The Shape of Rain

by Michael B. Koep

  Vincale, Captain of Wyn Avuqua • Δ iii, Itonalya, Orathom Wis. Born 221 AD in Wyn Avuqua. Son of Leafseed. Vincale held high ranks in the houses of Keptiris and Shartiris prior to his advancement to Tiris Avu under Queen Yafarra. Vincale aided in the escape of Loche and Edwin Newirth during the Siege of Wyn Avuqua. Vincale returned to Tiris Avu after his task was done to defend the Queen. When he arrived the lower halls were already sealed off and all but one of the Templar had been slain. He then came upon Yanreg of the House of Talons just as he was begging for a parlay with Cynthia, the Godrethion Summoner. Cynthia demanded the whereabouts of Yafarra. Yanreg promised to provide the information in exchange for his safe passage. Cynthia agreed. But before Yanreg could speak, Vincale shot him with arrows (later beheaded him). In a futile attempt Vincale’s sortie then attacked the massive Godrethion host. Vincale killed Cynthia but was later overwhelmed by her host and slain. This last stand at Tiris Avu is told in full in the Toele. Vincale is a hero of Itonalya literature. William Greenhame once remarked that if he and Diana were to ever have another son, he would name him Vincale.

  Whitely, John • i, Ithea. Born 1969. High school friend of both Basil Pirrip Fenn and Helen Craven. After graduation, John attended St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Walter Alin in 1999. John was witness to the powerful nature of Basil Fenn’s paintings, and how Basil used a painting to heal Howard Fenn’s psychological malady. The disturbing nature of the art impelled John to share the experience with Bishop Alin. Bishop Alin then contacted his old friend in Italy, Albion Ravistelle.

  Wishfeill, Carol • i, Ithea. Born 1964 in Raffadali, Sicily. Immigrated to the United States when she was four with her mother. Carol was the first spy for Albion Ravistelle when she became Loche Newirth’s receptionist. She was the younger sibling of the Endale Gen assassin, Felix Wishfeill.

  Wishfeill, Emil • Δ ii, iii, Ithea. Born 1974 in Raffadali, Sicily. Son of Endale Gen assassin, Felix Wishfeill. Emil followed closely in the footsteps of his father and became the most ruthless and surgical assassin under the command of the Ravistelle organization in Venice. During the New Earth War, Emil was responsible for the slaying of nearly twenty-seven Itonalya Orathom Wis. One of which was Samuel Lifeson. During the Battle of Masques, Emil was killed by Samuel Lifeson’s love, Leonaie Eschelle.

  Wishfeill, Felix • Δ i, Itonalya, Endale Gen. Born 1901 in Raffidali, Sicily. Felix’s father was an assassin for a local Mafia chief named Cuffaro. On a rainy winter night in 1911, Felix followed his father and two other men to a barn in the neighboring village. Through the slats in the walls, he watched his father execute a rival Mafia member. When Felix cried out and his father discovered that he had seen the murder, the other two men shot both father and son. Felix, after having been shot four times, woke an hour later and returned to his home. His mother, a believer in black magic and the supernatural, hid the boy. A year later, Felix avenged his father by killing both men, their wives and children by setting both houses on fire and gunning down any that tried to escape. He did this in one night. He did this when he was ten years old. Not long after, the story reached the ears of Albion Ravistelle. Felix Wishfeill in pursuit of Loche Newirth was killed in a sword fight in a Venetian bistro by Samuel Lifeson in October of this year.

  Williamson, Tracy • ii, Ithea. Born 1958 in Orange County. Tracy Williamson was Helen Craven’s best friend. In the early 1970s the two were avid music fans and were fixtures on the Sunset Strip.

  Winship, Bethany • Δ i, Ithea. Born 1950 in Kansas City, Kansas. Maiden name, Bethany Denise Owens. She relocated with her parents to Sandpoint, Idaho in 1968. She married Roger Winship in 1975. The couple had two children. Bethany began to suffer from anxiety and depression sometime around her fiftieth year. She met psychologist Marcus Rearden in 2004 and began therapy. A passionate and unhealthy love affair began between them. After many attempts to remove herself from the relationship, she sought council elsewhere. Little did she know her newly chosen therapist, Loche Newirth, was once Rearden’s student and protégé. In October of this year, in the heat of passion and fearful of exposure, Dr. Marcus Rearden drowned Bethany Winship on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille, just south of Hope, Idaho. Her tragic murder set into motion the events that are told in The Newirth Mythology.

