The faith surrounding the Yrun is a bitheistic religion, whose gods are Threa's two moons. It is an unorganized faith; there is no central structure, no institution to dictate the dogmas. A variety of interpretations exist among its members, but there are no radical differences.
Overall, it is a belief rooted in real phenomena – the night sky and the waters. On the former, on its stars and celestial bodies, the faith founds a spiritual plane separate from the physical world. On the latter, it bases its favored lifestyle. Its pillars are living peacefully and gregariously, respecting the waters for granting great bounties, observing the night sky for signs, and shaping earth through the application of hozizik (e.g. pottery and building shelter, totems, and shrines).
First beliefs around the Yrun came up among the sozlin tribes inhabiting the southern shores of the Starless Forest, but these beginnings were refined into today's religion by the Sozkian tribes of the Verdant Valley shores.
Members of this faith call themselves the Yrun's Chosen. Others refer to them as Yrunists (adj.: Yrunist), or more generic and often less kind terms such as moon worshipers or night callers.
Anyone can become an Yrunist. They must renounce their old gods, and then they must be accepted officially by the holy man or woman of an Yrunist community. While the sozlin are the original followers of the Yrun, members of any species can become Yrunists. Only radicals believe that being chosen is exclusive to sozlin. The majority opinion is that one becomes chosen through faith in the Yrun and especially through adherence to their rules, not through their species or origin.
Tenets
While deviations exist between the Yrunist groups, there are core beliefs that they (nearly) all share. Controversy is rare.
Deities – The Yrun
Both moons are gods and collectively referred to as Yrun. The large one – Yra – is female, while the small one – Yro – is male; they are a couple. Other gods exist, but they are lesser than the Yrun and are not to be worshiped besides them. This would betray the Yrun's trust. In turn, the Yrun do not claim dominance over other deities either. Doing so would go against their desire for harmony. The other gods are beings that must have sprouted from the chaos of magic creation randomly when the Yrun created the world and the life on and above it.
Beyond their appearance as round orbs of uneven light, the Yrun have no physical form. They possess no limbs and do not speak, but they each have a vast mind and powerful spirit. With these, they can control the tide and currents, manipulate the behavior of animals (especially aquatic ones), dictate the weather and seasons, and shape the earth. By creating bodies from clay and sending souls to inhabit them, the Yrun can even create life.
Watchful and kind, the Yrun are seen as benevolent and protective gods that want
only the best for their creations – all living beings – and followers.
In return, they ask their believers to be good people as well. Only the hostile and evil are deserving of the Yrun's wrath, and it is terrible and fearsome. Nonbelievers are not hated; they simply do not benefit from the Yrun's blessings. However, they may still ascend to the Astral Sea upon death, given they followed the Yrun's commandments (even if they did so by sheer chance).
Worldview – Material and Spiritual
The here and now is a preface to the spiritual world. It is a testing ground for souls, where they must prove to be good and virtuous enough to be chosen for return to the spiritual realm after death.
Said spiritual plane – called the Astral Sea – is the night sky. It is a divine ocean of infinite proportions, and the stars are its beautiful islands. Each isle of light is inhabited by the virtuous dead and those yet to be born, and they sail across the vast blackness between them to visit each other. The unborn cross the spiritual sea to reach the moons at night, so that they may descend on their rays to the world of the living. Once they reached it, they seek out and move into the bodies the Yrun made from clay. New life is made so. When a fleet of traveling spirits is great enough that its lights can be seen from the material world, you see it rush by as a shooting star. They may signal a wave of births or other good event; the Yrunists consider them good omens.
If a soul descends to the material plane fails to find it a body, it might become frustrated and haunt the living as a ghost that brings bad luck. Such spirits must be appeased through observation of the Yrun's commandments and proper execution of their rituals. Often, having a child to give the spirit a body to inhabit is enough to appease them.
Despite being a celestial body as well and shining brighter than the moons, the sun is not a god. Instead, it is another gift from the Yrun; a fire in the sky to warm the land and water and to illuminate the day. It is chased off by the Yrun each night, so that their worshipers may lay eyes upon their deities and rest in the calming dimness they provide. Yrunists believe the nightly darkness reminds of the depths of the oceans, where all creatures come from, and being reminded of their primeval home helps them sleep.
That the Yrun themselves change over the course of a year, becoming smaller and then fuller again (i.e., go through the moon phases), is normal. Even gods must rest occasionally, and it lends more responsibility to their chosen when their gods are temporarily absent.
