Balor

Atop the grandest mountain, towering above the Bjornian landscape, a convergence of religious groups known as The Mortal Sect conspired to enact a ritual of immense significance. Thousands of participants, adorned in ancestral attire, gathered in a massive circle. Their voices intertwined in harmonious melodies and resonant chants as they moved with precise synchronization, their steps tracing a clockwise path around the sacred summit. With each rhythmic movement, a symphony of sound reverberated through the air, reaching the ears of all who inhabited the land.

Within the depths of the continent, hidden away beneath layers of ancient rock and soil, lay the imprisoned deity Balor, the God of War. For over 12,700 years, he had remained encased within a formidable crystalline dome, his immense power contained. But now, as the ritual gained momentum, cracks began to form upon the surface of his prison, offering Balor a tantalizing glimpse of the world above. Fueled by a burning desire for freedom, he yearned not only for his own liberation but also for that of his fellow captive deities. With a desperate plea echoing through the ethereal realms, Balor extended his open palm toward the heavens, reaching out to the magical energies that surrounded him, drawn forth by the ongoing ceremony.

Responding to his plea, a cascade of vibrant green light cascaded from the ritual circle above, descending upon the cavern where Balor's prison lay. The participants, overwhelmed by the surge of mystical force, dropped to their knees, their upturned palms radiating with a pulsating green glow. Like an ethereal river, their collective energy surged forth, converging in a central point within the ritual circle before plunging into the depths below, charging through the fissures and crevices that had formed around Balor's crystalline confinement.

As the collective energy reached him, a surge of power coursed through Balor's divine form. The prison shook with intensity, shattering under the force of his newfound strength. Bjornia convulsed and twisted, its once-stable terrain now torn asunder. Mountains crumbled, rivers changed their courses, and lakes emerged from the chaos. The cataclysmic transformation wrought by Balor's release left in its wake a sprawling crater, marking the birth of a divided land—a land forever scarred by the emergence of its god of war.

Amidst the devastation, Balor's powers where taken from him but none other than the World God Averosa, as he emerged from the crater into this new world, liberated but weakened. Taking advantage of the chaos, he disappeared into the remnants of a Bjornian village, once thriving but now reduced to ruins. With resourcefulness born of desperation, Balor survived off the meager scraps left behind by the displaced villagers. It wasn't long before a band of Bjornians, unaware of his true nature, stumbled upon his presence. Seeking to enslave him, they challenged him to combat. Balor, drawing upon his godlike strength, defeated their chieftain, and in a surprising twist, the Bjornians recognized his superior might and proclaimed him their new Chieftain.

Returning to their village, Balor left his mark, spreading his seed among the Bjornian women. His offspring inherited their father's divinely gifted traits, growing strong and fierce. Balor's influence began to spread, his band of savage Bjornians colonizing vast swathes of Bjornia. Raiding and pillaging the lands, they spread fear and chaos with each conquest. Balor, nourished by the power derived from his growing lineage, regained his strength as he continued to sow the seeds of war across the land.

The greater region of Bjornia eventually fell under Balor's dominion. However, a single territory remained unclaimed by his forces—the southern tip known as the Shrine of Glacimus. This region, shrouded in an impenetrable fortress of mazes and labyrinths, held the essence of winter itself. Those who ventured near the shrine were doomed to perish, frozen to death within hours. Balor, being the god of war, found himself more resistant to the chilling magic than other species of Bjornia. Yet, he realized that conquering this region would require more than his own power alone.

Years passed, and Balor, now the self-proclaimed King of greater Bjornia, manipulated his subjects, sowing seeds of discord and division among their communities. Once united, the Bjornians devolved into warring feudal clans, perpetuating the cycle of conflict that fed Balor's insatiable hunger for power. Eventually, Balor vanished, disappearing from the sight of his followers, leaving them to fight amongst themselves, their once unified kingdom now torn asunder.