Kartosia's funding for temples and restoration of religious artifacts and institutions has been cut in the past 3500 years, leading to the creation of more statues to the families that control Kartosia and reinforcing their wealth as a result of the steep tax collections. However, the Gods still do exist here. Citizens and their families usually have an alignment towards one out of many gods, depending on the lives that they live. Though, these temples are few and far between, and religious services often suffer from overcrowding, so many of the reverent choose to practice their worship in solitude. These Gods were the ones behind the creation of this magnificent land.
[When you create your character, you can choose one of these gods to dedicate your character's faith to. Through your character's piety, these primordial beings may grant your character strength in their trials.]
Ael, the Torchbearer
Ael was said to be the first of the Gods, who brought the Flame of Light into the world. Not satisfied with the presence of luminescence, Ael used the gift of the Flame of Light to bless the empty bedrock, creating the first world. Ael was satisfied with the world that they created, but there was no Life on it. Ael would then focus on the maintenance of the Flame of Light to keep the darkness away - the void which consumed all Light and Life. This void was ever-present, yet non-sentient. This was the first emergence of Agamemnon, the embodiment of nothingness. Ael, unwilling to allow their new world to be consumed, used the remaining bedrock to create five statues and breathe Life into them: Palac, Cymathane, Faustiana, Apphonialas, and Shirayhoo. Confident these five celestial beings could manage the world that Ael created, Ael would take their torch and raise it high above the world, creating the sun that would shine down. However, when corruption took the world, the bright, beautiful sun would simmer down and become red, filling the world with despair. When Kartosh defeated Agamemnon, the color restored to the land once more. It is said that even after Kartosh left this world, he returned to the torch of Ael to operate its guiding Light for future generations.
Palac, The Shaper of the Clay
When Ael shaped the land, Palac soon took over in hopes of bringing Ael's dreams to fruition. Palac, along with Cymathane, collaborated together to create Life: Palac would make the shells of the beast from the mud, and Cymathane would bring the spark of the flame which gave the shell Life. However, Palac and Cymathane came quickly into conflict when it was no longer just the beasts that they made, but sentient Life. Palac had made all sorts of different creatures fit to rule the lands, such as the men, elves, and the beastfolk. But Cymathane's flames, while fueling concepts such as passion, love, and altruism, the fire would also lead to violence, hatred, and jealousy. War was inevitable among the lives that Palac had spent endless time crafting. Palac was not angry with Cymathane: but he was sad that the creatures he had made from Ael's gifts would learn to steal from, betray, lie to, and kill one another. Palac argued that they did not need to kill each other, while Cymathane argued that this was the natural course of living: self-sufficiency. Palac fell into a deep depression and buried himself deep inside of the earth in his workshop, hoping that the creatures of the world would learn to channel their inner flames for good, and end the cycle of violence and war. Palac would then remove his left eye to create Kochban to safely escort the creatures into the afterlife away from the void of Agamemnon - then removing his right eye to create Ambriel to build the forests and plains that the creatures could safely live in. Finally, Palac would offer his heart to create Lars, who would make Ambriel's lands rich and plentiful with the bounty of harvest to keep their creatures well fed. With no eyes to see the ugliness of the world and with no heart to feel the pain of the creatures he created slaughtering one another, Palac would fall asleep in the center of the earth, hoping to reawaken when the fires had been smoothed and evil and agony was no more.
Cymathane, Lord of Flames and War
Cymathane, perhaps the cruelest of the gods, was imbued with the most power from Ael. Cymathane was not evil: but he knew the truth about the Flame of Light, which was this: duality is inevitable. As long as there is Light there is darkness; as long as there is Life, there is death; as long as there is love, there is pain; as long as there is health, there is sickness; as long as there is a world full of good, there will be forces of evil lying in wait to corrupt and destroy it. Cymathane's collaborations with Palac led him to create Life, but Life was fragile, and the flames could be snuffed out with the gentlest of breezes. Cymathane, seeing the Light of Ael, knew that he too must offer something to this world, and thus he created fire to power the engines of the Earth Dwellers' creations and keep them warm from the cold. Yet, once again, the gift he gave to the Earth Dwellers would be used to forge weapons, having mined the steel from the veins which Faustinia planted into the earth and shaped it to create weapons to kill one another. Cymathane was amused by the Earth Dwellers' penchant for violence that he would grant the powers of victory to those who asked him for it: but never without a price.