Magic
Yrunists see magic for what it truly is – a wild, arcane, ancient power inherent to the world and not subordinate to anyone, not even gods. While the Yrun can manipulate magic to do their bidding, even they cannot control it perfectly. Magic is chaos incarnate, but it is from this chaos that souls are born and new creatures shaped. The Yrun approve; they want the world to teem with life of all variations.
Since magic is such a random thing, the ability to manipulate it is not given by the gods. Those who were born with this gift were simply lucky, and they are cherished for the benefits they bring to their respective communities. Yrunists enjoy magic and gladly apply it to create, assist, and protect. The occasional mishap is seen as par for the course. It is what happens if mortals play with the powers of immortals, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks by far.
Commandments
Being peaceful, sociable, and helpful are the three main commandments laid out by the Yrun.
To be peaceful means to abstain from violence and seek diplomatic solutions to conflict. Yrunists shall never pursue war, shall only fight to defend themselves. Fundamentalists even adhere to pacifism and refuse to hurt another sapient being. Extreme interpretations of this rule even demand their followers to not harm any living being at all.
To be sociable means to form bonds in your community, to engage with your kin and kind. An isolationist cannot be a true chosen of the Yrun because they would prefer the companies of others over solitude.
To be helpful ties in with the above. It is not enough to merely entertain and enjoy company. You have to actually be of help to your community to live up to the Yrun's expectations. This means sharing the burdens of everyday life, offering advice and consolation, and being generous with your possessions.
Further, the followers of the Yrun must not kill any life senselessly and must respect the seas, swamps, lakes, and rivers. This extends to animals, even fish. You are not to take more from nature than you require, and squandering food is seen as sin. It is fine to stuff your nets with fish as long as you can salt them all or share them with your tribe. An easy way out is to feed rotting foodstuffs to animals; it is not considered waste then.
Self-defense is explicitly allowed. Killing to save yourself or your friends from an aggressor is sensible in the eyes of the Yrun; they do not want their people to die meek. Life cannot thrive if it cannot defend itself. This is evident in nature.
The last rule also fates where Yrunists will settle. Each large body of life giving water is a sacred location made by the Yrun to sustain their faithful. They are to be cherished as such, and Yrunists believe all shores and waters to be rightfully theirs. However, the dogma of peace demands they do not become hostile over this claim, and the dogma of generosity says they ought to share even this god-given gift.
Family and Partnership
Each child is a gift given directly by the Yrun. Their ethereal touch reaches into the fresh egg, shapes the clay within, a soul descends on their rays to the material plane and occupies the body, and out comes a new life. Yrunists value their young very highly and thank the gods for each one. Abortion or abandonment is unthinkable for them. Family in general is very important to Yrunists; they want to live up to the example set by Yra and Yro by living with a loving partner and having many children who they affectionately care for.
The concept of marriage is foreign to them. Yra and Yro are loving partners to each other, but this is no cause for their followers to have monogamous lifestyles. While they do seek permanent partners and form families, they do not stake a possessive claim on their significant other usually; they do not forbid them from sleeping with others. Should a child come from a union outside the partnership, then the child is cared for by the mother and her partner regardless. Other cultures and religions may view the man as weak for doing so, but Yrunists believe each child – no matter who the parents are – to be worthy of affection and care. Having many children in your household is a great blessing and brings prestige, even if they are not your own by blood. They become your own through nurture and the love you give them, a bond much stronger than blood.
Polygamous (or polyamorous) lifestyles are not viewed favorably despite the above. The reason is quite simple: While sharing the love around the village and tribe is seen as fine, possessing multiple set partners is seen as being in the way of this. It would harm the harmony of the community. Also, Yrunists believe that if one had multiple partners, one would always be favored over the others and the others hence neglected. This would be terribly unfair and go against the ideal of a loving relationship akin to that of the Yrun.
Afterlife
People who lived in accordance with the Yrun's expectations – even if they were nonbelievers! – will ascend back to the Astral Sea upon death. This belief is the religion's namesake; those who live justly and goodly are chosen by the Yrun to return home to the Astral Sea. The souls of the chosen strip off their mortal coils and settle down on one of the star islands, where they will live among friends and families whose lives ended sooner. The night sea is a paradise, a place with plenty fish and no predators, which the chosen may explore joyfully for all eternity alongside their deceased ancestors and unborn descendants. An eternal feast and journey awaits. From high above, they may watch the living and guide them on the right path by shaping star formations and manipulating weather phenomena. Believing to be always watched by their ancestors inspires Yrunists to do better in all things.
