Chapter 1:  Kilomond and the Lord of Death

When the world was young, just after the gods and spirits had crafted the world from the voids of time and filled the heavens with their dwellings, the Lord of Forge, Kilomond, set about the creation of many forms in the depths of his great fires. When his work was done he called a meeting of all the spirits and gods. Before the other gods and spirits, he declared “Behold the forms I have made! See they shall populate the world we have created! But, lo, they are not yet finished. Come grant them gifts that they may serve us well throughout our realms!”

Throughout the assembly of the divine, there was a great silence. Hushed whispers slowly grew from the quiet as each god and spirit considered what gift they ought to give the forms crafted by Kilomond.

First to speak was the Ever-Wise Aientas, stroking his long white beard. “I will give them the gift of memory. As they go through the land, they shall see what has happened before and grow in knowledge and so build mighty works and learn the intricacies of the world we have made. There was much agreement among the gods that this was a worthy gift indeed and all wondered how any could match this gift. So, timid silence filled the halls of heaven as all feared that they could not rise to the gift of Aientas.

Then, in a cautious tone, the Great Mother Myliayar spoke, calm and steady, into the silence. “I shall grant them the gift of love. They shall learn to know one another, and treasure each other and treasure the memories that they make of and with one another so that they may enjoy the company of their fellow forms.” Again, the gods agreed that this was a fine gift but were yet afraid to be made fools of by the gifts of the Ever-Wise and the Great Mother.

Seeing this, but desiring more for the forms he had crafted, Kilomond stood before the assembly and laughed, “Come now! Surely the creativity of such a host does not end with these two gifts, mighty as they be?! You need not produce with the splendor that they have! Give freely what you have!”

So, the host of heaven, at first timid, created innumerable gifts large and small at the behest of Kilomond. These gifts were passed on to the forms of mortals, some too many, some too few. Great was the array of mortal kinds that emerged from the giving of these gifts: elves, dwarves, humans, dragonkin, and many, many others. But all received memory from Aientas, love from Myliayar, and most importantly the fire that drives the soul from the Forge Lord Kilomond.

So the mortal forms were released into the world, building and shaping the first towns and cities. The gods set about their business as they had before Kilomond summoned them, seeming to pay no mind to the happenings of the earth and mortals therein. Even the great forge master himself returned to the depths of his forge to set about many other great works.

But the Great Wanderer, Silnethren, the brother of Kilomond, who roams all that is, set out to the earth and traveled amongst the mortals. For a thousand years he wandered the earth and what he found troubled him. He saw the forms of mortals dashed against the rocks of the earth. The waves of the sea swallowed them as the spirits swam in the company of the ocean Lord, Boltumath. In the forests, he found them caught in the winds and dances of the wild spirits of his sister Kalikel. Through all the lands of the earth, he found the forms of mortals broken, the fire of their souls put out, their memories and loves gone, lost to eternity. Such was the catastrophe that only the city of Irrkengrond, the gift of the Ikata the Architect, remained.

Gravely troubled at this discovery, Silnethren sought out his brother in the depths of his forge. “Brother! I have been to the earth below and I have seen grave things! The mortals are broken and crushed by the spirits that drive the world! Your creations are shattered and killed! The radiant flame of their souls seeps out of them and there is nothing but the void in them! Surely we must save them before the last of them are undone!”

Deeply troubled by the destruction of his forms, Kilomond immediately called to counsel the gods. “Behold, the mortal forms I have made are destroyed in our world! They are crushed in the rocks, drowned by the seas, smote by the wild spirits! We must intervene before there are none left in our world! Come let us solve this dilemma once and for all!”

As before Aientas responded first, “Indeed, this is greatly troubling. I see now how the spirits of the world, going to and from as they have since the world was formed, driving the winds and waves, moving the fires of the earth wreak havoc on the mortals. We cannot restrain them lest we completely unmake the world and end all the mortals in the process. So I will set order to the stars, and teach the mortals to understand the signs and seasons through them, so they might know when the spirits come and go, saving themselves from the destruction they unintentionally bring. This shall be a step to prevent their destruction.”

