The Creation of Eloria

The History of Eloria

In the beginning, there was nothing; no light, no dark, no air, just the emptiness of the void. This vast desolation then ended with the appearance of Axovar, the Light of Hope. Axovar wandered the void, seeking meaning and purpose. He didn't have long to search. His light shone throughout the void like a beacon, drawing to him the only other being in existence; Myarium, the Lady of Shadows. Her dark beauty radiated a protective, warming aura that captured Axovar's heart. Myarium's joy was unfathomable, for she had never known the warmth of light, or the companionship of another being; she had been alone since the very beginning. Rejoicing in each other's company, they sang and danced and loved each other, their revelry lasting countless eons.


Knowing they would soon be able to create life itself, the two Elder Gods created Errha, the Endless Realm. Errha was a place separate from the void, which was no longer barren and empty, but filled with light, colour and shadows, having been transformed by Axovar and Myarium's love for each other. Errha, on the other hand, was as a blank canvas, much as the void had been before Axovar's appearance.


Into this Endless Realm, Myarium bore a thousand children, each able to summon and command elements of creation or destruction. For a time there was peace, but it was not to last.


Errha could not contain all the power that these new Godlings wielded. After a few eons, Errha began to collapse. This first cataclysm caught the Godlings by surprise, destroying two hundred of them as the Realm itself tried to limit the amount of power being unleashed in it.


Axovar and Myarium saw this destruction and knew that they could no longer interfere, as the Empty Realm now belonged to their children. Both Gods agreed that, although it would cause them great sorrow, their children must prove which of them is worthy to survive, for if they did not decrease their own numbers, drastically, Errha would cleanse itself to start afresh. And so, the Battle of Errha began.


This battle lasted a thousand years, while the Endless Realm continued to destroy itself. Many Godlings who sought refuge or rest at the furthest reaches of the Realm were lost as vast areas collapsed without warning. At the heart of the realm, countless skirmishes took place, the stronger or more untrusting Godlings choosing to fight alone against insurmountable odds, while many of the younger or open hearted chose to band together, protecting each other. This battle rocked Axovar and Myarium to their very cores, forced to watch their children destroy each other just so a handful of them could survive.


As the last cries of battle rang out, only ten Godlings remained. Four of these had chosen to stand alone against their siblings, each fighting off scores of opponents and even groups who had chosen to band together. These were the oldest and strongest of the Elder Gods' children, Emolat the Huntress, Hurüsh the Tempest, Magarab the Inferno and Rigath the Shield. The other six were the youngest of the Godlings, and those secretly favoured by both Myarium and Axovar. These six had chosen to band together, watching each others' backs and compensating for each others' weaknesses. They were Belim the Shadow, Faren the Mountain, Kivena the Wave, Movan the Flame, Novia the Star and Valira the Breeze.


With Errha stabilised and restored, Axovar and Myarium grant their surviving children the gift of creating life, by helping to craft a new Realm within the Endless Realm, which the Godlings could form and populate. This new realm, accessible only to the Godlings, became Sehdha, the Empty Realm.


Sehdha did not remain empty for long. The six younger Godlings each chose to use the remains of their fallen siblings to help create a world. Faren took the bodies of the slain and used them to create the earth and rock of the world. Movan used the hearts of the fallen to craft the molten heart of the world, heating it from within. Kivena took the blood shed during her siblings' final moments to fashion the oceans, lakes and rivers. Valira thought hard about how she could contribute and used her power to capture the final breaths of each fallen Godling, transforming them into the winds and weather of the new world. Novia and Belim used the captured energy of the dead Godlings creation and destruction to craft the laws of life and death, to which every future inhabitant of their new world would be bound to. Novia then crafted the Sun and the stars for their Father, while Belim created the night sky and two Moons for their Mother, to honour them for the pain they must have endured and as thanks for this great gift. And so Sehdha, the Empty Realm, was no more. But in its place shone Eloria, the Gift of Life.


Novia, whose divine gifts included healing and bringing life, and Faren, who excelled in forging shapes and vessels, aided the other Godlings in crafting the plants, beasts, birds and fish to fill Eloria.


