Whee.

Insert discussion here. <>

I sent it in. Enjoy!

(Any references to actual priests boinking in the woods is purely coincidental. (It really is!))

Oh. And Deksar and Budius. I went a different way with it.

*Kathy pokes through her hard drive*
"Woah, when did I write this? Hm....."
*type type type copy paste copy paste*

And, if it still sucks, seriously, what's the worst that can happen?
Exactly.

~K

Aisling Love: Gift of the Tuatha de Danaan
Introduction

Together they lay, lounging in the pink and green bushes of personaca, watching the friendly bees alighting on the giant bushes of betony, only to rise, heavy and yellow with pollen, and search out another flower. The wind blew cool on their fevered flesh, drying their salty sweat, easing them both into a quiet state of meditation. Small green snakes slithered through the crimson hydele plants, their forked tongues flicking out nervously, searching.

Turning her gaze from the cloudless sky, the young aisling laid her head upon her lover, listening contentedly to his heartbeat, thumping strong in his chest. His hand traced lazy patterns on her bare back, following the lines of her overexerted muscles. Lulled by the sound of his heart in her ear and the soft tickling of his priestly fingers, she shut her eyes, just to rest a moment, and drifted into an uninterrupted dream. From under the flower petals, faerie eyes glittered. In the east, the moon slowly rose over the hills.

History

Humanity lived in harmony with all that was. Whether out of goodness, or lack of need, no one was tempted to lose his soul for wont of power. There is an ancient legend told in the oldest scrolls. These scrolls are undated and filled with stories of golden streets, of the joys of everyday living. Love flowed through the streets and hearts were light. They are pure pieces of unbridled creativity, without shame or the slightest trace of anger, lacking even the subtlest hint of unpleasantness. No one can question a utopia if they know no other way. This was the land of Hy-brasyl, and few texts remain. They are scribed, most strangely, in an ancient tongue older than the language of the tuatha, and they are of a tiny script, unusually small for Aisling eyes. They can not be read comfortably without the use of an orb of polished glass.

Primarily due to these strange scrolls, a fable was born. Some scholars say that the hands of the fae wrote this, and that the faeries of today are descended directly from these refugees from Hy-Brasyl. If one believes in this fable, then that would mean that the fae which flitter gleefully about our glades belong to a civilization which has existed relatively undisturbed for nearly three thousand years.

Danaan and the Tuatha

All love, both Glioca's and that of the wee faerie folk, comes from the same initial source: Danaan. Danaan is, as all Aislings know, the Goddess of Light. It is she who selflessly sacrificed herself for the creation of the Aisling. But, as the recent Eulogy teaches us, Danaan is not some far-distant goddess who slumbers without knowledge of our world. Danaan's kiss has taught us many things, has strengthened our bodies and given us grace under pressure along with the strength to withstand all things, and to quietly consider the meanings behind them. Danaan is here and in Temuair, her light and love brought to us through the actions of her children. The original Tuatha de Danaan, those magical folk who came from stormy seas to bring to Temuair their elemental magic, to lead to the rise of the venerable civilization of Hy-Brasyl.

Where did they come from? In truth, it is not known where they originated on this great green and blue disk, but it is becoming clearer now, with continuing research into the star charts they are said to have brought with them, that they definitely came from the north, true north, where lies the foot of Kadath, home of the gods. They were the Tuatha de Danaan, willingly created as human, touched by the pure white light of Danaan.

Glioca, it may be assumed from her origins, is too a member of that venerable race. It is said that she leapt from Danaan, born of her divine body. As the shrine attendants tell us with glee, as Danaan is the Sun, Glioca is the moon. Danaan is the goddess of all that is under the sun, divine or mortal. This is very much like the story of the creation of Temuair, which says that during the first times, the sun gave birth to the moon, so that the skies could be lit even as she slept. This holds true, for even as Danaan sleeps after her sacrifice, Glioca shows Aislings her love, keeping the darkness at bay.

Glioca keeps a close relationship with her sisters and brothers, the fae. She demonstrates her closeness to these almost-divine siblings by keeping the recipe for their faerie wine close at hand, ready to be mixed as beothaich deum for the helpless unconscious. Also, as a tribute to their shared mother, the Tuatha are the patron creatures of Glioca. They come brightly to her worshippers' distressed cries, their faerie wings tickling as they fly about one's head, seeking to assist those in need, no matter how want they are to remain in the glades, peeking out from beneath the delicate pink personaca petals.

Expressions of Aisling Love

While there are two ways of expressing love commonly in use in Temuair, they are of vastly different circumstances. The first, and more inherently romantic of the two, is the joining in the glade not far from the enchanted gardens. This is an ancient expression of a romantic love between two people, male or female. It is a permanent entry upon one's legend, and a commitment not to be entered into lightly, nor is it ever, often. To have the blessings of the fae is considered by some the highest honor an Aisling may receive in their lifetime.

The other is a ceremony of marriage in the Church of Glioca in Mileth village. It is a more mundane ceremony, originating in the need for an heir to the land possessed by the father of the groom. After this ceremony, your legend reads not of love, but of having completed a ceremony, a very different thing.

Conclusion

Herein lies the conundrum. These newly-unearthed scrolls speak of the fae as descendants of Hy-Brasyl, yet it is also a long-held belief by any scholar that we ourselves, as Aislings, are descendants of this mysterious time. It may be concluded, that we are the descendants of the Tuatha de Danaan, as was mentioned above. What of love, then? What is love to us? We are the Tuatha, touched by the spark of Deoch, quickened by the love and light of Danaan. We can, and should, share this gift of love to all who pass, to celebrate our humble faerie beginnings but also to share in the pride of magick, to know that we were all blessed by Danaan, the Creator. We were given this love, this life, this heart to share. Go forth and love.

There is no better worship, nor any better gift than to love.

~ Cliona Malkier al' Fae
Spiorad Acair

~K