In the early days following the end of the War of Choice, many gods became afeard of Az, the Greater God of the Dead. Heaven's executioner cut the heads of forty Haraush'teth and nearly thrice the number of Beshíri kings.
Saadian-distíri, they called him: One who enjoys the hunt.
Many gods beseeched Ex'Àomë, for although the souls which Az tormented were unworthy of heaven, many were not so evil as to deserve eternal pain either. There was discord as the gods perceived the menace of Az, yet Ex'Àomë claimed that he still had action to perform on behalf of the heavens, and that all was part of a greater plan.
This did not appease the detractors, who beseeched Ex'Àomë's most favored child for support.
Alassochisma, goddess of pain, breath, and life, was the strongest of the ten Greater Gods. Not the mightiest, for it was not through the power of force that Alassochisma overcame. But her influence pervaded the world in every struggle, and no god of the first age became more worshipped than her.
"The mortals suffer under the embrace of Az, each year he reaps more victims into his realm to make slow arts of their suffering! He is a menace– a bane on all who would feel pain in death!"
Alassochisma wallowed to hear of the cruel nature of Az, yet she did not feel Az to be the more wicked of gods as his detractors so saw him. As the gods beseeched her, Alassochisma wove a cord of rope from the hairs of Ishdal.
she replied to the gods, "what cause did Az cite for his cruelties towards the damned?"
"That it is his provision, that he is king of the hells, as the Lord is of heaven and earth. But this is false— a tyrant, not a king he is!"
"And how do you judge him a tyrant?"
"He has brought pain to people undeserving of it."
To this, Alassochisma asked, "why are they undeserving of pain?"
"They are good, not evil."
"But is it not so that they lacked excellence and virtue? Did they not fail to ascend the heavens? Is it not so that none of you saw fit to be their patron, and guarantee their souls into paradise?"
"This is so, but the crime does not match to its punishment. Why should those who lived honestly– even if flawed, be brought to hell, while those who are conquerors, murderers, and menaces, find their ways into heaven merely because they embodied the virtues of their fell god's domain?"
"And which gods are fell; which are kind?"
"We are kind, they are fell."
"Then you say it was Father's error– He who is our creator and of perfect foresight, to allow these fell gods the same right of birth as you, and grant them the agency to inflict their moral action upon the world at large, as all of you have?"
To this the gods could not argue, for none had seen flawed leadership from Ex'Àomë. But each felt strongly that Az must be opposed.
"The gods of Death and War are not good. They bring struggle, pain, and unfairness to the world. They take what is evil and ascend it to demigods, and bring what is kind and innocent into hell."
"No one is good, only our Lord and Father" said Alassochisma.
"We are good gods, we have brought beauty, justice, and compassion to the world. We have lived honestly and have worked many miracles for the betterment of our subjects, we have made labors to drive back evil and have stayed true to every virtue of the heavens– as have our subjects too."
"You claim then to be as good as Father?"
"This we claim, for we are true to the virtues of heaven."
"Then can you cast out your godly status and powers? Can you resign to take the place of those who now reside in hell– brought to pain under Az? Can you be a patron for all on the Terra, and ensure they each have a place in paradise, whether they are deserving or not to you?"
"That is outrageous," said the gods.
"Outrageous, why?"
"Without our godly powers, how would we defy evils like Az? If power we have to take from Az, why would we resign ourselves to suffering in the place of mortals subordinate of him? Should we become patrons for all on the Terra, what would become of excellence and virtue– what drive would they have to seek out and perform a morally righteous code? How could any of these things be upheld if we did as you would ask?"
"Then it is as I said, no one is good but the Lord."
But the gods became wounded in pride, their egos throbbed to hear Alassochisma's calm reply.
"What of yourself then, goddess of pain? Will you take it upon yourself to do these things that you have asked of us?"
"I shall," she said.
Then, as Alassochisma had finished her labors of the rope, the gods had still not found a retort to the Greater Goddess of Pain. So, they departed, and left the goddess to her pondering– which she continued for a timespan equal of seven cords of rope. At last when she had made an end of her meditations, she retreated from the high heavens and fell into hell to speak with Az.
But Az took fancy to Alassochisma, and desired to keep her as his wife. When she arrived in his realm, Az came to know her at once, and did not permit her to leave for nine days.
In such time, the gods had dispersed from complaint and instead formed a committee. They called upon the Lord to demand Az into trial.
Ex'Àomë permitted the trial and in the court of heaven, Az appeared to the chagrin of the gods– who each brought forth testimony from themselves and from victims of the cruelty of Az.
The God of Love, Philia, stepped forth to speak, "I have seen innumerable lovers who were worshippers of my faith each taken by Az and made to suffer in hell. Though they were not excellent in their love of each other, many had not lived a life deserving of such pain."
But Az rebuked, "it is my right. I am King of the Dead– ruler of the Hells. What I do with those in my domain is in my rights to perform– or would the gods subvert law and justice to bring to their pride satisfaction?"
"Tis not pride that moves us, but compassion!"
