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[dragnar]

In the vastness of the multiverse, the creation of a new world is no large event. Millions are born and die every day(if such a measure has any meaning for a place in which not even time is a constant), leaving nothing but a small ripple of causality in their wake. But as common as they may be, new universes and worlds are always something special, with no two quite the same. Some lack gods entirely. Others possess nothing but. This particular universe came into being partially formed, a mass of raw potential making up it's one planet. It possessed civilization... of a sort. As well as a number of sentient creatures... of a kind. The details were fuzzy, awaiting something to define them by their mere presence.

And so this world waited, a blank slate to be sculpted unconsciously by the first mind to touch it. For eons it sat, locked in stagnation by it's lack of definition. Until finally a mind appeared. And another. And another, until eight gods awoke around the planet as one. Instantly, the world took on a true form, defined by it's gods(and moments after the first definition, by a few heroes) in a moment. Fantastic and mundane beasts took shape and began to develop, civilizations gained the definition needed to grow, and an entire history was written to fit. And so, another playground of gods was formed, it's gods still young and at the height of their power...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Turn 1, go! You all have 5 Acts/Heroism to start, and get to define a single feature of the primordial world each for free on top of that. (fantastic species or physics for gods, civilizations for heroes)

Acts:
Astra'ath:      5
Lord Hunger:   5
Carathun:      5
Othrelos:      5
Kain:         5
Ardas:      5
Midas Memorum:   5
Nora:         5

Heroics:
Kinban Tinundi      5
Bael, the Black Giant   5
Oghma         5
Recului Snik         5
Narr            5

[micelus]

(This might be short compared the the example acts, sorry.)

And so he existed. Born out of the void, of both chaos and order.

This world was mature...Filled with godless men and creatures. It's people were not dumb brutes, unknowing and always waiting for a higher power to aid them. Not savages, not parasites. They would be good students. They would be his clay and he would be the potter, so to speak. But first, the world would have to change. A change, for the better.

From the abyss beyond this planet, dark clouds gathered. Darker than any other, as black as space. Under the Lurker's command, the clouds descended unto the planet's atmosphere. For three months and seven days, there was only darkness and rain. Constant, dark, unseen rain. Men would remember this time as the Great Flood or as the Apocalypse, but to Carathun it was merely the beginning of a better world.

Eventually, the clouds receded, leaving the land damp and wet. The lowlands of the world became a huge ocean, littered with cities and towns and villages. Millions, perhaps billions died, but it mattered not. The world could begin properly. Besides, they would not go into nonexistence like their forefathers, but become something else-the servants of the Lurker of the Deep. They would become the world's first krakens, squids, and octopuses.

And so, the world changed. Where the land was low and fertile, it became ocean floor. Where mountains once rose, only islands remained. The planet was now 70% water, a realm perfect for Carathun. And so, he descended in a sphere of light and went to the deepest part of the new ocean and called it home.

Much to be done, he thought. His equals would awake soon...The Quiet One devised a plan, he would entrust a tome of power to a mortal...And employ him.

Flood the world with rain. Make the planet 70% water. Make all those who died into the first krakens, squids, and octopuses.

[Sinpwn]

Othrelos the Chaos one looked upon this world and upon itself, feeling the emotions that it would define as Pleasure and Excitement in time. It looked and saw that though this world had its share of diversity, there were many generic and boring laws already in place. With growing apprehension and disgust, it realized that these laws bound everything and decided everything. There was no freedom or chaos, just these laws defining every reaction and outcome. This simply would not do.

The newborn world shook as it was changed on a fundamental level. It twisted and warped as a new variable in the equation of itself was added. Mountains and islands rose from the ground, supported by nothing. Entities disappeared and reappeared with a frightening pace. The surface of the world lit up with millions of hues of lights. As it settled, there was something new. Something that would insure nothing was impossible and anything could happen.


Create Magic.

[ed boy]

In the depths of the jungle, all life fights hard for supremacy.

