Birth of the New Gods
Previous: War of Shadow
The survivors of the Battle of Mount Deismaar were, with few exceptions, those common men and women who best exemplified the qualities the gods strove to uphold. Yet the champions for the gods were conspicuously absent. In their close proximity to the gods, they had taken the brunt of the divine essence release by the gods' deaths that washed across the land. The champions, also closest to the gods in their ideals, were elevated to replace the vanished deities.
The new god were Azimir , assuming Anduras's reign over nobility and war; Dashanii, the druid, ruling the woods and streams in Reynir's stead; Shimuura , taking the place of Brenna as the goddess of fortune and inheriting the magic of Vorynn; Avani, taking the mantle of Basaia to become the matron of the Basarji; Nesirie, absorbing the power of Masela and gaining power over the sea; and Dyrosh's energy was split between the Vos warriors Kriesha and Belinik to become the Ice Lady and the Prince of Terror and an priestess of Dyrosh, whose name was lost to history, who assumed the name of her goddess calling herself Dyrosh; .
Even those survivors who mirrored the old gods less perfectly than the champions, as well as some of the elves, dwarves, and humanoids, absorbed the gods' divine energy. Power flowed hrough them and about them, reflecting the natures of the gods who had sacrificed these energies. Roele and Traederic were two such champions; they found themselves imbued with Anduiras's bloodline and in turn, wondrous abilities they had never before possessed.
Of course, many of these survivors were eager to experiment with their new abilities, and they did so promptly, using other dazed survivors as targets. A brief but bloody battle ensued as those begotten of Dyrosh fought their way free from the children of the other gods. In doing so, they discovered that they could rip the godly power from their dead victims and make themselves that much stronger. They soon called this bloodtheft.
Many of Dyrosh's minions fought, but more of them escaped to remote hiding places. They emerged occasionally throughout the next hundreds of years to kill those who carried the divine bloodlines, using their victims' liberated power to keep themselves alive and twist themselves ever further from their former humanity. Among them were The Kraken, The Ghost, and The Raven. There were others, too— many others.
The elves were the first to notice the evolution of these minions and to realize the cause of it. They called the abominations the awnsheghlien (awn-SHAY-len), or "blood of darkness." The name soon carried a specific and horrible meaning, and in time, only the uneducated referred to these creatures asabominations.
The mightiest of the awnsheghlien was the Gorgon, the remnant of humanity that once was Raesene, the half-brother of Azimir and Roele. The Gorgon's hatred of his brothers drove him to acts of destruction far greater than those schemed by his fellows, and thus his power grew more rapidly than theirs. Even so, the other awnsheghlien were not to be regarded lightly—their power still derived from Azrai himself, and they were eager to use it.
Luckily for this land, the awnsheghlien were not the only ones who cultivated the powers of their gifts. The children of those who had been infused with divine essence also grew in stature. They, too, gained vitality from fallen foes who were empowered by the blood of the gods. The children who used their inherited abilities found they could make themselves into powerful giants, but as they grew in divine might, their bodies transformed. The power carried a price.
Some who bore the blood established themselves as lords of lands. They learned that they could gain even more might from the subjects of their domains and from the earth itself; they could increase the power of their kingdoms by pouringthe blood back into it. Those with native intelligence, brute strength, or a combination of both learned how to increase their power through wise rule and carefully planned campaigns geared toward pounding their neighbors into submission.
So it was that the next struggle for domination of Cerilia began, only a few short years after the War of Shadow of Shadow. Would-be rulers sought to carve out their own kingdoms, not only by conquering lands and peoples, but by personally administering the deaths of current kings. This would not only ensure the legitimacy of their claims to the thrones, but also consume the bloodline. These power-hungry men and women of the blood sought the ultimate power—rule of Cerilia by absorbing the blood of the gods.
Coincidentally (or perhaps not), this time also marked the discovery of the Shadow World. This region (presumably of another dimension, we have since surmised) seems to coexist with Stella Nova and occasionally overlap into our land. The landscape is eerily similar to Stella Nova, and events in Stella Nova are mirrored in the Shadow World. This realm, however, is populated by undead creatures; skeletons and zombies serve as laboring peasants, ghouls run towns, and ghosts control entire kingdoms.
As you may know, it has been discovered that "weak spots" exist—something like oiled parchment in windows that allows light to pass but keeps out solid materials. These weak spots are almost always places of death and destruction, and they allow the Shadow World to press in on Stella Nova. At these weak spots, undead can pass through to wreak terror on the living—but also, the living may stumble through to a land of terror. Still, during the time of conquest that followed the war against Dyrosh, the Shadow World posed little threat to those who knew of its dangers, and no one saw an immediate way to destroy it, so the rulers continued on their quests for domination and ignored this strange discovery.
To this day, the Shadow World remains a place of mystery to everyone but the halflings who live scattered throughout Stella Nova. A few souls have set about studying that realm, but most folk prefer not to talk about it. In some parts, mention of the Shadow World is strictly forbidden.
