An extract from the Gunnalt Book of Shadows.

Published, with kindest permission, by Turwelt Publishing of Tortillon.

Of the Creation of Jehm

Before the beginning, before the forward passage of time, there was the void. Dark and silent. Existing as an eternity and an instant. Both all and nothing. Within this void was the Creator - Jarah. She existed in the moment, yet spanning all eternity. In that moment She had a thought, a notion so pure, so beautiful, She began to sing.

She sang of the stars, countless like the grains of sand on infinite shores. She sang of whirling galaxies in vast dimensions, dimensions that were unique, separate, yet one - She sang of Jehm.

And so the facets of Jehm were formed. Substance formed from the void, resonating in harmony with Jarah's song, each facet a different dimension resonating with a different harmony. Facet upon facet formed filling the void. What she created was beautiful. She felt it's presence and smiled. Jarah sang of each facet and within each one a world began to dance to Her melody. She sang of light and warmth, of leaf and bough… of life. The barren became fertile and Her essence flowed into each world, through every root, plant, branch and leaf. The whole of Jehm, every cycle, every season, flowed with the rhythm of Jarah's song. The texture of the music was imprinted on the land. Mountains rose and valleys formed. Oceans swelled… a whale returned the melody.

She paused.

Tilting her head to one side as a child in a state of wonder she sang back to that which She had created. But She felt the whale song echo mournfully through the depths of the ocean searching for another of its kind. The whale was alone; Jarah felt the great creature's loneliness and felt pity. So She sang of other whales and other creatures so the whale would not be alone in the deep. Soon the oceans and seas were teaming with the echoes of Her song. Joy filed Her heart and She rose out of the oceans, extending into the skies and sang her song in a different key. Birds took to the air and soared with the melody. They too returned her song. With every new phrase expressed in the score new life emerged. From sea to air then land, creatures came into being. Each new life joining in the song, returning it with the harmony they had been given.

She stopped singing.

The song resonated so strongly through all She had created that when She stopped the whole of Jehm sang on. At the very centre of Jehm She took form and stood on the facet of Tortillon. She felt in Her being the music She had woven into the fabric of what She had created. Then She began to explore the world with different sense. The moss and grass were soft on Her feet. It felt cool, it felt good, and She smiled. She listened with her ears. The bird song was different from the song she had experienced during the birthing, though the sensation in her ears was just as magical. She listened for a while to the birds' sweet song as the sun warmed Her face and the soft emerald carpet caressed Her feet.

She opened Her eyes…

Her sense of awe rippled through every facet. What She saw was so beautiful. She roamed the land, passing in ecstasy from one facet to another blessing all She had brought into substance. She roamed every corner of Jehm, savouring every sensation She had created. The divine song She had sung resonated on a different level now. She watched as She listened, touched, inhaled every delicate fragrence… She felt joy.

Though as She wandered She remembered the whale and the loneliness it had felt. In spite of all the creatures She had brought into being, She felt alone, and it bore heavily on Her heart. Tears began to well in Her eyes and rolled down Her cheek to fall to the ground where She walked. At last She turned, and saw She was no longer alone. A God walked with Her where Her tears had fallen, a God of Her making, as all things came from Jarah. Her voice, soft and sensual, echoed for the first time in the world of substance.

"I call you Drudain, sing with me." They embraced, and as they rose they began a new song together. They soared through the fabric of Jehm, their two voices merging. As they sang their two songs blended becoming one creating new harmonies that took form on Tortillon. So it was that men and women first walked the hills, valleys and plains of Tortillon and spoke in awe of Jarah's creation. Every woman and every man was created with a part of Jarah and Drudain within them as a guide. An indwelling spirit influencing and influenced by its host. It was the inner voice that told Jarahs' children of their Mother. So they called out to Her. Jarah heard their call and delighted in the fact that they had sought Her. The ways and names She was called were many, but She answered them all. For thousands of years Jarah and Drudain walked amongst their children. In those great times the children of Jehm could summon broad white wings allowing them to soar over the lands like great white eagles. And so they soared with their Creator and Her Drudain. She allowed them to wander freely from facet to facet through gates attended by beings created in a different song of Drudain's making, made substance by Jarah. She called them Keepers, giving safe passage to those travelling between the facets through the void that still lay between.

