The Legacy of Qázun

The death of Qázun during the vicious fighting of the First Feud was a severe blow to the Alor'eshan and the future of Qadal. He was, without a doubt, the most creative of the Eshan and spoke endless to those who would listen about all the things he wished to create. The other Alor'eshan were not nearly as interested in the possibilities and contented themselves by building up their own personal power and morphing the land to their will. Qázun separated himself from them, and became something of a reculse, living upon the continent of Zaregallis to create in peace. There he created wild animals that flew through the air, brutes that stomped across the land, and beasts that swam beneath the waves. Mortals have given these creations names such as birds, fish, wolves, bears, and other that fit their comprehension, but to the Eshan all these things were simply known as the creations of Qázun. Ácolitus was pleased with his creations and bid Qázun place them in all the lands of Qadal. This earned him the ire and jealously of the other Alor'eshan, who themselves sought after the favor of the creator. This animosity only made his estrangement worse, to the point where many of the Eshan forgot he existed at all. For Qázun that was all well, life was simpler among his creations.
The derisive attitudes the other Alor'eshan exhibited toward Qázun were not shared by all the Eshan. On the contrary, among the Ebal'eshan the quiet and unimposing Qázun was admired, if for no other reason than he bore his power with much less arrogance than his siblings. Aebaster and Atûn in particular were known for their distain for the Ebal'eshan. It was possibly the only thing the two of them ever agreed upon. In a different sense, Qázun's passion for creation also set him apart from the other Alor'eshan. He was willing to use his power to increase the bounty of the world at large, putting aside the selfish nature exhibited by the other Eshan. As a result, something a cult began to form around Qázun that consisted of various Ebal'eshan, such as Seyesir, Ullum, Toriv, and others that were interested in his work. For most of them it was nothing more than a high admiration and a possible means to counteract the strength of the other Alor'eshan that dominated affairs in Qadal. Qázun himself was passive toward this following. With Qázun isolated on distant Zaregallis, the reality was that those who venerated him had scant knowledge regarding him or his disposition. They had him as a distant icon of how the other Alor'eshan should behave, and through his contrasting nature deepened their resentment for the greater spirits. The importance of Qázun in the eyes of the Ebal'eshan was an important developed for the balance of power among the Eshan. When the time came, the cult of Qázun, known as the Qázunari, chose to side with him, and thus Aebaster and his allies, against Ácolitus himself. Without the support of the Qázunari it is unlikely that the rebellious Alor'eshan would have been able to survive and eventually claim victory against the creator of all things.
The importance and influence of the Qázunari, which was the first 'political bloc' in Qadal's history, cannot be underestimated, but even within the Qázunari there were divisions. There were the Ebal'eshan who were moderate in their support of Qázun, being those who valued his ability to act as a counter-balance to the overbearing power of the Alor'eshan. The idea of Qázun as a neutral creator was what they followed, not necessarily the individual. On the opposite side of the spectrum were the few Ebal'eshan who offered themselves up entirely to Qázun in exchange for knowledge of his creations and power. These few were the ones who Qázun himself acknowledged and sought to influence. During the age of Olûn, there were five members of this close entourage. The true names of these figures are unknown, as they shed their old names in favor of new titles. They were known simply as the first, second, third, four, and fifth apprentices, in honor of their Service to Qázun. Over the next centuries before the First Feud, this close group of followers learned the ways of Qázun's creations and the wisdom that came with creating beautiful things. They lived together and worked in that capacity for centuries, compiling great volumes of knowledge on the workings of the world under the supervision of Qázun. They brought peace and unity to the otherwise disparate Eshan.
The reign of the Qázunari lasted until the First Feud, when the Eshan be divided and hurled into war. Ácolitus demanded that Qázun destroy the Viscari, who he had created as an experiment into sentient life. Aebaster injected himself on behalf of the Alor'eshan and battle lines were quickly drawn. Qázun wished to avoid the fighting but was convinced by Aebaster and Mesian that a show of resistance would allow the Eshan to exercise their proper rights as divine beings- including the creation of life. The destruction wrought by the fighting was tremendous, with mortal creations and Eshan themselves dying in the turmoil. The Qázunari joined with their master against Ácolitus but were unable to prevent his violent death at the hands of Moriv and Yada. However, two of the five apprentices died in the attempt. The remaining three were injured and forced to flee from the battle at the behest of Qázun. When the fighting ended with the defeat of Ácolitus by Atûn's betrayal, the Qázunari were present for the forging of the Divine Mandates. They were horrified and angered that Aebaster and his allies, the ones who had brought about this violence, now bargained to cut themselves the largest portion of the spoils. The world would be divided into two parts, Qadal and Voryndal, with the Alor'eshan to receive the former and Ebal'eshan receive the latter. Somehow, the Ebal'eshan were expected to be content with an equal share, though they had bled more than any of the Alor'eshan- barring Qázun, and he hadn't even wanted a fight. None were more furious than the three surviving Qázunari, who saw it as an affront that Qázun's sacrifice would be used for the selfish gain of the Alor'eshan.
When the Eshan spread out to their newly marked regions, the Qázunari returned to the ruins of Zaregallis. They established themselves where they had once Served under Qázun, but with a newly defined purpose. If the Alor'eshan wished to use war to benefit themselves, then they ought to as well suffer from war. The Qázunari who remained, the first, second, and third apprentice, altered their talents of binding Eshara for beauty into a means to create horrible beasts for war. Each one adopted a specialty for themselves, whether land, air, or sea, and sought to create monsters more fiendish than any others. They ordered these beasts to Qadal, where they could wage an undeclared war of destruction against the realms of the Alor'eshan to avenge Qázun. They have remained there under present times, continuing to create horrid beasts to taint the world of those who destroyed their master.