The trees rush upwards, each desperate to drink in the shafts of light that fall on them from above, while blocking off their competitors for their own gain. Although the trees grow as fast as they can manage, the lesser forms of life do not notice, their attention too easily distracted to notice the changes in sumpremacy among the trees.

Although the trees greedily take in as much light as they can, they do not take in all of it, and a minute amount always finds its way through the cracks and gaps in the canopy. This little that comes down is all that is left for the other inhabitants of the forest, and they make the best of it. Shrubs and grasses spring up from the ground, making the most of what illumination they can get. They do compete with each other, but their main danger of elimination comes from the more mobile species that charge around at speeds far beyond what the plants achieve.

These beasts that roam do not concern themselves with the struggles of the trees. They do not consider the trees as anything more than static features, and satisfied that conclusion, happily go about the business of survival. Survival is a business that is tough to get into, and there are plenty of competitors around. There is no retirement from this business, or at least no voluntary retirement. Although there is lots of business to be had, it can rarely be said to be booming.

At the bottom level exists the scavengers. Making their living from the discarded scaps of others, they are not picky about what they get. Any time another lift ends, it will soon be swarmed with these ones, salvaging every last scrap of remaining nutrients and sustenance. It is them that work off the poor fortune of others, inhibiting even the most mighty of beasts. Although they are numerous, each individual is not very long-lived. They are quickly forced out of business by another being, who is in turn eliminated by yet another.

Each beast is the same - desperately feeding off the ones that it can, while avoiding those that can feed off of it. The duration that they have before they are hunted down can be quite short - for some of them, it can be measured in weeks or even days. Surviving to the next dawn is a major event for some, for the nights in the forest are terrifying things indeed.

The sun, shining above, its blazing rays cascading upon the forest, is muted by the trees. It is only a tiny remnant of it that reaches the beasts, and they have to make do with this perpetual shade, never experiencing anything more than half-light. They make do with this, and just have eyes the keener for it. However, nights are a completely different matter. The pale, dim light of the moon and stars are completely blocked, and not a single part of it reaches past the canopy. The keen eyes of the beasts are rendered useless, and they can no longer hunt. It is then that the nocturnal creatures come out, and reign supreme. Hunting on more than sight alone, they sniff out where the day-beasts hide and feast on them as they scramble around in darkness. Even the most mighty of day-beasts is prey to the night-beasts. However, come dawn, the reign of the night-beasts comes to an end, and they must hide themselves from the day-beasts who, in turn, seek to eliminate any who can challenge their lives.

However, there is one beast who reign supreme over both day and night. A hunter who does not have the weaknesses of fatigue and tiredness. It brings death to every creature in the forest, save the mighty trees. It is the beast that has no superior, the only beast for whom the business of survival is truly booming. It is the master of the jungle, and none can challenge its position. Little is known about it, for it is a master of stealth. In the civilisations around, the master of the jungle is halfway between myth and reality. Concrete facts are few and far between, and are often buried in the extrapolations, guesses and outright lies of those telling the tales. Countless descriptions of the beast and its exploits exist, and it seems that no two tales do not conflict in some way. The facets of these tales that are in common number very few, but there is one that they agree on. They have need to describe this creature, so it has a name. None know who this name came from (indeed, it is one of the details that causes a lot of conflict between the tales), but they can all agree on what the name is: Narr.

[Ardas]

The balance was shaken. The world was disturbed on the physical plane, and the laws governing the nature of the world were affected. Mind of Ardas was disturbed by these events and he lifted himself from his slumber. the Order, being so innate and natural to the universe, was suddenly broken in that little corner of creation that he was now bound to.

He saw water and he saw lights. The others have already made their makrk on this world and so will he, to balance the forces of wanton chaos and disruption that affected the mundane creature of the physical plane.

