Autobiography of Raenar

There are many who believe that I am the beginning and the end. They trust that I was the first of the humans born and I will be the last of them to die. It is a myth. A legend created by story tellers to entertain crowds. In that falsehood, I'll admit that there is a grain of truth. In pondering this fiction it has come to my attention that there is little recorded about my own life. I have never bothered. Few people know who my parents are. Few people know why I was born. I assure you that most of my life would be wearisome to learn about, but I have come to realize that the events surrounding my history are worth a little ink, even if my personal story is of no significance.

Trellin is given credit for the creation of the first animal on Mormorthor. It was from his garden, in the very beginning of time, that a rabbit sprung forth. Such joy this first bit of life must have brought to Trellin. The elders are strongly tied life. Soon after that, Trellin's garden burst forth with all the creatures of the world. The beasts spread across Mormorthor filling the sky, the land and the water. The elders connected intensely to these creatures. Plants are beautiful, but they do not experience love, hate, joy or sorrow. The elders were bound to creatures of feeling.

At the time of first animal life, none of the immortals had taken on a physical form. With no inspiration beyond the plants and rocks, there was no form worth embodying. When they watched over our world formlessly, the elders were everywhere and nowhere all at once. Trellin has told me that even when the elders are not in physical form, they have a presence which moves across the land. Yet at the same time they are everywhere. I don't think any creature of the flesh can understand omnipresence. The elders cannot capture the sensation in words, even though they have lived it.

Animals were consciousness in material form. They amazed the elders. A creature with will and awareness housed in the flesh was something that was born from the elders, but without their direct intent to create it. The elders were proud parents.

Ashar was the first to take on form. He was moved by the creatures and wanted to experience life in bodies like theirs. Ashar ran with the horses, flew with the eagles and swam with the fish. He enjoyed every moment of the physical life. He wanted to experience every sensation that the body had to offer. It is rarely admitted, but the elders suffer a loss of power when they take on physical form. It becomes difficult for one to see any of the world except from their physical eyes. Many abilities are held prisoner by bodies. Ashar kept these things secret from the others.

In the form of the lion, Ashar took up a pride. He mated with his lionesses and they bore cubs of animal and of elder. His cubs grew to adulthood quickly and stood almost two meters high at the shoulder. Their impressive size would have been enough to make his kin the kings of the beasts, but the power the cubs inherited went beyond their physical stature.

The elders speak without words. They share thoughts. But this talent was beyond the half-elder lions. Still, Ashar's children were astute. They had the elder's power for creation within them and fashioned spoken word to communicate. They named it Leona, and you may recognize it as the language of all the great beasts of the world. Ashar too learned to speak this language and was filled with delight for the strength and intelligence of his children. He desired to fill the world with new and better life. His descendants became known as the Asharkin.

He left the first Asharkin to grow without him and Ashar took the form of a falcon. Once again he mated with animals to create heirs. Once again giant beasts were made. His children were eager to learn, and Ashar taught the birds the language of Leona that he had learned from his first kin. The falcons and lions treated each other as brothers and competed for their father's affection.

The immortal Alanere disliked Ashar's breeding with the beasts. Alanere was hard at work planning the creation of man. Man was to be the animal most like the immortals and Alanere especially did not wants the gifts of the elders going to the beasts of the world. He approached Ashar whilst Ashar was in falcon form and demanded him to stop breeding with the animals.

Ashar's response scarred deep into Alanere's ego and Alanere would resent Ashar forever. I was not there, but in one of Alanere's fits he revealed Ashar's words to me. Those words foretell a frightening event.

"Alanere, my friend, you are truly among the lowest of us. How dare you make demands of me and offer no reason. Of all elders you are beyond doubt the stubbornness and most foolhardy. Mark my words; there will be a day when your pride betrays you. You will stand against all logic and against all of your brethren for a lost cause you cannot win and worse yet you do not deserve to win. You will instigate more suffering than we can imagine. And worse, this will happen, not because you think you are right, but because you refuse to be proven wrong. Because of that, I reject your demands now. Not because I think I'm right, but because I refuse to let you tell me I am wrong."

In his anger, Alanere attempted to force his will upon Ashar to imprison him in falcon form. Though Alanere knew the two were equals when in their natural form, he thought Ashar's embodiment had weakened him enough for Alanere to win. But Alanere still did not understand the intricacy of the flesh to the depth that Ashar had grasped. So the two remained equals in power. After a long contest of wills, Ashar took on the form of a horse and fled, leaving Alanere defeated and bitter.

