The Song of First Light [Part II - The Divine Soul]

[The Order of Malin 93]

 [!!] A REMINDER FOR THIS SCROLL: The text is written entirely in Elven. It would be impossible to read if you don't understand the language.  If you are well versed in the language, you would see the scroll is lyrical - the Elven words are written like a song, and the scroll makes the most sense when read as such. An Elven Speaking bard would most easily be able to translate and understand what is written. 

[Roll the Song Up to the Previous Verse]

 

[!] As you peruse further down the scroll, you continue to sing the melodies of the soul. Descript details now accompany broad subjects from earlier in the song, diagrams and measures reveal an accompanying scholarly process - making this more than mere poem. 

 

Numen: The Empowered Mali Soul

'We once knew them in the flesh, from our Father Malin to the heroes of today. They walked amongst us as lliran. They ate with us at the table of friendship, led and fought with us in battle. Yet only the worthy, the most deserving of us shall transcend . In apotheosis they try to rise on the power and hope of our prayers and worship to ascend to Malin’or; We owe it to them and our Father to provide them the best chance to do so’' 

- Saneyir Melphestaus , The 2nd Lecture of Numeri and Malin’or , SA 75

 

Terminology 

Apotheosis: The act of shedding one's physical self and transcending into their spiritual self. 

Numen: Soul-mended Elves who through ritual shed their physical bodies through Apotheosis and now exist in a more purified spiritual form. 
Aelun (Adj: Aelunic): The source of spiritual power that Numen and Deities use to perform divine powers.

 

Apotheosis & The Power of Mali Worship

 

Preparing a Mali for Apotheosis into a Numen is among the most arduous and sacred of undertakings. As has been told, the Mali soul is born fractured into three fragments, and before any may ascend, these shards must first be mended into a single, whole spirit. Yet even this restoration is but the beginning. The vessel of flesh, the seat of thought, and the core of the soul must each be strengthened to endure the divine transformation that follows. Vast reserves of mana are required to shield the Mali’s form as the soul is drawn from mortal flesh and transfigured into pure spirit, and the power that sustains this passage is the sacred essence of Numen. At the heart of the rite, the ancient language of the Mali serves as the divine catalyst, for only through its true words may Numen be awakened and shaped. When the soul is made whole, the body and mind are fortified, the Aelun gathered, and the holy tongue spoken in perfect form, then shall Apotheosis be achieved, and the Mali rise as a Numen in the light of Malin’or.

 

Aelun

Latent spiritual power exists in all beings capable of worship and it may also be stored or amplified in artifacts and objects. 
 

Aelun is a source of mana, though it differs in some notable aspects. 
 

• Aelun dissipates and must constantly be regenerated. Like water in the hot sun, it will evaporate away unless replenished.
• Aelun requires a catalyst, the Elven language, to activate; it is dormant and otherwise useless without it. 
• An individual's mana reservoir is restricted, where an individual's Aelun is limitless - capable of drawing from it so long as they are empowered by it.

 

The Aelun of Reverent Belief. 

When any thinking soul offers worship to another, a spark of divine essence known as Aelun is born. From this essence flows the power that sustains both the Numen and the Mali Gods of Malin’or, for their strength waxes and wanes with the faith of mortals. Those whose names are spoken often, whose shrines are tended and whose deeds are praised, wield greater influence over the mortal realm. For a Mali seeking Apotheosis, the gathering of such faith is vital, for without a wellspring of believers to form their Cult and feed their ascent, the fragile soul is cast into oblivion. Each song raised in their honor, each offering made at their altar, and each prayer whispered beneath the moon renews their power and binds them more closely to the living world.

The Aelun of Reverent Objects.

Numen whose stores of Aelun overflow may weave this essence into matter, creating stones of aelunic power. These relics, radiant with divine energy, are sometimes kept as charms of fortune or set into sacred artifacts to bless their bearers. Should a Mali upon the path of Apotheosis come to possess such a stone, the bound energy within would serve as a mighty boon, granting strength and endurance through the perilous rite. Yet such power is not without peril, for to wield the distilled essence of divinity is to stand close to the flame that unmade the Creator itself.

 

The author has written in detail the minimal design specifications for the construction of a Aelunic shrine. At a minimum, it has  an enclosed location, a location for offerings, a statue of the Numen’s avatar, and an underground area of at least 5x5 to house the Numen’s artifacts.

 

Numen draw great strength from objects that magnify the outflow of a soul’s aelun, and for this purpose were the temples and shrines of worship first raised. When the faithful gather in prayer, their offerings and devotions are not merely gestures of reverence but instruments through which divine essence is amplified. The materials of such sanctified places are of deep importance, for substance shapes the song of spirit. Silver and bronze are the most common mediums capable of carrying the resonance of faith, while fine woods, blessed and well-crafted, may serve in equal measure. Yet lesser metals, such as gold, dull the current of devotion and blunt the prayers of the pious, for not all beauty in the mortal realm is pleasing to the divine.

 

The Aelun of the Self

Aelun is also created, though in lesser measure, from within the individual. Through the pursuit of perfection in mind and body, and through the cultivation of one’s inner mana, a subtle current of divine essence flows. This passive generation of aelun strengthens the spirit’s bond to its well of power, yet it must be tempered with care, for the touch of the Void is both gift and peril. Excessive Voidal exposure corrupts the flesh and weakens the soul, leaving the seeker hollow and unfit for ascension. To guard against this, the wise employ alchemical purifications, potions crafted to cleanse and balance the body. In the weeks before Apotheosis, a precise regimen of alchemical mixtures is required to render the soul supple and ready for transference into divine form. Cults devoted to a Numen must worship with great care, observing the proper offerings, sacred times, and chosen sites to strengthen their patron and receive their favor in turn. Though worship is a deeply personal act for most who walk The Way , it is through the Saneyir and the priests of the Temple of Malin that the faithful learn right practice, ensuring that their devotion is not squandered but refined into true power.

Elven Words of Power: The Catalyst 
“Words have power. They shape the stone and wind around us, they ascribe meaning to things where there was once nothing. Words are creation; and our ancient tongue molds the most primal of things”

The catalyst of every aelunic rite lies in the ancient words of power, for it is through these sacred utterances that dormant aelun is awakened and shaped into divine force. These words are sung in the language of the Mali, the primordial tongue gifted by Malin himself, through which creation first found voice. All Malinist rituals, from the simplest prayer to the grand rite of Apotheosis, must be woven in this holy speech, for the language binds spirit to will and will to power. In the act of Apotheosis, precision is paramount, for even a single errant word may shatter the fragile soul and cast it into the void. Thus every invocation, every relic, and every sacred act must be spoken in the true tongue, that the flow of aelun may be rightly awakened and guided toward the divine.

You again pause to consider what it is you have read, shall you put this song down once and for all...or continue reading.

[Continue the song to the next Verse]

 

Edited October 13, 2025 by The Order of Malin