Secrets of Desylinn: The Creation of the Gren

By Frank Shaw

In the days before the Seal, while the Brothers waged their war across the lands of Desylinn the Wild Ones – Shala the Wild One of Beauty, Daros the Wild One of Desire, and Kuro the Wild One of Passion- played their games with the mortal races openly without interference from other gods. They roamed far and wide teaching their knowledge to the people of Desylinn and reveling in the strange world that was open to them. One day they travelled far to the North to the seat of Mar’ies who held court with his children the elves in a great palace of ice. Shala, the Wild One of Beauty suggested they present themselves to the stern god, and ask a boon of him. The three gods debated and after a time they decided to ask Mar’ies for a keg of ice wine, made by the elves as a gift to the god from ice lilies which only grew on the Ice God’s continent.

They arrived at Mar’ies’ palace to find a great line of elves waiting for audience, each bearing gifts for the cold god. The elves formed orderly lines and presented themselves to him. He would grant them a boon, showing his pleasure. Send them away to seek out improvement if found lacking. Or freeze them with his breath and shatter their remains if they incurred his wrath. Kuro, who had taken the form of a fat bloated ogre, rushed forward impatiently, knocking elves out of the way as he did. When he arrived at the front of the line he exclaimed “Here We are!” to Mar’ies. The god’s cold disapproving glare froze those who came under it except the Wild Ones. Shala and Daros, who had taken the forms of elves, arrived shortly after Kuro and bowed low to the cold god and greeted him in a manner befitting him.

Mar’ies, with a dreadful scowl, asked them what they wanted. Before Shala or Daros could respond to the cold god, Kuros shouted: “Wine! Strong drinks of course! Women and Men! Music! We shall make merry!”

Mar’ies, angry at the outburst cursed the gods. Kuro jested at him: “Uncle aren’t we equals on this world? Your curses are nothing to us when we’re together” He said gesturing back to Shala and Daros.

Mar’ies rose from his throne piled high with gifts from the elves, and bid them leave in a icy voice. Shala and Daros, not wishing to incur the cold god’s anger any longer, made to withdrawal. But Kuro, who was disappointed with the response to his call for merrymaking, turned to address those elves not frozen by the cold god’s breath: “Children of Mar’ies, do you not have any life in you? Are you all so meek that this frigid god on his throne of ice can forbid you from revelry? Let’s fill his halls with song! Let’s fill his halls with dance! Let’s fill his halls with love making and heat his cold dead heart!”

Kuro picked up a keg of ice lily wine near the throne tucking it beneath his arm. He began to sing an orcish love song in a deep booming voice. Mar’ies, in his great stature, gathered up the Wild One who he towered over. Taking him in hand he flung him, the keg still tucked gently under Kuro’s arm, out of the palace and back to the mainland of Desylinn.

Shala and Daros found Kuro sometime later. The god had drunk more than his fill of the ice lily wine and had passed out in the wild Fertile Lands. Seated atop of their slumbering brother Shala and Daros discussed Mar’ies, and what they had seen while in his lands.

“The elves adore him, yet he does nothing for them.” Shala pondered. She had taken the form of a sinewy Lash-ti-nowish and had to play in a puddle of mud her sleeping brother had awoke for a moment to create.

“This is true. He punishes them without thought and rewards them without care. I could see neither rhyme nor reason for his judgments.” Daros said. He had changed his sex, but still held the form of an elf.

Shala began to make figures from the mud and twigs lying nearby. “We have been in all the lands of this world, welcomed by all. Teaching each peoples the things we know and all have welcomed us, but the elves.” She smiled. “If they will not welcome us then we shall make them. “ Shala studied Daros and begun to fashion a tiny statue from the muck she had absentmindedly been playing in. She created long ears, longer than an elf’s, and sharp ridges to define the brow. The cheek-bones she made angular, and a sharp chin, nearly pointed. She gave the doll a slender frame, and grasped the nearby shadows from a pine tree turning them to thread to bind the doll.

Daros delighted at his sister’s sculpture. Taking the keg of wine out of his sleeping brother’s fists he took a swig and offered some to Shala. He took the doll and examined while Shala drank. “This little man is almost like an elf. Make a few more so he is not lonely.” He then let out a loud tumultuous belch, blowing it at the doll and gifting it with life.

Shala, now drunk off the wine began to make more dolls. She created seven more, all of them female, while Daros breathed life into each with great belches between drinks of wine. Soon eight of the creatures stood around the gods curious and confused, seven women and a single man. Daros noted the discrepancy. Shala laughed and responded “Why should it matter?

It was then Kuro awoke with a great start and a bellowing roar. The children of the three gods huddled in fear around Shala and Daros. He laughed at the little creatures, taking delight in their fear of him. He laughed at his sister’s and brother’s antics in creating them. He laughed in delight and gathered them up still cowering. Running to the northern shore he shouted across the sea to the cold god on his throne. “Mar’ies! Ol’ frozen heart! We’ve made our own elves to play with!” The Ice God peered across the sea with cold angry eyes to see what the God of Passion spoke of. There on the shore Kuro had surrounded his self with the eight little creatures who made an obvious mockery of the elves. The cold god spoke: “May those with seed burn too hot to plant it. Let those in who it would quicken feel their fury.” His curse fell on the lone male amongst the little creatures.

The Wild Ones, laughing at the anger of Mar’ies, gave their children a bit of wine, saving most for the male to cool him of Mar’ies’ curse. Seeing this Mar’ies bid his elves to seek out and destroy all the ice lilies in his land. However a few seeds of the plant were stuck in the cracks of the keg stolen by Kuro, and soon found a place to grow on the cold beaches of the Fertile Lands.