This story is just a random assortment of scenes based on Eyes of a Stranger. I sometimes come up with an idea, but either I can't fit it in the story, or else I don't want to waste a chapter on what is already becoming a long story. So, those stories will go here. They'll be based on prompts that come from me, or other people. They're not in any sort of chronological order, and I'll do my best to tell you at what point these scenes occur. Also, please forgive any mistakes. I don't have a beta for this.

Prompt: The Creators; set after chapter 12 during the trip from Lothering to the Circle Tower

Myths of the Past

"Ashara, I've noticed that you keep saying something about the Creators. I…I've been wondering; do you think you could tell me about Them?"

Ashara's head jerked up, and a slow smile spread over her delicate features as she regarded Kali. "You want to learn about the Creators?"

The blonde girl dipped her head shyly. "I just…I've heard you say some of Their names, and I've been curious about them. We still have time before our watch is over, so I thought it would pass the time."

To say that Ashara was eager would be an understatement. She was trained as the First of her Clan; she was raised to teach the da'len about their history and lore. Hearing Kali, who had been raised under shemlen rule in Denerim and knew nothing about the Creators, ask such a question was like sunlight piercing through darkness.

"Well, before I tell you about the Creators, I have to tell you a little bit about who we once were." Ashara settled her skirt around her legs, her face animated. "Once, before the arrival of humans, we were the predominant race across Thedas. We lived where we chose, and made our homes in the thick forests or the open fields, anywhere we found happiness. There were no shemlen to dominate us, no fighting or war."

Kali rested her chin on her hands and sighed wistfully. "It sounds wonderful."

"It was. We were beautiful, eternal, and never-changing." Ashara's violet eyes were lit up with enthusiasm. "In the center of it all was the glorious city of Arlathan. It was a place of knowledge and debate, where the very best of the ancient elves would go to trade wisdom, settle disputes, and worship our Creators."

"Do you know where Arlathan is?" Kali had never heard of such a city.

Ashara shook her head. "No, we don't. From what we've collected over the years, we've determined that it was set in a great forest in the northern part of Thedas. The forest has even been named Arlathan Forest, but we don't know for sure if that's where it was located."

"Wouldn't the city still be there?"

"Unfortunately, no. When the Tevinter Imperium defeated Arlathan, it's said that they used their evil magic to make the ground swallow the entire city." Ashara spread her hands. "But, there's nothing to prove or disprove this."

"That's horrible." Kali shook her head sorrowfully.

"Yes, it is." Ashara was silent for a moment, in honor of their ancestors who gave their lives to protect their home. "It was when we lived in Arlathan that we truly worshipped the Creators. Festivals would last for weeks, and it's said that They would flit through the trees and laugh in the clouds."

Kali couldn't help but smile at the mental image of gods laughing and darting through the forests.

"First, there is Elgar'nan, God of Vengeance, and Father of the Creators. His story begins long ago, when time itself was young, and the only things that existed where the sun and the land. The sun, curious about the land, bowed his head close to her body." Ashara's hands fluttered, bringing to life mythical scenes from long ago. "Elgar'nan was born in the place where they touched. The sun and land loved Elgar'nan greatly, for He was both beautiful and clever. The land, wishing to please her Son, brought forth the great birds and beasts of the sky and forest, and all manner of beautiful green things. Elgar'nan was delighted in His mother's creations, and praised her."

"So the land created the living creatures? Did she create us too?"

Ashara shook her head. "No, the land brought creatures such as we've never seen before. Creatures that we don't even have names for!"

"What happened to them?"

Ashara smiled sadly. "Ah, the sun grew jealous. He begrudged the joy Elgar'nan took from His mother's creations. Out of spite, he shone the full force of his face upon all the creatures that the land had created, and burned everything to ash." She nodded at Kali's gasp. "Yes, he was very bitter. The land cracked and split from pain and sorrow, and cried salted tears for the loss of everything she had wrought. The pool of her tears became the ocean, and the cracks in her body the first rivers and streams."

"Poor thing!" Kali was almost lost in this tale. Between the campfire crackling beside them, and the stillness of the night it almost seemed like she was reliving these tales. Ashara's voice had taken on a melodious tone, and Kali could practically feel pain weeping from the earth.

