“My father spoke little of Ath, Avv or Torr-van, nor did my Gran. My nuncle, though… Sven and Dirk and Gorf’s dad?” Telosh’s voice rises in question, wondering if the others have paid any attention to his stories of Amara. He moves on quickly though,
“He was the part of the town militia, and while he was a farmer that praised Oo-rin first, he spoke of Torr-van more than he spoke of TyLin when he was teaching us how to fight to protect the village from kossen. Anyhow, the little bits I know about Ath and Torr-vann, seem to come together a bit like this…
Torr-vann, the mightiest and bravest of the gods and the most valiant in battle, has, since time before time, fought with his great two-sided ax against dragons and dark gods and great evil powers to protect humanity.
When the world was young, and so was Torr-vann, Av’v, the mother of… us all, gave birth to a half-human, half-god son, Ath. Ath was an exceptionally clever boy, being both god and human, and Av’v was a strict mother but a great teacher, and taught him many secrets, and most of all how to keep secrets and keep his own counsel.
Ath grew rapidly, and was clever and quick, and in no time at all, Torr-van noticed the young half-god and, hoping to make sure his cleverness would lead to good and bright things, took the young half-god under his wing.
Ath was a quick study, and learnt how to fight from Torr-van quite well indeed. Ath was skilled at exploiting his enemies weaknesses, and positioning himself for the best advantage in a fight. It was no time at all before Ath and Torr-van both felt Ath was ready to join the warrior god in his battles against dragons and giants and other great evils.
Even though Torr-van was the mightiest warrior of all the gods, and he swore he would protect Ath, it took much work to convince Av’v that Ath would be safe with Torr-van.
But, She had given birth to half human because of her great love for humanity, and she knew that, fighting to protect humanity was part of his destiny, so in the end, she agreed to let young Ath adventure and fight beside Torr-van.
She kept back a dark foreboding knowledge, though, and did not warn Ath or Torr-van about the true nature of the unease she felt. Av’v knew that these adventures would lead to Ath’s death, she knew with dark certainty that his death would be a great tragedy and that the origins of this tragedy lay in Ath and Torr-van’s adventures.
She made the two swear a powerful godly vow that they would always protect each other in hope that she could somehow prevent the tragedy she knew would unfold.
The stories of their travels and battles are no longer well known, but they defeated many great enemies fighting together. Ath was a natural strategist and did not hesitate to strike down their enemies when offered the chance, and the two gods saved each other’s lives many times.
Along the way, an evil dragon, perhaps the father of all Wyverns, poisoned the two gods, with it’s powerful wyvern-like tail, and Ath, with the secret knowledge his mother had taught him, saved himself and Torr-van, but turned his experience and knowledge to his own advantage and began to use poison himself.
Some say that Ath was always corrupted, others say it was the poison that corrupted him, him being half-human, perhaps he was more susceptible, perhaps it was the nature of his mothers secret teachings and their shared secretive nature, but Ath’s poison is part of his corruption. Along with the poison, jealousy, doubt, and mistrust began to infect Ath.
Eventually these battles became something more, the Great War between the gods and the forces of Evil. The forces of evil knew that the Ath and Torr-van were an undefeatable team, but they also knew that Ath had become more like them than like his battle-brother.
So they conspired to capture Av’v.
Once Av’v was captured, their trap was set. They had long used the door in Ath’s mind open by his embrace of poisons, and dreams and nightmares and deceit to grow his jealously and double his mistrust.
Together, Ath and Torr-van battled their way to the dark cavern where Avv was being held captive and tortured and defeated the beasts that were guarding Her. Many say that she was held in deep in the mountains where the Red Wastes are now, and that it is her suffering there that lead the red color and curse on those lands.
Ath, being cautious by nature, and filled with mistrust, moved forward with care, keeping an eye out for traps and treachery.
Torr-van being brave and trusting, rushed forward to free Av’v.
Av’v, her power weakened by the forces of evil, and their foul tortures, saw Torr-van but not Ath, and praised him for rescuing her.
Ath became enraged, and no sooner had Torr-van freed his Mother, Ath treacherously cut the great warrior down from behind with a poisoned blade.
Av’v was free, and in her rage, her power flowed freely and she slew her treacherous, oath-breaking son, his blood flowed out across the floor, and the taint of his poisons gave life to all manner of poisonous vermin there.
Av’v power continued to flow, and with it she raised Torr-van up, returning the valorous god to life again.
As soon as she calmed down though, she saw that she had slain her own son, her gift to humanity, and she also understood her dark and foreboding vision of his death.
“Alexis, do you know any more of this story? I wish I knew more details, which dark gods they fought for example? Malor? Maglubiet? the Arrul No’roth?”
“There are no more details. It is all conjecture. It’s possible none of it actually happened and that it’s all parable. Much of it is definitely used as parable these days.”
“With all these questions, are you pursuing higher, or deeper, sources to get more details? The questions you seem most interested in are deeper in time than my few teachings. Surely Anashar would know more, although I wouldn’t trust him to share that knowledge. There’s also Ishtar, Hood, or perhaps even the Great Anemoi.”