Faustinia, Queen of Steel and Stone
Faustinia was not like Cymathane or Palac: she could not create Life with her powers, as the Flame of Light did not resonate within her. Out of frustration, she would create the giants: a gigantic, golem race. However, these creatures had no purpose and simply wandered the land aimlessly. To give them a purpose, she created the mines, filled with beautiful jewels, strong steel, and sturdy stone, so that the giants could use it to build their own society. And yet still, the giants did not have the Flame of Light burning within them and thus had no drive or passion to build something with them. Earth Dwellers began to invade Faustinia's bountiful mines and create their own societies using the amazing materials she had brought: but her own creations, the giants, still walked as zombies. Out of sorrow, she went to Cymathane for help, who agreed to give the giants flame. However, this went disastrously: now that the giants had the Flames of Light, her orders she had given them remained: the giants returned to the mines, and killed any creatures who dared approach the mines. Angered with Cymathane's trickery, she ordered the giants to sleep within the depths of the mines. The giants did not cooperate, as they had the Flames of Light and thus their own free will, abandoning Faustinia. Faustinia's wrath would cause her to curse the giants who disobeyed her, and cause a great plague which turned them to stone. The giants cried out to Faustinia as they fell, one by one, into the Earth, creating the mountains which housed the mines below. The remaining giants, not wishing to incur Faustinia's wrath, returned to the mines below. Some of these giants, digging deep discovered Palac's abandoned workshop, and learned the ways of blacksmithing. Some giants became great blacksmiths, while others, obsessed with the ways of creation, encased themselves in the materials of the mines to which they returned to fortify their power, creating the golem race, the new protectors of the mines which Faustinia built. The remainder of the giants returned to their old ways before the flame, wandering the world in search of purpose.
Apphonialas, Master of the Oceans and Lakes
Apphonialas was a great admirer of Palac: but his hate for Cymathane grew as he watched the god cause nothing but betrayal and violence. Apphonialas was deeply in love with Faustinia, wishing to be closer to her. Watching her giants corrupted by Cymathane's flames made Apphonialas weep great tears, which inadvertently began to create oceans, lakes, and rivers. Faustinia, taken aback by these beautiful creations, came to Apphonialas, saying the flame of Cymathane had not swayed his kind heart. The two fell in love, and Faustinia wished to help Apphonialas create his ocean. She reached deep within the mountains of the giants who once lived and scrounged the embers of the remaining flame, giving it to Apphonialas as a gift of her affection. Apphonialas, not wishing to disappoint Faustinia, used her gift wisely, creating the creatures of the sea, and establishing his own race: the Sahagin. The water in the sea, powered by the great love which the two gods shared, created a unique breed of creature with the Sahagin, for they did not share the same reliance on violence that the Earth Dwellers did, instead choosing to live in peace and build their cities in the sea away from the flames of pain. But this peace was short lived: Cymathane, growing bitter and jealous of what Apphonialas and Faustinia shared, gave in to his anger and cursed Ael, and concentrated all of his remaining Embers from the Light Ael had given him and opening a portal to the void, bringing Agamemnon into the world. Agamemnon's demons spilled into the Earth and Sea alike, killing whatever they touched. This was the first emergence of Agamemnon, but even though his oceans were pure and beautiful, his only remaining choice was to create an underwater prison strong enough to house Agamemnon. This patch of water became a pure black ball of hate, where nothing could live, treacherous to any that crossed the sea. This untraversable water became known as the "Pitch Black Sea". Apphonialas hated this creation, but placed his strength and power into keeping Agamemnon there, lest chaos fall into the world. Faustinia stayed firmly with Apphonialas, knowing his duty was to prevent the world from being destroyed by Agamemnon. She would then create the Serpents, guardian spirits to protect the home of the Sahagin from the Earth Dwellers and the demons alike.
Shirayhoo, The Guide of Wind and Storms
Shirayhoo had taken a back seat from these conflicts of the Gods. This left her as the only remaining neutral party. She looked upon the worlds the gods had created and realized Cymathane had only been telling his truth: even though his deeds were cruel and unkind, for every kind and wonderful act there would be a selfish one. This was the nature of the Earth Dwellers, for nothing could exist without something to balance it. She then caused the first breezes to blow through the land: an invisible force that carried the seeds of the Flames of Light across the lands to aid in making them plentiful. Cymathane, broken and beaten from his conquest against Apphonialas, was filled with regret for what he had done, and came to Shirayhoo, asking her to fan his flames to give him power again. Shirayhoo agreed to help Cymathane on one condition: his meddling with the world must end, and he must go to the center of the world with Palac to join his slumber to only emerge when the Flame of Light had found its way. Begrudgingly, Cymathane accepted. Shirayhoo used her powers to give him the Flame of Light again. Cymathane grew fond of Shirayhoo, and realized if he agreed to her terms, he would never be able to see her again. Cymathane realized he wanted never to use his powers again unless it was to protect Life, and gave Shirayhoo his heart. Shirayhoo declined, saying that Ael did not make any mistakes when creating his beings. Shirayhoo instead took Cymathane's broken body and filled it with the clouds. The new Cymathane would give the rest of his fire to Shirayhoo, who realized Cymathane's ramblings were true: her wind led to great storms and lightning, with only destructive power. Cymathane used her power to then let the winds take course on her own and watch over Cymathane, eventually leading the two to fall in love. Shirayhoo believed her creation was good as it was bad: it led to as much creation as it did destruction. The two then used their powers to create one large volcano in the center of the world, towering above all the other mountains, known as Mt. Shira. As Apphonialas and Faustinia would watch over the world's creation and Life to make sure it blossomed well, Shirayhoo and Cymathane laid within Mt. Shira to ensure that Life's blossoming did not overextend itself into destruction by depleting its own resources by creating their own balance of natural destruction. The Gods finally came to an understanding: the age of the Dwellers, be they on land or sea, was now at hand.
