Deoch Mass 10-28-2018

(Remarks as written, not as delivered)


It is a pleasure to stand before all of you, giving a mass to Deoch once again. It has been over a full cycle since I last stood in this position; giving words of praise.

Things have certainly changed here over the decades. The familiar faces of my youth are nearly all missing, the strong pillars of community in which this temple and many others were built upon have also retired from their watch... But, at the same time, every time I awaken again to walk Temuair I find fresh faces awash in new potential to create a greatness all their own. Some people speak bleakly about the current times, but with a little faith… in Deoch and in each other… I think we can create a fellowship that would make those first Aislings proud.

For those of you who have worshiped along side me in the past, this one may be familiar but it is one worth retelling; today, I offer a tale that was frequently repeated in the halls of Deoch’s temple back when I was but a new priest so that you may carry it forward and tell it amongst yourselves as well. This is the tale of how the Aisling Spark came to be.

Deoch was a shifting, shapeless being of Darkness and he held great power, much more than that of a normal Dubhaimid creature that crawled the lands at the time. He was one of the favored of Chadul and was deployed not to decimate the enemy but to tempt them -- to lure them -- to the side of Darkness. If Deoch at the time was a mindless drone like that of his lesser brethren or not, we do not know for certain, but regardless during his mission he stumbled onto something unexpected that would change his very nature forever.

One day, Deoch encountered Danaan seemingly by chance. She was cloistered away; no allies protecting Her; She was alone, vulnerable, and looked to be calmly working on something that was taking her full attention. Being the powerful force of Darkness that he was, this would have made a tempting target for Deoch but he did not take the opportunity to destroy Danaan; instead something compelled Him instead to watch in secret.

What he saw was Danaan pulling strands of Light out of thin air and weaving them into something which Deoch could not see from his vantage point, but still he remained motionless. Transfixed by the Goddess and Her task.

For days... months... years... time passed. This time changed Deoch; Chadul called to him many times but he did not answer, -choosing- to forsake his servitude to his Dark lord instead of pulling his gaze away from Danaan and the mysterious work She had occupied Herself with.

Over a century had passed since Deoch ignored the call of Chadul until one day Danaan disappeared, mysteriously and without warning. In the years leading up to this, Her work had started to become frantic as if She was working against a deadline. Deoch, either through habit or cautiousness, waited but She did not return. He slowly emerged from his hiding place and stood before the creation Danaan had left behind. It was a Spark; delicate in its weaving yet strong but… incomplete. If something wasn’t done, it wouldn’t be long before it winked out of existence. The work Danaan had done would unravel and be lost forever.

Deoch knew he couldn’t let this happen -- he loved Danaan and this Spark was all that remained of Her. Filled with sadness at the disappearance of the Goddess He started to work, inspired by the dedication he had been witness to for so long. Although he wasn’t able to see the full picture of how She had been weaving this creation, the decades he had been watching her outside motions he was certain he could at least approximate her design.

For us, it would seem not much but a blink of an eye, but in that moment Deoch spent lifetimes completing Her work. A delicate blending of style and form of two very different creators. When he stepped away, satisfied with what he had done, he thought back on his time watching Danaan and he smiled for the first time as a brilliant flash enveloped him and thus the Aisling Spark was born.


Go forward and spread the word of Deoch. Mass is cast.