Her children were a constant delight to Her. She decided that they too would have the joy of children, as now She Herself was the mother of a great family. As man joined with woman becoming one, so they were blessed with children of their own. In time the number of humankind grew so that they could not easily be counted. She placed Her children above all others as She loved them dearly and in return they loved Her. They lived contented in the many facets of Jehm wandering freely as the Creator did through the gates made for them. The ground yielded its' harvest easily as commanded by the Creator and the land was one of plenty. Jarah's children wanted for nothing. Great indeed were those days. Oh, to have walked with the Creator Herself, talked with Her, drank wine with Her. Great days - days of peace.

There were few rules; it was not necessary.
"Do no harm to one another", She commanded, "love each other as I love you, my children. Enjoy the things of the worlds as I have given you. Roam the facets at will and make your home where you please. But always remember your Mother and Father, remember that it is I who share these things with you; what I have created remains mine, though it pleases me that I share it with you. Enjoy the fruits and pleasures of Jehm and tend it for me. You are the stewards of My creation". Tending to Jehm was not a difficult task, the ground yielded its' harvest readily with no effort. Her children performed this task with pleasure and through choice. She was well pleased and poured even greater gifts on Her children who gave thanks to Her offering back a great portion of their harvest uncommanded and of their own free will as thanks. This free sacrifice pleased Jarah and Her already great love for Her children deepened. With the blessing of Jarah and Drudain they tapped into the very fabric of Jehm using magic to enrich their lives and the worlds on which they lived.
But amongst the men of Jehm there was one who became weary of always seeking out Jarah, giving praise and making offerings. This weariness passed from him to his indwelling spirit and back. Back and forth the feeling resonated, building, growing, darkening. Weariness gave way to resentment. Resentment smouldered into hatred. Hatred burned in his heart until it was not enough for him to live serving the Creator, he wanted to be served, he wanted to rule himself - his name was Borach.

Of the Darkening

Jarah would often leave for a short while to be with Drudain leaving Jehm in the hands of Her children for She trusted them. During such a time Borach sought to set the Creators' children against each other and against the Creator Herself.

With clever arguments of deceit the seeds of selfishness were sown which soon grew into a tangle of barbed jealousy. They guarded fiercely what they had, no longer willing to share. Nor were they content with what they had - they wanted more.
Borach wallowed in the bitterness that arose, savouring the stench of greed and mistrust. Spurred on by the dark emotions that surged through the people of Jehm, weapons of war were forged. Borach himself wrought a great sword he named Shun, a black blade to echo the engulfing darkness within him. He urged them on in their distrust for each other, with poisoned words he set the children against each other.
He showed them a path that lead away from Jarah, a path that ignored or denied Jarah's very existence, working against what She had created instead of With it. He used dark magic to create a seal to be placed on weapons that would allow the wielder to kill the in dwelling spirit as well as the host stripping away their immortallity. Those that bore this seal he allied to himself. They called themselves the Dark Ones - the Aterrati. Borachs' army was vast. More than 200,000 followed him. Borach called on dark magic to increase his power, as did his 26 champions. They grew fearsome and darker still.

On Tortillon, a facet still attuned to Jarah, they saw the darkness rising. In defence they created weapons in readiness with their own seal. However, where as the Aterrati longed to bloody their weapons, the children of Tortillon hoped to keep theirs still sheathed, such was the difference in their hearts. They continued to kindle the light while on the other facets the darkness grew.