Kochban, The Ferryman of the World Below
Kochban never liked the other Gods: after all, he was the first to have been born from Palac and he grew weary of their conflicts that led to nothing but death. All Kochban could see was death: when a Dweller died, the void would come to claim them, but Kochban saw no positive outcome for these deaths other than to make the darkness stronger. He went into the void himself, only to realize exactly why Palac had detached his own heart: the Flames of the Light had been contorted into horrifying shapes, tortured to their very core. These demons sought only to inflict pain and destruction. Furious with Agamemnon, Kochban returned to the workshop of Palac, desperately looking for answers: until he found it. Ael's Light had created a world: it was only natural that he could also create a world of his own. Kochban walked the line between the void and the Light and used Palac's tools to create something new entirely: the Wedge Plane. A plane stuck between the material world and the void, the Wedge Plane was a misty sea that resembled neither the darkness or the Light: rather it was a protected place which neither dwelling could touch. Souls of the Flame of Light would instead be brought here, where only the flames remained and the bodies were left behind. Kochban would ferry each soul here to remain protected after their death to reunite with their loved ones, and burn brightly, making perhaps the Wedge Plane the only peaceful place in existence. Kochban does this work out of duty to Palac, hoping that when Palac one day reawakens, he can see the peaceful world that he dreamed to create. Kochban rides a ferry made of dark, purple wood, and is mute: he speaks not to the souls of the dead that he transports.
Ambriel, The Guardian of the Forests and Plains
Ambriel came into the world of fire knowing very little. Palac, her creator, was in a deep slumber from which it seemed that he would not return. Ambriel would then ascend to the world and look upon all of which the gods had created: and yet, the world was starving. Deserts and mountains had no lush, and the wastelands were barren and dry. Ambriel took a little sprinkle of everything from each god: from Cymathane, the Embers of Light; from Faustinia, the soil of the land; from Apphonialas, the waters of purity; and from Shirayhoo, the winds to carry the seeds of the embers. Using Palac's tools, Ambriel surprised all of the Gods, showing that she had definitely inherited her master's creativity: the lands would blossom with greenery. The Flames of Light began to fill these lands with all sorts of insects, reptiles and mammals. The seas began to fill with fish and mollusks. The Gods, stunned by the use of their combined powers to create such beauty, all converged onto Mt. Shira and accepted Ambriel as one of their own. Ambriel, knowing just what to do, built a mighty kingdom in the sky above Mt. Shira for the gods to all live in harmony, as her master Palac would have wanted. This kingdom, only accessible to any brave enough to climb Mt. Shira, became known as Skyview. However, even Ambriel could not extinguish the violence of the Dwellers. Despite taking the sparks of the Flames of Light and making the world beautiful, her sadness grew when the dwellers would regularly destroy her creations in the name of industrialization or war. She locked herself away in a garden atop of Skyview, which is said to be the most beautiful place in the world. Many have attempted to climb Mt. Shira to see it, but most quit the extraordinarily difficult climb or die in the process. She watches over all her forests, protecting them by channeling herself through the guardian spirits within.
Lars, The Keeper of the Harvest
Lars was born from the heart of Palac. Lars was born immediately into suffering: with his birth, he had the ability to tune into the emotions of the flame, seeing the hurt of others. But with this pain came joy, for he also saw the passion and love these flames created. Seeking to give humanity something that would allow them to prosper and flourish, he created the Demiurge: a large, blue crystal that contained incredible power. Lars gave this power to the Earth, as the creations that Ambriel forged began growing enough resources to feed the entire planet for generations to come many times over. The Demiurge granted magic to the Earth Dwellers, allowing them to use it for good and to help their people live. But the Demiurge had the opposite effect: the Dwellers now used magic as a weapon against each other, and the great boons of the Demiurge began to be hoarded by warlords and jealous kings, creating poverty and wealth division. Lars, angered by how humans treated his gift, rained down blood and poison on these warlords and kings, burying their cities in mass graves. Realizing what he had done, Lars shattered the Demiurge into thirteen pieces, planting them all across the world to hide them away. Where these shards laid grew great harvests and many Dwellers began to build their societies around these shards. Lars could not end the conflict, but finally at peace with the Dwellers finally having comfort in their living, he retired to the center of the world to maintain Palac's workshop and find ways to help the dwellers of the land, acting as the world's heart.