He formed a big rock in his hands, full of new element. That element radiated with power, power that canceled out all things unnatural. Creatures willed into existence by celestial powers will suffer, magic when used would be weakened or even cancelled out when in contact with that metal. Heroes will feel the pain of the metal and even gods will notice the force of it. Yes, the mortals of this world shall not be left defenceless, and they shall aid him in the quest to preserve the Order of the exitence.

He then broke the rock into many smaller ones and threw the entire lot to the surface of the world. These rocks would be seen for many weeks, raining down in from heavens, all shing with silver light of the metal: Ardanium.  When impacting, these rocks would embed themselves deep within the earth, creating deposits all over the world.

Create Ardanium, an anti-magical element and scatter it all over the world.

[Dsarker]

Among the civilised parts of the southern world, there exists a common character in the many myths and legends. This warrior, or mage, or assassin, or even a learned man, depending on the teller, goes under many names. The Murr'beggians refer to him as the Grey Hunter, for their superstitions forbid his naming, lest he come and slay them too. His tales are whispered in hushed tones, for in the great city of Murr'beg, the tales are all but illegal.

The tribesmen ignore these laws, and speak of his name openly, some few even daring him to come after them. A divine warrior he is in these stories. These tales are filled with his martial exploits, whether his hunting down of the last king of Hakrin, the Land-Now-Under-Sea, or his legendary slaying of the beast of Rhind.

Among the freemen of Ool Hrusp, the tales focus on his cunning and stealth. A swordsmaster is he still, but they tend to skim over these parts. Instead, they prefer tales such as his trickery of the kings of Hakrin, when he told those foolish humans to curse the name of the gods, and their punishing them with a great flood. No more is he a divine, honourable warrior, but a trickster hero, half hated, half loved by the gods.

Among the Quarmallians, last of the tripartite pact formed to drive out the humans from the lands, both the tales of the tribesmen and the tales of the Hruspians are common. The Quarmallians, however, prize him on another quality. To the dwarves, he is most known for his weapons, his armour. According to these legends, he was the one who secured the destruction of the great cities of Hakrin by secretly removing their prized protection, made of the fabled metal Ardanium. In secret, he proceeded to make himself weapons and armour from it. It was with these that he slew the last kind of Hakrin, the sorceror-lord Drakghul. The mystical beast of Rhind was powerless against them, and he took its head in triumph.

Of course, these tales are merely the most popular of the many variations. Still, stories have a way of...coming true. And those who dread the Grey Hunter's return, of the fabled coming back of Oghma the cunning, they may very well be fearing the truth. And while the tribesmen, the Hruspians and Quarmallians might be wrong to think he was always one of them...well, the future is always malleable. Who knows what could happen?

Defining:Murr'beg, a city-state. All that remains of Hakrin, which was otherwise destroyed in the flood. It was this flood that allowed the now-free humans to be freed from the yoke of slavery, and they have since allied to drive the Murr'beggians out.

[NUKE9.13]

Ah... it is good to be awake.

For how long has she slept? She can feel she has existed a long time, but only recently has her mind taken shape.

Did she even exist, before?

No matter. Now she is awake, and she is ready. The world lies before her, peaceful, happy. As it should be. There are floods, fires, and earthquakes, but no harm is intended. Life goes on- death is necessary. She looks upon it, and smiles.

She likes the world. And she likes the life that inhabits it. She likes the trees and the plants, the prey and the hunters. She likes the humans, for though evil sometimes lurks in their souls, good dwells there also, and ultimately they simply seek to live and die like all beings. She likes the beasts of the new seas, and she likes the beasts that will come later. She likes those who have fallen, and those who shall fall.
But she loves the dragons.
Lizards with bellies of fire, so full of life, so joyous in their revelry. Small things, flitting about in the mountains, hunting rabbits, snatching fruit from the trees. Playing and laughing. So peaceful, so pure.
She sees them fall when they encounter Ardanium. Their wings fail in the presence of the material. Their breath scorches their mouths, and they die screaming.
She cries for them, the dragons that lose their magic. She understands the need for order, but the pain it brings them breaks her heart.

