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Eleonora and Hien sat down on the blanket and gave their full attention to the elder Xaela man.
“Before we begin, tell me: what do you know of the Au Ra, and how they came to be?” the elder asked them.
Hien thought for a moment. “Hm. I recall learning that the Raen were born of the Dawn Father and the Xaela of the Dusk Mother…” He looked over at Eleonora. “I don’t suppose you would happen to know more? Though I know you aren’t from the Steppe…”
“I heard tales from my father and grandmother about Azim and Nhaama, yes,” she answered with a nod. “Though I’m sure there are some regional variations.”
“Oh?” asked the elder. “This I am curious to hear.”
“I’m afraid I won’t do their storytelling justice myself, and I must admit, it has been some time since I last heard the tale…but I will try my best.” Eleonora sat up a little more straight and cleared her throat before she began. “Long ago, In the days before men, Azim the Dawn Father and Nhaama the Dusk Mother gazed upon the star and saw that it was empty. They decided to work together to fill the star with life. First, Nhaama created water to cover the star and give a place to nurture life. The two of them spent a long time working together to create all the different creatures of the sea. After they decided the seas were finished, they both still felt the star was incomplete, and so Azim raised the earth out of the sea, shaping and sculpting the land to his whims. Nhaama in turn filled the land with air, so that life could flourish both on the land and beneath the waves. Once again, the two worked together to fill this new space with life. But the plants and trees that grew all over Azim’s land that Nhaama had created to make the air started to grow out of control and soon began to choke the life from everything else in the forests, and so Azim created fire to burn away the dense forests and make room for their further creations. But when she saw this, Nhaama was devastated. ‘How could you burn away my beautiful forests?’ she cried. But Azim stood his ground. ‘Your forests grow and die and grow and die, but nothing ever comes to clear it away. The dead build and build, ever higher, with each passing year, and the other creatures of the forest are driven away. So I burned it all away to start anew.’
"Nhaama was stubborn, however, and soon enough she regrew all of the forests back to how they were. But the issue persisted, and eventually the dead plants piled up again, and so one again Azim sent fire to burn them. On and on it went, until Azim stirred up the winds to create storms of lighting to start the fires without his own further intervention. In answer to this, Nhaama created plants with fruits and thick seeds that could withstand Azim’s fires and take root in the newly fertile fresh soil left on the earth after the fires and grow back without her further intervention. So Azim created creatures that would feed upon the seeds and fruit from the trees to keep them from growing out of control, and Nhaama created ever more hardy plants with spines and poisons to keep the creatures from eating them all.
“And so their bitter rivalry continued. For each new creation from one, the other would counter in kind. In this way, nature stays balanced, for even if one creature becomes too powerful, the Dawn Father and the Dusk Mother will intervene to rectify the imbalance. But when it came to creating a creature that was both strong and clever, they each created the Au Ra—Azim the Raen, and Nhaama the Xaela.”
The elder nodded. “Your recollection aligns well with the tale told by many tribes. But what it does not mention is this: Azim and Nhaama were lovers.”
Eleonora and Hien glanced at each in surprise.
“Oh, they fought in the beginning, as did their creations. That much is true,” said the elder. “But when they saw how the Xaela and the Raen rose above their hatreds and joined hands in harmony, their hearts stirred, and the love their children shared became theirs as well. Alas, he was of the sun and she of the moon. Apart they must remain, lest day and night cease to be, and with them all creation. With sadness in their hearts they returned to the heavens─he to the day, she to the night, destined to walk before and after, never to meet.
“As time passed, Azim's yearning for his beloved grew deeper still. Was there truly naught that could be done, he wondered. At last, he knew. ‘If the Father cannot be with the Mother, then he shall go amongst her children. Now and ever after.’ So it was that Azim took a fragment of his being and with it fashioned an avatar. Clad in scales of midnight, he descended, and sought out the Xaela. Yes, he was the first Oronir. We are of his flesh and his blood. We are the children of Azim, and it is our duty to watch over and keep the Xaela safe.”
“Oh!” Eleonora exclaimed. “I understand now! Once, when I was child, the sky suddenly began to darken during the height of the day and all our animals began behaving strangely. But everyone in the village came out to dance and cheer and bang on their cookpots. As the moon crossed over the sun, it got darker and darker until it was like twilight at high noon. It was eerie, and yet it turned the sky such beautiful colors. When I asked my parents what it meant, they said that at rare and special times, Azim of the sun and Nhaama of the moon had the opportunity to meet and be together once more. But their time was short, for if the two stayed together for too long, it would cause chaos and destruction. The adults said that a solar eclipse was a good omen for a prosperous year for the birth of healthy offspring for both the people and animals. My parents didn’t explain why that would be to me at the time, but hearing now that Azim and Nhaama were lovers… Yes, I think I understand now. Perhaps this is also why they instructed me not to look directly at the sun and moon meeting, and to only observe their shadows…”
The elder nodded. “And such is why a lunar eclipse is a time of emptiness and sorrow, when the moon grows dark and is hidden from her beloved sun.”
