Chereads / The Tails of Urdn'Varn; The Moonscryer. / Chapter 14 - Scroll 14: The Message Hidden in Moonlight

Chapter 14 - Scroll 14: The Message Hidden in Moonlight

One faithful night, as Urdn'Varn stood mesmerized beneath the vast expanse of the night sky, he found himself lost in the yawning darkness of an eclipsing moon.. casting a shimmering, yet darkened, silver glow across the temple grounds.

That night, Urdn'Varn had come to the highest peek of The Church Of Syllel, seeking quiet place for contemplation..

But as he lifted his gaze to apon the fading light of the moon, his vision blurred, and the world around him fell away.

Shadows all around him deepened, consuming everything but the pale ring of light above him.

Within moments, he found himself standing in an ethereal plain of Twilight;

A place where shadow and moonlight wove together in an intricate dance.

From the depths of the shadows, a presence emerged. It was his goddess.. Shar, the Lady of Loss;

Her heavenly form carved of shadows, ever-shifting and ethereal, was both beautiful and terrifying to gase upon, yet Urdn'Varn could not take his eyes off of her.

As Urdn'Varn gased in awe of his goddesses presence, Shar's voice began to echo through the void of space, resonant and commanding.

"Do not fear my presence Urdn'Varn...

Come forth, and take my hand, there's something I've been waiting to show you for a long time." she intoned, her eyes like twin daggers of midnight.

"I have chosen you to bear witness to the truth; ..one that has been buried, hidden by lies of my sister Selûne's blinding light."

As Shar spoke, the moon above consumed the sky, transforming into an onix mirror.

Urdn'Varn watched as images of the past began to swirl within, revealing a story long forgotten by the mortal world as Shar began to recite her ancient tale.

"A long time ago, me and my sister were one, and I was not alone in my dreams." Shar said, her voice tinged with a mix of bitterness and sorrow.

"In the beginning, I walked the realms of Abeir-Toril with my sister, Selûne. ..Together, we ruled a galaxy forged of subtle glow and shadow as a single goddess, a being known as Chauntea, or The-Sisters-Who-Were-One.

Back then the realm of Abeir-Toril was a place of perfect harmony, born in perfect balance of light and dark. ...And for a time, there was peace,

and all life thrived within our mixed embrace."

The images of the heavens shifted, revealing two figures:

One danced in the shadows, cloaked in darkness. The other a soft, yet radiant pale light.. and together they moved as one, their power interwoven.

"But Selûne grew restless,"

Shar continued, her tone hardening with a sense of discussed.

"She desired more than what we had built together... She sought to bring blinding light into our realm to please our father Aō.

And so Selûne reached into the fiery planes of the hells, and brought back with her a new light, ..A light that burned, that destroyed, and consumed all it touched.

All to curry favor with another god, and so, Her ambitions shattered Our sacred bond, tearing us apart."

The skies above reflected scenes of searing flames, of life scorched away by blinding light, and the two goddesses were pulled away from each other as the light casted Shar into the depths of darkness, injured and alone.

"She betrayed me, her other half, .. Her Twin Sister!"

Shar's cries echoed throughout the heavens, her voice mournful, yet menacing.

"In Selûne's quest to please our father..,

She sacrificed countless lives, casting them, ..and me into the void, never to be seen again. And so..

I swore then that I would have my revenge, and reclaim all that was lost.

I swore that I would restore the balance that Selûne so recklessly unraveled, and return the realm of Abeir-Toril to the it was meant to be, no matter the cost..

Little did I know that my efforts would cost me the favor of my daughter Mystryl."

Urdn'Varn's breath fluttered as the images shifted yet again, and Shar began to show him the events of the Spellplague;

A chaotic torrent of magic that had torn through the realm, disrupting everything in its path.

"And so, unleashed the Spellplague.

..this plague I crafted is no mere accident, as the Selûnite's claim.. It was the consequence for the turmoil I had endured for so long, a stain of magic reflecting Selûne's betrayal.. and the foreseen death of my Daughter.

It's wrought, a sign of the imbalance Selûne had created, that festers still to this day!"

Urdn'Varn watched as the heavens unfolded the story of the life and death of Mystryl that lead to the rise of *The Old Mystra* (Mystryl's Second Reincarnation). As well as her assassination influenced by Shar, That lead to the spellpluege,

and the rebirth of the *New Mystra*;

A goddess of Magic, reborn in completion of Selûne and Aō's image.

"But now, there is hope to be found,

my child of darkness."

Shar continued, her tone softening, almost conspiratorial.

"With the help of the Drow's Twin Gods;

Vhaeraun, and his sister Eilistraee,

..I have set a plan in motion.

In about ten years time, Vhaeraun shall be freed by his sister and her profit, ..together they will help you craft a new source of magic under my guidance:

The Ecliptic Weave. It will be unlike any other.. a sorce of raw power, born of both Glow and Shadow, ..Unpredictable and Omnipotent."

Shar's eyes gleamed as she leaned closer to Urdn'Varn.

"With the Ecliptic Weave, a newborn realm shall be forged by our hands... The Twilight Domain; A realm where light and dark are once again intertwined, where true balance is restored at last."

Shar paused, letting the weight of her words settle over him.

"But the Selûnites have hidden the truth that shall bring forth this fate. Ancient scrolls written ages ago by a prophet of Eilistraee have been scattered across the realm. These Scrolls hold the secrets that the Selûnite's have kept hidden from the world for over thousands of years.

..Secrets that will unravel Selûne's blinding influence and finally.., reveal her treachery."

Urdn'Varn clenched his fists, the resolve in his heart hardening.

"I will find these scrolls, no matter how long it takes me, I will form an army of Wulvenvir, loyal to you and send them searching throughout the lands!" he vowed. "And I swear to you that one night..,

I will steal the power of the moon, and grant it as a prize to you, my goddess. ..and Together Lady Shar, we shall cast this world into your realm of Subtle Glow And Endless Shadows."

Pleased by his resolve, Shar smiles for the first time in what felt like an eternity, and placed her hand on Urdn'Varn's head.

"Then go forth, my chosen, and build your army.. and when the time comes, I will call upon you again. Until then keep your true motives our little secret."

Shar commanded to Urdn'Varn, as her form began to dissolve along with the darkness.

As the vision faded, Urdn'Varn found himself once more beneath the light of the moon as the cool night air brushed against his wings, he stared at the moon with a newfound passion, but Not for Selûne.., for her Raven-haired sister Shar.

Now, with his true purpose realized, the fire in Urdn'Varn's eyes, burned brighter than ever before, for The Message Hidden In Moonlight was clear;

He was to bring forth The Dawn Of Twilight..

No matter what the cost.