The Chalice Saga, Vol 2
The Chalice Saga, volume 2 is the second of three volumes that detail the history of the Chalice Gods. Also seeThe Chalice Saga, volume 1 and The Chalice Saga, volume 3. "Looks like a dusty old book of myths"
“Part 2: The Death of Ilth Hale
Has there ever been a more bard-worthy legend that that of Ilth Hale, the god of Bravery and Humanity? But this is not the story of her life. It is the tragic story of her death, and the birth of Ilth Hale, god of Sorrow and the Forsaken.
During the God War, Ilth Hale had been stabbed in the back by her husband Kirad. Kirad removed her Armor of Bravery and slashed at her bonds of power, easily outmaneuvering her, for Ilth had thought Kirad was her staunch ally, so his betrayal was easy. And after a hundred thousand years of marriage, Kirad knew how to destroy her utterly.
Ilth Hale was left as but a speck, a single spirit: the human form of Ilth Hale as she had once been so long ago. Heartbroken, naked, and alone, Ilth Hale finally succumbed to sorrow. Searching the battlefield, she found a piece of her shattered sword, and slit her wrists. "Vol, come to me now! You swore to take humanity to the soul sea, and I am a human again. Honor your vow!"
But even though her wrists poured blood, Ilth Hale did not die. Vol was caught up in battle against Arisetsu, God of Hope. In the aftermath of the God War, Vol and Arisetsu were the only gods left capable of fighting, so they fought alone. All the other gods watched, exhausted or dying, unable to intervene. So death and hope fought for a seeming eternity, each growing stronger by feeding from the energy of dead gods that swirled about the battlefield.
Vol's battle did not seem to be ending, yet Ilth Hale sat and waited, naked, bleeding, and outraged. Finally she screamed, her voice echoing across the world. "Vol swore to usher dead humans to the soul sea. But he has forsaken me, god of humans! So too shall I forsake death, and all that is good and beloved of Vol." And Ilth Hale, the woman, became a god again. But this time, fueled by the teachery of Kirad, the callousness of Vol, and the anguish of her mythic blade, Ilth Hale was reborn as the god of Sorrow and the Forsaken.
Gathering dark power from the battlefield, Ilth Hale rose into the sky. She found a hole in the sky that she had never seen before: the entrance to Acur, the dark dimension. Now able to perceive it, she flew headlong into it and claimed it as her home.