Next: Formation of Empire
The survivors of the Battle of Mount Deismaar were, with few exceptions, those common men and women who best exemplified the qualities the gods strove to uphold. Yet the champions for the gods were conspicuously absent. In their close proximity to the gods, they had taken the brunt of the divine essence release by the gods' deaths that washed across the land. The champions, also closest to the gods in their ideals, were elevated to replace the vanished deities.
The new god were Azimir , assuming Anduras's reign over nobility and war; Dashanii, the druid, ruling the woods and streams in Reynir's stead; Shimuura , taking the place of Brenna as the goddess of fortune and inheriting the magic of Vorynn; Avani, taking the mantle of Basaia to become the matron of the Basarji; Nesirie, absorbing the power of Masela and gaining power over the sea; and Dyrosh's energy was split between the Vos warriors Kriesha and Belinik to become the Ice Lady and the Prince of Terror and an priestess of Dyrosh, whose name was lost to history, who assumed the name of her goddess calling herself Dyrosh; .
Even those survivors who mirrored the old gods less perfectly than the champions, as well as some of the elves, dwarves, and humanoids, absorbed the gods' divine energy. Power flowed hrough them and about them, reflecting the natures of the gods who had sacrificed these energies. Roele and Traederic were two such champions; they found themselves imbued with Anduiras's bloodline and in turn, wondrous abilities they had never before possessed.
Of course, many of these survivors were eager to experiment with their new abilities, and they did so promptly, using other dazed survivors as targets. A brief but bloody battle ensued as those begotten of Dyrosh fought their way free from the children of the other gods. In doing so, they discovered that they could rip the godly power from their dead victims and make themselves that much stronger. They soon called this bloodtheft.
Many of Dyrosh's minions fought, but more of them escaped to remote hiding places. They emerged occasionally throughout the next hundreds of years to kill those who carried the divine bloodlines, using their victims' liberated power to keep themselves alive and twist themselves ever further from their former humanity. Among them were The Kraken, The Ghost, and The Raven. There were others, too— many others.
The elves were the first to notice the evolution of these minions and to realize the cause of it. They called the abominations the awnsheghlien (awn-SHAY-len), or "blood of darkness." The name soon carried a specific and horrible meaning, and in time, only the uneducated referred to these creatures asabominations.
The mightiest of the awnsheghlien was the Gorgon, the remnant of humanity that once was Raesene, the half-brother of Azimir and Roele. The Gorgon's hatred of his brothers drove him to acts of destruction far greater than those schemed by his fellows, and thus his power grew more rapidly than theirs. Even so, the other awnsheghlien were not to be regarded lightly—their power still derived from Azrai himself, and they were eager to use it.
Luckily for this land, the awnsheghlien were not the only ones who cultivated the powers of their gifts. The children of those who had been infused with divine essence also grew in stature. They, too, gained vitality from fallen foes who were empowered by the blood of the gods. The children who used their inherited abilities found they could make themselves into powerful giants, but as they grew in divine might, their bodies transformed. The power carried a price.
Some who bore the blood established themselves as lords of lands. They learned that they could gain even more might from the subjects of their domains and from the earth itself; they could increase the power of their kingdoms by pouringthe blood back into it. Those with native intelligence, brute strength, or a combination of both learned how to increase their power through wise rule and carefully planned campaigns geared toward pounding their neighbors into submission.
So it was that the next struggle for domination of Cerilia began, only a few short years after the War of Shadow of Shadow. Would-be rulers sought to carve out their own kingdoms, not only by conquering lands and peoples, but by personally administering the deaths of current kings. This would not only ensure the legitimacy of their claims to the thrones, but also consume the bloodline. These power-hungry men and women of the blood sought the ultimate power—rule of Cerilia by absorbing the blood of the gods.
Coincidentally (or perhaps not), this time also marked the discovery of the Shadow World. This region (presumably of another dimension, we have since surmised) seems to coexist with Stella Nova and occasionally overlap into our land. The landscape is eerily similar to Stella Nova, and events in Stella Nova are mirrored in the Shadow World. This realm, however, is populated by undead creatures; skeletons and zombies serve as laboring peasants, ghouls run towns, and ghosts control entire kingdoms.
As you may know, it has been discovered that "weak spots" exist—something like oiled parchment in windows that allows light to pass but keeps out solid materials. These weak spots are almost always places of death and destruction, and they allow the Shadow World to press in on Stella Nova. At these weak spots, undead can pass through to wreak terror on the living—but also, the living may stumble through to a land of terror. Still, during the time of conquest that followed the war against Dyrosh, the Shadow World posed little threat to those who knew of its dangers, and no one saw an immediate way to destroy it, so the rulers continued on their quests for domination and ignored this strange discovery.
To this day, the Shadow World remains a place of mystery to everyone but the halflings who live scattered throughout Stella Nova. A few souls have set about studying that realm, but most folk prefer not to talk about it. In some parts, mention of the Shadow World is strictly forbidden.
Next: Formation of Empire
