Chapter eleven: The Fifth Race and the Three Sisters

And so, the family of the gods each took a part of the fourth fruit and reconstructed it in an image that he or she thought fitting. Terak pieced together a tall race of strong people, whose men had great beards and icy eyes. Morwyn molded a beautiful dark-skinned people in her own image, with green eyes and a peaceful wisdom. So it was with each of the Lords of Heaven (except Korak, who still slept, unnoticed by the other gods, at the edge of the world). When the gods reassembled at the foot of Eliwyn, they realized that they had all rebuilt the fruit differently, but all from the same seeds and pulp.
This was one people with many faces, able to change at the command of the gods, or against challenges of the world. These were the humans. And while the gods made humans the most varied and adaptable of the races, Zheenkeef had digested a part of their essence, which is why humans are so short-lived, and lack the gifts possessed by other races. Furthermore, because the gods spread them all over the world, humans have always been, and continue to be, the most plentiful of the races.
And so, with the races of the tree born at last, a time of peace prevailed. The children of the gods grew to maturity, and so did the races of the tree. They built temples to the gods, giving them a variety of names. Each race acknowledged their existence. Among the young gods born of the womb, Maal Firstborn was the oldest, with a keen mind, a sense of fairness, and his sword, Justice. It was decided by all the gods that he would be the judge of these new races. He would have a kingdom in the center of the earth beneath Eliwyn’s roots, where souls would go if their bodies were properly buried or cremated. He would judge them to decide whether they would be reincarnated in a new form, or enter his halls to be punished or rewarded.
In building his kingdom, Maal sought the help of his half-brother, Korak, who had grown nearly as strong as his father, and practical like his mother. Since the accident in his youth, Korak had proven to be a clever artisan. He crafted four great halls for the heroes who would remain in Maal’s realm as reward, and many terrible pits and tortures for those who would be punished. When he was done, Korak began to wander the world with his cousin, Darmon, and there taught the mortal races many skills and crafts, particularly those of the forge. Maal also asked his half-sister, Anwyn, to bless his hearth and home, for Anwyn had become quite skillful in the ways of comfort and contentedness. She had changed the gods’ castle in the sky from an enormous, cold place of majesty to a warm and happy home.
For the children of Tinel and Zheenkeef, matters were different. They were both dreamers like their parents, and not so concerned with practical matters. Darmon, their son, often wandered among the races of the tree, teaching them games and gambling. He also taught them the ways of commerce and trade, and at night, thievery and spying. Of Aymara, it is said there exists no being of greater beauty.
Best loved by the gods, Aymara spent her time sculpting and painting, playing music and singing. Consumed with a passion for beauty, she often traveled with her brother, observing the mortals and their arts. It is said that if her heart knows hate, it is only for Kador, who so ruthlessly manipulated her father into killing and death. It went very well for gods and mortals for quite some time. Mortals grew prosperous and spread across the world into great cities and nations. Shalimyr allowed them to build ships that would sail on his back, and they began to trade among themselves, forming great alliances.
At the same time, the offspring of Lilith came out of their hidden places, and the forefathers of the dragons began to rise from their slumbers. It was the age of heroes, of the greatest adventures and tales, all of which are recounted in epic poems and songs that you have no doubt read or heard. The various heroic epics from the earliest days of the mortal races took place during this period in Third Epoch, not in the Fourth, as is generally assumed. During this time of great heroism, this golden age of the gods, Maal decided to hunt for a wife. He gathered his cousin Darmon and his half-brother Korak, and the three of them, remembered to this day as the Three Companions, went on a great journey across the sphere, seeking a suitable wife for the judge of the dead.
One day the three gods heard the most beautiful singing they could imagine. Unlike the perfect voice of Aymara, this sound was three magnificent voices singing in harmony. Rushing toward the sound, the three gods came upon a mountain pool where bathed three maidens, each more perfect in form and beauty than the last. The three gods were smitten at once. As you no doubt know already, these three maidens were the Three Sisters.
No one knows from whence they came, but they were as different in temperament as they were beautiful. The tallest of them, Naryne, was noble in bearing, with a piercing gaze. Wisdom sat on her brow, and to hear her voice was to obey her command. The strongest of them, Canelle, was swift as the wind. She could best any man at wrestling, and was a champion at every sport. The slightest of them had branches and leaves in her hair. Thellyne preferred the company of the beasts and the birds to that of anyone other than her sisters.
When Maal, Darmon and Korak approached the Three Sisters to profess their undying love, the sisters’ reactions were mixed. Thellyne ran from Korak, Canelle challenged Darmon to a fight (which she won), and Naryne was smitten, falling in love with Maal. While Maal and Naryne were soon married, the tales of Korak and Darmon wooing the other two sisters provide some of the most entertaining tales of the faith. The Three Sisters were brought back to the water palace, where Morwyn and the others welcomed them into the family of the gods. To this day, however, no scholar or theologian has suggested a plausible theory as to where the Three Sisters came from.