The Forgotten Gods Volume 1, Eureka - Firebrand of Strife,0

The forgotten gods, also known as the fading gods or gods of twilight, were deities who opposed the Pillars during the divine wars of the third and sixth ages of Ylva. These cataclysmic conflicts reshaped the planet, gave rise to the Eternal Covenant, and led Lord Yevan to his current path.

Since understanding one's enemy is half the battle, he has requested that I make a record of these gods, their teachings and their motivations lest they or their heritors return in this troubled age. Know one's enemy and know oneself, and you will emerge victorious in a hundred battles.

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<b>Yufu</b>

Once known as Yufu of Inspiration, this deity has been almost completely forgotten in both mortal and divine worlds. Despite opposing the pillars during the second divine war, he did not engage in direct battle.

Yufu was the patron deity of a modest civilization on Ylva during the fifth and sixth ages, and taught his followers to:

* Seek perfection in everything — no fault is too small to be corrected.
* Build upon each others' works and thus reach beyond one's individual grasp.
* Be inspired by all existence, and have hope for oneself and future generations.
* Eschew strife — violence, even if just, stains the soul.
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Yufu's most devout followers, having been "enlightened" by such inspiration, claimed taking lives even in self-defense was sinful.


<b>Delusion</b>

While harmless if misguided at a first glance, upon deeper examination these beliefs are revealed to be extremely damaging and insidious.

Perfection is not achievable. No such state exists, we must constantly strive and grow or fall behind others. Nor is there any universal perfection: a strategy effective against one foe may not work against another.
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Slow, gradual growth may appear plausible but is ultimately impractical; the rate of advancement is insufficient and tantamount to stagnation. While I do not deny that Yufu's civilization found some success, this was only because of its isolation and a god's patronage. Once these protections were removed, it was quickly outcompeted and vanished.

Pacifism is so far removed from the realities of Ylva as to be delusional. Even if I agree violence and strife will poison my mind and soul — in following Lord Yevan, I obviously do not — the consequences of <b>not</b> intervening will be more disastrous. This is not peace, it is hypocritical inaction in the face of evil.
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While sounding noble, Yufu's teachings are overly idealistic and have no grounding in reality. Our view of any battlefield must be accurate and impartial, unclouded by wishful thinking.

I note with grim satisfaction that in siding with the forgotten gods during the second divine war, Yufu obeyed the letter but not the spirit of his own teachings.

For these reasons, a god who was represented by golden dawn is ironically counted as amongst the gods of twilight.

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<b>Notes</b>

Gathering information on this subject has been tiresome, as almost all memory of Yufu has vanished; only the fox tribes remember, and they refuse to discuss the matter in detail. Having concluded my investigation, I am convinced all evidence of Yufu's existence not held by the fox tribes has been deliberately erased over the last several ages of Ylva.

My suspicion is that in exchange for not having Yufu's domain revoked by the Pillars and publicly shaming his family, his siblings agreed to deal with the matter themselves, keeping it an internal affair.

Also of note is that Yufu had one apostle: his daughter, a "nine-tailed heavenly fox". While she is not accounted for, since she has not resurfaced to this day I can only assume this apostle was either dealt with by the fox tribes or lost in one of the many mass extinctions that occurred after the sixth age.
