Izilan

The Izilan are the ancient gods of the land. They are depicted among the a'an buiudir'l maurileth ("gods beyond life") of the panamaris, and they occupy the easterly side of the Great Compass of the Izu'a'ir. According to myth, there are many Izilan, and they are ruled by the mountain god Zarsis. Each Izilan represents a different aspect of the land, and they are in constant conflict with the Ahzulan (the gods of the sea). The conflict between the Ahzulan and Izilan is represented by the ebb and flow of the tide against the seashore. Their battle is mediated by the Aran, the gods of the sky.

The Izilan are still worshiped by the duerghen, some eld-kin, and some ga'arg. Members of the Care-Takers' Guild learn certain legends about the Izilan, mostly as superstitions relating to infertile land and forbidden mountains.

In ancient Elder, the earliest known language of Landfall, the primitive vocalization of ideas involving the land or mountains was the vowel sound "ee" (typically written as "i"). The Elder word for god was "an." Hence, the origin of the word i'z i l'an. Because land represents the easterly (right) side of the Great Compass, that side likewise took the "i" sound -- u'a' i -- pronounced oo-ah- ee, which became Izu'a'ir.