Alanere presumed that alone he lacked the power to bind Ashar to a form and to hold him. Yet in their struggle Alanere had learned it would take little more strength to defeat Ashar. So he lied to his friend Aralain, saying Ashar had declared himself the most powerful of the elders. Alanere claimed Ashar had asserted none among the elder had the power to defeat him and that he alone would rule by making all living things his kin. It took little persuading for Alanere to well-up the hate inside Aralain to where it spilled over.

Alanere took his new ally, and the two of them hunted down Ashar, who was now living among the bears. With their combined force it was straightforward to bind Ashar into bear form, shackle him and trap him behind a giant stone inside a cave in the depths of the Goshan woods. There, inside the cave, trapped in the flesh with the will of Alanere and Aralain working against him, Ashar was hidden from the elders. He was removed from the continuing advances of Mormorthor's creation.

The start of history ended. The first epoch began. Humans were born. Gorwen's curse of mortality spread across the world. Yet the Asharkin had enough prowess to fight off the curse of death for a time. The first generation lived many times the years of the others in their species. Yet they too were no longer immortal. The Asharkin blamed humanity for causing the mortality and shunned them. They avoided humans and moved deep into the wilderness away from man and his civilizations.

Elders took on the form of man and almost one thousand years passed into history. These were the golden years of human history. Alanere and Aralain were both greatly diminished as they kept Ashar bound in his cave. Mankind had few wars and lived in peace.

In the woods of Goshan, a human named Farin was hunting a white stag that lead him deep into the wilderness. There, outside the cave of the imprisoned Ashar, Farin felt the elder's presence. Farin knew a power was inside the blocked cave. He felt a desperation to break in. So he began digging away at the rock blocking the entrance to the cave. Farin spent months digging at the cave entrance. He lived off the creatures and fauna of the woods.

Ultimately Farin's toil broke the rocks sealing the cave.Inside he saw Ashar, still in bear form after a millennia. Ashar had never seen a human before. He spoke out in Liona. Farin did not understand, for the Asharkin guard their language well and there are likely no humans that speak their tongue. So Farin slowly approached the bear and discovered it was shackled in the corner. Ashar could sense power in the human, more than in any creature he had known, and bowed down submissively, unsure what else to do.

Farin drew near Ashar and placed his hand upon the bear. Some of Farin's will flowed into Ashar and helped to break the bonds that had kept him captured for so many years. There is more power in humans than they are given credit for. The shackle about Ashar's leg gave way, and he lost his bear form. Inspired by Farin's touch, Ashar assumed the form of a woman. Her hair was golden and flowed down to her waist. Her large blue eyes looked up at Farin filled with gratitude, empathy and a trace of lust.

Ashar, first to couple with the beasts, was also first to couple with humanity. One would expect no less from her. She flung herself headlong into anything she desired without pausing to think of the consequence. She is driven by the desire to live, love and experience everything. Farin and Ashar fell in love that first night tonight. Their bond was deep, beyond what either had felt for another before.

Ashar's incarnation of human form shifted the workings of the world. Alanere and Aralain lost their sense of him. Neither of the captors held on to resentment or anger towards Ashar after so many years had passed. With their will not bent on containing the bear, Alanere and Aralain gained back strength they had forgotten about. The two began working their wills on Mormothor. Fear started to creep into the hearts of the weaker kingdoms as pride overwhelmed the stronger. Magnificent wars began and the borders of countries shifted.

Away from it all, in the woods of Goshan, Farin and Ashar married and built their home. Ashar was with child after her first night together with her husband and Ashar's stomached swelled at remarkable speeds. Ashar quickly learned to speak with Farin. Though devoted to her husband, fear of being imprisoned again drove Ashar to keep her uniqueness secret. She lied to her lover, taking on the name Elana. Elana alleged she had been turned into a bear and trapped in the cave by dark magic. She weaved this new person to life so that during the day she was the loving faithful wife Elana, but while Farin slept at night Ashar extended her will out searching the world for friends to help her.

Ashar's descendents responded to her presence and under the cover of darkness she explored the world on the backs of the birds. The Asharkin had distressing news to share with their progenitor. During Ashar's absence, the world was overrun with the humans. The creatures stretched out faster than any of the animals and had an amazing ability to flourish and survive. The humans loved and hated one other burning through their lives. Though the Asharkin meant their tale to be grim, Ashar was enraptured with humanity. There is a spark of life in man she admires.

