”The Handbook to Tyleerian Religion by Kerrin Teyska”
A Handbook to Tyleerian Religion by Kerrin Teyska.
All information in this handbook has been gathered from the spoken word of the Zauwans, the Phix, the Mermiads and the Nymphs, and the written word of previous Teleios.
It is said that before the dawn of light, all that existed within the darkness was Ligero, the creator. One day, he looked around him and felt lonely. So Ligero focused his power and desire for companionship into the void and from nothingness came Vatra. They enjoyed each other’s company, no words, just being.
But one day Vatra spoke. He said, “my friend, you are all that I need. But, if I may say, I wish for more.” Ligero did not understand what Vatra was saying. For how could he want more if he had everything he needed?
But Ligero loved his companion, and so to Vatra he said, “I will give you anything.” It was then that Vatra convinced Ligero to banish the dark. Out of the dark emerged our world, but not as we know it today. The landscape in front of the two divine beings was nothing but touha, a reflective black stone. Vatra was impressed by the sight, as the mountains - such as the Prima Mountians from our precious home Tyleeria - were violently sharp and appealed to his new appearing destructive nature.
Ligero on the other hand, looked at the barren rock and felt loneliness yet again, this time accompanied by what can only be best described as disgust. He spoke to Vatra of his thoughts, but Vatra had forgotten his love for Ligero and begun to obsess over the lifeless stone. Ligero went away from Vatra, feeling only sadness. Ligero felt lonelier than he ever had before, and using all the good he had in his heart, Terre came into existence. Her delicate hands reached down to the glassy ground, and at her touch, the soulless rock turned to dirt, soil and sand. She continued her work across the world, only to be stopped at the Prima Mountains by Ligero.
He spoke to her, “no, for I wish not to steal all from Vatra.” She looked around in search of Ligero’s companion, but did not see him.
“My love,” she spoke softly, “I see not who you speak of.” Then, an aura of anger fell upon the space they occupied. Neither Ligero or Terre were sure of what to make of the foreign emotion, and Terre felt afraid.
“You monster You have ruined everything I ever cared about,” Vatra appeared and cried at Terre, paying no attention to Ligero.
Ligero stepped between his two companions, shielding the gentler and saying to the angered, “My friend, we did not change every par-“
“No. I refuse to hear. You are no friend of mine, for I make not friends out of monsters,” Vatra insulted and ran off back to the void in search of a place no one would take from him. Ligero, although not lonely, felt so much sorrow that a miracle occured - Ligero began to cry.
“My love,” Terre whispered, and they began to dance. From the tears of Ligero, the flow of their movements, and the love they had for each other, Mizu and Iska emerged. The four immortals danced together.
Mizu’s slow, gentle movements created the rivers, her pauses created the lakes, and when her brother tripped her, her stumble created the oceans. Iska tried to dance along with his family, but felt as if he was too light, too limitless. So he created the air to slow him down, and the sky to give himself boundaries. Although Ligero still felt sorrow for his lost companion, he knew that his family would love him unconditionally.
And they did. They happily spent an eternity together, content in the beautiful world they had created. Over time, the family’s spirits helped grow luscious plants all across the world. From shrubs on the mountains, to the tall trees of the east, to the moss that carpeted the ground, to the algae in Mizu’s Rest, the flora brought joy to the family. But the family felt as thought there was something off, something missing.
He told unto them, “create life.” And so they did.
Iska started with the dragon, then was inspired to make more creatures of the sky.
Mizu started with the shark, then was inspired to make more creatures of the water.
Terre looked upon the creatures her children had created. Inspired my the elegance of Mizu’s shark, the ferocity of Iska’s dragon, and her own motherly nature, Terre created the bear. After, she listened to the silence the land still harboured and decided to create all the creatures of the land, from forest to desert, plain to mountain.
After his family had concluded their creating, Ligero looked upon the life that bustled across the planet. He wanted to create life of his own, but he was afraid that they would hurt him as Vatra had.
His family came to him and Terre spoke, “let us create something together. Let us focus gentleness and love into them, and they will be our proudest creation.”
Terre made bodies for the Teleios. Every part she crafted with careful hands, but the bodies were stiff and immovable. When she finished, she looked to Mizu and Iska. Mizu filled the shells her mother had created with blood, and Iska provided them with the ability to move. The family looked to Ligero who looked at the gently swaying lifeforms in front of him. He breathed into their hearts goodness, joy and life.
The Teleois lived happily on the paradise their creators had made. They praised the creators with unfailing faith, and loved each other unconditionally. The four divines helped them survive by sending them select creatures they had created before, but forbade them to kill the three holy animals - the dragon, the shark, and the bear. Because they lacked individuality, imagination and sin, the Teleios followed the divines’ orders to the letter, and this pleased them. The family finally felt as though their world was perfect, and settled atop the Prima Mountains for another eternity.
The world turned peacefully for a while, but one day Vatra returned. He came from the void with haste, bearing no sign of ill intention. In fact, it seemed as though he was happy, like he had discovered something new out in the void - or maybe within himself. But in mere moments after his return, he saw the creatures and life the other gods had made. It angered him, but the sight of the Teleois and the idea his fellow divines created something together in his absence put him into a rage that led him on a violent fit. He began to tear apart the Teleois and their small village.
