A sword, made of the finest steel and wielded by the most skillful of warriors, is all but useless if not quenched and tempered. The blade becomes brittle, and the edge may chip and break during battle—a battle lost through the forsaking of one detail. The strongest of weapons, however, are forged within the crucible of adversity. The metal is stressed and folded many a time; it is formed in hellfire and thrust into the most icy of depths to form an instrument of death worthy of remembrance. Such is the way of the Five Fold Path of the Yoroni too, for as they ascend toward blessed enlightenment, it is the adversities and tribulations they face—the clash of same-kin wills, blades, and ambitions—that temper their spirit, taking creatures born of destruction and reshaping them into warriors and leaders without peer.

It is when such personalities of weight and magnitude, each uplifted into new heights of enlightenment and power, find themselves gathered and on equal footing that tension is inevitably birthed. For eons, at the apex of the Eternal Pagoda, those that had ascended from the depths of the Elemental Hells and walked the Path, up the great tower to reach the pinnacle of their spiritual remaking, gathered. Having formed multifaceted and voluminous personalities and individual philosophies, these powerful and influential Yoroni would inevitably find the space afforded to them too little and the presence of those they shared it with too overbearing.

Such building tensions were varied in their origin. Most were simply the inevitable result of entities such as them, each having ascended following their own personal path, each as sure of their truth as any other, having to share space and influence. Others came from philosophical disputes, warrior scholars having come to different conclusions regarding how enlightenment should be achieved, contradicting viewpoints on the Five Fold path, and seeing their intellectual impasses breed hostility and resentment. Others still would be the evolution of eons of competition and rivalries during the ascent, turning little by little into bitter enmities. Some would mask less nuanced urges—an evolving disliking, for example, or the claiming of resources—under the guise of complexity and cryptic musings and establish their altercation on such a basis. Others still would bear eons-long grudges and resentment, harboring ill will toward others of their kin from the very beginning of their ascension, when they were naught but semi-formless beings bound to Destruction that started their journey up the Five Fold Path, toward ascension, from the very depths of the Elemental Hells.

As the numbers of those making their sacred pilgrimage toward ascension and enlightenment thinned, the line between unguided violence—one steered by a need for survival rather than a poignant antithesis of spirit—and targeted altercations became important to draw. To avoid the dangers of degeneration lurking in such destructive and self-dismantling bitterness, the Path had to offer a solution, one that even offered an opportunity for enlightenment. Artistic creations, philosophical debates, and even patronage of less enlightened souls were, by and large, the most accepted forms of exerting influence and showcasing superiority. But they were, of course, not enough… 

Duels with honor and measured aggression became the preferred solution for the harshest sentiments to be aired. Steel against steel and will against will would see a clear victor, and the loser—if dismemberment and obliteration could be avoided—would have no choice but to back down, submitting to the opponent’s superior skill and conviction. The resolution of such feuds would remain the status quo for eons—a personal affair yet bare for all to see and assess.

It was when the barrier between the elemental and material planes wavered, however, and the Yoroni entered the world of Eä in numbers greater than ever before, that such rivalries evolved beyond the boundaries afforded to two individuals. With land and resources coming into play, leaders, generals, and other such figureheads rose through the ranks, and many a Yoroni swore loyalty under the names of such important forerunners. The elements of amassed power and great following did not put an end to the thrum of centuries-old rivalries, however—they exacerbated them. Now, follower fought follower in the name of their masters, and duels of will spiraled into multitudinous bouts and battles proper. Amid such widespread clashing of steel and wills, some have begun to wonder: are such conflicts still a matter of honor, or has the departure from the duels of yore muddled their once pure and noble intentions?