Committers of light sins and opponents of the Yrun (not mere unfaithful) are also send back up to the spiritual plane upon death, but they are not permitted to settle down. They are forced to live on slow, migrating fleets until they reach the moons again. Once they do, they are returned to the material plane to have a try at life again – another chance to please the moons and live up their expectations.
Defilers of sanctums, adherents of violence, and other such heavy sinners are drowned in the abyssal depth of the night sea. They do not die; they drown eternally.
Practices
Common religious practices among Yrunists are praying, worship, offerings, pottery, and reading the future and the Yrun's will in the night sky and weather phenomena.
Predicting what the future holds or determining the will of the gods is the primary purpose of the sulan yrun, the spiritual leader of an Yrunist community. In the patterns and movements of the moons, stars, cloud, etc., the sulan yrun sees omens and signs that tell them what their gods desire or intent and what fortunes or tragedies await their community. Their revelations are shared during communal gatherings. Often, these proclamations are followed by joint worship, which involves oblations, either to thank the Yrun or to placate them.
Regular group worship is not practiced. Yrunists only engage in this when they believe it necessary. It is usually the sulan yrun who decides when this is the case. Otherwise, Yrunists just pray and worship within their families or with neighbors. This happens fairly frequently; Yrunists feel very connected to their gods.
Yrunists pray to the Yrun for good fortune and to request that they take good care of their deceased in the Astral Sea. Prayer to the ancestors is also customary; Yrunists ask them for guidance. Whatever signs they give must then be interpreted by the sulan yrun.
Worship takes the form of dance and music. To the sound of drums, chimes, and tambourines, Yrunists chant their love for their benevolent deities into the night sky and dance to show them how they thrive. This is also to put their ancestors at ease; they worry for their living relatives and seeing them dance and be merry puts them at ease.
Oblation accompanies prayer and worship most of the time. Scraps of food, even rotten ones; trinkets made of wood, clay, or bone; and similar items are all considered appropriate sacrifices to the Yrun. They are all surrendered to the sea, where the moons' servants – the aquatic wildlife – can accept them for their masters. This is why foodstuff garbage is a suitable offering; the creatures will devour it and feeding them is a way to show your respect for the waters. Shore-dwelling communities often use the tide to make offerings. They set their sacrifices down onto the foreshore during low tide and wait for the high tide to submerge them. If an offering is gone by the next ebb, it was accepted.
Shaping clay into useful objects or religious trinkets or shrines – especially with the use of magic! – is seen as a way of doing good in the eyes of the Yrun. They, too, used clay to create, giving pottery a religious undertone. Religious symbolism (e.g. circles, depictions of fish, wavy lines) is often added to earthenware.
None of these practices require a temple or shrine. Yrunists can practice their belief anywhere. All that is required is a gathering of the faithful and a sulan yrun to spiritually lead them and conduct the religious activities. However, some communities erect shrines or even simple temples anyhow. It praises their gods, and the structures add solemnity to any practices done in or by them. If no temple is available, some ceremonies are instead done within the biggest house of the community, which is often some sort of public house or other communal building.
Explained below are two common Yrunist rituals.
Soul Beckoning
The souls of all newborn stem from the Astral Sea. Either they are a fresh soul or the reincarnation of a sinner given another chance. When an egg is laid, the clay within is shaped by the Yrun, but it remains soulless – lifeless – until a soul descends on the moons' rays onto the material plane and inhabits the empty body within. While fresh souls constantly descend from the spiritual plane onto Threa, they may not have an easy time finding a shell to inhabit. Souls left to stray too long may become frustrated and irritated and cause all manners of problems! It is not unheard of that angry spirits befall a community, bringing misfortune and tragedies.
It is important to beckon the souls – to light their path to their new bodies – to prevent the creation of these horrible ghosts. Hence, whenever a new egg is laid, the local sulan yrun schedules a ritual of Soul Beckoning. It does not happen immediately, so that other eggs laid afterwards can partake in the same, shared ceremony. The sulan yrun does keep track of when the first egg on the list was laid, so that the ritual will take place before it is likely to hatch. This ensures as many eggs as possible can partake in the same ritual. Also, the brighter the moons are, the higher is the chance of success, giving further cause to waiting (or hurrying, depending on the time of year). Most Yrunists prefer to lay in the summer as a result; the moons are at their fullest then, especially Yra.