The other gods came to their people’s aid as soon as they could. Terre reached into the void, created the moon, and carried as many people to it as she could. Mizu and Iska slowed Vatra by thickening the air around him and freezing his feet in place. Ligero called out to Vatra, begging for the destruction to end. Unable to move, Vatra turned his glare to Ligero.
“You took everything I loved about this world we found together. Then in my absence you covered it in mindless pests. Not only that, it was with them and especially her,” Vatra spit, gesturing towards Terre. Ligero looked at his old friend with a sad smile. He stepped aside, letting the Prima Mountains enter Vatra’s sight. The hate left Vatra’s face as he recognized the black stone he had scoured the whole void for. He returned his gaze to Ligero then to the blood soaked ground, speechless and ashamed.
“Do not fret my friend. Forgiveness is all I have for you,” Ligero said, motioning to Mizu and Iska to release their binds, in which they did. Vatra looked to Terre who had just finished moving the surviving Teleios to the moon.
“Please, I am undeserving, but I wish to help rebuild and better what you had here,” he pleaded. Terre reluctantly nodded her head and created the mold for the gods’ second creation - us, the elves. Mizu gave us blood and Iska gave us the ability to move. Ligero finished by giving us life and he turned his head to Vatra. Vatra looked at the collection of unfinished and identical elves, same both in appearance and soul, and he knew what his gift would be.
He started by giving us desire, then free will and emotional strength. Then he put poison on a part of our souls, creating sin. The other four watched with worry, but didn’t interrupt. He then moved to each one of our ancestors individually, changing their appearance in some way or another. He made some of them short, some tall. To give some hair the colour of fire, he stole the tail hair of foxes. To give some hair the colour of onyx, he stole the tail hair of wolves. To give some hair the colour of rich soil, he stole the tail hair of horses. And finally, to give some hair the colour desert sands, he stole the mane hair of lions. He looked into their mono-colour eyes and decided to encompass the colour of the shifting sands of the ocean, the swaying leaves of the earth and the soaring heights of the sky into their eyes.
And then he was finished. He turned to Ligero and the others. They looked at our ancestors and were in awe of their beauty, and Vatra was proud. The family turned to retire to the Prima Mountains, but Vatra stopped them.
“Friends, I discovered something on my journey I wish you to see,” he smiled.
“But, my friend, our people cannot fend for themselves,” Ligero defended.
“Give them a gift that will help them survive,” Vatra suggested. The family stared at the elves, deep in thought of what gift they could give. Mizu decided first. She instilled us with the gift of adaptability, so we could overcome anything if our world decided to shift in the gods’ absence. Iska followed after his sister, and gave us the gift of skills such as hunting and building so we could protect and feed ourselves. Ligero went last, and gave us the gift of intelligence. Sure that we, their people, would be fine, Vatra, Iska, Mizu and Ligero headed for the void.
But Terre called out, “but what of the poison you put on their souls? If we leave them, it’ll spread and consume them, turning them into mindless vessels bent on destroying each other.” The others stopped in their path and searched for a solution. As Terre thought, she mindlessly watched the wild creatures below her interact. She saw a snake ruthlessly attack an unsuspecting mouse, and rest to digest it’s food. In mere seconds, an eagle swooped down, turning the snake from predator to prey. This spectacle brought the idea of mortality to her head.
“What if the earth consumed them before the poison could?” Terre suggested.
“But how would their species survive then?” Vatra questioned. Terre looked to Mizu and Iska, her children.
“Children. They are born pure,” she countered. The other gods nodded and so Terre went to give our ancestors her gifts. But the idea of stopping our lives so short made Terre sad. So she said to our ancestors, “do not forget your creators. Pray to us and we will make your soul pure again. Do not do anything to speed up the blight on your heart. Live your lives peacefully, happily and humbly as you can, and remember to always respect each other.” And so, she bestowed upon us the gift of long but mortal lives, and the gift of children. Confident we would survive, she joined the others.
“Wait one more moment friends,” Ligero said. He returned to the site where Vatra had massacred the Teleios and drew their blood from the ground and put it in a carved rock. He motioned one of our ancestors over to where he stood. He set the blood in her hands and said, “drink. Every time one is needed, I will send a Teleios to lead your people and they will be born to one of your descendants.” Our ancestor drank the blood of the Teleios and became known to us as Mother Veri. And then the gods entered the void, but left a part of them so they were always near. Ligero became the sun and it’s light; Vatra the flames of our fires; Mizu the rapids and currents; Iska the winds, gentle and strong; and Terre became the flora.
And, save for Ligero, each god left a prophet race need they contact us. For Iska, it was the Zauwans of the south, a race that resemble harpies in appearance but are thoughtful and free. For Mizu, it was mermaids of the ocean, a race that looked half elf and half fish. They are peaceful but protective of their ocean home. For Terre, it was the nymphs of the great forest, a race of women born from trees. They are playful and mischievous, but retain the compassion of their goddess. For Vatra, it was the Phix, a race of elf-like people who embody the traits of a phoenix - immune to fire and at death they are reborn in a fiery explosion. Their striking red hair and eyes that glow like fire make them easily recognizable.
For Ligero, his prophets were the Teleios. Unlike the other prophet races, the Teleios can commune with all the gods, but they must be at a temple to said god. The Teleios only come to us in a time of need, and if one is born, it should be sign to us that we as a people have strayed from our path. We should correct ourselves, lest we be consumed by the poison of our souls, and destroy ourselves and the beautiful world the gods have made. I, Kerrin Teyska, hope that by the time we realize, it won’t be too late.
