In the Oracle of Qeylen, and the truth revealed to him by the Captain of the Hosts of Áronyeh, before he departed across the sea, it is written:

Hear, O Rayôn, these words,
And listen, you his sons, to the truth:
Repent! And turn to the light.
Find wisdom herein, and forsake the darkness.
Do not heed the words of deceit,
Nor follow the counsels of the twisted one.

When Áronyeh created Arah, he also created a realm beyond the heavens, and called it Éreshor, the Glorious Realm. There, he set up his throne to rule over all creation, and he created the mighty Dómor‏‏‏en, the Hosts of Éreshor, to fill it with joy and singing. The Dómoren beheld Áronyeh as he filled the heavens with light and as he formed the earth and filled it with life. When Áronyeh created man to rule over the earth, the Dómoren clapped their hands with joy, and when he ceased from his work, they sang praises to their Creator, saying,

Glory be to Áronyeh, the King of Creation,
And may the Mighty One be exalted and worshipped by all!
For his deeds are marvelous,
And his handiwork displays his majesty!
From the lowest depth of Arah, to the highest height of Heaven,
All Creation is full of his glory.
Glory to Áronyeh!

Now, Áronyeh had created among the Dómoren some to serve as captains, and some to serve as captains of captains. Over all the captains he place four leaders: Shévontër, Jondáryeh, Merenthêy, and Ôremel; of these four, Ôremel was the chief. Of all the Dómoren, he was the wisest and most glorious. When the Dómoren broke out into singing, he directed them as they praised Áronyeh and sang of His glory. Now it came about, that when Ôremel saw that he was beautiful, and that his wisdom and glory were greater than all else in Creation, that he turned his heart away from his maker and said to himself, “Surely, Áronyeh did not create me. He is as me, and I am as him; for although he came first, we both surely arose to the heights of heaven from the water of Arah: I will surely set up my throne in Éreshor and rule over him.”

Ôremel called the Hosts of Éreshor and spoke to them with cunning words, saying,

“Áronyeh has hidden the truth from us, and has not dealt rightly with us;
Behold, he is one of us, and we are like him.
Through cunning falsehoods he formed Arah before our eyes,
And with hidden secrets he makes power appear.
But who is he to rule over us?
Let us throw his hand off from us,
And rule ourselves with our own might!”

When Shévontër, Jondár, and Merenthêy heard the words of Ôremel, they immediately opposed him to his face, and they spoke to the Hosts of Éreshor, saying,

“Remain steadfast to your Creator, O Hosts of Éreshor,
And let not your hearts turn away from Áronyeh,
on account of these words of deceit.”

Many of the Dómoren heeded the voice of the three, but many also heeded the voice of Ôremel, for his cunning was greater than that of the other three, and a third of the Host of Éreshor followed him.

Áronyeh ordered that Ôremel and his followers should be cast out of Éreshor. But Ôremel and his followers would not leave, and were determined in their vanity to cast Áronyeh the Mighty One from His throne. Therefore, there was war in Éreshor, and the faithful Hosts fought against the followers of Ôremel, and Shévontër, Jondár, and Merenthêy were their generals. Yet Ôremel was not overcome, because his cunning was greater than that of the other three. So Ôremel and his followers stood against Áronyeh and the Hosts of Éreshor. Then, the Son of Áronyeh came to his Hosts, and said, “Faithful Hosts, you have done well. Yet Ôremel’s cunning is beyond you; for not by your might, nor by your power, but by the glory of Áronyeh shall the evil one be cast down.”

The Hosts of Heaven stood aside, and the Son of Áronyeh took up his sword and his fiery chariot, and approached the lines of Ôremel’s followers. Then a deep dread gripped Ôremel’s followers, and they began to back away; then they turned and gave way before him, and fled from his face in great fear; and Áronyeh pursued them to the end of Éreshor. So Ôremel was cast out of Éreshor, and thus was Áronyeh’s victory.

