Linniah: The goddess of Creation, Linniah, is neutral good. Her titles include “Pure One” “The White Goddess” “The Dark Ward” Linniah is the creator of the Old Ones, the Mishtai. She still cares deeply for her children even though they no longer exist. She is worshipped by those who are afraid of evil’s corrupting touch, those who wish to remove the taint of Xenn from the world or those who just want to make the world a safer place. Her gift of the moon to remove fear from the hearts of her children has become her symbol. Those who follow Linniah strive to always do what is good often in the name of the light. Most are not fighters, trying to persuade those have strayed from the path o the light to rejoin it. Those who are fighters strive to remove the taint in the incarnem that Xenn placed upon it. They fight the effects of Xenn’s corruption whenever they can. While they know that it is truly impossible it is the way of all Linnians to strive for lofty goals.
Xenn: The God of Corruption, Xenn, is neutral evil. He is known to many as “Shadow Master”, “He Who Waits” or “The Corrupter”. Xenn was the only god who did not create anything. He only corrupted what the others made. His greatest accomplishment was the corruption of the world itself. His corruption is what started the great war and the Gods War. Those who follow Xenn strive to corrupt those who consider themselves just and good. They often do this through subterfuge. Although when worse come to worse they have many dark talents to fall upon. Many of Xenns followers are Nercomancer enjoying the taint that resides in the world.
Tydemm: The Elemental God, Tydemm, Is neutral. His only interests are that of the elements and the sun. It takes much of his power to keep them from raging and destroying themselves. He is often known as “The Foundation” because without him the world itself would not have been made. Tydemm calmed the raging elements and created the sun which allowed the other gods to begin creating. The followers of Tydemm are often looking to find a perfect balance between light and dark, chaos and law, fire and water, air and earth. Some strive to strengthen the side of one of these causes relying on other to balance them out. Some Rangers and druids serve Tydemm.
Arlienne: The Sibyl Goddess Arlienne is known as the war ender. Her visions stopped the great war. Her followers are devoted to seeing the future and accurately interpreting it. Most attemot to do nothing other than to interpret it but others use these powers for other means. Some to save others, some to make a personal gain. Arlienne is a very uncaring goddess. She cares nothing for what comes of her followers because her sight is so often stuck in the future. Each of her temples have a high ranking priest known as on Oracle. Many people come to these oracles to hear their futures but for a great cost.
Bolias: The Maniacal One, Bolias, is a purveyor of suffering and pain, of loss and sadness. His acolytes go into the world to cause this for their God. Some work in obvious ways torturing and destroying people. Others work to make those happy, unhappy. Although many strive to reach a position of power and make entire nations unhappy few ever accomplish this task. Acolytes of Bolias typically have a very short life span thanks to servants of Domen
Domen: The watcher Domen serves as the guard of the pantheon. He upholds law and order, he protects the weak and punishes the sinful. Domen’s sway holds mostly over civilized areas, the wild is left to his sister Mathyn. Many watchmen and upholders of the law are required to serve Domen to keep themselves true to their duties. Domen is the god that paladins serve. The beliefs of Domen are very strict. Law and order must be upheld, but only if they serve the common good. If a follower of Domen is found flouting his power he is immediately thrown from the order.
Mathys: Goddess of the wilds, Goddess of chaos Mathys is most at home far way from the city. Animals, fey and elves are all her children yet she cares for them only in passing. The only thing she truly likes is survival of the fittest. Some take this to mean that all must be strong enough to survive while others take this to mean you must eliminate all competition. Those two beliefs are just the minority though. Many let things play out as they will caring for those that were tough enough to survive. Druids and rangers help to fill that ranks of the followers of Mathys.
Sigverd: Sigverd is “The Old One”, the chronicler of all mortal knowledge. His servants treasure all tomes and books and other forms of knowledge. They are always seeking new information and will look into sources. Good and evil are just words to the followers of Sigverd, only the preservation and discovery of knowledge is what matters. Wizards and sorcerers are also typical followers of Sigverd.
