The Creation Mythos

Each religion of the World of Naeja has its own beliefs and myths of the past. Many of these legends are founded in truth and the existence of the Divinities is proof of that. Amongst the most civilized races of Naeja there seems to be one common story of creation. Though different peoples would call the important players by different names or relate to one event or another by different parables, the essence of the story is proven to be the same. Hence, it can be said, that this is how it was.

IN THE BEGINNING

…there was the creator, who is Aminus, who is all and knows all. Aminus is omniscient and omnipotent and the force that drives all creation and destruction in the universe.

Aminus separated existence into three planes: the Eternal Realms, the Elemental Realms, and the Mortal Realm. The Eternal Realms are a place of spirit, where thought and imagination are the materials of creation. Anything conceived comes into existence in this plane, but is unable to pass directly into the other planes of existence. The Elemental Realms serve as the wellspring for matter and energy. They are the infinite source of the elements of creation, but they are static and unchanging. The Mortal Realm is where the Eternal Realms and the Elemental Realms, thought and matter, meet and become reality. Like the other planes it is infinite but in the beginning it was a void.

Aminus willed into existence three Elder Gods to rule over these three planes. Elgar is the Elder God of the Elements and Chaos. In order for the Mortal Realm to be forged, the elements would need to be harnessed. Elgar embodies these elements that are the source of all things of matter and energy and thus he was given absolute control over them. In their raw forms the elements are very unstable and cause terrible chaos when they come into contact with each other. This is the power of Elgar, the Elder Elemental God.

Naeja is the Elder Goddess of Nature and Balance. While Elgar has domain over the raw materials of creation, he can do little to combine them and when he does they are in chaos. The Elder Goddess of Nature has the power to draw upon these elements and unite them in a way that maintains a perfect natural balance. For the Mortal Realm to exist, nature must be in balance. This is the power of Naeja, the Elder Goddess of Nature.

Loran is the Elder God of Time and Order. Time is very important, for, without time, change can only happen when it is willed. Time drives the universe, all which exists within the Mortal Realm, and makes true creation possible. While time in the Eternal and Elemental Realms changes at the will of the divinities, a precise clock drives the Mortal Realm. This is the power of Loran, the Elder god of Time.

Though these gods existed there was, as of yet, no direct connection between the three planes of existence. Only through The Veil, a silvery mist that flows between the planes, could the Elder Gods travel, and nothing they created could pass through The Veil. The Elder Gods saw the great void of the Mortal Realm and dreamed of what they would create there.

When an Elder God imagines, it is much different than a mortal’s daydreams. These dreams are real, and hence the planes began to take shape and separate into smaller realms. In the Eternal Realms Naeja brought into existence the first Divinities; Gelthena, who was fair and keen of mind; Magmodin, who was wise and stoic; Orwyn, who was wily and witty; and Vald, who was bold and strong. Each of these divinities came to rule over their own realms and had the power to bring into existence many lesser divinities and celestial beings to reside within. However much they created they always looked towards the void, and thought of how they would fill it. Perhaps it was because their realms were in perfect balance, a mere preconception of what was to be. The divinities had absolute control over what they had conceived, and their borders were absolute, thus there was no contention between them. These realms were perfect, in the minds of those who resided there at the least. There was nothing the divinities could not do in their domain.

The Eternal Realms are connected to the Elemental Realms, and because there is no Veil to create a filter, the Divinities can draw upon the elements to create their realms. Despite this, the real power of these realms is spiritual and of the mind.
Thus the natural laws that are are constant of the Mortal and Elemental realms have little to no meaning here. Fire can burn in water, and earth can float in the air.

The Elemental Realms, though, are defined by their own unique natural laws, which in turn define their influence upon the Mortal Realms. Fire, water, air, and earth exist here in their true and purest forms. It is here where Elgar rules. A realm exists for each element, and where they meet there are para-elemental planes and quasi-elemental planes. Because it is bound to the Eternal Realms, Elgar could draw upon the spiritual energy there. Hence, within the Elemental Realms Elgar brought forth powerful and eternal spirits to hold dominion and they in turn created many lesser elemental beings to serve them. Here they reigned supreme, though their power was restricted to their own realms. Always they looked to the Void and wished to dominate it.

To forge the universe, Aminus opened a great Celestial Gate in the void, a gate from the Elemental Realms and the Eternal Realms to the Mortal Realm. Through this gate, Elgar poured his raw power into the Mortal Realm as an artist might place his paints upon a palette. The universe was flooded with earth, fire, water, and air. The Elements crashed into each other, and spun wildly out of control. From the chaos the first stars were born, but they were fleeting moments of chance. Amidst this madness the world was forged. It was a great earthen thing covered in magma and water, filled with air and fire and as chaotic as the Elder God that saw its making. However, unlike an artist, he had no intention of mixing his elements. They were to stay separate and ever in chaos with each other. From the Elemental Realms Elgar chose the greatest of those spirits he had created and sent them upon the world to rule to the Mortal Realm. These were the four Elder Titans, beings granted nearly total control over the primal aspects of their element: Galur, Elder Titan of the Constant Earth; Amal, Elder Titan of the Everburning Fires; Ciel, Elder Titan of the Rampaging Air; and Morda, Elder Titan of the Flowing Waters.

Then Aminus sent forth Loran and he set the universe into motion. The elements began their orderly convergence, and the chaos was quelled. Time became the driving force of creation and the stars and moons fell into place. So also did the world begin its eternal spin. His duty was to turn the painting into a moving and changing menagerie.

Finally, Aminus bade Naeja to calm the world and bring the elements into balance so that her vision of a natural world may become reality, and there would be life. So it was that she cooled the magma and calmed the seas, she turned the earth to soil and poured rains over the land, forming fresh rivers and lakes. Over the world she spread the seed of her imagination and plants sprung from the rich soil, and animals were born and bred and wandered the lands and seas. Her duty was to mix the paints and place them upon the canvas, to create a work of art.

Hence it is that the universe was formed. The elements were infused and set into motion by the passage of time to form the moons, stars and the mortal world, which would become the battlegrounds for the eternal struggle between the gods, titans and mortal races.

THE TITANS

In the primordial world there were only the Elder Titans. The world was violent and chaotic, with huge volcanoes, tumultuous seas, roaring winds, and massive earthen mountains. The Elder Titans battled with each other and so terrible chaos reigned. They also laid with each other, but their emotions were as chaotic and passionate as their spirits. Hence they bore forth children as chaotic and emotional as themselves, the Greater Titans.

Galur and Amal bore two sons: Lojandar of the Mighty Earth and Anvurgar of the Terrible Flames. Morda and Ciel bore a daughter, Muran of the Deep Cold Seas, and a son, Sturmgar of the Stormy Skies.
Then Amal laid with Anvurgar and from their union was born Zorith, first of the Titan Lords. Amal then laid with Lojandar and so was born the second Titan Lord, Vornakar.

THE DIVINE FLAME

In the beginning Aminus (called Anuk by the Kamorans) saw that the Mortal Realm was cold and dark, except where Amal burned the earth. For there to be life, he knew there must be light. Hence he created the Divine Flame, and whoever so shall bear it will be given both the Gift of Light and the Gift of Life. He entrusted the Divine Flame to the Elder Titans, and bade them to bear it through the skies so that it should shine upon all of the world.

So it was that Amal held the Divine Flame in a fiery orb, being the only Elder Titan who could resist its heat. Galur crafted for her a great chariot of Adamantine to tow the Sphere and Ciel created great steeds of wind to draw the chariot across the sky. Amal drove the chariot into the stars and began her daily journey. When she reached the oceans, Morda parted the waters so she could enter the darkness beneath the world. Hence the Divine Flame was created.

Loran (called Atep by the Kamorans) approved of the world and set his own orb in its skies. This moon would become his home from whence he controlled the very passing of time, and when the Divine Flame was not shining in the sky the Moon of Loran cast its own slivery green radiance. It was Loran that decided the Divine Flame would only shine upon the world for half of time. The night would still rule the other half, and Loran would exist in both night and day, but most visible at night when the Gift of Light did not outshine his own.

As Amal traversed the skies she encountered Loran in the stars and lay with him. They had two children: Ahamad and Ishobel. Both were great warriors of light. Amal assigned Ahamad to drive the chariot across the skies each day straight and true. Then at night he would land it at the far end of the world where Ishobel could fly it below the world, taking it back to the other side. Ishobel was free to fly it any way she chose as long as it was always there in the morning for Ahamad to drive back across the sky. Thus it was that Ishobel would often land it in different places, often meandering too far north or south and sometimes too late in the morning for a day, shortening the daylight, or too soon so that Ahamad had to slow his pace across the sky and make the day longer. All the time Atep would encircle the world in an orderly passage assuring that all was in order.

One day the chariot of the sun was not there for Ahamad to drive. As he stood and waited for his sister he was nearly driven down by her. She drove past him wildly and soared high into the sky. His envious sister dared break the law of her mother and drove the chariot herself that day into the sky. Loran reacted immediately and, after picking up Ahamad, changed his moon’s course to intercept her. They met in mid flight over the world and she fell into the darkness of his great barge’s hold. There he pulled her from the Chariot and Ahamad took the reigns, leading it back into the day sky, returning light to the world. Loran forever more had to maintain this new passage and so each year the light of the Orb is blocked by the light of the moon as they intercede.

Loran was angry with Ishobel, for she had broken the laws he so clearly defined. He took her before Aminus who weighed her trespasses and ordered that forever more she would not be able to emerge into the daylight. She would forever be a creature of the night and would live in the underworld. However, she was still allowed to drive the chariot from and to the edge of her borders. If she ever dared cross those borders again, though, Aminus promised her worse suffering than even she could imagine.

The seas of Morda encircle the world and so often Morda and Ishobel would meet and they became lovers. In time Ishobel gave birth to three children by Morda: Arokie, Akep, and Baruka. Arokie slithered from the darkness of the world in the form of a great sea serpent, hence she is also called Silrithia. She stalked the seas and brought suffering upon sailors who dared traverse her waters without the proper protections. Akep was a great storm that rose from the darkness of the seas and thundered along the coasts. He was strong and powerful and feared as equally as Arokie. Baruka was a twisted being, hideous in appearance and even more disgusting in his terribly sadistic nature. He takes great pleasure in serving his mother to bring suffering upon the world.

One night when Ahamad set the flaming chariot of the sun on the edge of the world, Arokie rose from the ocean and snatched it into the sea. Ahamad called upon Amal who came to confront Arokie and demand the chariot back. As Amal dove into the sea after the serpent goddess, Ishobel appeared and distracted Ahamad. Then Morda seized Amal while she swam through the depths of his darkness.

Amal and Morda fought in the depths of the ocean but finally Amal fled into the desert, but Morda followed her. There in the desert Ishobel joined the battle against Amal. Together the two wicked gods killed Amal and she fell to the earth in a great pile of ash and bone. Morda and Ishobel rejoiced, for they thought they had won, but from the ashes of her remains raised a great bird of flame and magic. The Phoenix struck down Morda where he stood and then flew into the night. Ishobel was terrified and sulked back into the darkness of the underworld.

When his mother did not arise from the depths of the sea Ahamad dove in after her. He found Arokie and the chariot and so they fought long and hard. . The fangs of the serpent queen sunk deep into Ahamad’s brazened body, and flooded his veins with its divine venom. The sun god, though, would not be so easily defeated, and despite the venom’s power he fought on. He accepted her bite in his left arm, and using his great Khopesh he split her belly open. From her womb poured forth thousands of great serpents that dispersed into the sea. While she writhed in agony, he quickly retrieved the great Chariot and burst from the ocean.

Ahamad mounted the chariot, but saw then that the Orb had been extinguished. The Divine Flame was no more, only a cold bronze orb was drawn by the Chariot. Without Amal to bear the Gifts of Light and Life the Divine Flame could not burn. He drove his horses hard into the desert, seeking the place where his mother had fallen. There he found only blackened earth. He knelt upon the burnt ground and looking up into the west he saw another brilliant light rising into the sky far in the distance. It was the phoenix. He knew then that his mother was dead and her immortal spirit was rising to Anaruman.

The spirit of the goddess Amal passed on to the Gardens of Imaru, but the soul of the goddess was too great to traverse to the land of the dead. Instead it became the great Phoenix, who could never truly be killed. If it died it would only rise again from its own ashes. It traversed the world burning fields and causing great havoc, but as it was the soul of their greatest goddess the people revered it.

Ishobel then appeared and demanded the chariot for her ride in the underworld. He had to obey the laws of Anuk and so she took the Chariot and drove it beneath the western horizon.
Ahamad collapsed into the sands, the venom finally draining his strength. He laid there, in the darkness, the blood of Morda forming a great river passing before him. A people then came upon him, a mortal race who were tall, dark and handsome. They lifted him and took him to a temple. There he saw statues of Isati, and even shrines to himself and his sister Ishobel. They were worshipers, though before now he had never considered these mortal people. There they tended his injuries and through ancient knowledge of medicines and by channeling the divine power of Isati they drew the venom from him and cured his wounds. When he was healed, he thanked these people and told them that from then on they would be a blessed people, and he would look after them always.