Now Ôremel is no longer called Ôremel, for he has twisted the light of his Creator; thus he is called Ordéash. And Ordéash, not content with his own wickedness as long as any remained who still followed Áronyeh, resolved to destroy the kingdom of his maker. And so, after he was cast out of heaven, he set his eyes on Arah, and his desire was for Rayôn and his family. And so he crept into Arah, with silence and stealth, unobserved by any save Áronyeh, who sees all. He spent many years, quietly watching Rayôn and his family. He watched as Rayôn and his wife had new children, and grew angry as he perceived that generations would be raised up who worshiped Áronyeh instead of him. And he resolved that if it was the last thing he would do, he would make Rayôn and his sons, even every last one of them, spurn their Creator and rebel against his rule, and be followers of Ordéash instead. So he continued watching, and he perceived that, though Qeyrah and Rayôn were in perfect love and unity, Rayôn was nonetheless her head; she was softer, and more vulnerable. More weak, Ordéash thought with his twisted cunning. He also saw how devoted Rayôn was to his wife, and how he loved her. He also observed each of their children, Vúnyeðel and Shereynah especially, since with them he saw the same love and devotion that he saw in their parents. Ordéash desired greatly to twist these things to his advantage. Yet his eyes fell most heavily on Qeylen. Qeylen, out of all of their children, was especially devoted to his parents. He was still a young lad, and Ordéash thought he would be easy to turn … and through him he could turn the rest of his family. Ordéash continued to plot, perfecting his scheme while he bid his time. Now it came about that Vúnyeðel and Shereynah, Durfil, Qeylen and Rhonnah were camping at the shores of the sea, while Rayôn, Qeyrah and the younger children remained at the Vale. Durfil and Vúnyeðel were out sailing in a new boat they had made, while Qeylen, Shereynah, and Rhonnah went foraging for food. So Qeylen was alone, and Ordéash the deceiver came to him, in the form of an angel of light.

“Greetings friend! Are you a son of Rayôn?” he called to him.

“Yes, I am,” said Qeylen. “I am Qeylen, his third son and fourth child. Who are you, friend? From where have you come?”

“Ah, Qeylen,” said Ordéash, “I have come, to help you and your family, and to ask for your help. I would receive comfort from you, yet no one will believe my tale.” Thus Ordéash sought to take Qeylen by his tender heart, for Qeylen desired to comfort him. He then lied to Qeylen, saying, “I am from Éreshor, the Glorious Realm, yet I have been exiled. When this world began, I helped Áronyeh to form Arah, with many mighty folk like ourselves – for Arah arose out of the endless waters, and so did we; and we all formed its shape and filled it with life and light. Then your mother and father arose out of the water, and they were beautiful: and Áronyeh desired them, and claimed them for his own, to be his servants. But I said, ‘No, for they are like unto us; therefore they shall join us as mighty ones.’ Then Áronyeh was enraged with me and banished me and my folk, and cowed others into his service. Then he awoke your parents and told them he had made them, so they would be his servants.”

“How can this be?” said Qeylen, “for Áronyeh has always been good to us.”

“Good son of Rayôn, he has only been good to you to deceive you. As long as you think he is kind and good, you will serve him; yet he has robbed you of your real dignity and joy. You, and all your family, are mighty like he and I; but he has captured your power and bent it to his own desires. It is injust! And because I protested his wrong deeds, I suffer in exile. Even now, if Áronyeh new I were here, he would send his armies to chase me out again.” For the first time in his life, Qeylen was skeptical, and it confused him. “Why do you come to me?” he asked. “Why not tell these things to my father?”

“You are right to ask this,” said Ordéash, feigning approval. “It is only proper, for it is still your father’s roll to protect you. But I fear that he would not listen to me yet. Áronyeh’s grip is strong on him. Yet surely, if you would believe me, and then tell your father, then he would listen to you, his own son.”

By now, Qeylen knew without a doubt who he spoke to. So he answered sternly and said, “I cannot believe you, for I choose my Creator’s words over yours. Surely, you are the one of whom Áronyeh warned us.”

Then Ordéash looked mournful, and spoke with urgency, “Alas! Áronyeh has poisoned you against me! What can I say, or what can I do, to win your trust? Am I without hope, Qeylen? Good son of Rayôn, I came here, to tell you these things. Here my plea! Please, help me to free your family from Áronyeh’s chains! Do not let Áronyeh deceive you, as for a time he deceived me. You do not feel his bonds, but they are heavy, and they can be cruel! You must believe me.” And Ordéash wept, pretending to be an innocent, helpless victim, desiring only what was good. Qeylen felt an overpowering urge to believe what he heard. Confusion entered his mind, and he felt a struggle inside of him; for he desired strongly to show compassion to this beautiful and endangered creature, who had come all this way to bring him these tidings. But if this creature were right, then Áronyeh had lied to them. All the good he had done them was merely deception… surely, this couldn’t be right! But how could this beautiful creature be lying to him? Qeylen clenched his eyes shut, and reached his hand to his jewel of light, which he wore around his neck. Ordéash saw this and whispered, “Do not seek council from that stone, Qeylen; it is one of Áronyeh’s traps, to keep you subdued to him. It will cloud your mind.” But Qeylen ignored Ordéash, and clasped his hand around the gem. The words of Áronyeh came back to him:

“Trust me, and use my light. The enemy will try to deceive you, but you must trust my words above his. As long as you trust in me and believe the truth, he shall not prevail over you.”

