The Sarvaran Epic Narrative

Last updated Nov 3, 2024

• Sarvara
• Writing
• Prose

Before Lunuth had first sprouted, before it had been ground into flour or baked into bread, the first Judge and the second Judge ruled the cosmos, to give it order. And the second Judge was subordinate to the First, and was not able to decree the laws of nature, for it was a counsellor to the First.

But the cosmos was destitute, and shapeless. And so the second Judge said to the First, ’the cosmos must be given shape.’ Hearing this, the First decreed that the cosmos must be given shape, and from the void emerged dust and water, all of the material of the cosmos.

But the Judges could not see their creation, and thus the second Judge said, ‘we must create a light, so that we may see our creation.’ Hearing this, the first Judge decreed that a light may be created, and from the void emerged flames bright enough that they should see their entire creation. And the Judges named this light, ‘Sun.’

But all things were at rest, and without order. And so the second Judge said to the First, ’the cosmos must be given order.’ But the First said, ’this is not a task for us, but for another rank.’ And so the First created the Angels to govern the materials of the cosmos, according to the laws of nature. And the Judges contained the laws within an immanent energy throughout all of the cosmos, and named this energy, ‘ Alucinara,’ for they had invisioned it.

And the Angels had license to decree all things within their dominion, and the Angels looked upon the cosmos, decreeing, ‘it is good that the dust and water should collect in lands and seas, and that the lands should collect in planets by the sun, and that the seas should collect in oceans on the planets.’ And so the lands collected in planets, and moons, and asteroids, and the seas collected in oceans, which were upon the lands.

Now the second Judge was covetous of the first Judge’s authority, saying, ‘why should my superior and my subordinates decree all things, and I not, but rather to counsel them? Is not the beauty that has been created my own, for I advised its creation?’ And so the second Judge hid from the First in secret, and decreed new laws of nature. And the Second contained these laws within an energy incarnate in spirits¹, and named this energy, ‘Darkness,’ for it was hidden from the First and the Angels.

And the spirits of Darkness asked the second Judge, ‘O glorious, may you please fill us, that we may not be dishonourably hungry, and that our hunger may not dishonour you?’ And so the second Judge gave the spirits dust to eat, but the spirits were not filled, saying, ‘O glorious, do you mean to dishonour us further? Fill us with something that should match your glory, that we may be a testament to it.’ And so the second Judge gave the spirits a moon to eat, but the spirits were not filled, saying, ‘O glorious, you dishonour yourself if you are to suppose that this matches your glory! Fill us with something greater.’ And so the second Judge gave the spirits a planet to eat, but the spirits were not filled.

Now the spirits of Darkness did not fear judgement, as they were hidden. Distrusting their creator, they saw it well to consume other things, and thus began to eat other moons, other planets, and to drink seas, till there was nothing left but the Sun, and the Judges, and the Angels. Now the first Judge was horrified by the devestation that had been unleashed by the spirits, saying to its companion, ‘why have you created these spirits? Do you not know it dishonours you to destroy the cosmos we gave shape to? I will surely have to destroy these spirits, lest they destroy the cosmos at last.’ But the spirits, hearing that they should be destroyed, set themselves against the first Judge, to consume it.

But the first Judge and the Angels battled the spirits of Darkness, decreeing that each spirit should be returned to the cosmos as energy and matter. Now the advantage of the spirits was too great, and the Judge could not see them well. And it came to pass that the spirits defeated the Judge, and consumed it. But the power of the first Judge was too great, even in death, and the cosmos and everything within it was shattered, and scattered across many realms.

And so the surviving spirits of Darkness asked, ‘O glorious, are we not now a testament to your glory?’ But the Judge was ashamed of the consequences of its actions, and its heart was set against the spirits, saying, ‘surely, you will not defeat me as you have consumed my companion.’ And the spirits said, ‘yes, for you are glorious.’ But the Judge wept, saying, ‘my companion was right, you were never to be the one testament to my glory, but rather this cosmos of our design. I see now that you lack glory, and your existence will forever shine unfavourably upon me.’ And the spirits were afraid, saying, ‘do you intend to destroy us?’ And the Judge said, ’nay, for I cannot destroy, but I will create a punishment worthy of your iniquity.’