"Elgar'nan was furious at what his father had done, and swore vengeance. He lifted Himself to the sky and wrestled the sun, determined to defeat him. They fought for an eternity, and eventually the sun began to grow weak, while Elgar'nan's rage was unabated. Eventually Elgar'nan threw the sun from the sky and buried him in a deep abyss created by the land's sorrow." Ashara frowned. "But with the sun gone, the land was covered in darkness." She lifted her hands to the sky, gesturing to the thousands of stars above them. "All that remained of the battle was the sun's lifeblood, which continue to twinkle and shimmer in the darkness to this day, a reminder of the perils of jealousy."

Kali looked at the stars as if she'd never seen them before. She was entranced. "What happened then?"

"Well, Elgar'nan was pleased with Himself, and tried to recreate all that His father had destroyed. He managed to create new creatures to console his mother, but the land knew that without the sun, nothing would grow. She pleaded with Elgar'nan to release His father, but His pride was great, and His vengeance terrible. He refused."

A bright smile broke out on Ashara's features. "It was at this moment that Mythal walked out of the sea created by the land's tears, and onto the land. She approached Elgar'nan and touched His forehead, where His third eye rests." Ashara touched the center of her forehead.

"What's the third eye?"

"It's called the 'eye of wisdom' and is what your spirit uses to see. It is our insight and our intuition. It sees beyond what your physical eyes see."

"So how did that help Elgar'nan?"

Ashara grinned. "At Her touch He grew calm, and saw how His anger had led Him astray. He was humbled, and went to the place where He had trapped His father. Elgar'nan said He would release the sun, if he promised to be gentle, and return to the land each night. The sun, feeling remorse for what he had done, agreed."

Kali was smiling. "So the sun knew he was wrong?"

"Yes, he realized that jealousy had poisoned his mind. So he rose to the sky and shone his golden light on the land. Elgar'nan and Mythal created new creatures to roam the land, and everything grew and thrived. This is when Mythal created the Elvhen, for She wanted to populate the land with beings like Herself. She took great joy in all of Her children, and when the sun had gone to sleep, She gathered the glowing earth around his bed, and formed it into a sphere to be placed in the sky." She gestured to the silvery moon peeking through the clouds.

Kali looked at the moon, and frowned. "But where did the humans come from? Or the Qunari, or dwarves?"

"You know, I asked the Keeper the same thing." Ashara tapped a finger against her chin. "Our stories don't tell us much of other races, but the Keeper said that Mythal was a great lover of variety. She told me that perhaps Mythal created various races, for the sheer joy of it."

"So what about the other Creators?" Kali was eager to hear more.

Ashara smiled at her enthusiasm. "The oldest children of Elgar'nan and Mythal are Falon'Din and Dirthamen. They are twin Brothers, and if you speak of One you must speak of the Other, for They cannot bear to be apart, even in thought. They were inseparable from the moment of Their conception, and spent Their time walking the earth, always together. They played with the animals, whispered to the trees, and bathed in the rivers. Their days were spent in bliss, and They knew no pain."

"That's so cute!" Kali was picturing little elven boys constantly playing together, and getting into all sorts of mischief.

Ashara smiled at Kali's expression. "One day, while They were walking through the forest, Falon'Din and Dirthamen came across an old deer resting against a tree. They asked her to play with Them, but the deer said that she could not, for she was old and sickly. She wished to rest, but could not make her legs carry her. Falon'Din took pity on the deer and carried her to her rest beyond the Veil. Dirthamen tried to follow, but the shifting paths of the Beyond would not let Him pass. For the first time in His life He was without His brother, and so He wandered the forest aimlessly."

"But why wouldn't He be able to go?"

"Dirthamen had no power to cross the Veil. He was devastated to be separated from His Brother, and while He wandered He was taunted by two ravens named Fear and Deceit. 'You are lost, and soon You will fade,' Fear said. 'Your Brother has abandoned You; He no longer loves You,' Deceit taunted. But Dirthamen remained faithful to His Brother. 'I am not lost, and Falon'Din has not abandoned Me,' He replied. He mastered the ravens and bade them deliver Him to the Beyond."

Kali tilted her head. "Why would they be able to go there when He couldn't?"

