The Origins of Purity

[Kenzo74 463]

 

ON THE NATURE OF PURITY

Part I - The Origins of Purity

 

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   The genesis of mali’thill comes in an age of myth, when the world was young and when the progenitor of elvendom still saw reason. At its apex, the Kingdom of Malinor had been a sight to behold, but not for long did our forefathers stay united. The mightier the forests stood, the easier they caught ablaze - and so, too, was the case for the frail mind of what was still a promising King. Detailed accounts of what gave way to the decline of Malinor elude even the most ambitious historians - and none still live who recall the political climate, but it is certain that the King began to amass enemies and rivals in droves, cracks forming in what was once a great Kingdom, giving way to pestilence to spread and petty squabbles to be settled in the streets. 

   Chief advisor amongst the council of Malin was one Larihei Lohmanih, an elfess brave enough to present the King with solutions rather than lay complacent in the corruption of her comrades and appease the King and his deranged mumblings, more inane by the day. Some, who seek to give legitimacy to their mastery of the arcane, claim that Larihei had come forth with such a discovery: magic. This paper shall not delve into this school of thought, as I elect to remain neutral on that which we know not for certain. What is irrefutable, however, is that her council came tragically late, as the King was an empty shell of his former self. Seeing daggers in every shadow and enemies where there were none, the tyrant Malin did not lend Larihei his ear; the most zealous of scholars proposing that she was banished for the audacity of presuming to aid the King. Regardless, whether by her own will or by decree, the young elfess went down the path of exile and those who still saw reason amongst the citizens of Malinor chose to follow her - trudging the wastes aimlessly - though purpose was eventually found.

    The golden pools are a tale every high elven child has heard, as much of a symbol of hope today as they were in those ancient times. Within these deep caverns where the nomadic elves took shelter, they found glistening waters which healed their ailments and granted them blessings beyond mortal comprehension. It was around these sacred waters that the first Haelun’or was built, granting those who migrated into its humble walls wisdom and health in a world where these resources grew sparse.

 

   I dare debate that our oldest kin did not know such a concept as purity - for they could not have seen in their lives plague nor depravity. It is upon the untimely destruction of these miraculous Golden Pools that the duty of Larihei’s People was truly born.

   Unable to share the gift in a direct manner, through simple exposure to the Pools for those who had not stood within them, the high elves took on the noble task of giving back to the world what had been given to them. That, most of all, stands at the root of our people’s belief, whether or not some do remember. Upon those who have, with impunity, forsaken our path, we look down. Not out of spite, but out of disgust. To forget oneself and engage unchecked in depravity is to abandon your duty and prolong the suffering in the world, taking the great Gift of the Golden Pools for granted while those who beg for your aid continue to wallow in mud. 

   It is with this great empathy and reverence of responsibility in mind that a diligent high elf should conduct their duty to spread across the continents their inventions, art and writings - for all to be touched by and for all to learn from. With a blessing as great as the one bestowed upon the mali’thill, one cannot afford to take pleasure in the vanity which runs rampant amongst lesser beings. 

 

   The ultimate goal of our lengthy path is a pure world - one in which none will live to see the sharp end of a blade, nor succumb to illness, nor face hate. The crude truth of our current world, however, is that none can escape its unforgivable indifference. The burden we, those born of silver, bear on our shoulders is that of the sacrifices that are to be made: putting aside that which comes naturally, our own desires, for the sake of progress and health.

 

 

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Laurir Arasdir Miravaris

 

maehr’sae hiylun’ehya