Now the Judge resided within the heavens, which were above and inbetween the shattered realms. And thus it decreed new laws of nature, that the remnants of the cosmos may be protected from further destruction. And the Judge contained the new laws within an energy to replace the energy of Alucinara, and the Judge named this new energy, ‘ justification,’ for the spirits of Darkness were justified and punished for their iniquity.

And so the Judge took the energy of Alucinara, and contained it within crystals, saying, ’the beauty of the old laws of the Angels shall appear from within beautiful crystals.’ Also the Judge took the energy of Darkness, and contained the spirits within bodies of pitch, saying, ‘it is befitting that you should be like filth, collecting in the dark places of the earths, for you are deserving of punishment.’

But the spirits of darkness were unhappy with their bodies, saying, ‘we must escape the dark places of the earths.’ And so they called out to the Angels, saying, ‘are you not unhappy having authority over the dirt? Come, let us create new bodies for us, that you may have authority over something greater.’ And so the Angels formed bodies of clay for the spirits, and the spirits of pitch resided within them, and escaped the dark places of the earths.

Now the Judge was upset when it heard of this, saying, ‘you have once again commited an act of iniquity against my decree.’ But the spirits gloated, and said, ‘are you not ashamed? for we have escaped the dark places of the earth, and created new bodies for ourselves greater than any thing you could create.’ And the Judge was deeply wroth, saying, ‘a false belief has sprouted within you, that you are greater than I, but I say that you inherit your greatness from me. I see that your new bodies are great, for they were created by the Angels, but the Angels are from me.’

But the spirits of Darkness would not listen, and so the Judge said, ‘I decree that your bodies be fired into flesh, that you may toil to consume one another to survive, only to age and perish in the order of your years. And in death, you will burn within the heavens, as stars.’ And so the Judge send a flame from the Suns upon the spirits, that they may be fired into flesh, as living beings. And the Judge said, ‘I grant you one good thing, that you may bear heirs, and build families, that your legacy is not forgotten, and that the balance of life and death is even, and good.’ And so the Judge sent a few spirits down upon the lands and seas, and the rest it kept within the heavens, to burn as stars, and they burn in constellation with one another to this day.

And it came to pass that the living beings made homes for themselves upon the earths, but some planets were inhospitable. And the living beings were separated in kinds from one another by the Angels, into ‘plants,’ and ‘animals.’ And so the plants fed upon the light of suns and were humble, and the animals fed upon all other living beings and were not humble, and so the plants were given many years to live, but the animals were given less. And the Angels also appointed another kind, ‘mould’, to fulfil the laws of decay and perishing. And another kind, ‘ people’, was set apart from the animals, to be a kind abounding with wisdom and faith.

And the people were separated into many kinds among themselves. Some were separated from squirrels, called ‘Minikin’, and some from slugs, and some from apes. But the Judge looked upon the Minikin, and said, ’this kind is good, for they have the means to master the laws of Alucinara and Justification for righteous purposes.’ And the Judge said to the Angels, ‘come, let us will teach them of the ways of death, and magic, and fire, that they may be made wise in the fear of death and worship me.’ And so the Judge and the Angels taught the Minikin of the ways of death, and magic, and fire, and they were wise in the fear of death. And the Minikin were settled in the 2nd realm, within the land of Deshwacath², in the continent of Tseireph. And there the minikin built temples unto the Judge, and worshipped.

But it came to pass that the Minikin began to worship the Angels, for they could not discern the greatness of the Judge from the greatness of the Angels, for their minds were paltry compared to the celestial beings. And some Angels were evil, and merrymade in the misdirection of worship, and granted the petitions of the misfaithful in return for worship and sacrifice. And so the Judge’s heart was deeply afflicted, and it was aggrieved by the false-worship of the angels, and cried out, ‘O Angels! How many mistakes must I make before I learn–now I receive no praise, and no worship, for I have made yet another mistake. How it should have been me to die in place of you, O my superior companoon! For I am of lesser character than you, and the world would be exceeding great if I had not I destroyed you in my iniquity.’

And the people heard this in an apparition, and were confused, saying, ‘surely our creator has gone insane! It grieves for our faith, yet does not preserve us as the Angels do.’ And so the Minikin priests went unto the Judge in the temples, asking, ‘are you well?’ But the Judge said, ’nay, for my heart is deeply afflicted, I have made another mistake, and the Angels are another testament to my iniquity, and I grieve for my companion, whom I destroyed in my iniquity.’ And the Judge said also, ‘You misplace your faith toward the mistakes of your creator, but I tell you that it it righteous that you should worship me alone.’