Then Ishobel appeared on the Eastern horizon, but she did not cross the border and so he took the Chariot again. But, the Orb was extinguished and so he prayed to Anuk (who is Aminus) to reignite the Orb.

It was then that Aminus took the Divine Flame from the Children of Elgar and gave it to the Children of Naeja, as detailed in “The Gods of Nature”. Two sisters were granted the Gifts of Light and Life and they reignited the Orb.

Then he bade Ahamad to drive it into the skies once more. He did not, though, forget about the people who had healed him. Thus it was that Ahamad became known as Ahad-Amal, and he alone steers the course of the Divine Flame by day.

As he reached the western horizon, Ishobel appeared and demanded the chariot for her ride in the underworld. He had to obey the laws of Aminus and he let her take the Chariot. She drove it to the East. There she did not cross the border and he took the Chariot again.

THE GODS OF NATURE

By the command of Aminus, Naeja was to create a natural order to the Mortal Realm. The Elder Titans who had once commanded the Divine Flame had failed in their treachery and by Morda’s betrayal the Divine Flame had been extinguished. Naeja saw that the world was dark and lifeless, but she imagined a world teeming with life. From the children of the Greater Gods, she selected those who inherited gifts she considered ideal for this duty. They would bring the world to life, and are thus the Gods of Nature.

The only light the world bore was the dim glow of the stars. Aminus then granted the Divine Flame to the children of Naeja. Naeja knew that no one God could control the power of the Divine Flame, so Naeja chose the first two daughters of Gelthena who were fathered by Loran.

Sheliak, first daughter of Gelthena, was given the Gift of Light. Sheliak reignited the great Orb and bade Ahad-Amal to bear it into the heavens, which would illuminate the world and warm its oceans. The Orb of Sheliak turned night to day.
Naeja then sought to give her world life, and so she sent Reahnyn to the world, second daughter of Gelthena, who was bearer of the Gift of Life. She poured the power of life into the rays of the Orb, and her arrival was marked by a beautiful dawn. This was the first time Ahad-Amal drove the chariot with his new powers. Reahnyn swept her light over the world and as the first light of dawn warmed the earth, air and seas, new life was borne. It sprung from the earth in the form of flowers and trees, tall grasses and deep-rooted vegetation. It spread in the oceans in vast beds of kelp and other sea plants. The first dawn also marked the first spring, called the Season of Rhein, and with it came warm winds from the northwest, which are known as the Rhein Winds.

As time passed the winds began to come more from the southwest. They were arid winds and the intense heat of the Orb of Sheliak brought spring to an end. The flora of the world stopped their blooms and the world became vivid in vibrant greens, and all things living grew. So it was that the season of summer came to be, called the Season of Shelin, and the winds from the southwest are called the Shelin Winds.

The world was beautiful and harmonious, and so the Titans grew angry. Zorik, son of Amal and Anvurgar was the Titan Lord of Unbearable Heat. He seduced Sheliak, and she soon forgot all her other duties. He bade her come closer to the world so he may bask in her glorious warmth. Soon the winds died all together and the blazing heat of the Orb of Sheliak was unbearable. Thus even the warm summer ended. This new season was one of intense drought and all the life of the world began to suffer as lakes dried up and the ground turned brittle and dusty. Thus was the season of late summer called the Season of Zorin, and there were no winds. Thus, Zo’rin means “without wind”.

To free her daughter from the spell of this wicked titan Naeja decided she must put a veil over the world that would allow life to escape the endless heat and would separate Sheliak from Zorik. Naeja came to the Greater Titan of Storms, Sturmgar, and asked him to put great clouds over the skies and soak her world in his rains. The Titan offered to only help her if she would become his lover. So it was and from their union were born two Divinities; Kalrik, who was born with their father’s might, and Torik who was born with their father’s power over the great storms. And so Torik blotted out the Orb of Sheliak with dark clouds and washed the lands with raging rainstorms that blew in from the southeast. Kalrik battled Zorik, and was proven the greater warrior. Naeja was pleased, but soon Torik’s torrential rage became too much and the land suffered again in floods, hurricanes, lightning storms, and twisters. So it was that the season of storms came to be, called the Season of Torin, and the winds from the southeast were called the Torin Winds.

Now, both Torik and Kalrik fell in love with Reahnyn and they decided to fight over her. Kalrik won and claimed the Goddess as his bride. Naeja saw that this union would be good and sanctified the marriage. Reahnyn did not love Kalrik as he was a brute warrior, but she would not disobey her creator, thus she bore him two children; Myrrha, who held all the love that Reahnyn could never feel for her husband, and Morin, who Naeja knew would have the power to stop the storm season.

Naeja feared the rains of Torik would drown her world, and so she bade Morin to turn back the winds. From the northeast the winds now turned and carried with them dry and cold air. The storms were gone but the earth was still cold. Nature began to fade from the world, and Naeja knew this passing was inevitable, so she bade Morin to gift nature with fruits and seeds and harvest them upon the world so that they may survive the death of the world and be ready when spring was to come again. So it was that autumn came to be, called the Season of Morin, and the winds from the northeast would be called the Morin Winds.

The world must rest now, Naeja thought, and so it shall, under a blanket of snow and ice. She bade Sheliak to turn her Orb from the earth and called upon Koril, son of Vald and Isati, to bring a strong wind from the north. It carried with it heavy freezing rains, then hail and finally snow. These fell over the world and nature hid beneath, awaiting the end of this season of death. So it was that winter came to be, called the Season of Korin, and the winds from the north were called the Korin Winds.

The Season of Korin did not last longer than any other season though, and when it was time Naeja sent forth Reahnyn again to melt away the snow and ice and bring the flowers to bloom and re-awaken the forests.

THE OTHER WORLDS OF THE FEY

As nature blossomed in the Mortal Realm the power of creation flowed into the Veil and thus were born the Aetheria, the Other Worlds. These realms are a reflection of the Mortal Realm yet are somehow more abstract. They are beyond the power of Loran, and thus time passes capriciously in these worlds. Some are always summer while others always winter. The most beautiful of these Other Worlds was Adinion, a place of joy and music, where nature runs wild in the forests and fields, and streams of spring water flow down from tall beautiful mountains, into sparkling lakes. Here Orwyn, son of Naeja, came to rule. King Orwyn is brother of Magmodin and equally attuned to the earth, though less stocky and more fascinated by the beauty of natural things than those crafted by hands.

It was in this time that Gelthena had another child with Loran, Aralyn, and she was the most beautiful of them all. She was gifted with control over the natural life cycles of all things that grow. Because she loved nature so, Orwyn invited her to visit his realm, and eventually he made her his Queen.

Orwyn and Aralyn loved each other dearly and together they had three beautiful daughters. The triplets were named Anwyn, Brynlyn and Morwyn. Orwyn gave each of them a gift, dominion over a part of this beautiful world. Anwyn was made the Queen of the Forests and Fields, Brynlyn was made the Queen of the Lakes and Streams, and Morwyn was made the Queen of the Airy Mountains.
Orwyn and Aralyn also parented many other lesser beings, called the Fey. The three Sisters each took mates from among the Fey and from them the many races of the Fey were born. The Fey are an eternal race of faerie folk, and they filled the Other Worlds with their laughter, beauty and magic.

THE ANIMAL LORDS

It was in the second coming of Reahnyn that Naeja chose to set forth fauna upon the world. She bade Gelthena send others of her children to create the animals. Gelthena came to the daughters of Aralyn and asked that they take this important task. First came Brynlyn and Naeja gave her the power to create the Animals of the Seas. From thence forth she was known as Brynlynia.

Gelthena once again laid with Loran and bore Inlysh, the Hunter. Naeja gave him the power to create the Animals of the Earth. So it was that Ilnysh often stalked the wilds of the Mortal Realm and Other Worlds.

In this time Morwyn became fascinated with Ilynsh and she dared his wild nature, letting him take her. From their union she bore a daughter, Liara, who inherited the power of both her parents. Thus it was that Naeja gave her the power to create the Animals of the Air.

So it was that Brynlynia, Goddess of the Animals of the Waters; Ilnysh, God of the Animals of the Earth; and Liara, Goddess of the Animals of the Air came onto the world. They filled all its lands, lakes, seas and skies with the many and varied wondrous natural fauna. These creatures ate of the flora and drank of the waters, and some even ate of each other, and when they died they returned to the soil and were reborn as another aspect of nature. Some would survive best in the Season of Shelin while others would prefer the icy Season of Korin. All animals, though, were part of an orderly cycle of life, death and rebirth.

The first of each race of animals was granted great power over all others who would descend from them. Thus were born the Animal Lords, who were eternal but not immortal. When they died their spirit would be born again in another of their kind.
Thus it was that the natural world was created in the order that Naeja chose for it and Loran set its many seasons in cycles, with a full moon occurring twice for each season. Hence there are six seasons in a year, with two cycles of the moon each, or 12 months. These twelve months are represented in the stars as the twelve Ecliptics, constellations through which the Orb of Sheliak, Moon of Loran and other celestial bodies travel. 30 times the Orb of Sheliak follows the course of the skies each month, hence 30 days per month. Thus there are always 360 days in a year. This is the orderly time keeping of Loran, and has never again changed.

The peace of this age would not last forever, though, for Elgar saw the defilement of his elements and soon his hate turned to rage.

THE FIRST WAR

To rule the primordial world Elgar had created the four Elder Titans; Galur, Amal, Ciel and Morda. They bore the Greater Titans; Lojandar, Anvurgar, Muran and Sturmgar. The Titans ruled a world of raw elements and chaos. Thus began the Age of Titans. But then the Gods of Nature forced the elements to calm and mend together, creating the seasons and gifting the world with flora and fauna. Nature was in perfect balance. The Elder Titans saw this “blasphemy” and sought to undo what the gods had done. They drew upon the raw elements and began to raze the natural world.

Seeing her world failing, Naeja turned to Magmodin, her first son. His realm was a great mountain in the eternal realms with massive caverns beneath. His children were forgers of the earth and great craftsmen. Being a god of wisdom and law he could not let her world be destroyed by the chaotic Titans. Magmodin sent down his first sons; Morak, The Titan Slayer, Morddradan, The Mighty Mountain King and Osidan, The Flame Hearted. The Gods and Titans clashed upon the Mortal Realm. Thus began The First War.

Elgar saw the power of these great warriors and so commanded that the Titan Lords be born. The first Titan Lords were Zorik, son of Amal and Anvurgar, and Vornakar, son of Amal and Lojandar. Zorik had been killed by Kalrik, who was the son of Sturmgar and Naeja. Elgar, angry with Sturmgar’s betrayal bade him to father two Titan Lords, so he laid with Ciel and she bore him Strathose, Titan Lord of the Clouds; and he laid with Muran and she bore him Olginthoth, The Titan Lord of Ice. Ciel then laid with Lojandar, and bore Buldergar, Titan Lord of the Hills and Cliffs. Then Lojandar lay with Muran, and she bore him two children; Larnax, Titan Lord of the Seas, and Gulatak, the Earth Shaker.

Vornakar was named the Titan Lord of War and lead the other Titan Lords into war. The Greater Titans and the Titan Lords overwhelmed the children of Magmodin. Hence, Magmodin commanded Morddradan to draw forth two sons from the earth; Balderak, who rose from the caverns and would forge steel and the great Rune Weapons of the gods, and Belderak, who was most loyal and stood guard over his brother while he forged. With their new weapons the tides of war swayed in the favor of the Duervan Gods.

Then Muran lay with Strathose and bore him Fogharim, a Lesser Titan who could draw the clouds from the skies and blanket the earth so as to hide the Titans from their enemies. And Muran lay with Buldergar and bore him the Lesser Titan Asheba, who would stalk the Duervan Gods as they tread through her forests. Muran also laid with Olginthoth and bore him the Lesser Titan Isen, who froze the seas.
Gulatak often shook the earth, and this drew to him Silrithia, daughter of Morda and Ishobel. She took the guise of a beautiful Titan woman and seduced him. From the union was born Ungar, a Lesser Titan who was terribly deformed and filled with hate. Ungar lusted awfully and when he was rejected by the female Titans he turned his attention to Asheba. She was not as strong as he, and he overtook her, and Asheba bore Sylvurgar, whom she raised. Sylvurgar was as silent and deadly in the forests as his mother, but was shorter and malformed.

Buldergar saw the strength of Silrithia’s children and desired his own offspring, so he came to her. She bore him two Lesser Titans. Behim was strong but was also a greedy thief. Ferim was strong but had a love of the earth and growing things and would rather farm than fight a war.

Thus it was that the Lesser Titans were born. It was then that Elgar commanded that a race of mortals be born that could fight this war. They could be great in number but since they would die they would not dominate their creators. These were the Giants and they came to litter the world and build many great fortresses. Those giants who died in war would have their spirits return to the Elemental Realm from which they came.

