Creation Myth

[Dr. Anomaly]

By popular demand ( ) here's the creation myth for Dolwr. I was incorporating several elements: the player has a real fondness for giants, but I wanted giants to be feared, so I made the revered creator diety a giant but his descendants became prideful and greedy; I wanted the land to be large but not too large, so I had to do something to limit the available land. I also drew a small inspiration from the Homeric Hyms by using certain descriptive catch phrases that get repeated many times...this gives it the feeling of an oral tradition later written down.

 

I also, without realizing it while I was doing it, ended up establishing the way that gods can come into being: they can Awake (any time there is something new in the world, typically something Awakes from it), they can Arrive (though to date only one has done so), they can be Born, and they can be Elevated (raised to godhood from a non-divine beginning). A lot of other basic tennets about the world also came into being during the telling of this myth; I'm very glad I wrote it down the next morning so I didn't forget it!

 

Now, on with the story:

 

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In the beginning there was nothing put an endless field of black stone underneath a starless, sunless, moonless sky. Some say this was the shell of some great, dead beast; others say it was the remains of some previous world. Such words are meaningless, however, as there were none there to know. This blackness was absolute. It was not the blackness of Night, for Night goes hand-in-hand with Day, and there was no Day. It was not the blackness of the dark underground, for the underground is black through being denied the light of the Sun or Moon or Stars, and none of these yet were. This blackness of the First Blackness, and it was absolute. It covered the stone of the world, and they were all there was.

 

Upon this stone awoke Azuth-Anam, Father of Giants. He was alone in the dark, and not even he could see in this perfect gloom. Finding himself both bored by the endless expanse of stone and wishing for some companionship, he set about to form the world. First, with his mighty hands, he pulled up a section of rock and fashioned it into a great axe. With his mighty axe he began to carve mountains and valleys, rolling hills gentle basins.

 

When he finished he found the land as empty as before, if somewhat more interesting. But he was still lonely...so once again he took up his mighty axe and began to work. He carved through the stone again, deeper and deeper, piling the debris up into new peaks, until he found rich black earth beneath the stone. "This at last is something besides stone," he said. He placed his hand upon the earth and spoke thus: "From stone I awoke, and I am lonely. Now I have found this rich earth; whoever it is that lies sleeping within, I call to awake."

 

A moment later Wynneth, Mother of Many, She Who Harvests, awoke. She stretched up her arms into the new emptiness above her (for before there had been only stone) and said, "I am awake, and I am free. This emptiness above me is surely marvelous! Who has awoken me?"

 

Azuth-Anam spoke and said: "My name is Azuth-Anam, sculptor of the world and the creator of the axe, first among the many tools that shall follow. I was lonely and wished for companionship, so I sought until I found something other than stone. When I found good black earth, I bid whoever slept within this new substance to awaken, and then you awoke."

 

Looking about her but seeing only blackness, Wynneth spoke: "This is a very dark and barren place. Why can we not see? Where are the other living things that I desire to greet in all their myriad myriad kinds?"

 

And Azuth-Anam said: "We cannot see because we have not yet found something that is not darkness; there are no other living things because we have not yet found new things from which they may awake." (There were Other Things awakening from the First Darkness, but they were not the type that welcomed companionship, so they did not seek it out, and Azuth-Anam and Wynneth did not know of them. The world would not know of them until much later, and would know much sorrow for the meeting.)

 

Then Wynneth said: "Go, then, Azuth-Anam, and reveal more of the good black earth. I shall prepare the means for others to awake." Azuth-Anam took up his mighty axe and resumed his labor, cleaving stone to reveal the earth beneath. Wynneth, meanwhile, took a small bit from all parts of her own body: a few strands of hair, a bit of nail, a drop of blood, a tiny scraping of skin, and other things. She formed these together in her own hands, and mingled them until they were as one. When they were one, she raised the great Seed (the First Seed) to her lips and kissed is with great affection, as a mother would her child. She then breathed her own breath upon it, and felt it quicken to potential.

 

Taking the First Seed, Wynneth dug in the black earth with her own hands and planted it at just the right depth, not so deep as it could not sprout, nor so shallowly that wind might roll it away (for while there was not yet wind, these things are in the very nature of Wynneth and she followed her nature).

 

After the Seed was planted, Wynneth waited, and waited...but the Seed did not sprout, for there was not yet light and all seeds, even the First Seed, need warm sunlight to flourish. When the Seed refused to sprout, Wynneth felt a great weight upon her heart, a terrible burden of sorrow as is felt by a mother whose child is stillborn. She began to weep softly, not with great moaning and wailing, but with deep and sincere sorrow.

 

Azuth-Anam returned to find Wynneth weeping, and he asked: "What is the cause of your sorrow? It must be vast indeed to move you to such tears."

 

Through her tears Wynneth could not speak; her groping hand found the hand of Azuth-Anam and pressed it to the mound of freshly-turned earth, beneath which lay the First Seed. Azuth-Anam, with his great wisdom, could feel the potential waiting, and also felt that it would not stir further under these conditions. He tried to offer comfort to Wynneth, but her grief was too great and she continued to weep, as time passed beneath the endless black sky.

 

In time Azuth-Anam hear footsteps approaching. In wonderment that someone else walked the world, he called out, "Who do I hear approaching, and what do you here?"

 

A voice from the blackness answered him: "I am Barin the Bold, and I am an explorer. I have come to explore this new world."

 

"You will not be able to do much exploring," said Azuth-Anam, "for there is no means by which we may see."

 

"There is no great trick to that," said Barin, "for I know the crafting of that which opposes the blackness."

 

"A great knowledge indeed!" said Azuth-Anam. "What is this substance that opposes blackness?"

 

"It is no more substance than the blackness itself," answered Barin, "and it its called Light."

 

"Then please let us make this Light," Azuth-Anam spoke, "and there is a great eagerness upon me to do this. I would see the world I have sculpted, and I would see an end to the sorrow of my companion Wynneth. Her heart is burdened because she prepared a Seed to populate the world, but it will not grow; I think it does not like the blackness. Perhaps, if there is Light, it will grow."

