The War of the Safirim

The religious texts and legends of the main religious orders of Derkomai all describe, with variations, a conflict between the twelve Safirim of the Nop Derk Safir, with five "good" Safirim opposing five "evil" Safirim, with two of the Safirim standing aside, on whether Humans should be allowed to exist on Derkomai. The myth of the War of the Safirim is closely related to the myth of The Fall from the Stars.

Summary

The legends all generally agree that five "evil" Safirim opposed Humans existence on Derkomai and planned to utterly destroy all of them; however, five "good" Safirim were in favor of letting Humans remain on Derkomai, but agreed that they must not be allowed to keep their technology. In the end, the five good Safirim prevailed in the council of the Nop Derk Safir and the Praxis Cogendi was implemented, resulting in The Fall from the Stars. Humans were established on Derkomai, but their technology was stripped from them, leaving them at essentially the same technological level as the other sapient races.
However, according to the legends, the War of the Safirim continues until the present day, with the five evil Safirim (Apopshe, Azazala, Niohueggre, Thalatte, and Yamanochi) opposed to all Human presence on Derkomai, the five good Safirim (Baiyamuta, Druikshe, Gasyenditha, Laidleshe, and Valamarashe) welcoming Human presence, and two (Honlengshe and T'ung She) essentially neutral. The five evil Safirim work through organizations within the sapient species (most prominently the Drow Elvirim, the Orkrim, and even some Human organizations) to weaken Human cultures and societies, preventing Humans from ever regaining their technology and power. The five good Safirim also do not want Humans to overpower the other sapient races or to destroy the environment and beauty of Derkomai, but they work to prevent that through Human means, like the Praxis Illicitus and the monks of The Vestry of Valamarashe.

Historical Basis

The myth of the War of the Safirim arises from the myth of The Fall from the Stars as a means to explain that event. Whether or not it has any basis in fact is unknown, but as a legend, it has some credibility, given that the religious texts of all of the major religions of Derkomai include versions of it. On the other hand, it may be that early versions of the myth of the War of the Safirim predate the founding and organizing of the religions, so the story was included in all of their texts.

Spread

The myth of the War of the Safirim is well known throughout the Human population of Derkomai.

Variations & Mutation

The religious texts of each of the major religions practiced among Humans on Derkomai includes a variation of the War of the Safirim, with (as expected) the Safirim worshipped by that religion being the central figure, the one with the most power, deepest anger, strongest justice, highest love, or correct thinking, as the case may be.
Several of the variations point to Valamarashe as the Safirim that resolved the immediate conflict in the Nop Derk Safir, proposing the implementation of the Praxis Cogendi to ensure that Human technology would not destroy Derkomai. In those variations, the five evil Safirim eventually agreed to allow it, but vowed to continue to oppose Human culture everywhere on Derkomai.
Curiously, the Elvirim have a similar legend in their oral traditions of a conflict among the Safirim. It is told along with their variations of the legend of The Fall from the Stars.

In Literature

Like the legend of The Fall from the Stars, the earliest known written version of the legend of the War of the Safirim appears in The Book of History of the Great Sacred Empire in Sendoshi. It also appears in early religious texts of all of the major religions practiced by Humans.

Related Species

• Safirim

Related Organizations

• Nop Derk Safir