The First Kindred
Known as ‘Caehwyn Thylaed’ in Sylvan, the First Kindred is often shortened to ‘The First’, or ‘The Kindred’, and are the deified ancestors of the Fae. Long before the parlours and courts found their ways into the heartgroves and gloom lakes, the Kindred roamed the primeval wilderness. It was the Kindred who gave names to the forests and rivers, and who gave songs to the seasons. Most importantly, the First Kindred were the sires to all those Seelie and Unseelie (or so it is thought), through which these lands now turn about.
For most Fae, the First Kindred are revered as much as any gods in Rynn, though that reverence rarely is expressed in anything beyond superstitious rituals. In fact, were it not for the efforts of the planar refugee Eldari and Gnau, it is unlikely there would be any written account of the Kindred or their relationships.
While many archfey claim the First to be their blood and bone, the favor is seldom returned. The First are as much fae as a river is an ocean . Some ancient myths presuppose that some of the Kindred were never mortal at all, instead being fledgling gods runaway from their astral home, refugees from a war in the heavens - or else spurned children enacting their petulant rebellion against their forebearers. Some Tuquet scholars have posited the First Kindred possibly existed before Rynn, or even before gods, in a time “..before form.”
In the uncounted time since their emergence, the First rarely make their presence known, and their will or ambitions can only be guessed at. Those few archfey that claim to speak on their behalf do so rarely, most likely out of fear of misspeaking on their behalf, and drawing their ire. For most Fae of the Wyld, the First are as inexorable as the tides or the seasons. One may plead or beg for deliverance or bounty, but one rarely expects an acknowledgement, or a response - but then, sometimes the wind listens.
Cyhraid and Anguath, the Mother and the Father respectively, are the most alien of the First Kindred, their very bodies seeming incongruous with the physical nature of any part of Rynn. Their children are different from them, more in tune with the material nature of Rynn, but still strange - born of Rynn when it was still young and forming. The Fae and Eladrin from Terra Fae respect offer their rituals and whispers to them, and even the archfae are known to slip away to unknown destinations to try and commune with them. The Maibusi worship the First Kindred as gods, while the Tuquet treat those with whom they have interacted with respect and awe. The Zameen specifically offer worship to three of the First Kindred, though regard the rest of entities to be aware and wary of.
The archfae and some selected Fae know that the First Kindred have a taste for souls and memories. The Faeheart, or the Larma Forest as known by some, is seen as a “nest” of sorts for them - apart from the Mother and the Father, all of their children frequently return to, or spend much of their time in and around the Faeheart. Of their children, Lledrith and Gwaidulu leave the most frequently, seeking to test and taste the confines of the world into which they were born.
Named Kindred
It is unclear if all of the First Kindred are remembered, or have ever had stories about them. But, several have made their names known in one shape or another.Cyhraid
The Beautiful Mother Mother, it is said, was the very spirit of the winds, the waters pouring from the sky and running through streams. She was there in every blooming petal, in the very blood of every animal, predator and prey. Cyhraid, the first Fae call her - the Beautiful Mother. Her skin is black as the midnight sky, sparkling with a thousand thousands of twinkling lights, ebbing and waning, but somehow never overwhelming her visage. Blue are her eyes, scaled with golden cataracts. Despite this, when Mother looks at you, you feel her gaze settle on your skin, and penetrate through you. A third eye opens upon her forehead, breaking the skin where not even a crack is normally apparent. It is the deepest of blues, with no golden scaling. When she is in motion, her many hands are constantly moving, but when she is at rest her entire body is still as a becalmed sea. When they come, her words flow as if water, filling and drowning the listeners in knowledge. Mercifully she is few of words, speaking rarely and then only to those she somehow determines capable of hearing her. The Dryads, whom she helped breathe life into, are said to tend to her in the center of the Faeheart. Tales told of her say that when she traveled, Rynn was alive for her - the world blooming as though to impress upon her their love and thanks. At the formation of Rynn, Mother