Aran

The Aran are the ancient gods of the sky. They are depicted among the a'an buiudir'l maurileth ("gods beyond life") of the panamaris, and they occupy the center column of the Great Compass of the Izu'a'ir. According to myth, there are many Aran, and they are ruled by the thunder god Althahalujezah. Each Aran represents a different aspect of the sky, which lords equally over both the land and sea. Notably, the sun, moons, and stars are not considered Aran -- they are something greater than gods. The Forgotten God of Hate (Althuzah) and his chief lieutenant (Wrathmane) are among the Aran.

In myth, the Aran are depicted as especially capricious -- often acting with zero regard or respect for any other creature's well-being (including the well-being of man). Also according to myth, it is believed that the Aran completely abandoned Landfall sometime before Water's Age and have not returned since. With the Aran no longer standing between them, cataclysmic conflict erupted between the Ahzulan and Izilan, which ultimately led to the Izilan's defeat and the beginning of Water's Age. Even though the Izilan have since been restored, it is believed that the Aran are still absent from Landfall.

The Aran are still worshipped by most eld-kin and ga'arg. The Tazitan specifically worship Althahalujezah, who they call Master of the Chant and is the centerpiece of the Tazitan faith.

In ancient Elder, the earliest known language of Landfall, the primitive vocalization of ideas involving the sky or air was the vowel sound "a" or "ah." The Elder word for god was "an." Hence, the origin of the word a 'ran. Because the sky represents the center of the Great Compass, the center likewise took the "a" sound -- u' a 'i -- pronounced oo- ah -ee, which became Izu'a'ir.