"Ah— but semantics you speak, for you've simply distorted your compassion for self-assurance!"
Order was brought to the court and a silence fell. The trial proceeded onwards.
Another stepped forth, a victim of Az' cruelty.
"State your name, lost soul," commanded Ex'Àomë with perfect clarity.
"I am Thea, daughter of Matheon. I was a worshipper of Yrell in life, though I failed to live up to the ideals of justice."
"What was your flaw in upholding justice?"
"I was a mother of six. Each I treated with care and honesty, but one I favored unfairly. It was wrong of me to give my firstborn undue privileges, and to heed his words above my other children, and to apportion him a greater lot of my attention during motherly matters. I regret this, and now I live in hell because of it."
"And do you believe that you deserved the pain inflicted upon you as a result of your sins?"
"No. My sins were small, benign– a menial and banal evil. I do not deserve to exist in suffering eternally because of this, I believe."
"And what suffering has been inflicted upon you by Az?"
"He has made me a skewered pig and hung my flesh over a rotisserie until all the physical matter that remained of my corpse was burned away. Then he took my soul and dropped it into boiling oil, of which I had endured for three centuries without breath or relent in anguish. But worst of my pain was the laughter of Az, who made a spectacle of my horrors and made a carnival of my fears! This I believe was not justified under any virtuous laws!"
Many in the heavenly court were moved to great rage at the words of Thea, and of Philia, and of many other witnesses and gods who all listed the crimes of Az– that were so long as to encompass more than a hundred scrolls.
But then came something which the gods did not expect. A witness was called to the stand again, but this time– it was for the defense, not the prosecution. There on the stand stood a person which the gods had not seen for nine days, the favored child of Ex'Àomë, Alassochisma: Greater Goddess of Pain.
"What testimony do you come here to give, Alassochisma, daughter of Ex'Àomë?"
"I have come here in the defense of Az, who has never failed in his duties nor in his power to uphold the virtues of death."
"So it appears by all given evidence, yet many here have claimed that Az inflicts suffering that should not be deserved by the damned. What say you, has Az inflicted suffering onto you in these past nine days?"
"Yes, he has. In my time within the land of the dead, I was known by Az despite my wishes. He had defiled me, and taken me into pain and suffering. I had felt the lash of death and the sting of ice, and the violation of flame, and all the pains that can be inflicted upon a being were wrought upon me by Az. And he made a spectacle of it, a great theater of morbidity and illness."
"Yet still you will stand here in his defense?"
"I will."
"And what is your defense of Az?"
"That he is not the one who should be made to suffer, for I have decided to endeavor such pain myself so as to preserve the domain of Death as it is required."
"You mean that you will bear the punishment for all crimes leveled against Az?"
"This, and more. For I will endeavor to take on the punishment for the sinners and the guilty too, which Az would otherwise inflict on them with succor. I will be the one to bear each sin of the mortal races. I will be the patron of the unworthy, the unvirtuous, and the weak. For each of their sins, I sacrifice. So long as they should earnestly repent, I will grant them forgiveness if they but ask it of me."
"You mean to say that you shall suffer the consequences for the sins of those like Thea, as well as Az?"
"This is what I mean Father."
Ex'Àomë but nodded his head and spoke, "then it is so."
An uproar resounded in heaven. Gods raged, Philia grew furious.
"But Lord, my master and muse— namesake of my Love, why would you accept this Judgement?"
"I am a judge, Philia. If it should be by the choices of my subjects, then I shall permit them such a choice."
"But it is a flawed choice! The unworthy are not meant for heaven, and Az should be punished, not Alassochisma."
"Yet it was her choice to be punished, and to save Az, and to permit the unworthy into heaven. This she has chosen freely, and I permit all choices within Being."
"But I cannot permit it!"
"And why can you not permit it?"
"It is an insult, my Lord. They make a mockery of your generosity and perfection through their flaws. Their repentance is weak and regrets are hollow."
"This too, I permit."
But Philia was angry to hear Ex'Àomë's words. For he could not fathom that his desired God would permit a world of flaws when He is perfect. To Philia, Ex'Àomë was greater than all the heroes, wiser than kings, master of the universe and the one and only being worthy of Love. His fury persisted at length to the end of time.
He stormed from the chamber and swore such: "I vow that I will not be so generous as you have been Lord. I will ensure only tragedy befalls the unworthy and unvirtuous lovers!"
He then turned to Az with a glare, "and for you, Az, I will deny you any Love. You will never know it from your subjects, nor shall you hold capacity for it in your own heart. For I find you utterly wanting and vile. I reject this judgement here!"
Philia said such, and stormed off to his palace. On such a note did things conclude.
When the trial was closed, Alassochisma was brought down into hell with Az, to suffer for the entertainment and pleasure of the god of the dead. Thus was the story of the goddess of pain, who chose to take on the pain of the unworthy. Of sin and sacrifice, Alassochisma endeavored to reconcile these things in the pursuit of one true good.
So it was that the mortal races were saved.