The Lay of Illaeyiim
A Warrior Mystic’s Ballad | Full Book | 1
Lay (noun; archaic):
A narrative poem, often of heroic, romantic, or mythic nature, composed to be recited or sung.
Hidden in the mountains of Ósakín rests the order of Shunkaya. This is an order of warrior mystics.
Their elite would walk beyond the borders of their realm, and dwell among the mundane so as to remain appraised of the movements of both the Dark and of man.
Wanderers they were named; clandestine warriors that guard against the sleeping evil.
Here is the tale of Wanderer Illaeyiim and Wanderer Sandara, who will assume the guise of a married man and woman in the town of Arkdale, deject remnant of the once great settlement of the valorous people of Arakh.
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His auburn hair in the winds wavered
White streamed the robes that he wore
Gales upon the bluff quavered
Sacred was the vow that he swore
Warrior of the path that is white
Illaeyiim is the name to him given
A wanderer in the Night
From Ósakín walks he riven
A soldier of the Light
— in shadow hidden
Thanes of darkness doth he seek
By Shunkaya masters bidden
O Illaeyiim, protector of the weak
Bright lightning branched across the sky
Thunder upon summits roared
And Sandara came stand him nigh
Maiden svelte with silvern sword
Her gentle hand held a crystal sphere
Pale a light form it shone
Lucent eyes, deeply green and clear
And her spirit doth there roam
Red and long her battle braid
In celeste white was she clad
Serene her heart; her mood ever staid
And a power was in her breath
Her voice was vital and was sweet:
Sandara: O Lord, I heard the thunder’s call
Comest thou sit under my mesh o’ woven reed
Clouds do gather; anon rain shall fall
And Illaeyiim spake:
O Sandara Highmaiden, I shall come with thee asunder
Guide me by thy wake
And we shall sit in the silence of thunder
Rain upon the reeds pattered
And the welkin flashed with light
Droplets upon the grounds splattered
Thus was the serenity of the night
The Wanderers sat in lotus pose
Their minds focused beyond the need of sleep
The mystic repose
For whose wisdom is profound and deep
Stilled were the tides of the heart
In Origin they were withdrawn
Before Man, bird, or speedy hart
Ere Void gave birth to dusk and dawn
Western mountains were illumed
The sun rose in the east
Silvern rivers in the morning spumed
The dark of night had ceased
The sky was clear and clouds withered
Droplets from the foliage fell
Linnets were singing and sparrows twittered
Dews shimmered in the dell
Illaeyiim: The world golden sheens
O swordmaiden, stand you and arise
Wander in this world of dreams
Unto the lands where Arakdale lies
Silvern-grey were the robes that they donned
Hiding the White within
They shall walk unto benighted lands beyond
Where people to shadows cling
Elucidation
The Wanderers sat in lotus pose
Their minds focused beyond the need of sleep
These lines refer 1) to the lotus pose, a popular meditation posture, and 2) the fact the advanced meditator goes beyond the need of sleep. Hence: The mystic repose / For whose wisdom is profound and deep.
Silvern-grey were the robes that they donned
Over their robes of white, the Wanderers don robes of grey. Their thread consists of the condensed energy of the moon and the twilight. It is used for concealment against the scrying powers of the Dark. The white robes concealed underneath stand for a state of being in full divine communion — something that will draw the attention of the forces of malice.
In this final stanza, the grey robes of concealment also have symbolic meaning. The enlightened sage or visionary incidentally challenges established structures, historically leading to persecution. The Wanderers tread carefully as They shall walk unto benighted lands beyond / Where people to shadows cling.
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