Hien’s brow furrowed as he considered this. “I confess, I did not expect the tale of your people's beginnings to be quite so romantic. Yet I must ask: if it is your duty to defend the Xaela, how can you go to war with them in the Naadam? Is that not a contradiction?”
"If a father disciplines his son, does that mean there is no love in his heart? Xaela are not wont to kneel. They must be made to─only then will they heed reason," said the elder.
“Hm. I suppose that Azim and Nhaama are wise but also equally stubborn in that regard,” Eleonora mused.
“I see…” said Hien. “Such is the way of the Steppe. Thank you, elder, for sharing with us your wisdom.” Hien made to stand up, and Eleonora followed suit.
“Eager to depart?” said the elder. “Ere you go, you would do well to hear the end of my tale.” The two quickly sat back down and gave the elder their attention again. “When Nhaama looked down and saw the avatar of Azim, she knew him at once, and shed tears of love and longing. When they struck the earth, they rose anew, as a counterpart to the Oronir. Their fates entwined. So you see, for every son of Azim is a daughter of Nhaama for whom he must search. Even now.” The two visitors sat in silence and said nothing, waiting for the old man to continue. He looked at them, as though waiting for them to say or do something. “That’s all. You may go about whatever other business you have now, travelers.”
With the proper exit given, the two got up and began to make their way back to the Dawn Throne.
“Well? What do you think?” Eleonora asked Hien once they were out of earshot of anyone nearby. “While I’m happy to learn more about the legend of the Au Ra and tales from the ancestors of my father’s side of the family, I can’t say I know how the story of Azim and Nhaama helps us.”
“The two certainly make an odd pair. Warring rivals, and yet lovers all the same, forced by fate to remain apart.”
“It’s a rather sad tale, yes. In that way, I quite like the addition the Oronir have made to the ending—that Azim tore off a piece of his essence and chose to live among the people of the world. A rather humble thing for a god to do, if you ask me. And that man made it sound like Nhaama, too, found a way to walk among her people. In their telling of the tale, it seems the Oronir have found a way for the sun and moon to be together without destroying the world. It’s quite lovely when you think about it like that.”
“You best be careful then,” said Hien with a grin. “If Nhaama’s tears became a special tribe of Raen, you may just have an Oroniri man looking for his long lost lover!”
Eleonora stopped and made a horrified face. “Oh gods, I hope not.” She shuddered. “I already have that damned Garlean prince obsessed with me, I hardly need another man thinking he’s found some long lost kindred spirit.”
“Ah. I meant that in jest, but having said it aloud, well…” He gave her an awkward smile.
She looked pleadingly at him. “I know I haven’t traveled long with you, Lord Hien, but… Y-you won’t trade me to the Oronir Khan to get your alliance, will you?”
Hien looked horrified. “No! Absolutely not!” he said, waving his arms for emphasis. “I am not about to throw such a stalwart ally as yourself to the proverbial wolves over politics. I certainly like to think I’m not that sort of man, not to mention what that would do for the morale of the Resistance.”
Eleonora got a sudden glint in her eyes. “Wait. But you could pretend to trade me to the Oronir and then I could escape! I did something like that once back in my days with the Rogue’s guild in Limsa Lominsa while dealing with pirates. Ahh, those were the days…” she said with a wistful smile.
“Unlike those pirates, however, I prefer to keep on friendly terms with the Oronir, so I don’t feel it wise to perform such a stunt,” Hien answered. “Mayhap I am being overly optimistic, but I sense that these Oronir may prove loyal allies to Doma under the right circumstances, without any need for the bartering of our friends. Their arrogance is rooted in the belief that they must act as caretakers of all Xaela. Therefore, if we can prove to them that we come as kindred spirits, seeking to defeat a common foe…”
“Do you think if we win the Naadam, they will see us that way? They did seem impressed that we made it out of Bardaam’s Mettle alive, that much is true…
“I certainly hope so. But mayhap this is a discussion for after we win the Naadam. Come, let us return to Magnai. I hope we can find a way to win them over. If not, well…” He looked over and made a half-smile at Eleonora. “I know we haven’t traveled together all too long, Eleonora, but I hope you won’t find a need to trade me to the Buduga. They seemed all too eager for me to join their tribe earlier, you see…”
Eleonora laughed. “Then we have a deal.”