A solution presents itself. A simple thing. The dragons are taught fear, of Ardanium, and those who wield it. She enchants their senses, so that they can detect the metal, wherever it may be. They steer clear of it, make their nests far from where it falls.
But a mistake has been made. Fear leads to hatred. Some dragons are not content to avoid it; they seek to destroy it. They hunt the men who would work the metal, slay their women, eat their children. Their scales grow hard and bitter, and they rage against the world. Their hatred gives them power, and their enchanted senses give them knowledge. The great beasts terrorize the land, twisted mutants of the once peaceful race.

Nora cries great tears for these fallen creatures. Her attempts to spare them pain have created monsters. A foolish mistake.
She cannot bring herself to rid the world of them. Though any dragon born has the chance to become twisted, many maintain their peaceful ways, and live happily in their secluded mountains. She cannot judge them all evil, and even the most twisted soul must have a chance for redemption.
She is left helpless, unable to bring herself to act. She can but watch as the beasts- the beats she created- rampage, and cause suffering. Perhaps, in time, a solution will present itself. For now, she can but weep.

Define: Dragons. Small, deer-sized creatures, live in mountains, fly around, breath fire. Essentially peaceful and happy.

Foolishly teach the dragons fear, and grant them enchanted senses with which to detect Ardanium*, causing some of them to learn hatred, and become twisted beasts of great power.

*Enchanted senses to not exclusively grant the capacity to detect Ardanium. Their eyesight, hearing, smell, touch- all have been improved. Other metals can be detected as well, hidden things can be seen, and, to an extent, the surface thoughts of unshielded minds can be read.

[Lordinquisitor]

The Vaneluzian Empire- A complete History
Written by the priest Nekonery, Translated by the mage Dafon
An Excerpt for my students

[Note: While Translating the original text i stumbled over several errors and strange passages. Recent discoveries show that several of the claims made by Nekonery are false or at least unprovable. Still, the "Complete History" is the most complete book written about the history of Vaneluza. I felt free to leave notes in order to correct some of the mistakes Nekonery made. The following text is only a shortened version meant to teach the reader about the most crucial events in our history.]

Vaneluza, labeled the greatest city ever built by mankind, was founded 300 Years before the Great flood by the now legendary God-King Tocyna Vaneluz.

The Land surrounding Vaneluza was fertile and hilly; Rich in wheat, wood and minerals. Whence the founders of Vaneluza came is unknown, but they brought with them the secret of forging bronze- And soon enough they discovered how they could use even stronger metals like Iron.

Over the next 100 Years the citizens of Vaneluza subjugated the neighboring tribes and founded the Vaneluzian Empire. But they didn`t stop there- The King of Vaneluza, Tocyna, sent his legions out into the world and conquered land after land. Empires rose and fell, but for hundreds of years it seemed like nothing could bring the vaneluzian empire down.
[Note: It is doubtful that the King "Tocyna" mentioned here is the same that founded the city one hundred years ago. The writers of the past loved it to glorify their legendary heroes, and often claimed that they were able to live several hundred years. Likely this Tocyna was named after the legendary founder of the city, or was a descendant of him.]

But then the event known as "The Cataclysm", "The Great Flood", "The Day the Sea rose to devour the world", "The hunger of Carathun", "The Apocalypse" [Note: At this point Nekonery seems to get carried away a bit. For the enjoyment of the Reader i omitted the remaining names for the Great flood and the reasons why it could have happened. There are a lot of them.] happened.

The World was drowned. For 13 Zolys the world was shrouded in darkness and rain- the oceans rose and rose, devouring the land, drowning most of the World. [Note: The Ancient Vaneluzians measured time in Zolys. The Zoly was a holy festival held on the seventh day of each week. Ergo Nekonery claims that the Rain lasted three months and seven days. Doubtlessly an exaggeration.]