Anyone is permitted to partake in the ritual. Most commonly, only the parents, their friends and close relatives, and the sulan yrun do. Ritual site is either the community's temple or public house – if they have one – or the biggest house among those of the parents. All recently laid eggs are brought to the location. The temple fire or hearth, respectively, is fed plenty wood to make it grow tall and bright. The fire light has to shine with such strength that it can be seen coming out of the chimney, and even the doors and all windows are left open to make it more easily seen. Additionally, oil lamps and tallow candles and standing torches are hung and set up all around the site. Within all these flames, the sulan yrun and their assistants burn herbs to create strong, pleasant odors. Once everything is set up, the sulan yrun gathers the others around the biggest fire and they begin to sing together. Children songs and hymns of praise towards the Yrun are the most common choices. The light, smell, and song act like a beacon to the traveling and body-seeking souls. Instruments are usually not incorporated; the artificial sounds could scare the souls.
The longer the fires are lit and chants kept up, the more likely souls are going to find their way into the eggs. Hence, the ritual lasts throughout the night and is accompanied by delicious snacks and light alcoholic beverages. Once the moons have retreated from the night sky, the ceremony is over.
Funeral
When an Yrunist dies, their soul ascends to the Astral Sea immediately, but their body must be returned to the waters manually. It shall feed their creatures in return for them having nourished the Yrunist. This pleases the Yrun; it is in accordance with their commandments.
Coastal communities return their dead with the help of rickety, small rafts. They push the vessels off the shore and let them drift far onto the waters with the ebb tide. Given the purposefully bad condition of these crafts (and purposefully drilled holes), they will sink on their own eventually given time and the elements or a hungry azkul.
Swamp and lake settlements return their dead by bringing them to the deepest spots of their local body of water. They weigh them down with stones, then drop them into the depths.
Usually, the dead are not wrapped in cloth. Funerals happen a day or two after death, so the corpses are not unsightly yet. Should the Yrunit's end have caused their body to become gruesome, then they are wrapped in old cloth or rawhide prior to their wet burial. Either way, the dead are sunk with a few of their most important personal effects. They are placed in their hands, maw, or a bag that is tied to their limbs. These items will not reach the Astral Sea; they are merely offerings given to make up for past sins of the deceased or to bless the next generation.
Every funeral happens at night and is accompanied by a celeberation. If multiple people died in a short time frame, they are all buried together in the same ceremony. Before the deceased are given to the waters, their friends and relative speak about them, how they influenced their life, what deeds they accomplished, and so on and so forth. Once the dead have been returned, the Yrunists celebrate with food, drink, and dance. The passing of a beloved is always a sad occasion, but the Yrunists cherish the return of their dear ones to the Astral Sea. Death is not an end; it is the start of a journey across the stars. Yrunists are happy for their goodly dead, and they do not wish to sadden them by showing their grief. The recently deceased shall look upon the earth and rejoice at seeing the festivities of the community they held dear in life. It is believed that the fleets and settlements of the Astral Sea celebrate in parallel to welcome the new arrivals and ease them into their afterlife.
Holidays
Yrunist holidays are most commonly about the Yrun, the seas, and the ancestors. Detailed below are the two most widely known and celebrated holidays.
Night of Creation
When Yro and Yra are completely full, shining brightly, in the exact middle of the year, the Yrunists celebrate the Night of Creation. It is very important that the sulan yrun reads the Yrun and stars carefully to figure out the correct night this spectacle happens. Missing it would spell bad fortune for their community. Sulan yrun usually keep track of the days that pass between one Night of Creation and the next. As the amount of days is always same, this is a good basis for a simple form of calendar. In fact, the Yrunists consider this night to mark the start of the new year.
The holiday has two more meanings: It celebrates the initial creation of the world and life as a whole, and it also celebrates the ongoing creation. Since the Yrun have gathered their full strength on this night, that must mean that they are coupling to create more magic tempests and hence life, if at a smaller scale than they used to aeons ago during the making of all things. A ceremony is held thus to
persuade the Yrun to make the sea and land bountiful and fertile.
