Alior (Ah-lee-or)

Alior is the all-being. Alior does not involve himself in any domain, but in truth all belongs to Alior. Because of this type of dynamic that Alior has with the world, Alior's role has been called the art of detached custodianship. Alior decides the fate and path of all, but Alior does not create, or end, or even alter. The Crenex, too, often an event assigned to Alior, is truly the work of Aminduis. Thus Alior is often named Father Fate, Father Time or simply Time, for time moves all things to their inevitable destination, and is thus the main machination of Alior; the one thing that stands between the world and its inevitable fortune. A part of Alior's will is more direct; when the gift was done, Alior gave blessing to the world, for Alior loves it forever. But Alior's blessing is nothing so simple as a meaningless phrase or an exclamation of approval; Alior's blessing was the strings of life. Alior tied a band around Aframir of Alior's own hair; bright blue strands of stardust, and they came from beneath Alior's crown and above Alior's head, and thus they were filled of Alior's essence and Alior's intention. And then Alior broke the band into many pieces, and Alior breathed so that the blue strands scattered around the Orthosphere in uncountable fibres, many of which are undoubtedly still unaccounted for. Aminduis collected many, for he wished for disorder on the planet as Alior commanded, and he feared that Alior's blessing would order the planet like it ordered the heaven. But he saw that the strands that landed did not order the world, but moved it and gave it purpose, and he saw that it was as it should be. Therefore he gave the blessing he collected to his apprentices, so that they might use it for those things they deemed of higher purpose and thus for whom and what time must move faster. Eron granted it to his Juuren, Mielah to her rivers. Adrah spun it around the earth for his sun to move over, granting the sky dome an ever-blue hue. Aziel blessed his forests, Gilmithiën her Aerin. and Raníen had only humans, the wisest and most complex of all the Orthosphere's creations. However could Ranién give those gifted ones evermore purpose? And thus he gave the blessing he had been given not to all, but kept it for himself, and only bestowed it to alter the course of the world as it was first decided by Alior's first blessed band; for the smallest tokens of his creation had great fortune on their own, and with the blessing they were able to change the world greatly and for ever, like a skilled tailor can reweave all threads on a carpet woven yet long ago.

On Alior was written the work Assorted markings on Alior, the crafters and their works, which to many scholars is the chief manuscript which describes the history, the intention and the fortune of Alior, the crafters and the Heaven and the Orth. It is neither holy nor revered, for only works of the crafters are holy. It was a tome of collected works by others, such as the very old texts The Reading Of The Tasks and Apprentices Of Aminduis. The latest text to be appended was written by Nírdan: On Time and fortune. most texts, however, are of an uncertain origin.

Alior's most important symbol is that of two arrows: one pointed upward and one pointed to the right. The upward arrow reaffirms Alior's supremacy in heavens and in the Orthosphere. The rightward pointing arrow symbolizes the ever-flowing movement of time; not turning back, ever going onward. Some variants of this symbol include two more lines, going leftward and downward. the leftward line terminates in a smaller perpendicular line; it signifies the impossibility to amend the past and the immovability of Alior's will. The downward pointing line terminates in a circle; signifying the lower position of earth to the heavens.

The very question of whether Alior has goals in the first place makes very little sense. When speaking about the will of the king of heavens, one often finds himself speaking in vague analogies or riddles. Nírdan gospeled:

Asking about Alior's plans for the future is like asking a man what his plan is with his arms. Plan? They are simply my arms, and they are an integral part of what makes me myself. I am incomplete without them. As such, Alior is history, the present, and the future at the same time. Not least for this reason we should bind our minds to time to praise Alior in the greatest way he deserves; for by remembering the past, being present in the moment and expectant of the future, all at once, we can truly appreciate Alior's all-encompassing nature.

~Nírdan in Assorted markings   In whatever mysterious way possible, Alior wants to bear the fruits of the crafters' labours. And Alior, being time, or rather, being time to the Orph, must know that time is what gives lifeblood to Aframir. Without Alior the rivers glisten but do not flow, the birds levitate but do not chirp, and humans smile and stand tall, but they do not sing, dance or grow. Then why, if time gives life, does it also herald doom, decay and death? If time had not moved Tordisti would be paradise today, mankind would not have devolved to petty wars and the Tribes would not stand opposed to one another, so unlike the days of yonder. But Alior wishes this, and there are many ways to explain this. Ultimately, Light is only blinding when there is no shadow.