 

"Then we shall be about it at once...I do not like hearing that a lady has reason for sorrow. I have the knowledge and skill," said Barin, "but I would not set aside your offer of aid. Much may be accomplished when more than one set their hearts and will upon the same goal!"

 

Azuth-Anam formed for Barin a great smith's hammer, and a forge and anvil. Barin directed Azuth-Anam in these things, for Barin had knowledge of them. He then directed the First Awoken to search for a certain type of rock, which he called Coal, to fuel the forge. Azuth-Anam went and found the proper stone (for none know stone better than the Father of Giants) and brought it to Barin. With the Coal Barin lit the forge, and for the first time Light fought back the darkness.

 

"This Light is truly a wonder!" Azuth-Anam exclaimed. "Now I can see the land about me!"

 

"A wonder indeed," replied Barin, "but it is only a beginning. Now I must make things that will light the whole of the world!" And he set to work with a will. In his forge he worked and worked, without rest or refreshment (for Barin was not only an explorer but a hero, and would not rest while a lady sorrowed). He formed a great glowing ball of stone, its soft radiance shedding light all around. "This is our new source of light," spoke Barin, "and it will not fade or falter. We have only to place it high enough in the sky that its light will spread over the entire world."

 

"Why, that is easily enough done," said the Father of Giants. He picked up the glowing orb and with his mighty strength hurled it high into the sky, so high that it did not ever fall back to the ground. And the light from the new orb spread over all the land.

 

Alas, the light was not strong enough, and the First Seed did not sprout. Wynneth remained a prisoner of misery and continued to weep.

 

"There is enough light to see, but not enough for the Seed," said Azuth-Anam. "What may we do?"

 

"We need material other than stone," said Barin, "for stone will not take enough heat to glow with the needed brightness, it would seem. Why, from that height, I cannot even feel the heat of the orb! We must have something that can be made hotter and brighter than stone."

 

"Then let us search for this new material," said Azuth-Anam, and took up his mighty axe. Barin replied by raising his hammer, and striking such a mighty blow that soil was thrown for many miles. Together Azuth-Anam and Barin labored, cutting deeper and deeper into the ground. They encountered more stone, and cut through that as well. Deeper and deeper they went, until at last they found Metal. "This is what we need!" exclaimed Barin. "Let us gather great quantities of it, so we may make a great, bright Sun!" And they did this thing, and bore the metal back to the forge.

 

Again Barin worked without rest or ease, and as he worked great sparks of molten metal flew up from his hammer and forge. So great were his blows with his hammer the sparks could not fall back down, and soon the entire expanse of the sky was littered with the sparks from Barin's forge. He worked and worked, and formed a great sphere that glowed so brightly it could not be looked upon directly, and was so hot that even Barin could not approach without nearly being overcome by the heat. "It is finished!" he said at last. "But how shall we set it in the sky? No one, not even I, who crafted it, may approach it closely!"

 

Fearlessly Azuth-Anam strode forward and took up the orb of the Sun. He felt its searing touch but did not let that sway him, for this deed must be done to bring and end to Wynneth's sorrow and other companions into the world. He took that burning orb in his hands and with his great strength hurled it up into the sky, so high that it could not ever fall back to the ground.

 

The light of the Sun filled the sky, so bright the sparks from Barin's forge could no longer be seen, nor could the first orb that had been set into the sky. From that great height, the warmth of the Sun was merely pleasing, not burning. Sunlight and warmth came to the world.

 

Wynneth looked upwards with marveling eyes, and her tears stopped. She looked down at her Seed, then sprang to her feet in joy as the first green bud poked upwards through the soil. She laughed and danced as the First Tree shot upward into the blue sky, celebrating its freedom from Darkness. Great leaves grew forth from the branches, and flowers in profusion. No two leaves were alike, nor any two flowers. Fruits of numberless kinds soon hung heavy from its branches, and seeds in their countless myriads. Wynneth took the seeds and, singing as she went, moved about the land, planting each one. As soon as each was planted, it sprang up according to its kind: oak and cedar and rowan trees, grape vines and berry bushes, each kind of herb, wheat and corn, cotton and flax, apple and plum trees, and all the other kinds of plants in the world. And from each kind of plant (which was a new thing) there awoke some manner of creature or beast: the horses and dogs and cattle and pigs, wolves and bears and all the others. Also came the other beings with wit and will: Elgion, Lord of Elves, and the first Dryad and the first Unicorn and all the others (but not Giants or Dragons or Dwarves or Men or some others, because they came about in a different manner). Soon the land was covered with plants and animals of every variety and kind and description.

 

Birds, hearing the pure joy in Wynneth's voice, took up her song, each singing part of it as they are able. Some sing the wonderful melodies of music, as do robins and larks. Some sing the softer notes of passion and intimacy between lovers and good companions, as do the nightjar and whippoorwill. Others have raucous cries that sound harsh to the ears, but these are parts of the song as well, for they bear the harsher sounds of ordinary words. Still others are silent, having chosen like the swan to carry the silence between the notes of the song.

 

Now there was a place, a very low place, where had gathered the tears of Wynneth into a salty pool. From this pool there came Colia, Mother Ocean, Mother of All Waters. From water she came, and she brought waters to the land. She heard her mother's singing and, overcome by joy upon hearing it, began to bring forth the waters that where her nature: springs and streams and brooks and rivers large and small; ponds and lakes and even waters hidden in deep underground places. Her favorite water was salt water, though, because from the salty tears of her mother she was born, so she made more salt waters than any other kind. Caught up in the ecstasy of exercising her nature, she took no note of her surroundings, and the salt waters gathered together in the low places, then began to rise, higher and higher, as the low places filled. First Azuth-Anam, then Barin, then Wynneth noticed the rising waters. They followed the waters to the source, and were at first delighted to find another companion. "Surely she is my own daughter, just as much as had she sprung from my loins!" said Wynneth. "And now we have waters in the world!" "And that is a good thing," said Azuth-Anam with some caution, "but the world can only contain so much of any given thing. If it contains too much of something, it is at the expense of something else. I fear that if she does not stop, the world will be nothing but water!"