Kartosh, Protector of the People
Kartosh is the most recent of the Gods - after the Demiurge was shattered, Kartosh was born into existence along with his twin brother, Numales. Kartosh from the beginning of his Life had the heart of goodness in him, but Numales had other plans: Numales went on to change his name to Osaeris the Prophet, and forged a new religion to collect the Demiurge shards in order to release Agamemnon from his watery prison. Osaeris created a large army of mercenaries that pillaged countless kingdoms in search of the legendary shards - instead of collecting all thirteen, Osaeris needed only collect six to summon the ancient being of darkness. Osaeris then became the avatar of Agamemnon himself, bringing ruin to everything he touched: the mighty torch of Ael in the sky became a deep scarlet red, plunging the world into darkness. Osaeris used his powers to infect his mercenaries with the corrupted Flames of the Void: creating Kochban's greatest fear. This great army was known as The Legion.
Kartosh grew saddened with his brother's betrayal against the world, and made it his ultimate goal to stop the plight of Osaeris. Kartosh was the first of The Great Mages, who researched how to keep the corruption at bay. He invented the technique of the Magic Circle, which used the inner power of the surviving Flame of Light within the caster to summon magical energy to keep the demons at bay. Seeking to spread knowledge of the magic circles, Kartosh built an army of his own, which would become known as the legendary White Raptors. The White Raptors spread all over the land quickly, but already over half of the land and its people were no more. Kartosh knew if he was to defeat Osaeris, he would have to enlist the help of the Gods. Kartosh would climb the mighty Mt. Shira with nothing but a rope and a pick through his sheer determination, being the first mortal to do so. Sensing the nobility within Kartosh's heart, the Gods gave Kartosh the key to Palac's workshop, and the Heart Goggles: an incredibly powerful artifact which allows the wearer to sense the energy and location of the Gods, leading Kartosh to the shards of the Demiurge.
Kartosh would collect another six of the shards, fighting countless demons with the aid of his White Raptor brothers, bringing them to Lars, who was now the only being within the workshop. Lars held the thirteenth and final shard that Kartosh sought to give him the edge over Osaeris, and Lars agreed to forge the blade with the remaining seven shards, under one condition: after Osaeris was defeated, the blade must be sealed away deep within the Earth, never to be touched unless the world once again needed it. This created the blade Markagall, otherwise known as "Miracle Weaver". The blade swept away the darkness wherever it struck. Kartosh went into his final fight, and managed to barely snatch victory, but not without a cost. By the time the fight had ended, much of the lands were destroyed, and the Demiurge shards within the earth which granted many bounties to the land were touched by darkness.
Kartosh desperately sought a way to reverse the damage done to these lands, and with the blade wielded, Kartosh used the remaining shards to conjure enough power to open a portal to the Wedge Plane, and was also the first mortal to be able to exist within such a plane. Kochban met with Kartosh, and spoke his first and only words to Kartosh: "You must revive the land." Kartosh asked for Kochban's help to return the Flame of Light back to the land: Kochban would gather the souls within the wedge plane and merge them together to create the Unending Flame, which he imbued into Markagall. Kartosh returned to the land one final time, and pointed Markagall into the World Portal forged from the final six shards, and cut through it. Suddenly, Agamemnon was summoned and quickly defeated by Kartosh's power, and back to the void, instead of being housed in the Pitch Black Sea. The sword's blade was cracked all the way to the hilt, the cracks oozing with a mighty orange flame. Climbing back onto the top of Mt. Shira once more, Kartosh used the help of the Gods, who built the Flying Chariot of Kintu to fly to the Flame of Ael and imbue it with the sword's Light.
Kartosh restored the land and ended the darkness, but it was still barren. Kartosh would plant the six Demiurge shards across the land that his brother had stolen, and within years, mighty kingdoms blossomed, forming Tokina, Capra, Antsma, Caelia, Tarista, and Iunum. Kartosh dug deep within the land and returned to Palac's workshop underneath Samadel, and buried Markagall into the sleeping body of Palac, making Samadel a blessed land, and its light spreading to all of the other lands. To prevent another great evil from arising and attaining the sword, Lars and Kartosh together poured their powers into destroying the key to the Gate to never allow any other person to invade the workshop and take Markagall.. Lars, thanking Kartosh, built Kartosh another greatly powerful item: the Eye of Ael. Kartosh would still die as a mortal, but with the Eye of Ael, he would be reborn as a God with an ember of the original Flame from the Torch of Ael itself. Kartosh accepted this gift, and used its power to unite all the lands of the people together under one banner: the Kingdom of Kartosia. Kartosh was a greatly loved and revered king until his death at the age of 181 years, the longest known lifespan of a human. Kartosh's Eye of Ael would allow him to ascend to Mt. Shira one final time and take his rightful place among the Gods of Mt. Shira as the sworn protector of the Light and the guiding light to lead people to peace and salvation.
