Ulunor

Ulunor is a deity in The Gates. Until Ilven discussed religion with Frode during their carriage ride on Nurend 15, 308 on the way to Thera Relovut, Ulunor had only ever been mentioned in passing and when studying certain plants. Ilven's explanation of Ulunor was that she is The Spirit World, and that she is the light that provides warmth, guidance and growth while creating the shadows and darkness that give our lives detail, places to hide, and "whatever else you might want to do in the shadows". She is also apparently "all of the ten and whatever remains", the balance, and will bring reckoning on any that would bring the world out of balance. Not much is known about Ulunor yet beyond this description, however, The Writer encountered something when overlooking Ulunor's Cliff during this journal entry: Vorkault 19-22, 259: Ulunor's Cliff. He referred to the orb floating beyond the cliff as "The World".

On Nurend 30, 308, Namina swam through a maze of underwater tunnels to reach a temple to her god. She was offered many different choices to help her in her quest, but Namina chose knowledge. Some of the knowlede that her god provided seems to be related to Ulunor after some additional information had since been gained. A God's Guidance

Consumed by guilt, He must not be freed
Lost, dwelling on sins that He cannot forgive
Half cries out again for Her love is lost
This time curled up in Anguish, in Despair, Fatigued
By the Hope that is drowned, Her tears, like ink and oil
Will stain the rays of sunlight. As She hides, frightened and reckless, while the world around Her ends
No more cycles, no ticking from the clock
No more death, or life, or rot
An end to a bitter tale, no longer tainted by Hope
An end to a ceaseless spiral, and to His darkness
Ever-chased by Her light. Uncover His secrets, hidden before Time could see
Fight, or free, those that are devoted to His will,
Remind them of the Hope they once had, of dreams forgotten
It is more than Rot that corrupts, for knowledge is truly rotten
The Usurper will wear His crown, but bear not His guilt
And the missing pieces will be bathed in light To repair the broken Cycle is to know your past Anguish
To protect the Cycle already broken is to lose your Self
Freedom from the Reel, a Death unending with balance tarnished
Find Hope to forgive, to redeem, and end the denied suffering
It is shared by all that know Him, and will be destroyed
Less they are saved from the Lying dark A Wanderer with no Knowledge, but methods to defeat It
Find him, your path revealed but unwalked
As he writes and ponders and forgets his day
Tricked from him, stolen, by the one that demands to be forgot
The light he gives her taken from his own is lost
Will no longer be lost, freed from the Twisted dark Spirits washed, their pieces cast like paper on the wind
Bats that remember them, faces like an old friend
Or the heart that is trapped beneath the surface even now
Will all be lost this time around
As even now she works against it all, misguided and tortured
For her will is not her own, but rather the Coiling dark.

Namina spoke with a spirit on Nurend 36, 308 when looking for information about The Unblinking Sein. The Spirit referred to the Unblinking Seing with some familiar wording, "It broke free. It is but a fraction of a being beyond anyone’s comprehension, though we all know and understand them as the land we walk upon.” "The land we walk upon" likely refers to the Spirit World and Ulunor if what Ilven said is true.

Agave spoke with Aotrom on Daulok 07, 308 about his hand. She apparently is able to "communicate" with half of "somebody", but that they aren't very talkative these days. She needed to visit this "half" to get the name of somebody that Agave needed more info on, and she returned to explain that "There wasn't much to see here, just light, but a child came and began to cast shadows. She loved Him, and She kept Him safe. They built this world together, but something happened to Him and now She is alone. She cries out for Him, She screams His name and weeps. Her tears stain Her rays of light with darkness, and She cries for Vsevolodrik." The "light" and "shadows" that are mentioned seem to be connected to what Ilven first told Frode about Ulunor.

On Daulok 21-22, 308, Kaswink read a book about Me'kiah'brem'or. This book included some information about an ancient L’huine civilization, particularly one of their spiritual leaders, The Psychic. According to the book, The Psychic's inspiration for the design of the city which would become the L'huine's passage into the Spirit World came from something called "The Cry of Ulunor". The Spiritual Travelers later experienced a few moments in front of Ulunor through the eyes of Tympi and Ilven. It was learned that Tympi has a piece of Ulunor/Ar'en'el -likely in her lamp- and that it was given to her with the hopes that she would find someone named Vsevolodrik. It's been some unknown number of years since then, but Tympi never really succeeded in this mission. She also never mentioned it in her Journal. It may be worth looking into.