Ancient Gods of Moraessia

Ancient Gods and Man, the Faith of the Ancients:

         According to the old texts, long destroyed and their knowledge kept only by exiles and hermits, the faith of the old world was that of a pagan kind and that many heroes and tyrants were existent in that age, more so than now.

         In the beginning, according the old faith, there were but two gods, Almeriass and Quoderis. And was that these two gods would fight and quarrel with each other, but eventually they would cease such squabbling, so that they could create all manners of things. The first was a world of their own, within the darkness which was their mother and prison. Almeriass brought forth light and rain, and Quoderis, the soil and winds. And it was that after they had created their world, they felt alone without their mother, darkness.

         So it was that Almeriass took up the clay from the soil and began crafting a mold, likewise to himself, but different. And it was that Quoderis saw the doings of Almeriass and chose to do the same, but even more different. Almeriass gave onto his creation the gift of life and along with it he gave his creation powers such as his and he made likewise to him. And Almeriass gave his creation a name, and that name was woman. So it was thereafter, that Quoderis did the same, but the differences between their creations were great.

         Whereas the woman-goddess of Almeriass was kind and sowed into the earth the seeds of life, the woman-goddess of Quoderis was cold and savage, that within the winter months, which she created, she rained down frost and lightning. And it was because of this that Almeriass and Quoderis became for a time separate and resentful of one another. But their hatred eventually dispersed and their hearts softened, and as the children of Almeriass and Quoderis grew and rejoiced in their cousins presences, there was found love amongst them and generation upon generation of gods and deities were born.

         But from these countless sons and daughters, there was born a race, weaker and less glorious than their counterparts, and it was that the gods and goddesses looked wrongly upon them and casted them out from their realm, within the heavens, upon the earth where there was only wild and savagery.

         Those who were casted out were called by only their gender, man and woman, not by titles such god or goddess. And it was to be that these forsaken dwelt upon the earth in hatred, awe and fear of the immortals that had forsaken them. Many generations past since the first were cast out and many of Man forgot, so that they worshipped the accursed immortals, praying to them for strength and mercy. But such would not last long, for though Man had forgotten the wrongs did against them, Man became strong, stronger than any immortal could perceive. For amongst Man were legends, men being born and dying with swords in their hands, fighting the evil that was ever conjured by those wicked amongst the immortals?

         Beasts and dragons, many such were slain by Man, and the immortals watched with both joy and hate. Those who saw Man as weak laughed at his attempts to safeguard ‘his’ realm, but there were as well others who hated Man for his arrogance. But those amongst the immortals sought destruction and it most due to the wife of Quoderis who wanted this. For in Man’s beginning, she sent forth all manners of beasts and burdens to punish Man. But the greatest force she created was that of war. Having man wage war against him-self, just as Almeriass and Quoderis had done in their own beginning, she hoped to see him destroy himself.

         But she only tortured herself, for when the great nations, legends and armies of Man waged war, the gods and immortals picked sides. And with beasts and themselves, the immortals intervened upon the battlefields, cutting short many great lives. But such mischief soon ended, as when Almeriass and Quoderis themselves waged war for the first time, the gods and immortals were summoned to whatever side they chose. And it was that upon the realm of Man, the two great armies fought, aided each by the forces of Man. The battle lasted months, as beasts and immortals of all kinds were said to have died in the battle, even the last of the great dragons were slain. And it was in the end as both Almeriass and Quoderis struck the final blows, ending their own lives together, that only the small remaining forces of Man stood amongst the carnage. And it was said that amongst the immortals, only Death and Judgment had survived and had both left the realm of Man forever.