THE CREATION of AYANDOH

To refresh your memory, the name of the planet on which the Daughter of Venus series takes place is Ayandoh, derived from the name of the goddess who created it, Ayanella.

The story of the planet’s creation relates to the origin of the Selenites (dark elves) and with the Selith crystals that power their magic.

Goddesses rule the universe that is parallel to ours, just as the countries on Ayandoh were once all ruled by women. Once each generation, there is a competition between the of-age daughters of families descended from The Olds (the original goddesses). Eligible princesses create a concept for a new world and submit the design to the Council of the Olds for judging. The Council not only judges the design but the princesses themselves. If a design is considered worthy, and therefore the princess herself, the princess is granted goddess status. Of the worthy designs, the Council chooses an overall winner and that new goddess is allowed to make her world a reality.

If a family has more than one eligible daughter, the daughters must collaborate on one single design. This was the case with Ayanella. She had a twin sister, Selenia. They may have resembled each other physically, but their personalities could not have been more different. Ayanella preferred beauty, kindness, and free will, whereas Selenia wanted an ordered world in which she was worshipped and obeyed without question. Ayanella proposed a compromise, a blend of their concepts, but Selenia refused. It was to be Selenia’s world or none at all.

Aware of Selenia’s shortcomings, their parents used their magic to spy on their daughters’ planning sessions. As Kiandra explains in A Journey Unveiled:

“They knew every word the two princesses had exchanged. Every argument made by Selenia and every compromise proposed by Ayanella. Ultimately, Ayanella refused to support Selenia’s creation. She could not ignore her beliefs, even if it meant losing the opportunity to become a goddess. Ultimately, the sisters broke tradition by proposing both of their ideas to their parents ahead of time, hoping they would decide which idea should be presented to the Council… They did find merit in a few of Selenia’s ideas and asked Ayanella to include them. Still, Selenia was incensed, and she made no attempt to hide it.”

Ultimately, given Selenia’s behaviour and tendencies, their parents brought her before the Council, where she was forever stripped of her status and forced out of the family palace.

When the Council of the Olds chose Ayanella’s design for creation out of all those submitted, it was more than Selenia could bear. She sneaked into the family palace and slaughtered their parents. After cleaning herself up, she went to Ayanella’s sacred space, planning to use smiles and fake apologies to trick Ayanella into letting her guard down, then she would attack. Unfortunately for Selenia, the moment she appeared before Ayanella, Ayanella noticed that her aura had been altered by evil and immediately went on the defensive. Selenia had expected an easy battle from her gentle, forgiving sister, but she underestimated Ayanella’s strength.

As they fought, Ayanella begged her to stop, out of love not fear, but Selenia was beyond reason. With deep regret, Ayanella dealt her sister a death blow. Selenia’s final act was one of sabotage. She would make herself forever a part of Ayandoh, and in so doing corrupt her sister’s creation. She jumped, and an island formed where her body fell. An island formed of crystals. The Selith crystals.