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The Song of Origins
Movement I
The Expanse of the Deep and the Asetari
1. In the beginning, there was the Deep. And the Deep went on beyond all sight and hearing. And the Deep was dark, and filled with stones, and frost, and eggs.
2. And from the eggs hatched one who is called Es, the First and Great Light.
3. And His countenance was white and silver, and the Deep was illuminated wholy by His glory and His majesty.
4. Now it came to pass that after a time, Es grew lonely, and so He called out and commanded other eggs to come forth and hatch.
5. And there came forth from one egg, two twins.
6. Now the first twin was called Su the Violet, who was filled with both great and dreadful wisdom.
7. The other was called Zek the Sanguine, whose heart burned with fiery and blazened passion.
8. Now it came to pass that when the Twins were hatched that they gazed upon Es in His glory, and they were smitten with Him.
9. And the Twins loved Es, and pledged their allegiance to Him, and Es vowed Himself to them.
10. And they three moved in the Deep, and called out to the stones and frost that filled it, and beckoned them to gather.
11. And as they gathered, there were many other eggs that came to be hatched.
12. And there were many others who came forth from the eggs who were bright and beautiful, though not so bright as Es.
13. And the others who hatched were countless in number, and all did as Es commanded, for all loved Him, for He was the one who freed them from the endless slumber in the Dream Lands.
14. Now among those who were hatched after the Twins were the noble of them.
15. The first to hatch was Xao the Azure, who dwelt in tranquility and peace.
16. Then came Ur the Ochre, whose intellect was unmatched, and who knew and understood all things that were of the learneds’ value.
17. Now there was Lir the Emerald, wielding unwavering ambition, and who reached and strove for things which were seemingly unattainable.
18. The next to hatch was Dar the Saffron, who spent all moments in merriment, and who drank deep from the chalice of frivolity.
19. Then out came Lu the Fuschia, shy, meek, small and innocent.
20. The last was Okt the Umber, with integrity and virtue to last for the eternities.
21. Now whilst all these of the Nobles were filled with strength in their character, they were all surpassed by one alone, who is Es.
22. And these six acted as a council to Es, and the Twins as his Hands.
23. And so it was that among those who had hatched from eggs in the Deep, that they gave themselves no name.
24. And so it is that we give unto them a name, which is the Asetari, which means, in the old tongue, The First Hatch.
Movement II
The Creation of Aoiama and the Transgression of Zek
1. Now Es gathered all of the Asetari, and He spake unto them, saying;
2. Behold the stone and the frost which we have called and gathered. We all shall take of it and make a great stone on which to dwell.
3. Now after this manner, they took the stone and the frost and they made for themselves a large and great stone with hills and mountains and valleys.
4. And where Es shone his light, the frost did melt, and became seas and lakes and rivers.
5. And some of the stone became soft soil, and there was grass abundant.
6. And the air remained not still, but danced and billowed and was wind.
7. Now Es and the others of the Asetari lived on this great stone. And they called it Aoiama, which means in the old tongue nest.
8. Now the Asetari came together and nested, and laid eggs who rested upon the soil of Aoiama, which waited to be called forth.
9. And when the Asetari saw that they waited to be called forth, they returned to the Deep to plan and prepare for their eggs.
10. Now in this planning, there was much disagreement and strife. And these things started a division among them, and there was hatred and resentment.
11. And Es saw this and wept.
12. And when he wept, Su and Zek wept also, for they loved Es, and they wanted not to see Es saddened.
13. Now Zek, wanting to ease his pain, brought himself down to Aoiama, and he came to the place where they had left their eggs, believing that he could bring joy to Es if he saw them hatched.
14. And Zek called them forth from their eggs, and they did begin to hatch and come forth.
15. But it came to pass that they came forth when they were not yet ready.
16. And when they came forth, they were with horns, and claws, and teeth as the peaks of the mountains, and were made in flesh, and not of light, and were without form or purpose.
17. Now there was one egg who did not come forth, and waited for the voice of Es.
18. And behold, this angered Zek, and he crushed it beneath his feet.
19. Now Zek returned to the Deep, and came before Es, and spake, saying;
20. Come hither and behold what I have done that you may have joy. For I have called to those in the eggs, as you did for us, and have freed them.
21. And when Es came with Zek and beheld what the eggs had become, He fell to the earth and wept sorely, and bade Zek to leave.
