In the beginning of time, when all was darkness, Odhrain wandered in the darkness, and there met Rhyanidd. And from their love came light, the light of the stars. One star, they named Ciannan, and they made him the light of the world they created. And Odhrain wandered the world. From where his feet strode came the mountains, and Fionnghuala was born. And she reached up to Ciannan, and he down to her. Fionnghuala made the mountains, and all that dwelled within them, and Odhrain smiled and blessed her, and Ciannan, whose warmth she loved so. But the green and growing things needed water, and so Odhrain breathed in the air, and when he exhaled, Cunomagus Cloudkeeper formed from his breath.

Cunomagus brought the rain. The crevasses and cracks made by Odhrain's feet were filled, and Peredur rose up, laughing, as the waters of the rivers. Peredur's fingers tickled the seas, and Anerida came forth, her waves rolling over the sandy beaches where the land ended and the seas began. And by the banks of the mightiest river, fed by Cunomagus Cloudkeeper, a tree sprang forth. They called the tree Karadan, and in his branches slept Aileann, she who dreamedâ?¦ Aileann dreamed of a spider, spinning out the world's path, and Nynia came into being, spinning her web in Karadan's branches; and Aileann dreamed of a cat, who swallowed up the spider each morning, and regurgitated it back each night, and Aedan, the hunter, Lord of the Natural Order climbed up from the roots of Karadan, and stalked Nynia; the two became fast friends, for it was a game between them, hunter and hunted.

But Aileann's dreams were not all of the light, and Cunomagus, frightened by those dreams, struck out with thunder and lightning, setting fires here and there, From one of these fires stepped Delbaeth, Lady of the Flames, and she calmed Cunomagus, who sent down the rains to put out the fires he had started, One fire, though, could not be quenched, and Tearlach came from out of the earth, reaching up from the depths and spewing forth his fury and vitriol, and in his wake, came Marrok, the Shadow-Walker, and Moriath, the Ice-Crone, and on the storm he caused in his fury came Cywyllog - she of the storm-touched eyes, From Tearlach and Cywyllog's furious meetings came Kyndylan and Fail-Inis - destroyers in their own right, they were the opposite of Odhrain and Rhyanidd who created whenever they met, for Kyndylan and Fail-Inis destroyed, broke down, and carried with them only despair.

And from Aileann's dreams came also people - humans, and elves, dwarves, heskron, and forestii - and they peopled the world, and built farms and cities, houses, huts, and great castles where kings of men dwelt. And she dreamed of the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, and these things too came into being. But Tearlach was jealous, for he could not create; he had only the power to destroy, so destroy he did, rising up in fury and vomiting fire, and though Cunomagus brought rain, he could not stop Tearlach alone, He cried out to Fionnghuala, and to Ciannan, and together, they bound Tearlach, and locked him away in his own caldera, there to remain until the end of time, when Aedan devours Nynia and all her web. But though Tearlach was trapped, Marrok remained free to shadow men, and control them, and teach them the unnatural means of bringing death, By this means, he feeds the armies of Moriath, the Ice-Crone, she whose touch is feared by all, Moriath, whose armies will rise up to conquer all, when Aileann dreams it.

Odhrain wept, as he touched Aileann's forehead, deepening her sleep, she will not dream for now; she sleeps in peace in Karadan's branches, but to men she passed on the power of dreams - not to bring forth what they dream into reality without effort, but the power to create in their own right, by hand and mind, blood, sweat and tears. From Fionnghuala came stone - marble, granite, gems, and ores; and from Delbaeth, the power to make the ore into metals, From Rhyanidd came the power to craft things of beauty, like the stars she hung in the sky, and from Odhrain, the power to grow things - plants, and trees, flowers, and fruits, for where his feet wandered, the earth was fertile, Cunomagus gave water to cool the earth and help it grow, and Delbaeth brought fire to warm as well as to create, When fire becomes the destroyer, she cries out to Cunomagus, who comes and quells the flames with his gentle rain, And Peredur and Anerida laugh, Karadan cradles Aileann, holding her in sleep, and the spider and cat chase one another through his branches, careful not to wake the sleeping goddess.

But Cywyllog, who is not trapped, brings down the destruction of storms whenever she can, forever she cries out in her fury, trying with all her might to release Tearlach from his underground prison, but her storms cannot reach so deep, nor can her earthquakes shake the prison where Tearlach dwells.