[When you create your character, you can choose one of these gods to dedicate your character's faith to. Through your character's piety, these primordial beings may grant your character strength in their trials.]
Ael, the Torchbearer
Ael was said to be the first of the Gods, who brought the Flame of Light into the world. Not satisfied with the presence of luminescence, Ael used the gift of the Flame of Light to bless the empty bedrock, creating the first world. Ael was satisfied with the world that they created, but there was no Life on it. Ael would then focus on the maintenance of the Flame of Light to keep the darkness away - the void which consumed all Light and Life. This void was ever-present, yet non-sentient. This was the first emergence of Agamemnon, the embodiment of nothingness. Ael, unwilling to allow their new world to be consumed, used the remaining bedrock to create five statues and breathe Life into them: Palac, Cymathane, Faustiana, Apphonialas, and Shirayhoo. Confident these five celestial beings could manage the world that Ael created, Ael would take their torch and raise it high above the world, creating the sun that would shine down. However, when corruption took the world, the bright, beautiful sun would simmer down and become red, filling the world with despair. When Kartosh defeated Agamemnon, the color restored to the land once more. It is said that even after Kartosh left this world, he returned to the torch of Ael to operate its guiding Light for future generations.
Palac, The Shaper of the Clay
When Ael shaped the land, Palac soon took over in hopes of bringing Ael's dreams to fruition. Palac, along with Cymathane, collaborated together to create Life: Palac would make the shells of the beast from the mud, and Cymathane would bring the spark of the flame which gave the shell Life. However, Palac and Cymathane came quickly into conflict when it was no longer just the beasts that they made, but sentient Life. Palac had made all sorts of different creatures fit to rule the lands, such as the men, elves, and the beastfolk. But Cymathane's flames, while fueling concepts such as passion, love, and altruism, the fire would also lead to violence, hatred, and jealousy. War was inevitable among the lives that Palac had spent endless time crafting. Palac was not angry with Cymathane: but he was sad that the creatures he had made from Ael's gifts would learn to steal from, betray, lie to, and kill one another. Palac argued that they did not need to kill each other, while Cymathane argued that this was the natural course of living: self-sufficiency. Palac fell into a deep depression and buried himself deep inside of the earth in his workshop, hoping that the creatures of the world would learn to channel their inner flames for good, and end the cycle of violence and war. Palac would then remove his left eye to create Kochban to safely escort the creatures into the afterlife away from the void of Agamemnon - then removing his right eye to create Ambriel to build the forests and plains that the creatures could safely live in. Finally, Palac would offer his heart to create Lars, who would make Ambriel's lands rich and plentiful with the bounty of harvest to keep their creatures well fed. With no eyes to see the ugliness of the world and with no heart to feel the pain of the creatures he created slaughtering one another, Palac would fall asleep in the center of the earth, hoping to reawaken when the fires had been smoothed and evil and agony was no more.
Cymathane, Lord of Flames and War
Cymathane, perhaps the cruelest of the gods, was imbued with the most power from Ael. Cymathane was not evil: but he knew the truth about the Flame of Light, which was this: duality is inevitable. As long as there is Light there is darkness; as long as there is Life, there is death; as long as there is love, there is pain; as long as there is health, there is sickness; as long as there is a world full of good, there will be forces of evil lying in wait to corrupt and destroy it. Cymathane's collaborations with Palac led him to create Life, but Life was fragile, and the flames could be snuffed out with the gentlest of breezes. Cymathane, seeing the Light of Ael, knew that he too must offer something to this world, and thus he created fire to power the engines of the Earth Dwellers' creations and keep them warm from the cold. Yet, once again, the gift he gave to the Earth Dwellers would be used to forge weapons, having mined the steel from the veins which Faustinia planted into the earth and shaped it to create weapons to kill one another. Cymathane was amused by the Earth Dwellers' penchant for violence that he would grant the powers of victory to those who asked him for it: but never without a price.