Seeing all the giant women, Ungar grew lecherous again, and took many of them. From their union three Mortal Titans were born; Ogden, the One Eyed, Ettinar the Two Headed, and Lacrim the Twisted. They all went on to have giant children of their own.

Sheer numbers were pushing the Duervan gods back, and Magmodin knew it was time for a new course of action. Magmodin commanded Balderak to set work upon his forge and craft the most perfect race of mortals possible. When Balderak was finished he brought the cast to Magmodin who approved it. Magmodin turned to Naeja and offered to set this race upon her world to slay the Giants if she would give them life. Naeja agreed and so it was that the Duervar were born.

Morddradan gave them the mountains of the earth. Magmodin gave them wisdom and taught them law. Balderak gave them the knowledge of forging and Osidan gave them fire for their bellows. Belderak taught them of loyalty and gave them the duty of guarding the earth. Morak taught them of war and showed them how to wield mighty weapons to slay their foes, the giants. Those who died in the service of their gods would be given an afterlife amongst the gods in the Eternal Realm called Visvaduum, Mountain of the Heavens. Those rare few who die in dishonor are returned to the earth to be reforged.

The Duervar battled the giants with such ferocity that they quickly drove them to the far fringes of the world.

THE DUERVAN EMPIRE

Thus ended the Age of Titans and began the the Duervan Empire. The Duervar built great kingdoms beneath the earth and connected them with massive tunnels and caverns. The Titans continued to strike at their unbreaking foes, but Lojanrar (the Titan of the Earth) was indifferent to the smaller race and cared not for the commands of the Elder Elemental God. Lojanrar rested and let the Duervar live within the earth undisturbed.

It was during this time a few Duervan mortals were chosen by Magmodin to join the gods. The first was Kulderak, who would be the God of Ancestors, History and The Divinity of Mortals. Then came Adramor who is Goddess of Wealth, Gemcutting and the Sky. Noraki became the goddess of Community, Arts and Trade.
The Duervar ruled the World of Naeja for millennia, but they did not seek to explore her forests, fields and oceans. Instead they chose to live under the earth and keep that as their home.

The war went on until most of the Greater Titans were defeated, but the Duervar had not yet defeated the Elder Titans.

THE AGE OF ICE

One Titan finally raised the strength to challenge the Duervan Empire. This was Olginthoth, Titan Lord of Ice. He created a terrible glacier, called Thothgald, which spread from the north, down and over the entire world. It split the earth and sundered the Duervan Empire. Thus began the Age of Ice. Snow blanketed the world and only the most endurable plants and animals survived. Isen, who froze the seas, fathered the Nordil, the Ice Giants, and they marched upon the Duervar. The Duervar were paralyzed by the terrible cold and were forced to retreat into the earth. The harsh cold grew worse over the centuries that passed and eventually the great glacier descended over most of the world. The ice split the earth and collapsed many of the Duervan Halls. In those dark times the Duervar of different strongholds could barely communicate with one another, and eventually, over mellenia, they began to forget even where all their great halls had once been.
The Duervan Gods battled the Titans as often as they could, but the Ice Age hindered them greatly. Eventually Magmodin came to his brother Vald and asked his aid in battling Isen and the Nordil. Vald agreed and joined Morak, who led a great army into the icy reaches of the north where they battled Olginthoth together. In the end the Children of Naeja were victorious, and Olginthoth was frozen into the very ice he had commanded. Isen and the Nordil retreated into the heart of Thothgald, to a place called Nordilheim.

It would be over a millennium before the Ice would recede. Though the Nordil were driven back into the frozen north, the Age of Ice had taken its toll, sundering the Duervan Empire.

FATE AND DESTINY, DEATH AND FREE WILL

As the world began to become inhabited by the mortal races, Aminus created three more Elder deities to hold domain over the three attributes of mortality; fate, destiny and free will.

Life is a river and every mortal is a drop in that river, carried on its currents towards their destiny and ultimately their fate, whether they know it or not. When and how they will die is already laid out before them, but how they live their life is their choosing. Fate, like a river, can change its course before it meets its final destination. Mortals have free will, and the choices they make can change their Destiny. Destiny is a plan for ones life, that is laid out for a mortal soul by the gods. Meeting or changing ones destiny depend on the choices that one makes.

Aminus created Isati as the Goddess of Destiny and Prophecy. She draws her water from the Spring of Souls and pours out the River of Destiny, thereby setting each mortal soul upon its own journey in life, or destiny, and ultimately to its final fate. Isati also gives the gift of Prophecy, the ability of a mortal to see the River of Fate and predict the future. The other gods often struggle to control those she gives this gift to, hoping to use their power to foresee the destinies of their people and possibly interfere. Upon her creation, Isati had her first vision, and thus her first words spoken were the First Prophecy. This predicted a time when all the Titans, even the Elder Titans, would arrise again and try to destroy the World of Naeja to once again usurp control.

Aminus created Hedaera as the Goddess of Fate and Death. No matter what currents a mortal soul may travel on the River of Destiny, all mortal souls eventually meet their Fate, arriving at the end of the stream, death. As mistress of death she is responsible for collecting the souls of the dead, and delivering them to their next destination. She is not the keeper of the dead, though she disdains any soul returning to life and thus she forbids resurrection, save by the power of Reahnyn only. Unfortunately she does not have dominion over life, and so the gods and wizards often ignore her command. Thus, she places a mark upon any soul that dies, which only she or one of her servants can detect. If a soul returns to the living without her knowledge, it will retain the mark. Hedera has created many lesser gods to serve as her heralds and hunters. They are responsible for rounding up escaped souls and bringing them back. Hedaera decides when a mortal will die, but she does so at birth. She cannot see their life, nor their destiny, but can only forsee the time and circumstances of their death. Because of this Hedaera knows if a soul has escaped its preordained fate. Hedera sends her hunters after such souls, to bring them in, even if it is a far more violent way than the death may have been.

Aminus created Woryk as the God of Free Will and Magic. Woryk gave the gift of free will to all mortal souls. That was before he went mad, though, and so it is unknow if he could still do so. Through the powerful free will of mortal souls, the universe can be changed. In fact, free will can steer a soul away from its fate or destiny. Ultimately, one will still die, but free will can change how and when one meets their fate or even if it fulfills its destiny. More so, free will is the power of the mortal soul to manipulate the forces of creation. While gods and titans are granted specific forces to control, depending on their purpose, mortal souls have the potential to control any and all forces, if a great enough will is exerted. This is called magic, and thus Woryk is in a way, also a god of magic.

THE CHILDREN OF VALD

After defeating the Nordil, Vald began to free the land in the north. He uncovered a great peninsula of earth with tall icy mountains and decided he would populate this land with his own children. He called this land Valderheim. He came to Isati, the Elder Goddess of Fate and Destiny, and together they bore two children; Njörðr and Vigna. These were the first of many children called the Valdar. The Valdar were nothing when compared physically to the Nordil, but they had divine power and were ambitious warriors, with both wisdom and courage. They were handsome and imposing. None was more than half the height of a giant, but through their great strength and skill at arms they were a match for any giant. Isen was greatly angered when he saw the lands that once his people ruled now populated by a race both weaker and smaller than his own. He left his castle and came over the Ice to battle Vald. The fight was long and hard, for Isen brought with him a horde of giants and there were not many of the Valdar to aid in the battle. In the end Vald was defeated and Isen devoured him. Vald’s spirit ascended from the Mortal Realm into the Eternal Realm called ??? and there his spirits resides in his Golden Hall.

Isen went on to make the Valdar suffer under his foot. However, the Valdar fought back, led by Njörðr. In time their numbers had grown, and when there were enough, an army of their greatest warriors stood against Isen on the field of battle. They fought long and hard against him and many scores of them died, their spirits joining Vald in the Golden Hall. In the end the Titan Isen was slain and fell to the earth to become a great mountain range, the Isendar. As he died, the remaining heroes drank his blood as wine and became gods themselves, taking the name of the Isenjyr—the Bane of Isen (See the Isenjyr Pantheon for their specific names and stories). It is said that only Njörðr passed the bowl, refusing to drink of the Titan's blood, calling it "uwise". He is said to have then left Valderheim and gone on to other lands. The Isenjyr drove the last of the Nordil out of Valderheim and across the Eastern Ocean. Then they gave the land to the mortal Valdar and went over the ice to drive the remaining giants and lesser titans out of Nordilheim, where they finally resided.

Thus was created the race called the Valdar, and though as the millennia have passed their blood has thinned, they are still greater in power than most mortal races. Those born now are not nearly as tall as their ancestors, but are still strong and skilled at war. They also still fight the Nordil to this day, who fled across the western seas to lands unknown and come time and time again to the land of Valderheim to try to retake their homeland.

THE ILK OF GULATAK

Gulatak, the Earth Shaker, envied the power of the Elder Titans. He knew nothing of the powers they could wield, instead he ruled by might alone. His giant children, though strong, were often the first sent into battle agains the Duervar and quickly dwindled in numbers. He called upon Elgar to grant him power equal to that of the Elder Titans, but Elgar refused him. Cursing his father’s name Gulatak swore he would unleash the power of the universe himself, without Elgar’s aid. So it was that Gulatak began to study magic and learned that he had a great power within him to summon and wield it. When Elgar discovered that Gulatak had disobeyed him, by learning of sorcery, he cast Gulatak out of his kingdom and destroyed what remained of Gulatak’s giant offspring.

Gulatak wandered the icy wastes alone in his rage, growing more powerful in his skill. Still, though, he did not learn fast enough. In his anger he cried out for the creator of all to grant him the power to usurp his father. It was Aibhistear, though, that answered him, in the form of Vigna.

Vigna was the first daughter of Vald and Isati, first of the Valdar. Unlike her brother she had not joined in the war against the giants. Instead she had spent her time learning the ways of the natural world, and using her divine gifts to descry the dark secrets of the universe. Vigna sooned found a spirit willing to teach her, Aibhistear. This malevolent being instructed her on the way to learn arts normally forbidden to her blood. By his advice she found a cave to the underworld and brought into the depths three goats. She sought out the Jorvund Serpent, whose bite was said to be poisonous enough to kill a god, and sacrificed to it two of the goats, which it devoured with ravenous apetite. The third, though, she had tied to a rope. After the serpent had poisoned and swallowed the goat, she gave a great tug upon the rope, pulling it free of the gullet. Jorvund was too lethargic from eating the first two goats to resist, and so she was able to flee back to the mortal world with the poisoned goat. From it she made a stew in a great cauldron, adding the proper herbs to dull the poison. She ate, and fell into a dark sleep, near death, during which she was visited by Hedeara, her mother's sister, who tuaght her terrible secrets forbidden to be learned by the living. When Vigna awoke she began to practice these powers, which she called Seid, and became known as Seidkona (Seid woman). Vigna went on to teach many of the Valdar women this secret, thus bwere the Seidr. Eventually even a couple men dabbled in the dark arts, being known as Seidmadr (Seid men). In other parts of the world those with this knowledge would be called Witch and Warlock.

Vigna was told by Aibhistear to go to Gulatak and become his. She set out to find him and Gulatak encountered Vher at a black lake on the border of a dark forest and the great tundra. She immediatley sensed his power and a lust grew in her for him, so she offered herself to him, telling him who she was and that she could give him powerful children, an army of giants gifted with his power of sorcery.

So it was that Gulatak fathered the first of the Ogres through Vigna, but they were not giants. At first he shunned their children. They were much smaller than Giants and not nearly as strong, and they were very dim witted. He thought to destroy them all and start anew, but then amongst them was born a few very different than the rest. They were just as strong as their brethren but much more intelligent. What more they displayed a natural talent for sorcery, something that Gulatak himself excelled at. He called them the Ogrekar, or Ogre Kings, and so they came to rule their brethren.

The Ogre Kings gathered huge armies of Ogres beneath them and spread over the northern lands. After Olginthoth was slain the glaciers of the Age of Ice began to recede. When the ice uncovered vast stretches of lands the Ogres crossed the barren glaciers and conquered them.

THE ILK OF LARNAX

The Light of Sheliak long melted the ice and eventually released Larnax from the frozen sea. This Titan Lord at once recognized the Ogres to be corrupted Giants and began to slay them by the thousands. Gulatak descended from his fortress in the icy north and the two titans battled. The Ogrekar and Ogres swarmed at Larnax’s feet while Gulatak unleashed deadly sorceries at him. Larnax finally fell, but before he was defeated he swung at Gulatak with his great axe and severed his right hand. Gulatak’s hand supposedly sunk deep into Vas-Draga and he was never able to find it.

