Mythology of Shartell
The Creation of Shartell
Before the beginning, there was only Kinsal. Kinsal was the great and only god, but he toiled away his days alone. Kinsal grew bored, and stretched forth his power to make another of his kind, a fellow god, and thus Yaness, second of the gods, was born. She was different from Kinsal and with great enthusiasm and imagination she used her power to form the great lands for them to stride, the limitless oceans for them to swim, the skies for them to bask under, and finally placed a great ball of purist fire in the sky to see by. Each was composed purely of the four elements, and Yaness was their maker and god. Kinsal marveled at their splendor, and she began to mix their glory to spread their power. She reached into the ocean, and threw water into the air, making clouds. She took a piece of the sun, and placed it in the mountains, thus volcanoes and magma were born. She moved some of this earth into the sky and brought forth smoke. She poured fire into water and made oil. She moved air through the rock and watched it crumble into dirt. Finally she attached fire to the air and brought forth lightning, that she then placed in the clouds. Now Kinsal found that he had a fellow god and wife, and a rich brand new world to live in. He named the world Shartell and was happy.
This happiness lasted a long time, but Kinsal was not pleased forever. They had a beautiful, lush home, but he remained primarily alone. Even while looking upon the splendor that Yaness had wrought, he could not help but long for more, and brought forth another to help him extend what Yaness had begun, and thus Palamein came into being. Yaness watched as Palamein took a piece of each of her elements and forged them together. It was a long and detailed process to move these plain and simple elements into what she desired, as Kinsal watched with interest. Yaness was jealous of the new goddess, and moved to anger over the use of her elements, and tried to convince Kinsal that she was doing nothing at all, for how could Palamein improve on the grandeur of her world? Kinsal would not be swayed however and waited for what Palamein would produce. It was not long before Palamein was done, and draped the world in green. Plants sprung up from all over, from the smallest mold to the tallest tree. They grew from the dirt and moved deep into the water. She then filled the water with fish and great turtles, and then the sky with birds and dragons. Finally she made all forms of animals, to fill her forests. Everything from bears to insects and even elves and dwarves, although the dwarves took to the mountains, mostly to get away from the elves. Palamein was the goddess of life, and had filled the world with it. Kinsal then took Palamein on his arm and they set out to examine this grand new world, as Yaness's Jealousy turned to envy.
As Kinsal and Palamein toured the world, spreading life where they would, Yaness spoke to Kinsal, telling him that, although her creation was indeed grand, the world was not yet complete. She pointed to the dragons and said that although they wielded great power, it was of little real use. She motioned to the elves and dwarves, and showed that without the claws and sharp teeth of the others, they were weaker. Palamein created life, but without balance. Worst of all, with all this land and all the life that filled it, even her great creation had not fully fixed the boredom that had caused him to bring them forth to begin with. Kinsal was upset at the charges, but could not discount them. He took from himself one last time to called forth another goddess. She was Sheena. She looked out upon the lands, and saw their splendor. She looked upon the creatures and flowers and saw their beauty. She looked upon the world and saw what was missing. She brought together the dragons, the elves, and the dwarves and cast out her power to give them what they needed. She was the goddess of wisdom and the mind, and this is what she gave them. She joined her power with her sister Palamein, and together they brought forth the other races. They changed some of the dwarves to form them into gnomes. Cast forth beings of the plains and dubbed them halflings, and finally brought forth the curious and plentiful humans whose ambition would bring them to all ends of the world, to meet all the beings that lived within.
Life and Death
The world was now complete, but unchanging. Many beings walked its surface, but without direct action from the gods, there could be no more. Palamein saw this, and created progeny. With this she made love, and all emotion to allow man and god to enjoy and lust after the act of making heirs. She spread these things among the gods and took up with Kinsal, eventually baring him his first son Tanor. This did not sit well with Yaness, whose envy had grown darker. She began to cast her elements against all life and brought forth suffering. Tanor however was innocent of this and looked upon the world and marveled at all of its peoples, and the life his mother made. He watched with joy as this life spread and grew. He also watched in horror as some were being burned to char, or ravaged from a fall, forced to live with their injuries, inflicted by Yaness's envy. He watched people live on and on, past the point were their life had meaning and purpose. He watched as the world grew full, but still more life came, and know that one day it would overflow. He felt great sorrow for all that had these fates, and sought to fix these problems. He created a new place for those that suffered or lived too long, so they need suffer no more, and brought them the great passing known as death. A great cry welled up from the people that did not wish to be parted from those they loved, so Tanor took only those in most need, leaving their body behind as one small way of answering their prayers further. The people were unsatisfied still. Some asked that the wicked remain behind to suffer a fate that they deserved, while others asked only that the good people they loved be somewhere they could be happy. Tanor polarized his afterlife to best answer their prayers. The good would live in happiness and joy forever after, while the wicked would find no less suffering after death then they would if they never died at all. Still the people were not satisfied. Tanor did what he could to hear their prayers, setting down the great list of the laws that would oversee death, but in the end there was only so much he could do, the people still feared death, and Tanor its god, and in time he grew bitter, refusing to change his laws any further. This does not mean that he does not hear your prayers, and will not stay his hand for a time if so asked, simply that he has his limits, and all must come to him in time.
