Difference between revisions of "Godstime"

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The three gods of the elements struggled to control their realms against the chaos brought on by Death. Baliol battled great hurricanes, typhoons, and tidal waves that attempted to tear the very soul from the sea. On the earth, great quakes and volcanoes shook the ground deep into the realm of Hastur. Even the airy domain of Blacklock swirled with great tornadoes and whirlwinds. Far above the highest clouds, the goddesses of the heavens also felt the chaos. Melandrea, the Sun, oftentimes went black during the heat of the day. Comets and meteors filled the darkness of the night, the realm of Karelia, Goddess of the Stars. Oakentree saw that all good must be balanced by evil, all law by chaos, and all life by death. He reveled in the life of Summer and mourned the death of Winter. And so the epochs passed. The primitive races evolved slowly, inconsequential and insignificant. The Elder Gods were unchallenged, supreme.
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== The Elder Gods ==
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[[File:oakentree.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Oakentree, God of Nature]]
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Every culture has its own myths and legends about the [[In The Beginning|creation of the Realm]]. As cultures mix and stories get passed from generation to generation these stories transform. New deities come forward, and old ones are discarded.
  
Seasons came and went, great storms raged and died, the earth shook and then rested, and through all of this the Elder Gods grew more dormant, the equilibrium of the forces of nature lulling them to sleep. In the Realm, the animals of the earth and sea continued to evolve. It is during this time that the elves and dwarves began to form into the earliest civilizations. Mankind, with their short life spans and warlike tendencies, were prolific if not as advanced as their elven and dwarven cousins. The Realm was a place of great change and progress. The arrival of a fiery chariot from the heavens passed almost unnoticed, as such events had occurred many times over the eons. It was a day no different than any other, and yet a day that future generations of religious and historical scholars would call the beginning of Godstime.
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The generally accepted story of creation told by the human inhabitants of the Reaches late in the Third Age, tells of eight beings known as the Elder Gods. These "gods" represent the elemental forces of the world, and their tales most likely have been passed down from the earliest inhabitants of the Realm. Personification of the Elder Gods has been reported countless times since the dawn of civilization. However, rumors of the human forms of the Elder Gods have never been substantiated by the academic population.
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<ul>
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<li>Death - ''(NOTE: In some cultures, Death is portrayed as a male figure with a female figure, Fate, as his bride.)''
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<li>Melandrea, Goddess of the Sun <br>
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<li>Blacklock, God of the Air <br>
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<li>Baliol, Warder of the Seas <br>
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<li>Karelia, Goddess of the Stars <br>
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<li>Hastur, Master of Stone <br>
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<li>[[Druids of Oakentree|Oakentree, God of Nature]] <br>
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<li>Chronicler <br>
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</ul>
  
Human cultures across the Realm tell different stories of this epic event. In the Western Empire, the ancient philosophers tell the tale of two gods, Death and Fate, coming down from the sky and walking the face of the earth seeking the most promising race on which to bestow the secrets of their technology. It was in the fertile Valley of Rembia in the heart of the Western Empire, that these two supreme gods, ended their quest. Choosing the primitives that lived there as their pupils, they showed them magic and technology. The early pictographs of the dark-skinned races indigenous to the tropical lands of the East show images of thirty gods, riding in flaming chariots, glowing in silver, with swords that cut with light. These beings, known to Western historians as the First Tribe, are shown in the skies above great temples and bloody sacrifices. It was at this time that the domain of Susanowo (Baliol) was conquered by the great ships and sailors of the Tang Empire far to the South. Tradition holds that their naval skills were gifts from great gods who sailed over the water without touching its surface.
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== Godstime: The Pre-History of the Races ==
  
Which of these traditions are true may never be known. Perhaps all. Perhaps none. However, it is generally held by scholars that the development and evolution of the human races proceeded with incredible speed. Settlements were built, fire was discovered and mastered, and, in the span of sixty generations, mankind became warriors. In his arrogance, mankind had forgotten the Elder Gods, their elemental power and their fury. They had become pawns in a cosmic game of chess. Man served the New Gods, who gave them knowledge, power, and mastery over the other beasts of the Realm. The game was staged. On one side, the Elder Gods, long dormant and almost forgotten were stirring to life. On the other side, the New Gods, armed with great power and the armies of man, challenged them. The board was nothing less than the world itself.
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The three gods of the elements struggled to control their realms against the chaos brought on by Death. Baliol battled great hurricanes, typhoons, and tidal waves that attempted to tear the very soul from the sea. On the earth, great quakes and volcanoes shook the ground deep into the realm of Hastur. Even the airy domain of Blacklock swirled with great tornadoes and whirlwinds. Far above the highest clouds, the goddesses of the heavens also felt the chaos. Melandrea, the Sun, oftentimes went black during the heat of the day. Comets and meteors filled the darkness of the night, the realm of Karelia, Goddess of the Stars. Oakentree saw that all good must be balanced by evil, all law by chaos, and all life by death. He reveled in the life of Summer and mourned the death of Winter. And so the epochs passed. The Elder Gods were unchallenged, supreme.
 +
 
 +
As seasons came and went, great storms raged and died, the earth shook and then rested, and through all of this the Elder Gods grew more dormant, the equilibrium of the forces of nature lulling them to sleep. In the Realm, the animals of the earth and sea continued to evolve.  The primitive races evolved more quickly - the vestiges of civilization had begun.
 +
However, they were inconsequential and insignificant to the Elder Gods.
 +
 