Larnax was left upon the land, with his blood pooling into the sea in great rivers. His body slowly turned to earth, the wounds being great ridges. These mountains were the Kalamak. The blood that flowed from his wounds mingled with the seas and as they did, his children were born; Moda, Mandar, Vanarim, Balgari and Balarix. With the birth of each his blood became thin and eventually ran as water to the sea. They settled upon his remains and built themselves a great fort and giant ships to sail the seas, but then the Ogre Kings came and battled them for their land. Larnax’s offspring knew they needed their own children to fight the hordes of ogres. They went to the mouth of Larnax, where the last great pool of his blood remained. Moda took the blood and mingled it with the earth to make powerful clay. She carved out men and women in their likeness and gave them to Mandar who hardened them in his kiln. Finally they took them to Balgari, who mated with Balarix and brought their children to life. They built for them a great city called Bamoria and taught them to protect the mountains and seas. Hence were created the Bamorians, who swore to slay the Ogres and eventually even Gulatak.

There was a great battle between the Ogres and Bamorians and the Ogre Kings were eventually forced back to their lands in the North. Vanarim led a huge army of his people into the Ogre Kingdoms and actually reached the edge of the great glacial wall, but there Gulatak himself came out of his fortress and used his powerful sorcery to trap Vanarim within the glacier. It is said he is still buried somewhere beneath the ice, waiting for his children to awaken him.

When the war was over the remaining Bamorian forefathers decided that they should no longer reside amongst their children. Balarix slipped into the sea, Balgari joined the storms in the sky, and Moda descended into the depths of the earth with Mandar, who lived in the great fires.

THE VENGEANCE OF ELGAR

As the last of the glaciers of the Age of Ice receded the Duervar began to emerge from their strongholds. They once again encountered the giants and had to fight them for dominance over a world now uncontrolled by any God or Titan. In this Age of Chaos many Duervan heroes were born. One such hero became legendary. He is Dorak Battlecry from Baraduum.

When his children were defeated Elgar was furious. He tried to open gates to the Elemental Realms so the denizens of his worlds could invade the World of Naeja and destroy it. Dorak battled the hordes of elementals to their very source and closed every last gate. When Dorak sealed the final gate he was granted a place amongst the gods as a reward. Dorak became the God of Truth, Justice, Pride, Honor and Courage.

THE GELVANI

Gelthena was the first of the Greater Gods. In the Eternal Realms she created a place of wonderful beauty, filled with huge forests, pristine rivers, and rolling fields under a perfect sky. She called it Arvanis. Loran fell in love with Gelthena for her beauty and grace. She returned his love, and together they bore four children; Sheliak, Reahnyn, Aralyn, and Ilnysh. Gelthena and Loran are the U’Valatha’Gelvani, or the First Blood.

Sheliak is a woman of exceptional beauty and power. She had been chosen by Naeja to bear the Gift of Light and she relit the Divine Flame, bringing light back to the Mortal World. Reahnyn is also beautiful, but more so she is wise and kind and feels compassion for all things. Naeja chose Reahnyn to bear the Gift of Life and she brought life to the Mortal Realm. From her all living things are given mortality. The two goddesses returned to Arvanis when their duty was done.

Aralyn is the third child of Gelthena and Loran. She was born more beautiful than either of her sisters and her heart reflects the profound love her mother has for Loran. Aralyn inherited her mother’s gift to control the flora of the natural world. She fell in love with Orwyn and went to live with him in the Other World of Adinion. They had three daughters; Anwyn, Morwyn, and Brynlyn. Brynlyn was chosen by Naeja to become the Goddess of Animals of the Sea.

In time Naeja sought to gift the world with creatures of the earth, and so Gelthena and Loran bore their first son, Ilnysh. So it is that Ilnysh became the God of Animals of the Earth. In this early time Ilnysh often traveled between Arvanis and the Mortal World, and sometimes even into the Other Worlds. Morwyn and Ilnysh had a daughter, who is Liara and is the Goddess of Animals of the Air.

These are the Gelvani Gods who are called the Nu’Valatha’Gelvani, or the Second Blood, for they were the second generation of Gelvani Gods, the children of Gelthena and Loran.

THE SHADOW OF CORRUPTION

The Duervar delved deep into the earth and one clan found there the most wonderful gem they had ever seen, a black diamond as dark as the night sky but with a surface that shined so brilliantly it seemed to contain the stars. The Duervar coveted this gem and kept it for themselves; however, they did not know that it was a thing of corruption, and slowly it turned their hearts to evil. Thus they became the Duergar. They began to war with their brothers, and eventually the other Duervar drove them deep into the heart of the earth. Those who came to posses the Black Diamond thought it so much reminded them of the beauty of the Morwyn that they gave it to her as a gift.

The Fey Queen of the Airy Mountains took the gem but its beauty was only an illusion, for in truth it was the Heart of Darkness, a thing of terrible corruption. By accepting the gift it corrupted her soul. She became the Queen of Air and Darkness and the Shadow of Corruption was carried on her winds. A terrible darkness spread and the Glamour of the Other Worlds was tainted. Many of the Fey became corrupted and served her. The Fey were driven from their worlds, and many came into Adinion, but soon even the borders of this great realm were threatened. Aralyn and her daughters feared for their people. King Orwyn came to Naeja for help, and so she allowed that any who feared the darkness spreading through the Other Worlds could flee to the Mortal Realm if they so wished. For a time Naeja parted the Veil which separated the two worlds.

So it was that Anwyn and Brynlyn led many of the Fey folk through portals and into the Mortal Realm. They hid amongst the forests and fields of the world, and were spared the darkness of the Shadow; but they also mourned, for the Mortal Realm was a pale shadow of the glamour of their worlds and the seasons changed in a way they did not understand. Aralyn wanted to stay with Orwyn, but he would not have it. He insisted that she leave, and so it was that Aralyn returned to Arvanis, the Eternal Realm of the Gelvani.

Morwyn quickly learned of this escape and reveled in her victory. However, she also greatly desired to spread her corrupting darkness into the Mortal Realm. The portals from Adinion were open, and so she gathered together a great horde of her minions, and entered that fabled realm. When she arrived she found that King Orwyn and many of the Fey had not fled. They stood their ground and a great battle ensued. Morwyn and King Orwyn fought a harsh battle against each other. Morwyn gravely wounded King Orwyn, and took the crown from his head, but before she could claim victory, Anwyn returned from the Mortal Realm with an army of Fey. Morwyn was forced to flee back to the Shadow, but King Orwyn had been gravely injured.
After settling her people upon the Mortal Realm, Anwyn returned to Adinion to aid her father. She healed his wound but, though she had saved him from the worst, he was forever hobbled by an unhealing wound. Anwyn took up her father’s sword and continued the war, ever fighting back the shadow that dooms their world.
Morwyn was trapped in Adinion, but before she lost the battle she had shattered the gem and sent its shards with many corrupted Fey who snuck through the portal with those escaping. In this way she could lead them to reunite the Shards of Darkness and give her equal power over the Mortal Realm.

Thus began the Age of Dreaming, when the magic of the Fey brought fantastical things into the world, but so too did the corrupted Fey bring many terrible things.
Of the Fey who came to her world, Naeja loved most the Gnomes, for they were most like her son Orwyn. She hoped that they would come to rule her world, but they would never gather in great numbers and so never prospered.

THE THIRD BLOOD

In Arvanis, Aralyn was lonely and despaired for the beauty of the Other World she had left behind. She began to create that beauty in Arvanis. Loran often watched her, for in her he saw the same beauty he had seen in Gelthena.
When King Orwyn was wounded in Adinion, Elghinn came to Aralyn in Arvanis and told her that her love had fallen in battle. He appeared to her as any Fey, and gave her Orwyn’s crown as proof, hence she believed his words. Aralyn despaired terribly and the beauty of her forests began to wither. Loran came to her and comforted her. He told her that she should not despair for she must remember all things living need her. To remind her, he gifted her with a child.

Elghinn saw what had been done and went to Gelthena to tell her how Loran had betrayed her love and given Aralyn a child. When Gelthena saw that Araylyn was indeed with child she was enraged with jealousy. She did not ask, or she would have learned the child was not conceived but rather created by Loran. In her vice, Gelthena turned to the same Fey God and bade him to lay with her and give her a child.

When Aralyn’s son was born she called him Fey Kalyn and he was given the gifts of Gelthena and Loran twice over. He was as handsome as Aralyn was beautiful. He was wise and thoughtful, creative and kind. He loved music and art and celebrated each day as if it were the first. Gelthena, though, did not see these things. In him she could only see the betrayal of Loran, whom she loved with all her heart.
When Gelthena’s daughter was born she called her Vilrithia and she was given both beauty and cunning. She was filled with the shadow of her father, Elghinn, and her hair was black as midnight.

These are the Gelvani Gods who are called the Nua’Valatha’Gelvani, or the Third Blood, for they were the third generation of Gelvani Gods, the second children of Gelthena and Loran.

THE FOURTH BLOOD

Gelthena loved her children and she loved Loran. However, she was filled with jealousy of Fey Kalyn, the child Loran had had with their daughter Aralyn. To have her vengeance, Gelthena had lain with Elghinn and bore a daughter, Vilrithia.
Gelthena taught her daughter of the betrayal of Loran and Aralyn. She decided that she had to take control of Fey Kalyn in order to regain her control of Arvanis. Gelthena sent Vilrithia to seduce Fey Kalyn, and bear him a child. She wanted that child to be raised to love her and reunite all of her children. However, Gelthena did not know that the Shadow of Corruption was in Vilrithia’s heart.

Vilrithia came to Fey Kalyn and tempted him with her beauty and told him lies of her love for him. Eventually he gave over to her and she became with child. Kelamin was born to Vilrithia, but she kept him secret from Fey Kalyn, raising him in the Shadow World. She never told Kelamin who his father was. He was tall and strong and filled with darkness. He became a great warrior and Vilrithia guided him to despise the Gelvani Gods.

When Gelthena could not find Vilrithia or the child, she decided to confront Loran herself about the affair. He told her of his gift to Aralyn, and she knew immediately that it was the truth, for Loran could not lie. She realized then what she had done, and was wracked with guilt. For the first time she saw Fey Kalyn for who he truly was, a man of peace and beauty, and she loved him greatly for he was the child of her own daughter.

Fey Kalyn filled Arvanis with great works of art. He built tall white towers and great statues. He even built palaces for Gelthena and the other Gods. Fey Kalyn admired Sheliak the most and asked her if he could sculpt her form. She agreed and while he did his work she felt a great passion building for his handsome features and artistic heart. She came to him and Fey Kalyn could not resist her beauty and glory. Sheliak bore him a son, Hanrael, who was gifted with the fiery heart of his mother and the jovial spirit of his father. He has a keen curiosity and a love for adventure.
When the time was right Vilrithia sent Kelamin to kill his own father. When Kelamin came into Arvanis and attacked Fey Kalyn, the Gelvani God could only defend himself. The two battled and quickly Kelamin began to win over. However, Gelthena sensed Kelamin’s arrival in Arvanis and commanded them to stop. Fey Kalyn did so, and so too did Kelamin. He did not understand why, but he felt compelled to do as Gelthena commanded. She saw what Vilrithia had done to Kelamin, and was filled with guilt. Gelthena revealed to Kelamin that Fey Kalyn is his father. She told them of her command to Vilrithia and how Kelamin was meant to unite her children, not to divide them with war.

Kelamin had been born with the wisdom and strength of character that his father held. He had felt at peace in Arvanis when he arrived and his connection with Fey Kalyn could not be doubted. He knew the words she spoke were true and put away his weapons. The two men greeted each other as father and son, and the Gods of Arvanis rejoiced. To honor his wisdom Gelthena granted Kelamin the title of Guardian of Arvanis.

When Kelamin joined the other Gelvani Gods, Vilrithia was determined to have her own vengeance. She saw that Fey Kalyn loved his son, Hanrael, and so she came to him. Hanrael did not know her, and she easily seduced the carousing young God. Their child was XXXX, who was born with a desire for vengeance. He inherited his father’s light feet, swift hands, and has long black hair and black skin. Vilrithia raised Quelanon in the Other World of Shadows, just as she had Kelamin, and taught him to be a thief. She tasked him to quiet into Arvanis and take things she desired, usually powerful items created by the gods for their own use. What more, she trained him to be an assassin. His one duty as such was to kill Fey Kalyn. XXXXX waited until the moment was right to strike, but he did not know that Kelamin was already aware of his brother and was laying in wait for him. Kelamin lashed out in the moment XXXX struck, saving his father. XXXX then turned upon Kelamin and the brothers clashed. Their battle was vicious but short, for Kelamin was a far greater warrior and XXXX had nowhere to escape to. In the moment his victory was clear, Kelamin pulled back and pleaded with XXXX to surrender. He told him how he too had once been given this duty, but had changed his heart. XXXX would not be swayed though, and seeing his brother's guard down he stabbed him with his wicked blade. The wound was not fatal, but severe. Kelamin retaliated and in a devastating blow ran his brother through with his spear, destroying him. Kelamin's wound thereafter was bitter and despite the efforts of Reahnyn and even Gelthena, it could not be fully healed. Something in that wound had changed him, or perhaps it was just the act of killing his brother, but thereafter he was more easily enraged and a shadow of pain was always upon him.