Those on the other facets were so desperate to vanquish each other and add the spoils to their own hoards that they eagerly accepted what deceit Borach taught them. Men and women of power arose amassing armies and marched against each other. At last they turned on Tortillon itself. In a place now known as the Dark Valley they clashed. It was a battle in which all the people of Jehm were caught; the great armies lead by those led by the darkness within, facet against facet. In the midst of it all the children of Tortillon battled to defend what light yet remained. Savage and bloody was the battle. Streams and rivers ran red with blood. Many fell from the blows of sword and axe, spears and arrows found homes deep in the flesh of the fumbling warriors.
With a savage blood lust Borach too waded into the fray. Having allegiance with no one his sword slew indiscriminately. But this grim battlefield was host to much worse than the specter of wanton carnage. The children had been made like their Creator. Like their Creator, they were immortal, so they could not die from the wounds of ordinary weapons. Borach had taken dark delight in giving a seal to many that would cleave the flesh but not render the victim mortal. Those slain by the Aterrati were the fortunate ones. However, many weapons wielded that day bore the deceitful crest causing untold suffering.

lt was when the battle was at its' peak that Jarah returned. She was met with a grim sight. Her wrath was fearful and shook the once familiar world She trod. She looked into the hearts of all those there and found the greatest darkness in that of Borach.

"Borach! Great is your treachery. Never again will you walk on the soil of Jehm. You will wander in the void between the facets imprisoned in the darkness you have embraced". But Borach was drunk with the lust for power and challenged the Creator brandishing his mighty sword Shun, its black blade glistening still with the blood of battle. He charged the Creator wielding his dark blade with what would have been a mighty blow. But as he charged the Jarah raised Her hand brandishing a blade of Her own which gleamed in the light of an invisible sun. The two blades clashed, light against dark. As surely as the light penetrates the darkness so the Jarahs' sword split the dark weapon of Borach in two. As Borach stood clutching the remains of Shun, Jarah brought Her blade down with a colossal stroke gouging a great wound in Borach. Borachs' cry echoed from the mountains of every facet with the pain of the blow. The remains of Shun were dropped, Borach fell beside it, gravely wounded but not dead.
"Out of my sight, Borach, take your evil away from my presence and all those swearing allegiance to you and sharing your treachery". Borach and his followers crawled into the void.
Jarah instructed Gate keepers "Never shall Borach walk on the soil of Jehm again until I allow it. Both he and his champions will remain imprisoned". And so as the Aterrati fled through the gates to other facets, Borach and his champions found themselves trapped in the void.
Then She turned to Her children who cowered under Her gaze. After a few moments silence, which seemed to stretch out into an eternity, She spoke. "After all I have given you, this is how you repay me. You listened to Borach who could give nothing. Feel the pain of your wounds! THIS is your inheritance. You have chosen a path which must now run its' course. You have condemned yourselves and those who would have stopped you. Now you must experience death".
It was the only way the She could free Her children from the wounds and pain of battle - to allow them to die. With Drudain at Her side to comfort Her, She wept great tears of sorrow as Her children were allowed to pass away.
"Sleep my children," She wept, "Sleep until I call you once more". One by one the keepers bore them away out of sight.
Then, through Her tears, She cried out in terrifying rage and anger, "GO... Go now, you ungrateful pups, reap the rewards of your greed and vile deeds. You sought power you could never obtain. I trusted you. I gave you the freedom of Jehm. Now you must bear the consequences of your actions. Never again will you harvest the earth effortlessly. With childbirth will come pain and your children too will cause you torment as you now torment me. You will be plagued with disease and suffering. No longer will you live ever in health but you will grow old and die. Your life will be toil from womb to grave. This is the legacy you have inherited from Borach - this is the path you have chosen".
With the thunder of Her voice the people scattered in fear for their lives, lives which before they had taken so much for granted. They began to feel the burden of weariness as they fled, a feeling they had never before experienced. They tried to take to the air to hasten their escape but their wings had been stripped from them.