 

Hearing the wisdom of his words, Barin and Wynneth began to plead with Colia to restrain her exuberance, but their pleas fell on deaf ears; she could not hear them through the veil of her own delight. Azuth-Anam himself spoke to her, explained the consequences if she did not cease, but she did not hear him...and the waters continued to rise.

 

"We must do something to save the world, and all the creatures in it," said Azuth-Anam. "I shall cut great basins to hold the waters, and use the debris to build great peaks that the creatures may climb to escape the waters."

 

"I will build boats to float upon the water, that should the waters rise to cover everything, still there will be a haven," said Barin.

 

"I will gather the seeds of every kind of plant," said Wynneth, "so that we might plant again if necessary. And I will give wings to what creatures I may, so that some might survive by flying over the waters."

 

And each went about their tasks.

 

Azuth-Anam took up his mighty axe and went to work, plunging beneath the waters to cut great basins, then using the debris to build great mountains. He squeezed the pieces together until they became as one stone, so that those who climbed them would not find loose stone crashing down upon them. Ceaselessly he labored, but came to realize the water was rising faster than he could cut and build. "I will need help if I am to succeed," he said to himself. So as he had formed his ax at the beginning, Azuth-Anam cut smaller likenesses of himself from stone; he cut them from a variety of types of stone so that a weakness in one kind would be compensated for in another. When he had them finished, he breathed his breath into their nostrils and they got up and stood upon their feet. These were the First Giants. Azuth-Anam gave each a task, and they went to work without rest, battling the rising waters.

 

Still it was not enough; the First Giants needed tools to do their tasks, so Azuth-Anam crafter more helpers, smaller this time, because he needed more of them. He made them from some stone but more metal (as metal had been uncovered in his cutting, and he needed the stone for mountains so he used the metal instead). He set them the task of crafting tools for the First Giants, and bade some of them seek knowledge in this art from Barin, then to pass it along to their fellows. Soon tools crafted by the First Dwarves were in the hands of the First Giants, and they worked faster.

 

Still there were a great many things to do, and not enough helpers to do it. Azuth-Anam needed more helpers, but could spare no more stone (all was needed for the mountains, as the waters were rising very fast indeed). "I have no more metal, and I can spare no stone," he said. "Ah! I have it! I cannot use earth for proper building, as it is not strong enough. Therefore, I shall spare earth!" Quickly Azuth-Anam gathered a large quantity of earth, and mixed it with some seawater to make clay. This clay he fashioned into the First Men, and set them upon a high peak to dry in the heat of the Sun. When they were dry he went up the mountain, one at a time, blowing his own breath into their nostrils so they awakened and stood upon their own feet. As he went up the mountain he saw that those near the top had baked darker than the others (for they were nearer the sun), those at the top being nearly as black as the Darkness that preceded the Sunlight. When each had been awakened, he set them to their tasks of directing the others in their efforts, for Men were too fragile for the heavy work of building mountains, having been made from earth and seawater (and this heritage may still be seen today, which is why the blood of Men is salty).

 

While Azuth-Anam and his helpers labored, as did Barin and Wynneth, the Elders of each of the races that have wit and will gathered together. "This is not enough," said Elgion, Lord of Elves. "I am very worried. No mountain can be built upwards forever, but there seems no end to the waters; thus mountain-building will not save us. Gathering seeds is fine, but it will not save what is already here. Boats are all well and good, but will all that there are fit on boats? I think not. Further, once upon a boat, how shall we live if there is no land upon which to place our feet? What shall we do?"

 

"I believe I have the answer to that," said a new voice. Elgion turned to see who it was that had spoken, and did not recognize the person. "Who are you?" he demanded (for elves are that way, Elgion most of all as he was the First Elf).

 

"I am Mannath," the stranger said, "and I have just Awoken...from your concern for your fellows." There was a stirring and much whispering among those gathered together, for never before had any of them heard of someone Awakening from something that was not Substance.

 

"What is your answer?" Elgion asked, slightly less arrogantly (but only slightly, because elves are like that).

 

"I propose that we all, each of us here, go together and plead with Colia to stop the flow of the waters," said Mannath.

 

"Azuth-Anam and Barin and Wynneth have all spoke to her and failed," said Elgion. "Why do you think we Lesser Folk will succeed where these gods have failed?"

 

"They may be gods, as am I," said Mannath, "but they were but three. We here assembled together are many. Let many voices be raised together on this thing, and I am sure we will be heard."

 

So they got from Barin the first boat he had finished, and the entire assembledge boarded it. They sailed out upon the waters to the place where Colia stood and called forth more waters. As the boat floated beside her, each of those on board spoke to her, pleading with her to listen to reason. Finally, when all had spoken, Mannath himself spoke to her as well, saying, "Colia, you are in the throws of joy, but you do not see what your unbridled joy has wrought. Can you turn a deaf ear to all those here assembled? Surely you cannot think that this many would come and speak to you, plead with you, for no other reason than to deny you your pleasure."

 

At last the words made their way into Colia's ears, and she heard them. Her eyes cleared, and she looked around and saw how little of the world remained, save for water. She immediately was sorry for her heedless exuberance, and stopped producing more waters. She then accompanied the assemblage back to the land that she might meet those others that existed.

 

Soon all the representatives that had spoke to Colia were assembled, as were Azuth-Anam and Barin and Wynneth and a representative of each type of plant and each type of beast and each type of helper crafted by Azuth-Anam. Colia said, "I am sorry for what I did, but I cannot make the waters go back, for that is not in my nature. But I promise I will never again call forth so much water that the world and all in it are threatened."

 

"You cannot keep all waters forever in the ocean," Azuth-Anam pointed out, "for many things, plants and beasts and creatures with wit and will would suffer without some water."