Kelamin realized that he would never be free of his mother's wrath unless she was defeated, and the only way to defeat Vilrithia was to defeat Morwyn. Hence, he asked permission of Gelthena to lead the Gelvani men out of Arvanis to travel to Adinion, where they could war with the shadow at the forefront of the battle, shoulder to shoulder with their kind. Gelthena, though, refused him, saying that the Gelvani Gods musn't enter the Aetheria en force, else they would leave Arvanis unprotected. Kelamin could not understand how Gelthena could allow the children of her brother to battle the shadow, and do nothing herself, despite the terrible affliction the shadow had set upon Arvanis. He then asked if he could, himself alone, go and aid the Fey. Gelthena agreed to this, so long as he left someone else in his place to protect the realm. Kelamin first asked his father, Fey Kalyn, but he refused him, saying his ideals were lofty but his plan foolish and that he would not help him. Kelamin then turned to Ilnysh, but the animal lord wanted nothing to do with the shadow or defending the wall. Hanrael offered to take his watch, but Kelamin refused him, not trusting the capricious fae. Loran was, as usual, unable to be summoned, and thus he finally turned to Sheliak to ask her aid in guarding the wall. She proudly agreed and he left his guard in her command. Kelamin traversed the realms and came into Adinion through the known ways. There he presented himself before Anwyn, but at first she seemed angered by his presence. She doubted his intentions, and in truth she was angry at all the Gelvani gods for not aiding her people. Despite this she allowed him to join their cause. Kelamin led an army into the depths of Morwyn's realms and revealed secrets unknown to the Fey before this. Upon their return Anwyn was informed of this, and though her people raised his name in cheers, she was ever more suspicious of him. Many more battles came and in time Kelamin continued to prove both his skill at arms and his feverish rage against the shadow-souled. Anwyn began to doubt her own concerns. Finally came the moment Kelamin and Anwyn found themselves in battle together, back to back, and both realized they must depend solely upon the other for survival. Then Vilrithia appeared amongst the ranks of the foe, and called upon her son to throw down his arms and return to her once again. She promised him many great and wonderful things, and Anwyn began to believe he would turn and betray her. However, in that moment Kelamin hefted his spear and hurled it at his own mother. The spear came short at her feet, but Vilrithia clearly saw the meaning and fled in fear from him. Kelamin and Anwyn battled their way free of the enemy and retreated to Adinion. There Anwyn told Kelamin of the fears she had harbored, and he confessed that until that moment he didn't know what he would feel when he saw Vilrithia. He revealed to her his dark past, and she understood. They then laid together, and from their union was born a son, who would be the tool of their vengeance against a cruel mother and a wayward sister. He was called Quelanon.

These are the Gelvani Gods who are called the Nor’Valatha’Gelvani, or the Fourth Blood, for they were the fourth generation of Gelvani Gods, the children of the Third Blood.

THE FIFTH BLOOD

What more, when a Gelvani God bears a child with one of the Gelvani of the Sixth blood, the child inherits the power of the Gods, being of the Fifth Blood. When Kelamin would lay with Gelvani women of the Sixth Blood he would have two sons, Tolathar and Krothien. Tolathar was tall and strong, and a warrior devoted to the laws of battle. Krothien was short but stronger than any other Gelvani, but his heart was filled chaos and rage. One day these two Gods would take the place of their father.

__ is one of the Gelvani Gods who are called the Vel’Valatha’Gelvani, or the Fifth Blood, for they are the fifth generation of Gelvani Gods, the children of the Fourth Blood.

THE SIXTH BLOOD

Gelthena saw how her children were turning against one-another. She realized that they should not reside in Arvanis alone. They needed their own children to love and teach. Gelthena decided that no more Gods would be born. Instead she went to the Gods and with them she bore the Sel’Valatha’Gelvani, the Sixth Blood. They, unlike all her children before them, were not gods. They were eternal and gifted with great minds and potential, but they had not the powers of the divinities. She told the gods then that the Gelvani would worship them, and as such they should set the example for her newest children, and she hoped they would live in peace and unity unlike her godly children.

However, Gelthena did not know that in the Gelvani were the spirits of their paternal heritage. And though they were all very much like her, they could not resist this side of their beings. The Children of the Sixth Blood began to quarrel and found their differences to be too great to maintain peace and unity. They divided into four blood lines, based upon their parentage, known as the Nor’Valatha, or the Four Blood-Lines.

With Ilnysh Gelthena created the first Gelvani blood line, the Sylvana-Gelvani, who are tall and wild like their father. They inherited his love of the earth and formed an affinity with nature beyond that of any other Gelvani. They have never since sought to live in structures of stone, such as those Fey Kalyn built.

With Fey Kalyn Gelthena created the second Gelvani blood line, the Que-Gelvani, who are wise and cultured like their father. They inherited his love of art and music, and they built many beautiful dwellings in Arvanis to live in.

With Zarthandir, Gelthena created the third Gelvani blood line, the Grey-Gelvani, who are as keen minded as their father. They inherited his power over Shamora, magic, and he taught them to master all those forces beyond the measure of any other mortal race.

With Kelamin, Gelthena created the fourth Gelvani blood line, the Drey-Gelvani, who are tall and strong like their father. They inherited his skill at arms and his desire to make war.

These were the four Blood Lines of the Gelvani race. In the beginning there were few, but in time their numbers grew to tens of thousands. They lived as one people and the gods walked amongst them in the paradise of Arvanis.

THE FOLKIN

After the fall of the Duervan Empire, and when the Gnomes did not rise to populate the world, Naeja still hoped for a race that would love her world. Since the Duervar had been great and were born from the earth, Naeja bade Morin to create from the rich soils a man who would be the perfect father and would lead his family with wisdom. Naeja bade Reahnyn to grant the man the gift of life. And so was born the first Folkin man. He was a sturdy and handsome mortal; however, he needed a wife.
Naeja then bade Myrrha to create a woman who would be the perfect wife for this man and the perfect mother of his children. She must be a woman that would lead her family with love. Myrrha at this time was in love with the adventurous God Hanrael, son of Sheliak and Fey-Kalyn. Mrryha asked him to father a child through her, and so was born the first Folkin woman. She was a beautiful and loving woman, and the moment the man saw her and she him they fell in love. Naeja gave them all the world as a gift and told them her will was for them to populate it with many children. Hence the Folkin came to be.

The Folkin were given many characteristics. They inherited an understanding of agriculture from Morin so they would master the land. They inherited a sense of family and community from Myrrha, so they would live together and protect each other. Reahnyn made them passive so they would not wage war with each other, but through Myrrha’s love they were given great courage so they could defend their homelands. Naeja also gifted them with a sense of individuality to promote creativeness and diversity. She gave them curiosity in their youth so they would explore the world and populate it, but also gave them a sedentary nature in their latter lives so that once they found a home they would stay there. She made them naturally talented artisans and writers so they could record their histories and pass on their legacies. She even made them stalwart and stoic so they would live long lives and very rarely become ill. All of this she did, and thought it was good.
Naeja believed they would come to rule all of her world and live in harmony; however, this would not be. Instead they settled in the first places of vast farmable land they could find and built their homes there beneath the hills. They began a perfect civilization of peace and prosperity that only saw war when defending it from outside evils. Only in their youth did they wander the world, but always returned to their homeland to start their families. Hence, very few new civilizations arose. Naeja had forgotten to give them only one thing, ambition. For the Folk people have very little desire to become anything except fruitful members of their own communities. They almost never go to war, and only fight to defend their homes. When they die they are buried beneath the earth and their souls are returned to earth from which they are born, to nourish new life.

THE DUNEIMEN

After the fall of the Duervan Empire, Naeja sought to repopulate her world. She offered the world first to the Duervar and Gnomes, but they were content in their solitude. So, she created the Folkin, but, though they loved the world and explored much of it, they did not expand their civilizations. Naeja realized that all the races before had lands they called home. The Duervar had their mountains from which they were born, the Gelvani had their paradise of Arvanis, the Fey Folk dreamt always of Adinion and hoped to one day return there, and the Folkin had their rolling hills and farmlands. A race that would rule the world must also be a race that could call any land home. They should wish to own the world and shape it to their own vision. Such a race must have a great potential in many ways and a great ambition to use that potential. Naeja knew that she alone did not have the inspiration to create such a race, and so she went unto her children, the Gods, and put forth an ultimatum:

“Together you shall create a mortal race to rule my world, and to these people you shall each gift an aspect of yourselves so that they are a great and diverse kind. I will grant them the ambition to rule the world, but you shall guide them to greatness. However, if they do not come to rule the world then I know that all my endeavors have been flawed and I shall destroy you each and every thing and begin my creation anew.”

The Gods bowed to her will and though they feared for their own existence they also reveled in the knowledge that they would create such a great race and would be worshipped by those who would rule the world. So it was that the Gods began to discuss amongst themselves what such a people would be like. It was decided they would be as tall, strong, and stoic as any of the other Children of Naeja, and also as dexterous, intelligent, wise and they should too be as charismatic as any other. They would be a people of great skill and power and yet could be just as easily weak and foolish. To aid them, each of the Gods would give them a gift, an aspect of themselves. Thus it was that the new race would be great in all ways; Anger and Love, Instinct and Intellect, Wisdom and Wit, War and Peace, and sot too in all other attributes and passions.

Naeja was pleased with their conception and thus bade Magmodin to give them form. She then set them upon the Mortal World in a land made fertile and beautiful by Gelthena. Reahnyn gave the first of them life and Myrrha gave them the gift of love and the power of birth; thus, they went forth into this verdant land and populated its many forests, fields, hills and valleys. Here the human race, in the dawn of its existence, lived, gave birth and died.

Through the generations the Gods came to the race of men and took a hand in teaching them. Morin taught them to work the earth and Ilnysh taught them to tame the wild. Sheliak gave them the secret of fire, and Koril taught them the hidden lores of winter. In time an agrarian life led to the formation of a great civilization, called Imaru. Monuments and altars were built to the Gods and the first great temples of stone were constructed.

At first, mankind lived in relative peace. Naeja’s priests, the Druids, were given the power to choose from the great many tribes the one line of rulers to rule over all. That man was Patrius, who became King of Imaru. When he grew old, and knew that soon he would die, he chose his eldest son to succeed him. So it was that Araan became King of Imaru, and in time he too passed his crown on to his eldest son, Callin. Thus it was that for twelve generations the eldest sons of the Line of Patrius ruled the one and only human realm of Imaru. But then Kalrik and Torik, those gods born of war, brought their gifts to men.

THE END OF IMARU

Kalin, the 12th King of the Line of Patrius, was very old and had only one child, a daughter, Calla. It would have broken tradition to pass the crown to her and, though the druids told him it was Naeja’s will, he feared his daughter did not have the wisdom to rule. So it was that he decreed that whomever she married would become king and he called for suitors to come to his palace. From the many tribes, over two-dozen suitors came. King Kalin tested their strength, stamina, agility and intellect. Of those who had come he brought only six before his daughter.

The King had given his daughter the right to choose only one of these six men to be her husband and King. Kalin did not know, though, that she was very angry with him over his decree and when she learned that she could set the measure by which her spouse would be chosen she began plotting with the Druids a way to remain unmarried until her father passed. So it was that she already had planned a horrible task for each suitor. When she met her champions she commended their strength and stamina, she complimented them on their agility and Intellect, but then she challenged their courage and conviction. She told them each their task, and said that only those who passed her tests could continue wooing her. Five accepted the challenge and set out…

Prince Tajal, from the arid lands to the east, was dark skinned and grew a thickening black beard. The princess sent him into the desert beyond his lands to seek out the Eye of Ankut, a diamond that weighed so much it was said to have rooted in place the terrible lizard that had swallowed it. The power of the gem was to grant immortality to whoever possessed it. Legend said that the lizard which had swallowed it was a terrible monster. That its bite was deadly poison, its stomach acid ate the flesh of anything it touched, and its skin was hard as stone. Prince Tajal, though, who was known as a great hunter of the desert, knew the secret of this lizard. He fed it the carrion of a fire salamander, which gave the beast such heart burn that it regurgitated all it had eaten, including the gem.

Prince Thain, from the high lands to the north, was fair haired and tall. The princess sent him beyond his mountain forests into the wild lands to hunt the Red Deer, which of itself may not have been a great task, except that it was said that the Red Deer died every night in the maw of the only beast that could catch it, the Worg. The Worg, legend tells, had a voracious appetite but would never go hungry so long as the Red Deer was resurrected with each dawn. Thain was a great tracker, and so he followed the Worg and just before the great wolf took its kill, he shot the deer dead. Barely escaping the Worg with his life, he managed to circle back to take the Deer’s head as a trophy.

