Fractured Paradise (Volume I)
Story: Ceremony of Lawgiving
Fractured Paradise: A Novel In Progress
by Oliver Smith
OliverSmith@CyberPoet.com
< Addewid Index < Fractured Paradise Index < Volume I Outline
Synopsis : Story
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Fractured Paradise (Volume I)
Story: Ceremony of Lawgiving Fractured Paradise: A Novel In Progress by Oliver Smith OliverSmith@CyberPoet.com < Addewid Index < Fractured Paradise Index < Volume I Outline Synopsis : Story |
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[synopsis here] |
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As the Henin gathered on top of Cuniliad Mountain, Nerth paced impatiently on four legs in the center of the Devod surrounded by Deru Trees. He watched as each of the Henin took their preferred shapes and settled down in comfortable locations, some on the ground, some in the trees and others on stones. Deveg pawed the ground with large hoofs, scattering dust and snorting from within a body rippling with strength, energy and determination. Ruvel stood defiantly on the highest outcropping of stone overlooking the assembly, his horns curling decisively to either side of his face. Gebod scampered up the side a tree on the edge of the clearing, her sharp tail and forward pinchers clicking softly. Temlad slipped in from the shadows of the deepest places in the Grove and dropped down on her haunches, her teeth gnarled in the vast sea of emotions she carried within the trees. Dothen swam to the edge of nearby Llynhen, the Lake of the Ancients, her gills absorbing Hesbrid's spirit directly from the water, which was fed by a spring bubbling up from deep within Cuniliad mountain. Resam lumbered into the clearing, brushing aside the stubborn limbs and leaves of the Deru trees within the grove and stopped in front of Nerth as his large ears moved forward and back, undulating in the dim light of the early Henin Breath, when the spirit is low and the light of Addewid is at its darkest. Amser slowly made his way to a flat stone, carrying his shell on stubby, scaled legs, his head purposefully moving from side-to-side, accounting for each of the Henin. Newid quickly made his way along the ground, darting from stone to tree and back to stone, thrusting his head out from behind a hiding place, then running to the next covered place, where he liked to watch, unseen. Treven swam to a position next to Dothen in the Llynhen, her Dolphin nose extending from beyond the surface of the water and emitting squeaks that drew the attention of all present. Cren's long body circumvented everything in her path, making her way to a small cavern that opened up onto the clearing of the assembly. And finally, Hesbrid ambled into the clearing quietly, and unassuming, coming to rest at the edge of Llynhen, where she drank deeply of the water, then looked at Nerth. "I see that we have all chosen bodies to our own liking," said Nerth, as he looked around the clearly to each of the Henin before him. "It seems that the behavior of Cren, Treven and Hesbrid has affected us all," he growled, "and it must be that we have declared this good, but I want to caution you all regarding this. We once were one, and there was unity within us, and now we taken Hesbrid's spirit and created for ourselves separate lives and now separate bodies. This brings great sadness to me, and it concerns me, for now we have become fragmented in our ways. We must find some means to limit what we each can do, lest one of us become too powerful and take control over us all." "I agree," said Deveg, as he lifted his head nervously, "the creation of Inniscren poses a problem for us if we are to remain balanced in our interests." "I think we should punish the three who have brought us to this point," grunted Ruvel, from his position above them all, on the cliff. "They have taken too much power upon themselves by creating Inniscren, these trees, these mountain, these rivers and lakes. How are we going to know what goes on here? It was a lot easier the know the actions of each other before, when we were together, inseparable." "But what harm have they done?" asked Gebod as she crawled out to the furthest point on a limb extending over the clearing. "We are learning so much from within these bodies. Look at these wonderful shapes we are able to shift into. How can this be bad?" "It is bad because there is no purpose to it," protested Resam . "Why should we lower ourselves to take a shape and limit the space we occupy when we are all limitless?" "We all enjoyed Cren's stories before she created Inniscren," said Dothen. "She has simply created a place that is a fulfillment of her stories." "But we all experienced the stories at the same time," said Deveg. Now we don't know what they are doing on this island all of the time. There is no accountability, no oversight. This could be dangerous for us all. They have excluded us from their activities now that they have their own place, their own bodies, and now Cren has even created the Ceidwadau to keep us from finding out what they are doing in the Gorthwr Valley. It violates every law we have established for ourselves." "What would you suggest?" said Nerth" "We need to ensure that each of us has a presence throughout Inniscren, especially within the Gorthwr Valley, so that we can monitor and influence what takes place there." "I disagree," said Ruvel strongly, "Cren should be forced to destroy Inniscren and we should all be required