 

"Speak not for all here present, Azuth-Anam!" came the words of Wynneth, who now that the danger was over found herself filled with rage. "All that sprang forth from me shall from this day forth have nothing to do with the salty waters in which my daughter delights!" (And that is to this day why no plants grow at the sea's edge, and beasts drink only water that is free of salt. This applies to Men as well, for though they have salt water in their blood, they were formed from Wynneth's earth.)

 

"I will then make sure that any waters that come upon the land from this time forward are free of salt," Colia said, attempting to appease her mother. When Wynneth saw her daughter's true repentance, her heart softened and her fury abated, but her promise, made in anger, could not be lifted...so no plant or beast in existence at that time can sustain itself on salt water. "I am sorry I was angry," Wynneth said, "and it would not be right for the vast expanse of salt waters to be empty of life. The great First Tree is no more (for it was swept away by the rising waters) but I have here some seeds I harvested from it that had not yet been planted. Take them and cast them into your beloved salt waters, and you shall have plants and beasts there as well." And it was done, and life came to the ocean. And Barin said "I shall craft a Great Seal of this pact between you, Colia, and all that dwells upon the land. I will use these bits of colored rock Azuth-Anam found in his labor, which he called Gemstones. As there are many colors of flowers and plants and beasts, I shall use one of each color of these gemstones, one for each color present in plants and beasts and flowers. When it is finished, we shall find someone to be its bearer and guardian, and they shall have the task to set it high in the sky, for all to see, after each occasion in which water comes upon the land. Then all, including those here present, may see and remember the pact." And Barin did as he had promised.

 

Afterwards, the First Giants and First Men and First Dwarves came to Azuth-Anam and said, "All other creatures that have wit and will have mates, females according to their kind, but we have no mates. What is to become of us?" So Azuth-Anam appealed to Wynneth, and she said, "Mates you shall have, but know this; when you have offspring, then an ending shall surely come for you after that day. If you would have mates, one of each of you must come and lie with me, to father daughters to be mates for your brothers." The First Men and First Giants and First Dwarves spoke among themselves on this matter; they could hardly conceive of an ending, as Death had not yet come into the land (or at least had not claimed one of them, so they did not know her). Finally, one of each of the Men and the Giants and the Dwarves came forward. Each in his turn lay with Wynneth, and by her sired many daughters. Most of the First Men and First Giants and First Dwarves took one of these daughters to be his wife, and fathered children in turn, over the years. Some of these First Ones did not, however, and so never passed their ability for life on to their offspring; thus some of those First Ones walk the land unto this day.

 

With all worries past, Azuth-Anam and Barin the Bold set out together to discover what, if anything, had survived the rising of the ocean besides the one land upon which they had labored so hard. They are exploring still, and have not returned yet.

 

Years later, some of the other creatures and beings that Awoke from the First Darkness rose up, and attempted to destroy the people and beasts of the land. They were beaten back and defeated, but the land was changed. Disease and Fear and Pain came to be known, and other horrors: Hunger and Cold and War and Wickedness. It also brought about others: Night and thus Dawn, Courage and Valor and Luck and Caring and Death in all her aspects (most of all as a kindly release from suffering). Thus other gods and goddesses entered the land, and their children and so on.

 

Later still, the Giants and Giant-Kin rose up and attempted to take over all the lands and peoples. True, the First Giants had been crafted by the wise Father of Giants, but in his haste to try and save the land and its peoples and beasts, he had been forced to use what stone came to hand in their crafting...and that stone was flawed. Those flaws grew greater in their children, and their children's children, until Giants became beings of evil and greed and arrogance and ambition. The other races joined together and drove the Giants back, killing them or making them take refuge in the mountains and the secret places beneath the earth. Giants are not well liked to this day, as they bring suffering and destruction with them.

 

The land is mainly ruled by Men, in their kingdoms. The other races withdrew after the Giantwar, and are seldom seen this day.

 

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The Things From the First Dark are collectively referred to as the Fell, and they fill the roll of evil gods, demons, and so on and so forth, by and large. "Evil gods" is a bit of a misnomer as they are generally not worshipped in a systematic fashion; it's more a description of their general power level and how much of a threat they are to the world and the gods. Some Fell are worshipped, though this is generally because they've become associated with the actual pantheon of gods in some fashion. Nyn, the Goddess of Night, for example, is a good-hearted being and she hid Mikhara from her brotherrs and sisters of the Fell when he carried the Sun away to saftey to prevent them from destroying it. Others, like Norbis, Goddess of Disease, married into the pantheon. Still others, such as Badroune the Lord of the Dance, is neither evil nor good and has in fact been worshipped in the past, and so is generally considered a god despite his Fell origin. There are no real hard-and-fast rules here, just general 'guidelines'. As a side note: evil monsters are generally called "Fellspawn", and this includes mortal beings that are half Fell (a Fell-human cross, for example) while the "Felltouched" are those that have given themselves over to the Dark Powers in pursuit of their own goals, and they carry the psychic 'stink' of their allies about them.

[mayapuppies]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Absolutely amazing.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Absolutely amazing.

Why, thank you!

 

What parts in particular stood out to you? (I'm not fishing for more praise here, but more trying to evaluate the "product". So far it's had limited exposure to other people, so opinions, comments, and ideas are very valuable and will be taken into consideration when crafting more bits of the myths of the world of Dolwr.)

[mayapuppies]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Well...

 

To be honest I don't know if I can truly pick any one thing that really stood out. The overall flow is extremely well done, with huge nods towards native american and similar cultures in the overall feel of the creation myth.

 

It is extremely consistent and just when i was going to ask a question here and there...it was answered. It explains the current status of the world and leaves plenty of room to expand the lands at a later date.

 

The writing and characters mesh very well and make the whole believable. though the style isn't original, the application of the various origins, is. That's not to say the style is bad, nonono, quite the opposite. I greatly enjoy the narrative style of stories told by the old shamans as opposed to the regimented and staid style of say...the bible.