During the creation of Eloria and its population, the four older Godlings had been recuperating from the years of battle, while planning to craft great monuments to honour their own greatness and strength. So when they reawakened to discover that Eloria had been finished and that the younger Godlings had used all of the bodies of the fallen ones, they decided to create some more raw materials. Briefly combining their powers, they shattered one of Belim's Moons and began to craft monuments for themselves to hang forever in the sky.


Belim was outraged, having been forced to watch as his tribute to their mother, Myarium was so thoughtlessly destroyed. He knew that the elder Godlings would not hesitate to destroy everything his siblings had worked so hard to create in order to twist this world into their own image. The younger Godlings decided to grant their older siblings their wish. Faren summoned an immense plain of sand and minerals into Errha. Movan formed a carpet of flame to sear the grains into a great sheet of reflective glass. Cooled and tempered by Kivena's beckoned rain and polished clean by Valira's whirling winds, the great Mirror was completed. Novia and Belim then poured their own powers of light and darkness into the glass. When Eloria was framed by the mirror a great flash lit the Endless Realm. The mirror trapped the elder Godlings in a reflection of Errha, where all they had access to was a dark, twisted reflection of Eloria; the Netherealm. Because none of these Renegade Gods had gifts similar to Novia, their creation would forever be wreathed in Emolat's darkness, battered by Hurüsh's storms, scorched by Magarab's lava and cracked by Rigath's earthquakes. To prevent the Renegades from ever escaping or seeing anything other than their own twisted creation, the Elorian Gods hid the now darkened mirror deep beneath Eloria.


Although they were without a power like Novia's, the Renegades were still Gods, and able to twist the creatures that inhabited their dark world into monstrous, primal beasts designed only to kill and fight amongst themselves.


Now that they did not have to worry about their destructive siblings, the Elorian Gods observed their new world. It took a few generations for the various beasts of Eloria to establish a relative order to their lives. This time of chaos convinced the Gods to create a caretaker civilisation, which would look out for those new races whilst they were still coming to terms and discovering the world around them, along with its beauties, and its dangers. And so, with a basic structure in place, the Gods each created part of the Talis race; elemental beings who could meditate and hear the wishes of the Gods. Thus, civilisation came to Eloria.


Generations passed and the Talis spread across the land and sea in preparation for their role as teachers. However, they were unprepared for the wave of monstrous creatures that spilled forth across the land. These were the beasts bred by the Renegade Gods. They had managed to find six imperfections in their prison, and having commanded their beasts against these points, found a way to indirectly attack their imprisoners; by sending their beasts to feed on their enemies' creations.


Many Talis and innocent beasts were slaughtered during this invasion. The Gods could not directly interfere, no matter how much they wished to do so. Instead, they used a large part of their own power to create Demi-Gods. These Lesser Gods were able to travel between Errha and Eloria and act as Guardians. Novia and Belim created the twins, Aurien, God of Dreams and the Dawn, and Everia, Goddess of Nightmares & Dusk. Kivena and Valira combined their power to make Ilisium, God of Ice and Winter. Palitar, Goddess of Plants and Spring, was created by Faren and Kivena. Movan, with Faren's aid, created Sharamm, Goddess of Volcanoes and Summer, while Valira, helped by Movan, created Veelae, Thunder God and Autumn Guardian. The Guardians, aided by the surviving Talis, turned the invasion, killing the majority of the foul monsters.


After five long years, all the large groups of monsters had been destroyed, enough so that the world would once again find balance. The Guardians buried and blocked all passageways leading from the Netherealm, then departed Eloria, returning to Errha, to join the Elorian Gods. At the locations where the Guardians had disappeared, the Talis built shrines to honour them and everything they had done. They then set about repairing the damage caused by the monsters, many of which had spawned lesser monsters, which took the roles of many of the creatures killed during the invasion.


Having seen how valiantly one of the species of creatures had fought to defend themselves, the Elorian Gods chose to use the Drakes as the basis for their second civilisation. Thus the race of Dragons came into being. Both honourable and filled with ancient wisdom, these Dragons split into three types; the winged, the serpentine and the finned. Guided by the Talis, these gigantic beings spread across Eloria, satisfying their curiosity by exploring their new world.