to leave our bodies and go back to being Henin without form." "We have rules established by Deveg," said Nerth, "which allow each of us each to express our support or displeasure with matters such as this. All of us are of equal strength, and we have shared our natures with each other. There is nothing we cannot do as Henin. Between us we have all knowledge, whether we call it good or bad. Now we must decide whether or not Addewid should continue to exist. I personally believe that Cren, Treven and Hesbrid have gone too far and that they should be limited in some way, even if it means the destruction of Inniscren. It is time for a Ceremony of Lawgiving." Looking into the darkness of the Derwen Grove behind him, Nethyn called out, "Llafurwyr! Bring forth the Dedfryd Stones. "The Law we are considering is whether or not Cren, Treven and Hesbrid should be allowed to keep Inniscren and the rest of Addewid as they have created it. Have your Lawgiving Trees bless your Dedfryd stones in accordance with your judgment on this. Nerth made his way to his own Lawgiving tree within the Derwen Grove and looked up into the branches, "Lawgiver, grant me one of your branches for the creation of a Ffoscyfraith." Nerth's Lawgiver tree released one of its branches, which fell to the ground in front of Nerth. The branch consisted of a central stalk with several branchlets filled with leaves. Llafurwyr! Prepare this branch for the ceremony." One of the Llafurwyr picked up the branch and held it in front of the Nerth's Lawgiving Tree. The branch closest to the Llafurwr extended it's twigs and leaves to the branch which had dropped. Each leaf on the disconnected branch fused with a leaf still on the tree and then released itself from the ceremonial branch, leaving only the bare branch. When the connected branch pulled back into the foliage of the tree, the Llafurwr turned to Nerth and placed it in Nerth's mouth. Nerth tipped his head and pointed one end of the branch to the ground and drew a circle, then he handed the branch back to the Llafurwr, who walked back into the grove to await more orders. Nerth turned his head towards a group of Llafurwyr who were holding a large Meithrin Skin bag filled with Llosgi leaves. "Bring the Llosgi leaves," he ordered. Two of the Lafurwyr held the edge of the bag while a third pulled up on the botterm. With his mouth, Nerth took several leaves from the bag and slowly dropped them into the circle he had etched with the Derwen branch. As each leaf touch the ground inside the circle they sprang to life, bursting into tall flames. In the dim skylight of the Cauldron time, the clearing in the Derwen Grove was cloaked in twilight gray. As the Llosgi leaves lit up, the faces of the present started to glow with new life and the Derwen trees around the clearing turned their leaves to the rising flames. Nerth continued to take more mouthfuls of Llosgi leaves and place them into the circle until the circle was completely covered with them. The Henin, the Llafurwyr and the Derwen Trees watched as the fire rose up and the leaves sink into the soil as it became consumed in the fire. Eventually a shallow pit, called a Ffoscyfraith was formed and the fire in the Llosgi leaves died down to smoldering embers, but the leaves were never consumed. When the leaves reached the point that the blue embers appeared, the flames were gone and the pit created, the Ffoscyfraith was ready for the Ceremony. of Lawgiving. Each of the Henin moved to the Derwen tree in the Grove that has become their Lawgiving Tree. Each of the twelve Lawgiving Trees lowered a branch to touch their Henin as they approached. The Llafurwyr handed one stone to each of the Lawgiving Trees, and allowed the extended branch to take the stone and curl tightly around it. Nerth moved to his own Lawgiving Tree and allowed the Derwen branch to sink into his rusty, yellow mane and come in cantact with his skin. He eyes closed as he felt some of his power leave and enter the tree, knowing that it would be conducted into the Dedfryd stone. His Lawgiving Tree then brought the newly blessed Dedfryd stone to Nerth's jaw and Nerth took it within his teeth. The grey-green stone sparkled gently and teased his lips as he carried it to the Ffoscyfraith he had just created. The charred Llosgi Leaves glowed brightly and his nostrils felt the heat of their presence as he extended his face over them. He watched the stone sink slightly into the ashes. It sputtered briefly with a silver spark. As he turned away, Deveg galloped over to the edge of the Ffoscyfraith and allowed his stone to fall as well. With each stone the Llosgi leaf embers grew more intense, more green when a supporting stone fell into the Ffoscyfraith, more yellow when a stone rejecting the law was thrown in. After Nerth and Deveg, the Ffoscyfraith was showing yellow, then Ruvel, Resam threw their stones in. The Ffoscyfraith was then a brilliant yellow, almost gold. Gebod rolled a small stone to the edge of the Ffoscyfraith and let it slid on the Llosgi leaves. It bounced slightly off of the larger stones before settling into a crevice between two of them. The yellow-gold hue of the Llosgi embers shifted slightly, to a shade less bright. Temlad dropped her stone in, then headed to the edge of Llynhen where she gently picked Dothen up with her teeth and held her over the Ffoscyfraith. Dothen dropped her stone in. The Llosgi leaves were now a yellowish-green. Newid up onto Amser's shell and moved his