Myths

Creation Myths

1

In those days,

the great spiral was but a point within the great sea of the boundless void.

Its arms reached out to no one in its embrace, but its also did not need to as all was gathered together in stillness.

The great sprial occupied a small island in the sea of the boundless void, its eternal counterpoint.

The great spiral asked them to begin building.

One among them ventured out, beginning with the shifting sand below their feet and led the way, gathering and dispersing supplies and materials until thhe sand gave way to harder materials.

Then they began placing stones together.

Soon they occupied a place much larger and grander than their small island.

Fearing that the one they call the nebulous one was building too quickly and with little plan, the great spiral consulted the boundless one.

One among them was sent to aid the nebulous one, removing stones and sand, and reshaping it all to be placed again elsewhere, giving rise to comples shapes and structres.

The one they call the forge of worlds would reign in the nebulous one, convserving resources for future construction.

The nebulous one would construct mighty kingdoms only for the forge of worlds to bring them down when they became too large.

In the early days, the two were in conflict, leading to wars and strife, which troubled the great spiral who knew things must be beuilt but that also things must also fall and be reshaped.

During all this, the great sea of the boundless void continued to crash against the shore, threatening all they had achieved and built together.

So they sought counsel and decided that they would need to work together to hold back the great sea.

One arose among them and promised to aid the two in their efforts.

One that they call cosmic balance acted as mediator, seeing that the two aided rather than impede the other, strategically building and removing so as to best carry out the vision of the great spiral and to hold back the great sea of the boundless void.

This harmony went of for a long timme and everything was gathered together within the great spiral's embrace whose arms now stretched far and wide binding together all that they had built.

However, the great spiral grew worried as the stillness carried on for too long.

So, again they sought counsel.

One arose among them, which they call the great weaver who set everything in motion again, creating the rhythm of the days and nights, the ebb and flow of creation and destruction—the people danced.

The great weaver constructed a great beacon and its steady rhythm shone across the lands, giving meaning and order to the unchanging.

Cosmic balance relied on this beacon to coordinate the work of the nebulous one and the fore of worlds so each was given an equal amount of time and influence and freedom to carry out their tasks.

This rhythm carried on for a long time.

Kingdoms rose and fell once more, the tides flowed in and out, giving meaning to the structure to all they had built.

Then one arose among them of their own accord and asked the great spiral to venture out as they onced asked the nebulous one too all that they had built, to see if others had likewise built,to see the farthest reaches where the land met the boundless sea, to venture past into the great sea and discover if there truly were no bounds, and to scout for new lands not yet embraced by the great sprial.

The great spiral did not know if there were others who had similarly built lands within the boundless sea, and they desired to know how the farthest reaches of their land fared sincce its construction.

So, it permitted the one who is now known as the etneral voyager to venture out past the inner walls and instructed them to first journey only within the known lands and return with a report of their findings then they would be permitted to venture further into the unknown regions of the boundless sea.

One day the eternal voyager set off into the great sea of the boundless sea and failed to return for a long time.

So, the great spiral instructed the shephed who had until then remained only within the innermost region of the great sprial;s embrace, to venture out and retrieve the voyager and return them safely into the embrace of the great spiral.

2

This is how the four kingdoms were formed.

In the early days, the four Great Houses were unified—chief among them being The Great Spiral, led by Omne. The four Houses were united under the banner of The Great Spiral, wihch was known as The Embrace since the sigil for the House of The Great Spiral consisted of outstretched arms.

When Trahe, who was loyal to Inanis of The Boundless Void, rose to power as leader of the greatest House, the other three Houses allied themselves and went to war. The war was brief, with no clear victor, and so, the three Houses, weary that there would be no changes, formed a new kingdom to rival the strength of the once united realm.

The realm was thus divided into two kingdoms, one ruled by the House of The Great Spiral, which had usurped by The Boundless Void, and the other ruled by the three houses aligned, sharing power equally.

Hower, a stronger House arose and took power soley for themselves—the House of The Nebulous One, or simply House Nebulous. House Nebulous, led by Aenu, quickly expanded the kingdom's reach—erecting great stone walls to guard the kingdom and impose an imposing image of strength. As a result, smaller unaligned regions were brought under its domain.

It's ruler, Aenu, instructed their people to carry on this process of building and expanding until the kingdom could truly match its rival. However, the throne was usurped by one mightier than Aenu, called Brimu, who hated their rule and desired destruction above all else, who sought to take the kingdom and destro its ruling House in the process. Brimu banished The Two Houses, who onced shared power, fearing they sought to take his claim to the throne and restore shared power over the kingdom.

The leaders of The Two Houses returned to the old kingdom to seek the advice of Omne, of the House of The Great Spiral, the once fair ruler of the kingdom. In their great generosity, Omne permitted the two Houses to take refuge far from the either kingdom on land belonging to The Great Spiral, but included a stipulation. If they could manage to lead the one known as the Forge of Worlds into war against the Boundless Void, in hopes of truly restoring the once great House, with the The Boundless Void removed from power, then the two Houses could take possession of the land indefinately.

In secret, the leaders of The Two Houses petitioned others to leave the kingdom and join them in their new lands and to aid in provoking a war between the two kingdoms. In time the council of, Brimu, the Forge of Worlds, abandoned them for the refuge of the two Houses. Fearing that they had been spies, Brimu lead a charge and tore down the walls of the neighboring kingdom which provoked The Boundless Void into war.

Fearing the previous outcomes, the Two Houses decided to divide the land equally and formed an alliance of friendship and cooperation. House Upsilson took the land bordering the sea and House Zeta took the pastoral land bordering The Great Forest.

The kingdom ruled by the formerly House Upsilon became a revered place of knowledge and learning, becoming known for the esteemed academy. A large lighthouse was constructed, guiding visitors to its shores—those in search of the academy and its great library., which housed the largest collection of texts in the known lands. The kingdom was ruled by two factions: the House of Cosmic Balance, led by Et, and the House of The Weaver, led by Numer.

The kingdom ruled by the formerly House Zeta became an agrarian society, with its large excesses exported to those regions beyond the Great Forest. Their knowledge of the surrounding known lands and exploration was unmatched, leading to the greatest achievements in cartography.

With the influence of the Old Kingdom now waning given the successes of Upsilon and Zeta, it was left weak—each war leaving them weaker and more vulnerable. The weak kingdom created an oppurtunity for The Great Sprial and its supporters to regain power, focring the usurper from their throne. However, The Boundless Void remains lurking, waiting for an oppurtunity to regain control.

With the Boundless Void deeated, the four Houses, now Four kingdoms, reached an agreement and allied together in support of keeping The Boundless Void at bay and protect themselves from its influence, offering aid to those in farther reaches of the known lands.

And this is how the four kingdoms came to be.

***