Farin and Ashar's child, Calydor, was born a few months after conception. He was a giant of a baby and grew up faster than natural. Ashar acted as confused as Farin over the miraculous growth of their son. Farin was a proud father. He could sense the accomplishment that his son was meant for. Ashar knew that this was the most powerful human yet born. So it was with all the Asharkin. So it is when the blood of mortal and elder mixes.

Though Farin and Elana led a quiet life safe in their forest, the world was not a quiet place. Aralain had gained influenced in the kingdom of Orathorn and started a great war with Sulinere's kingdom of Grimal. Fueled by Aralain's will, the world was being encompassed by warring peoples. Of the most powerful elders, only Melsanie worked to stop the warfare. Yet Alanere had weaved much of his motives into man, and Aralian, Sulinere and others were able to play upon those drives.

News of the wars flowed back to Ashar through his kin. She learned of the curse of mortality that had spread to all of the races of the world. Ashar learned that even his children were not safe. Though they lived longer lives than other animals, they eventually succumbed to death. Violent injury also had the power to end their lives. Though anxious to return to his people, Farin was persuaded to keep his family in the woods until Calydor was fully grown. Farin predicated this would not take long, for Calydor was growing at rates several times that of a typical human child. Farin was prideful at his son's strength, intelligence and daring. He knew his son was destined for great things.

Under the guidance of Aralain, the kingdom of Orathorn was conquering the known world. As it grew in experience, Aralain's army required less attention and he grew bitter over the loss of Ashar as his prisoner. It was possible Ashar would inform the elders of his confinement. It was an act most would not make allowances for. Aralain already had conflict with his brethren and wished not to heighten it. Aralian began to stretch out his will in search of the missing elder. He began his search in the forest of Goshan where Ashar was confined many years before.

Ashar had never left the forest since her freedom. With the birth of her son, the forest had become her home. It was Farin's home as well. Their roots had become too deep to leave. Ashar used all of her power to suppress herself and become Elana. No other elder would be able to find her. She was veiled.

When Aralain's mind reached into the forest, he quickly sensed Ashar's powers, even though Ashar was suppressing her own aura from the world. She was a woman who did not want to be found. Aralian was sensing the powers emanating from Ashar's son Calydor. Calydor had no knowledge of his heritage and no ability to hide his powers. Aralain left his fortress with a group of soldiers and rode to the forest to capture Ashar. Hatred burned in his mind for the elder who challenged him and escaped his confinement.

Once in the forest it took moments for Aralain to hunt down Calydor. He was captured instantly and bound by the soldiers. Aralain found the exercise all too easy. Aralain quickly realized that Calydor was not the human form of Ashar. Given Ashar's history, Aralain knew at once he had captured an Ashar-kin of human form. He ordered his soldiers to take the boy back to Orathorn. Aralain intended to use him as bait to lure Ashar to the castle as well.

While the soldiers were carrying their prize back to the castle, Aralain continued to search the forest for Ashar. Once again he reached out his senses for the power of Ashar and once again his searching led him astray. Instead of finding the elder, he followed the trail to the cliffs overlooking the forest. There Aralain found Talar, a powerful falcon and one of the Ashar-kin. Aralain choose to use the bird as his messenger. He told Talar he had captured Calydor, one of his brethren and a direct descendent of Ashar. He told the falcon to fly to Ashar, tell him his child was taken, and direct him to go to Orathorn to get his son back.

As Aralain left the old bird, Talar took flight. He did not head to the forest in search of Ashar. Talar flew high and gathered his clan. The sky began to fill with giant birds of many species. All of the Ashar-kin heeded the call of one of their greatest. Talar relayed Aralains threats, and lead the beasts towards Orathorn.

The flock attacked the soldiers holding Calydor and slaughtered them. They flew Calydor back to the nests high on the cliffs above the forest and set him free. Though Calydor was terrified of the great beasts, he knew to trust them. Some how knowing they would understand, he asked the birds to explain what had happened. Talar did. Talar expained everything.

Talar told Calydor of the creation of the world by the elders. He told Calydor of the creation of animals, Gorwen's curse, how Ashar had been the first elder to take on physical form and the only elder to sire and mother children. Finally Talar told Calydor of Ashar's imprisonment by Aralain and Alanere and her release by Farin. The history of his mother failed to amaze Calydor. He had known there was a hidden strength in her. The history only served to solidify all the hopes and fears he had about his heritage.

Calydor was returned to his home in the woods.He related all that had happened to him to his parents, including the secrets that Talar had revealed about Elana. Farin was unsurprised by the revelation that his wife was an elder, for he had known there was a deep might inside her. For the first time, the Ashar had no secrets to keep from the family. They embraced, weeping in happiness.

