Loyalty Rewarded

Many years ago, so long now that it seems hardly true, the perpetual War of the Seasons ground to a halt. Everyone knows of the War for Isos and the Seasonal Throne. The Gods of Creation and Destruction, their knights ever fighting for control of Summer and Winter. The Gods of Death and Rebirth stepping in to oust them and bring the Fall and the Spring.
And yet, on this year, the Spring Equinox came and went, and the world became no warmer. Frost never melted, the snows continued to fall... It was as if Rebirth and Creation had simply vanished, taking the Spring and Fall with them.
In a tiny Kitainese village called Arina, panic quickly set in. Arina was on the edges of the scrublands, and one of the few villages in Kitain loyal to the God of Creation. They depended on their yearly harvests, so it was only natural to worship Creation in addition to Rebirth. But with no spring... the longer the winter lasted, the less time they had to sew their seeds for harvest. Without the life giving waters flowing down from the first rains of the spring, the scrublands would remain dry. And if the spring wouldn't come here, it wouldn't come anywhere! How were they to survive?
One of the younger men in the village, named Kelahn Darzhi tried to keep spirits high. Surely, this was just a cold snap. If they banded together and continued to pray to Rebirth and Creation, surely spring would come. In the meantime, Kelahn worked day and night creating pantings and sculptures to sell. Though he was exhausted, he managed to bring in enough money to keep the village from starving, but only just. Despite the year long winter, he kept up his faith in the gods of Rebirth and Creation. He knew they would come.
When the second year without spring came, most in the village felt that the Gods must have abandoned them. Creation had left them to die despite all of their prayers! Fewer and fewer listened to Kelahn's insistence that they remain loyal to the God of Creation. More and more left the village, going to the cities and abandoning their faith. Despite all of this, Kelahn continued to create, to pray to his Gods, and to provide for those that remained.
When Spring finally dawned and the three year winter finally came to a close, a weakened, exhausted, and starving Kelahn found himself in the presence of a young man with bright green eyes and flaming red hair. The God smiled at his mortal follower, and explained. He had been trapped by the Dark God, and unable to perform his duties to the seasons. As he'd felt more and more of his faithful leave him, he'd began to loose hope himself. And yet he had never lost the feeling of Kelahn's worship, of his loyalty. That tiny spark of loyalty had rekindled the God's will, and he had broken his bonds and returned to his rightful place.
Creation asked the mortal how he could possibly repay him for his loyalty despite everything. Kelahn simply smiled tiredly, and told him that he needed no reward for remaining loyal. Creation had other plans. Moved by Kelahn's loyalty and modesty, he granted the mortal a divine mantle of his own, remaking him as the God of Loyalty.
To this day, Loyalty remains at Creation's side, never wavering in his devotion to his God.

Truth or Myth?

The myth harkens back to the Three Year Winter, a true historical event many thousands of years in the past. Knights of Creation speak often of the God of Loyalty, and how much more approachable he is than the Gods who were always Divine.

Cultural Reception

Many paintings depict the first meeting of Creation and Loyalty. Many believe their relationship is more than simply God and follower, and the Kitainese have based their marriage and courtship rituals on the loyalty Kelahn showed Creation.

Creation appears before Kelahn