The War of Light and Dark

From the Dawn of the Gods

"There is power in being the victim of a wrong. Power to wallow in bitterness and expand your pain for yourself and others, or to forgive, avert evil and live free from the past. This is the topic taken up by the ancients in the story of The War of Light and Dark."

— ArchMage Telella Forwith, University of the Stone Throne Dean of Religious Studies taken from Lectures on the Psychology of Religion 201

And it came about, that when the god Sol had given up his Voice, and embraced the Place so that she would become great and bring forth the peoples to be her children, Light and Dark were inseparable companions. Light gave warmth and food, and Dark gave coolness and respite from the labor of life. And all the Land was suitable for life, and the peoples came forth, and multiplied upon the face of the Land, for there was food and shelter in plenty. And the Place was filled with joy because of the wonder of the peoples, and the Voices were in awe at what Sol and the Place had wrought.
But Water was sullen and filled with anger, for Light and Dark were praised by the Voices, and the Land was tended by the hands of the peoples, but none spoke tenderly to Water, but instead gave to her their refuse. Yet still, Water was dutiful and tended the peoples. Her seas sent forth clouds to rain on the fields so that the corn would grow and the game would thrive. Her rivers and streams did not fail to give paths to the people to travel upon, nor did they keep their bounty of fish from the nets of the people so that they might eat. But when the people drank of the water, they drank their own refuse, for Water was spiteful and did not wash it away, and a great sickness came upon the people and their children died. And the Place was angry with Water for her joy was broken because of the sickness of the peoples and the death of their children.
And Water became bitter, and determined that she would be avenged for all the injustices that had fallen to her. And she plotted against Light and Dark, for she was jealous and saw that dispute between them would cause pain to the people and to the Place with whom she was wroth. And she went to Light, and took him aside, and spoke to him cruel lies and half truths. And she went to Dark, and took her aside and spoke to her cruel lies and half truths. And Light and Dark became wroth with each other because of the lies of Water, and they took up arms against each other, and the heavens and the land trembled with the fierceness of their rage.

The Dawn of the Gods

The Dawn of the Gods is an ancient dwarven text of oral traditions that is attributed to Thamren BeardBlack prior to the First Wave landing of Humans in Arrhynsia. It also forms the initial chapters in the holy books of the elven cults of the Green Lady, and the Ascetic. The Dawn of the Gods is central to ancient Arrhynsian history as the earliest record of the Betrayal which is known to be an actual historical event. Scrolls containing chapters of the Dawn of the Gods have survived, the earliest having been dated to within 60 years after the Betrayal. The War of Light and Dark is commonly considered an allegorical tale in the form of a paegant play except among the orcs. The story does not appear in the traditions of the short - an odd oversight as Crwydryn plays such a central role in the story. This lends credence to the assertion that the story is poetic rather than historical in nature. The story is also recorded in the "Tale of Beginnings" and several other texts of the oral histories of the orcs where the deprivation of water and the experience of blistering heat and death by dehydration is graphically recounted.
The Dawn of the Gods is a central cultural artifact of Arrhynsia and forms the backbone of numerous religious and cultural traditions in the written, visual and performing arts. It has established a consistent framework and basis for morality and values in Arrhynsian society. It's lessons are primitive and ancient, yet well aligned to the inherent nature and experiences of sentient beings proving it's worth across many thousands of years.

And the Place and the Voices took note, for the world and even the very heavens shook with their battling, and the peoples had called out and were in terror, for there was no place, even under Land, that was safe from their struggle. Then the Place caused a hole to be in the heavens, one for each of her children, Light and Dark, and the All Father cast Light and Dark into the sky and Saynleh and Jiisho restrained them there, and Lameravis sung them to sleep so that they would no longer fight and destroy the land and the peoples.
But Light refused to shine upon the place where Dark ruled, and Dark would not relieve the land of Lights scorching heat. And the people began to perish and fought among themselves, for there was nowhere on Land that they could live.
And Dark turned her face from Land and from Water and refused to look upon them. Water became cold, and her heart was hardened, and Land was covered thickly with ice. And Light was enraged and sought for his enemy upon Land. Water boiled under his fierce gaze, and her streams and rivers ran dry, and Water fled from Light and hid deep beneath Land to find shelter from him. And Land became parched and sand was upon his face, and Wind grew strong, and gathered the sand and carried it about, and harried Land with it. And the peoples hid under Land in caves where they found Water to drink and shelter from Light and Wind.
Then Crwydryn arose and roused Light, and spoke to him saying "It is not good for you to stay in one place. You must travel as I do and see the whole world that has been given to us by Sol and the Place." and Crwydryn persuaded Light, but he would not approach the place where Dark was for he was bitter and angry. Then Crwydryn went to Dark and spoke to her saying "It is not good for you to stay in one place. You must travel as I do and see the whole world that has been given to us by Sol and the Place." And Crwydryn persuaded Dark, but she would not approach the place where Light was for she was bitter and angry. And Crwydryn set a course in the heavens such that Light and Dark would travel across the world and would not encounter each other, and set them to walking apace.
Thus Crwydryn walked with the Light and Dark and set them on their paths so that they moved about the world, eternally separate, but giving both warmth and cold, work and rest in equal measure to Land and Water and to the peoples. And so was born the child of Light - the Day, and the child of Dark - the Night.