Yet their moment of familial joy was bittersweet. They knew Aralain would come again with hatred burning him towards the capture of Ashar. It was time for Ashar to give up the persona of Elana and flee the forest. It was time for Ashar to seek allies in the elders and resist against the attacks of Aralain. Returning to falcon form, Ashar left that night with Talar.

Calydor also left that night, but without the knowledge of his family. The blood of Ashar boiled over inside him and action was demanded. He called upon one of his newly discovered brethren, a mighty steed, to carry him to Orathron. Calydor meant to avenge the imprisonment of his mother. Calydor meant to free her from her need to hide. Calydor meant to be the hero his father had raised. He rode swiftly and hard to Aralain's fortress in the kingdom of Orathorn.

Aralain, as one of the strongest elders, was also one of the most arrogant. Orathorn had no active defenses. Its front gates were open. The sentinels of Orathorn were slothful and paid no attention to those who came and went. Calydor rode through without incident. He leapt from his horse and entered the main hall of the center structure. In this hall Aralain sat upon his throne and was having an audience with his generals.

Calydor, walking quickly towards the throne, drew his sword and called out, "Aralain I have come to challenge you. I am Calydor, son of Ashar." A few of the warriors speaking with Aralain brought out their own weapons and charged the intruder. Calydor struck the men down with one strike each. Calydor was borne of man and elder. The average soldier stood no chance against him. Calydor's power radiated and all men in the room fell back from this assailant.

Aralain alone stood strong and looked down on the man unmoved by the show of strength. "Calydor, son of Ashar, you should not pronounce your heritage with pride. You are a half-breed and an insult to my people. You may challenge me if you wish, but it will be your death. I am among those who create this world. I am not bound by the curse of death placed upon it. Let us see if you share the immortality of your mother or are doomed to the fate of your father."

Calydor did not respond. His mind had been made up before he entered Orathorn. He charged with determination that caused Aralain to falter. As Aralain fell back a step, Calydor's sword pierced deep into the elder's heart. Blood ran down Calydor's blade causing Aralain to gain the presence to respond. In a single movement he unsheathed his sword and cut through Calydor from hip to shoulder. The upper half of Calydor's body was severed from the lower and landed some distant from the planted feet. The torso's eyes stared back at its killer.

Aralain laughed loudly as he removed the un-wielded sword from his breast and dropped it on the stone floor with a clang. This was not the first mortal wound he had received in battle. Mankind lacked the power needed to inflict death upon an elder. Aralain's laughter came too soon. He failed realize the effect Calydor's heritage would have. As Aralain watched blood seep out of his chest his heart stopped. He tried to leave his physical form, but was pinned. The weight of Calydor's presence was on him, trapping him inside his human form. Aralain's eyes looked upon the severed upper body of Calydor and saw the man's eyes locked upon his own. Calydor's last utterance was, "we go together."

Aralain's body dropped upon the ground and breathed no more.Calydor's eyes glazed over and the light faded from them. A sense of emptiness filled the chamber. The people in the room were taken aback. The hall was deathly silently as the blood of the two great men flowed forth and intertwined.

Aralain's funeral was the next day. His lifeless body was buried inside of Orathorn. I wish I could have been there. I bitterly regret being born too late to see all elders in their human form. It is the only time one could have counted the elder in their entirety. I've heard the numbers were in the thousands, but no records were made. No person bothered to count. All but two elders descended upon the castle to witness the event.

Gorwen was not there. He went into hiding the moment Aralian's death became known. The curse of death laid on man was condoned by few elders. The revelation that death could extend beyond the world to the elders was unforgivable. Gorwen fled while the elders were in shock. He knew he would never be forgiven and might become the target of a hunt. He expected to spend the rest of time in hiding.

Ashar was not there. Elana was in the forest of Goshan with her husband, burying their son. This was not the first of Ashar's children to die. There were now thousands of Asharkin scattered through the world. But Ashar had only sired children before Calydor. This was the first child that she had mothered. The bond between her and her son was stronger than any of her previous children. Added to her grief was the knowledge that Calydor had died to set her free. He had risked and lost his life so that she would no longer feel the need to hide herself. Ashar wept for an eternity in the arms of her husband over the grave of her son.

After the funeral, most elders abandoned their physical forms. Few were willing to risk the chance of being killed. There were few that remained attached to their forms and walked on the ground of Mormorthor.

