Sgrios Mass: The Three Realms - Sgrios & His Enemies

As the population grows, so too does the number of Aislings seeking to join our fellowship. It is only natural that our numbers also ebb and flow with the cadence of the greater population, though it is quite uncommon for there to be such an influx of sparks that are as unfamiliar with the pantheon as we find today. As such, many of our prospective seekers are ignorant of the relationship Sgrios has with the octave - which is totally acceptable; one’s path of worship is a journey that takes a lifetime to walk, and I don’t expect anyone taking their first step to know what lies miles into the unknown. In an attempt to illuminate this harrowing road and usher the new generation on their way, I thought perhaps we would talk, today, about Sgrios’ enemies.

As you all should already be aware, Gramail the God of Law and Cail the stalwart God of Nature stand against our Lord on the octave. As a theological exercise, perhaps these spheres of influence should be imagined as three worlds - separate and distinct. In these hypothetical realms, we will postulate on how these Gods’ rule shapes them and, as a result, destroy them.

Let’s take the realm of Gramail - God of Law. There is nothing which Gramail would not seek to regulate - be it the appropriate length of a breath, acceptable names for our children, how far one is permitted to travel in the length of a moon; there is nothing too asinine for this pedant to control. Here, in Gramail’s realm, his law extends to every aspect of the natural landscape - the conflict of erosion is mitigated by forbidding the wind to dance across the rocks. Tragic floods are circumvented by outlawing rain, and wildfires are addressed by a mandatory dimming of the sun’s life-giving heat.

But what, then, do we find in a world of unchecked litigation? A stagnant sphere where no life can take purchase: for, without the wind to wear down the stones, we have no soil. Without the rain, the land is too parched to support crops and without the warmth of the sun, nothing can thrive. A world of law is one that hangs itself with a noose of red tape. Gramail, left to his own accord, would destroy his world.

What, then, of Cail? Given his own realm to tend to as he pleases, the world flourishes! Every year sees a bumper crop, and each harvest provides a feast for every meal. The fauna frolic freely. These times of plenty see the population explode - with such an unfettered cornucopia of gifts, what better to spend your free time doing than making love and bathing in the years of plenty? But, alas, without the gifts of Sgrios to cull the land, we find that boundless growth will soon choke the land - settlements sprawl from coast to coast as generations stack upon themselves, and the peaceful glades and forests become untenable jungles, dense with thorns and foliage. While one might wish for death to escape such a fate, Cail cannot provide such an end - his world finds overwhelming success to be its undoing.

Now, I’m certain that those of you from outside of our congregation will find these words hypocritical, and are certainly quick to point out the inevitability of a world in which Sgrios rules unopposed. A festering sphere of decay; fruit withers on the vine, the grand testaments to the glory of man crumble before our eyes and the population dwindles as humanity suffers from plagues and pestilence. Eventually even the world itself will succumb to His influence, rendering all but dust in the void. Sgrios almost certainly destroys his realm in the most predictable way - I won’t argue this point.

However, we must consider the context of these three realms - what point is law in a world that cannot sustain anyone over which to impose them? Is abundance truly a gift if you drown in a sea of prosperity? Of the three, two of them end in failure - it is only Sgrios that foresees the inevitability of the end, and only He who walks towards it with grace. We see, via this example, that Gramail needs the chaos for his realm to thrive, and without decay Cail chokes his beloved creation with abundance. Does Sgrios need law to do his work? Do we need fresh life for Sgrios to cultivate rot? No! Sgrios works towards his end, silently, patiently and steadfast; knowing that one day all will succumb to His influence - even He will fade when there is nothing left to bring to ruin.

As Sgrians, we enjoy a lucidity with which none of the other temples enjoy; while they may walk in denial of the importance of their deity, remember that every single God on the octave would bring ruin to Temauir if they ruled unopposed, but there is only one among them that acknowledges this grim outcome.