preferred to swim at the mouths of the Aralusi, basking in the inflow of energies from the Great Seas better known as the Astral Sea. A common myth of Cyhraid pertains to her place of rest. The deepest one can go into the Faeheart is into Cyhraid's Grove, the center of the Heart of the Wylds. Here, the Mother of the First Kindred, Cyhraid, lays in rest, tended by her favorite children: the dryads. Whispered tales tell that when Cyhraid discovered the Gods were Rivening the Garden of Rynn, she came here to stop them, but could not prevent their action alone. As the Aralusi River, once the font of astral energy which flooded Rynn, was redirected, Cyhraid ripped a hole in the veil the gods put into place. The mouth of the old Aralusi springs forth here, and Mother lays in wait, calling out into Rynn, drawing a trickle of energy back into her. Few return from this place, and none have returned unchanged. Cyhraid is overgrown in her grove, practically rooted into the Heart of the Wylds. The Faeheart is a part of her, an extension of her power basking in the raw energies of the Astral Sea. To know the Faeheart is to know Mother, and to be in the Faeheart is to be known by her.Anguath
The Woadfather Father is of the land, rocky and untilled, fertile with decay, hot with the living fires of creation. He felt all life rooted in him, experienced it grow and collapse with time, giving rise to future generations and ending the old. A thin, wispy creature, his skin was formed like white marble, but flaking as though bark on a birch tree. Under the flaking bark are veins of fire, and where his eyes and nose would be is continuous to the rest of his skin, unbroken. The gnarled knot of his mouth is frozen, unmoving, having never cracked to form either frown or smile. Like mother, his seeming blindness is but an illusion. Anguath, as he has been called since before time was recorded, carries a staff of ivory white, topped with a single ever moving eye. Called Woadfather’s Eye, mythology says that it sees all - pasts, presents, futures. Some fortune tellers call to him, but being filled with his vision is more likely to curse than to bless - only the most capable and prepared can tolerate to see through even a fraction of his sight. He travels more frequently than Mother, and when formed swam in the deltas and estuaries where the Araslusi washed back into the Great Sea. When spoken, his words come as thoughts, chilling the very souls of those who listen. Anguath is the dark shadow to Cyhraid, a spirit of somber quiet the stalks the footsteps of creatures fates. Also known as Maut the Patient, the Veilwalker, or Sigh of the Forest, Anguath is the harbinger of death and rebirth. Revered by predators and hunters alike, Anguath’s name is spoken of quietly, and never with disrespect - unless one seeks an early demise. According to those who worship Anguath, such as the Court priests, he is a creature beyond words, whose thoughts can only be felt like the cold ice of life on the brink of death. When depicted in stories, Anguath appears as a tall, bony-thin figure with no eyes or nose, and mouth that has never smiled. In every depiction, Anguath carries a staff of ivory white, topped with a single moving eye - one that sees all, and is sparsely adorned with a motley cloak of barkskins and bleached bone.Fyaidwch
Wyldspark First born from Mother and Father was who the Old Fae called Fyaidwch. He was birthed of flora - the towering trees, grasses, and flowers of Rynn. Fyaidwch was quiet and beautiful, preferring the polite company of silence, but appreciating the noises of creation. The Hermit, the Gardener, He Who Tends - loved by those who know him, and respected by those who know of him. A giant, grey-bearded creature who has a long and thin face, eyes without pupils but instead a dark pool of blue, with fingers that are long and spindly. Where visible, his skin is gnarled and wrinkled, dark and ashy. But a great, heavy robe of many colors covers most of his body, an extension of his form. His hands are innumerable, emerging from his robe as he needs them. When resting, which he does often between visiting his Gardens, he is spinning threads from his mouth and sewing them into his robes. Of those born from Mother and Father, the Fae say that, "..Fyaidwch has the most of the Old, something both of Rynn, but still of that which was before Rynn." Unlike Mother and Father, he can speak more like the people of this world, though his voice seems to come from everywhere around a listener. Druids, clerics, and those who love the natural beauty of the Wylds seek him out, and if found he often shares with them the pleasures of a garden he is tending. His domains are of defense, meditation, peace, insight, perception. He is honored by the Tuquet especially, as it is believed that he taught them to survive in the Wylds. Certain Fae have a natural affiliation with him, and the Maibusi respect him from afar.Gwaidulu and Dayapani
