The Arkati, deities to the current inhabitants of Elanthia, live in a state of constant struggle not so dissimilar from our own existences. Their lives are riddled with mystery, intrigue, and a good deal of treachery. Unfortunately, the affairs of these ancient beings often spill into the realm of the mortal races. Indeed, much of the strife between The Arkati seems to take root in the lives of others. Perhaps things would be different if not for the long-past decision of the drakes to send all of The Arkati to the moons Lornon and Liabo. This decision, coupled with the desire for freedom from servitude, is said to have led Eorgina to seek the help of Fash’lo’nae, the scholar of Lornon. With his knowledge of planar studies Fash’lo’nae supposedly opened the Veil, the only thing keeping powerful beings known as Ur-Daemons out of Elanthia. Eorgina told these creatures of the rich land and mana to be had on Elanthia, thus giving them a reason to destroy the drakes. She also proclaimed they would share in its abundant resources after the Ur-Daemons were victorious.

The Ur-Daemons, however, meant to keep the land for themselves after the destruction of the drakes. This legend is clouded with age, unfortunately, and the only clear fact of the matter is that a massive war broke out, lasting approximately a thousand years. This war, known as The Ur-Daemon War, left Elanthia scorched but menaced by drakes and Ur-Daemons no longer. While this war occurred, The Arkati continued to occupy the moons of Lornon and Liabo. When they had originally settled there, they were a single race of beings. By the time the war ended and they were to claim Elanthia as theirs, however, they were a united race no longer. Although still up for speculation as to why, the Arkati of Lornon now believed Elanthia and its inhabitants were nothing but playthings, while the Arkati of Liabo felt the job of protecting Elanthia was now theirs. The differing opinions on Elanthia and Elanthians led to the opposition between the two pantheons that still exists to this day.

Many feel that The Arkati, once servants themselves, do not deserve the respect and worship they are given. I, Telse Larol, strive to make it understood that the worship I give is borne of honest gratitude. If any of The Arkati deserve my gratitude, as well as the gratitude of others, it is Lord Ronan. His constant, undying efforts against those of Lornon lead me to believe he truly cares for and respects those he protects. Being the god of night and dreams, his domain encompasses the most vulnerable time in a person’s life, the time they spend sleeping. Without his aid, the forces of darkness would violate our sleep constantly, perhaps on a nightly basis. Herein lies the core of this essay. It is my strong belief that a majority, if not all, of the Lornon Arkati care nothing for the inhabitants of Elanthia. Their efforts are consistently self-righteous, leading only to personal gain and betterment. Therefore I am baffled at the worship they continue to receive. My idea of worship, rooted in trust and gratitude, could not possibly be used when worshipping the Arkati of Lornon. In fact, I cannot fathom wasting my worship on them in any form whatsoever, trust-based or otherwise. My reasoning for this is best illustrated in the never-ending conflicts between my lord, Ronan, and the Arkati of Lornon, particularly Sheru.

Ronan, god of night and dreams, makes it his mission to protect the sleeping inhabitants of Elanthia. He is the rightful master of dreams and of the night. Unfortunately, due to the nature of his domain, Ronan has to deal with the Arkati of Lornon, or dark gods, very often. One in particular, Sheru, believes himself to be the true god of night. Sheru, commonly referred to as the bringer of terror, is the god of nightmares. He is, for all intents and purposes, the sheer embodiment of fear itself. He thrives off of causing insanity in lesser creatures through the use of terror. This conflict of opinions on who is god of the night leads to a great deal of conflict between Ronan and Sheru. The rest of this essay will discuss the vital role Ronan plays in the lives of Elanthians, particularly in relation to Sheru.

To fully comprehend the impact Ronan has on each and every Elanthian, a sound understanding of how dreams and sleeping affect a person’s health is needed. I gathered the following information from numerous scholars across the lands, hoping that it would help to reinforce Ronan’s immense importance. The link between dreams and the mental health of a person is a fairly obvious one, but at the same time its intricacies can be baffling. According to my sources, dreams are a tool with which to analyze the mental state of a person. From their studies they seem to have found that people who cannot concentrate when they dream may be suffering from madness, or Sheru’s Gift if you will. Now, this in itself does not necessarily prove how important Ronan is. However, coupled with the fact that Sheru has the ability to affect one’s dreams when given the chance, the connection quickly takes form. If dreams, or how one dreams, can predict something such as madness, they must be directly related to the mind and mental stability of a person. Considering this, the ramifications of a world without Ronan are stupefying. Every one of us would be subject to the manipulative forces of Sheru and the terrifying nightmares he conjures up. His powers, now strong enough to drive people insane already, would increase tenfold in Ronan’s absence. After realizing our mind’s vulnerability, it becomes more and more clear why the Arkati of Lornon choose the night to cloak most of their activities.

The battle that Ronan fights for us everyday has an unfortunately large number of aspects. While the idea of having a dark god feeding you nightmares is extremely frightening, the idea of being killed outright while you sleep is perhaps even scarier. That is why Ronan protects us not only through our dreams, but also throughout the entire night. Fortunately, he is a more than capable guardian. While this particular essay has focused primarily on the evil practices of Sheru as opposed to others, most Arkati of Lornon live up to their title of dark gods by trespassing on Ronan’s domain. Easily being the most active Arkati in the fight against those from Lornon as a result of this, it is my belief that every Elanthian owes their deepest thanks to Ronan.

The evil ways of the Arkati of Lornon could easily fill a hundred-page essay. This particular piece of writing explained some of Sheru’s common practices. After gathering this information and reviewing it, it has become even more difficult for me to grasp the concept of someone wishing to worship Sheru, or any other of the Lornon Arkati with methods just as evil. However, I do not wish them ill at all. It is not my place to decree whose shrine someone will eventually take sanctuary in. It is, however, my greatest hope that someday each and every Elanthian will kneel to the Arkati of Liabo, and that even worshippers of others will take a moment to give thanks to Ronan, guardian of the night.

Telse Larol
Priest of Ronan