head back and forth several times before growing impatient and jumping off, his stone clenched tightly within his jaws. Quickly, he made his way to the Ffoscyfraith and allowed the stone to sink in with the others. Amser slowly pulled up beside Newid and release his stone as well. The embers became more green. Cren maneuvered her long body around the Ffoscyfraith several times quickly before allowing her stone to fall. Hesbrid waited for Cren to slide by before stepping up and making the Llosgi embers even more green with her stone. Treven splashed aggressively from waters in Llynhen, anxious to place stone in. Several Llafurwyr stepped into the water and passed Rhaff vines beneath Treven's belly and lifted her up. Her stone was poised in her smooth beak and dropped readily she was extended over the Ffoscyfraith, which was then a rich, deep green, establishing Henin support for Cren's Inniscren and the rest of Addewid. "I am not pleased with this," Nerth protested angrily, roaring in disgust. Deveg pounded his hoofs into the ground and Ruvel clattered on the cliffs above them all and Resam swayed his trunk from one side to the other, all in protest to the color of the Ffoscyfraith and in support of Nerth's anger. "Llafurwyr Bring more Dedfryd stones. "I demand another Lawgiving Ceremony." Immediately, Nerth grabbed the Derwen branch that he had used to trace the previous Ffoscyfraith and traced a new circle next to the one which allowed Inniscren to remain in Addewid. He ordered the Llafurwyr who were holding the Llosgi leaves to place them into the circle he had etched and then he waited for the Llosgi leaves to ignite into blessing, creating the Foscyfraith. Following the sequence of the ceremony, each of the Henin took their places at their Lawgiving Trees and waited for the Dedfryd Stones to be given to their Lawgiving Trees. "I want to request," continued Nerth, "that a law be established which requires that a grove of trees be created in the Gorthwr Valley by Cren which will contain all of the knowledge found within the Henin, be it considered good or bad, and that this knowledge be available to all who eat of its fruit, and I also request that there should be trees and other creatures present on Inniscren that are placed there at the request of any of us Henin. This way, the presence and influence of all Henin can be felt on Inniscren. Place your Dedfryd Stones into the new Ffoscyfraith" When the Dedfryd Stones had all be placed within the FfosCyfraith, it glowed the brilliant green of affirmation. "Excellent!" said Nerth. "Hesbrid, it is now time to initiate a new Henin Breath." Hesbrid, at Nerth's command, turned away from the clearing and headed into the Derwin Grove and made her way down the side of Cynulliad Mountain, into the Gorthwr Valley to the Hoedl Grove where she released her spirit into the trees that feed the waters passing by in the Duwies River, thus starting a new Henin Cycle of Breath. But then one of them, Cren, the Henin of creation, the one who entertains the others with dreams made up from her thoughts, started to realized that she preferred the presence of Treven, and Hesbrid and they responded with attentions towards her, seeking to find new ways to enter each other and become one, more together than any of the Henin ever thought it possible to become. They discovered that they could become closer only if they created distances between themselves, distances that they must cross in order the draw each other into themselves, one to other, to each of the three, in all of the ways that they could become one, from two, or from three, but most of all three. The further they moved from each other, the greater the pleasure became when they entered each other, each union giving birth to more joy and more understanding. This was when Treven and Hesbrid asked Cren to create for them a separate space. A place where they could exist separate from each other and separate from the rest of the Henin, but Solonyn didn't feel that this was a wise thing for Henin to be doing and Deveg didn't didn't think it was logical to be doing this and Deveg just didn't think it could be done. Preelyn welcomed the change in Henin behavior and Kraakyn said that he would expand the breadth of time for this take place and Raadyl was always ready to learn something new. Temlad was always excited when Henin were discussing something, so she was very supportive of the three rebels, and made a request to Cren for space for herself. Nerth, on the other hand, the Henin who had always been looked up to as the one to make decisions on behalf of all twelve Henin, didn't like the idea of Henin separating themselves from his control, and Ruvel was willing to go to battle for Nerth against those siding with Cren, Treven and Hesbrid. "But, Nerth," said Treven, "has it not always been that when the majority of us are for something then that is as what is done?" "Yes," said Nerth, "but we have always been unanimous before and I'm sure that we will be unanimous now, like it always has been." "However," continued Treven, "by my count, with myself, Cren, Hesbrid, Kraakyn, Preelyn, Raadyl and Temlad in support of us and yourself, Deveg, Ruvel, Solonyn and Deveg in support of you, that makes seven versus five, which means that we should be allowed to do this." Nerth's anger seethed as he comprehended Treven's logic, "That may be the case, but we have never had this kind of a disagreement before and I just don't think that it