Ashara smiled knowingly. "We take our emotions with us when we cross. Fear and Deceit are common there; they taunt us while we dream, taking advantage of our weakened state. It is why we have nightmares." Kali's eyes widened. "But they were bound to Dirthamen's will, and when He found His Brother They saw that the deer's spirit was free from her pain. The Brothers rejoiced, and Falon'Din vowed that He would remain to carry all of the dead to their place in the Beyond. And Dirthamen stayed with Him, for the Twins cannot bear to be apart."

The moon was slowly crossing the sky, and all of their companions were fast asleep. Their shift was over at this point but neither girl cared. For Kali, it was a chance to learn about the Dalish, to hear some of the history of her ancestors. For Ashara, it was to teach again, what she was meant to do.

"What other Creators are there?" Kali asked.

"Well, there is Andruil and Sylaise. They aren't twins, but the two Sisters are very close. Andruil is the Goddess of the Hunt, and the creator of the Vir Tanadahl, The Way of Three Trees."

Kali tilted her head. "What is that?"

Ashara pressed a hand to her heart. "It's the way we Dalish are taught as children to live our lives. First is Vir Assan, the Way of the Arrow: fly straight and do not waver. Then is Vir Bor'assan, the Way of the Bow: bend but never break. Third is Vir Adahlen, the Way of the Forest: together we are stronger than the one." She said the words almost like a chant.

Kali was thoughtful, the words were beautiful, and seemed to speak to all the elves, not just the Dalish. "And you said that hares were sacred to Andruil, right?" She remembered the night Ashara and Tamlen had flown into a panic after Alistair proudly brought the group a couple of dead hares for their evening meal.

Ashara frowned, thinking of the same thing. "Yes. Hares and hawks are sacred to Her." She shook her head; she had prepared a proper offering after that sacrilege, and believed that Andruil was appeased. "Sylaise is Andruil's only Sister, and so the two of Them are close. While Andruil enjoyed running through the forests, Sylaise preferred to sit next to her home-tree, practicing the arts of song and dance."

Ashara lifted her chin, to show Kali the intricate design of swirling vines and leaves tattooed around her neck. "In addition to fire, Sylaise also gave us the knowledge of herbs. This tattoo represents Her, and shows that She is my patron Goddess. From the time I was young I've had a gift with herbs; this is how I show Her thanks."

Kali studied the tattoo. "I didn't know that your tattoos represented the Creators. What about Tamlen's?"

"His is for Andruil, since he is a hunter. Most of them worship Her as their patron Goddess, but some choose June." The tattoos represented so much more than worship to the Creators, but that was for another tale.

"June is another one of the Creators?"

Ashara nodded. "He is the last of Mythal and Elgar'nan's children. When Sylaise gave us fire to keep us from shivering, June taught us how to bend the wood and fashion weapons. He taught us how to cook the flesh of animals to eat, and how to create clothing from their fur. Some of the hunters choose Him as their patron God."

"So He's the last of the Creators?"

Ashara shook her head. "No, the last of the Creators is Ghilan'nain. It is said that She was once one of the Elvhen, and that She was beautiful. Her hair was pure white, and She was as graceful as a gazelle. She always kept to Andruil's way, and Andruil favored Her above any other."

Kali frowned. "How did She become a Creator?"

"One day while out hunting, She came across a hunter that had killed a hawk. As you remember, hawks are sacred to Andruil, and so Ghilan'nain became distraught. She demanded that the hunter give an offering to Andruil, in exchange for taking the life of one of Her creatures. But the hunter refused, and so Ghilan'nain called on the Goddess to punish him."

"Andruil would punish him simply for that?" Kali was confused.

"Of course." Ashara nodded. "We all know which animals are sacred. In honor of the Creators, we never harm them; it is a sign of our love and devotion to Them. But this hunter was being disrespectful; Andruil was rightly angry. She cursed him so that he could never again kill a living creature. He was unable to hunt; his arrows would stray off course, and his prey would escape him. His family and friends mocked him, for what use is a hunter that can't hunt?" Ashara shook her head sadly. "The hunter grew enraged, and swore that he would make Ghilan'nain pay for what She did."

"What did he do?"

"He came upon Her one day while She was hunting with Her sisters, and pretended to be ashamed of his actions. He begged Her to show him the proper way to send up an offering, and so Ghilan'nain was lured away. Once he got Her alone, he blinded her, and bound Her as one would bind a kill. But because he was cursed he couldn't kill Her, so he left Her for dead."

