The Rise of Provenance
Following Ragnarok, Frey did not come back from Midgard, and the Alfar were left leaderless. As the Human refugee's poured in, they had little presence of mind to resist, for it was their Lords sister Freya who came with them in order to settle the Humans. In their mourning for their Lord, they would never have refused his sister.Many begged Freya to stay, to take over from her brother, but she refused. She was needed elsewhere, and they would have to relearn to govern themselves from now on. So Freya left, Humans were everywhere, and the Alfar despaired.
With no leader to go to, the Alfar were directionless. Their daily lives continued but their faith was shattered, and for many their lives seemed meaningless after time immeasurable of the presence of Frey. The Humans amongst them could understand to a degree; but as they had not had a God's constant presence on Midgard they knew how to conduct their faith from afar and tried to help the Alfar adjust. Freya checked on them from time to time, but it was not the same, and as the years went by, anger started to rise out the despair. To the dismay of their Human refugees, the Alfar started to turn on the Gods, and for more than half a century the Age of Desolation reigned.
Over the next half century, life settled somewhat; the anger for the Gods was mostly world wide, with a lot of the humans not drawn up into the same frame of mind by loss of contact from the Aesir. Freya came upon occasion; and was welcomed, but it was not worshipped anymore. Though the humans were used to the their deities physical absence, the affect they observed on those who were not used to it touched them; they started to wonder why the Gods would do this to a people obviously so reliant on them. It had never been clear why Odin originally sent Frey to be the Alfar King; but that was how it was, and now they were abandoned.
It was the middle of the night in the year 64 when the Avatars appeared; three blinding lights appeared in the old Temple of Frey, now the site called Tallallamé, created by the conjoined efforts of the Alfarian people. Tallallamé was lit up like the midday sun and slowly both Alfar and Human's alike ventured out of their new homes to see what was happening. Many feared the return of Frey, and punishment for their anger, but when they entered the temple a very different sight greeted them. Three shining outlines of light, each a little bigger than a Alfar, hovered above the floor of the raised platform where Frey used to sit, and now housed the new Throne. They had a vaguely Alfarian form and as the first Alfar ventured within, the 'heads' looked up in unison.
"Children," called three distinct yet similar voices in perfect unison. The sound echoed around the hall, but every Alfar heard it as if it were speaking only to them. "We are your Provenance, I am where you began. Rejuvenate us; worship us; we are the Avatars of what once was all." And with those final words, the lights got brighter and burst; one falling to the floor in a pool of water, the second spilling soil upon the bias and the third swept wind across to wash over the assembled peoples. Each Alfar, for reasons unknown, were crying; though it was not with sadness. The Humans had also heard the words, saw the lights, and saw the final effect but it did not touch them in the way it seemed to their Alfar neighbours. Whether Lloss, Vighta, or Dokkar, their anger changed to elation.
The Provenance; that which honours water, earth and air, was born.
The rest of the night following the appearance of the Avatars was cool and calm, and in the Kings Chambers within the Palace the King paced. The moons pale light illuminated the fine furnished Chambers through its ornate glass ceiling, and King Vaulnur struggled with the question of the Avatars whilst also mourning the recent loss of his wife. Queen Estel finally succumbing to her sickness from the Age of Desolation, passing only weeks previous. Vaulnur was suffering with mixed feelings; remorse for not being able to save his wife, and the awe of what he had witnessed in the temple.
As he walked over to his window he cast a glance back at his son the crown Prince. The young Alfar was sleeping soundly, dreaming only dreams he would know and the king wished his child dreams of only joy. He opened the window and placed both hands on the smooth marbled balustrade of the balcony. He could see tiny pin pricks of lantern light and campfires for leagues around his Palace, and felt a pulse flow through his body. For a split second Vaulnur felt every emotion, saw every vision, and heard every sound and thought of those that dwelled in Alfheim. This had become a regular occurrence since the joining. It was more potent when he sits in the throne. But it never left him, even if he sleeps till noon he awakes as if he has been up all night. He can gorge on a hundred courses but still hunger, thus was the burden of power. But he knew he had to carry out The Provenance's will for the people of Alfheim.
He cursed in his mind on what the Avatars wanted of him, of his people, and what the future held. There was no doubt that this was the way Alfheim would go, but how to manage it he could not fathom. As he posed this thought, a gentle breeze played with his hair. The light pitta-patter of rain sounded of the glazed windows and strange small vines started to bloom with white flowers along the stone work. The King was no longer able to move, the connection to Alfheim was still there but no longer pulsing through him. He looked to the nights sky, between the clouds that dropped the light rain, to three points of light that fell towards him creating bright orbs around the balcony. Three soft yet familiar voices spoke as one "We are Alfhiem's rivers and seas, we are it's forests and mountains, we are the very air you breath, we are Provenance, and this is our message..."
The three lights plunged into the King, and his voice carried across Alfheim. Every Alfar felt Provenance's touch again that night; the heard the King's words and they felt the draw of their eyes drift to the direction of the Palace from where they stood. In awe of the light and echoing voice of the Avatars that now flowed from the King, Alfheim first heard the Tennants of Provenance. Afterwards, when the lights dulled and the King returned to his previous state, he felt the ebb and flow of Alfheim once more. Clarity washed over the King and all those of Alfheim that night, and the King now was named by his people Vaulnur the Proud, as his pride showed for his people and their faith.
The night the Tenets were first spoken is now known as the Night of Enlightenment, and marked the first day where Provenance held sway over the realm.