  Yafarra, Queen • Δ iii, Itonalya, Orathom Wis. Born sometime during the fifth century BCE. When her father, King Althemis Falruthia of Vastiris was slain during the Sibling War, Yafarra, heir to the Wyn Avuquain throne, was faced with a broken nation. Yafarra, like her father, supported the written and oral forms of Elliqui that were created to help assuage the dying Original Mode of the language (see Elliqui: On Translation, Pronunciation and Use). The creation of this new Elliqui form was met with opposition—opposition led to conflict, conflict led to the Sibling War. Shortly after the death of her father, Yafarra put down the last resistance to the acceptance of new Elliqui and brought the Itonalya together again. The written and oral forms of Elliqui then took a central role in Old Law doctrine. Yafarra was the last monarch to reign in Wyn Avuqua. In the winter of 1010 AD, one of the prophesied brothers Loche Newirth, came to Wyn Avuqua. With him came his son Edwin—crossed into Edwin’s spirit was the bridging God, Thi. At the same time, Wyn Avuqua was surrounded by a massive Godrethion army that had come to sack the city. Godrethion emissaries were sent to the Queen with terms: if Yafarra kills Thi, Wyn Avuqua would be left in peace. Yafarra agreed. However, at the last minute she sent Edwin with his mother Helen to escape across an omvide. She then appeared on the sacrificial alter with her own son, Iteav. There she cut him apart before the Godrethion horde. Though the ruse worked, it did not stop the Godrethion from sacking the city. Yafarra was pressed back into Tiris Avu and deep into the Heron Atheneum where she commanded Templar to entomb her in order to protect the written prophecy (The Red Notebook). She was liberated from the crystal sarcophagus a thousand years later by Graham Cremo and Astrid Finnely. She later fought at the Battle of Masques against Marcus Rearden’s take over of the Endale Gen and The Board.

  Yanreg of the House of Talons • iii, Itonalya, Orathom Wis. Yanreg’s birth year is unknown. He became the Templar Angofal of Shartiris in the year 622 and was at first a talented and thoughtful military strategist, who had led successful Itonalya campaigns in both the Byzantine Empire and through what is now northern Europe against armies driven by Godrethion rulers. By the Tenth Century he had become hubristic and combative to both the Itonalya Crown and his fellow Templar. In 1010, Yanreg was the first to begin communications with the Godrethion Horde’s Summoner Cynthia and her lead envoy, Erinyes. Many believed that Yanreg was deceived by the Enemy into believing that if he were to assist in delivering the City, he would be crowned King, despite Kingship and monarchy being things he publicly denounced as the primary sickness to the realm. None withstanding, it was whispered by Templar and his closest advisors that Yanreg secretly sought the power to rule. His connection to Cynthia the Summoner inevitably led to his support in the sacrificing of the boy God, Thi (Edwin Newirth) in order to buy peace. When the Godrethion did not honor their word and attacked the city after the sacrifice, Yanreg fought bravely in defense of his people. In the end, however, Yanreg begged Cynthia for parlay promising to tell of Yafarra’s location in return for his safe passage. Before he could divulge Yafarra’s whereabouts, Captain of the Guard, Vincale, shot him with arrows. Later, Vincale beheaded Yanreg. No Gavress was given.

  APPENDIX II.

  ITONALYA MYTH:

  As far back as the second millennium BCE, terrestrial events and the movement of celestial bodies have played dominant roles in humankind’s attempt to understand itself, its calendars, its gods and its position in the universe. Astrology began with the Indian, Chinese and Mayan cultures, evolved through the Babylonians, Alexander the Great, Ancient Greece, to Rome, appeared in the plays and poetry of Chaucer and Shakespeare, and it still thrives today as a horoscopic art maintaining its roots in om
ens, prediction and guidance. While humans have worshiped, studied and relied on the stars, so, too, have the Itonalya.

