The First Reign

The Void from which Garn was made

The First Reign is the beginning of Garn's recorded history. In this Reign, known as the Era of Birth, the original gods created the land of Garn and all of its inhabitants.

## **Gods of the First Reign**

Luche was the god of light.

Alter was the god of water.

Nattan was the god of nature.

Benay was the god fire.

Dovan was the god of darkness.

## **Timeline**

### ***Conception, 1E-0***

At the beginning of time, seemingly out of nothing, came five holy beings. These entities are known as the first gods. They were tasked, with instruction from an unknown source, to build a civilization. These gods did not speak through their words, but rather with the unspoken language of creation, known as the Runes.

From a wasteland of dirt, the five gods wielded the Runes to create their world. Nattan and Alter combined their abilities to create life from the dirt, spawning beautiful forests and plains. Benay used his flames to provide a sun to fuel the creatures, In his inexperience, Benay burned the southern reaches of Garn, creating the deserts that are now known as the Wastes. Luche and Dovan combined the powers of light and darkness with Benay's gift of a sun to create time itself.

Their creations were empty, and so the five gods set out to create sentient life to accompany them. The gods devised a system of building blocks, from which every creature could be made. Each living being consisted of three parts. The Shell was the physical body, ruled by Fire and Nature. The Soul was the life and mind, ruled by Light and Water. Lastly, the Shadow was the power that gave life its vitality, determined by Darkness. These three pieces came to be known as the Trinity of Life.

### ***The First Quarrel, 1E-238***

The gods continued to monitor those they had created. The creatures of Garn learned to value the wisdom of the gods, and different communities formed in reverence to the five gods. Seeing that the world was beginning to divide itself, two of the gods grew jealous of each other. Luche and Dovan both desired the creatures that worshipped the other. To solve the conflict, they agreed to select a warrior from among their creations that would settle the quarrel in battle. Dovan, in his arrogance, demanded to choose first. Luche, in his clarity, allowed it. Dovan desired a soldier who was fast, agile, and deadly, and selected a venomous lizard named Skall. Luche recognized the threat and desired a warrior that would be safe from the lizard, so he selected from his followers a butterfly named Firsir. For days on end, Skall chased Firsir from the ground, and Firsir refused to land. Neither was willing to yield. It wasn’t until a raccoon named Ketel stumbled upon the two warriors in a field that the gods recognized their folly. Ketel laughed at the sight of a lizard endlessly chasing a butterfly, and the gods were ashamed.

### ***The End of the First Reign, 1E-876***

After this conflict, gods recognized the potential for their own corruption. To prevent future conflicts, the gods established a system of rebirth. At the end of every one thousand years, the gods would become mortal. Five chosen replacements would absorb their shadows, and become the new gods. These replacements became known as the Inherited. Each of the five Inherited would be of a different species, so no one creature gained too much authority in Garn.

Luche chose Firsir to be his Inherited, in thanks for his service in battle. Dovan thanked Skall in the same way, selecting him as the Inherited of Darkness. Nattan recognized Ketel for his wit and candor, and selected him as the Inherited of Nature. Alter, out of distrust for the other gods, decided that a turtle named Tartuft would be safe from any threat due to his strong shell. Benay desired a creature that was lethal when necessary, but also easily hidden. He selected from his followers a spider named Ranio. These were the first five Inherited.

### ***The Dark Day, 1E-999***

On the final month of the First Reign, the sky began to darken. As the final day of the final month came to its close, the world was enveloped in total darkness for three hours. For that moment, known as the Dark Day, the gods became mortal. Their shadows left their bodies, and inhabited the five Inherited. Those five, Firsir, Skall, Ketel, Tartuft, and Ranio, became the new council of gods. The Second Reign had begun.