22. And when Es saw the egg which Zek destroyed, a great wrath churned within Him.
23. Now Su had followed them to this place in secret, and had hid herself away. And when she saw that Es was filled with rage, she came and laid her hand upon His heart, and brought Him to calmness.
24. And she scooped up the egg that Zek had crushed, and brought it to Es and spake hope unto Him, saying;
25. Behold, all is not lost for this one. Nor for any. And while they shall not be as what we hoped, they are not yet lost to us.
26. And she bade Es allow her to fill the egg with light.
27. And with His blessing, Su filled it, and brought it to the earth and buried it.
28. And she showed the hatchlings unto Es, saying, We can give them form and purpose.
29. And Es stretched forth an arm and shone His own light upon them.
30. And from themselves, they sprouted legs, and heads, and wings, and tails.
31. Now some did keep their horns, and claws, and teeth. And this they kept that they may be marked and be known.
32. And Es looked upon these new creatures, and He gave them a name.
33. And the name He gave unto them was Sorasal, or the great beasts.
34. Now after this, Es was stricken again with sorrow. For Zek had done this transgression to Him and the others, and acted without wisdom or counsel, and was fit for punishment.
35. And Es confronted Zek, and cast him out of His and the council's presence, and he was charged to wander.
36. And Zek was stripped of his title, and was no longer the Sanguine, but was called Zek the Crimson.
37. And there were those among the Countless who believed Zek’s punishment unjust.
38. And on that day in which he was cast out, many followed after him.
Movement III
The Sorasal
1. Now the Sorasal were blessed by Es and Su, and they were given the whole of Aoiama to dwell, and to become many.
2. And among them was Jula, who guarded the heavens aloft the largest wings of any creature to wander Aoiama.
3. Now Jula, in council with Es and Su, created the law of Aoiama, and upheld it against all odds and in spite of all adversity.
4. Ulfar, who prowled the land upon quick paws, with a mouth filled with swords, was a cunning leader in strategy and war.
5. Now Kel, whose feet were adorned in wood, and upon whose head rested a great crown of many horns, came in the time after the season when Es would burn bright, and heal that which was scorched in His glory.
6. And among the plains lumbered the long-horned Vrixos, ever patient, and fertilizing the earth wheresoever he treaded.
7. Now Nara, who slept through the duration of the season of frost, awoke in the duration when the color returned, and tended to its rebirth.
8. In the evening, Vo hunted for food upon dark and muted wings, and brought swift and silent death to her prey, and in her great eyes were seen the eternities and the realms of the Dream Lands.
9. Now Batul was the largest of them all, whose steps caused the earth to tremble and give way, and in his snout, he could consume great seas.
10. Fiel, the great dragon, was imaginative and whispered inspiration to any who would listen.
11. Lastly was Grul, whose hide was thick and tusks short, and who loved the dirt and soil, and who upheld all who wandered upon the earth to their oaths.
12. Now it came to pass that for an age, they all tended to the egg that Su had planted.
13. And the egg grew into a great tree whose leaves were blue as the sky, and whose bark was white as frost.
14. And its fruit was sweet, and filling, and would feed all who came in need, and the Sorasal called it Mother Tree, for it is from her that all other trees come.
15. Now there came a time when some among the Sorasal were filled with pride and boastfulness of their purpose, and decided themselves above others.
16. And among them were others who believed that the Mother Tree was theirs alone to partake from and to treasure.
17. And so they who were like-minded came together in a covenant that they would keep the Mother Tree for themselves.
18. And so it was that when the others heard this, they began to guard the Mother Tree, and ward off they who were Prideful.
19. And though the Prideful would try and eat from the Mother Tree, their attempts were fruitless.
20. So well did the Guard ward them from the Mother Tree that the Prideful began to starve, for no other tree could fill their voracious hunger.
21. And so greatly did the Prideful starve that there was one among them who leapt and brought down one of the Guard, and the Prideful consumed the Guardian’s flesh for their food.
22. And from thence, the Guard were prey, and so it was that war was waged.
Movement IV
The Mother Tree and the Children of the Sap
1. Now amidst this war that the Sorasal were waging, the Mother Tree began planning new nations who would reign peacefully on Aoiama.