  Professor Astrid Finnley’s research of the Toele allows us a glimpse into the distant past and the first creation tales from the Itonalya dating back to the third millennium BCE.

  In Itonalya lore, the allegorical significance of the sun, moon and earth is representative of God, Immortal and Human. The sun god, the immortal guard, the moon, and the delicate, dramatic and coveted beauty of earth were the primary components, the holy trinity, if you will, of Itonalya society. The mighty creator, Thi, is the foundation for all else. Lastly, but no less enigmatic, is the appearance of a godlike bird, a Blue Heron called Teniqua, as it is named in many places in the Toele. The Blue Heron would have been an important totem to the Wyn Avuquain landscape then, just as the bird is today.

  With regard to limited space I have chosen to include only three tales here for readers interested in Itonalya myth. Of the hundreds of translated stories, what follows can be linked back to events recorded in The Shape of Rain, Leaves of Fire and The Invasion of Heaven.

  The tales are from the Toele’s epic poem, the Lay of Melea, or the love story of the Earth and the Moon—Endale and Mellithion. The first, Of the Court of Thi and the Making of Dellithion and Endale, tells how the Thi made the sun and the planets of our solar system, and most importantly, Endale and Mellithion. For the Itonalya, this tale depicts their fundamental curse and mission through the character of Mellithion, the first immortal guardian to the coveted Endale. The second and third tales, Of Mighty Chalshaf First Born, and Of Ashto the Teacher of Time, tell of the beginnings of Endale’s education among her celestial siblings. In these stories, both Chalshaf (Jupiter) and Ashto (Saturn) visit the earth with their godlike powers and wisdom. Their teachings nearly destroy Endale. However, Mellithion prevails in defending her from these greater gods and he casts them back into the darkness. But the damage of their bridging could not be reversed.

  The tales of Chalshaf and Ashto are highly abridged translations. Following after are summaries to the eight other gods of the Lay of Melea and their dealings with Endale and Mellithion. It is hoped that these stories (however cut down) will provide those with an interest in the Itonalya a glimpse into their ancient beliefs and fascinating culture. We look forward to complete versions of the Toele and the Lay of Melea, among many other Itonalya works in the years to come.

  Photo courtesy of Graham Cremo, ©2018

  Avu, Tales of Sky. Heron Atheneum One

  OF THE COURT OF THI AND THE MAKING OF DELLITHION AND ENDALE

  Each glittering point of light in the night’s sky is an eye. They are what we, the Itonalya, call Oläthion and they are the thoughts in the mind of Thi, The One, whose sight sees all, knows all and has created what is.

  Thi bade the Oläthion to sing their tales and their histories through sparkling streams of light. Their voices cry out and ride upon flames, cutting through time’s black depths and fathomless gulfs until, each by each, their minds touch, their eyes see through their siblings’ eyes, their stories become known, and they do not feel alone. Through light they share. Elliqui is the light. The voice of Thi.

  Tales beyond number, beyond imagination, flash across heaven. Stories. Luminous stories of clustered, searing suns tearing the sky and spilling new stars out into the black. Sparks telling of tiny worlds with swirling clouds of poisoned smoke and seas of boiling blood. Dramas of colliding, bejeweled cities made of fire, and radiant frozen spheres—joyous cascades of molten rock and skies scarred by lighting; all gleaming from eye to eye amid the Order of Creation, Oläthion. And Thi was pleased.

  We began as a lonely pale light flickering in the mind of Thi. A yellow fleck on the edge of Its imagination. This small sun harkened to the countless tales woven in the surrounding starlight. It saw far into the depths of Its siblings and their stories, and knew that it was holy among the thoughts of Thi. Then, from out of the distant dark, a glowing charge gave it blessings of welcome, and it knew that it would now forever be named Dellithion.4

  For an age, the young Dellithion drifted among Its siblings perceiving the stories of its kin.

  Many say that time began for the Itonalya when Dellithion shone out Its own tale into the night. The celestial audience turned to perceive and they saw Dellithion shimmer with gold tendrils of flame, and from Its surface eight spheres of mist and stone and fire were hurled out from Its embrace. Each was adorned in starlike garments, bright in the ebony gulf. Orbs of swirling crimson and ice blue, solemn globes ringed with jewels, gold, and tiny pale stones hastening out toward the end of Dellithion’s story.

