In time before memory, there were fewer gods than we know today.  Indeed, the heavens were fairly empty compared to how things stand in the present day, for none but the greater powers existed.  Mortals were shiny and new, none had yet ascended to any sort of godhood.

It is said that in these earliest of days, the light was solely controlled by Solanis, the god of light and life, he who controls the sun itself.  On the other hand, darkness was of course the domain of Tyrannis, queen of evil and treachery.  Now, we all know that these facts be by and large still true today, but in those times before memory, such divisions of power were stark and unchallenged.  Solanis - son of Rydor and Lysora – ruled the day, while Tyrannis ruled the night. 

This arrangement was not enough for the Corruptor.  As is her very nature, she sought a way to expand upon her own power and reduce those of the gods of good.  She sought an audience with Jusarin, then convinced the god of knowledge to instruct her as to a way that she might gain in power.

Jusarin revealed that if she were to have a child with the god of light, such a child would by its cosmic nature be imbued with some of the light of its father, as well as some of the darkness of its mother.  If this child were to be raised in the paths of evil, then the light it had absorbed would instead fall under the domain of Tyrannis herself, and Solanis would be diminished.

And so, the goddess of treachery created a plan to deceive the gods of goodness.  She disguised herself as a devout mortal follower of Solanis, spending years pretending to devote herself to the causes of light and life, spouting never ending platitudes about the greatness and beauty of the sun and its maker.  While Solanis is a god of goodness, he is also incredibly handsome – and both knows and revels in this fact.  As so, his own vanity exposed his weakness.  The disguised Tyrannis plied her “patron” with false worship and adoration while secretly weaving a delicate web of deceitful magic around her actions.  All the while, she walked closer and closer with him than any other follower had done with any other deity.

One night, in violation of the covenants of the gods, Solanis lay with this follower of his - not realizing that his partner was no mortal, but instead the goddess of deceit.  So great was her lie, so strong was her glamour, that even the Luminary himself could not see through it.  The union was fruitful indeed – Tyrannis conceived from the act, and as soon as she knew it to be true, she let her guise fall.

Solanis was angered, shamed, mortified that he had allowed his pride to lead to such a thing.  His righteous wrath was terrible to behold, but he dared not truly harm Tyrannis, for deceived or not, the child she carried was his own.

When the time to deliver came, all of the gods were surprised – for the goddess of evil did not deliver one child, but twins.  Two girls, both with creamy pale skin.  Gaela possessed dark tresses, while Lleua’s hair was of deepest copper.  Jusarin’s words proved to be true, as each held sway over a portion of their parents’ powers of light and darkness which manifested in the two moons of Audalis. 

And then, there was war in the heavens.

The heavenly forces of goodness and evil fought over the destiny of these young goddesses.  The very foundations of Audalis shook at the wrath of the gods and their war.  Both Solanis and Tyrannis were determined to seize control of the children, to stop the other from gaining the upper hand in the balance of the heavens.

But no one had stopped to think what Gaela nor Lleua might think.

The two goddesses had no interest in being pawns of their parents’ conflict.  When the time came for the two to pick a patron to channel their divine power and might, they stunned all of the celestial court by choosing neither Solanis nor Tyrannis, but instead Kith-Jora, the god of nature who carried no interest whatsoever in the conflict between the parents.  This suited the twins perfectly, as they have no concern for the matters of celestial courts and the schemes of great powers.

And so, the war ended.  Gaela and Lleua are both fiercely independent, resisting any attempts at influence by their parents, though both sisters are known to be moody and strange.  The two goddesses have an ongoing rivalry where they constantly seek to outdo one another – but woe be to anyone else who attempts to control or harm the other, for the sisters are inseparable and loyal to one another above all else.

Solanis views the two with annoyance and longsuffering, as part of his light has been taken forever by children who will not listen to reason; Tyrannis views them with jealousy and bitterness, as the power of her darkness is likewise reduced by forces she cannot control.

The two moons wax and wane on their own schedules, which rarely coincide.  One moon has a slight blue tint and is slightly larger – Gaela controls it.  The other is slightly pink, and slightly smaller – Lleua controls it. 

The light that they shine lessens the darkness, and with it, a portion of Tyrannis’ power.  On one night per year, both moons are full at the same time, making the goddess of darkness as weak as she will be in that year.  One night per year, both moons are new, producing no light whatsoever; this one night sees Tyrannis at her peak strength, and it is a night that all fear for concern of her schemes.

The twin goddesses appear to have embraced their adopted family of sorts, with Kith-Jora, the god of nature, as their adopted father.  They are known to work in concert with their adopted sister Cardista, the goddess of the sea.  While they are not especially close with Vilathera, the goddess of the hunt (another of Kith-Jora’s protegés), they are still friendly to this adopted cousin, offering the blessings of moonlight to assist in various hunts.

But as to what drives these goddesses themselves, to what ends do they turn their own powers?  True enough, they control the tides, they influence the seasons, they both hold keen interest in concepts such as freedom – both of the celestial sisters are steadfast in their refusal to involve themselves in the matters of the deific court.  The older sister Gaela is known to be steadier, more consistent; the blue moon is utterly reliable in her cycle.  Lleua, the younger sister, is seen as more impetuous, more unpredictable; the pink moon’s cycles vary to a degree. 

But as to their true motivations, those seem to be as inscrutable as the moons themselves. 

special thanks to this article goes to Esther Suddeth, for her extensive input and brainstorming.