The Sun and The Moon Second born were Gwaidulu and Daryapani. They were born from forms of celebration, as graceful, charmed experiences flowed through Mother and Father. As the echinder of the world civilized, finding heat, fermentation, jubilees, and comfort, they entwined their bodies for joy and spread across Rynn. Gwaidulu and Daryapani swam in the streams, finding souls and spirits of Rynn, nibbling and gaining new experiences in their feasts. But as is with most of their Kin, something of the Old was always with them too. Gwaidulu is the embodiment of beauty and joy incarnate. She dances and shines brightly, leaving strange jewels as gifts for fae and echinder alike. The Star, the Sun - those who look upon her find it difficult to take their eyes from her. Because of this, cults regarding Gwaidulu in the Faeheart are extremely common. Gwaidulu loves the surfaces of Rynn, spending her time soaking up the sun. She has Mother’s many arms - that is the Old that she carries with her. Her hair is said to be purple as the leaves in the deep Wylds, skin pale and radiant. She can often be found near entrances to the Stone Chorus, or in the clearings of the Wylds dancing to unheard songs. Daryapani loved the dark places of Rynn. She found caverns before Rynn was rent, enchanted by the wonder Rynn had produced - the dark places below the world, so quiet and serene. Deep in the earth was her cathedral, her voice echoing from the walls with love for all she had come to know. She much preferred those spaces, and she would seek refuge there far from the noisy forests of the Garden. Gwaidulu would come and pull her out from her refuges, and the Lovers would dance and sing, visit with mortals, or swim the Aralusi River together. Her voice was like a siren’s call, and when combined with Gwaidulu’s dancing they were a pair that could not be ignored. Alone, she was Temperance, the Priestess, and the Moon. Long after the Rending, and falling in love with Terra Duhr, Daryapani is said to have died - one of the only First Kindred known to have died and not returned whole. She was killed in a sudden fit of insanity by her child Mòranfhèin, as the Drosni Illoelth cut the fungal archfae from his roots in the world. As she began to die, her blood mingling with the waters of Terra Duhr, he re-rooted himself in her flesh, Mòranfhèin’s roots entwining with her body. There are those who say that the Stone Chorus are remnants of Daryapani being returned piece by piece to the Faeheart, but it is impossible to know for sure. Legends of the pair say that Daryapani would sing for Gwaidulu, and Gwaidulu would dance. When together, they were called The Sisters, The Lovers, or The Constellations. Everywhere in Rynn they traveled together, Daryapani singing and Gwaidulu dancing in the winds, among the trees, in the fields, and on into the gloaming twilight where Gwaidulu sparkled hues, her incandescent form shining. Gwaidulu does not speak with the echinder, her voice having always come from Daryapani’s song. Without her sister, only the other First Kindred seem to understand her meanings, and her adoring followers are left only able to interpret her movements, the shifting lights that seem to compose her body, and the gifts she sometimes leaves behind.Lledrith
Magician Lledrith, was born of intentions, sentiment, entertainment, loss, gain, and play. His birthing was complex and conflicted. Though formed, his shape never truly settled, and he shifted his body as circumstances demanded. He was the best and the worst from the Seas and of Rynn. He feasted greedily on great souls bringing experiences of conflict, fear, and need. He also sought out and enjoyed the tastes of peace, wonder, forgiveness, and love. He taught the Old Fey negotiation, and the value of a bargain. Some also learned the darker side of bargains with Lledrith, agreeing to terms through fear or coercion. Lledrith delighted in games, over-indulging in drink, and playing with the peoples of the world. But still he was of Rynn, and beautiful to his Kin. Trouble follows him easily as he wears his many masks. The Magician, the Diplomat, the Merchant, the Gamemaster, the Negotiator - clans fight clans for his promises; Fae split and reform allegiances with his words; rulers wager their kingdoms for his gifts. Of all the First Kindred, Lledrith is the most like the echinder, fascinated by their machinations. While the other First Kindred nibble on the memories and