Myth of Creation

Long ago, The Great Smith sat atop his humble stool, the Seat of Creation, diligently hammering away on the work that was his pride. While he was scrupulous in his work, chance would have it that one reckless strike was too much for the Worldsteel to handle, causing a lone chunk to fracture off. This fragment was searing hot and scorched the ground on which it landed. The Great Smith inhaled deeply before exhaling forth a great gale in an attempt to extinguish the spark, but his efforts only served to fan the flame and further its spread. The Great Smith then ran his finger across his brow to collect silvery beads of sweat which he flicked onto the fire, finally quelling the blaze. As the steam cleared, The Great Smith became amazed by what lay before his wide-open eyes. An entirely new creation had been formed around the fragment: it was chaotic, so he ordered it; it was empty, so he filled it; it was dim so he lit it, but because there now was light, so too was there shadow.

Satisfied, The Great Smith departed and returned to his work, but he did not wish to see the order of this new creation undone in his absence. To this end, he created agents; a lord of each element and one of intellect to rule them:

Afreon, Lord of Fire: forever dancing and consumed by burning passions;

Lawquin, Lord of Water: calm, cool, collected, and forever flowing without form;

Erath, Lord of Earth: a tranquil titan always seeking rest;

Aerad, Lord of Wind: an energetic trickster whose fickle whims always remain in flux;

Holith, Lord of Light: a loving motherly figure whose purity is without equal;

Damdran, Lord of Dark: a skulking shadow who despised the rest.

There was peace between these Elemental Lords for what seemed to be an eternity, until such peace was judged to be stagnation. Damdran became afflicted with a certain urge; he coveted the power of the Fragment of Creation at the center of the universe, wishing to use it to dominate the other lords. He knew the others would overpower him if he went in alone, so he enlisted the help of Afreon and Aerad who had both been made bored of the status quo and were easily tempted by the prospect of creating a new order all their own.

The Protector Lords, Holith, Erath, and Lawquin, were informed of the Betrayer Lords' plans and set out to the core of the universe to prepare their defenses. Erath encased the Fragment of Creation in earth and stone while Holith created a great light bright enough to ward off any of Damdran’s shadows and Lawquin simply waited. Eventually, the Betrayer Lords arrived and the Battle of Eternity began.

Aerad rushed for the fragment but was blocked by Erath’s stones. Aerad blasted winds across the entire surface of earth, probing for a point of entry, but could never find a way in. Afreon attempted to aid Aerad by weakening the stone through melting it from the inside out. Initially, this scheme went by undetected, but soon the stone could no longer take the heat and began to burst open in volcanos that spewed forth magma onto the earthy surface. Lawquin had prepared for such a circumstance and was able to quickly cover the surface of earth with waters in order to cool it. Damdran soon came to the grim realization that their coup had failed and that was no way for a being of shadow to approach Holith’s light. Nevertheless, the Lord of Dark would not accept defeat. Damdran hid away on the side of Erath's stone opposite Holith's great light, forever waiting for an opportunity to strike. To ensure that shadow's power on the dark half of the stone was not supreme, Holith made many more lights and sprinkled them across the universe while Erath created a stone mirror to reflect the great light on the dark side.

While at first the Battle of Eternity had left the Lords weary and resentful, everything changed when they looked closer upon the fields of war. They witnessed new life springing forth from the combination of their elemental energies. Joy overtook their hearts as they gazed upon a new creation, the World of Aum.

Afreon’s flames still swirl beneath Erath’s earth we walk on. Aerad’s winds still scour the earth in their eternal search for the fragment and form the sky. Lawquin’s waters cool the world and form oceans. Holith’s great light is the Sun that provides Aum with blessed life each day and Erath's mirror the Moon hold vigil through the night. Somewhere in the shadows, Damdran still bides his time.