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Sorn, the Loving

Alignment: Good
Domains: Lesser God, God of Children and Family
Symbol: Teardrop
Appearance: Sorn has always appeared in the same form as she was before Allanbay took her with him to the heavens to be his wife, that of a pale, female High Elf with golden hair and kind, understanding eyes.

History: Unlike all of the other gods, Sorn was born a mortal, without any godly powers. She was born on the mortal plane in a land called Rendora, a desolate, cold and barren land where everything, man and beast alike, struggled to survive. Sorn has no memory of her mother or father, as they had died to wolves while Sorn was still a baby. Like many of her kin, Sorn lived with the knowledge that each day could be her last. As she grew, she watched as each of her siblings fell victim to the dark predators who hunted her people under the cover of darkness. One morning, Sorn awoke to discover she had no family left.

It was about this time that Allanbay came down from the heavens to visit the mortals below. When he came upon the valley of Rendora, Allanbay was shocked by the suffering he saw. The vision before him moved him so deeply, that Allanbay shed a great golden tear upon the snow. Sorn, who had been nearby gathering twigs for a fire, had watched with fascination as this great being garbed in a beautiful green robe appeared before her, and she was surprised to see his tears. She approached Allanbay and told him not to cry, that this simply the way of life..and death. She looked at the golden tear and said "See the beauty in even those things of sadness."

Allanbay was touched by Sorn's words, and he offered her his great cloak to warm her. When he inquired about her family, Sorn quietly told him that she was alone, and that her family had all fallen victim to the wolves. Allanbay offered to take Sorn away from this desolation, but Sorn shook her head, saying that she was needed among her people, even if that meant dying in another's place. Allanbay considered Sorn's words, and he decided that he would take care of all of Sorn's people. With a great wave of his hand, Allanbay brought life to the valley and disposed of the creatures of darkness. Sorn's people were no longer hungry and cold, and the sick became well. Allanbay proclaimed "These are my children. They will live long lives and grow strong. They will be the caretakers of my valley and the recipients of my gifts." The first of these gifts was the great golden tear he had shed when he first looked upon the valley. The people decided to build a great temple in which to place the tear, for so long as they held possession of this great artifact, they would prosper and always have Allanbay's favor and protection. Allanbay then turned to Sorn and gave of himself, instilling within Sorn the powers of the Gods and planned to take her to the heavens with him as his wife.

Phykrell witnessed the bonding of Allanbay and Sorn, and knew that such an occurrence would weaken Allanbay for a brief period of time. Phykrell knew that if he wanted to best Allanbay and make his claim as Lord of the Gods, this was his time to act, while Allanbay was still weak. Thus, Phykrell bore down upon Allanbay who was still in the valley. Allanbay was unprepared for Phykrell's attack and, still weakened by his bonding with Sorn, he suffered many wounds. Sorn attempted to use her newly found powers to help her beloved husband, but was unable to deter Phykrell. She watched helplessly as Phykrell took a great spiraled dagger and drove it into Allanbay's arm. Out of Allanbay's blood rose great white steeds with spiraled horns of silver who attacked Phykrell in defense of their master. Phykrell gave Allanbay an evil smile and threatened to kill both Sorn and her people if he did not support him in his bid to rule the gods. Left with little choice, Allanbay acquiesced.

With the backing of Allanbay, Phykrell had enough support to lay claim to his greatly desired position among the gods. While the other gods were surprised by Allanbay's support of Phykrell, they all knew that he only gave his support due to some hold that Phykrell had over him. Sorn was accepted among the Gods as Allanbay's wife, and the two of them removed themselves from the forefront in order to spend more time with one another. During this time, Sorn bore Allanbay two sons, Basenbe, God of Fate and Malamay, God of Seas and Rivers.

When her sons came of age, Sorn decided that she wanted to take them with her to visit her people on the mortal plane, and to give the people gifts that Allanbay had created for them. As Sorn and her sons ventured forth to the mortal plane below, Sorn was shocked and angered by what she saw before her. Her people had become corrupt in the time that she and Allanbay had been away from the land, and even the priests who purportedly preached the teachings of her beloved Allanbay were accepting bribes and charging fees for their services. In her anger, Sorn bore down upon the city and discarded the gifts of Allanbay, which she had no intention of bestowing upon this unworthy lot. With her powers, Sorn destroyed the temples, homes and halls of the great city of her people. With one final act, Sorn opened a great hole in the earth, and buried the city. After it was finished, Sorn gathered her sons to her side and shed great tears upon the land, forming a lake near where the great city of her people once stood.

