Frequently I sit near the Undine Lake and think about far away times. The other day I was remembering when friends from the first guild I ever joined in Temuiar, Vaillaire Cura, held a gathering on the newly discovered Lynith Beach. My memory is of a picnic where we sat on the sand and celebrated our growing friendship over various fruits and plenty of spirits. Mieri, CoriLynn, Kamshisha, Jherek, Gido, and Lybrae; how fortunate I was to have so many cherished friends.
For those of us that are quite long in our days, the temptation to dwell in one’s mind can be especially pronounced. It can be comforting to live inside a moment in time recalled as ‘better’. One of the gifts of age is having a large amount of treasured memories to look back upon: memories of youth, adventure, and of course romance.
Perhaps having many positive memories can be a curse if one is struggling to find meaning in the present, but that is not to say that the past is something to be avoided. There can be many comforts drawn from a look backwards.
I like to think back during moments of reflection, when I’m struggling for inspiration, or when I need a reminder about the worth of life. Those far away times are reminders of happiness, friendship, and love. When I need them most, these old feelings support me still.
The people from the memory I imparted to you no longer dream of Temuair, most of them a very long time now. You might think that looking back makes me sad or wistful… and certainly it can…but precious memories like these have allowed me to endure here in Temuair for as long as I have. Without these people and the time we spent together, I would never have formed the ties to Temuair that I did. It is from these memories of far away times that I draw strength and that has allowed me to be with you here today.
For those of you here that are aged Dreamers, think back on your past here in Temuair. About the people you have met and the friendships you have made. Think about the very real feelings you have felt while dreaming in this place. This is the proper role of the past; as a teacher and a companion that reminds you to savor every moment.
For those of you new here to Temuair, I encourage you to live well. There may be a time far in the future that you’ll look back on today for the inspiration to continue on. Be sure that the memories you make now are up to that task of inspiring a future you.
Greetings to you all and especially the new Sparks that have awoken in our little dreamland of Temuair these past handful of moons. It is a delight to see so many new faces here in this Temple today.
For those that do not know me… my name is Landon, a minister of Deoch. I have held this regular mass at different points over the past 200 years. First as assistant to one of my cherished mentors Carnaugh and then to our Temple’s earliest High Priestess Morrigan. Now I hold regular mass whenever Deoch’s inspiration finds me. For a time, I will be holding this mass at this time every double moon; I would be glad to see all of you here in the future if you can make it.
Now…
Here in Deoch Temple, we have a sort of oral tradition passed down from the first dawning. Deoch, as you may be aware, helped create the Spark… that is, the catalyst that attaches to our former mundane selves and births us Aislings into this dream. Whenever I come back to hold a series of masses, I tell this part of our shared history in hopes that you, too, will carry forward this legend and impart it to others. It is with your help that we can keep this old tradition alive here in Deoch’s fellowship.
This is the Legend of the Aisling Spark.
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Deoch was a shifting, shapeless being born of the Darkness. He held incredible 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 his lesser brethren or not, we do not know for certain… but nevertheless, during his mission he happened upon something unexpected that would change his very nature forever.
For you see, one day Deoch encountered Danaan seemingly by chance. She was cloistered away; no allies tending 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 attack his vulnerable foe. Something instead compelled him to watch in secret.
What he saw was Danaan pulling threads 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 engrossed in Her task.
For days... months... years... time passed. This time changed Deoch; Chadul called to him many times. But he did not answer. He chose 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, continued to wait. But Danaan did not return. He slowly emerged from his hiding place and stood before the creation Danaan had left behind. It was a Spark of Light. Delicate in its weaving yet strong but… it was incomplete. If something wasn’t done, it would soon wink out of existence. The work Danaan had done would unravel and be lost forever.
Deoch knew he couldn’t let this happen; for he had come to love Danaan and this Spark was all that remained of Her. Filled with sorrow 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 – two very different creators with very different energies – an impossible union of Light and Darkness. When he stepped away, satisfied with what he had done, Deoch thought back on his time watching Danaan and felt contentment for the first time. A brilliant flash enveloped him, rebirthing Deoch as the God of Inspiration for his role in giving life to Danaan’s final work: The Aisling Spark.