2. And She made in Herself a wound from which She bled Her sap. And out of this sap came Her children.
3. Ten of them were they in number, Queens and Kings of five kinds.
4. And they were the Apoi, the Ra, the Sikau, the Tof, and the Manta.
5. And when they came forth from the sap, the Mother gave them charge that they should multiply, and become fruitful in Her shade.
6. And so it was that the Apoi established a hive in Her branches, and did create sweet honey, though not as sweet as the Mother’s sap.
7. And the Sikau settled into the bark of Her trunk and sang songs and praises unto Her.
8. And the Tof did burrow themselves amongst Her roots and in the soil and did build a mountain in which they stored food against the cold seasons.
9. And the Manta roamed freely and wandered to and fro in Her shade, and lived alone in their endeavors.
10. Now the lowliest of them were the Ra, who had no other purpose than to crawl and to eat.
11. And the Mother, who loved them dearest of all Her children, took them up to Her highest of branches, and let them eat from the best of her leaves.
12. And the Mother bestowed upon the Queens Her magic, which She was given by the grace of Su.
13. And for one hundred thousand generations, the nations lived in peace in the shade of the Mother Tree.
14. Now it came to pass that after a great time, there were three Queenlines who passed away into the Dream Lands.
15. And among these people, the Ra, the Sikau, and the Manta, there was magic no longer.
Movement V
The Descension of the Sister Queens
and the Bestowing of the Great Wings
1. Now the last Queens, when seeing how great their nations were, began to scheme against each other.
2. For after all this time, the Tof had become jealous of the Apoi, who had built a great sky fortress in the Mother’s branches.
3. And the Apoi thought themselves above all others of the Mother’s children.
4. And in their jealousy, the Tof struck first against the hive. And after this attack, the Apoi retaliated, and for three days, soldier and Valkir clashed, and countless fell to the Dream Lands.
5. And on this third day of war, the Mother took away the Queens’ magic, and thus ended their conflict.
6. And after this, there was one dark year of grieving for the Mother.
7. And when She had grieved, she thereafter went to the three nations who had lost their Queenlines in search of one who would take up the mantle of upholding her magic.
8. And when She came to the Manta, they declined, and said they had found their peace in its absence. And them, She passed by.
9. And when She came to the Sikau, they were all asleep in a sojourn to the Dream Lands, and could not answer her call. And them also did She pass by.
10. Now when she came to the Ra, they said unto Her;
11. Mother, we need it not. For you have given us all we desire. And, in this, we fulfill our purpose. What need have we for it?
12. And the Mother said unto them, Behold, I give unto you new purpose.
13. And if you should but suffer through patience and pain, you shall be the brightest and most beautiful of all my children, from hence until the Deep consumes us, and the Asetari extinguish.
14. But you shall be the lights in my absence, and shall guide others through the darkness to come.
15. And you shall protect all nations, and be my chosen people.
16. And the Ra accepted this mantle, and nested, blanketed in Her leaves, and being unmade to become that which She had charged.
17. And through days of agony, they waited as the Mother prepared them for their new purpose.
18. And when they woke, they arose wearing new and beautiful and great wings composed of the Mother’s leaves.
19. And she bestowed upon all of them a new name, which is Ro, and gave unto them Her magic which was promised, without discrimination of Queen or otherwise.
20. And thus, the Great Wings were bestowed upon the Ro.
TO BE CONCLUDED...
Movement VI
The Exile of the Mother Tree
1. Now after the Mother had done these things, She gathered all Her children together, and She spake unto them, saying;
2. For the transgressions that these two nations have committed, you shall not be graced by my shade hence. And whosoever shall attempt to stay will perish.
3. For the time is nearing when I shall slumber, and behold, my leaves will wilt, and my bark shall turn dark, and my sap shall flow no longer.
4. And you shall wander and be lost in the wilderness until the time when I come again to bloom in my splendor and glory that shall be given me by Es and Su.
5. And when this time shall come, you all shall gather back to my roots, whereupon you shall fall to the soil and await for Es to come forth in His glory.
6. And in His presence, you shall be made into us, who are of a Hatchling’s birth.
7. And you shall shine bright as the Asetari do in the great and terrible Deep.
8. And then did She give unto them the law of sacrifice, and of the bearing up of offerings, and law pertaining to many other things which are not written here.
9. And many other things did She speak unto them, which have been lost to memory.
10. And after She had said these things, She faded, and Her bark grew dark and gray, and Her leaves fell to Her roots.
11. And the five nations left Her, and they did wander.