Many fled the city as it was being destroyed, and the great tear of Allanbay, which served as the lifeblood of the people was lost. The priests who had fled the great temple carried with them what was thought to be Allanbay's tear, but when they opened the box which carried the tear, they watched in horror as it crumbled before their eyes. Legend says that the tear carried by these priests was a replica of the tear, and that the real tear had been taken from the city by a true and faithful priest of Sorn a mere two days before it was destroyed. Legend further says that the priest and a band faithful carried the tear north to the great Sea of Tears, where it disappeared below the waters. The faithful who helped the priest in his task were said to have been granted the blessings of Sorn and Allanbay, and became great prophets of the Gods. It is said that Haldath, the prophet who created the Book of Dawn, the version of the Tome of Heavens followed by those who worship the gods Sorn and Allanbay, was among these faithful servants. Legend also says that the tear can only be found by a Chosen One, one who is pure of heart and can pass the Test of Fate. As a result, the elves are forever in search of their Chosen One, the one who can bring back to them the Tear of Allanbay, thereby returning prosperity to their people and, hopefully, bringing them back in favor with the Gods.

Sorn went back to the heavens with her children and told Allanbay what she had done. She began to regret her harshness, but was steadfast in her resolve that her people needed to repent for what they had done. In order to return some good to the land, Sorn went down among the other races, among the humans, dwarves and halflings, bestowing her love and kindness upon them. She helped the halflings, of whom she had become especially fond, build a city in honor of her husband, and shared his great wisdom with them. Still, in all of her travels, Sorn remained saddened by what had transpired among her elven kin. Allanbay comforted his wife, assuring her that all would eventually turn out for the better. Allanbay was soon to eat his words.

Creat came among the gods with his knowledge of magic, and all of the gods except Sorn were willing to learn some of this magic in exchange for a gift. Sorn sensed something evil in what Crest was doing, and she wanted nothing to do with his schemes. She ordered her sons not to learn this magic, and they complied with their mother's wishes. She pled with Allanbay to do the same, but Allanbay was firm that he needed to learn this magic in order to ensure balance among the gods. Sorn looked on with disgust as the other gods created a moon fortress for Crest in exchange for his magic. She couldnt believe that the other gods did not see what Crest was conspiring to do...with his great fortress, Crest would be able to gain great power, perhaps even enough power to one day reign supreme over the other gods. Sorn shuddered at the thought. When it came time for her beloved Allanbay to hear what gift he was to bestow upon Crest, Sorn held her breath.

As Crest made his demand, Sorn could not believe her ears. In what seemed to be a dream, she watched her sons cry out in despair and saw her beloved husband gape in astonishment. Crest wanted HER as his gift. Allanbay immediately offered his life instead, an offer which Phykrell suggested quite readily was fair and reasonable, but Crest would not have it. He wanted Sorn and meant to have her as his wife in his moon fortress. With as much courage as she could muster, Sorn said she would not allow her husband to sacrifice his life for her own, and that she would go with Crest to his dark moon. As she departed with Crest, Sorn overheard her husband and sons declaring that they would forever endeavor to free her from Crest's grasp, and that they would turn their anger upon any of the other gods who attempted to intervene. The gods of good silently offered their support to Allanbay and his sons, while the other gods looked on with amusement, not caring one way or the other about their threat.

So it came to pass that Sorn became imprisoned in Crest's moon fortress, surrounded by Crest's magical powers and his dark minions. As time passed, she received news of what transpired during the First and Second Wars of Fate, and was proud of her dear Allanbay when she heard of the part he played in defeating Phykrell and his army. With each god of darkness that was defeated, Sorn new she was one day closer to freedom. However, Sorn now carried with her her own dark secret, one she hoped would not cost her the love of Allanbay or her sons...

Followers: The first followers of Sorn were her own people, the elves. To this day, Sorn still has followers among the High Elves, Wood Elves and Desert Elves who are all, in their own way, seeking to regain the favor of herself and Allanbay. However, Sorn also has followers scattered among all of the races of the mortal plane due, in part, to her many visits among these races after she had destroyed the great elven city. It is also no surprise that Sorn's followers are followers of Allanbay, Sorn's true husband. As a result of her travels, many churches and temples were constructed in her honor throughout the mortal plane. However, many of these churches and temples have since been destroyed by the Shroud.

Since Sorn is known as a god who valued children and family above all else, it is not surprising that the bulk of Sorn's priests and other followers are women. The most structured following of Sorn is called the Daughters of Sorn, founded by a High Elf priestess named Cytherea. When the Daughters had grown strong among the High Elves, Cytherea travelled to the city of Greystone Claybank, where she attempted to gain followers from among the other races. Her granddaughter, Cyrille, is the current head of the Daughters of Sorn in Greystone Claybank and is a good friend of Lord El Aryan, head of the Disciples of Truth who follow Allanbay. Together, Cyrille and Lord El Aryan attempt to battle the influence of the Shroud.