Lahgrah: The Merchant Goddess is also the goddess of the roads and travelers. Clerics of Lahgrah travel to remote places and travel the country side providing blessing for those they come across. If one was to find a wandering cleric chances are that it is A Lahgrahn Cleric. Many of the temples serve not only as places of rest but as shops and merchants. The common saying is Walk the path of Lahgrah and you’ll and up sitting comfortably.
Veras: Veras is the god of death, decay and unlife. Followers of Veras serve a multitude of purposes. The preside over all funeral services, Death is an end to all beings and will come for them in their proper time. Do not be afraid of it. Verans believe that they should be the only ones to control undead so they seek out and destroy any free willed undead or those who do not follow Veras, yet seem to believe they are worthy of controlling them. There is a very small sect of Verans who believe that there should be no undead at all. They work from within the Veran church to destroy all undead.
Igthan: Igthan is the patron of the Nobility. Many of the rulers follow Igthan because they are descended from the old royals. Igthan priests support the rule of the noble class and act as spiritual advisors. This power can be and is abused by Igthan clerics of an evil alignment.
Admas: Admas is the goddess of adventurers. There are no churches of Admas in existence. The clerics often delve deep into the dark areas of the world to dig up treasure and to help villages in need. They are almost considered pious Mercenaries.
Hydrenia: The Goddess of Hedonism is known as one of the most beautiful creatures to have ever existed. Her followers seem to be living up to her standards. Her temples are full of music, gaming, and other sins of the flesh. They are some of the most opulent temples and priests in the world. Her followers while attempting to improve the lives of those around them also try to build a strong sense of community and place a strong emphasis on family. If a person is married they are not allowed into the more intimate areas of the temples.
Judai: The Demi-God of the pact. Son of Domen. Deals, contracts, promises and vows all fall under the power of Judai. Priests of Judai never tell a lie but whether they tell you the full truth is another question entirely. Judain priests act as lawyers defending those from false accusation or even the law.
Tynem: demigoddess of the sea. Tynem is the daughter of the god Tydemm is the guardian of the ocean. Tynem took control of the oceans during the Gods War to keep it out of the hands of Erinal and to keep the oceans from rioting out of control. Tynem cares for the sailors and those who live their lives at sea. Tynem cares not for the land dwellers and neither do his clerics. His clerics while few remain at sea to care for those who life their be they animals of people. If a cleric of Tynem is seen on land something is wrong within the ranks of the followers of the ocean.
Erinal: Born as a demigod of Bolias, Erinal is the original thief. Before he was born there was no thievery. Once Erinal was born the element of thievery was introduced into the world. And through that thievery Erinal has slowly moved up from the status of demigod to the status of intermediate power. During the gods war there were more demigods. Many of them were killed during the war and their portfolios were snatched up by Erinal. Other gods lost power during the war and while they were weakened and distracted erinal stole the portfolios from them. Many of Erinals followers are thieves and all of them believe in taking what will give them power.
History Of The World Part 1 – Awakening of the Gods.
All was chaos. Flames roared, tides surges, the earth heaved and the winds wailed. The elements were at war. Nothing physical could survive this endless onslaught, the crystal sphere was barren. But even though the elements were in constant upheaval there was something existing underneath the chaos. A power that was only growing from it exposure to the elements. Over the millennia, It began to grow aware of itself and the chaos around It. At first It began to play with the elements. Moulding and shaping the elements to pass the time. It was waiting for something, yet It didn’t know what.
Then one day It knew. It knew that It’s name was Tydemm.
As soon as he awoke to his name, he also knew what he had to do. Tydemm took the earth and formed himself a body, humanoid in shape. The water he shaped into blood and eyes. The wind became his breath and hair. All that remained was fire. Tydemm could not figure out what to make of it, fore it seemed only content with destruction. In time he realized that all that was to be done was to trap the most destructive of the elements, and he did so within his own body. And when all was calm other beings began to form. Tydemm struggled with himself, while he wanted to see what would become of these beings the fire within him demanded their destruction. Tydemm forced himself to wait. And for a millennia he did.