 +
== The End of Godstime: Arrival of the Dark Moon ==
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 +
While no definitive narrative exists that details the arrival of the Dark Moon, all the races of the Realm have a folktale of the event. Several common threads in these stories tell of an inky blackness eating the nighttime stars from the skies - the Dark Moon.  The dwarves noted that the sun dimmed - causing a great winter over the land which lasted a score of years. The Old Kingdom tales speak of forty men, riding in flaming chariots, glowing in silver, with swords that cut with light.  These beings brought with them great magic and knowledge which they shared with humankind.
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 +
The most important tale from this time comes from the [[Druids of Oakentree]], although the tales itself predates the organization by hundreds of years.  The Druid tradition tells of a strange battle at the dawn of the First Age.  In the days after the arrival of the Dark Moon, it is said that Oakentree's power began to wain.  Inconsequential at first, the effects of this sickness began to accelerate: the trees became blighted - the air and water becoming murky and rancid, the animals sickly.  It was as if the forest itself was dying.  The elves worked tirelessly to protect their land.  It is said the battle turned when [[Order of the Silver Acorn|Eldevera]] dropped a thousand staves that were taken by the elves to every corner of the forest. Using the staves as sounding sticks, a constant song was sung to awaken Oakentree and warn him of the danger. The elves were successful, but as Oakentree awoke, it is said that the other Elder Gods did not.  Instead, they fell into a deep slumber that would last three thousand years - until they were released from their prison and returned to the land.
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The imprisonment of the Elder Gods, the arrival of the Dark Moon, and the winter that lasted twenty years, marked the end Godstime. The [[Timeline|First Age]] had begun.

Revision as of 18:22, 17 February 2017

The Elder Gods

Oakentree, God of Nature

Every culture has its own myths and legends about the creation of the Realm. As cultures mix and stories get passed from generation to generation these stories transform. New deities come forward, and old ones are discarded.

The generally accepted story of creation told by the human inhabitants of the Reaches late in the Third Age, tells of eight beings known as the Elder Gods. These "gods" represent the elemental forces of the world, and their tales most likely have been passed down from the earliest inhabitants of the Realm. Personification of the Elder Gods has been reported countless times since the dawn of civilization. However, rumors of the human forms of the Elder Gods have never been substantiated by the academic population.

  • Death - (NOTE: In some cultures, Death is portrayed as a male figure with a female figure, Fate, as his bride.)
  • Melandrea, Goddess of the Sun
  • Blacklock, God of the Air
  • Baliol, Warder of the Seas
  • Karelia, Goddess of the Stars
  • Hastur, Master of Stone
  • Oakentree, God of Nature
  • Chronicler

Godstime: The Pre-History of the Races

The three gods of the elements struggled to control their realms against the chaos brought on by Death. Baliol battled great hurricanes, typhoons, and tidal waves that attempted to tear the very soul from the sea. On the earth, great quakes and volcanoes shook the ground deep into the realm of Hastur. Even the airy domain of Blacklock swirled with great tornadoes and whirlwinds. Far above the highest clouds, the goddesses of the heavens also felt the chaos. Melandrea, the Sun, oftentimes went black during the heat of the day. Comets and meteors filled the darkness of the night, the realm of Karelia, Goddess of the Stars. Oakentree saw that all good must be balanced by evil, all law by chaos, and all life by death. He reveled in the life of Summer and mourned the death of Winter. And so the epochs passed. The Elder Gods were unchallenged, supreme.

As seasons came and went, great storms raged and died, the earth shook and then rested, and through all of this the Elder Gods grew more dormant, the equilibrium of the forces of nature lulling them to sleep. In the Realm, the animals of the earth and sea continued to evolve. The primitive races evolved more quickly - the vestiges of civilization had begun. However, they were inconsequential and insignificant to the Elder Gods.

The End of Godstime: Arrival of the Dark Moon

While no definitive narrative exists that details the arrival of the Dark Moon, all the races of the Realm have a folktale of the event. Several common threads in these stories tell of an inky blackness eating the nighttime stars from the skies - the Dark Moon. The dwarves noted that the sun dimmed - causing a great winter over the land which lasted a score of years. The Old Kingdom tales speak of forty men, riding in flaming chariots, glowing in silver, with swords that cut with light. These beings brought with them great magic and knowledge which they shared with humankind.

The most important tale from this time comes from the Druids of Oakentree, although the tales itself predates the organization by hundreds of years. The Druid tradition tells of a strange battle at the dawn of the First Age. In the days after the arrival of the Dark Moon, it is said that Oakentree's power began to wain. Inconsequential at first, the effects of this sickness began to accelerate: the trees became blighted - the air and water becoming murky and rancid, the animals sickly. It was as if the forest itself was dying. The elves worked tirelessly to protect their land. It is said the battle turned when Eldevera dropped a thousand staves that were taken by the elves to every corner of the forest. Using the staves as sounding sticks, a constant song was sung to awaken Oakentree and warn him of the danger. The elves were successful, but as Oakentree awoke, it is said that the other Elder Gods did not. Instead, they fell into a deep slumber that would last three thousand years - until they were released from their prison and returned to the land.

The imprisonment of the Elder Gods, the arrival of the Dark Moon, and the winter that lasted twenty years, marked the end Godstime. The First Age had begun.