Before Creation

In the time before Lumoris, there was The Void. In this endless expanse teemed uncounted multitudes of Void Gods. These unimaginably powerful beings slept, and in their sleep, they dreamed. A black cosmic sea, every drop a God. These Gods reflected and embodied various concepts of things not yet come to be, and when these drops of cosmic water flowed into one another, when they intersected, there was a spark. The Gods would awaken for but a moment, to behold the flash of creation, the star, that they had made, and new Void Gods would emerge from within it. These stars, though lasting for uncounted years, were but flashes in the eyes of the Void Gods. Yet, just as they had been made, they were destroyed, consumed once more into the Void. Yet, just once, in but one moment, when two Void Gods clashed, and from their dreams woke, they felt different.

Yarsenaug and Aulia met and clashed, birthing a star, and two divine children. In this moment, awake and conscious, they wanted to preserve the beauty of creation. The beauty of the star, the cosmic explosion that had come of their union. It was not difficult at first, for the rest of the Void slept, unaware of them, and those Void Gods within it that normally would so readily consume the star crept away from its light, and the fierceness of its defenders. In time however, this would change, for better and worse. The duo would find themselves approached, not by another slumbering god attempting to feast on their star, but another that had awoken to their light. This being, who would come to be known as Ossarial, saw beauty in their star. She thought it worth preserving, and so, joined them. These three would find themselves joined by other Void Gods, those of likeminded thought, drawn to the beauty of their lasting star. They however, were not the only ones. There were other awakened Void Gods out there, and not all were pleased by this continuing star. These more aggressive entities arrived, stronger, larger, focused on the destruction of the star, hunting it with a purpose.

There was war, between the two groups, and this war, this continued contact, would create many more cosmic explosions, many more gods. Flashes of light, stars birthed and then destroyed, it was a great and terrible cosmic war, and about it, the Gods began to focus, growing more solidified, more material. Soon enough, the cosmic blobs that had begun it all had taken shape, no longer globs of divine paint, and instead paintings, Gods of Fire and Water, Gods of Life and Death. Their foes would also be solidified, though only ever partially.

The war expanded, until thousands of Gods warred in the Void, and reality was alight with their shedding of blood. Determined to end this conflict, to guarantee the safety of their creation once and for all, the rebel gods, now calling themselves the Ai'Ad, came up with a plan. Such prolonged conflict had given them realization, that the Void was not so much a cosmic sea, as it was a body. One body. They were all, in a way, parts of a whole, one, greater Void God who encompassed all existence within itself. This nameless, ultimate, slumbering divine was called only 'Grandfather'. This realization was enlightening, and damning. The Void Gods were not drops, but in a way, cells. They were all parts of one greater being, and their rival Void Gods, the ones that sought to snuff out the starlight, were merely keepers of equilibrium. These Void Gods, the defenders of the cosmic body, would be known as the Xa'nad.

To escape their foes, the Ai'Ad figured they must simply leave the body, and so the Xa'Nad would no longer chase them. Surrounding their star like a defensive ring, they fled, beyond thousands of stars, across impossible distances, for unmeasured, non-existent time. It was a fighting retreat, against the Xa'Nad that pursued them, swimming through the Void, facing foes wherever they were.

Yet, flee as they may, as far as they could, there was yet no end. The rebel gods beheld in that moment, a terrible truth. The body, Grandfather, had no end. There was no part of reality he did not encompass. There was no place without him, for all that was, was him. A place without him, and his defenders, did not exist. Many of the Xa'Nad they had been fighting were not even the same as the ones they had originally faced. Wherever they went, however long they stood, there would always be more. Millions, billions, uncounted numbers of Xa'Nad, fighting them as if they were a cancer within the cosmic body. Eventually, they would be overwhelmed. Equilibrium would be restored.

The Ai'Ad were desperate, and in seeking a solution, made a gamble. The body must have a center, and if the center could be struck, perhaps they could slay Grandfather, and free themselves of his body for once and for all. The Ai'Ad moved then, towards this supposed center. Deeper and deeper, burning through the cosmic void like a shooting star, they sought it. Eventually, they found it, after uncounted eons of cosmic warring. The center, the heart of reality, the Heart of Grandfather. It was a strange place, unimaginable even to them. They broke through the strange outer shell, the eldritch labrynthian complex known as the Inevitable City. And then, at the center, they found it, the Heartchamber. And within it, the Heart.

Yet, try as they might, they were unable to destroy it. Instead, they stole it. By Yarsenaug's own burning hands, the Heart was plucked from the Body. In that moment, that grand betrayal, reality was forever changed. The void seized and trembled, agony and fear seizing all. The Grandfather stirred in his sleep, seized by pain, and all reality trembled. Outside of the City, out in the Void, there was madness. The calm, still waters of the Void, the flowing masses of infinite Void Gods, went wild. A frothing, violent mass, reality at war with itself. The Xa'Nad, once simple protectors of the body, were driven mad, and the other Void Gods about them shared in that madness. Even the Ai'Ad were not spared. A constant spike of pain in their minds, a burning of their memories, they were left wounded, as if a part of them was missing. Yet if it was so for the Ai'Ad, it was much worse for the Xa'Nad, who had not solidified, had not formed as much individuality as their foes.

Within the Heartchamber, there was dispute. Many of the Ai'Ad regretted their decision. The beauty of the star, of creation, was not worth this. Nothing could be worth this. But, others disagreed. Yarsenaug disagreed. With the Heart in hand, Yarsenaug proclaimed himself King. There would be no more arguments, instead, only obedience. Of course, this did not go as planned. There was dissent, argument. the Gods argued, and in their arguments, warred. There was so little a difference between the two, for such cosmic beings. In the end, many of the Ai'ad left, heading off alone into the Void. Some of these Gods were Karthyss, Gremorgal, and Marangrus.

Yet, the core group remained, even if they all weren't fond of Yarsenaug's new title. Together, these gods, with all their stars and the Heart, went together into the darkness. As they roamed, things began to change. In time, through exposure to the Ai'Ad, and the energies of their creation, the Heart began to take a shape of its own. Fearing that it would be the Grandfather's own manifestation, and their doom, the Ai'Ad decided to imprison it.

With the Ai'Ad split, many went off to try their own hands at creation, for better or worse. The main group however, began to build. They crafted a world, a place brought together by all of their identities, all of their powers. Yet, even as they created, many among them grew ever more fearful and paranoid of the Void, of the Heart, of eachother.

A crown, a painting, a prison.

Even as Lumoris began, the seeds of its end were sown.