The first to form a body was an old creature. Long white hair and a white beard, skin as thin and leathery as parchment. He wore a simple grey robe. He looked at Tydemm and lowered his head. “I am Sigverd.” Tydemm nodded his head in response, Now both Tydemm and Sigverd waited, and while they waited they talked. Talking could only last so long. Eventually they fell into silence and continued waiting.
Soon figures began to form at a fast pace. A thin, emaciated, hollow eyed, greasy haired man in a black cloak introduced himself as Xenn.
A wild haired, skin clad woman, with a crazy look in her eyes formed and called herself Mathys. Mathys introduced the next being to form as her brother Domen. Wearing chainmail and holding a halberd. He had a finely manicured moustache and a very square face.
Soon a being cloaked entirely in black with absurdly long sleeves. Nothing could be seen but the cloak. He announced himself in a whisper voice that carried an absurd distance. “Veras” Veras was followed by a figure that was covered in scars and drenched in his own blood. He had a psychotic look and could not seem to stop smiling. “Bolias!” he shouted and began to break down into maniacal laughter.
Soon a wispy dressed figure appeared. Her eyes had a distant look to them and her white hair was wild and unkempt. She muttered to herself “Arlienne,” she turned to face Tydemm. “Lahgrah, Igthan, Admas, Hydrenia and Linniah comes”
Arlienne had just told the first prophecy, and there would be only one other prophecy she would tell.
A gold encrusted being soon appeared. Every free space on her corpulent body was adorned in some sore of finery. She said a high pitched, nasal voice, “I am Lahgrah!” she seemed to be about to launch into a long speech when another being popped into existence.
“Igthan” he said. He was dressed in simple finery, that looked elegant and refined. He bowed and stood off to the side as yet another being appeared.
Wearing simple clothes but with a dagger strapped to her boot and a quarterstaff in hand. “Admas, at your service.” and soon after another being appeared.
Her beauty stunned all of the other beings. Her long red hair and pale skin was luminous . “Hydrenia, she said in a throaty whisper.
After this stream of beings formed they all looked expectantly at the last ball of swirling energy. But it didn’t form. They waited for a long time and slowly they drifted off, breaking into groups and showing each other what they can do. Only two people remained to watch the swirl. Domen “The watcher” and Xenn “He who waits”. The watched for thousands of years but still the swirl of energy did not change. Then finally it did.
Out of the final swirl of energy emerged a young girl. She wore a simple white robe and her blue eyes sparkled with innocence. Both Domen and Xenn looked at the new being and felt a wave of immense power wash over them. Xenn recognized the power as the opposite of him. It was pure and clean, while Domen felt the goodness flow from the energy. They looked at each other and realised that they could turn the tables of power within the beings, but which way it would turn depended on who was able to take this one being.
Xenn reached a claw like hand out to her.
“Come little one, let me introduce you to the others.” She reached out a hand to Xenn but when she saw the look of pure despair on the face of Domen she reached out to him instead. She patted his hand and spoke.
“don’t despair, little one. I have been watching for a long time and cant seem to trust one who stares so intently.” She giggled and skipped off to meet the others. “Call me Linniah!”
History of the World Part Two. Arise and Demise of the Mishtai
Once the introductions were complete Linniah look to the other being who had begin to call themselves gods and asked a simple question. “What do you do around here for fun?” The other gods looked at the young goddess and said “Talk.” almost in unison. The little goddess rolled her eyes and said “Now where’s the fun in that?” she strode over to Tydemm and clamoured up onto his shoulder with surprising ease and whispered into his ear. He opened his eyes in surprise but seemed to comply with her request.