The great chaos of insanity
The next to give Kinsal offspring was Sheena. She is the great goddess of wisdom, but her heir was an affront to everything that she brought about. A boy of constantly shifting minds, morals, and even forms. He was Rodain, and though he possessed intellect, there seemed to be little wisdom within him. He was the god of insanity and chaos, and spread his power to those that inhabited the world. Insanity and chaos began to take hold in the world, and for a time it was worried that it would consume it. However the very chaos that lived within him kept him from taking the time and energy to do so. He was banished from the home of the gods, and sent to live among men where, though it was still possible for him to do damage, he could not do so all at once. Some say that if you listen closely at night you can hear him no matter where he is, but these are only stories... until you start to listen TOO hard...
The Birth of Teraseen and Torafan
Yaness was the first of the three goddesses, but the last to bare Kinsal a son. The envy that was born on the day that Palamein had come forth had all but consumed her. She caused the elements themselves to be cruel to the life Palamein had created. All the forms would harm to those that lived in its own way, crushing with merciless rock, the crashing of the waves, the burning of a fire, or the whipping of a wind. This constant attack was her only outlet for her anger, but when she gave birth to Teraseen, she found this anger and darkness gone, lost and placed within her son instead. All the hardships that she had placed upon those that lived paled compared to his. He made it so that the living required water, then tainted the seas. He made it so they needed fire's warmth, then took it from many places. He required those above the seas to require air, and those below the seas were changed so they were no longer allowed to leave it, separating them forever. He introduced sickness to the world, and spread suffering even to those that were uninjured by the elements. He was a god breed of dark emotions, and spread those as well. In his darkest moment he created hunger and decreed that all those that did not heed its call and feed upon others that live, would have life seep from them. He even made it so that the old would slowly find their own bodies slowly fall apart before their very eyes. The other gods were not blind to his actions. Tanor saw what was happening and in sympathy for those that were inflicted with these attacks, took all those that were of the most suffering. Thus all those that were too injured from being attacked, did not feed enough, did not drink enough, were struck with a lack of breathing, grew too sick or too old, those that were frozen, or poisoned, or even taken too long from watery homes died. Palamein saw this, and was able to save her first creation from hunger, and plants needed to feed no more. Yaness saw these deeds and repented completely her envy, but found she could not take back her deeds, only bring forth a greater warmth for half a year, and relief from it the other half. She also gave her fire to those gifted with the wisdom of Sheena. Sheena saw this and gave those of wisdom the strength to fight the dark emotions. Most importantly of all, Rodain saw this, and grew interested in this new god.
Rodain was banished to the world by this time, but he still had some influence, even in the world of gods. He called to Teraseen, and gave him one more painful emotion that he was yet devoid: guilt. Teraseen was thankful for something new to inflict upon people, but found that he was not immune from this emotion. He fought it into a corner of his mind, and asked Rodain for more things that he could inflict. Rodain gave him another of his toys: violence. Rodain used it without sense or porpose, but Teraseen made purposes for it. He enjoyed setting people to it for any purpose. He created mass violence and ordered war, but restrained this for respect of his friend Rodain, god of chaos. Rodain could care little, and just enjoyed the chaos that he could cause using this god that fancied him so. He then showed Teraseen good. He showed him those that fought against all the suffering that he inflicted. He told him of the balance. Teraseen would have none of it, but Rodain would not be denied. He placed these thing into his mind, and mixed it into the guilt and order he hid within him. Teraseen fought back against the intrusion into his mind, but found his own mind to be the one fighting back. He fought as best he could, but found the match to be even. Everything he was, now had an opposite. Rodain smiled at this, walking off and almost instantly forgetting his old friend. Teraseen remained there, fighting himself, until Kinsal came down to confront Teraseen. Kinsal saw what happened, and split the god in two. Teraseen remained the god of violence, and the new god sprung from him, yet his opposite, was Torafan, god of order and good. Meanwhile, Kinsal took up the mantle of another idea that was mentioned by Rodain: balance. A third being, broken free by the separation, born of anger, raised on envy, feeder of suffering, screamed forth from its bonds, yet went unheard. It flew off into the void, unknown for some time.