And again, he remembered Áronyeh’s words concerning him who had rebelled:

“He rejected my love, and spurned me in hatred. He rejected my light, and the light I gave him he twisted into darkness. He rejected my peace, and chose for himself violence and devastation. He rejected his freedom in my service, and freely bound himself in chains of malice.”

Then Qeylen’s mind cleared, and he said to Ordéash, “Did you not hear me, deceiver? I choose my Creator’s words over yours. I see now, O Ordéash, what you do. You are he of whom I was warned. You have tried to twist my mind and heart and turn me from my maker, whom I love. Here me now, deceiver. Speak to me never again! Leave this place, and tell us lies no more!”

Ordéash, seeing that Qeylen would not listen to his lies, left him. He had been prepared for this possibility, and had his fall-back plans. Now, he was on for his next try. He wasted no time, as he was sure Qeylen would quickly find and warn his sisters. He went straight to Shereynah and appeared to her, and told her the same lies he had told Qeylen, making himself to be an angel of light and slandering Áronyeh as a cruel tyrant. But Shereynah, like her brother Qeylen, also withstood the lies of Ordéash. She chose to believe her Creator, and not the words of anyone who spoke against him, no matter how good he made himself to appear. So Ordéash also left her, and he flew to the vale. There, he found Qeyrah, and spoke many beguiling words to her, slandering Áronyeh with his mouth and promising freedom from his rule, as he had to Qeylen and Shereynah.

Now, Qeyrah wore the stone which Áronyeh had given her in her hair. And as Ordéash spoke to her, the stone grew heavy and warm in her hair, and began to move about. She wondered at it, and pulled it from her hair and looked at it; and the light in it was throbbing and flashing. And Ordéash said to her, “See! It is as I feared. For Áronyeh has sought to bind you here as his servants, and he has placed your freedom and power in your own hands as a mockery. For the light in the stone is yours, Qeyrah; yours to do with as you might wish, even to ascend to Éreshor, the Glorious Realm! To know who you really are! You are a mighty one! Yet as long as it is locked in the stone, you shall remain a prisoner.”

“Surely, then, you do not ask me for this stone!” said Qeyrah. “For Áronyeh warned us not to give them to any other. They are our dominion, he told us.”

“Alas, then he foresaw my coming, and sought to imprison you even from believing the truth I would bring, and therefore mock you even further, and yet all the while he makes it seem to you otherwise. No one will believe me! But maybe you, fair one; maybe it is in you to see the truth and believe my report. He has told you what is not true, for I do not ask this stone of you. I simply tell you that this stone holds you captive.”

Qeyrah said to him, “You say this light – that it is my freedom, but it is imprisoned in this stone. How would I free it and claim it?”

“You must break the stone,” said Ordéash; “You must break it upon the fountainhead of Shêvannah. Then the light will enfold you, and lift you on wings, even as mine, even to Éreshor.”

And Qeyrah believed the words of Ordéash, and she took the stone to Shêvannah, and there brought it down against the rock of its fountainhead. But the stone did not break. So Ordéash said, “You did not hit it hard enough.” So she brought it down again, yet still it did not break. So Ordéash said to her, “I will help you; I shall place my hands over yours.” And he did so, and together they brought down the stone: and there was a blinding flash, and Ordéash took the stone from her, but she did not know it. She saw light all around, and thought, “It is true; I have claimed my light, and I am free!”

Now Rayôn came up to Shêvannah, looking for Qeyrah his wife; and he found her there, and Ordéash with her, holding her stone; and the light had gone out from it. And he knew, even before she told him, that she had believed the deceiver, and given her stone to him.

Qeyrah, still happily deceived, said to Rayôn, “Come, my husband; believe the words of this good angel; if you break the stone upon Shêvannah, you too shall be free and mighty like me!”

Rayôn was deeply disturbed, for he understood that Qeyrah could not stand in the presence of Áronyeh, and that she would perish. And Rayôn feared that he would loose her forever, and be bereft of her, so he determined to follow her in the wickedness she had done and never be separated from her. He took his stone and placed it in the hands of Ordéash, and had him cast it down upon the rock of Shêvannah. Then the light left the stone of Rayôn.