Within their mirrored prison, the Renegade Gods could sense what their younger siblings were creating. In response to this, they took wolves, which roamed and hunted the mountains of the Netherealm, and gave them power. These giant wolves, the Waheela, were able to survive, and thrive in the frozen mountains, where they quickly established a territory.


Faren, having such an affinity with the world he'd help shape, planted the first Bokabu seeds in the lush jungle lands, where they would thrive. Under the care of the Talis, these seeds sprouted into a proud, warrior race. Quickly forming a bond with their living world, the Bokabu warriors hunted for food, never killing unless necessary and never wasting anything. They spread to the nearby swampland too, adapting easily to this environment.


Enraged by his younger sibling's creations, Rigath used the designs that he could sense and created the parasitic Greftaga, planting the first spores on the few of Faren's original trees that he hadn't yet destroyed. These spores grew and grew as they drained the life from the trees, until they were the size of the trees themselves. Then they roamed the Netherealm, spreading throughout the twisted forests.


Seeing how his Bokabu thrived, Faren became bolder, sculpting from the heart of a mountain, the first members of the Dwarf race. These short, stocky beings met their Talis guardians with curious, yet wary interest, as they emerged from the caverns. Under the Talis' tutelage, the Dwarves discovered mining and excelled at it. Though their greatest skill came with the crafting of tools, for these beings were experts at the forge. Faren's second children quickly perfected many of the arts of craftsmanship, building dwellings and places of worship directly into the rock itself.


Growing ever more furious at his brother's skill for creation, Rigath twisted the designs for the Dwarves, creating two separate peoples from the essence. The first were the short, agile Redcaps who thrived in the darkness of caves and the shadows of mountains. The second were the Ogres, taking the strength of the Dwarves and filtering it down to power of murderous rage. These Ogres formed clans and roamed the Netherealm, only fearing to enter the mountain range of the Waheela or the caves in the shadow of a mountain, for Redcaps were territorial and could see in the dark. These Ogre clans constantly warred with one another, each led by the strongest member.


Excited about the success and industrious nature of his Dwarves, Faren had one further wish; to create a race to watch over the mountain tops, while the Dwarves watch over their depths. As such, with Novia's help, Faren crafted the Garikon race from the rocks of the mountains themselves. These four-armed beings were stronger, and hardier than the Dwarves, but lacked the eye or appreciation for fine detail. Although the Dwarves were exceptional miners, the Garikon race perfected the skill, discovering minerals and ores that had been unheard of. The Talis that were guiding the Garikon began trying to foster a working friendship between the two races based on the trade of ore for tools.


Rigath, sensing this final insult from his brother, demanded Magarab's help in besting Faren's skill. Not one to take demands from anyone, Magarab refused, unless Rigath granted her the right to rule this new race as their creator. Reluctantly agreeing, Rigath formed the Shurgan race, while Magarab poured into them the life, strength and power of volcanic flame. The Shurgan burst up from the heart of their world, eager to create glorious monuments and tools to solidify their hold over the subsurface world beneath the Netherealm.


With the emerging and spreading of so many new races, Belim, as God of Death, was struggling to keep pace with the number of souls needing to be collected and judged. To aid him, Belim summoned forth a Demon of darkness, Ankou. This ethereal being's sole task was to roam Eloria, collecting the souls from the freshly deceased before their spirits could take root in a place or object. These souls would remain behind, waiting until Belim himself came to collect them. Belim granted Ankou a piece of his own cloak, to hide him from mortal eyes, a lantern in which to contain the harvested souls, and a shepherd's crook, to symbolise his role as Shepherd of the Dead. This crook could also become a scythe, which Ankou could use to severe the bond between spirit and body if the newly dead was refusing to leave its body.