Kali gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Ghilan'nain prayed to the Creators for help. She cried out to Mythal to protect Her, begged Elgar'nan for vengeance, but She prayed the hardest to Andruil. Because Andruil loved Her, She sent Her hares to chew through the ropes binding Her, but Ghilan'nain was still blind, and could not find Her way home. So Andruil turned Her into a beautiful white deer, the first of the halla. She found Her sisters and led them to the man responsible, who was brought to justice." Ashara smiled. "Since that day, the halla have guided the Elvhenan and never led us astray."

Tamlen had told Kali about the beautiful white deer that guide them from place to place. She wished she could see one. But then she frowned as a thought struck her. "But…if Ghilan'nain," she said the name hesitantly, "is the last of the Creators, who is that one you keep mentioning whenever you get annoyed?"

Ashara tilted her head, trying to think. Then, she laughed. "Oh! You mean Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf." She'd been making references to him often, since she was pretty sure that he was responsible for the irony that her life had become. "He's not a Creator; actually he's not even really a god. He's the Trickster, a reminder of why we must always be wary."

"What did he do?"

"Well, first you have to understand that there are technically two sets of gods: the Creators and the Forgotten Ones."

"Who are the Forgotten Ones?"

Ashara shook her head, and her voice became a whisper. "We don't speak Their names. They are the gods of terror and malice, spite and pestilence. While the Creators made Their home in the Beyond, the Forgotten Ones lived in the abyss. Together They are a representation of balance, like everything else in the world. There must be both light and darkness for the world to function." She frowned and tapped her chin. "You know, the Keeper actually once told me that there are rumors of a race of elves that lived underground, and worshipped the Forgotten Ones."

Kali bit her bottom lip. "But if the Forgotten Ones are evil, why would someone worship them?"

Ashara spread her hands. "I have no clue. The Keeper said that while it was highly unlikely, these underground elves were supposed to be our counterpoint, a balance to the elves of Arlathan. But we have no proof of it one way or the other; we don't even know what they would look like." She waved a hand dismissively. "I don't believe they exist; it seems more likely a made up story."

"So what did Fen'Harel do?"

"Well, Fen'Harel could walk freely between the Creators and the Forgotten Ones, and took advantage of this. While the Creators and Forgotten Ones fought an endless war, the Dread Wolf decided to play his hand in the center of things. He told the Forgotten Ones to wait in the abyss, and the Creators to wait in the Beyond. He promised the Creators that he would arrange a truce, but he told the Forgotten Ones that he would arrange the defeat of our gods. But They were all betrayed. Once They were in Their homes, Fen'Harel sealed Them away, and to this day They are trapped, unable to hear Their children."

Kali's eyes were huge. "That's horrible! Why would he do such a thing?"

Ashara smiled, remembering asking the Keeper that exact same question. "Fen'Harel is chaos. Does chaos need a reason for what it does? But one day the Creators will free Themselves, and all will be well." She noticed for the first time that the moon had crossed the sky. "But we've talked long enough; we should probably get some sleep before the day starts."

Kali nodded. "I'll wake Leliana for her shift with Alistair." Ashara started to walk to the tent she shared with Tamlen, but Kali stopped her. "Um, thank you for telling me all that." It was fascinating to hear of the Creators. Kali might have been raised with the Maker, but her ancestors must have lived in Arlathan, and they would have worshipped these same gods.

"Don't thank me; these are your gods too, whether you call to Them or not." With a smile, Ashara disappeared into her tent.

Translations:
da'len - little child
shemlen - humans
Elvhen - term for the elves
Elvhenan - technically the society of Arlathan, but the Dalish use it as a term for themselves, in reference to them being the only 'true elves'

I do feel the need to give thanks to Sharem, who was really the inspiration of me putting all of my random ideas in a separate story. You should read her story Mages and Templars and Wardens Oh My! It's pretty damn funny.

Obviously I veered off a little from the actual myths of the Creators, and added in a little bit of my own. But, I liked it better this way. I've worked really hard to fill in the gaps of the Dalish history that Bioware leaves out, so I have a lot of fun writing stuff like this ;D

If you have an idea for a prompt, I'd love to hear from you! PM me and let me know if you have any ideas for one.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D

~Seika