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The Legend of Yekora and Aulephi
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Excerpt from The Elven Deities, by Addeus Furwish
There was a time when all elves lived in harmony. This was during the Age of the New Gods, when smaller deities were being added to the Pantheon of the Lesser Gods. The elves, descendants of the great god Corlion, by that time, had hoisted and followed these elven gods: Aisef and Fesai, twin gods of healing and poison, respectively; Ela, the goddess of beauty and the progenitor of the Eladrins; and Amlin, the goddess of magic. The elves had a majority on the pantheon of lesser gods, but their power was weakening due to a decrease in worship.
There were two ways to worship the elven gods. One was to pray in communion with other believers, and the other was to pray in solitude. The former method of worship dedicates to the lesser elven gods by invoking Corlion; the followers of the latter method devotes to Antasha, the great goddess of land and its inhabitants, as they would always pray in the presence of secluded holy groves designated by the god. Now the two great gods need not quarrel over this, but the lesser gods had a discourse. There needed to be one method of worship, but on what method to choose they had arguments. Aisef and Ela preferred communion, while Fesai and Amlin wished for solitary worship.
On the mortal plane, the two beliefs were represented by the high elves and the wood elves. The high elves were more attuned to communion, while the wood elves were innately solitary and as such, became naturally attached in the other method. Due to their differences not only in worship but also in way of life and worldly beliefs, the two sides readied for war. The lesser gods were involved too, and they were ready to use their power and following to tip the scales of war.
As the two factions were closing in on the tipping point, the council of the great gods intervened. They decided that the two factions, instead of pursuing war, should choose among them a champion for their cause. The two champions would fight under the supervision of the great gods. The faction represented by the defeated champion should concede their belief and must accept the method of worship of the other faction. The lesser gods were allowed to aid the champions with reserved limitations.
The arena on Iselia was set and the chosen champions, Yekora and Aulephi, entered the arena. Yekora, who fervently believed in communion, was a popular and powerful high elf. Aulephi, who believed in solitary worship, was the leader of the wood elves. However, the two were not exceptional fighters: but they were gifted spellcasters. In fact, it was said that the two champions had been actually surveilling the other for several weeks before the duel, and as such prepared offensive and defensive spells catered to the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. The duel would later be known as the origin of the spellcasting duels or mage contests prominent in the elven kingdoms.
The lesser gods were not allowed to direct their champions at the moment of the battle. Due to this, the four elven gods helped their champions to prepare for the battle. Aisef blessed Yekora before the day of the fight, but Fesai knew this and had enchanted Aulephi’s spells to counter Aisef’s blessing. Ela on the other hand had charmed followers of Aulephi to gather information about her spells and battle tactics, while Amlin studied Yekora’s spells and pinpointed to Aulephi about her weaknesses.
The anticipated battle started in the year 3086 of the Eon of Akenatun’s Descent (EAD). The two fought with grace and skill rivaling the gods. Each spell was countered by the opponent’s defensive spell, and both the gods and the mortal audience were enthralled. Akenatun was impressed by the spectacle that the sun lit up until the duel finished. After a day of intense battle-casting, it was apparent that the two were equally matched. However, due to the relentless flow of spells, magic was sapped from both of them. The efforts of the lesser gods have been countered and neutralized by the gods on the other side. The champions, still equally matched, would have to resort to the usual hand-to-hand combat.
Even though they were not excellent fighters, Yekora and Aulephi were still proficient with weapons. Yekora handled the sword well, while Aulephi knew the ways of the bow and daggers. As their use of magic depleted, their dependence on their weapons grew. Yekora charged with her sword but Aulephi kept her distance as she blocked her attacks with her daggers. This continued for hours and their stamina dwindled. It was said that some of the audience passed out due to exhaustion. Yekora, after continuously chasing her elusive foe, finally managed to strike a devastating blow; but Aulephi, while gasping for her last breath, countered with her dagger before eventually dying from the strike. It had appeared that Yekora won but, on her way out of the arena, she dropped and began coughing out blood. The elven adjudicator ran to Yekora to aid her but it was too late. Yekora lost too much blood and died on the battlefield.
With no clear winner, it was up to the council of the great gods to decide. Yekora did outlast Aulephi, but it was clearly stated in the rules that whoever exited the arena alive would be considered as the winner. A lengthy discussion with the The Lesser Gods proved to be futile. Akenatun, displeased with their conduct, thundered above them and took the matter into his own hands. He revived both Yekora and Aulephi; then, he elevated them to godhood. Akenatun, in doing this, implied to the lesser elven gods to accept both methods of worship. The lesser gods reluctantly agreed at first, but in time they accepted Akenatun’s ruling.
As for the mortal elves, a fracture between the two methods continued to persist, albeit diminished in intensity. Still, fervent followers of Yekora and Aulephi hounded the other which resulted in minor yet bloody clashes. High elves flocked to cities while wood elves dispersed to the forests and secluded places. It was also during that time that the elves established the elven kingdoms of Ephelus and Corleus. Pressure from surrounding kingdoms would eventually pit these two elven kingdoms against each other, resulting in what would be called as the Kippian-Sumber War, a war that spanned generations and led to disastrous calamities for both sides.