Almost a thousand years passed in relative peace, with the four races, watched over by the Talis, expanding their territories and finding their roles within their civilisations. Dragons, the oldest and wisest of these races, noticed a great fear whenever Dwarves beheld them. They realised that Dwarves would forever associate Dragons with the spawn of the monsters that invaded Eloria long before their creation; beasts such as the Wurms that haunted the depths of mountains, or the Hydras and Basilisks that roamed the foothills and caverns. Hundreds of Dwarves had been killed by these creatures over the years and their fear of gigantic reptiles was too well ingrained for even the Talis to change their outlook. As such, when the first Dragon was attacked and killed for venturing too near the newly finished Dwarf city of Kasik, the Dragons did not retaliate. They knew that it had been fear, not hatred that had caused the Dwarves to strike and that it would not be the last time such a thing occurred. To prevent further loss of life, the Dragons, in their ancient wisdom, agreed to isolate themselves on an island far to the east, which they named Menak, meaning 'safehaven'. And so, the ancient Dragon kingdoms that had once covered most of Eloria for almost ten thousand years, were abandoned.


With great sorrow in their hearts, the Elorian Gods watched as the noblest of their children, the Dragons, exiled themselves to preserve the peace. So great was their sadness, that the Gods created the Elves on an island just to the east of Menak. These Elves were born to be Dragon-friends, unafraid of reptilian beasts and eager to create a beautiful, artistic culture.


The Renegade Gods took great pleasure from sensing their siblings' sorrow, but this quickly turned to anger as the Elves were born. Emolat took this design and cast her shadow upon it, creating the Dark Elves, the Drow. These beings quickly expanded their territory, being agile, adaptable and cunning.


Admiring the grace and beauty of their newest race, the Elorian Gods decided to create similar beings to aid the Bokabu in caring for the forests of Eloria. These tiny beings became the Faeries, given wings to fly across the world.


The Renegade Gods, having decided to fill their world with darker beings, based on those of Eloria, as a great insult to their siblings. As such, it was not long before the Imps came into being. These small, flying shape shifters could take on the appearance of dark-haired faeries, but their true form was that of a horned, tailed beast with red and black skin. These mischievous beings flew through the dark forests, eating anything they could catch and playing tricks on the Drow and Ogres that crossed their paths.


Marvelling at how well their Elves were progressing in the north, the Elorian Gods decided to create a similar race on the group of southern islands. The plains and  forested hills of these lands proved a perfect home for the Centaurs, dark-skinned Elves with the lower body of horses.


The race of Chimeras, a foul mix of lion, goat and serpent body parts, were the result of the Renegade Gods' disgust at the Centaurs. The Chimeras were a war-hungry, blood-thirsty race that rarely tolerated the company of others, even other Chimeras.


Because even the finned, ocean-dwelling Dragons had retreated to Menak, Kivena longed for a race to watch over her seas. So she created the Merrow race. These merfolk resembled Elves from the waist up, but elegant fish from the waist down. Watching over this newly risen race, the water Talis taught them spear fishing and the secret to taming wild Hippocampi.


On two of the smaller islands where the Centaurs dwelled, the Gods created the stronger race of bull-headed Minotaurs and the artistic, goat-legged Satyrs, whose music and antics pleased them greatly.


By this time, many Imps had found access to the ancient portals between the two worlds. They revelled in hunting faeries, whose magic helped them hide themselves. Soon after, several tribes of Redcap and Ogre stumbled across other portals, finding a way through the strange tunnels. Clearing enough of the rubble to pass into Eloria, they were, at first, weakened and terrified by the brightness of the shining sun, having known only stormy darkness before. Gradually, these beings adapted to survive and enjoy living in the sunlight, though they still preferred darkness. These changed beings became Goblins, and Trolls, whose members had changed into different forms, suited to living in different places; caves, mountains, jungles and snow.


Seeing bulls and goats as nothing more than game to be hunted, the Renegade Gods created the boar-headed Varah, both predator and prey, and the serpentine Ketu. The Varah lay claim to the island chain in the south, while the Ketu eagerly took up residence in the mountains to the west.


Movan watched and saw how loved and worshipped Faren was by his children, the Bokabu, Dwarves and Garikon, and Kivena, by her Merrow. Taking a rare opportunity to create life, Movan, aided by Novia, crafted his own race, the Kitsun. Movan admired the craftiness and cunning nature of foxes, and so gave these beings the ability to travel in the form of a fox, and hide their true nature in the guise of Elves. He also granted them very limited knowledge of firelore. Encouraged by their wild natures and passion for life, the Kitsun loved Movan and offered daily prayers to him.