The two brothers Parnus and Gallius came together from the western shores of Imaru. Both fishermen by trade, they were the only suitors not from a ruling family to have gotten past the initial tests. They had once, when they were younger, seen the Princess and both men burned with a passion for her. Though small in stature, they were fast and keenly brilliant, but more so they were both incredibly handsome in their own ways. It was said that somewhere beyond the reefs a stream of silver in the bedrock occasionally kicked off a fleck that ended up in the mouth of a huge clam, where it became a rare and prized Silver Pearl. Calla sent them beyond the coastline to dive deep beneath the sea and bring her one of these incredibly rare Silver Pearls. Each brother found a Silver Pearl and returned with it as their prize.
Prince Ryu, from the low lands to the south, was tall and thin with dark hair and pale skin. It is said he was the most intelligent of the suitors and had been gifted extraordinary powers by the gods. Princess Calla gave him a riddle to solve, and told him that when he found the answer to bring her that thing. No one knows now the riddle or its answer, as the prince never returned from the unknown lands beyond the salt marshes that marked the southern border of Imaru.

The sixth suitor was Prince Ka’tuf, whose tribe lived along the great river that ran through the heart of Imaru. He was tall and handsome, with very dark skin and thin curly hair. The Princess gave him the task to swim beyond the mouth of the river and capture a living Sea Snake. These serpents are terribly poisonous and strike with blinding speed out of the darkness of the ocean. No one had ever been known to survive an encounter with one, at least not for long afterwards. However, Prince Ka’tuf refused the Princess’s task. He claimed it was foolishness to risk ones life to be wed to a woman he didn’t even know. So, the others laughed at him, and he stayed behind.

Four out of the five who had left returned victorious and Princess Calla had two more tasks remaining for them. Tajal and Thain were sent beyond the eastern desert, where myth told of a great land beyond the sea where giants lived. The land was called Lojar (or Lohar) because the continent is the great earth Titan himself, sleeping on the ocean floor. The Druids had told her that if one could find his ear and yell a question into it, then the earth would shake and if you listened closely you could hear his answer. He was very ancient and very wise, and so Princess Calla wanted them to ask the Titan a question for her. They set sail, intent on crossing the sea to the east and finding the cavern that was supposed to be the Titan’s ear. No one knows what became of the two princes, as they never returned from their quest. Legend says that they did get the answer, but were shipwrecked on their return voyage and died there. Supposedly the answer is scrawled on a wall in a cavern at sea, and would be an amazing epiphany for anyone who knew the question.

The Princess also gave the brothers Parnus and Gallius a task. In the mountains north of their coastal lands was a fiery cleft leading down into the depths of the earth. It was said that within that cleft lived a great black beast called the Dragon. This huge lizard had great wings, a long neck and tail, and could breathe fire upon its prey. It had destroyed many Duervan strongholds and collected mithril treasures for its horde. The princess wanted a token of mithril to show that they had not only found the lair but also taken a part of the horde and managed to escape with their lives. The brothers had heard this tale too, and so they set out. After many months of searching they finally found the crag, descended into its depths, and entered the Dragon’s horde deep under the earth. There they found the Dragon sleeping and so quietly as they could they stole a single mithril cup. While escaping, though, the Dragon awoke from its slumber, and set into pursuit. It caught them upon the cliff facing as the brothers were trying to climb to safety. They found a single cleft only wide enough for one person to fit into tightly. The Dragon was circling now, and began to douse the canyon walls with fire. Fearing for their lives the brothers began to fight over the hiding place. Parnus, overcome by the dragon’s fear, pushed his brother from the canyon wall, barely snatching the mithril cup from his hands before he fell to his death in the river of lava below. Parnus lived and escaped, but it had meant murdering his own brother.

Parnus returned victorious to Princess Calla, ready to claim her as his bride and become King of Imaru. However, while he and all the others had been off following her fool errands, wise Prince Ka’tuf had stayed with her in her palace and had been wooing her the entire time. He had sung to her, painted her portrait and recited poetry to her. Over the years it had taken for the various princes to perform her tasks she had fallen in love with the one prince who had refused her. So, while Parnus was killing his brother for her hand in marriage, she had been giving it to Prince Ka’tuf.

Parnus was enraged, but he was no Prince. He could think of no way to change the King’s mind. He had no wealth save the Mithril Cup that had cost him so much and he had no lordly father to command the King’s attention. He had been a fisherman, and now he was nothing but a murderer and thief, all for the love of a foolish woman. Hatred and avarice filled his heart and he set out to speak with the Eldest Fathers of all the tribes. When they learned that their own sons had lost their lives in vain following the fool commands of a woman who, by the admission of her own father, was not even fit to be queen, they became enraged.

Kalrik and Torik heard their calls for vengeance as the lords turned to their people and filled their hearts with blood lust, giving them the gifts of battle and rage. They convinced them to put down their picks and pitchforks, poles and axes, and instead taught them to forge weapons of iron and bronze. Mankind took up the spear and battle-axe and turned their fertile fields into killing grounds. The once pristine rivers ran with blood, battle became war and the realm burned. Human kind was forced to flee the crumbling ruins of its first and greatest civilization. Never again would man live in peace since the end of Imaru.

Despite the influence of Reahnyn, the Duneimen have been doomed to eternal war ever since. As Naeja willed it, in their nature was the will to rule the world. Thus it was inevitable that they would kill for dominion over their realm.

So it was that Naeja’s beloved race spread into untamed lands. They found themselves in a world much harsher than that they had known before, and soon the fight for survival replaced any other discontent. Man descended into tribes and clans, and migrated with the seasons, hunting into the farthest reaches of the land. From Koryl and Zoraug they learned to survive in the harshest of climates and they settled anywhere they could sustain themselves. They even learned to build crafts to travel the rivers and seas. Through the ages to follow they passed their resilience and knowledge from generation to generation, but also they passed their will to rule. Mankind would continue to wage war amongst themselves and with other races they encountered across the lands of Naeja. Over the course of some ten thousand years humans came to populate all the continents of the world.

BORN OF WAR

Though the Titans had mostly been defeated and their giant children were few in number, the world was still theirs to wander freely. Neither Fey nor Folkin stood in their way, and the Duervar kept to their mountain homes. In time, though the Human race began to spread over the world. The Titans that remained were soon competing with them for the same resources and thus they slew them as they could, razing any civilizations they could find. However, the humans grew in number and took dominion of more and more land with each passing century, until finally the Giants were greatly outnumbered. Humans were primitive and their weapons simple, but their numbers and unity made them a true threat to be fearful of.
It was then that Vornakar tried to form an army of Titans and Giants to slay their enemy, but the other remaining Titans wouldn’t get involved, remembering his failure in their last war. Only Asheba joined his battle, for she despised humans as much as he. Ashamed of his defeat, Vornakar turned to the Nameless One, giving his service to the Corrupter in exchange for the power to crush his enemies. The Corrupter, as often was the case, told him to bear new young for the war to come. The Titan of War laid with Asheba and from their union were born five Corrupted Lesser Titans; Oraknush the Unbroken , Kurmerak the Bloody , Liandric the Mother, and Urntuus of the Dead. Oraknush, first born and strongest of the siblings, beat his brother Kurmerak in a fight and took dominion over the others. Liandric then laid with Oraknush and bore him two sons Balghrith and Falghrith. As children the two boys fought often and Balghrith, easily angered and incredibly strong, killed his brother. So it was that Oraknush again laid with Liandric and she bore him two more sons, Garnak and Ballagar.
Now Kurmerak grew jealous of Oraknush’s offspring and so he took Liandric and she bore him a Son, Tarkov, and a Daughter, Volgra. He envied the sons that Oraknush had, though, and so he took Liandricagain and this time she bore him twin daughters, Ulgra and Magra. Disgusted, he had the girls thrown to wolves to be eaten. He did not know, though, that the girls killed the wolves and were then rescued by Liandric who swore vengeance upon Kurmerak.
Oraknush didn’t care about Liandric, but he wouldn’t take such an insult from Kurmerak, so he took Volgra and she bore him a son, Belgrak and a daughter Nuulgra. Blaming Kurmerak’s blood for begetting a daughter he went back to Liandric and she bore him two more sons, Gishnak and Valak.
Not wanting to be outdone, Kurmerak took Oraknush’ daughter, Nuulgra, and she bore him a son, Ildrigox, and a daughter, Zargra. Ashamed that he produced so few sons, Kurmerak chose not to bear any more children.
Angry at having no say in the matter before now, Liandric chose her next mate, Urntuus, and she bore him two sons, Gamorgh and Vargath. Urntuus taught his sons the secret lores of death and the power of undeath.
Following Liandric’s lead, Magra chose Balghrith as her mate, and bore him two sons, Barakath and Varaketh; and Ulgra chose Garnak as her mate, bearing him a son, Vaygrik, and a daughter, Igna. Valak then lay with Zargra and she bore him two children; a son, Gorkaal, and a daughter, Agra. Thus it was that the blood lines of Oraknush and Kurmerak mingled.
Vornakar saw that his numbers were growing, but not fast enough. The corrupter told him to have his youngest descendents mate and bear children, and they would be as the humans, small, but ferocious and great in number. So it was that their offspring were a fierce race of warriors who matured quickly and were eager for battle. Thus were born the Orcs, and they spread in vast numbers.
The Orcs chose the darkness of the forests as their dwellings, using the ancient woods to hide them from the light of Sheliak and build their armies. The strongest amongst them quickly came to rule, and those that would not swear fealty to another formed their own clans. These clans began to battle one another, and thus they became a people of war.
It was in this time that Kurmerak began to plot to usurp Oraknush’s place and take Dominion of their people. Kurmerak convinced Urntuus, Shargass and Gamorgh to rise against Oraknush. However, Liandric told Gamorgh to betray them and before the assassination could take place, Gamorgh warned Oraknush of what was coming. Oraknush awaited Urntuus and when the other Titan tried to slay him, Balghrith appeared. Together, Oraknush and Balghrith slew Urntuus. Gamorgh killed his brother Vargath, and using the secret lore taught by their father, he stole his brother’s powers. In reward for his fealty, Oraknush granted Gamorgh the right to take Urntuus’ power as well, and thus he became the Orc Lord of Death, Darkness and the Undead. Many times after this Kurmerak plotted to overthrow Oraknush, but with Balghrith at his side, the Orc Lord was just too powerful to defeat.
In time, though, Vornakar united the Orcs and his army marched upon the civilizations of Humans and Duervar. The Duervar held their own for some time, but the humans were faltering under the power of the orcs. The Duervar knew, though, that the orcs would continue to rise in new generations and eventually, when the humans were gone, they would be overwhelmed. So it was that the Duervar made allegiances with the Humans and gave them the secret of steel. Now armed for war and united in a common cause, the Children of Naeja came in force against the Orcs and the Titan of War. They drove them back to the darkness of their forests.
For over a thousand years the Orcs continued to rise and fall, always driven back to the deep woods. The Orc clans grew restless and warred amongst themselves once again, as did the Orc Lords, and to the world beyond they were no longer a threat.

THE FIRST KINGDOMS OF MAN

After the fall of Imaru, the first great realm of man, the human race spread over the world. Eventually they did not know their own brethren when they again met them, and this often led to war. Many civilizations tried to rise to power, but they too fell. With their ruin, many realms were forgotten, and so too were the gods they once worshipped. The Northern Kingdoms, those that had joined with the Duervar to battle the Orcs, had been mostly decimated by the long war. To the south, though, one kingdom arose from the shifting sands, unchallenged by orcs, they came to dominate the other races of man around them and grew into the greatest civilization since the Duervan Empire. This realm was Kal-Kamora.

THE KAMORAN PANTHEON

When his mother did not arise from the depths of the sea Ahamad dove in after her. He found Arokie and the chariot and so they fought long and hard. . The fangs of the serpent queen sunk deep into Ahamad’s brazened body, and flooded his veins with its divine venom. The sun god, though, would not be so easily defeated, and despite the venom’s power he fought on. He accepted her bite in his left arm, and using his great Khopesh he split her belly open. From her womb poured forth thousands of great serpents that dispersed into the sea. While she writhed in agony, he quickly retrieved the great Chariot and burst from the ocean. Ahamad mounted the chariot, but saw then that the Orb had been extinguished. He drove his horses hard into the desert, to the place where his mother had fallen. There he found the blackened earth where she had fallen. He knelt upon the burnt ground and looking up into the west he saw another brilliant light rising into the sky far in the distance. It was the phoenix. He knew then that his mother was dead and her immortal spirit was rising to Anaruman.

The spirit of the goddess Amal passed on to the Gardens of Imaru, but the soul of the goddess was too great to traverse to the land of the dead. Instead it became the great Phoenix, who could never truly be killed. If it died it would only rise again from its own ashes. It traversed the world burning fields and causing great havoc, but as it was the soul of their greatest goddess the people revered it.

Ishobel then appeared and demanded the chariot for her ride in the underworld. He had to obey the laws of Anuk and so she took the Chariot and drove it beneath the western horizon.
Ahamad collapsed into the sands, the venom finally draining his strength. He laid there, in the darkness, the blood of Morda forming a great river passing before him. A people then came upon him, a mortal race who were tall, dark and handsome. They lifted him and took him to a temple. There he saw statues of Isati, and even shrines to himself and his sister Ishobel. They were worshipers, though before now he had never considered these mortal people. There they tended his injuries and through ancient knowledge of medicines and by channeling the divine power of Isati they drew the venom from him and cured his wounds. When he was healed, he thanked these people and told them that from then on they would be a blessed people, and he would look after them always.

