The Dreamer Gods

Even among the gods, there is love. This is the tale of two deities of Cartyrion that came to love one another despite the protestations of their associates. It is the tale of how two gods with similar spheres of influence became companions and lovers rather than rivals. And it is the tale of how the Half-Elves came to be.

The first of the Astralar to arrive on Cartyrion were the Alevar. After Berdea Awakened the Elves, the Alevar set about doing what gods do - guiding various aspects of the lives of their believers - each god focusing on an aspect of life that suited them. Aurelana and her twin sister Umbrelana chose to make themselves goddesses of darkness and the night. Though twins, they were of different temperaments, so while Umbrelana focused on the ability of darkness to conceal and induce fear, Aurelana chose to focus on the peace and solitude that night can bring. Aurelana's domains included the ability to manipulate the dreams of her believers, and through dreams, she would reassure them, pass on wisdom, and otherwise encourage them to strive for more. Umbrelana, on the other hand, learned the power of nightmares, and through these, she frightened believers into courses of action that would bring her amusement. Though sisters, Aurelana and Umbrelana did not get along.

Much later, after several other Astralar sects arrived and established themselves, the Humanar arrived. Among these deities, there was also one whose focus on darkness and the night. Somnion also learned to communicate with his followers by means of dreams. Sometimes, he would send dreams to speak wisdom and guidance; other times he would send nightmares to deliver more forceful messages.

Rivals and Threats

Somnion and Umbrelana began to clash with each other almost from the first arrival of the Humanar. Because it is in her nature to cause mischief, Umbrelana frightened the Elves with nightmares about these new creatures - these Humans. In nightmares, she sent images of humans chopping down whole forests, polluting the skies with thick clouds of black smoke as they burned their way through Berdea's nature. Somnion, aware of this, used dreams to first encourage the Humans to reach out and establish friendships with the Elves, but when this did not work, the dreams switched to warnings, and eventually nightmares intended to ensure the Humans were on their guard against any aggressions the Elves may undertake. Before long, it was becoming clear to both sides that a conflict was coming - it just needed the right spark.

Kindred Spirits

Aurelana saw what was happening, and decided she would need to intervene. She could send dreams to the Elves to hopefully get them to see reason, but what of the Humans? She decided to appeal to Somnion directly. It should be noted that it is quite unusual for the different sects of Astralar to interact with each other in any way. Typically, they leave each other alone and focus only on their own "children". So Somnion was surprised to see Aurelana approach that first day, but he listened. He did not have any grudge against the Alevar or the Elves, but he was going to do what he could to protect the Humans.

Dreams of Peace and Growing Affection

The two deities spoke at length about what sorts of messages each could send to stop the coming storm before it could break. And they met many times to discuss their successes and failures, and to refine their plans and the nature of the dreams they wished to send. As time passed, they realized that, though they were of different Astralar sects, there was really not much difference between them. in fact, they came to realize that they enjoyed each other's company quite a bit. If they were mortals, it would have been proper to say they were falling in love with each other, but whether love works the same way among the gods is a mystery.

The two deities delivered their dreams to their believers, dreams of Elves and Humans living in peace... cooperating with one another... fighting common enemies... performing great deeds together. The dreams began to ease the tensions among the Folk, but there was still much distrust between the two races. Something more was needed.

Perhaps it was the need to provide the Elves and Humans with more proof that they were too alike to be at war with one another, or perhaps it was purely the result of the growing affection between Aurelana and Somnion. Most likely it was a combination of the two, but the the deities decided on a course of action that would change Cartyrion forever. Looking carefully among their believers, they identified two that would serve their needs perfectly. A female elven priestess of Aurelana, and a Human cleric of Somnion... through the subtle manipulations of their deities, the two were brought together. Their dreams told each of them that they were to work together to promote unity among Elves and Humans, and so they did. And as had happened with Aurelana and Somnion, the two, working closely, began to feel affection for each other. But it was when they decided to demonstrate that affection in the most powerful of ways that the two deities intervened once more. Calling upon powers that only the most powerful of the Astralar could usually manage, they reached out to Cartyrion and caused life to spring forth. A child was born to the Elven priestess - the first child of both Elf and Human parentage.

Legacy

Today, every Half-Elf on Cartyrion knows of the relationship betwen Aurelana and Somnion. They know of the love - if that is what the gods call it - that they felt for each other. They believe they are the manifestation of that love - a love that grows with the birth of every half-elf in the world.