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legend and lore, before memory and myth, Ayar, the
Creator, willed into existence everything known
and unknown. He saw fit to create not only diverse
planets in this universe, but entirely separate
planes, some with physical laws that differ radically
from our own. At the last, he created the Elder
Gods and the Aldar, to serve them. The Elder Gods
he infused with a small, finite, portion of his
own boundless power and gave them the gift of immortality.
To the Aldar he gave great power exceeding that
of virtually all beings save for the Gods.
Of the Elder Gods, there
were a handful only: Aegis, the God of War. Thoth,
whose realm is Death. Matsuhama, the skilled God
of Combat. The calculating Prospero, God of Wealth.
Vastar, Lord of the Skies. Aeon, who has some
control over Time itself. Gaia, Goddess of Nature.
Agatheis, God of the Elements. Shaitan, the feared
Lord of Evil. Flighty Eros, patron of lovers everywhere.
Gentle Scarlatti, God of the Arts. Caspian, who
rules the Oceans. Miramar the Evenhanded, Goddess
of Justice. Twilight, the mysterious God of Darkness.
Lupus, the wild God of the Beasts. Lucretius,
enigmatic God of Philosophy, Raclawice, patron
Goddess of Rogues and Wanderers everywhere, and
Valnurana, Goddess of Sleep and Dreaming. Taking
no specific realm were Lorielan, Daedalus, and
Khalas.
Though satisfied with
the perfection of these expressions of his divine
aspect, the Lord of Creation was haunted by a
sense of emptiness.. Over the aeons, he watched
his creations interacting and experiencing the
wonderful uncertainty of their lives. Ayar had
none of this, for he was all that ever was and
all that could be. There were no secrets for Ayar,
no goals to be striven for. Ayar spent his time
in endless contemplation of his own existence
and, for reasons too foreign for we of limited
existence to comprehend, grew bored.
He desired to experience
his creation first-hand. He wanted to feel the
soaring ecstasy and painful despair of those who
possess something besides the certitude of total
prescience. After a deep period of intense contemplation,
Ayar split himself into two beings: Ayar and Proteus.
Ayar intentionally limited the power of Proteus
and was able to exclude Proteus' origins from
the mighty God's mind. For the rest of the Elder
Gods, he implanted false memories which deluded
them into believing Proteus had always been their
leader.
So it was that the Elder
Gods were created to rule over creation and maintain
order and balance. All were given power far beyond
even that of the Aldar, but still, not infinite.
Proteus was unquestioningly the most powerful
of the Gods and ruled them by general consent.
For his Queen and lover, Proteus took Lorielan,
who was one of the most powerful Gods as well
as being possessed of a devastating beauty and
razor-sharp mind.
Thus, the ranks of Creation
were complete. Ages came and went peacefully as
the various planes developed. Some, like our own,
grew to incredible size and complexity, while
others remained small and relatively uniform.
The Gods had the power of effortless planar travel
while the Aldar were forced to exert considerable
energy discovering and exploring these endless
planes. The Gods spent their time exalting in
their power and expanding their influence. The
Aldar became masters of building and of magic
and testaments to their ability may be found throughout
the multiverse. It can be truthfully said, and
I write this without any trace of heresy, but
only a humble historian's drive for the truth,
that the Gods grew complacent, while the Aldar
did the work and learned about their surroundings.
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