 

Oh, wait...I do have two comments. Towards the middle or so, particularly around the time they are trying to save the world, I get a rushed feeling which is understandable considering the nature of the event, but it does change the pacing of the story, which is unlike the style you begin with. Great for modern writing, but doesn't mesh well with the more ancient tone you seem to be going for.

 

The second, is on the ending. It's almost like you ran out of steam and just kinda waved your hand with a minor explanation to get up to the current timeline. Of course, this could just be my not wanting it to end.

 

Overall, an excellent piece of work that I will be saving a copy of for reference, as this is what I wish to attain when I write my history of the "world" and this will be a great reference tool for me.

[phookz]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Wow! Great job.

 

Definitely like the narrative style. I agree with mayapuppies about the ending. But overall, this is very well done. Far more in depth than the creation myth that I once created... if I ever decide to revive my world I will definitely use this as a baseline reference (not to steal/borrow, but to compare my own work against).

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Thank you for the feedback. I'll try to comment on some of your comments individually.

 

The overall flow is extremely well done' date=' with huge nods towards native american and similar cultures in the overall feel of the creation myth.[/quote']

 

As I said, I was going for the feel of an oral tradition...so I'm glad to know that came across! Emulating a particular style isn't something that's all that easy for me, but this almost told itself...it was like I had the seeds of concepts that I wanted to incorporate, then I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. As I was telling this story, I didn't necessarily know what was going to happen next, or how things were going to be resolved, until I said them. A wierd but good feeling...I got to tell/create the story and be a part of the audience all at the same time.

 

It was at the end of the college semester, we both had all our finals behind us, and we both finally had time to get together so Nathaniel could get his first taste of role-playing (he'd never done it before). We had an early dinner, and then I went over all the game systems on the bookcases (yes, I have a lot of them) described briefly the genre each was aimed toward, my feelings on the system (its strengths and weaknesses) and in general quized Nathaniel about the sort of character he wanted to play. In the end, when asked, he chose the HERO system.

 

I tried to talk him out of it.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong...HERO is one of my two favorite systems...but for a first-time experience, I was afraid the complexity might put him off and not make that first time memorable in a good way. Nathaniel responded that he wanted to play a half-giant character in a fantasy-type setting, that he wanted the character to be primarily a fighter but with some customized earth and stone magic, and it sounded to him like HERO would be best able to give him what he wanted. I couldn't argue that point, so we used HERO.

 

I told him I didn't want giants or half-giants to be common in the world, and so his being a half-giant could get him in a lot of trouble. (Distincitve Features, Reputation, etc.) He took all that calmly and said it was fine with him. We got to work.

 

All in all, we spent about 6 hours putting together his character, which is pretty quick if you take into account Nathaniel wasn't familiar with role-playing in general, let alone the bewildering array of choices presented by the HERO system.

 

So, there we are...it's after midnight, and in fact is climbing toward 1 a.m. We're finished with character creation. I figure I'll have a day or two to put together world background, then we can have one game session before going our seperate ways for the break.

 

I should have known better.

 

Nathaniel glanced at the clock, then back at me, and asked a bit sheepishly if we could "try it out, just a bit?" What was I going to say? No? Hardly! First time gamer, character he's spent 6 hours putting together and getting to know, detailing background, allies, and enemies...he was excited (well, for Nathaniel -- he's so laid back that most times you wonder if he's about to fall asleep) and I wasn't about to squash that.

 

So I asked him to give me five minutes to work on the world and background, and then we'd get going.

 

I knew I wanted giants to be feared...okay, they probably made a bid for global domination at some point. But wait! I'd already decided to make the primal creation diety a giant, and I wanted him to be revered. So how could I reconcile that with having giants in general feared? How would he let his children (the giants) get out of control so badly? Answer: he had to be absent, but I didn't want him dead, either. Hmmm...what would be a decent reason for leaving...?

 

Those were the sorts of thoughts that went through my head during that five minutes. It was, of course, all too quickly gone -- that's why, when I started telling the story, I wasn't sure what was going to come next!

 

There was something special about spinning the tale of the world's creation that night...it was after midnight and the only light was from the table lamp. The windows and back door were open because it was a nice night, and the smells of grass and earth were filtering in, but the traffic was far enough in the distance not to intrude. I don't often refer to things as "magic", but that night had it and the story just flowed so naturally...

 

It is extremely consistent and just when i was going to ask a question here and there...it was answered. It explains the current status of the world and leaves plenty of room to expand the lands at a later date.

 

The writing and characters mesh very well and make the whole believable. though the style isn't original, the application of the various origins, is. That's not to say the style is bad, nonono, quite the opposite. I greatly enjoy the narrative style of stories told by the old shamans as opposed to the regimented and staid style of say...the bible.

 

Once again, thank you. Old stories do have a certain magic of their own, and in general the things that aren't explained are things that are not important to the story...like "why do creatures Awake from new things?" That's not important to the myth...it just happens. It's part of the ground rules, part of the stage. The drama that can be played out on that stage...now that's what's important!

 

Oh' date=' wait...I do have two comments. Towards the middle or so, particularly around the time they are trying to save the world, I get a rushed feeling which is understandable considering the nature of the event, but it does change the pacing of the story, which is unlike the style you begin with. Great for modern writing, but doesn't mesh well with the more ancient tone you seem to be going for.[/quote']

A good observation. As I said, emulating a given style isn't always easy for me, and that's a bit of the "more modern me" showing through. I've thought a few times about re-writing that part, but that's the way I told it that night, so that's the way it's stayed. I may change my mind one of these days and do a re-write of that part; only time will tell.

 

The second, is on the ending. It's almost like you ran out of steam and just kinda waved your hand with a minor explanation to get up to the current timeline. Of course, this could just be my not wanting it to end.

 

Overall, an excellent piece of work that I will be saving a copy of for reference, as this is what I wish to attain when I write my history of the "world" and this will be a great reference tool for me.

