The Chronicles of Heaven's War: Sisters of the Bloodwind

by Ava D. Dohn

  * * *

  (Author’s note: The day of the councils was new. It had only existed formally about four millennia, having started after the Great Division. During the Age of Peace, the First Age, people gathered together for festivals and celebrations. Ma-we’s Firstborn had held oversight of most of these festivals, with his councilors’ primary jobs being the coordination and overseeing of events. Ma-we presided over the bigger, periodic festivals. Everyone was invited to attend and participate. But any one of the children could choose to have a celebration and for any reason. Its size was only limited by the desires and abilities of the person initiating it. The Rebellion had ended the festivals, and it took time for the councils to evolve into these present official conferences. That evolution came from the secondary aspect of the original councils.

  In the First Age, the structure of life was informal. Because of Ma-we’s passion for freedom of heart and mind, few laws existed for people to obey. Each person chose his or her own way of doing things. Large disputes were unheard of. If a small one arose that could not be settled easily, it would be handed over to older ones not directly involved. Many of these older children also served on one or more of the councils that existed, starting from the community level on up. Over several millennia, these councils grew to become highly respected for the governmental direction they provided. When a disputed matter was set before a council, its final decision, although not binding, was usually accepted.

  After the Rebellion started, it was only natural for the councils to be looked to. At first there was a great deal of confusion. Often the council houses were filled with debate over who should be followed. Ma-we had always deferred governmental responsibility to her Firstborn, having him be the official public mouthpiece for rulership. She would never openly speak contrary to any words her son had uttered. What was discussed privately between them was not revealed. Because of all the false stories generated after Ma-we expelled her Firstborn from the palace, the loyalty of the people was tested. As time progressed, differences of opinion intensified to the point that many communities found themselves with two different councils trying to give direction. Each separate council tried to promote what it believed the truth of the matter really was.

  Ma-we claimed to be the Creator, thus being the true God. Her son claimed that he was a co-creator and that Ma-we’s power came from the secrets hidden in the Upper Palace. Ma-we claimed that anyone acting independently of the harmonics holding the universe together would eventually die. Her rebel son charged that her statements were a fallacious attempt to maintain control over her people. The people of the Second Realm later came to call the energy force produced by the harmonics ‘holy spirit’. Many eventually deified it and made it into another god, or part of a god. It was not until aging and death started occurring among the people of the Second Realm that Ma-we was proved correct. But, by that time, her son had gained a large following, and they did not desire to return to Ma-we.

  As with people of the Second Realm, when Ma-we’s own children fully abandoned her, they had also cut themselves off from the energy force binding the universe. When proof of her son’s lies became evident, they turned on Ma-we, accusing her of evil in the way she made them. They charged she used the power existing in the Upper Palace to change the fabric of the universe, thus robbing them of eternal life. The black vengeance that had already taken root in their hearts prevented them from seeing anything other than their own selfish longing. The desire was already growing strong to find a way to destroy Ma-we and all who still followed her. It was to the Second Realm that Ma-we’s rebel son directed his followers, to find a way to bring their desire to fruition.

  One of the outstanding differences between the children of the First and Second Realms was the ability to produce offspring. All of the children of the First Realm were the direct progeny of Ma-we, each being born from her. The children of the Second Realm were made with the ability to procreate offspring through reproduction. So even though the people grew old and died, there was an increasing of the population in that realm. The rebel sons started genetic experimentation to make a super race of men who would rule the Second Realm. Their further hope was to eventually make a race of warriors able to invade the First Realm. At that point in time, life was still contained on one planet in the Second Realm. Ma-we was moved to action before this could change. She destroyed the hybrid race along with most of the life on that planet, preserving only a handful of persons and animals alive.

  When people started increasing in number again, Ma-we’s rebel son attempted another takeover of the Second Realm. Before he could accomplish his plans this time, Ma-we sent a plague into the lands that altered the speech patterns of the people. This was done because she did not have the heart to destroy her creations again, and knew if her son were not stopped, history would repeat itself. Confusion and mistrust destroyed the unity among the inhabitants in the Second Realm, dividing them into nations and races. Ma-we’s rebel son found it nearly impossible to unite those people under his yoke again.

  Accusations flew back and forth. Ma-we’s son claimed that Ma-we was not allowing him opportunity to prove his superior ruling abilities. She accused him of meddling with unreasonable force to coerce people into following him. Ma-we had power far greater than her rebel son, so he attacked her authority, claiming that if things were equal, he would be better able to show himself the more capable sovereign. An agreement was settled upon, stating that Ma-we would no longer use her power to openly assist her children, and her son would not directly interfere with the people of the Second Realm. This forced Ma-we to also withdraw her protective power from her children in the First Realm. Without her power protecting them, the need arose for her children to protect themselves. A form of secondary government became necessary to do this. They turned to the already existing councils to provide the needed governing.

  At first, Ma-we maintained command of the central government that came into existence. After repeated accusations and wrangling concerning the contrived offences brought up by her son, she set up a steward who took overall charge. This steward became the head of the council and remained such until Mihai was made field marshal. When this occurred, Mihai removed herself from the council and took her place as its head. For a while, Ma-we continued to conduct many of the important council meetings, but she deferred to the persons in charge for the final decision. After the start of the Great War, Mihai had become the chief over the central council with Ma-we usually introducing the meetings and then handing over control to Mihai.

  Everyone invited to a meeting was part of the given council. The entire number of people gathered was called the ‘general council’. If anyone had information or an opinion, they were allowed to give voice to it. The decision-making body of the council was made up of twenty-four members. Six were personal councilors of Ma-we. Six were personal councilors of the steward, or the one in command. The remaining twelve were made up of leaders involved in, or knowledgeable of current topics of discussion. For an issue to be resolved, eighteen of the twenty-four needed to approve it, with at least half from each of the three individual groups being in agreement. Ma-we and the steward did not have an official say in the final decision unless it directly involved them. In that case, they had the option to refuse to execute the will of the council. If that happened, the council could choose to reconsider matters until its decision became agreeable to Ma-we or the steward.)