Sura Naii (character)

**Sura Naii** is the name of a demon created by the gods, the Haltai, as a misguided treaty between them. In Miranen mythology, the creature is said to spend millennia hunting for the gods that escaped its vengeance after it was born but hasn't succeeded because it was never fully born into the world.

## Mythology

The tale of the creation of Sura Naii is one of the most well-known myths in Miranen culture. Within the Order of Scripts, it is sometimes used as an illustration of how even the gods can make flawed choices and must abide by the consequences.

While retellings may vary, the myth is typically told as follows:

> In the age of darkness long after the fall of the An, the gods grew restless in their endless solitude. Alone and without distractions, they began to argue among themselves. So terrible were these fights that they destroyed worlds, burning the very emptiness around them.
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> Though they were immortal, some began to fear for themselves. It was Shiven who first brought up the idea of the treaty.
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> "We have fought for more time than time has existed," he said. "Why should we continue? Let us make a pact and call an end to this war."
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> The suggestion was enough to bring a stop to the fighting. But Shiven's wisdom was not accepted by all.
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> "What type of pact would you have us create that some would not violate?" asked Mabris.
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> Shiven thought on the problem for two full nights. He neither slept nor ate as he considered the truth of Mabris's words. Finally, he devised a solution.
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> "As I control the endless night, I know that it is as empty as our hearts have been," he told the others. "Let us create a living agreement, a creature that will stand as our agreement to work together. This being will take our loneliness and be a reminder that we are at peace. We will each give a small part of ourselves and craft the creature from them."
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> Many of the gods felt that this idea was a solution to many of their problems. They had been 13 in number for many ages and welcomed the thought of another being with whom they could share the dark universe. But some still believed that the treaty was not the solution they needed.
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> Soon the gods began to argue among themselves about the creature they would create.
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> "Is it even possible to create such a thing?" Senan asked.
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> Lesphut wondered if their problem was a number. "If we each give of ourselves, these pieces will be 13 in number. Such a creature would surely be unbalanced for not every part would have a pair."
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> But despite the concerns, neither Senan nor Lesphut withdrew their support.
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> Instead, it was Haro who spoke his condescension. "You wish us to use a living creature for our purposes. You make no account for its whims or wishes. It is wrong to use another in such a way."
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> With those words, the god of justice refused to take part in the treaty. His lover Delphai followed his example, and the two went far from the meeting grounds where the treaty would be fulfilled.
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> The eleven other gods knew there was nothing they could do to convince the two to rejoin them. The decision was made that they at least would complete the treaty. They labored for seven days and nights, forging their treaty with the utmost care. They called the creature Sura Naii.
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> When they had finished, they realized their mistake. The creature before them was not a peaceful entity that bound them together. They saw instead a ravenous monster without care or compassion. Each had given a part of themselves to this new being, but Haro and Delphai had not. From Haro, the creature would have received a sense of right and wrong. From Delphai, it would have learned of compassion and love. Instead, Sura Naii was a demon, enraged by its own flawed existence.
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> With the strength of eleven gods, the creature destroyed each of the Haltai that had built it in punishment for their flawed actions. From their essences, Sura Naii built the immortal prison, Temperance, capturing their very souls inside. Then it began to hunt Haro and Delphai, searching for the pieces of itself that were missing. Even to this day, Sura Naii hunts the gods that escaped its grasp, determined to lock them away for all eternity.
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## Miranen Culture

Within Miranen culture, the story of Sura Naii is more than a folktale used to illustrate the dangers of not thinking your decisions through. Sura Naii is often used as a sort of bogeyman, used to threaten children who don't behave.

While the Order religion isn't universally followed across Miran, there is a general belief that there is truth behind the myth and that Sura Naii will one day destroy Miran in its quest to find Haro and Delphai.