 

And once more, thank you! (Especially the "not wanting it to end" comment...that's heady stuff!) There were a couple of reasons I just hand-waved it at that point. First, the major necessary events had taken place (the founding of the world, the way things come into being, Colia's Joy which inundated all but a relatively small part of the known world, and the reason Azuth-Anam and Barin left to explore and see if anything else remained anywhere) and there was still a LOT of history yet to come...thousands of years' worth. I knew that I could just keep telling the story of the events in the history of the world, but my goal that night was to set the stage for what we were going to do together (role-play) and not just spin tales, as much as I might have liked that. Second, I had enough of a population of gods and creatures now that I really did need some time to put serious thought into how I was going to further structure things...I didn't want to spoil the "magic' by contradicting myself seriously later on. Nothing ruins the magic more than seeing the stage assisstant behind the curtain pulling the wires, and I didn't want a contradiction in myth to be the metaphorical equivalent of pulling back the curtain and exposing the ill-fitting gearwork. The third reason for the hand-waving was there were some important events that did need to be mentioned, but that didn't flow directly from or directly follow the creation of the world...things like the Giantwar, the Fellwar, and so on. That's why I gave sort of a footnote-nod to those things in the last couple of paragraphs -- mentioned that they happened and the general consequences, with a promise of more detailed myths to come later to expand upon those events. I did expand upon them later, but for the most part I haven't written those down yet. (sigh) Lack of time, really.

 

As a side note, we called it quits that "night" after the Sun had come up. We also ended up gaming every day of the three remaining days before Nathaniel had to leave town.

 

Practically from the beginning, things happened that I did not plan or expect, but ended up making things much more interesting. Example:

 

Golgoth (the giant) was traveling the land incognito, under the guise of a simple illusionary magic so he looked like a large, well-muscled man, not a 9-foot-tall giant with stony skin. (His father was a giant -- made from stone, of course -- and his mother was a Litha, a tennyo of the rocks, sometimes called a Rock Nymph). As he was looking for a decent camp site one evening, he saw on the road ahead a small trade caravan that was in the process of setting up for the night. He hailed them, and asked if he might be allowed to join their camp in exchange for a bit of labor...cutting wood for the fire, that sort of thing. The caravan master agreed, and even invited him to eat dinner at the caravan master's own fire and exhange stories. Golgoth agreed gladly. After dinner and near time for 'turning in', the caravan master even shared part of his small stock of herbal tea from the Isles of the Sun with his guest, brewing two cups instead of his usual one. Golgoth was flattered, and even though he didn't like the taste of the tea much, drank it all so as not to offend his host.

 

Now I need to step out of the narritive for a moment and inform you of a few "behind the scenes" things. Golgoth had a Hunted, the Order of Kalfia...a much-despised religious order that followed Kalfia, Goddess of Discord. Priests of Kalfia have two main goals in life: one, spread disorder (often through fomenting rebellion, trying to start wars through rumor and innuendo, that sort of thing) and two, gain as much power and status within the Order as possible, and the only real way to do that is to backstab (literally or politically) those above you in the Order and climb up the ladder to take their place. (The Order of Kalfia would be a lot more dangerous if they weren't constantly 'at war' with each other.) Golgoth had them as a Hunted because Talist, the man who had taught him magecraft, has some serious 'issues' with the Order of Kalfia, and makes it his business to pry into their business and ruin their schemes and expose their hidden temples. Needless to say, they want Talist dead...and since Golgoth was his apprentice (and in on a few of these "exposures") they want Golgoth dead, too, just not at as high a priority. I had rolled the check for his Hunted, and it had come up. So I decided the first session would feature a visit from an agent of the Order.

 

Since the Order usually relies on subtlety when possible, I thought that a low-ranking but ambitious priestess of the Order might try to gain a big leap of influence all at once by tracking rumors and such of Golgoth's whereabouts, figure out the general area through which he seemed to be traveling, and then arrange some kind of ambush. Daniella (the priestess) decided the best way to do this was to hire a small merchant caravan that was traveling in the general area to be her "ambush". She got lucky sooner than she expected.

 

The tea was drugged.

 

Golgoth has a very high CON...so I did not expect him to fail is CON check vs. the drug. Oops.

 

Now this brought about another problem. Daniella is very smart and had researched her target well. She knew enough to guess (correctly, as it turns out) that Golgoth, being part giant, might be weakened if seperated from the earth. Instead of just killing him while he was in a drugged stupor and bearing his head back as proof of her deed, she decided to wait until he woke up, so she could gloat a bit first. When Golgoth woke up, he was being levitated in the air, several feet from the ground. He had also been bound with strong rope and chains which, in his weakened state, he could not break. I wasn't really sure how I was going to get out of this without killing the character the first session, when that's what someone like Daniella would do -- but fortunately Nathaniel handed me the answer on a silver platter.

 

While Daniella was explaining to Golgoth that she was going to kill him and what that would get her as far as status, etc. within the Order, he interrupted her with an offer: what would it do to her status, not to mention her personal power, if she had him as a personal servant, instead of just a head for a trophy? After some thought Daniella replied that if he'd swear an oath while under a truthsayer spell, she'd accept his offer. He did, and so she accepted.

 

Now, effectively, Nathaniel had a DNPC for his character, but one that could boss him around. Not exactly what I had envisioned as happening!

 

Immediately Daniella started plotting and scheming how to best make use of this new resource to take out Mistress Ragnell, a higher-ranking priestess she really hated. In pursuit of that goal, they traveled over quite a bit of territory (over the next several years, real-time, of gaming) and got into a lot of tough scrapes. During that time, a funny thing happened.

 

Of course Golgoth fought alongside of and protected Daniella -- he was bound to do that by his oath, even if he didn't like her and despised her goddess. Daniella, of course, used her magic to help or protect Golgoth...she was protecting her "investment".

 

I can't quite tell you the point when it happened, but eventually I realized that Daniella had fallen in love with Golgoth! Of course she realized it at that point, too, and went to considerable lengths to prove to herself that she wasn't in love with him. And even though I hadn't said anything to Nathaniel about this, and Daniella certianly hadn't mentioned it to Golgoth, I began noticing a few...odd...things in Golgoth's behavior as well.