should be allowed." "I don't like it either," said Deveg, "but as the keeper of Henin Law, I will have to admit that Treven makes a case for herself. However, I must remind each of us that there is another aspect of our nature that cannot be ignored. Regardless of how separate we may become with this space that Cren is creating we will never be able act without some consent from each of the other Henin. Granted, we may in not like what is happening, but we are incapable, as Henin, or completely rejected the will of another Henin or acting entirely on our own, independent of the other Henin. This means that if Henin are given individual space by Cren, that space will always have some presence of the other Henin in that space, just as Nerth anger right now requires the presence of Staaren, the Henin of emotion, and none of us could have any of this space for separation without Cren, the Henin of creation." "I'm believe that I will have to agree with Deveg, Nerth," said Solonyn, "as much as I disagree with Cren, Treven and Hesbrid for doing what they are requesting, Deveg is the holder of our laws. Having said that, I want to make one request, before we decide to do this, and that is that it become a part of Henin law that whenever Cren creates a personal space for a particular Henin, that space must have some kind of representative presence within that space for each of us twelve Henin." "Very well," said Nerth, his anger pulsing within each of the Henin, "Deveg has spoken and interpreted our laws and I am without a recourse but to allow this, unless one of the supporting Henin changes their mind. I officially accept, by a count of seven to five, the request made by Cren to create a space from within our existence for as many Henin as want them, and I declare the collective names for these private spaces to be Addewid, for I will, as the head of the Henin Council, promise to support this space as long as there is a majority of Henin in agreement with this." "Nerth, I want to state my extreme objection to this. It is an outrage that some of those among us would want to remove themselves from our presence as one, to emphasize our differences rather than our unity. This is simply outrageous! I will never request such space from Cren and I will demand that I be present within each of the spaces Cren creates for others and I will ensure that my presence is a painful one for each one that requests this space." But the more that they separated and rejoined, the more they enjoyed their own separate space, and the more they enjoyed their own space the more they enjoyed their unions, which drove them to become so distant and different that they started taking shapes and forming boundaries that excluded the other Henin, removing themselves from them, becoming something other than what the Henin together had been. Cren, in her desire to feel separate, surrounded herself with a great expanse of solid matter that she called Inniscren, and Treven was allowed to bring forth a sea that she swam within, which embraced Inniscren and Hesbrid was allowed to expand her spirit above the sea and the land and she flew high over Treven and Cren and they were together, within and around each other in ways never before experienced by Henin. Cren moved through the tall grass of the Gwelltal Plain along the Duwies river, her serpentine form appearing and disappearing between the stalks and blades of grass caressing her dark skin. She loved the softness of long leaves in a place where she could lift her head above the plants to view the peaks rising high around her, from great distances, but clearly outlined against the clear sky. They surrounded her, enclosing the Gorthwr Valley that she called her home. She felt safe here, secure from the presence of other Henin and their activities across the eternal plane of Addewid, for she knew all too well how much the others hated her relationship with Treven and Hesbrid and their work together to create the sky, the land, sea and the work they were most proud of, the Cavanod. She knew and understood the spirit of every blade of grass that parted for her, their spirits touching her, quivering as she passed by. Occasionally, a winged creature would fly over her, acknowledging her briefly from beneath broad strokes of bone and black scales, the eyes blinkless, vigilant on their watch. The soil beneath her, the trees in all their diversity throughout Inniscren, the rivers, desert and marsh, they have all come gently from her own creative force, particle by particle, brought together with her own ingenuity as the Henin of creation, filled with the spirit breath of Hesbrid, the spirit Henin, and placed into the delicate cycles of life by the able flow of Treven's compassion and majesty. It was Treven who connected the collective breath of the Henin, from which all that exists flows, to the spirits of all that was created within Inniscren and the Biola sea. As the Henin breath in the essence of their existence, the life forces within all of Addewid grows stronger, richer and deeper, and as the Henin expel the essence of their existence, the life forces within all of Addewid grows weaker, more dim, more shallow. Just as the Henin, the eternal ones, expand and contract within themselves, so goes the creation of Inniscren and the Biola sea, and the air above them all. They truly loved each other, the liberators from the void, the facilitators of the womb that gave birth to all that is beyond the essence