The Children of Ah'Shal
On Dremora, the domains of Death and Life are not opposites, but are both important steps on a single cycle. Yet, even though Death and Life cannot be truly divorced from one another, those of Death traditionally do not bring forth life. So how is it that the Dremoran goddess of Death, Ah'Shal, supposedly brought forth a son and, more recently, a daughter? Are they truly her children? If so, how did Ah'Shal – whose mere touch can rot mortal flesh and whose prolonged presence can even drain the Great Mother Tel'Rhea herself – manage to bring forth life from the cold clutches of Death?
Elysia, the Death-Touched
A decade ago, a tiefling teenager from the House of Death made her presence known across the Factory City of Ah'Shal. She declared herself a strong supporter for the unionization of workers and a strong, outspoken voice against excessive Overlord control. Reformed "Bounty Hunters" rallied behind the charismatic teenager who crackled with arcane energy and seemed to possess no fear. And soon the whole continent heard the name Elysia, the volatile child who killed an Overlord in cold-blood... or so the Overlords claim.
Despite current events in the Factory City of Ah'Shal being at the heart of current events and divisive politics, the people beyond the borders of Ah'Shal's region are less interested in Elysia at present. Rather, they are far more interested in the rumors of her parentage. For if it is true that Elysia killed an Overlord with a simple touch, then perhaps there is truth to what Elysia herself claims is her mother: Ah'Shal, Death herself.
The Nature of Elysia's Birth
Elysia's decade of fame (or infamy) has generated an array of theories about her birth, primarily spread across the Neg'Varos Bay area. They are, however, mostly a collection of ill-supported speculations. And most assume that Elysia simply cannot be Ah'Shal's trueborn daughter. The most popular whispered speculations posit that Elysia was a babe abandoned at the doorsteps of the House of Death, a thematic parallel to Newt, hero of the Deep End and Champion of Ah'Shal. And, perhaps, in a few decades, these whispers will be the spark of a new collection of a more formalized mythos.
The Szadarians of the City of Fortune, however, have already added Elysia to their mythos – a connection that bolsters the ties between the Szadarians, the Dremoran continent, and the ruling pantheon of gods. The broader Dremoran populace has generally dismissed the Szadarian mythos as a shoddy attempt to establish divine roots beyond the city they settled in. This flagrant dismissal does not seem to bother the Szadarian leaders, who are undeterred in their belief and unbothered by those beyond their perview.
"By the binding of my prior title, I may claim Elysia as my daughter. And only a fool would deny that such a death-touched child – as skilled a warrior as her ancient brother – is the trueborn child of Lady Death. There is only one I know who could uncover the means to turn his greatest curse into the greatest gift. To challenge what was fated, and achieve what others deem impossible." – Majordomo Hithvessa.
Ramifications of Elysia's Birth
Regardless of whether one believes Elysia to be the daughter of Death is truly unimportant, at least in terms of mythos. However, the speculation and potential nature of her birth has reinvigorated interest in the birth of another, far older, important figure: Vainheart, Lord of the Undead & Undying. Rumors around Elysia's parentage paired with the reemergence of Carmenthia's Library (trove of all knowledge) have led to old and forgotten myths, legends, and stories related to the Undying Tyrant being rediscovered. While Elysia's birth is certainly still of interest, her existence was the final spark ingniting scholars' pursuit of Vainheart's origins.
Vainheart, the Undying Tyrant
For a long while, the name Vainheart vanished from Dremora as every myth, story, or record was suppressed and purposefully obscured by agents of Ah'Shal. Despite the goddess' efforts, evidence of the Undying Tyrant's existence have persisted. Ancient records in the House of Death prove that Vainheart was once among mortals – that he was a child who grew and aged. But these records acknowledge that the name "Vainheart" is not a name, but a moniker given to him by Temple Acolytes, thousands of years ago. His birth name, as well as the circumstances of his birth, are not retained in any official, historical fashion.
The Chosen
The body of mythos collectively referred to as The Chosen Mythos holds that Vainheart was merely one of Ah'Shal's Champions, and perhaps her first. This take on Vainheart's origin has found support in religious and historical groups attempting to ground past and present Champions around a singular narrative: a child abandoned at the House of Death becomes the conduit for Death's Power during a pivotal moment. In the near past, this was Newt and the Battle of the Barrier. In the ancient past, it was Vainheart and the Undead Plague. Soothsayers that subscribe to this body of mythos use the stories of Vainheart and Newt to attempt to predict Elysia's path. If this mythos is a common thread and Elysia is to be the next Champion of Ah'Shal, what battle or war will she face? And, perhaps more importantly... when and where will that battle happen?
Child of Ah'Shal
The alternative body of mythos assumes that Vainheart is the trueborn son of Ah'Shal. Scholars and religious historians that subscribe to this body of mythos must tackle a difficult question: How did a life come directly from the domain of Death? The answer to this question is heavily debated, but there are three prevailing theories:
- Tel'Rhea's Intercession – The Great Mother is known to be the sole force capable of interceding on behalf of mortals on Death's doorstep. This version holds that Tel'Rhea overrode the Cycle of Life and Death to permit Ah'Shal to have a child. The resulting drain and strain on the mother goddess drove a deep wedge between Tel'Rhea and Ah'Shal, thus justifying why the City of Life abandoned the City of Death to smog and corruption.
- Only the Creator – Not even the Great Mother can override the Cycle of Life in Death, not in true. This version holds that The One – The Creator themself – granted Ah'Shal a child, directly bypassing Tel'Rhea's domains of motherhood and childbirth (in a traditional sense) and unintentionally isolating Ah'Shal from her lover. This version of the mythos has faced some pushback from the Church of The One in Eredet.
- Lost Magic – The recovery of Parvathi'Lahn from what was the Wasteland has led to a rediscovery of lost history, lost art, and lost magic. More arcanely-driven scholars believe that Vainheart's father was a mortal man who used lost, powerful magic to father a child with Death herself. It is this version of Vainheart's birth that has spiraled into a series of stories, plays, and arcane theories in the past decade. Some scholars even speculate that the Undead Plague that Vainheart was entrusted with eradicating was a side effect of the magic his own father pursued. And it was Ah'Shal's infidelity that angered Tel'Rhea and resulted in the divide between the two cities today.
Regardless of the version, all mythological tellings of Vainheart's birth, where Ah'Shal is his mother, have one primary common feature: Vainheart is at the core of the divide between Life and Death, between the City of Death and the City of Life, and between the Great Mother and between the Matron of Decay. Whether or not Vainheart truly caused a change in the relationship between the actual goddess' is debatable, but it does reflect his current position outside the Cycle of Life and Death as he reigns as the Lord of the Undead.
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