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History of Arisetsu (Council Annotated Edition) The Fennyra Crystal, the treasured memories of a million long-dead elves, shows a time unlike ours. In the age when humans and orcs were simple primitives, elves were more magical, more in tune with other realms, and their lifespans much longer. Although some sang songs of worship to [[Cae-a-lee]], most elves cared little about gods, so the other elven gods were small. The Crystal's last memory ends with the [[Autumn Felling]], when half of all elves died and the rest were left in agony and despair. [[Cae-a-lee]] died too, right when elves needed her most. As elven lands rapidly fell to other races, two minor gods came to their rescue. [[Ir-hetsuHetsu]], god of Wind, and his sister [[Aris]], god of Warmth, guarded the last million living elves in the city now called [[Arisolme]]. As the elves regained their strength, these gods became strong too. [[Irhetsu]] took on speech, then spoken stories, and soon enough all stories. [[Arisetsu]] remained the god of warmth, but also hope. Stories, hope, dreams, and time -- these things guided the elves back to a place of strength. And in a few short centuries [[Arisetsu]] had become a force beyond all recognition, the god of so many concepts that listing them became an ordeal. The other gods of the world were dwarfed by her magnificence, and their resentment grew. But elves hope for peace, and not peace through excess strength. So [[Arisetsu]] in her grace and wisdom gave birth to new gods to represent concepts elves most respected. Her first child was [[Elshana]], god of Creativity. Next came [[Errana]], god of Food and Sex. Third was [[Dreva]], god of Balance in Nature. And finally, Arisetsu could focus on simple Hope once again. Her light dimmed, but it will never expire, for Hope shall always light our darkness and save us from despair.— [[Councilwoman Irasce]]'s notes: this history is exceptionally self-serving. It was written anonymously but it's easy to guess that a priest of [[Arisetsu]] is behind it: as is typical of her priests, this story makes her sound weak! This story would have you believe that Arisetsu gave up most of her power and became a minor god. But the sheer scope of Arisetsu's power at its peak was incomprehensible, so the fact that her power level is now 'comprehensible' does not mean it is small. Arisetsu is a class 1 nature spirit, capable of massive creation or destruction. Her priests bring comfort and healing to the sick and the needy around the world, and they are welcome in all Council cities. We are proud and honored to facilitate the worship of this kind spirit. However, the Council monitors her priesthood carefully, for although [[Arisetsu]] is ideologically a pacifist, she's also extremely pragmatic. Her paladins guard against "threats that would extinguish hope among the faithful," which might as well mean "anybody that angers Arisetsu." And the occasional news of combusting villains reminds us that Arisetsu is still the god of Warmth, and her priests can make things very warm indeed. Lastly, for those not trained in classical Elvish, I want to bring attention to the seeming absence of the two other elder elven gods: [[Mirraverre]], goddess of Dreams, and [[Laeth]], goddess of Time. These two stood alongside [[Irhestu]] and [[Arisetsu]] in the crucial years after the [[Autumn Felling]], so why are they ignored here? The answer is that they are referenced in an idiomatic form: “Stories, hope, dreams, and time -- these things guided the elves back to a place of strength.” This line, or a similar one, is used in many ancient Elvish poems to pay homage to the four old elven gods."