Light and Darkness

We have never been alone. Beings of endless power have been with us since our darkest hours. There was a time when magic walked right by our side - when the supernatural and the natural coexisted in a world between light and darkness.

This is their story.

The Lords of Light and Darkness
Two antagonistic forces in nature have, to varying extents, meddled with Gaia's business since the beginning of time. Their true origins are unknown. The first record of their presence dates back to the end of the War of Heaven, where both battled until they practically erased creation. They are known by many names, but they are most usually referred to as C'iel and Gaira - the Lords of Light and Darkness.

What they are is beyond explanation. They do not correspond to our concepts of gods and demons; their power lies far beyond what we call "divinity." Neither belonged originally to our reality. In fact, they do not belong to any reality whatsoever. They never become personally involved in Gaia's business. As a matter of fact, they have not intervened in the least since the War of Darkness. Both are worshipped as deities by many, and are often represented in the shape of two huge dragons. This has eventually given rise to their common name - the Dragon Gods.

C'iel and Gaira incarnate Light and Darkness respectively, and this is to a great extent determined by their own will. They have chosen to represent all of the principles and ideas these concepts imply. "Good" and "Evil" are simply not suitable terms to refer to them. They have remained true to the notions closest to their own personal philosophies.

C'iel is associated with the light, the element that represents man's most positive emotions - such as love, happiness, and hope. It is a feminine entity; this is why many people call it "the Lady of the Light." It is often depicted as a golden-eyed human or elven female of breathtaking beauty, although its most extended representation is that of a colossal White Dragon white angelic wings. Hundreds of symbols are connected to it in different cultures, but the most common are probably a silver eye with a reptilian pupil and a winged hand. Its philosophical principle is the pursuit of equality for all of Gaia's peoples. In the hopes that one day, order and prosperity will be achieved. It stands for life above all, and it is against taking people's lives under any circumstance. Nevertheless, C'iel has a negative face too, and at times it does approve of measures that almost betray the very ideals it stands for.

On the other hand, Gaira is in consonance with the Darkness and many of man's most torturous behaviors and feelings. He is the Dark Lord, the three-eyed Black Dragon whose shadow can swallow the world. It usually takes the appearance of a Duk'zarist or a human with a third eye on its forehead and long white hair spreading in the wind. The symbols most commonly associated with it are a black pupil or a labyrinth of chains ending in hooks. It's ideology stands for Gaia's evolution, development, and stability - even if the path to achieving this is a terrible one. Pain, sorrow, even hatred and strife are only nuances that need to be overcome to reach progress and finally, happiness. From its standpoint, the most powerful individuals must become leaders for the rest. The strong rule over the weak; this is the law of existence.

Gaira and C'iel are in strong opposition to one another, but neither one wishes to start an open conflict. Actually, they feel they lack a true motive; they need each other underneath it all.

Next to them rise a number of entities that have been with them since the beginning of times - the Delkavir and the Ilakavir, generals of the armies that collided in the War of Heaven. There are seven on each side. They partake of the natures of C'iel and Gaira, although unlike them, they have intervened actively in the world. In a way, they need to feel integrated in Gaia and have always endeavored to find a place in existence to claim for their own. For thousands of years, they have operated secretly through agents, cults, and religions, pursuing a variety of ends. None of them have a material identity, although they have made appearances in the form of avatars or divine incarnations. In the past centuries their activities have progressively diminished. In present day, both Ilakavir and Delkavir (as well as C'iel and Gaira) have disappeared from reality altogether. We do not know if they are staying apart on account of their desire of non-intervention, or if they have really departed. The answer to this question remains locked away in silence, and yet one remains...

Alkavir
Who is Alkavir? Is he one of the mysterious Ilakavir or Delkavir? Or perhaps another powerful entity that stands apart like C'iel and Gaira? The truth is Alkavir is no one entity, and all of them. The being known as Alkavir is actually a mistranslation of sorts, taken from Al-Kavir or The Kavir, the name of the mysterious entities from beyond. Many who know the truth behind the Alkavian religion believe that it was merely a miscommunication on the part of the Messiah, or perhaps a misunderstanding of his teachings by his Apostles. In truth it was intentional, a ploy by the Powers in the Shadows to lessen the hold of the Delkavir and Ilakavir on the minds, hearts, and souls of Humanity. By creating a singular God they had believed that it would weaken the strength of the Kavir and give the Imperium more control in Shafador. Instead what they ended up doing was something perhaps even worse depending on how one looks at it. In their attempts the empowered the Ilakavir Mikael, making her the chief among the Daughters of Light by turning her into the patron deity of the Church inadvertently.

Many of the Kavir are amused by this attempt and have fully taken advantage of the Church and its pantheon of Angels and Demons, using them to gain influence in the world through agents of the Church and demonic cults.

Ilakavir
Ilakavir are the Daughters of Light, seven entities that have been with C'iel since the War of Heaven. Their power is so vast that it escapes the imagination of man. Except for Uriel, they all possess female identities. Their true names are an enigma. The Ilakavir have adopted different identities throughout history, but never really felt integrated with any of them. Mortals usually refer to them with the titles of the seven archangels of Alkavian faith.

Due to the religious content of their intervention, some cultures worship them as deities. Each have their own purposes and goals which they try to accomplish in whatever way they can. They usually do not give orders to their follows, but they have a multitude of agents ready to follow their precepts autonomously. They generally collaborate with one another, but they sometimes operate secretly, without explaining or justifying their activities to the rest. There are no divisions among them, and they all rank equally high in importance - although Mikael is closest to C'iel and can be said to preside over them in some way.

It has always been one of their main desires to find a way to be completely integrated with creation. This is why, following C'iel's example, all seven have adopted several concepts as their own. Many are related to man's positive feelings, but in other cases, they represent more unusual ideas. By fusing a portion of their essence to those concepts, they feel a part of them becomes a part of reality itself

Delkavir
The Lords of Darkness are Gaira's proselytes, those who have been considered gods of darkness for millenniums. Six of them are male, and only one, Meseguis, has a female essence.

As a general rule, they go by the same names they have used since the War of Heaven, but this does not prevent them from adopting the identity of a divinity from time to time. Like the Ilakavir, they began to feel the need to become integrated with the world after millenniums, so they too personify several principles. However, they incarnate somber ideas that reflect man's most ghastly emotions.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">They are organized hierarchically according to power and influence. Zemial, Jedah, and Meseguis are the main Delkavir; positions among the remaining four are quite chaotic and vary moment to moment, according to their actions. Paradoxically, there is little camaraderie among them; the same rivalry they feel toward the Ilakavir prevails inside their own group. Internal fights for power and influence are constant, although never openly stated. The cause of this union is everyone's respect and obedience to Gaira, who subjects them to rules they are obligated to follow. Delkavir intervention in the world through agents and followers is also scarce, although it is much more active than that of the Ilakavir.