Then, as before, Myliayar rose and spoke, “I too shall act on their behalf. I will grant them the gift of reproduction so that each shall produce offspring of their kind and sustain the forms of the mortals into the future and replace those who have been lost.”

“Excellent!” declared Kilomond, “See brother, we have taken care of your grave concern! Come let us celebrate this accomplishment!” So a great feast was held in heaven, and the gathering of the gods and the spirits commenced again in great merrymaking as they were satisfied with the solutions proposed.

But Silnethren’s heart turned once more to the mortals. He descended to the earth to see what had become of them and if the solutions of the gods had truly resolved the issue of the deaths of mortals. At first, Silnethren’s heart was full as he saw the cities mortals had built within the places where the spirits were calm, found by the wisdom Aientas. Fuller still was it when he saw the joy of new life brought through the gifts of Myliayar. Life had spread and was beautiful.

But the joy of Silnethren’s heart was not to last, for as he wandered he began to see forms that he did not recognize. Forms twisted and burned, inflicting disease and acting in violence to their fellow mortals. Seeking out the source of this change, Silnethren wandered the earth for another thousand years till he found that the mortal forms grew old and eventually withered and failed, releasing the flame within them into the world, where the uncontained radiance would contort and change the mortals who touched it. So many great monsters came to rise throughout the land and the desires of the mortals were twisted against one another in fear and anger.

Disturbed greatly by these events, Silnethren rushed to the forge of his brother. “Kilomod! Kilomond! The state of the earth has again fallen into chaos! Come let us call the gods! We must act!”

Jealous of his creation and seeking to keep the gods from further laying claim on his creation Kilomond retorted, “Brother! Why such concern? The council met together and resolved this matter. Why do you let your heart trouble you?”

“The radiant fire of your souls still seeps out when the mortals age and die. Their memories and loves are still lost. Worse still, the fire of souls has twisted and deformed some of the forms and the wills of others! They do violence to one another! Surely this is worthy of our attention!”

“Brother of mine, do you not remember? We have equipped them for this. And what are the memories and loves of mortals that we should seek to save and preserve them? If they are as valuable as you seem to believe them to be, humans will find a way to preserve them on their own. Have they not discovered Aientas’ writing? Surely this is enough for them to be remembered. You must be weary from your wanderings. Go and rest. I have other greater works to attend to.”

Thus, Kilomond dismissed Silnethren and ignored the plight of mortals. Silnethren could not rest. He had witnessed the suffering of the mortals and so he made a simple request of Kilomond, that he might forge him a great spear and armor for his next journey. Not discerning what Silnethren had in mind, Kilomond gladly obliged his brother and forged a mighty weapon indeed and a great helm shaped like a bird through which ran the golden yellows of the sky which Sil called home. So armed with the spear and dressed in his brother’s steel, Silnethren again set out to the earth, seeking some way to preserve the souls of mortals after their forms failed and broke down.

For yet another thousand years Silnethren wandered the earth, slaying the monsters created by the seeping flame of souls and containing the flame as best he could, desperate in his search to preserve the souls of mortals, till he stumbled into the great northern wastes. Here things seemed strange. He could hear the voices of mortal souls in the cold winds sweeping down from the mountains. Some who had died here continued without bodies but only as far as the winds and the cold carried their preserved flames.

Filled with hope, Silnethren rushed to the mountains clambering to their tops, but finding only the cold, he delved deep into their roots. But in the roots of the mountains, he found only the great violet crystals of the north. What was he to do?

