• PRELUDE

Dyeu Istanus looked around him at the Gods and Goddesses assembled. Each a jewel in the light he shined as they moved around him in eternal circles through countless time lines. They lived and played in the vastness, masters and mistresses of all time and space. Participants and audience of the rich and endless stories created within the rules that governed all Time, all Space.
Here, in the assembly hall, their manifestations all circled about him. He was their leader and the life giver. Though he was part of them, he was set apart by his power over them. Here, in this place he was the center of their being.
There was the closest one, Dyeu Mesangar, who was small and fast, whirling quickly around Istanus his face always shining towards him.
Then there was Dyaus Phosphara, who was mysterious, cloaked in silvery white veils that hid her from view.
Then there was the most beautiful of them all, Dyaus Pita, she who was dazzling in blue, white, and dark rich soil, she who was his consort.

Beyond her were others who were friends and helpmates in this particular bend in the Universe.
The red God Auqak who shone a baleful red eye and was the patron of war.
The giant goddess Opslua who was the cycle of growth and destruction.
Another giant Dyaus Lucitia ruler of thunder, lightning, and rain.
There was the ancient god Dyaus Shandur, grandfather of Istanus and keeper of the Time Gate.
God of the waters and consort of Lucitia,  Dyaus Nahdayus.
Finally there was the god of Shadows, Dyaus Erebius, patron of spies and those who executed power for their rulers.
Dyeu Istanus loved Dyaus Pita. He shined on her gently, courting her, giving her warmth to make her water rise and fall on her rich brown soil. Life sprung from her, all sorts of life; some on legs, some with leaves, some crawled, some flew, some were so small they were little more than tiny points in stagnant ponds. She teamed with life and she loved Him for giving her these gifts.
In the timeless way of gods they talked and made love.  He bathed her in his light, but as the Universe unfolded into the future, he saw that his constant company could ruin her if he did not relent for he was too powerful. She needed time away from his light and heat. He did not want to be apart from her, yet even the gods had to obey the immutable Laws of the Universe.
So he spent some time with her and some time away, where in the darkness she could recoup and grow the living things she so loved and that he loved to give to her. But he could not help himself and through each year, he would spend more and more time with her, then realizing what he was doing, would gradually reduce their time together and when he could not bear it any longer, he would again increase his presence.
She surprised him and made more living things. He enjoyed watching life move about her plains, her hills, and in the air above, the waters below. He was pleased by her gift, and his light was gentle and life giving. Life flourished and grew abundant.
But soon a new god joined them, Dyeu Mahru.  Dyeu Istanus couldn't see her and him during the night. He reflected a pale light on this new god to remind her of him but he knew the pale god circled her, charmed her. He would drown out the sight of Mahru when it was day again but always, he gave her up into the night at the end of each day knowing that to stay with her would be to overwhelm her children. But knowing she was with Mahru, he became jealous of their time together during the night.
Soon he could restrain himself no more and went crazy with his jealousy.  His light changed from the gentleness that gave growth to a bright, hot heat that seared and scorched his lover and he did not relent no matter that she wept and begged him to. He was killing her creations, her children, his gifts.
Alarmed, Dyeus Mahru interceded and stood between Istanus and Pita, briefly cutting off his harsh jealous light. But he could not protect her for very long as Istanus was far more powerful.  He scorched her surface and made her children wilt and grow listless, thirsty, tired until they started dying.
Dyeus Istanus grew tired as well, however, and soon his heat waned once more. He realized what he had done was wrong and petty, so he withdrew in shame from his beloved Pita. The Earth grew cold and soon more of her children began dying.
He decided to curse her night time lover and made a circle of time around Mahru that caused him to shrink and then to grow again in an unending cycle. This shortened his time with Pita. Each night he would gain a little for awhile and then he would begin to lose himself a little each night until he was only darkness and she could not find him.
Helpless to save her children, Pita was distracted and barely noticed that Mahru would fade from her a little each night.  She shared less and less of her attention with Mahru.  To her children she gave each a gift which, while not saving them, allowed some of them to sleep while the Earth was covered in ice and snow.
She separated them into male and female, mimicking the gods so they would have the power to create others and while all eventually would die, others would be born to replace them.  She was patient and knew they would thrive once Dyeus Istanus relented and once again shone on her his life giving light.
But she grew tired of waiting, as she watched so many of her children perish, she grew cold and bitter.  She pushed away from her lover. Far away where his light was now weak and Dyeas Pita grew colder and colder, so even more of her children died.
She finally took pity on those left and gave some of them fur to keep them warm, and others ways to sleep through the snow and ice and be renewed when the Istanus was not so weak and could give enough warmth for life.
Istanus repented and longed to have his beloved Pita back. He began to woo her slowly, gently. Calling her back to him with promises of more life, of renewal, and of his warm love.
Eventually, Dyaus Pita relented and moved closer to Istanus. He rejoiced, and giving her his light back, melted all that had frozen and life began again on her soil.
She thought to make him a gift and so created humans; women and men in the likenesses of herself and her lover. She gave them the power of thought so they could know him and worship.
Istanus was overjoyed with her gift and gave the humans the power of creation so that they would flourish all across the lands of his lover by making homes, shops, roads, and bridges. Some he gave her color, a rich dark color of the life giving soil. To others he gave his own likeness of light colored skin and glowing yellow hair. He delighted in all of them and what they used their minds to do and create.
As the years went by the humans created more humans until soon there was a spectrum of humans with colored skin from dark to light.
Together Pita and Istanus decided to create a gift to each other as a symbol of their enduring love and to the lives of the humans that now flourished. They created a son who would not be destroyed by anything.  A young man who could not harm or be harmed.  No matter what was done to him or those around him, he was bound by their oath on him. No harm could he do, and no harm would be done to him.
Angry that the two lovers had reconciled, that Istanus had cursed him to spending less time with his nightly companion, and that Pita seemed less interested in him, Mahru felt betrayed.
He had stood between them when Istanus was intent on killing her children had he not?  Had he not shown by this his love and devotion to her?  Here she was going back to Istanus and in her cycle of time spent with Mahru she was cordial but more distant than before.
Mahru wanted to hurt them both. H wanted to prove to her that he was powerful in his own right and make her pay for shunning him.
So he shown his pale light and cursed Gotane with an oath. An oath that though he would be protected from all harm, one thing, and only one could hurt him. Dyeus Mahru smiled thinly and told the lovers of his curse. He laughed when they looked confused.  Let them do or make what they will of it.