took on the form of a Detet.
Going into the Deteten kingdoms, he went as a troubadour singing tales of a great wealth within a newly risen mountain. And those that heard his words were bewitched by his command of the mists, and lured by the promise of wealth in his words. Those that fell under the spell of Dhakim went then with him to the great mountain. They set to work, carving deep into the mountains. They built the great hall of the rainbow crystals, where the light of the sun came through hidden channels to reflect a thousand times through the great hall of the Detet. After three Generations of the Detet, at the bottom of the deepest mine, the Detet came upon the heart of the Prison of Earth.
And Dhakim was with them when the chamber was opened. And he wept, for of the thousands of his brethren that were missing, only two hundred remained.
The Detet who were with him saw the contents of the chamber, and turned then on Dhakim, knowing now the truth of his intent. And Dhakim claimed his true form, and the Detet were slaughtered. The blood touched one of the sleeping Khadha, and the dragon stirred but did not wake. And Dhakim understood that the Prison of Earth was more than the chamber that had been opened.
Dhakim's mind wandered the mists, and he learned much of what there was to know of it, though not everything, for the mist is always changing. And he devised a way to open the last door of the Prison of Earth.
He knew that he could not turn again to the Detet, for they would not again be fooled by his words. He knew that he could not turn to the Ketash, for they were too fractious to do what needed to be done. He turned to the Anahs.
Again he touched the mists, and again he changed his form to that of a wanderer. And his form in this day was that of a Anahs. And he again wooed the Anahs with words and with the powers of the mists. And he led them to the halls that had been carved out by the Detet. And the Anahs claimed the wealth left behind by the Detet. And they were not afraid of the Khadha that slept beneath their great city. And slowly, the words of Dhakim turned the hearts of the Anahs that ruled the city away from the Creator, and away from Jaysa and instead towards the Mistress of Darkness.
It was with the rise of Gilnetek that the plans of Dhakim came to bear fruit. It was Gilnetek who was finally led to believe that his kingdom could rule all the world of men and Detet and Ketash if he could harness the Khadha beneath his city. And he turned to his nobles, as corrupt and as decadent and as greedy for power as he was. And they turned over two hundred of their sons and daughters to Gilnetek and to Dhakim. And Dhakim taught Gilnetek how to touch the mists, and taught Gilnetek the way that he had learned to awaken the Khadha. And two hundred Anahs souls were freed to awaken the spirits of the Khadha.
But then something went wrong in the plans of Dhakim.
For the Khadha did awaken, as he desired. But no longer were these the servants of the Mistress of Darkness. Their time in the Prison of Earth showed them that it was their mistress and the Ketash who were wrong. The Mistress of Darkness was the one who was petty and jealous. The Ketash were vain and lazy, and wanted what they had not worked for. The Khadha who had been held in the Prison of Earth knew this now. Had not Dhakim caused the Prison of Earth to fall into the world, then the Creator would now have freed them. But they were no longer in heaven.
And they wept over the way they had been freed.
Gilnetek and those who had turned over their children to be slaughtered were not pleased by this change from the mighty Khadha that they had sought to rule. But these Khadha were not to be ruled, neither as servants of the Mistress of Darkness nor as followers of the Creator. And they turned on those who had awakened them. And the nobles of that kingdom were destroyed.
Dhakim too would have been destroyed, had he remained. Instead he saw that his plans had come to nothing, and he fled the world and returned to the Darkness to tell his mistress what had happened. When she was told of the two hundred that had been lost to her not because they were imprisoned, but because they had chosen the side of the Creator, the wrath of the Mistress of Darkness knew no bounds. She reached deep into the mists, and called forth a curse upon those who had once served her
She took from them their strength. She took from them their scales. She took from them their power. She took from them their wings. But she could not take from them the touch of the Mist. She left to them their long life, that they might always remember what they were, that they might suffer lifetimes watching the Anahs around them die ten times before death claimed them. She marked their forms, so that they were like and unlike the Anahs that were the favored of Jaysa. For it was Jaysa that held the special hatred of the Mistress of Darkness. And the thirteen Khadha that were in the Darkness with their mistress were cast out. And the two hundred Khadha that had turned from her fell in pain. And the Khadha were no more.
When we stood. We were Dhakhal