The Fall of the Gods

The Fall, also known as The Fall of the Gods, is a dark period of time in Erdan cultural mythos. There is not much knowledge outside of the great libraries of Achait that dates to around this time, and even the oldest sources draw on many recitations over generations of Elven scholars, each adding their own spin as the years went on.

It is still not assured that the gods even existed at all, and that the magic that Clerics draw their power from is not just an additional source of mana. Some theologians have claimed to have conversed with the *essence* of the gods, but many experts agree that the gods, if the stories were correct, would now be absolutely incommunicable.

According to the general theology of The Pentastus, the largest religion in Erde, the *Fall of the Gods* took place over many hundreds of years. It ultimately began when Xul'Nakar and Mantineesh secretly travelled to Hel and threw Sycodan, the god of death, into the void. It is unknown whether this was ordered by Danax, for he and Sycodan had a rivalry that went back to their own creation. Whether Danax ordered his demigod lieutenants to kill his rival or not, Danax was tried by Fandarin himself, and found guilty. Fandarin sentenced Danax to be tied to a metal rod over the fires of Hel, and to witness the constant warring of the demons and devils for all eternity. This drove Danax mad, and he cursed his creator, vowing to never rest until the entire Pentasta was engulfed in permanent war. Xul'Nakar and Mantineesh publically condemned Danax, and feigned ignorance to the crime that had been committed.

The Blackmother, the personal assistant to Sycodan, was appointed as the Warden of Hel. Her first priority was to close all entrances and exits except for The Black Gate, the largest and most controllable passageway to Hel. The reasoning for this according to Grand Magister H'ran Tyrus is that the Devils and Demons of Hel were coming close to a settlement, possibly by the powerful Danax who now made his home deep within, and creating a space for the combined, historically rivalling forces to come into close proximity to one another would very likely create conflicts once again between them.

The Hammersmith was then chosen by Fandarin personally to become the new warden of Krigsgaldir. This enraged Xul'Nakar, who had always been seen as the right hand man of Danax, and the *de jure* leader now that Danax was banished to Hel. Fandarin until this point had rarely interfered with the day to day running of The Pentasta, and was usually content to sit on his throne in Pantheara. This created a sense of indignation amongst the Demigods, for their entire purpose was to be the Bureaucratic class among the immortals; a god, no less the god of gods, interfering was an insult to their entire existence!

Xul'Nakar and Mantineesh soon created a faction in secret consisting of at least twenty other Demigods in opposition to the micromanagement by Fandarin. Their plan was to overthrow the gods that stood in their way, and force Fandarin to step down once they had total control.

Over the next few centuries, this faction routinely captured and threw gods into the void, and Fandarin had absolutely no clue about the perpetrators. Xul'Nakar grew in power more and more every day, eventually rivalling the gods themselves.

Eventually, when there were only a handful of gods remaining, Xul'Nakar and Mantineesh once again travelled to Hel in secret, possibly to free Danax to gain a powerful ally now that he had thrown away his allegiance to Fandarin. They discovered themselves entering Hel through The Black Gate, and before they knew it were face to face with The Blackmother herself. Sensing a conflict approaching, The Blackmother claimed that she would ignore the obvious crimes the two Demigods were planning to commit, if they turned around and left immediately. Taking the opportunity to apologise, but sensing that The Blackmother would not stick to her word, Xul'Nakar and Mantineesh left and decided to head straight to Ortheid to take over The Pentasta by force, planning to draw the gods out of Pantheara.

Xul'Nakar was disgusted at the realm of mortals, and hated how the gods treated them like their playthings. The most merciful thing, Xul'Nakar judged, was to kill them alongside their gods. It is said that during this time the link from Ortheid to the rest of The Pentasta was in a giant temple in modern-day Vozelsk. Xul'Nakar pondered the possibility of working with The Ancient Ones from The Void, for they were beings far older and far wiser than any of the Immortals from Pantheara. This is another point which is debated fiercely by theologians; Some theories suggest that Xul'Nakar had already been corrupted by The Ancient Ones when he and Mantineesh had thrown Sycodan and other gods into the void. Others suggest that Xul'Nakar was simply looking for allies, and couldn't possibly have known the danger of working with The Ancient Ones. Either way, it is clear from the ancient sources that at some point Xul'Nakar found himself creating a mighty void rift by the previously mentioned temple. The remnants of this void rift can be seen even today, it is claimed, as the First (and brightest) Star.

The danger of the void rift worried Fandarin, and travelled with his few remaining allies to discover the source of this treachery. Arriving in Ortheid on the high marbled steps of the temple, Fandarin was shocked to witness Xul'Nakar personally throwing any mortals he could into The Void. A mighty battle raged, with Fandarin and the last few gods remaining (Erroi, Eyo, Ansiliara) trying desperately to stop the void rift from growing any larger as the now incredibly powerful Xul'Nakar seemed set on throwing the whole of Ortheid into The Void.

As Fandarin witnessed his three remaining friends fall into the rift, and the dark, evil figure of Xul'Nakar looming over him, he took his last vestiges of magic in his hand and fell into The Void. From the other side, it is said that Fandarin sacrificed his whole essence to close the rift for good, transforming Xul'Nakar into a permanently spiritual form, incapable of having a body once again. Mantineesh, seeing his master turn to dust in front of him, fled the scene.

The mortals of Ortheid no longer had the same level of guidance that they had been given before; the surviving Demigods became sheltered and left Ortheid to its own devices. This would lead to The Age of the First Star.