Faustinia, Queen of Steel and Stone
Faustinia was not like Cymathane or Palac: she could not create Life with her powers, as the Flame of Light did not resonate within her. Out of frustration, she would create the giants: a gigantic, golem race. However, these creatures had no purpose and simply wandered the land aimlessly. To give them a purpose, she created the mines, filled with beautiful jewels, strong steel, and sturdy stone, so that the giants could use it to build their own society. And yet still, the giants did not have the Flame of Light burning within them and thus had no drive or passion to build something with them. Earth Dwellers began to invade Faustinia's bountiful mines and create their own societies using the amazing materials she had brought: but her own creations, the giants, still walked as zombies. Out of sorrow, she went to Cymathane for help, who agreed to give the giants flame. However, this went disastrously: now that the giants had the Flames of Light, her orders she had given them remained: the giants returned to the mines, and killed any creatures who dared approach the mines. Angered with Cymathane's trickery, she ordered the giants to sleep within the depths of the mines. The giants did not cooperate, as they had the Flames of Light and thus their own free will, abandoning Faustinia. Faustinia's wrath would cause her to curse the giants who disobeyed her, and cause a great plague which turned them to stone. The giants cried out to Faustinia as they fell, one by one, into the Earth, creating the mountains which housed the mines below. The remaining giants, not wishing to incur Faustinia's wrath, returned to the mines below. Some of these giants, digging deep discovered Palac's abandoned workshop, and learned the ways of blacksmithing. Some giants became great blacksmiths, while others, obsessed with the ways of creation, encased themselves in the materials of the mines to which they returned to fortify their power, creating the golem race, the new protectors of the mines which Faustinia built. The remainder of the giants returned to their old ways before the flame, wandering the world in search of purpose.
Apphonialas, Master of the Oceans and Lakes
Apphonialas was a great admirer of Palac: but his hate for Cymathane grew as he watched the god cause nothing but betrayal and violence. Apphonialas was deeply in love with Faustinia, wishing to be closer to her. Watching her giants corrupted by Cymathane's flames made Apphonialas weep great tears, which inadvertently began to create oceans, lakes, and rivers. Faustinia, taken aback by these beautiful creations, came to Apphonialas, saying the flame of Cymathane had not swayed his kind heart. The two fell in love, and Faustinia wished to help Apphonialas create his ocean. She reached deep within the mountains of the giants who once lived and scrounged the embers of the remaining flame, giving it to Apphonialas as a gift of her affection. Apphonialas, not wishing to disappoint Faustinia, used her gift wisely, creating the creatures of the sea, and establishing his own race: the Sahagin. The water in the sea, powered by the great love which the two gods shared, created a unique breed of creature with the Sahagin, for they did not share the same reliance on violence that the Earth Dwellers did, instead choosing to live in peace and build their cities in the sea away from the flames of pain. But this peace was short lived: Cymathane, growing bitter and jealous of what Apphonialas and Faustinia shared, gave in to his anger and cursed Ael, and concentrated all of his remaining Embers from the Light Ael had given him and opening a portal to the void, bringing Agamemnon into the world. Agamemnon's demons spilled into the Earth and Sea alike, killing whatever they touched. This was the first emergence of Agamemnon, but even though his oceans were pure and beautiful, his only remaining choice was to create an underwater prison strong enough to house Agamemnon. This patch of water became a pure black ball of hate, where nothing could live, treacherous to any that crossed the sea. This untraversable water became known as the "Pitch Black Sea". Apphonialas hated this creation, but placed his strength and power into keeping Agamemnon there, lest chaos fall into the world. Faustinia stayed firmly with Apphonialas, knowing his duty was to prevent the world from being destroyed by Agamemnon. She would then create the Serpents, guardian spirits to protect the home of the Sahagin from the Earth Dwellers and the demons alike.
Shirayhoo, The Guide of Wind and Storms
Shirayhoo had taken a back seat from these conflicts of the Gods. This left her as the only remaining neutral party. She looked upon the worlds the gods had created and realized Cymathane had only been telling his truth: even though his deeds were cruel and unkind, for every kind and wonderful act there would be a selfish one. This was the nature of the Earth Dwellers, for nothing could exist without something to balance it. She then caused the first breezes to blow through the land: an invisible force that carried the seeds of the Flames of Light across the lands to aid in making them plentiful. Cymathane, broken and beaten from his conquest against Apphonialas, was filled with regret for what he had done, and came to Shirayhoo, asking her to fan his flames to give him power again. Shirayhoo agreed to help Cymathane on one condition: his meddling with the world must end, and he must go to the center of the world with Palac to join his slumber to only emerge when the Flame of Light had found its way. Begrudgingly, Cymathane accepted. Shirayhoo used her powers to give him the Flame of Light again. Cymathane grew fond of Shirayhoo, and realized if he agreed to her terms, he would never be able to see her again. Cymathane realized he wanted never to use his powers again unless it was to protect Life, and gave Shirayhoo his heart. Shirayhoo declined, saying that Ael did not make any mistakes when creating his beings. Shirayhoo instead took Cymathane's broken body and filled it with the clouds. The new Cymathane would give the rest of his fire to Shirayhoo, who realized Cymathane's ramblings were true: her wind led to great storms and lightning, with only destructive power. Cymathane used her power to then let the winds take course on her own and watch over Cymathane, eventually leading the two to fall in love. Shirayhoo believed her creation was good as it was bad: it led to as much creation as it did destruction. The two then used their powers to create one large volcano in the center of the world, towering above all the other mountains, known as Mt. Shira. As Apphonialas and Faustinia would watch over the world's creation and Life to make sure it blossomed well, Shirayhoo and Cymathane laid within Mt. Shira to ensure that Life's blossoming did not overextend itself into destruction by depleting its own resources by creating their own balance of natural destruction. The Gods finally came to an understanding: the age of the Dwellers, be they on land or sea, was now at hand.