And the priests said, ‘O creator, how we did not know! Surely, you must atone for your iniquity, for you said to the mothers and fathers of our ancestors that pride is transgression, and yet you do not repent for your own sin.’ And the Judge’s heart was deeply moved, and the Judge cried out in the temples, ‘it behoves me to redeem myself.’ And so the Judge lifted its voice to all people in a hallucination, saying, ‘I decree that I should be bound by the one duty now to protect the people whom I created an eld ago and punished for their iniquity.’

And so the Judge birthed its spirit from itself into an offspring; a child, that it may be humble among people. And the child was to be made of stone, petrified by the Judge’s memories of evil, and it was charged with the one duty to protect the people its parent had created. And so the Judge was no more, for its spirit now resided within the child it had become. And the minikin looked upon the child and named it, ’the Petrified Child.’

Now the Petrified Child’s vision was greatly limited, and could not see, and it was not able to protect the Minikin well. And the child came into the temples and said to the priests, ‘may you please carve eyes into the rocks for me, that I may see, and protect you?’ And so the people carved the eyes into stone, and named them ‘watchstones.’ The people built watchstones in cliff-faces, boulders, rocks, and pebbles, and kept them as charms within their pockets, that they may be protected from the evil of one another and the beastly kinds of the animals.

But some minikin were evil, and secretly remained in worship of the Angels, and hid the watchstones. And there were no watchstones in the temples, and in homes, and it was in these places that the people hurt one another, and worshiped false-gods, and were not righteous unto the child, and did not fear it. And so the minikin did not teach their daughters and sons of the child, and died, and their children lacked the inheritence of faith that protected them. And it came to pass as the generations passed that the watchstones were worn down to dust, and were no more.

Now in the land of Tseireph lived a Deshwarite priestess called Asthara, and her husband with her. And it came to pass that in the deep hours of the night, the sinless Angels sent a message in a dream to Asthara, saying, ‘you shall have a daughter, and she will bring all of Deshwacath back to true faith. And you will call her name ‘Yahna,’ for she will be righteous amongst people.’ And Asthara was deeply troubled by this, for she had not yet learned of true faith, and it was the custom that priests should not bear children.

And so she knelt down in the temple, and brought her soul close to the Angels, asking, ‘why have you charged me with motherhood? Do you not recognise my robes as those of a priestess?’ and the angel Ceiris³, whom was the explainer, spoke out in an apparition, saying, ‘Asthara, do not weep! For this is a great task you have been charged with. We see that your heart is good amongst people, and you have been chosen as the progenitor of the slayer of misfaith.’ But Asthara was worried, saying, ’tell me you are lying, for I must not have devoted my life to misfaith.’ and Ceiris said, ‘yea, but it was not in vain. Your misfaith has laid the foundation for the new age of true faith.’

And so Asthara left the temple, and was walking along the river Morassar⁴ to her home, when she saw a baby girl in the waters. And she was greatly surprised, and drew the girl out of the river, but the child was blue, and was not breathing, and so Asthara cast magic, pulling the water from her lungs, and the girl was revitalised. And Asthara asked, ‘where are your parents, young girl? May the Angels rebuke whomever hurt you, O precious creation.’ But the girl responded, ‘I have no parents,’ for she was an orphan. And she said, ‘I was merely playing alone by the riverbank, and I fell in.’ And so Asthara asked, ‘do you have a home?’ But the girl said, ’nay,’ for she could not answer. And Asthara asked also, ‘do you have a name?’ but the girl could not answer also. And so Asthara took the girl’s hand and walked the rest of the way home, and took the girl as her child, calling her ‘Perrelim⁵,’ for she did not know who she was.

And it came to pass after many years that as Asthara laid down in her bed to sleep, Ceiris called out for her in a dream, saying, ‘O good priestess! You believe that Perrelim is an ordinary girl, but you have seen that she is exceeding fair and good amongst the Deshwarites, and I tell you that she is in fact Yahna.’ And Asthara awoke, and could not sleep, for she understood that the age of true faith was upon her, and she knelt down and said, ‘I do not know if I can handle the responsibility.’ And Ceiris responded from the heavens, ‘be faithful and listen out for the truth from your daughter, and you will be preserved from fear in true understanding.’