Page 1 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

The Making of Aron-Lyr

I n the beginning, the Allfather brought forth the powers of Order. He created Light and Darkness, Fire and Water, Earth and Air, to keep the forces of Chaos at bay. With these elements, he wove the world of Aron-Lyr into existence and gazed down in satisfaction at all he had made.

But soon, the Allfather grew discontent. His power was too great to fill his creation with life and beauty; what he crafted with one hand, he destroyed with the other.

So, he cast his celestial being into avatars, gifting each of them with only one aspect of his power.

He named them the Aurea, the Golden Ones, and sent them down to Aron-Lyr to shape the world in the image he decreed and fill it with the people and creatures that sprang from his thoughts.

They were to be the guardians and protectors of the world.

He created the Aurea of Light: Aramaz, the Sky Lord, as wise as he is kind, and Baradaz, the Star Queen, her beauty a beacon in the dark.

From their hands, the Elves emerged, an ethereal light captured in their skin and hair, their forms as fair as their minds.

They settled close to their makers in the green hills of Lyrheim, where the Aurea themselves dwelled.

To tend the Earth, the Allfather created Tanez and M’tar.

M’tar, the Smith, made the hardy race of the Dwarves.

Talented craftsmen, they share their sire’s fascination with the riches found deep within earth and stone.

They claimed the Obsidian Mountains in the north, digging deep into their heart and building underground cities that inspire awe in all who are permitted to visit.

Tanez, the Harvest Goddess, made two races, driven by her great love for creation.

The Dryads call the deep forests of Aron-Lyr their home, using their connection to all living things to make them grow; their graceful appearance hides a fierce spirit when provoked.

Tanez’s second children, the Brownies, work the land, their hands filling with the bounty of harvest. Small their bodies may be, but their hearts are large, finding joy in caring for others.

Ashur, the Sea God and Aurea of Water, was tasked with governing the seas, his wild spirit seeking freedom in their depths.

His patient companion, Namtaz, the Healer, soothes the pains of all living beings.

On the shores of the Great Seas and near mighty streams dwell their children, the Nyx.

Free and unbound, they follow the call of the currents.

They embody the aspect of Water, with gills that allow them to breathe underwater and hair that shimmers in all the shades of gray, green, and blue that the sea can hold.

Sha’am, the Warrior, fierce and strong, wields the gift of Fire alongside Zamani, the Goddess of Music and Passion.

The fiery mountains of the south are home to the Drakuul, the fierce warriors created by Sha’am.

Their scaled bodies possess a savage beauty.

Zamani gave life to the Djein, whose hair and eyes glow in the shades of flames.

They share their lady’s grace and love for music and dance, populating the arid wastes of the southeast.

The Air is ruled by Enlial, the Farseer, with no mystery hidden from their eyes.

Their companion is Khiraz, the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion.

Enlial breathed life into the Aerieth, the winged people of Air, who are as wise as they are talented in the arts.

They made their home in the northeast, building their beautiful aeries in the high trees of the Argentien Forest or in the jagged mountains towering there.

Even the heavenly Father knows the weight of shadows on his spirit, so he also made Noctis, the God of Darkness.

Noctis refused to create a people of his own to inhabit the shadowy corners of the world, his heart too firmly set against the Allfather’s plans.

When the Allfather made the world, he raised it with the powers of Order, but Chaos still lay beneath the surface, eager to corrupt the unwary.

Noctis, who had rebelled against the Allfather even at the beginning of creation, fell easily to the insidious whispers of Chaos, his heart blackened by envy for his brother Aramaz, for he desired to rule as well.

In secret, far from the eyes of his brethren, he attempted his own creations. But without the Allfather’s blessing, only hideous abominations came to life at his hands.

All Aurea worked together, though, to make the last race: the race of Humans.

For the Allfather had decreed that Humans should receive a small portion of all aspects of the world, making them most like himself.

But, unbeknownst to the other Aurea, Noctis, the Fallen One, was already plotting his rebellion in those days when Humans were created.

He poisoned their very essence, dooming them to eternal conflict, conceived by Order and tempted by Chaos.

Those who fell irretrievably into corruption became the Rakash, a race of Humanoid beasts with fangs and claws.

They formed the main part of Noctis’s dark army, as cruel and terrible as their master.

When the other Aurea saw what he had done, they recoiled in horror and bade Noctis cease his evil deeds.

But the song of corruption was too strong in his blood. Instead of showing repentance, Noctis desired only to destroy everything his brothers and sisters had created. He seduced many to his doomed cause, leading them into battle.

Thus, for the first time, the world knew war.

—Arataniel the Younger, High Priest of Aramaz, Year 1755 of the Golden Tree: On the Days of Becoming