Ark`ay The GodMymophonus the ScribeArkayMaraèÒ) üý6& ùýArkay The Godù So be it known that the gods were once as we. Ark`ay, the god of death and birth, was an ordinary shopkeeperwhose only unusual characteristic was a passion for knowledge.To indulge his hobby he became an avid collector of books onalmost any subject he could find in print. One day he stumbled across a tome which purported to tell thesecrets of life, death, and the purpose of existence. After months of studying the convoluted logic, written in opaquelanguage, he thought that he was finally beginning tounderstand what the author was saying. During this time he became so intent on understanding the bookthat he ignored everything else: his business started to slidetowards bankruptcy, his few friends stopped visiting him, heöignored the plague which was ravaging the town, and his familywere ready to leave him. Just as he felt that the book was opening visions of newworlds, the plague brought him low. His family tended hisillness out of a sense of duty, but he slowly sank towardsdeath. So, as a last resort, he prayed to Mara themother-goddess to allow him enough time to complete hisstudies of the book. "Why should I make an exception for you, Ark`ay?" asked Mara. "Mother Mara, I am finally beginning to understand this bookand the meaning of life and death" he answered, "and with alittle more time to study and think, I should be able to teachothers". "Hmmm, it sounds to me like that `teaching others' is an afterthought to appeal to me", she replied. "What is thereason for death and birth?" "There are far more souls in the Universe than there is roomfor in the physical world. But it is in the physical worldthat a soul has an opportunity to learn and progress.Without birth, souls would not be able to acquire thatexperience, and without death there would be no room foröbirth." "Not a very good explanation, but it does have elements oftruth. Maybe with more study you could improve it," shemused. "I cannot give you `a little more time.' I can onlycondemn you to Eternal labor in the field you have chosen. Howsay you to that?" "I do not understand, mother," said Ark`ay. "Your choice is to either accept the death that is so close orto become a god with us. But a god is not an easy norpleasant thing to be. As the god of death and birth you willspend eternity making sure that deaths and births stay inproper balance in the physical world. And, in spite of whatyou believe you understand, you will always agonize over whether your decisions are truly correct. How do youdecide?" Ark`ay spent what seemed to him as an eternity in thought beforeanswering. "Mother, if my studies are not completely wrong,my only choice is to accept the burden and try to transmitthe reasons for death and birth to humanity." "So be it, Arkay, God of Birth and Death."ö ö