 

I concluded that Golgoth had fallen in love with Daniella!

 

This was confirmed when they ran afoul of some very nasty werewolves deep in the mountains of Dunuth-Din. Daniella was very badly injured in that fight, and Golgoth finally managed to stabilize her wounds when she was at -8 Body...teetering on the edge of death. He, too, was badly injured, at just 1 or 2 points of Body above zero. This was a problem all the way around, because Daniella knew healing magics, and Golgoth didn't.

 

Abruptly he realized that a nearby mountain peak was Cadre Anam, where Men were supposed to have been created. Knowing there was no civilization within reach and thus no hope for help in healing Daniella, he decided on a desperate gamble. Banking on the hope that some sort of residual "life for Men" magic might still linger on that peak, and thinking that as a grandson of Azuth-Anam himself (Golgoth's father was one of the First Giants) he might be able to call forth that lingering power and get it to heal Daniella, he held her in his arms and walked all day and all night without rest to carry her to that mountain peak.

 

(Let me add at this point that his oath of service to her was over when she died. If he had just let her die, he would have been free.)

 

After attaining the snowy, windswept peak, he covered Daniella with his clothing and then passed out from exhaustion.

 

When he awoke, it was in a pleasantly tropical environment, and he could smell cooking food. (Daniella is from the southern coast of Breccia, and despises the cold.) Daniella had in fact been healed by the power of the mountain, and had used her magic to create a small "bubble" of temperature more suited to her liking. She had also cast healing spells on Golgoth while he slept.

 

Oddly enough, neither of them seemed to have anything to say as they shared their meal...not because of any awkwardness or tension, but rather the opposite. It was a funny feeling, like the pause between breaths, and words simply weren't needed. After they'd eaten, Daniella sat on Golgoth's lap and leaned against him, not saying anything, and he just held her, also without words. Eventually Daniella said in a perfectly contented voice "I love you," and Golgoth answered "I know. And I love you, too." And that's all that was spoken for the rest of that day.

 

From Hunted to DNPC boss to lover. I can safely say I didn't see that one coming!

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Wow! Great job.

 

Definitely like the narrative style. I agree with mayapuppies about the ending. But overall, this is very well done. Far more in depth than the creation myth that I once created... if I ever decide to revive my world I will definitely use this as a baseline reference (not to steal/borrow, but to compare my own work against).

Thank you very much for the compliment! If I've helped you in any way, all that typing was well worth it!

 

One of the best bits of advice for building an RPG setting I heard years ago, but it's as valid as ever:

 

"To get to know your world, to give it its own unique flavor for you and your players, the best thing you can do is tell the story of the creation of the world."

[mayapuppies]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Ok, I need your address and local rental prices. I am moving so I can play in your games.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Ok' date=' I need your address and local rental prices. I am moving so I can play in your games.[/quote']

Don't tempt me!

 

Seriously, though, that's high praise...high praise indeed! Thank you very much!

[mayapuppies]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Damn. Well, you deserve the praise.

 

Ok, now let's see...list of GM's to envy:

 

KillerShrike

Dr. Anomaly

 

hmm, yep, that's about right. Who's next?

[phookz]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Wow again. Great story line. I envy your players... It's been a long time since I've been able to play in a game with a good story and real character development.

 

I once played in a campaign where there was a war against your typical evil empire. The general leading the opposing forces was a woman, and my character (a wizard elf) dropped unconcious during one of the battles and ended up stranded behind enemy lines.

 

When he came to he was able to hastily don the uniform of one of the dead enemy soldiers he was lying near; which kept him from being taken prisoner when more enemy soldiers came to look for wounded. At any rate, Tirian (my character) was able to infiltrate the enemy camp over the next few days and actually get to know Nigira (the enemy general). During the course of the roleplaying they hit it off quite well. It was odd, you're supposed to hate the enemy, but when talking to her, she wasn't really a bad person.

 

Anyways, long story short, they began a love affair, which was very interesting because they still met on the battlefield on opposite sides. It was a lot of fun.

[Vanguard00]

Re: Creation Myth

 

I hate it when the bar is raised...

 

Excellent post, Dr. A. Very creative, complete and entertaining. I have a creation myth of my own but nothing so integrated. I'll obviously have to revise my thinking on such. Well done.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

I hate it when the bar is raised...

 

Excellent post, Dr. A. Very creative, complete and entertaining. I have a creation myth of my own but nothing so integrated. I'll obviously have to revise my thinking on such. Well done.

Thank you very much! It's always nice to hear things like that, and even better to hear that you may have provided someone else with some useful ideas, some inspiration, or just something to snitch and use for themselves.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

I once played in a campaign where there was a war against your typical evil empire. The general leading the opposing forces was a woman, and my character (a wizard elf) dropped unconcious during one of the battles and ended up stranded behind enemy lines.

 

When he came to he was able to hastily don the uniform of one of the dead enemy soldiers he was lying near; which kept him from being taken prisoner when more enemy soldiers came to look for wounded. At any rate, Tirian (my character) was able to infiltrate the enemy camp over the next few days and actually get to know Nigira (the enemy general). During the course of the roleplaying they hit it off quite well. It was odd, you're supposed to hate the enemy, but when talking to her, she wasn't really a bad person.

 

Anyways, long story short, they began a love affair, which was very interesting because they still met on the battlefield on opposite sides. It was a lot of fun.

Wow! That's a great story! Yes, learning the other side is "human" can be both very eye-opening and very disconcerting.

 

I have to ask...how did it turn out between them? Was it one of those "tragic doomed from the start" sort of loves, or did they manage to get it to a happy conclusion?

[phookz]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Wow! That's a great story! Yes, learning the other side is "human" can be both very eye-opening and very disconcerting.

 

I have to ask...how did it turn out between them? Was it one of those "tragic doomed from the start" sort of loves, or did they manage to get it to a happy conclusion?

 

Thanks for the compliment!

 

Through the course of the campaign, Tirian came to realize that Nigira was doing what she did because her soul was captured by the evil emperor (the Karatchi). After a long period of time, Tirian realized that he loved Nigira but she was tragically trapped, so he set about a plan to free her from the Kiratchi.