Wyria, an oft-somber elder, mourned for the days when her kind walked the earth without fear. She became a story-teller, producing lore of the older days. She missed all that had passed and wanted to restore the great history. Wyria traveled to the kingdom of Orathorn and used her influences to woo and marry its new king, Jirak. In a short time, she gave birth to a prince. In memory of her fallen friend, she named her son Aralain. Aralain, the second, was born in the year 995 of the second epoch.

Wyria desired her son to be a replacement for the lost Aralain, and had her husband train him in combat. She promoted his aggressiveness and strength. Aralain grew to be a formidable warrior. There were none among the humans that could defeat him. Jirak, his loving father, placed his astounding son at the head of the Orathorn army and sent him to conquer the neighboring nations. Wyria was proud, for her son was making a fine replacement for the true Aralain.

Those were Aralain's happiest days. It was a proud feeling to be all powerful. He was the only human with elder blood, and there was no one with the strength to defeat him. Yet even then, there ached a desire to put down the sword. Aralain, son of Wyria, was always thinking of the past and never towards the future. He saw victories as fleeting. Nation's borders expand and contract with fluidity. Aralain desperately wanted to make something that would last forever.

Aralain's parents pressured him to conquer. So he continued the long-lasting feud with Grimal. The kingdoms were eternally at war after his unprovoked attack. In the field of battle as the two armies clashed, Aralain left trails of ruin in his wake.

During one epic battle, another solider caught Aralian's attention. Aralian's gaze was drawn to a single man across the field of corpses. In the moment the two men's eyes locked upon each other, all else faded into the background. The two approached each other with slow decisive steps. Both men were giants and felt the weight of the other's strength upon them.

Without speaking they began their personal combat. Their swords struck with the sound of thunder. Each blow caused to the earth to shake beneath them. Though they did not see it, the raging battle around them halted as every man stood awestruck at the combat of these two lords. Dark clouds rolled in from nowhere and lightening clashed in the sky.

Aralain knew he was losing to his unknown attacker. As the battle continued he lost ground and felt his arms weakening from the jolts of his defense. The stranger's delicate attacks frightened Aralain. On a blow where Aralain attempted to parry, lightening struck down as the swords clashed. Aralain's sword shattered and he fell upon the ground defeated.

His defeat at hand, Aralain spoke to his opponent. "I did not think it possible that there was someone alive stronger than me. For I am the only man alive born from a goddess mother. You have defeated Aralain, son of Jirak and Wyria, and prince of Orathorn. Tell me who you are, that I may die without ignorance."

The stranger let out a loud booming laugh. Not one of mockery or contempt, but truly one of pleasure. He reached out his hand to Aralain and with a broad smile across his face spoke to him.

"Come now little general. You will not be my victim today. In fact, I am one who has seen what lies beyond this world. I can say you will be no one's victim. Your destiny is to be the last one left. Since you will not be killed, I will not kill you today. Instead, I make you my prisoner."

Aralain reached up and seized the man's hand. At the moment of contact, the prince of Orathorn knew precisely who had defeated him in battle. Instead of using the offered hand to stand, he fell back upon his knees and kissed it.

Once again Aralian's foe laughed. "Have you just now learned who I am? Well then my namesake, I shall take my name and responsibility back from you. From henceforth you shall be called Raenar. You have seen the last of conquering. That is my destiny. I set you free from it. Do what your heart desires."

It seems poor Calydor gave his life for very little. Half-breed that he was, he was able to destroy Aralain's mortal body. For a time, the power of Calydor's destruction weighted down the spirit of Aralain and kept him trapped in his mortal form. Aralain was buried in a dead and rotting body struggling to build up the strength to break free. Eventually he escaped his lifeless form and fashioned a new one.

The day of the battle with Grimal was my true birth. I started working on what my heart desired. I started to record history. My memory is without flaw. It is owing to my mother. It seems, as the true Aralain has said, I shall live forever. It is my mother's other gift to me. The memory of all the men I sent to their death is her curse.

I am no longer the only man with elder blood in me. There are many throughout Mormothor. Those sired by the elder have long lives if they are not cut short by violence. They pass down much of their gift to their children. We who are mothered by them are ageless. Yet, we cannot bring children into the world.

Though I am not the beginning, I shall be the end. Aralain is not the only one who has prophesized it. I have learned much of my future from the children of Calen. They say in the end I will be the last alive on Mormorthor. Not willing to believe it I will search the world for a century to find another. In failing, I will watch the final sunset, and ultimately write the words "The End" in the last book of Mormorthor's history.