Amid the confusion, amid the fearful panic ridden exodus, some still remained, those who had argued against Borach - the faithful ones, the children of Tortillon. They knelt before the Creator trembling. Their spokesman, a woman named Tu-Pah, in a voice trembling with fear, spoke up.
"We are a great disappointment to you, many chose a path which has led us to death, but worst of all, we have angered You. But I beg You, do not be harsh, we are frail, the arguments of Borach were compelling. Have mercy on those who were corrupted by his poisoned words. Please, do not send us away completely".
The heart felt pleading of Tu-Pah mellowed and warmed the savage heart of Jarah and rekindled the embers of the great love She had for Her children.
"Great is My sorrow over what has passed. You cannot fathom the depth of the betrayal I feel. I wove the fabric of Jehm, I could have made you all subservient, slaves to do my bidding, but I did not. I wanted to share what I had made, I wanted to see the pleasure it could bring, this could only happen if you could experience Jehm freely. It pleased Me to give you that freedom. But you turned it against me." She paused as her words bore on the hearts of those listening, heads bowed in shame and sorrow.
"Borach will be punished," She continued, "in time he will suffer the full and terrible consequence of his actions. In the meantime it pains me that my children must suffer also. But I do love them… I love you… and as you ask I will not abandon them completely. I will leave behind my own Seal. Those of you who bear it must light the old paths and fight against the treachery of Borach. You must hunt down and kill the remaining Aterrati. His champions you must defeat also. Once done, I will release Borach and it will be up to you to defeat him. Between then and now you will minister My healing and My protection and My wisdom in this now shattered multiverse of Jehm. The Seal will be a mark that you are untainted by this Darkening and protected from it. My spirit will dwell in the bearer teaching and guiding. You alone will be free to roam the facets to carry out this work. You alone will keep your wings, though they will now be black. You will dress in black until you have defeated the darkness and rekindled the light. The others amongst you will remain on Tortillon to serve the Guardians. The Keepers will not grant you passage to other facets. You will have all as before though your wings, too, will be taken away." She drew back and looked on the children before Her with pity. Then she addressed the Guardians directly as the Seal, the Guardian Crest, painlessly bore into the right shoulder of those chosen to be Guardians.
"I shall depart now, to a facet not to be revealed until the last days. You are the Guardians, arm yourselves and protect my children. One day I will return to walk amongst you once more to bring home those who turn their backs on the deceiver and turn to the Divine. Make the path clear so they can chose freely. As my children, you too must suffer the consequences of the actions of those who turned against me. But as reward for remaining faithful you will be allowed to remain and dwell here on Tortillon, which I will free from the corruption of Borach. You will be able to travel freely between facets through the gates. Every millennium I will chose other Guardians from future descendants of Jehm that please me to double your numbers. The years of those scattered ones will be numbered. They will live no longer than one hundred and fifty years, though many will die before through disease. You, and the tekani who serve you, will remain immortal, to serve Me and savour the benefits of a facet still untainted by Borach. Every millennium I will appoint and place new guardians. You will train them for ten years before they venture alone. Other instructions I will give through you spirit guides. I leave you now with the stewardship of Tortillon and your smaller brothers and sisters scattered across Jehm until the day I call you all home".

Jarah drew back then into the fabric of Jehm with Drudain. Leaving the Guardians and the tekani alone. The bodies of the fallen were taken away and the Valley of Darkness cleared. It remained forever after that day as both a reminder and memorial to those who perished that day. Not only to those that died, but also those that were banished to their fate in the many far-flung facets now cut off from Tortillon. These people were referred to there after as the Scattered Ones.

The only solace for those remaining on Tortillon at that time was the fact that Tortillon remained as it had since the creation and did not bear the scars of the Darkening. They did not know where Jarah had gone. They could only remember Her through continued reverence for the world around them. Through meditation and magic they maintained connection with the fabric of Jehm, the essence of Jarah. The symbol the Guardians bore on their shoulders became a potent one. Not least as it was the symbol ritually cast on the weapons, skilfully and beautifully crafted by the tekani, enabling the Guardians to carry out their calling. It became known as the Torwelt in the ancient kyukerian tongue meaning five elements. Symbolising the four earth elements and threaded through them the supreme essence of Jarah Herself. It became a common symbol throughout Tortillon. It reminded all on Tortillon, Guardian and tekani alike, that Jarah and Drudain were not far away. They would look at all the life around them and smile.

The Darkening had heralded the end of an age. The age of peace was over.

So began the Age of Darkness…

So began the Age of War.