Wyvern Tails and Phoenix Feathers

The Contract, Chapter 2 - Ralak

In truth, The God of Death was not affronted by the resurrection of any one mage. The creatures of the world were free to wield arcaén in whatever manner they saw fit; gods, spirits, and mortals alike.

Ever since the first mage dabbled in magic, death was regarded as the greatest force to overcome. Ralak was honored by the necromancers who borrowed spirits and conjured half-life. He was present at the first successful resurrection and was pleased with the outcome; for the participants knew that the exchange was temporary. Through mortal wounds, sickness, or old age, the resurrected mage would succumb to death once again.

Ralak's vow as a god to his world was to provide it with balance. When elementalists channeled arcaén, they drew the energy of the land into their body and released it as raw elements. In that exchange, there was balance. When necromancers animated the dead, they borrowed the element of life. If more life was given than taken, the world would fall out of balance.

There were six old gods. The Wolf Mother presided over nature, animals, agriculture, and hunting. Lumos was the nimble god of light, electricity, and storms. He was the handsome, piercing face of the sun. Fidela was the goddess of air and matron of childbirth. She was the soft face of the moon and the breath of life in every new birth. The mighty Taos was fire, destruction, war, lust, and passion. Wise Father Sirban was the god of water, rivers, oceans, and fishing.

Ralak sat apart from them. The five other gods involved themselves in matters of life and he was the antithesis. To be the god of death was to be isolated and lonely.

As such, Ralak often found himself outvoted in their tribunals. When The Wolf Mother took notice that the people of Einalia and its surrounding lands had stopped worshiping the old gods, she led the vote to diminish their presence and move on to another realm. Ralak had argued to the contrary, to increase their influence and remind the mortals of their power. His opinion was all but ignored. The other gods were exhausted and wanted to rest. New rising gods, demons, and spirits could take over.

When the Archmage Cirrus Alindal journeyed to their realm, he made time to curry favor before calling his tribunal. He hunted alongside The Wolf Mother, assisted births with Fidela, and philosophized with Sirban. He did nothing to win Ralak's support. Such negligence was insulting.

"I mean to take nothing, only to exchange," pleaded the Archmage.

He stood on a stone platform at the intersection of each god's domain. The magic he wished to channel was powerful and would demand a blessing from the old gods to ensure its success.

"I give a piece of myself to birth new life. It is not unnatural," he argued. "We are all creatures with the capacity to create life. Cut a worm in half and it will grow into two separate worms."

"Cut a man in half and he shall be dead," replied Ralak. "Worms provide a service to the earth. They give air to the soil so that plants may breathe. You disguise your narcissism under the banner of altruism. You are transparent, Cirrus Alindal."

"Do not assign motivation, Ralak," said Fidela, an icy chill in her breath. "It is unbecoming. But Archmage, I wish to understand the point of creating a second you."

"He will be made from me, but he will not be me," said Cirrus. "I hope he will be better than me. My wish is to create a decoy apprentice, to protect Oran Highwater, and to prevent The Dread Wyvern from rending Einalia in Ash."

"Just as wildfire clears brush for new life, The Dread Wyvern can start the cycle anew," said Taos.

Taos was Ralak's most frequent ally. He was grateful the god could see Cirrus for what he was; arrogant and patronizing beyond his station.