Then Ishobel appeared on the Eastern horizon, but she did not cross the border and so he took the Chariot again. But, the Orb was extinguished and so he prayed to Anuk to reignite the Orb, and so it was that the flame returned, bearing light and life to the world once again. He drove it again into the sky, returning once again to his first great duty. He did not, though, forget about the people who had healed him. Thus it was that Ahamad now took supreme reign over the sky and sun and became known as Ahad-Amal.

It was in this time that Isati came to Ahad-Amal and bore him three children: Horaptuh, Sata, and Salix.

Ahad-Amal sent his children to the people who had saved him, to grant them knowledge previously reserved for the gods.

Horaptuh is a tall and noble man fascinated with knowledge, philosophy and magic who would seek the most intelligent of the mortals to mentor. Sata is a great warrior who would seek to bring order to the mortal armies and raise individuals to the positions of unquestioned rulers. Salix is a young and beautiful woman who would seek to bring wisdom to the rulers of men and teach them the law of truth.

Thus these gods came to reside amongst those people who wandered the rim of the desert of Vas-Meknor, where Amal had perished, and lived along the shores of the River Kamor, that flowed through the desert’s heart and was said to be the blood of Morda from where Amal had wounded him. These were the Kamorans. The Kamorans were a handsome and powerful people that appeared much like the gods. They were tall and lanky with very dark skin. There were many gifted by Isati amongst them, and they worshiped her.

Sata, Salix and Horaptuh taught the Kamorans of Anuk and Atep, Amal and Morda. They began to worship Ahad-Amal and feared Ishobel. They worshiped the gods and built great structures of stone to honor them.

The Kamorans eventually built a great empire called Kal-Kamora, devoted to serving Ahad-Amal. Sata chose those great warriors amongst them to rule, and Salix taught them wisdom. Horaptuh taught them the secrets of the universe and they learned to master the patterns of the stars to wield magics before unknown to human kind.

Ahad-Amal created an Eternal Realm for the Kamorans who worshipped him and the other gods called Anaruman, where the spirit must travel through the twelve chambers of the Temple of Anuk. Those souls not ready to pass on are returned to the world to be reincarnated, but those found to be worthy ascend into the Garden of Imaru, an Eternal Realm of beauty where they would live in an eternity of prosperity and pleasure. However, if the spirit has broken too many laws or violated any of the supreme laws of Anuk then it is cast down into the pits and caverns of Acropep, where the spirit suffers for all eternity by the hand of Ishobel. Anuk assigned Ishobel the dark task of torturing the damned. However she is also the goddess of chaos, war and vengeance. It is said that she outlets her rage at her own pathetic life into the spirits of mortals, tempting them to war and murder. She encourages them to violate laws so they will come to her when they die.

The Kamorans developed a rigid social structure where one-person rules, called the Khanus. To these Khani Ahad-Amal granted great powers, and Isati gave them the divine destiny to rule. When they died they were allowed to surpass the twelve chambers of Anaruman. Instead they boarded the barge of the Khani and traversed the River of Fate to the Gardens of Imaru.
Thus were the Kamorans, who worshipped the creator gods in their own way. The empire of Kal-Kamora would eventually grow to touch every corner of the world before it was destroyed by the very laws of the universe that the gods preached to their followers. Only a few survived, and still live today.

THE OUTCAST GELVANI

In Arvanis the Gelvani of the Sixth Blood had lived amongst each other for many untold millenia but it was not entirely in peace. Being willful they often clashed for reasons inexplicable to Gelthena. Their fathers, though, well understood. Though Fey Kalyn and Kelamin had called a truce, in time they began to contend for control of the very people Gelthena meant to give them cause for peace. The Que-Gelvani and Drey-Gelvani eventually came to arms over it. The Grey-Gelvani saw the foolishness of their brethren and tried to assert dominion over them. Their Shamoran skills were greatest and in their pride they considered themselves better than all others of their kind. The Sylvana-Gelvani fled the fighting; retreating into forests far from the battles, but eventually the war came to them. To defend their homes they turned on any who violated their borders. Thus began the U’Valatha’Khan, the First Blood War. Because the Gelvani of the Sixth Blood were immortal in Arvanis, they could not die in these wars and there was constant and terrible stryfe.
Gelthena grew angry at this mindless war and commanded the Gods to put an end to the battle, but even in trying to find a way to bring peace more vice was forged. The Gods themselves turned on each other, defending their own descendants against the accusations of their brethren. The battle raged on unceasing and only grew in violence.
Gelthena then sent forth Reahnyn and Aralyn to bring peace to Arvanis. They came amongst the families first, preaching of Gelthena’s commands and how the war was unholy and brought darkness to their paradise. In time their word spread and many put down their weapons. It seemed the war may end, but, to spite Gelthena, Vilrithia came amongst them in disguise, and began spreading her lies. The foolish Sixth Blood believed her and the war was rekindled.
Gelthena finally took action herself. She called the gods before her and threatened to cast them out of Arvanis if they did not cease their battling. Yet, even this threat seemed to hold no sway over the warring brethren.
Thus Gelthena rose over the Sixth Blood and covered the skies with dark clouds and lightning. She shattered their weapons and threw them to the ground. Her voice resonated over the land and she proclaimed them banished. She cast them out of Arvanis and exiled them to a single island upon a dark sea in the Mortal Realm.
Gelthena sealed their fate with a final rote, “The Gelvani of the Sixth Blood will not return to the Paradise of Arvanis until they have found peace and for once and finally united the Four Blood Lines.”
So it was that the Gelvani were exiled from Arvanis, but this is not the end of their fall from grace. Once upon the Mortal World the Gelvani tried to form a society that would foster peace. Vas-Morda, the Great Oceanic Sea, was a terrible place and the monstrous children of Silrithia and the cruel creatures created by Brynlynia would often come ashore and terrorize them. Thus it was that the Drey-Gelvani were given the task of defending the land. The Que-Gelvani were put to building dwellings of beauty and art, and filling their world with music and splendor. The Sylvana-Gelvani accepted the duty of gathering food and protecting them from the wild animals that wandered the forests. The Grey-Gelvani put themselves to using their magic to make life upon this world bearable, creating wonders rarely seen again. The Grey-Gelvani also created wondrous flying towers to explore the mortal world, and the other races built long elegant boats to sail the seas in search of other lands.

THE DUERVAN KINGDOM OF OSIDAN

After the Age of Ice great glaciers still covered much of the world. The great oceans were low and the lands were broad and low. At the heart of the sea Vas-Morda lay a continent of mountains that rose as one great strand of land out of the low sea. The mountains were volatile, and often spewed ash, fire, lava and terrible smogs. Though the low shoresides of this continent were fertile, the constant erruptions of these mountains made them mostly uninhabitable. They were ruled by giants of fire and seas. Then came a great clan of Duervar, who were delved deep into the earth beneath the seas and came upon the vast volcanic heart of this range. They prayed to Osidian, that great god of fire, and he gave them the knowledge and power to resist and somewhat control the mighty forces of the lava. They built for themselves a great kingdom beneath these mountains and as they came closer to the surface they battled the Fire Giants for control. They defeated their foe, driving them to the far reaches of the world and they took control of the continent. This became the great Kingdom of Osidan. The Sea Giants that ruled the shores, though, would not suffer their kin to be thrown down and so they waged war against the duervar. They brought waves and storms against the feet of the mountains and off the two races battled amidst rolling tides and volcanic magma flows. The Duervar soon realized they would soon lose and so chose a drastic measure. They prayed to Osidan and he taught them the greatest lore he had long kept secret, the power to erupt the mountains. Mighty runes and powerful stones were constructed, and the magma grew in force, shaking the earth. When the Sea Giants next came in their great waves the Priests of Osidan called upon the forces of the volcanoes, and they erupted in one great sweep. The skies were lit across the world, black smoke filled the heavens and lava flowed over the continent and down into the sea. As it struck the massive waves of water, great spires of hardened lava formed, encasing the Sea Giants in basalt pillars. So it is that the Sea Giants' great armies were defeated by the Kingdom of Osidan.

THE GREAT OCEANIC BARRIER

But, the force of the eruption was beyond Duervan reckoning, for it shattered their continent. The land crumbled into the sea, the mountains collapsing the waves. The heat was so intense that it melted great swaths of the glaciers in the north and south, bringing huge torrents of ice water down in massive surges across the world. So it was that the Duervan Kingdom of Osidan was submerged and forever lost. However, its greatest mountains still rise above the sea level, and the massive magma flows still erupt beneath the sea uncontrollably. This has created a great rift across the ocean floor, and the waters boil and churn forever here. The volcanoes erupt above spewing ash and smoke into the air. Lava constantly flows into the ocean, forming temporary islands which then erupt and crumble away. From the far north where the last of the great glacier remains to the far south, this rift creates a massive storm beyond any mortal or divine power. It is called The Great Oceanic Barrier, and since its formation no ship has ever survived approaching it, much the less finding any passage around it. So it is that whatever lands lay to the far west are forever lost the realms of the east.

[The_Sundering_of_?????]

THE SUNDERING OF ?????, THE ELVEN ISLAND

After only a few millenia upon this world the Drey’Gelvani began to question the position of power the Grey’Gelvani had taken. Bitter arguments arose in the meeting halls and tension built. All feared that war would break out again. Thus it was that the Queleshan, the great masters of magic who were mostly Que’Gelvani and Grey’Gelvani, devised a means to return the Gelvani, island and all, to Arvanis. A powerful spell, it was, that would shift their island realm through the Veil and back to Arvanis. If the Gelvani could unite in such a way as to make this incredible feat possible, they reasoned, then Gelthena that must accept them back.
The Drey’Gelvani, though, knew too often how Quel’Shamora, High Magic, could go terribly awry. They threatened violence if the Queleshan attempted this powerful dwoemer, but the Grey’Gelvani would not listen to their fears. In the years leading up to this fateful moment, the Drey’Gelvani had begun building great sea vessels, fearing what may happen to their island. The Sylvana’Gelvani had already begun fleeing the island, seeking lands beyond their haven.
Only days before the set time of the casting war broke out on the island. The Drey’Gelvani marched upon the great tower of Quel’Shamora, battling their brethren along the way. They demanded that the Queleshan give up their attempt or they would die trying. The Queleshan, fearful that their warrior brethren might interrupt the casting chose instead to proceed ahead of schedule. All the Queleshan that could be found were united and the cooperative casting began. The Drey’Gelvani, though, knew what was coming and they managed to fight their way through the defenses of the tower and interrupt the casting at a key moment. The Queleshan did not have the numbers to maintain the spell, and they lost control of the powerful dwoemer, wrecking havoc upon their island. Fissures opened between the island and the Eternal Realms, causing the island to begin to break apart. A great earthquake foretold certain doom, as crevices swallowed entire towers whole and the mountain let out a great plume of black ash. The Gelvani scrambled to save themselves. The Drey’Gelvani boarded their boats and sailed away as quickly as possible. The Grey’Gelvani gathered their numbers in the great flying towers and crossed the sea. The Que’Gelvani tried to save as many as their numbers as they could, relying upon the sea vessels they had built and what magic they had to transport everyone away. The Sylvana’Gelvani, save a few small numbers, had already fled the island.

Gelvani and Death
She gave them a chance of redemption.

Other notes:
Kelamin+Mortal Woman=Tolathar
Kelamin’s proxies: Tolathar, Tiercelis, Crothien,
Kalthanan
Tolathar+A’la’rus=Baelshyn
Kelamin killed Fey Kalyn
Gelthena gave Kelamin’s power to Tiercelis
Gellawyn took Fey Kalyn’s Place
Vilrithia killed Aralyn
Kelamin brought back Aralyn but was weakened
Tiercelis killed Kelamin, took his place
Tolathar and Crothien took Kelamin’s place
Tiercelis and Gellawyn killed Vilrithia

The Gelvani were cast out about 5,000 years ago. Rona began 1300 years ago; that means I have to account for 3,700 years of history. Humans would have gotten Steel about 6000 years ago.


++THE SALTING OF THE SEAS
Now, to the east of the great continents is another great sea, one now known to be vast and unbroken by lands. However, in these ages it is said that many small island chains spread across these waters. One such land was the Duervan Kingdom of Salt. This long island held a great wealth of salts beneath its surface and the Duervar who mined it carved massive chambers within the salt. Their realm was said to be a thing of great beauty and they claimed to have known all the secrets of Salt. So precious and rare was it to them that it had been, at one time, been a form of currency to the Duervan Empire. When the Kingdom of Osidan erupted and the ice caps melted, though, the oceans rose. Islands were quickly submerged and lost, and so too was the Kingdom of Salt. It is said that in its final destruction its great vaults burst open and the salt of the earth flooded out into the seas, turning them to brine. Thus it was that the great seas were salted.