Its location depends on where the community lives, but it is always located on or close to water. If it is on the open sea or on a lake, the sulan yrun gathers the partakers on festive rafts and barges, which are arranged in a circle. In the case of a swamp, the participants stand on platforms and walkways made specifically for this event, which are arranged in the same pattern. Both, vessels and platforms, are richly decorated with colorful cloths, engravings, paintings, and baubles hung from ropes. Open fires (e.g., torches and oil lamps) illuminate the nightly ceremony. Consequently, a flotilla of festive watercraft is visible from afar. Neighboring, shore-dwelling Yrunist communities can see it as a cluster of dim dots in the distance, akin to the stars. Witnessing their neighbors honor their shared traditions creates a feeling of unity among the Yrunist groups – they are with each other in spirit. Some are also with each other in person; many Yrunist groups celebrate the night together. The more, the merrier!
The sulan yrun begins the ceremony by speaking of the passing year, summarizing it, noting the best and the worst. Great deeds accomplished by individuals are presented here as well to inspire the others. Further, the sulan yrun foretells the happenings of the coming year. They spent the previous days reading the stars and moons to be able to give a most accurate account of what the next year will bring and whether the Yrun are pleased with their people.
Either way, the Yrunists want to ensure their holy moons are appeased and happy, hence the ritual continues with a phase of offerings. The participants begin chanting. Meanwhile, a few chosen Yrunists carry sacrifices before the sulan yrun and the other elders of their community (or other figure of authority, if appropriate). Common offerings are preserved foodstuffs, scraps of food (even rotten remains), and the usual spiritual ornaments. After the elders and moon reader inspected the offerings, the partakers throw the sacrifices into the sea. Some people utter quick prayers as they make their offerings, asking the Yrun for the resolution of personal troubles or for good fortune. Fish gather beneath the the ceremonial circle to feed on the bits thrown into the ocean; the Yrun accept the gifts through their servants. Once all offerings have been ritualistically given, which can take about an hour, the gathering of Yrunists heads back into the village.
There the sulan yrun ends the ceremony. However, the celebrations are not over yet. Now the whole tribe gathers and feasts and drinks and socializes. People reminisce about the past year, listen to tales of their elders of times long past, and wonder about the future. They also agree on resolutions for the coming year and make bets out of them. It is common to bet on whether a friend or relative manages to fulfill their resolution or not. Food, drink, or precious items are most often wagered. Yrunists see these resolutions as a way to please their ancestors through continuous self-improvement. Either way, once the sun rises, the Yrunists lay down again to rest just like their gods are resting. The day after the night of creation is considered a lazy, hungover day by most Yrunist communities.
Weeks of Plenty
In the middle of spring, the sulan yrun announce the Weeks of Plenty. During this time, numerous large fish swarms appear near the Central Sea shores because it is their breeding season. There is plenty to catch, too much to eat. This surplus sparks grand feasts. Everyone gorges themselves on the excess that cannot be salted or smoked to preserve it. It is a good time. Full storehouses make the weeks after this period relaxing. Less time has to be spent on fishing, allowing the Yrunists to be around their loved ones or focus on their passions and crafts instead. Baskets are weaved, pots formed, houses built, etc.
Naturally, the Yrun must be thanked for the bountiful season. Dances and songs of praise are appropriate forms of gratitude, which is why the aforementioned feasts are accompanied by both, making them loud and joyful festivals. Sacrifices are appropriate as well. Clay pots filled with preserved foodstuff, trinkets, and baubles made from bones, shells, and other such parts are thrown off coastal cliffs to shatter on the rocks below and spread their offerings into the sea, to be received by the Yrun's many aquatic creations in the water. Many of these items are dedicated to the ancestors as well, to thank them for having lived goodly lives and thus pleasing the Yrun, causing good fortune.
Visits and travel are common during the Weeks of Plenty. Yrunists communities visit each other, often via waterways, to share in the spoils and exchange sacrificial pots. They believe an offering counts even more if it is made by a friend in your name, especially if they throw it into the seas far away from your own home. A pot that had a journey is a pot that respects the seas and praises the Yrun even louder.
Clergy
Among each Yrunist community there is at least one member that knows how to read the moons to figure out the current point within the ongoing year, at least roughly. This person is called the sulan yrun, which is West Central Sozkian and roughly translates to "reads-moons". They tend to be the eldest and most intelligent of their group. However, a sulan yrun is not considered to have a special connection to the Yrun, merely to be a reader of their positions and intentions. Every Yrunist has a connection to their gods, no matter their status.
