Endless Night

By: Peladoris Posted on: November 23, 2007

Endless Night: a quintet of poems relating to the reawakening of Lady Valnurana

The eternal night beginning in 426 A.F. was not only an attempt by Slith to gain more power in the world and over the Garden. It was also the occasion of the reawakening of Lady Valnurana, and in the end it was events relating to the latter that proved Slith's undoing.

Here are four poems related to the story of those times, focusing on the role of the Dreamrealm, and one more abstract but related musing. I will give a (very) brief summary of the history for those unfamiliar with it, to give some context to these poems, but I do urge all who find my verses of interest to read for themselves the full histories.

Slith, in mortal guise, convinced Hashan to give him the Nocturne, an ancient and powerful disk, for use in a project he made up for that purpose. Using the Nocturne, he forced the planets to remain fixed, eclipsing the sun, and bringing on an endless night, while he took for himself the power of the sun. The moon vanished as well, but its light remained reflected in the waters of Sapience.

In response to the darkness, Lord Thoth fulfilled a promise He had made to Lady Valnurana long ago, after the battle of Nishnatoba in the War of Humanity, to release to Her the soul of the last unicorn He still held. This was the nychtaur.

The presence of the nychtaur in mortal realms drew the spirits of the other unicorns, which manifested here as nightmares. This awakened Lady Valnurana, although She did not yet recognize the nychtaur. The nychtaur was given its true form by mortals using a net created by the Visages, mysterious followers of Lady Ourania. Now recognized by Lady Valnurana, it impregnated one of the nightmares and was taken home along with the nightmares to the Dreamrealm.

The pregnant mare could not remain in the Dreamrealm with a foal conceived in this realm, and so returned, eventually giving birth to a true unicorn. Mortals following Apollonia's prophesies, led by Delphinus and Riashain, discovered how to use the unicorn to thwart Slith. Although only partly successful, day was returned to mortal realms at the cost of the planets.

A brief note for the last poem:

The night-blooming orchids were the only food the pregnant nightmare would eat. Unknown before that time, they grow in the Sangre Plains to this day.

Nocturne

Forgotten disk once used in old Hashan

To choose among the Three Who ruled in turn,

But older than that city, used before,

And linked to power of the traveling stars

Called Noxtra, Lunastra, and Somnustra

Now Valnurana slumbered, and Twilight

Likewise had not been seen for many years.

Lady Ourania patroned Hashan alone,

And no one still remembered the Nocturne

Except one who had mind to use its power.

Thus by a ruse, an endless night was wrought

But even Slith gave unicorns no thought.

Nychtaur

To rampage through the city streets

Each midnight comes the bull nychtaur.

Each night a different city, but

Each night the battle is the same.

Carnage and death and in the end

The Nychtaur falls and is no more.

No corpse is left to tell the tale,

Body consumed by emerald flame.

Net

Verthandi, Skuld, and Urdu's chant

And forms had forged a silvery net.

Six times in water it was dipped,

Six cities traveled to in turn

In answer to a riddled charge.

Thus charged, the net's transforming power

Awaited the well-feared Nychtaur.

In Thera, Kaixis's cast was true.

The net expanded to enclose

The nychtaur, and its body changed.

Not bull, but stallion now was seen

By mortals, coat as black as night

And mane that glowed with emerald light.

But Valnurana could see more:

The settlement of an ancient score.

Nightmare

Nightmares knew before their Lady

Waking Her from slumber long.

Drawn to nychtaur, now black stallion,

One would win him for her own.

Bats pursued the pregnant nightmare,

Bone white bats with teeth like knives.

Tender caring came from mortals

Who would hasten to her side.

Net had turned to silvery bridle

Which was used to lead the mare

Once the bats had been defeated,

Feeding her with orchids rare.

She could not remain in Dreamrealm

For her foal was mortal made,

Here conceived, here she must bear him,

Giving up her life in trade.

Night-blooming Orchid

Now growing in the Sangre Plains,

Our recompense for the loss of planets,

An orchid with petals midnight blue.

Three large outside petals, one

For each planet lost. Who says

The trade was bad? Without these

We may have also lost the sun.

Catarin's birthplace now has borne

Another of great rank. All praise

The night-blooming orchid. Food

Of unicorns. Sun's saviour.

Praise the flower of the Dreamrealm.