Elven Version
According to
High Elven cultures, the original elves arrived in Edora to spread the blessings of life, nature and magic, as they did in countless planes before. Upon their arrival they found themselves immediately under attack by hordes of monstrous creatures. In an attempt to counter those monsters, Avalartir sent two of their best to defend their borders and quell the menace.
The first,
Zuke'al, was a warrior of no equal except for Avalartir themselves. He fought the monsters for several eons, greatly diminishing their forces. Zuke'al pushed the borders farther, allowing the land to grow and exists in pure bliss and beauty.
The second,
Peskir'al, was the smartest being in all existence after Avalartir themselves. He was tasked with establishing magical boundaries and barriers that will maintain the beauty and greatness of their kingdoms. None shall be allowed in, and none of the denizens would be allowed out, except to fight for their lands.
Being Avalartir second in command, Peskir'al was no stranger to
creation himself. He would create magical beasts and benevolent creatures. Whle his creations were magnificent by all account, they lacked sapience and free thinking, privileges that were saved only for Avalartir to use. Peskir'al knew the god had a soft spot in their heart for the living, and that they will not harm his creations, but became increasingly envied that Acalartir would not let him create a higher being, especially since the god themselves did not seem use it since the creation of the
Old Elves.
Behind Avalartir's back, and without his consent, Peskir'al created the first
goblinoids, twisted versions of old elves. Those creatures were shorter, their faces strange and uncanny, and their minds simple and lacking of goals higher than greed, power and pride. While he knew Avalartir would never kill his creations, Peskir'al did not wish to experience the god's wrath, so he hid his creations in caves, mountains and bogs.
As
Zuke'al's continued to push forward, he stumbled upon the goblinoids. Not knowing their origins, he suspected the monsters began to twist the elves to their own uses. He quickly reported his findings to Avalartir, who banished Peskir'al outside of the barriers he himself helped to put and orderd Zuke'al to destroy any and all goblinoids he finds, as they are an affront to their grand vision.
With Peskir'al in exile, Zuke'al made short work of every goblinoid he found, executing them to the last. As this journey of extermination continued, Zuke'al noticed the adversaries are no match for his might. Unlike the monsters, they posed no real threat to the realm, or to creation. He brought his mind in front of Avalartir, who dismissed his concerns and sent him back to perform his task.
In one of his journalese, Zuke'al stumbles upon another goblinoid city. While this one was quite larger than the rest, he paid it no mind and began slaughtering the entire population. As he got closer and closer to the center, he noticed his adversaries now began fighting to the death, defending whatever was in the center to the last of them. Fearing that Zuke'al will destroy the entirety of his creation, Peskir'al came out of his home in the center of the city. As he plead for the lives of his goblinoids, Zuke'al noticed the flock tends to Peskir'al as a patriarch, or a father, and not as a god.
Peskir'al plead for the goblinoid's lives, offering his own instead should Zuke'al live the city alone. Touched by the gesture, and already with a sliver of doubt in his hearth, Zuke'al decided to stop his path of destruction. Peskir'al told him Avalatir would not dare lifting a finger against the living, yet has no qualms about sending his own children to murder and destroy. In Peskir'al's mind, the reason Avalatir is forbidding them from creation, was because the god fears they shall become stronger than him.
Peskir'al reasons his debate further by claiming Avalatir sent Zuke'al on his quest because they feared him to be a better, much more loved leader that they are. He claimed Zuke'al to be a tool, underappreciated and expendable in the eyes of the god. Being infinitely smarter than his peer, Peskir'al eventually manages to convince Zuke'al to help him sway the rest of their siblings against Avalatir.
When he returns to the realm, Zeke'al is met with
Loseth, the
Matron of the Night and
Corestal, the
Patron of the Day. He asks them to help him convince Avalartir to let Peskir'al's creations to exist.
To support their request, they gathered the help of the strongest members of the godly court:
Zaladar,
Neresia,
Ellisea and
Glinvir. Together, the
Santor'kir decided to bring Peskir'al and his creations to the realm and present them to their god. In their minds, the unified pressure from them all, would force Avalartir to let them exists. Unbeknown to the group however, both Peskir'al and Zuke'al wished to steal the gods knowledge on creation, to manifest creatures that would leave even them at awe.
Under the official invitation of the Santor'kir, Peskir'al and his goblinoids enter the barriers unharmed. They reach the palace of Avalartir and a lengthy debate starts. The debate last days and nights, but the simple creatures simply could not comprehend it. Instead, they roamed around the city, looking for the secrets of creation for their creator and master. Unfortunately, the plan derailed when one of the goblin's greed takes hold of him and he steals the
Far Star, leading to the entire
Material Plane to become stuck in an endless twilight.
Avalartir, furious with the crime, strikes at Peskir'al, almost killing him. He then commands Zuke'al to destroy every last goblinoid in the realm. Zuke'al refuses, and Avalartir banishes him from the realm. Before he managed to cast him out however, Zuke'al stabs at the god with his spear, causing them to bleed.
Avalartir, shocked at the audacity, curses Zuke'al, twisting him by using the spelt blood into the first
orc. He decrees Zuke'al to roam the land, to never hold a piece of land in safety, and to always chase war, both with the world with himself. He casts what remains of Peskir'al to the
abyss and strikes all memories of his great deeds from the realm. Only his trechery and betrayal to be remembered.
The far star is retrieved by Zaladar, who then vows to keep guard of the night sky forever. Despite his success, Avalartir claim his followers do not yet understand creation, its meaning and its purpose, and thus, he would lock it far away from their reach. For their foolishness, they shall never set foot in
Ilventir again. Instead, they shall live their lives as mortals, so they can have better understanding of creation by living thousands of lives through one memory, to be unified only in their deaths. Once their offspring understand the purpose of this world, they would be welcomed back again to their original home of Ilvertir.
Avalartir takes his wondrous realm away with him, living the six and their flock to fend for themselves in what was now a new, foreign land. As they argue what path they shall take, they are split into two groups, the
Sanrin, those who wish to return to Ilvertir and repent for the sins of greed and envy, and the
Elsrin, those who now see themselves free to become anything they wish.
Drow Version
The drow version of the myth is relatively similar, but has more focus on
Loseth and her roll before and after the debate between Avalartir and the rest of the Santor'kir. In this version, Loseth claims her god is nothing more than a spirit of vindication and retribution, she declares herself as his equal, and swears to protect her people from their influence. As retribution for her defiance, Avalartir twist her figure to that of a horrible spider, but she manages to resist and keep her original upper half. The god manages to lock her up however, forcing her to weave an endless web to be used as a prison for those who would dare oppose their reign in the future.
Ellisea and Glinvir are also mentioned in the drow version as being fast friends to Loseth, even helping her escape her prison. The Sanrin are mostly described as a group of loyalists who wish to reclaim their sit next to Avalartir after a failed coup. When loseth guided her flock to safety, she named them the
Drow, or
'Freed', and leads them far away from the eyes of other
elves to the
Underdark.
Goblinoid & Orcish Versions
While the goblinoid and orcish races have plenty of myths, legends and tales surrounding the elven bloodletting, none of the known clans, groups or nations recognize any of the elven versions.
In most of their versions, the old elves came from afar to besiege their lands. They reduced their once great civilizations to dust before they managed to banish them with help of great
shamans and
warriors, leaving only their weaker offspring behind. In
hobgoblin cultures the bloodletting is considered as a pure myth and even as propaganda/
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