The greatest responsibility of the sulan yrun is to watch the night sky and, based on the positions of the moons and stars, determine the Yrun's intentions and what fortunes or misfortunes they will send onto the material plane. Second to that is the preparation and conducting of the various Yrunist rituals and ceremonies. Thirdly, the sulan yrun is to provide spiritual aid and guidance to all that request it. Given their experience and intelligence, they are a good source of advice, though it will likely be on the conservative, traditionalist side of things. They also provide comfort, for example, to those whose loved ones passed away. However, a sulan yrun to their community is not like a shepherd to their flock. They do not claim to lead them in all things; they merely offer counsel and try to remind everyone of the Yrun's commandments. In the end, it is the responsibility of each Yrunist to adhere to the laws of their deities.
While most sulan yrun see the signs given by the night sky as general omens and interpret the future of their entire surroundings into it, a few of the Yrun's clergy believe that they can even foretell individual fortunes by deciphering the Astral Sea and other weather phenomena. They seem them as signs of the ancestors, more specifically, the ancestors of the person who requested the peak into their own future.
Any Yrunist may become a sulan yrun. Neither sex nor species matters. It is the current sulan yrun, traditionally, who chooses who will succeed them once they resign or die, becoming their successor's mentor. Whether the teachings are in writing or merely given orally depends on whether the community knows a written language. Having a good memory is an important ability for a sulan yrun either way. It takes years to study the Astral Sea and become proficient in reading it as well as to learn all the ceremonies and rituals, so sulan yrun tend to acquire an apprentice sooner rather than later. Herbalism is not part of the curriculum. Sulan yrun do not have to be healers or alchemists.
Once the current sulan yrun dies, their apprentice takes over their role immediately. They are granted the former sulan yrun's religious items, adding them to their own collection. After multiple generations, sulan yrun become quite richly decorated in spiritual trinkets, amulets, and similar. Some attach these to robes made out of fur or fish skins to display them.
Sulan yrun do not have to worry about food or shelter. Their community provides. All they are to focus on is their religious duties. For this, they are appreciated and well respected, but they usually do not have a lot of political influence. They can, however, influence their group and its leaders through their interpretations of the Astral Sea. Knowing your gods' will is its own form of power.
Creation Narrative
The Yrun were always there and created everything. First, they created the night sky and its stars. It was to be their home, but it felt terribly empty. The Yrun desired to fill it with souls, but they knew that this was a risky endeavor. Not all souls would end up being goodly; the bad ones had to be filtered out. A place to prove themselves was needed, and so the Yrun created the land beneath the sky. Afterwards, they used heavy rain to make the oceans, swamps, rivers, and all other bodies of water. Magic was used to perform all three feats, but such controlled application of this primordial power cannot yield a soul. Chaos was needed. Life cannot sprout from order. Through coupling of the Yrun's powerful spirits, magical storms began blowing across the land and flowing through the seas.
Aquatic life appeared in all shapes, sizes, and colors in the waters. The land remained barren, much to the dismay of the Yrun, because they thought that life should not be limited to the dark, cold waters. Out of their love, for each other and their creations, the Yrun birthed the sun. Its shining beauty attracted the most capable creatures of the waters onto the land and dried it enough for plants to grow.
Among the beings that stepped ashore, the Yrun spotted the gregarious, peaceful sozlin and were smitten. The moons decided they were their most precious creations and promised them ascension to the Astral Sea under the condition of living in accordance with their commandments. Blessed in this manner, the sozlin became the Yrun's faithful followers, and the Yrun began watching them closely.
In the mean time, the magic storms rose into the Astral Sea themselves! They created thousands of souls there, bodiless and lost. Knowing themselves responsible, the Yrun gathered these unborn upon the stars and gave them boats of light to cross the night sea. They, too, had to prove themselves on the material plane before they were allowed to remain on the spiritual plane, but they needed bodies to anchor them on the former. Hence, the sozlin (and later all life) were given the gift of reproduction, and the Yrun began personally shaping the clay within their eggs to make bodies for the unborn to inhabit and prove themselves with.
Unfortunately, the tempests of creation never fully ebbed. They continue through to this day, creating new beings, even gods. This is the origin of these other, lesser gods that other religions praise. Wild magic is also the cause for these other variations of lin. It twisted sozlin of long past days into new forms.