Sweeping up the crystals in his arms, Sil frantically returned to the heavens and began to build great halls of the crystals, filling them with housings for the fires of the soul, that each mortal’s flame may reside in them. Here was a home that could sustain the souls of mortals for eternity. But how to draw them here? Gathering his strength, Sil swirled the cold north wind around and around till it filled all his hall and burst forth from the gates sweeping through all the earth. Sil turned to the great crystals he collected, and summoning once again all the might he could muster, he began to craft the great well into which all soul fire would be swept by the cold north wind. His work progressed slowly as one by one, the souls of mortals passed away and filled the well. With great care, Sil tended the well separating each soul from the pool, placing it in its crystal home, preserving their loves and memories for all eternity. And the souls of the mortals rejoiced in this hall for they were able to see and call to one another to remember all their life and what was good. Satisfied with his work, Silnethren opened the great gates of his hall and called to the gods “Behold! I have taken lordship of death; see how I have preserved the souls of mortals! Listen to them call to each other in my hall in joy!”

And there was great awe amongst the gods and spirits for the work that Sil had done stood above all else that had been made in the heavens. Some were even moved to take up the work of Sil, caring for the well and the souls within the crystal hall.

But Kilomond was filled with wrath at the works of his brother. “How could you claim the souls of mortals for your own!? Did they not come from my fires?!? Did I not craft their forms?? I told you to leave them be that the troubles of mortals had been solved by the gifts of Aientas and Myliayar, but you would not listen. Now the mortals have become more your creations than mine. This I will not allow! I will cleanse them from the earth and return them to my fire!”

“No, brother, do not do this! They are still yours!” cried Sil, seeing his brother taking up his great hammer and approaching the world. Turning to Myliayar and Aientas, Silnethren declared “We must not let him destroy the mortals!”

So, the three made to stop Kilomond on his rampage. Sil with his great spear made by his brother’s hand, Myliayar with her mighty sword and shield, and Aientas wielding the great lights of the universe. The battle raged with such ferocity that the face of the earth was scored and twisted in many places. On and on their strife waged through all the earth and ascending into the heavens. The hammer of Kilomond flew recklessly in his rage. Many a pillar fell in before that wrathful maul and much was lost from the great library, burned in the fire of the Forge Lord’s anger.

But even Kilomond, with all his great strength, could not overcome the three gods who opposed him. For his hammer could not break the shield of Myliayar when he struck. Aientas shone the heavens into the eyes of the smith and Myliayar struck true with her sword piercing the forearm of Kilomond. Leaping upon his wounded brother from the other side, Silnethren thrust his spear through the ribs of the Great Foe. Together, the three cast Kilomond from the heavens, below the realms of the earth, into the depths that his own forge drew upon, far deep down in the depths of the oldest fires below the earth.

The gods wove many spells of protection and sealing on those depths so that Kilomond may not ever escape them. Aientas raised a great mountain to place over the entrance to the depths, that is Milmota, and at its heart he placed a rod of iron that holds the mountain in place. Myliayar drew her sword and cut a deep chasm in the fabric of the world to shear shafts of the forge from the depths so that no escape could be found in the chimneys and foundries of the forge, quenching the fires of the great forge.

But Sil, grieved by the loss of his brother, set aside his helm and his armor and took up small tablet, writing simple message, before casting it through the void into the fiery depths, so that if Kilomond may then find it and read it, and seek to be restored to his brother.  Into these, the rod at the heart of the mountain and tablet of Sil, the gods poured their power to seal Kilomond away, that he may only return when his anger is abated. And this is what the tablet of Sil read.

“To my Brother, Kilomond,

Do not burn in anger forever. I know that you are jealous for your creation and that you believe I have stolen them from you. I never intended this, nor have I taken it from you. I found what you had made so beautiful that I believed it must be preserved. I hoped that you would see the quality of your work as well as I. But alas you have set it in your heart to undo all that you have made. I cannot allow this and I will strive to protect the beauty you created with all my being. I will wander the earth, and gather the souls of the mortals into my winds. Should your anger ever break, and your desire for destruction ever diminish, I wait here on the earth for you with open arms to greet you so that we could look upon what you have made together in my halls and on the earth.

I wait to welcome you home,

Your Brother

Silnethren”

And so, Sil claimed lordship of death and preserved the souls of mortals, wandering the earth gathering their souls, waiting and longing for his brother Kilomond.