Kochban, The Ferryman of the World Below
Kochban never liked the other Gods: after all, he was the first to have been born from Palac and he grew weary of their conflicts that led to nothing but death. All Kochban could see was death: when a Dweller died, the void would come to claim them, but Kochban saw no positive outcome for these deaths other than to make the darkness stronger. He went into the void himself, only to realize exactly why Palac had detached his own heart: the Flames of the Light had been contorted into horrifying shapes, tortured to their very core. These demons sought only to inflict pain and destruction. Furious with Agamemnon, Kochban returned to the workshop of Palac, desperately looking for answers: until he found it. Ael's Light had created a world: it was only natural that he could also create a world of his own. Kochban walked the line between the void and the Light and used Palac's tools to create something new entirely: the Wedge Plane. A plane stuck between the material world and the void, the Wedge Plane was a misty sea that resembled neither the darkness or the Light: rather it was a protected place which neither dwelling could touch. Souls of the Flame of Light would instead be brought here, where only the flames remained and the bodies were left behind. Kochban would ferry each soul here to remain protected after their death to reunite with their loved ones, and burn brightly, making perhaps the Wedge Plane the only peaceful place in existence. Kochban does this work out of duty to Palac, hoping that when Palac one day reawakens, he can see the peaceful world that he dreamed to create. Kochban rides a ferry made of dark, purple wood, and is mute: he speaks not to the souls of the dead that he transports.
Ambriel, The Guardian of the Forests and Plains
Ambriel came into the world of fire knowing very little. Palac, her creator, was in a deep slumber from which it seemed that he would not return. Ambriel would then ascend to the world and look upon all of which the gods had created: and yet, the world was starving. Deserts and mountains had no lush, and the wastelands were barren and dry. Ambriel took a little sprinkle of everything from each god: from Cymathane, the Embers of Light; from Faustinia, the soil of the land; from Apphonialas, the waters of purity; and from Shirayhoo, the winds to carry the seeds of the embers. Using Palac's tools, Ambriel surprised all of the Gods, showing that she had definitely inherited her master's creativity: the lands would blossom with greenery. The Flames of Light began to fill these lands with all sorts of insects, reptiles and mammals. The seas began to fill with fish and mollusks. The Gods, stunned by the use of their combined powers to create such beauty, all converged onto Mt. Shira and accepted Ambriel as one of their own. Ambriel, knowing just what to do, built a mighty kingdom in the sky above Mt. Shira for the gods to all live in harmony, as her master Palac would have wanted. This kingdom, only accessible to any brave enough to climb Mt. Shira, became known as Skyview. However, even Ambriel could not extinguish the violence of the Dwellers. Despite taking the sparks of the Flames of Light and making the world beautiful, her sadness grew when the dwellers would regularly destroy her creations in the name of industrialization or war. She locked herself away in a garden atop of Skyview, which is said to be the most beautiful place in the world. Many have attempted to climb Mt. Shira to see it, but most quit the extraordinarily difficult climb or die in the process. She watches over all her forests, protecting them by channeling herself through the guardian spirits within.
Lars, The Keeper of the Harvest
Lars was born from the heart of Palac. Lars was born immediately into suffering: with his birth, he had the ability to tune into the emotions of the flame, seeing the hurt of others. But with this pain came joy, for he also saw the passion and love these flames created. Seeking to give humanity something that would allow them to prosper and flourish, he created the Demiurge: a large, blue crystal that contained incredible power. Lars gave this power to the Earth, as the creations that Ambriel forged began growing enough resources to feed the entire planet for generations to come many times over. The Demiurge granted magic to the Earth Dwellers, allowing them to use it for good and to help their people live. But the Demiurge had the opposite effect: the Dwellers now used magic as a weapon against each other, and the great boons of the Demiurge began to be hoarded by warlords and jealous kings, creating poverty and wealth division. Lars, angered by how humans treated his gift, rained down blood and poison on these warlords and kings, burying their cities in mass graves. Realizing what he had done, Lars shattered the Demiurge into thirteen pieces, planting them all across the world to hide them away. Where these shards laid grew great harvests and many Dwellers began to build their societies around these shards. Lars could not end the conflict, but finally at peace with the Dwellers finally having comfort in their living, he retired to the center of the world to maintain Palac's workshop and find ways to help the dwellers of the land, acting as the world's heart.