“If it’s not too dirty for you, you could seek out elven, gnomish, hin, or dwarven sources. Before they turned on us, they were said to be allies. Said to have joined us against the worst threats from the orcs, goblins, dragons, etc. Their… sources might have some answers to what you seek.”
Telosh is quiet for a moment, thoughtful even.
“How would I do this, pursuing higher or deeper sources? Would Av’v not know more? Is it not her story too?”
“You asked two questions, and I’ll answer one.” Alexis says with a wink.
“To pursue the higher/deeper sources you need to find the one that resonates with you and honestly reach out. Commit yourself to their cause and they will let you into some of their mysteries.”
Talking like a teacher now Alexis continues “now, you know whatever power you might reach out to isn’t just going to drop a book in your lap. It’s up to you to know their will. And by accepting their will, you can know some of their mysteries. I didn’t learn how to speak with other creatures because I read it in a book, which would have also been a valid route, but because secrets were shared with me. It was up to me to start of the path of discovery, and I was able to find teachers along the way to help with luck, understanding, cleaning, and… more to come.”
Alexis finishes his last sentence with a clap on the shoulder with one hand and showing crossed fingers on his other, for the hope that more good mysteries will be unlocked in the future.
“Are you still pursuing Ty-Lin” Alexis says dubiously “or are you pursuing another, now? Ponnoi? Torr-van? Raiden?
“Or perhaps simply giving thanks to each in their turn.” Alexis nods appreciatively at this.
Telosh hesitates, takes a deep breath.
“Giving thanks to each in their turn feels true and right. And, I am still drawn to TyLin… but… I do not feel the call to offer… my enemies redemption.”
Another pause, another deep breath. A quite prayer to TyLin for strength and to guard against corruption.
“Alexis, I am afraid. The way you speak of Avv, and when you mentioned Ath the other day, it made me angry. As I worked on how I wanted to tell the story of Ath and Torrvan…”
Another pause. another deep breath.
“I’m not like Ath, Alexis. I’m not a traitor, I’m not a betrayer. But… I’m not afraid to do the needful to protect my family and my allies. And, Avv… I’m not like Nandra either, she was not that different from the stink lizard witch…”
Telosh looks at Alexis, genuine fear and pain in his face.
Alexis smiles broadly at Inkam and puts his hands up to show he’s unarmed/harmless.
“This talk of gods has really got you a bit worked up, my lad. Of Ath being ‘the betrayer’ and Avv being a witch. Sure each of those gods has that aspect, but they’re much more nuanced than that. Ty-Lin’s not just ‘a goddess of nature’ or ‘a god of trees’ or ‘the pacifist god’. She’s all those things, and more. And the complicated parts in-between as well.”
“Ath doesn’t consider himself a betrayer. He is a knower of secrets. He is a keeper of secrets. Ath is a bridge between the gods and mankind. He is a capable fighter, but using lesser known techniques and the sort that lets foot soldiers lead the way.”
“Avv has a witch-y aspect, but she’s also the mother who defends her children like a bear. She is Ishtar’s mother. She knows all the old-wives tales, because she’s the one who originally told all the old wives. She brews potions. She gave birth before the other gods were old enough to do so. She is the god of the thrown-away, of the discarded, of the no-longer-needed. She is the goddess for those whose day has come and gone. She is the goddess of happier days, and melancholy ahead.”
“But this fascination you have with the gods has been good for me in a way. My family really only cared about Dai-sen and any horse god they could find. My path with Tymora was mostly just to be contrarian with dad.” Alexis gives a little self-deprecating snort.
“Anyway. Long-story long, the gods aren’t really something I’ve thought much about and It’s kind of fun to think about.”
“Also fun to steal Mogubliet’s stones” Alexis gives a mischievous grin and grabs with one hand as if grabbing a goblin god by the crotch.
Telosh’s face finally opens up as Alexis talks about his father, and Telosh laughs lightheartedly at Alexis’ comment an gesture regarding the “stones.”
Visibly less tense, Telosh ponders Alexis’ words for a moment before speaking.
“Thank you Alexis. I guess I’m looking for a clear sign of what is.. right. When I left Amara with my counsins, I thought I knew the path… but first I lost Sven and Gorf, and then even Dirk… with you, and ‘Red and Gus, it feels right again, but I also feel more unsure than ever…”
Telosh pauses, he’s grown pensive again. A smile, perhaps a bit forced, grows on his face,
“Thank you for your patience and for sharing what you know, Alexis. I need to rest before my watch, but I would like to continue these conversations when we can.”
As Inkam turns to go rest Alexis calls after him. “There are plenty of gods who are happy to help us human treasure hunters. Who speaks to you of buried weapons in abandoned caves? Who hints of piles of treasure awaiting you in a ruin? Who offers their hand to help you carry treasure back to humanity? This is your god.”
“Rest well, friend.”