 

The plan was quite involved, and a little on the strange side. Tirian contacted the temple to the local love/sex goddess and made a deal with them (I can't rembember the specifics of the deal). He had himself turned into a woman and trained in the arts of being a concubine. Then arranged to have himself sold to the Kiratchi.

 

He was able to become one of the Kiratchi's concubines, and through the course of his investigation into how to free Nigira found that her soul was trapped within an amulet that the Kiratchi never took off. Here's the real kicker... the Kiratchi, once you got to know him, wasn't such a bad guy either. Sure, misguided and all, and still evil, but when you're having a one on one conversation with him he was an okay guy. Tirian never had to, ahem, do the dead, because the Kiratchi found it refreshing that a concubine wanted to engage in intelligent conversation with him.

 

So, in the end, what actually happened was the Kiratchi fell in love with Tirian (in woman form). Tirian realized, in a twisted way, he too cared about the Kiratchi as a person, and was quite torn about what to do. On the one hand, he seemed like a nice guy, but on the other he was the evil emperor. In the end, the Kiratchi realized what was happening, and felt quite betrayed when the truth came out. He was so devestated he didn't even resist when Tirian killed him and took the amulet.

 

Tirian was actually pretty broken up by it... He knew it was for the greater good, but it felt an aweful lot like murder and didn't seem that heroic. He freed Nigira and they married, but this began a slow descent into some of the darker arts for Tirian. Specifically, he became obsessed with soul energy, and began working on ways to harness it and steal just a fraction from multiple people...

 

That was the end of the campaign, as the GM moved away, but it was probably one of the best roleplaying campaigns I've ever played in.

 

[sigh]

 

Unfortunately, these days I'm stuck with DND3E (I know, I know, but it's what the people I know want to play). To top it off, they aren't that big into the roleplaying aspect either, so it's mostly dungeon crawling.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like a good dungeon crawl (now and then), but I do miss good character and story development. The kind of game that feels more like you're participating in a good novel or movie.

 

Your creation myth, and the story about your giant player - those are the stories I'm lacking these days.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Tirian was actually pretty broken up by it... He knew it was for the greater good, but it felt an aweful lot like murder and didn't seem that heroic. He freed Nigira and they married, but this began a slow descent into some of the darker arts for Tirian. Specifically, he became obsessed with soul energy, and began working on ways to harness it and steal just a fraction from multiple people...

 

That was the end of the campaign, as the GM moved away, but it was probably one of the best roleplaying campaigns I've ever played in.

 

Wow...that's even better than I'd expected! That sounds to have been one fiine GM, not to mention some fine players! (Yourself included!)

 

I wouldn't worry too much about "just" being able to play D&D these days; after all, while the system can influence how easy or difficult it is to tell a particular type of story, ultimately it's the story that's important, and you can have a great story in any game system. I'd say your problems stem from the quality of players/GMs playing 3E, not the system itself.

 

(Pssst. Here's a secret: I've run a number of campaigns in Dolwr, and two of them have been 3E campaigns! One was because the players wanted to experiment with the "new" version of D&D, the other because the group of [young] players knew D&D and didn't want to learn a whole other system. Both were rousing successes. Naturally I prefer HERO, but good stories are where you find [or make] them, right? )

[phookz]

Re: Creation Myth

 

I wouldn't worry too much about "just" being able to play D&D these days; after all, while the system can influence how easy or difficult it is to tell a particular type of story, ultimately it's the story that's important, and you can have a great story in any game system. I'd say your problems stem from the quality of players/GMs playing 3E, not the system itself.

 

Thanks again!

 

As far as the game system goes, I agree. While I greatly prefer HERO, D&D has come a long way, and in the end they both provide the mechanics, not the story. What's difficult is that our group isn't too much into the roleplaying. That's what keeps the story out, they are more interested in the mechanics and treasure. Still fun, but not as fun as it could be.

[Eosin]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Hey Doc,

 

One of the best creation stories I have ever read. Grade A+. Bravo.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Creation Myth

 

One of the best creation stories I have ever read. Grade A+. Bravo.

Thank you very much! I strive to make the inner workings of my worlds consistent. This gives it a good, robust structure. And it makes it easier to tell other stories in the myths, because the foundation has already been laid (or the stage set, according to your personal taste in metaphor. )

 

It's nice to know that things like that come through. It means I must be doing something right!

[Manic Typist]

Re: Creation Myth

 

This deserves a bump.

 

Especially considering that it inspired me to create my own mythology.

 

I've finished the outlines (tooks me quite a while!) and hope to type it up and post it in the next day or so.

[War Cry]

Re: Creation Myth

 

This deserves a bump.QUOTE]

 

Wow. I doubt I would have ever seen this thread without the bump.

 

I really don't know what else to say, so I'll just repeat myself - WOW.

What an awesome tale!

[Dale A. Ward]

Re: Creation Myth

 

I have to agree. I've written a few short stories myself and I can recognize talent when I see it. That held my complete attention from start to finish.

 

Such a pity that there hasn't been a sequel! ~hint hint nudge nudge~

[OddHat]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Great stuff, Doc.

[Lethosos]

Re: Creation Myth

 

Man... I really need to get a better grip on the mythology of Eight Sages--I haven't been able to decently come up with a way to figure out how the Land that became the Empire came to being--I know it was made as a barrier between the Heavens and the Many Hells, but I don't have any specifics other than the eight Heavenly Sages themselves creating the known races of the Empire as a security measure.

[Kristopher]

Re: Creation Myth

 

I like it...vaguely Norse, vaguely "primitive", but original.

 

The idea of the old darkness, that existed eternally before all things, before the first moment of creation, features prominently in the creation story of the setting of the novel I'm writing at a slow and painful crawl. The twist, that I've never seen in real myths or in fiction, is that the darkness isn't an evil, corrupting force bent on the destruction of all creation. That's just how most of the gods and their followers depict it.