Kartosh, Protector of the People
Kartosh is the most recent of the Gods - after the Demiurge was shattered, Kartosh was born into existence along with his twin brother, Numales. Kartosh from the beginning of his Life had the heart of goodness in him, but Numales had other plans: Numales went on to change his name to Osaeris the Prophet, and forged a new religion to collect the Demiurge shards in order to release Agamemnon from his watery prison. Osaeris created a large army of mercenaries that pillaged countless kingdoms in search of the legendary shards - instead of collecting all thirteen, Osaeris needed only collect six to summon the ancient being of darkness. Osaeris then became the avatar of Agamemnon himself, bringing ruin to everything he touched: the mighty torch of Ael in the sky became a deep scarlet red, plunging the world into darkness. Osaeris used his powers to infect his mercenaries with the corrupted Flames of the Void: creating Kochban's greatest fear. This great army was known as The Legion.
Kartosh grew saddened with his brother's betrayal against the world, and made it his ultimate goal to stop the plight of Osaeris. Kartosh was the first of The Great Mages, who researched how to keep the corruption at bay. He invented the technique of the Magic Circle, which used the inner power of the surviving Flame of Light within the caster to summon magical energy to keep the demons at bay. Seeking to spread knowledge of the magic circles, Kartosh built an army of his own, which would become known as the legendary White Raptors. The White Raptors spread all over the land quickly, but already over half of the land and its people were no more. Kartosh knew if he was to defeat Osaeris, he would have to enlist the help of the Gods. Kartosh would climb the mighty Mt. Shira with nothing but a rope and a pick through his sheer determination, being the first mortal to do so. Sensing the nobility within Kartosh's heart, the Gods gave Kartosh the key to Palac's workshop, and the Heart Goggles: an incredibly powerful artifact which allows the wearer to sense the energy and location of the Gods, leading Kartosh to the shards of the Demiurge.
Kartosh would collect another six of the shards, fighting countless demons with the aid of his White Raptor brothers, bringing them to Lars, who was now the only being within the workshop. Lars held the thirteenth and final shard that Kartosh sought to give him the edge over Osaeris, and Lars agreed to forge the blade with the remaining seven shards, under one condition: after Osaeris was defeated, the blade must be sealed away deep within the Earth, never to be touched unless the world once again needed it. This created the blade Markagall, otherwise known as "Miracle Weaver". The blade swept away the darkness wherever it struck. Kartosh went into his final fight, and managed to barely snatch victory, but not without a cost. By the time the fight had ended, much of the lands were destroyed, and the Demiurge shards within the earth which granted many bounties to the land were touched by darkness.
Kartosh desperately sought a way to reverse the damage done to these lands, and with the blade wielded, Kartosh used the remaining shards to conjure enough power to open a portal to the Wedge Plane, and was also the first mortal to be able to exist within such a plane. Kochban met with Kartosh, and spoke his first and only words to Kartosh: "You must revive the land." Kartosh asked for Kochban's help to return the Flame of Light back to the land: Kochban would gather the souls within the wedge plane and merge them together to create the Unending Flame, which he imbued into Markagall. Kartosh returned to the land one final time, and pointed Markagall into the World Portal forged from the final six shards, and cut through it. Suddenly, Agamemnon was summoned and quickly defeated by Kartosh's power, and back to the void, instead of being housed in the Pitch Black Sea. The sword's blade was cracked all the way to the hilt, the cracks oozing with a mighty orange flame. Climbing back onto the top of Mt. Shira once more, Kartosh used the help of the Gods, who built the Flying Chariot of Kintu to fly to the Flame of Ael and imbue it with the sword's Light.
Kartosh restored the land and ended the darkness, but it was still barren. Kartosh would plant the six Demiurge shards across the land that his brother had stolen, and within years, mighty kingdoms blossomed, forming Tokina, Capra, Antsma, Caelia, Tarista, and Iunum. Kartosh dug deep within the land and returned to Palac's workshop underneath Samadel, and buried Markagall into the sleeping body of Palac, making Samadel a blessed land, and its light spreading to all of the other lands. To prevent another great evil from arising and attaining the sword, Lars and Kartosh together poured their powers into destroying the key to the Gate to never allow any other person to invade the workshop and take Markagall.. Lars, thanking Kartosh, built Kartosh another greatly powerful item: the Eye of Ael. Kartosh would still die as a mortal, but with the Eye of Ael, he would be reborn as a God with an ember of the original Flame from the Torch of Ael itself. Kartosh accepted this gift, and used its power to unite all the lands of the people together under one banner: the Kingdom of Kartosia. Kartosh was a greatly loved and revered king until his death at the age of 181 years, the longest known lifespan of a human. Kartosh's Eye of Ael would allow him to ascend to Mt. Shira one final time and take his rightful place among the Gods of Mt. Shira as the sworn protector of the Light and the guiding light to lead people to peace and salvation.
