Of Ielle and Indolu

Of all of the stories about the Gods that people believe in, there are few that have ever been conclusively proven. It has been the nature of humans to imprint concepts of divinity upon inscrutable objects, and two of such inscrutable objects are the celestial bodies of the Sun and the Moon. While little is known of the old times, it has been theorised that the Sun and the Moon played a very large role in the days of old, but how long ago and what role they could have played have long since disappeared from the annals of history. Over the years, there have been numerous texts describing the divine intervention of the personification of the celestial bodies Ielle and Indolu, or for those unfamiliar with the names, the Sun and the Moon.

While nothing has ever been conclusively proven, the stories told by those who have come into contact with Ielle or Indolu have been remarkably similar, even down to fine details that could be lost with a simple hallucination. Ielle was touted as a benevolent entity, a figure of glowing sunlight with a ceremonial scepter designed to mimic the sun, and was often said to save individuals from experiences with ghosts or with near-death. The truth of these stories cannot ever be verified, but the testimonials of those who claim to have seen Ielle are the kind of story one tells to one's children or grandchildren to inspire them that there is good in the world. Ielle is often pictured as the very incarnation of benevolence, and while the written accounts of Ielle are few, the few that do exist seem to indicate that the existence of the avatar of the sun is both very real and crucial to the wellbeing of the world.

As a juxtaposition, there are slightly fewer (but still enough to form a link) accounts of the incarnation of the moon, Indolu. Indolu is pictured as wielding a stave with wickely curved blades at either end, depicting varying phases of the moon, and an icy gaze that is penetrating enough to stop the most steadfast of people in their tracks. While Indolu is not considered evil, they are considered to be harsh and critical, often forcing the people that encounter them into dramatically different life paths than those that they had originally intended on travelling upon. Indolu's presence has been said to be "absent" of something, though the texts never specify what, and there has been much speculation by interested Scholars as to what this could mean. Indolu is seen as the bitter necessity of fate, who is not cruel but is impartial, only seeking to guide misguided individuals to their correct path. Whether or not there is any cruelty involved is not often stated, but such accounts would be biased even if they existed.

In recent times, the involvement of the Celestial Aspects has been renewed, and Scholars everywhere rejoice to imagine that Ielle and Indolu might be real, and might be present in Atren.