of the eternal ones. It was the first time any of the Henin had merged so deeply into each other, the three of them merging their existence into the a single intimate bond that changed the nature of the void in which the Henin existed for so long. It was for their own pleasure that they crafted new forms of life from the elements of their work, and for the sharing of that which is most intimate between each other, and they called it good. First it was the soil and stone that they placed beneath them, and the air that flowed above them, bringing Inniscren into existence, allowing it to grow beyond what the other Henin could ever have imagined, but by the time the island had sat upon the waters of the Biola sea, the eternal void that had pulsed within the depths of twelve Henin had been breached, and the three of them smiled and laughed inside, bubbling over with joy and celebration. They didn't want to stop, they wanted more life, more sensation, more growth beyond themselves, so they brought forth mountains, rising far into the newly expelled air. They dug deep into the soil, allowing the waters from the Biola sea to flow through rivers and into the lakes, and they raised up trees in groves and forests that grew in the valleys, along the coasts and up the sides of even the most dramatic peaks. They wanted to protect themselves from the penetrating presence of the other Henin so they surrounded the center of Inniscren with the largest and highest mountains of all, and they created large flying creatures who would serve as guardians and sentinels against the other Henin and any forces that they may try to present on Inniscren. They needed to spread their own life force into all that they created so they raised a grove along the banks of the Duwies river, so their roots would fill the soil with roots and the three of them pressed their Henin force into the branches and leaves of these trees so that the roots could grow and release their presence into the waters flowing through the Duwies river and disperse all that is within them throughout Inniscren and Addewid. They called these trees the Hoedl trees, for they were, indeed, the trees of life for all that is within Inniscren and beyond, into the eternal currents of the Biola sea. But the other Henin were dissatisfied with these actions by the the Liberators from the Void. They wanted their own presence within Inniscren, so they demanded a place for each of them individually and collectively, to ensure that the Liberators from the Void could not leave them totally unaware, so the Liberators from the Void created, together, groves, forests, pools, lakes, streams, marshes and even deserts to satisfy the demands of the other nine, The Controllers, The Enhancers and even the Tricksters. The most difficult creation of all, though, was the creation of the Madru Grove. Within these trees were embodied the most undiluted essence of all the Henin, their evil and good characteristics all present within the each of the Madru trees in the grove. When their work was done they felt dissatisfied, though. They wanted something that was even beyond themselves, something that would exist in its own right, outside of any purpose that they could define, so they created Merca and Gure, two creatures unlike anything either one of the three had envisioned before. These creatures were entirely capable of thinking for themselves and would serve as companions to each other, as well as to the three of them. In one are of Inniscren, Cren, Treven and Cren turned their attention to large pool that they populated with galaxies, and the galaxies were made up of systems of suns and planets, and on one planet in particular they created amazing life forms that were astounding in their diversity. There were creatures that could fly in the air around the planet and creatures the swam in the waters on the planet and creatures that dug into the soil on the planet and creatures that walked on the soil on the planet. Over and over again the three of them worked on their masterpiece in the pool and they rested after many Henin breaths. When their work was done they felt dissatisfied, though. They wanted something that was even beyond themselves, something that would exist in its own right, outside of any purpose that they could define, so they created Merca and Gure, two creatures unlike anything either one of the three had envisioned before. These creatures were entirely capable of thinking for themselves and would serve as companions to each other, as well as to the three of them. But they were worried about the Madru grove. They were concerned about Merca and Gure eating of the fruit from the Madru trees before they were ready. How would Merca and Gure react to such knowledge? So Treven asked Cren to create a vine to be blessed by the pesence of of Raadyl, the Henin of Knowledge, that would grow around each trees tree, containing both the raw force of good and evil within a cloak of knowledge, and Treven asked Cren to create a hedge to be blessed by the force of Deveg, the Henin of Law, that would surround the Madru grove, protecting it from being too accessible to Gure and Merca, allowing the fruit of the Madru trees to get into their hands before they were ready. It was not until then that Cren and Treven and Hesbrid were happy, totally satisfied and set about to rest and enjoy what they had wrought together. |
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( Count from 08/09/2003 ) |