Hurüsh sensed this new creation and responded with his own, the Nagual. These shape shifters could hide themselves in the form of Drow, and hunt in their true form of dogs. Granted a limited amount of Hurh's wind magic, they roamed the Netherealm at speed, outrunning any who thought themselves able to hunt these beings.


For over two thousand years, cultures grew and developed in Eloria as the races exchanged knowledge and skills, learning from each other. Unknown to all, this peace was about to end. Shattering past the old blockades and barriers, a great army from the Netherealm poured into Eloria, sweeping through villages and settlements like waves over sand. This army was led by a group of Ketu who had found the old portals and decided to expand their lands. Though undisciplined and violent, few who stood against this army lived, for it was made of many unfamiliar races, all of whom had been fighting since their creation.


Seeing the doom that was spreading across their world, the Elorian Gods could no longer send the Lesser Gods, the Guardians into Eloria. They could only be summoned from Eloria by those who wield the powers of the Gods. So the Gods chose to allow their children to fight, lead and protect themselves. They each created a mask, based on the skills and temperament they most desired from a champion. Pouring their powers into these masks, they made them appear on Eloria, to ones worthy to possess such gifts and responsibility. These six mortals, having found the masks and with the guidance of the Talis, became the First Heralds of Eloria.


Calling together the leaders of the other races, the Heralds lead the charge, pushing back the invaders. The defenders fought valiantly and most of the enemy force was slain. Those who weren't, fled back to the Netherealm. All who fought also helped to seal the ancient portals, many with the aid of newly discovered magic abilities. Those few who were worthy of becoming Heralds, but had not been chosen by the masks, had gained a small gift from the Gods.


The Talis, no longer able to hear the wishes of the Gods, who had used up much of their powers creating the masks of the Heralds, chose to retreat from society. They claimed an isolated island, far out in the southern ocean, and there they built the temple of the Gods. This island, also named Talis, became home to the Heralds, who wished to learn all they could from the Talis and pass on their knowledge to those who would come after them.


After many centuries of rest, only using their magic a few times to create new masks for new Heralds every hundred years, the Gods decided to create only a few more races, hoping that the diversity would allow them to better protect themselves in the event of another invasion. The first of these final races were the Humans. Not as strong as the Dwarves, or as elegant as the Elves, Humans were created to be something in between. Versatile and highly adaptable, they quickly spread to many different areas of Eloria.


The patient Valira was finally ready to create her own races, having long imagined the skies filled with beings to care for it. She created the Aamon race, winged, owl-headed beings, both wise and patient, to watch over Eloria from above.


Hurüsh, unsatisfied with the Nagual, who were still bound to the earth beneath their feet, created the eagle-headed Garuda race, in defiance and as a challenge to his younger sister.


The Elorian Gods create the Wulver race, who, despite their fearsome, wolf-like appearance, were peaceful, solitary beings.


Sensing this, the Renegade Gods create the Adlet, dog-headed beings whose ferocity and viciousness far outmatched their merely frightening appearance.


In the north, the Elorian Gods create the Ackirian race, who appear Human at first glance, but are much more suited to hunting and concealment.


At this time, and unaware of much of the history of their world, having no Talis to guide them, many Humans find their way past the seals that block the portals to the Netherealm. Most of these Humans perish, but some, the most ruthless, cunning and adaptable, thrive here, eventually becoming accepted into Drow society, although of much lesser station, seen as inferior.


The Renegade Gods had been unaware of the creation of Humans, but once they discovered them in the Netherealm, they quickly created another race; the Giants. These colossal beings resembled Humans, but were solitary and avoided contact with others.


Valira, pleased with her Aamon race, asked permission from the other Elorian Gods to be able to create one final race. They accepted, and so, Valira, youngest of all of Axovar and Myarium's children, created the Harpy race, a bird-like people who, though not as strong as the Aamon, were far more agile.


Several Giants found their way through the portals between worlds, hiding themselves deep in the passes and valleys of the northern mountains of Eloria.


Hurüsh, in anger over his sister's newest creation, warps the designs, creating the race of Sirens, hideous bird-winged beings who loved nothing more than luring members of other races to their deaths with their beautiful voices.