souls of Rynn’s inhabitants, Lledrith cannot help but meddle with their lives, creating new experiences for him to taste. Temptations are his currency, and his temper is known to be quite dangerous. The Fae know and love him as a kindred spirit, and he calls them his Children, Sons, or Daughters, Brothers, and Sisters. Of all the First Kindred, Lledrith is the most commonly known, and the most commonly seen. The Fae and Eladrin have a common saying regarding Lledrith, which they say quietly when he is not around, “Want little and sait your appetites easily lest Lledtrith find you and fill your belly.” Despite this, many fae absolutely revel in his company, and his parties are renowned for their hedonism and length. Still Lledrith is an inauspicious figure throughout Fae, the subject of much concern and superstition, and not without cause. Known as the Fool, the Merchant, the Diplomat, or as Yaanraaj by the Maibusi, Lledrith is one of the most active Kindred amongst the fae myths of the wylds. As legends go, Lledrith was discontent with the gentle beauty and tranquility of the early Wyld, and tired of the routine stillness that life seemed to ebb and flow through. Either due to an itch of one’s own desire, or else bolstered by the whispers of outsiders (as some stories say), Lledrith sacrificed a piece of himself to gift sentience to a new sect of fae - the Unseelie. These children were not content to simply sing songs and tend the groves as their cousins, but sought pleasure and pain, and new things that lacked words or songs. And these children were not content to be as patient. Seeds of the sower, as some fae are now called, brought mischief and ruin to the wyld. They knew the games the fae play, yet they enjoyed the winning and losing more than the playing, and spurred their kin till naought but blood would settle the debts. The other Kindred, fearing the death of the beautiful, pleaded with Lledrith to stay his seeds, and bring peace to the Wyld once more. At the end of the tale known as the Accord of Discord -Lledrith agreed to make peace, and fetter his children to abide by those rules. In exchange - though - the Kindred must allow their own children to act on their own accord, and make their own deals, without the interference of their charges. “The strands of mortal chaos seldom give, but often take. Yet a single string plucked can still a song make.” ~ Lledrith, in the Accord of Discord.Aosda and Làidir Càraid
The Twins Last of those known to have been born of Mother and Father were Aosda and Làidir Càraid. They were born conjoined, of indeterminate gender. Of all the First Kindred, they were born with the most New in them, the most Rynn. They were born of tall grasses, tracking, long hours on the road, ingenuity, and hunting. Unlike Lledrith, they loved a fair game, and tumbled out of the Aralusi wrestling with one another when they were born. For days they wrestled, until finally they had pulled themselves apart. Unlike nearly all of their Kin, they disliked swimming in the Great River, believing that feasting on the souls and energy there was far too easy and boring. Instead, they stalked the Deep Woods, seeking the strongest spirits there that wore the skins of beasts. These beasts reveled in their presence, honored by their attention. They played with Aosda and Làidir, showing off their prowess and strength to keep the Càraid’s attention. Depending on the strength of the spirit, the twins either tasted of it deeply, taking parts of it into themselves, or released it back into the Wylds to become stronger yet. Both Aosda and Làidir have tall builds, their masculine and feminine features shifting depending on unseen variables - a secret between twins. They do not always succeed in their hunts, and can be bloodied, sometimes even seen dying. When one falls, the other consumes them, and eventually they are born again conjoined to their twin. They wrestle, pulling and ripping, until they are once again apart. When both die, their bodies return to Rynn, blessing the ground where they died, their waters flowing to the Great River where they emerge and pull themselves apart once more. But they were always reborn, changed to some degree, but reborn nonetheless. Many believe that had Mòranfhèin’s roots not entangled her body, Daryapani too would have been reborn from the Aralusi, but so far she has not yet re-emerged. Known for the hunt, Cleavers and Warriors in the Faeheart often seek after the Twins to show their own prowess, and to seek honor in their presence. The twins speak in sign and symbols shared between themselves that those seeking their attention must first learn.
Related Myths
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