Juivelen Lore and Culture

Tale of Creation

"Listen my child, my lovely one, and I will tell you of how your people, how the Juive'len came to be. Long ago, before the foul and wicked ones had been twisted into being by the dark gods, the world was beautiful. It was a peaceful time. The ancient Ke'trala had come to Telath to make their home here in the bossom of Carmelya.

"One of these ancient beings (her name, my dear, was Elyria) used the fallen leaf of the huge "Lover's Roost" plant to sail across the sea and away from her kind, seeking the peace of solitude. Her boat landed on the sandy shore of a calm bay on the island of Vilyatol. (Our land actually floated on the sea at that time, you understand.)

"Elyria found the island pleasant, wild and uninhabited as it was, though she was to find out that it wasn't as 'uninhabited' as she first thought. She wandered into the dense forest, marveling at Carmelya's unblemished works. Just before nightfall, the maiden Elyria happened upon a glade, a clearing in the middle of the jungle. All around her, there was soft, green grass, dotted with wildflowers. On the far side of the glade was the musical trickle of a babbling spring. It was the first fresh water that Elyria had found thus far on the island and with dusk fast approaching, the ancient Ke'trala decided it would be a lovely place to pause for the night. After refreshing herself with water from the spring, Elyria turned her face toward the setting suns and sang the very same evening aubade that we sing every brightening, dear one.

"As she sang, the creatures of the forests came out into the glade and stood silently among the waking stars, listening to her fair song. They did not try to harm her and when she was finished, she touched each one in kindness and when she lay down for the night, the animals curled up about her to keep her warm.

"Elyria awoke in the morning to silence, alone once again. The ancient Ke'trala turned her face to the suns as she had done the night before and sang the song of welcome, the companion song to the one she had sung the evening before. As before, Elyria's song gained an audience, though this time, her solitary listener did not reveal himself, but stood within the concealment of the jungle, watching the beautiful Elyria.

"With her morning aubade sung and the suns welcomed for the brightening, Elyria turned to the spring to find a calm pool of the cool water to bathe in. Despite her nakedness, the silent watcher did not turn away out of modesty, for alicorns do not find any shame in the natural form (and that is exactly what he was, dear one). An alicorn watched the beautiful Elyria as she bathed. He had never seen such an enchanting creature before and as he watched, the alicorn fell in love with the Ke'trala.

"It is common knowledge that alicorns are magical creatures, so with little effort, the alicorn changed his form to something she would not find too foreign, fearing that she would never return his love in his natural form. The alicorn took on the form of a Ke'trala, with one exception; he kept the wings that he had relied on from the moment of his creation. (This was no mere illusion, my child. Elyria would have known, had it been anything less than a transformation.)

"Elyria was surprised to see another sentient being in the glade, but even naked, she was not afraid. The 'Ke'trala' seemed to radiate calm and his love for her was obvious, even from the moment she laid eyes on him. Elyria and Al'koroth (for that is what his name was, beloved) spent the brightening together in the glade, lying on the grass, laughing and talking together. Al' koroth fed Elyria of the fruits of the jungle, the sweet wine apple fruits and honey from the honeysuckle plants. And in the evening, they danced together by the light of the moons. So caught up in his love for her, Al'koroth took Elyria in his arms and with great downstrokes of his wings, he carried her out over the canopy of the jungle to show her the world as he saw it. Elyria finally professed her love for him as they flew together and when they landed, Al'koroth set her down in the leafy embrace of the plant that we know as "lover's roost".

"Elyria conceived their first child that very night. Now, it is common knowledge that alicorns are magical creatures, and as such, Al'koroth could choose which of his traits he would pass along to his offspring. In the moment of conception, he decided that their children would have their mother's form, but of him, they would have only his wings.

"Al'koroth and Elyria lived happily for many centuries, having many happy children. Al'koroth himself taught his children to fly and how to tap into the arcane. Their family was a joyous and loving one.

"Elyria never knew the true nature of her lover. It wasn't until after her death... (for alicorns are magical creatures, dear one, and like dragons, they live very long lives, even compared to ours) ...it wasn't until her death that Al'koroth finally revealed his true form to his children. He kissed each one, though all were well grown, and told them that he had taught them all that they could know (for they were not the magical creatures that he was and could not know all, my little one) and that he was leaving them to become what they would, but that his love would always be with them. And with that, the form that they had come to know shimmered and in its place was the alicorn, his pearly white coat shivering as if the Ke'trala form had been water to be shaken off.

"Al'koroth launched himself into the air then, his great wings catching the air and lifting him up over the island of Vilyatol. His children took flight and pursued him out of their love for their father, but alicorns are magical creatures, dear one. Al'koroth simply vanished from their sight.

"Some say that Al'koroth still lives on Vilyatol, dreaming of his lover, the beautiful Ke'trala, Elyria, but I tend to think that, as long lived as alicorns are, he has passed on to the stars to be with his beloved.

"It is said that our people's need for seperation from the rest of Telath's races came from Al'koroth, himself; that it is the alicorn instinct to remain apart from intrusion. Others claim it is a manifestation of Elyria's desire to find peace and solitude away from her own kind. Perhaps we have retained more of our equine heritage than we would like to believe. Our people are very social among their own kind in what some might call a herd mentality. Our magical nature, we often claim, came from both of our ancestral parents."