Dunyawal
adventure awaits...
Each of The Burning Worlds exists in an order somewhat outside of time, and yet it can be said with certainty that Dunyawal is the first world. When the first entropic eclipse parted, there came into being simultaneously both something and nothing: Nüm and Nal. This began the Age of Emergence. Nüm was single bright light expanding outward as fast as he could into Nal's infinite Void. Both of them new, they regarded one another as curiosities, the only other elements in existence. As they came to know one another, their mutual understanding gave birth to two children, Nax and Nor.
Nax, like his father, was a being of light. His light did not burn so brightly or so constantly, but it was not bound to a single point, so he created as many lights as he willed and as far-flung as he willed, flickering Stars amid the nothing. Like his mother, he understood value of beginnings and endings. His stars played out hypnotic melodies to one another that both Nüm and Nal could listen to with pride. They found merriment in observing as the stars would come into and out of existence everywhere they looked.
Nor, like her mother, shone no light of her own, though in honor of her father, she reflected his light. Like Nüm, she had only one body. She focused her thoughts inward, creating a perfectly spherical Moon with myriad patterns and structures hidden within it. Nüm and Nal also looked upon Nor's creation with pride, for Nor's patterns were a beauty to behold, intriguing the intellect and calming the soul.
Beyond Nüm's growing Sun and within Nal's void, amid the song sung by the stars and under the watch of the moon, the Archdeities conceived a child. Nor took a piece of her own body and set it by itself in the void. It was, like Nor, a perfect sphere. All of the Archdeities beheld Nor's creation and rejoiced. Nüm loved it for he saw it had potential to grow. Nal loved it because she knew that with time it would disperse into her nothing. Nax loved it because it was new and exciting. Nor asked, "What should this child of ours be called?" and Nax replied "Dunyawal."
Nor thought that Dunyawal was completed, a cosmic perfection born of her body, but the other Archdeities soon willed their own changes on the child. Nax took Dunyawal in to his hands and shaped her, distorting Nor's perfect patterns and creating all of the mountains and valleys. He carved messy patterns into her skin and inside her body, crags and canyons that would become rivers. Nax's meddling displeased Nal, for she could not see the beauty in his handiwork.
Because he loved her so much, Nüm took his heart and placed it at Dunyawal's center so that she would always be filled with warmth and light. Nal looked on with jealousy, for she was nothing and so had no gifts to bestow on the world goddess. Instilled with life, Dunyawal awoke for the first time and so began the Age of Creation. She looked around and delighted at the lights of the Sun, Stars, and Moon. Nal's jealousy grew as Dunyawal rejoiced.
The newest goddess listened to the songs of the stars and began to sing along with them. As she did, she brought into being all manner of living things. She started with the plants, which reached upward to the light of the sun and inward toward the warm heart Nüm had given her. Dunyawal loved her creations and she made for them a queen, larger and more magnificent than any other, The World Tree. So high did the world tree grow that its branches touched the Void. So deep did the world tree grow that its roots touched Nüm's heart.
Nal looked upon the body of her daughter, burgeoning with life, and finally saw a gift that she could provide. Dunyawal had become overwhelmed with new life without end and without limit, and her body was so small. Nal, however, was infinite. She reached down to Dunyawal to take away the excess. When Nal's hand touched Dunyawal for the first time, a rot took root there and new, fungal forms began to grow. They crept through the earth and bided their time, awaiting the appropriate end for each of the living things Dunyawal had sung into being. In time, they crumbled every flower, every striving weed, even the mighty trees. Dunyawal thanked Nal for the gifts of time, death, and decay, but requested that Nal never touch the World Tree, that it might live forever nourished by Nüm's light. Though Nal agreed to spare the World Tree from decay, in secret she ever thirsted for its demise.
Nor came then to Dunyawal to speak with her daughter. "I have given to you your body, which your father Nax has carelessly distorted." Upon hearing his name, Nax came to Dunyawal as well, but cloaked his presence from Nor's gaze. He listened closely as his daughter replied, "I love my body and all of its contours." She guided Nor all throughout the world, showing her first the seas and lakes and rivers and then the high peaks and rolling hills. "Are not these gifts of Nax works of grandeur? Do they not inspire your heart?" "They do not," Nor told her daughter. "I will show you how to create a god, one that will help you to maintain your body and your life in a more orderly way."
So Nor taught Dunyawal to shape her will into the form of a god. Dunyawal labored long on her first creation, a goddess to care for the trees that had taken root in the earth. Dunyawal called this goddess Lumiron. Nor harbored a special love for Lumiron and still looks down with fondness on the forests of the world where Lumiron administers to her verdant dominion. The forests thrived under Lumiron's care and Dunyawal saw the wisdom in Nor's advice. Dunyawal then made the other gods of the world, each with their own kingdoms and responsibilities.
She next created Dhexdhüm to care for the depths of the earth and Shafir to care for the depths of the seas. She then created Zura to direct the winds in the air and Nephion to direct the waters on the land.
Each of these gods in time made the various beasts of the earth, taking the forms of these creatures to better view their handiwork. Over time, they further and further refined the animals until they created the
The Limae. The Limae were helpful servants of the gods, capable themselves of thought. The first of these were the Elves, created by Lumiron to help her care for the forests. Dhexdhüm then created the Dwarves to help him delve within the earth. Nax took particular interest in the Limae, seeing in them great potential to travel throughout Dunyawal and to make dramatic changes fit for magnificent songs. Yet every animal was entirely a manifestation of one of Dunyawal's children, incapable of independent action. "In all this order, there is no beauty," he spoke aloud, and gifted upon the Limae a portion of his own will to do with as they chose.
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