The Coming of the Evil One
A piece of Teraseen fled deep into the void, but not without purpose. It lived in Yaness, finding its way with the making of Palamein. This however was not its origins, simply its target. A god as old as Kinsal lived within the void, unknown even to he. He was Pristorious, a god of true darkness that enjoyed the void for an eternity before the creation of Shartell, the one world. He watched as Yaness came into being, and as she altered the void, he secretly did the same to her. This being of sorrow was awakened with her first dark thought. That was the day of Palamein's birth. It feed and flourished, drawing her deeper into her own darkness. When she became heavy with child it rested within it, purging her of her darkness upon his birth, by filling him with it. He became one with the being, and it lead him to his path. Now, free, the being went to its master to tell of what it has done and earn its reward. The great evil Pristorious smiled on its return. It had done more then he hoped, and now he had everything he needed to descend upon us.
He appeared among us and upon our streets. Walking there he saw all that the gods had brought about. The people and all they had done. He also saw all the horror his beast had caused. Still, they persisted, and everything he saw angered him. To him, Shartell is not fit for the void. He had come to end everything that Kinsal and his gods had done. He sowed greed and hate into the minds of the powerful and poor alike. He took a special interest in the powerful dragons in this respect. He formed his agents of destruction from the life that Palamein took so much time and effort to make. He reached forth and tainted everything he touched. Darkness and evil ran through-out every manner of beast that he brought forth. Palamein felt his dark touch affecting all forms of the beings that she held dear, and confronted the dark one. He was not to be stopped, and with great malice, wounded her terribly. Torafan, newest of the gods, came to defend her, and with the spirit of war, struck at the dark god. Even this was to little avail. Pristorious was far darker and more violent then had ever been seen, even at the worst of Teraseen. Pristorious ripped into the boy, and left him even more wounded then the one that he came to save. With two of his gods down, Kinsal was forced to come down and defend them, and our entire world. This is what Pristorious had been waiting for the entire time, to kill the leader before he even knew of the war he fought. They clashed, fighting with the upmost of their powers, wielding energy beyond the understanding of mortal man. As they fought it became clear that the energy and power that Kinsal had used to form his loves took too much from him, and in this battle, he was truly the weaker. It was Teraseen in fact that ended the battle with a devastating strike to the back of the distracted god of evil. Injured, but only slightly weakened, Pristorious left one last gift to his would be killers, the beast that turned them against their own world, now taken form. Thus the Tarrasque was placed among us. The gods fought at the beast, but it was forged of their own power and was unharmed. Our gods were beaten and forced into retreat, and thus the dark times began.
At this time, the gods were beset with requests for help. Pristorious, in his few acts, had turned the world into a much worse place. The gods gave over a piece of their power to their most devout followers. Torafan helped others with the ways of war, and became a god of war. Yaness and Sheena joined their powers to give man sorcery, Teraseen taught the art of subtlety and the skills of thieves. Palamein gave them a better understanding of nature and those within it. Thus heroes of every kind were born. The gods gave us the tools to help ourselves, and hoped that one day we would in turn help them. We were heading into the dark times, but the gods gifted us the tools needed to get ourselves out.
The Dark times
The dark times lasted longer than any record known. Very little is known about how it ended, since the great heroes that a credited with the change were lost in the final climatic battle. What is known is that they achieved something that no one up until that time had not: killed the Tarrasque. Long before, a prophecy was given stating that this would be the first sign of the end of darkness. Champions had fought the beast that would destroy all and won before, but no matter what they did, it would always rise again. In its anger it would hunt and wipe out the would be victors, and destroy anything around after. This time however, it did not get up. The prophecy that foretold this reads:
1. The Tarrasque would fall, and the long awaited wish of its final demise would be granted once and for all. The world brightens for Death is dead.
2. The darkness beneath is cleared of the filth that permeates it. The twisted elements of man are destroyed one by one. The world brightens, for Pestilence is cured.
3. The tower of the dark one is found and toppled. The dark one is fought and defeated by those he would kill. The world brightens, for Famine flees.
4. The remnants of the infestation lose their final conflict with those that would defeat them. The world is cleansed for War has fallen.
All the people looked to the heroes that began the prophecy to bring it to completion. They lead the campaign against Pristorious and his minions for many years after the fall of the Tarrasque, and built the most powerful fortress and army to man it that Shartell had ever seen. This was the seed that later grew into the Axiom that we know today. They then set out into a series of caves, and disappeared. Months later, a massive shaking was felt, though no damage was done to anything, save the majority of demons that followed the dark god. When the shaking ended, they were gone from where they stood, but it was found that the monsters remaining were still formidable. Their forces amassed in unheard of numbers and attack the fortress the heroes had built. It withstood the onslaught, but just barely. The army within held many a powerful mage, the highest of priests, the mightiest of warriors, and the wiliest of rouges. The incredible skills of these people overwhelmed the beasts, and although most of the army did parish, they still won the day. After that day, it was no longer dangerous to move beyond the boarders of your town unarmed. Tyrants fell or repented one by one. People stopped living in fear. The age of darkness is over.