THE U’OROG’KHAN

It was in this time that the darkness of the Orc homelands was invaded. The Gelvani, cast from Arvanis, and fleeing the destruction of their sanctuary, arrived upon the shores of Verosia and chose to settle in the forested realms that resembled their divine homeland. They knew nothing of the Orcs and their wars before now, and saw them as no more than a monstrous race corrupting the forests of the Mortal World. They waged war to drive the Orcs from the ancient woodland realms, beginning the U’Orog’Khan (First Orc War).
The Gelvani heroes were more powerful than any foes the Orc Lords had faced before, and the Orcs were driven to the edges of their lands. One Gelvani warrior in particular became of great renown, Faeladryn, whose mighty blade of Quel’Shamoran make struck fear in the hearts of all Orcs who looked upon it. There was also Eliasyr Korilanmor, a powerful Queleshan whose arcane powers were devastating to the Orc Lords. Together they slew many of the Orc Lords; Vaygrik and Varakath, Ildrigox and Gishnak, and even some Titans such as Garnok and Tarkov.

THE FALL OF VORNIKAR

Vornikar stood strong against this new enemy, and commanded that the orcs and their forefathers would fight to the last. For a time it seemed the battle would go on forever. The orcs seemed endless in numbers and the Gelvani nearly impossible to defeat.
As Magmodin watched this battle unfold, he took it upon himself to aid the children of his sister. He ordered Balderak to forge a set of adamant chains, and he gave them to Gelthena, telling her that they must be used to bind Vornikar’s soul so it could not return to his body, and hence rise again. Then the Duervar, at their gods’ commands, set out from their mountain homes in great numbers and entered the dark forests of the orcs. They joined forces with the Gelvani and together decimated the Orcish armies.
The Orc Lords, now seeing the Duervar arrive, knew they were out matched and at the hour of their greatest battle yet, they deserted Vornikar. Led by Gaanush they fled for the icy forests of the north.
Alone Vornikar stood against the Gelvani and Duervar and was overwhelmed, but he still could not be slain. Many of the Gelvani fell that day, learning the harsh truth of death. Finally, Kelamin, the Gelvani War God defied Gelthena and came in force upon the Mortal World to defend his children. The Titan and the God battled, and finally Kelamin smote Vornikar. He left the Titan’s body to return to the earth and his blood to return to the waters, from which he was born. Vornikar’s soul, though, did not return to the elemental realms, but instead descended into an eternal realm of fire and brimstone, a realm created to imprison his corrupted soul. Here Vornikar found Magmodin and his children awaiting him. They bound him with the adamant chains, so that he could not return when the time of his Eternal Slumber had passed.
The Titan of War had fallen, but even as he died, a prophecy was being etched upon a wall in the heart of a dark and distant forest, foretelling his return:

“Gone is the Great Lord, bound by adamant chains in the flames of Malvarzuth. But Lo! A new destiny awaits the Children of War, when in the night of day the God of Bones battles the Shield God over the Lake of Blood in the Land of the First Father, so will our Great Lord rise again!”

The Orcs that survived this battle fled their homeland, washing over the northern Duneimen realms in vast numbers, slaying and burning as they went. Only the Duervar remember some of the ancient cultures that were lost in those times. The Orcish clans took hold in the icy woodlands, and the last of the Orc Lords became their walking gods, ruling from amongst them.
The Gelvani, having won this war and freed the forest of the Orc blight, claimed all of this great forest, and named it Gelvanmyr, forest of the Gelvani.

The Eternal Slumber: When a Titan is killed its body becomes part of the environment, and its soul returns to the elemental realms. It is not dead forever though, it can be reawakened by a Titan of greater power or by the presence of a god within 100 miles of its resting place. For this reason, Naeja commands that the gods no longer act directly upon the world. If the Titans awaken now they will easily destroy the human civilization, and she has come to love that race. She wants the humans to rule the world. Hence the gods now work through the humans and their other children, fearing to tread upon the earth, should they awaken the titans. Thus priests are their eyes, ears, and hands upon the world.

THE HOBGOBLINS AND GOBLINS

The Orcs destroyed many the human kingdoms of the north, but there were some great cultures that struggled to survive.

The Zoratain were a people similar to the Azuratans in culture. Worshipers of Kalrik, they were masters of war, but were also shamanistic barbarians, finding power in revering animals and nature spirits. They dominated the lands stretching north of the Cauldera, a massive sea filled crater. As the orcs moved into their lands, though, they were overwhelmed. They fought longer and harder than most Duneimen, holding their own for centuries. However, the Orcs continued to grow in strength as their gods walked amongst them. The Zoratain men and women alike fought, leaving no time for rearing children, and thus they began to dwindle in number. There were those amongst them that began to fear their defeat, and cowardice was worthy only of death and dishonor.

As their lands were slowly taken from the Zoratain began to seek power from the spirits, but the Shamans could do little for them. It was in this time that Aibhistear, the Corrupter, came to them. They asked him for power, to be free of cowardice and weakness, to be great in strength and skill in battle. He promised them all these things, and gave them a ritual to perform that would grant their desires. At the end of their next battle, they were to drink the blood of those of their own who had fallen, praying to Aibhistear for strength and asking him cast out weakness. So it was that when next they fought they recovered their dead and performed this great and horrific ritual. That night, as they slept, a shadow fell over their villages. It is said that the orcs could hear the cries of agony from miles away. The next morning the Zoratain were no more. They had instead become ferocious creatures, with fur and sharp fangs, masters of war fare and skilled in forging fine weapons of steel and armor alike. All of the traits they had despised, fear, cowardice, weakness, had been cast out of them. These characteristics had taken physical form, though, as short stocky grey and green skinned creatures that frightened easily and cowered in subservience to the greater of their kind. These weak and cowardly creatures were called the Gablein, which in their old tongue means “the weak”. The great warrior like race was thus called Habgablein, or “those without weakness”. In ages past their names would be twisted by other races to Goblins and Hobgoblins.

The Hobgoblins at first thought to kill off the Goblins, but realized that they had none of the knowledge to perform simple domestic tasks. They could not make clothing, they did not remember how to cook, they couldn’t even remember how to find food on their own. The Goblins had inherited all of these skills that were considered “useless” for battle. Thus it was that the Hobgoblins enslaved the Goblins and to this day are served by their lesser halves.

Through the millennia that have passed many Goblins have escaped and formed their own cultures. Some even are brave enough to ambush larger races or try to sneak into farms and villages to plunder by night. However, Goblins have always been a cowardly lot ready to run in fear if overpowered. The Hobgoblins drove the Orcs back from their lands and formed a great kingdom along the Cauldera, but to this day they still require slaves to perform rudimentary tasks.

GODS OF WAR

As it has been said, Kalrik and Torik, those Gods of War, answered the call for blood and led the Duneimen into a terrible conflict that destroyed their realm of Imaru. They taught them how to forge weapons and wage war. Thus began the killing of men by men, and never again would man be free from this curse.

Though in Kal-Kamora Ahad-Amal was greatest in power, amongst the Duneimen clans that were spread far and wide over Verosia, the gods most worshipped were Kalrik and Torik. These gods of war overthrew lesser gods in the lands in which they held domain. Both set about battling Titans and Giants, Ogres and Orcs, or whatever monstrosity rose to face them. The worshiping of animals and spirits fell secondary to the worship of the war-kings.

In the southern and western lands of Verosia the worshipers of Torik would arise and hold dominion for over thousands of years. From the great moutains to the rocky coasts the kingdoms of his worshipers grew. Even spreading west, to the islands of the sea, and east, along the shores of the Sylvarin. It was there that his greatest realms rose to power, in the people who would be called the Moarik.

In the north and east of Verosia, the worshipers of Kalrik spread and quickly populated those lands both far and wide. Small kingdoms rose and fell, but most warred amongst each other, and were thus never knew great prosperity. Some clans spread even further east, crossing over to the continent called Lohar. They would become the Skarrells, which the Duervar said means "wandering warriors".

After the fall of Vornikar, when the Orcs fled the forests, it was the northern realms, worshipers of Karlik, that suffered the most. The orcs were far greater in number, and were ferocious. They were as well armed and armored as the dueravar but were vicious marauders. They were seasoned in war, having battled so long against the Gelvani. Many of the duneimen clans of the north were destroyed, their names now long forgotten. Some fell into corruption, such as the Zoratain, while others hid amongst the mountains and survived to this day, such as the Azuratans. Only those who had gone east remained.

THE GOD ANUK

From the time of Imaru it was taught that there was always one great being who created all others. This was Anuk, and though most believed him to only have created the universe and set it into motion, there was ever a faction that believed he was the only and only true god and that to worship any but he was pointless and folly. For, what point is there in worshiping the creation of a the great creator? The greatest proponent of this faith was the Prophet Alwerto. He and his followers had fled Imaru in its destruction and took with them ancient scrolls that taught of this faith. They had gone east, settling into the broken lands, where green valleys weaved amongst the barren mountains. It was believed that here the titan Anvurgar had met his fate at the hands of the Duervan gods, and lay beneath the earth, his breath erupting in smoke and ash. The land was rich, though volatile, but for a time it kept away the warring clans. The worshipers of Anuk made great use of the wondrous caves that rittled the land, and carved temples of basalt and obsidian amidst the mountains. For thousands of years their culture grew and they became a people, calling themselves the Aribani. Their land was rich in grains and precious gems, and they soon knew wealth. It was this fortune that was thei downfall, for it inspired avarice in the hearts of the Kal-Kamoran Khani. The Kal-Kamorans invaded, enslaving these people. It wasn't long, though, before rebellion came, and then another, all inspired by faith in the one god. Finally, one Khani decided it was time to end this, and so he ordered the destruction of all their great temples, the burning of their scrolls, and death to their priests. Still, though, the Aribanites continued to praise their god, and sang to him to send salvation. So, in desperation, the Khani ordered that all elderly of their race be put to death, and the young be made to learn the Kamoran religion. So it was that in a single generation their religion faltered, and was forgotten. The Kamorans renamed this land as Ara-Gandai, and its people the Gannia or, as they would come to be known later, the Ganniards.

The Aribani had mingled with the Kamorans over many centuries, and thus the Ganniards were much different than their ancient kin. Much of their ancient culture was also lost and so began a time when the Ganniards began to define a new culture. Then, suddenly, in facing a time of great war, the Kamorans withdrew their vast armies from this land, having no fear of revolt from this people so fully oppressed. What the Kamorans did not know was that their empire would soon end in a violent storm, thereby leaving the Ganniards to their own means.

[The_Moarvik_Pantheon The Moarvik Pantheon]
[The_Parthan_Pantheon The Parthan Pantheon]
[The_Fall_of_Anuk The Fall of Anuk]

THE MOARVIK PANTHEON

THE PARTHAN PANTHEON

At the same time that the empire of Kal-Kamora was rising to power another people were beginning their own civilization in the land beyond the rocky mountains to the southwest of Vas-Meknor. There laid a rough yet temperate land bordering the blue waters of Vas-Morda. Beyond that peninsula laid many islands and on all this land resided a simple culture of humans who fished the seas, farmed the land, and attempted to master the animals that lived amongst them. These were the various peoples who would collectively be called the Parthans. The Parthans had just started to form their own society and seeking knowledge beyond what they had previously known. Many lesser gods had come to them, and the Parthans easily fell into worshipping them. These were the Patron Deities of the City States.
While Horaptuh and Sata held a great deal of Influence over the Kamorans, Salix found little of that race interested in her teachings. So it was that she went to the Parthans and found amongst them some who would understand her teachings of wisdom and reason. They became known as the Philosophers and under her guidance formed a civilization ruled by intellectuals. They built a city around her coastal temple and named it Sartha, after the goddess. Her son, Chionanthus, from her brother Horaptuh, also came to be worshipped by the Parthans. He brought the knowledge of the written word and taught the people to keep a history and build great library. Salix promised those who spent their life in devotion to wisdom and philosophy a peaceful afterlife in a realm she called Paradisia Eterni. However, they also learned of Ishobel and the promise of a cursed afterlife in the underworld of Acropep for those who lived wicked lives.
In times the teaching of these gods would spread to other Parthans who were beginning their own cities across the peninsula and upon the many islands south and west of these lands.

[The Fall of the Parthan Gods
[Memnos
[Thamor
[The Destruction of Kamora
[The Mikanians
[Kalrik and Thamor
[The New Parthan Order
[Torvik and Memnos
[The Ronan Church
[Thamor and Memnos
[Zantismal "The God Slayer"
[The Chosen of Thamor
[Gamorgh attacks Arvanis
[The Valiant Few Tiercellis, Gellawyn, Kalthanan, Orestius
[The Seven Prophecies
[The Valatha Kahn
[Kelamin's Rebellion
[War in Arvanis
[Vilrithia's Fall
[Memnos's Return to Power
[The Great War
[The Divine Prince
[The Church Divided
[The Holy Kingdom of Sora
[The Return of Ahad-Amal
[The Rise of Nalghivorn
[The Age of Darkness

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