He opened his mouth and released some of the fire he held within himself. But before it could rage out of control he enclosed it in earth. Soon the earth began to heat up so he cut open his wrist and poured water onto the globe. And to keep everything contained he blew a onto the globe creating an atmosphere in which things could live.
“Perfect! Cried Linniah! Now just think bigger. A whole lot bigger.
It took a full year for Tydemm to create the planet to Linniah’s specification and another four to create a sun that would work to support life. But when it was complete Tydemm found himself much weaker and struggling to contain the raging forces that he had created. “Pure One, that is all I can do. This is the world you must work with.”
Linniah smiled at the diminished god and smiled. Two tears ran down her face and landed on the planet. The drops of tears created into a mass of creatures. These creatures were lizard like in appearance with human shaped faces and no tails. “I call them the Mishtai, and they are imperfect, but they shall strive to reach perfection so they can meet with their creators. Now gods. I give you leave to fill this world with your creations. She stepped back ant watched her kin create things of beauty and of suffering, of joy and pain, of life and death and she was happy. Her kin were creating a world where all of their aspects would be found.
Even Arlienne, who never spoke and always watched the future touched the planet and gave it a future and time itself. But in that moment when she looked away from the future that was when Xenn made his decision to wait and to corrupt other than create. And when Arlienne looked back to the future she saw pain and destruction but couldn’t see the cause. And without a cause she couldn’t stop it. So she held her silence.
Once all of the gods were finished the world was a beautiful, happy place. There was suffering but the Mishtai were fair and natural rulers so the other races let them. Then, Linniah granted them her greatest gift she could. She reached inside herself and withdrew a plethora of shining blue objects. She sowed them like seeds upon the world. “Let Incarnum, the power of the soul itself bless your lives and make you happy.”
For years the world worked easily, Incarnum making the world easy and simple. The gods were happy with their worshippers and even Xenn was pleased but he knew how to make the world more his own.
He reached down and brushed his hands across the Mishtai instilling descent among them. Soon they began to divide themselves into the Rilken (Explorers) and the Skarn (Perfection). Both of the factions of the Mishtai began to fight, the Rilkens wanted to explore the world, to see and experience. They were tired of trying to attain perfection and wanted to have fun. The skarn opposed this view and a great battle began.
The Skarn and the Rilken began to draw in the other races to fight beside them. And as the races beagn to war so did the Children of the Gods who were new to the world. The demigods who fought brought their parents into the fight. Gods fought gods and mortals fought mortals. The Gods War and the Great War erupted onto the world. And this is when Xenn made his most dangerous move. He dipped his hand into the main font of energy in the world. The Wellspring.
the world had become corrupted. Too pure to fall completely under the sway of Xenn’s touch but the corruption only escalated problems in the world new and evil creatures began to form attacking wither side indiscriminately. The war lasted for many years with millions of casualties.
Then the Rilken developed a weapon like one that had never been seen before. It harnessed the dark side of magic and concentrated it to a point where it would explode causing permanent damage to the world. It was at this point when Arlienne spoke, for the first time since her creation.
“I have something to say.” Her quite voice echoed across the world. Gods and mortals alike stopped fighting. “There is no future” and silence reigned.
When Arliennes declaration was heard Linniah broke. She couldn’t take the fighting of her children anymore. In the silence she descended to the world and in one swift move… No one knows exactly what she did but the effects were devastating. The world was torn asunder and so too were the Mishtai. they were gone. The only other noticeable difference was the presence of life in the world had disappeared.
Part three current day.
After the death of the Mishtai the elves came to the main continent and built a gret empire. the dwarves accepted the elves as brothers and they lived in harmony. The gnomes an halflings built a great tribal empire. the humans arrived. they came in droves. the elves retreated to the forests and the dwarves to the mountains. the humans took over the old elf cities. after 60 years and with no sign of the huamns leaving the elves started another war. this war did great harm to the already dying world and nearly removed all elves from existance. now humans are in control of the western side of the world elves are all but missing and the dwarves are rarely seen.