The Heretic Vessel

"Burn it all."

Many moons ago, when the mortal races were still young, two Vessels were born to the Scordato family. The elder, Malachi, was the Vessel of Chaos. The younger, Ilai, was the Vessel of Truth. Though the two boys rarely saw one another due to their training, they loved each other dearly. Once they had grown older, Malachi was sent to the Grand Temple of Chaos in Nissayria, and Ilai was sent to the Shining Temple of Truth in Shikahn.
All should have been peaceful, all should have been as still as it had been for so long. Instead, with a great rush of power, Ilai found himself proclaiming the worship of the God of Chaos to be outlawed in his Goddess's voice. Chaos was to be Exiled from his place in the Holy Quartet.
But what would this mean for his brother?
When his Goddess left him, Ilai found himself too weak to decry Her words. But surely, surely this would end peacefully. Surely the worshipers of The Eight wouldn't go so far as to kill innocents? Surely his brother wouldn't be killed for the crime of existing?
It didn't take long for word of uprisings of worshipers in every country of Tarin to reach the Grand Temple. Mortal men and women taking up arms and desecrating the Temples dedicated to the God of Chaos, killing those who still worshiped him.
Ilai waited, knowing that surely his Goddess would return, would condemn the actions of these mortals, would make sure this horror would end. But the Goddess was bound by the rules of Her kind. She was unable to interfere with something created by mortal minds.
When the news arrived that Nissayria's Grand Temple had been destroyed and the Vessel of Chaos killed, Ilai dismissed his Knight Attendants, demanding that he be left alone. He mourned, alone and afraid, knowing that his voice had inadvertently ordered the death of the one he held most dear.
It is said that this is when the God of Chaos approached him, when he was at his weakest. Enraged by the death of His Vessel, and severely weakened by the destruction of His base of worship, the God offered Ilai a deal. Become His Vessel. Destroy the Goddess of Truth.
Avenge his Brother.
In the dead of the night, Ilai fled the Shining Temple, clutching tight to the Goddess's Relic around his neck.
Instead of speaking the Word of Truth, Ilai spoke the Word of Chaos, sowing seeds of distrust and heresy amongst mortal men and women. He found many who followed him, many who believed the worshipers of the Eight to have gone too far. Far flung Knights of Chaos, remnants of those who had attended his brother joined him. Mortals who still worshiped the God of Chaos spread word and quietly gathered weapons and power.
When Ilai Scordato returned to the Shining Temple of Truth, he did not come alone.
The Knights, deadly Reapers, slaughtered those Knights that had once been his attendants. The mortals bore down upon the Worshipers of Truth, returning the hatred they had received since their God's exile in kind. Ilai stood upon the dais from which he had been forced to doom his kin and turned to those who had painted the temple walls with blood.
"Burn it all." He hissed, the Voice of Chaos. "Leave nothing behind."
The Goddess of Truth would not stand for this Heresy in Her own Grand Temple. It is said that The Goddess Herself returned to the Temple, and killed all those who had desecrated its sacred grounds. When none but Ilai remained she stared at him, pity in her gaze. She offered him forgiveness, the chance to forsake the Dark God that he had chosen to speak for.
Ilai told Her that he would sooner die than speak Her lies once again.
And so Ilai died by his Goddess's own hand, a warning to those who might seek the Dark God's favor.

Historical Basis

The legend of the Heretic Vessel has a strong basis in fact. Ilai and Malachi Scordato were indeed brothers and Vessels of the Goddess of Truth and the God of Chaos. In the madness created by the exile of one of the Four Elder Gods, Malachi was struck down during the destruction of the Grand Temple of Chaos.
Ilai fled his temple, and returned with the newly created cult known as the Children of the Blinded Sun. They desecrated the Temple, but were found dead when reinforcements arrived to attempt to beat them back.

Variations & Mutation

Nissayrian variations of the legend tend to play down the idea that Ilai was being directly influenced by the God of Chaos. In these versions, Ilai was acting fully of his own desires when he attempted to destroy the Shining Temple of Truth.

Cultural Reception

The idea that a Vessel of all people could be swayed to betray their God was a terrifying one to the general public. As rumors and legends of the God of Chaos's trickery and deception spread, it only caused further hatred of the small pockets of worship to spread.
As a result of the legends surrounding Ilai, all those who still worshiped the Dark God were rounded up and forced to relocate to the island nation of Nissayria, which remains the only land in Tarin where worshiping the God of Chaos is seen as normal rather than taboo.

by CrimzN

Related Ethnicities

• Nissayrian

Related Species

• Esseni

Remembering a Legend

In most countries, the legend of Ilai is used as a cautionary tale. Truly, his death shows the folly of disbelieving the Word of the Goddess of Truth and following the teachings of the Dark God. For those in Nissayria, Ilai's tale is one looked up to. Ilai followed his convictions even if it meant his death.

by CrimzN

Ilai Scordato prior to becoming the Heretic Vessel

by CrimzN

Malachi Scordato prior to his death