  The stars watched and let the drama glow within them. And they were glad. And so it was that Dellithion entered into the great family of Thi and became one of the mighty Oläthion.

  But then, Dellithion’s story ending, the void darkened and the Oläthion eyes turned away to other tales. Dellithion flashed out to gather their attention but the audience gazed far off for they now sought stories of greater power and depth. Dellithion watched as Its creations drifted into the quiet dark and It felt alone and afraid.

  But Dellithion still had more to make, and though Its place within Thi’s Court was to most a meager and insignificant trifle, the small star trembled for an age yearning to bring its master work to shine.

  It is said that Dellithion’s coveted jewel, Endale, the treasure of every eye amid the Court of Thi, the envy of every story sent on streams of starlight, shaped from Dellithion’s desire to reflect the power of its siblings back to them; to reflect the love of the light that connected them all; to reflect Thi.

  Said to be formed from teardrops of sun and oceans of flame, the delicate blue green world took its place among the Court of Dellithion. Her beauty was unlike any tale known among the Great. The Oläthion could not look away.5

  So beautiful was Endale that Dellithion Itself stared in hopeless wonder and love, neglecting the others of Its Court. Over time the Court of Dellithion cried out for their maker to mark them, heed them, to look upon them. With great effort, Dellithion pulled his gaze from his precious Endale and turned to Its other children, but not before placing a guardian to protect Its beloved Endale in Its absence.

  From the highest peak upon Endale, Dellithion tore a root of stone. A mountain. Raising it to the void, before Its eye, It bore spears of flame into the shaping rock. Mellithion, the Sun named it. A tiny sphere to protect the King’s treasure. Smooth Mellithion became and white as naked light. As he cooled, his skin shimmered to pure gold. Dellithion flung the guardian to Endale and the two entwined into a dance amid the stars.

  Such was the curse of the Moon, for he was given the strength of the Oläthion, but not the gift of tales. Instead, he was a servant, forever cursed to behold the beauty of Endale, unable to look away. To hear her. To follow her. To protect. And never to know freedom. Mellithion’s curse also bore an unquenchable love and a devotion beyond any tales known among the Siblings or the Itonalya.

  i

  OF MIGHTY CHALSHAF, FIRST BORN

  So beautiful was Endale against night’s shroud that she attracted the eyes of the infinite celestial audience, the Oläthion. The ancient Order marveled and stared deeply into her, pining to know her story and her future. Her nearer kin, The smaller Court of Dellithion, also found it impossible to draw their attention from her beauty. And as the great Dellithion removed Its gaze from Endale, secure with Mellithion’s vigilant eye, It went to each of Its children, each in turn, to insure their obedience and assure them of Its love.

  When It had turned away, the Sun’s first born, Chalshaf, mightiest of the Court, drifted across the black distance to behold Endale. He was vast. A swirling ball of impenetrable cloud and vapor. Immense and powerful.

  At his approach Endale’s surface quaked, mountains crumbled and her great oceans rose up as if reaching out to touch the giant.

  Chalshaf’s face was a rolling vapor of orange and white. In the center of his b
ulk, red and menacing, was a deep chasm whirling like a storm of blood. It was a gaping wound.

  He spoke to her. “You are coveted and loved, Endale, by our Maker, Dellithion. Dellithion cares more, it seems, for you than the others of His Court. More than even I, the mighty Chalshaf, first born, Ruler among the siblings of Dellithion’s thought. But you are weak. You are delicate. How is it that our Maker hath placed you higher than I? How can this be?”

  Chalshaf waited and watched, and as he did so his jealousy was overthrown by Endale’s beauty, for he understood she had no knowledge of such adoration. Chalshaf saw innocence and a glimmer of the great wisdom that would grow within her.

  “Now I see,” he said, “For you seek not power or justice. You want only peace and a view of the Oläthion sky.” Chalshaf turned his gaze to the stars and said, “But a time will come when the powers of heaven will fall upon you. They will take from you that which is purest, your story. They will make you pine for the strength to rule—the desire for power. You cannot allow it, Endale. Dellithion will not allow it. Even now, as you behold my strength, I sense your covetousness, your desire.”