Vaneluza was hit hard by this event. Large parts of the Ancient city itself were destroyed. The Lowlands were covered in water, and only the hills and mountains remained, becoming islands in the sea. God-King Lydosyna, the last descendant of Tocyna perished in the floods and a civil war broke out. Several of the subjugated cities were also destroyed, or used the chaos to secede from the Empire. [Note: Some of the now free City states commemorate the great flood as the beginning of their freedom. While i found no written records of that time to double-check Nekonery`s Claims it seems reasonable that something like this could have happened.]

What remained of the Vaneluzian empire afterwards was just a shadow of it`s former glory. Without the lowlands, which were most fertile, the Vaneluzians had trouble to feed themselves. The cities that were too weak to break free from the Vaneluzian empire now had to pay huge tributes in order to fulfill the needs of their Rulers. Many of those cities dwindled and perished. The times were doubtful and uncertain; Every few months a new noble claimed to be the rightful God-King of Vaneluza, rose to power, lost that power and was forgotten by history. [Note: I omitted the next part. Nekonery rambles for quite some time about the vices and the flaws of those new God-Kings.]

Only when the Noble Nomordyn, once steward of the God-King Lydosyna, rose to power through a military coup the times changed. He Instituted several reforms that helped to restore some of the Glory of Vaneluz. He abolished the kingship and replaced it with a council of Nobles and Elders. Furthermore the military system of Vaneluz was completely overhauled. Once it`s glorious Legions were the core of it`s military, but now they focused on the construction of great ships.
[Note: I think it is important to talk a bit more about the reforms of Nomordyn. Fellow Mage Colenton pointed out that most reforms only did happen after Nomordyns death- At first he too claimed the title of God-King, but on his deathbed, since he had no heirs, he decreed that from then on the Vaneluzian Empire should be ruled by a council of Elders. That Council then instituted most of the reforms that shaped the new Vaneluza. Today most of the laws created by the first council are still active and so is the Elder council. Traditionally all citizens of Vaneluza over the age of 50 may join the Elder council.]

With it`s mighty warships and it`s big trading galleys Vaneluza became once again a mighty empire. The Great Flood had turned many lands into a conglomerate of various islands and whoever would rule the seas would rule them. [Note: It might be that Vaneluz was the major power during that time- And today it still is an important power, though there are several fledgling kingdoms that may rival it. Of course Nekonery couldn`t know that. He died approximately 20 Years after the great flood.]

[Riccto]

Define: Vas'Us, The Floating City
 
It seems as if the legendary city of Vas'us sprung into existence as the flood occured. One scholar says that the entire city rode over the waves as it sat pre-prepared the legendary Dry-Dock as assembled by cautious mages and workmen, The original Vessel Vas'A that is. A massive ark designed by a famous exiled mage, The Man Of The Shifting Tattoo or otherwise known as Recului Snik. He first called for Learned Men from various fields to come onto the ark, then he called for the students especcially those for a voracious thirst for knowledge. Then he called for the common man and the laborer so they may ply their trade and bring their apprentices. Lastly he gathered up all the books he could find, some stolen but that is often a forgotten point (except among the Dwarves). Vas'A was a magnificent hive of culture and learning that rode atop the waves as the rain fell. But when the rain stopped the most magnificent happened. Reclului reportedly transformed the Ark into the Island, Vas'Us. His tattoo's glowed even shined more brightly than anyone had seen as the hull of the ship opened up forming a a great platform with Sixteen offshoots. This is the first time any of the Ship Sage's (A term used to define the ruling council of the Ark) had seen Snik take a knee and with that he left, leaving only the message of "Expand upon what I have wrought for you, expanding the Sixteen and with them your knowledge and do not horde it but share, for if there is one...Just one child who remains ignorant to what I have taught you this years...Vas'Us will return to the Sea." And with that Snik disappeared from the City as it expanded quickly and remained safe with its mighty Sages and its transient state, reportedly Vas'us is rarely seen at the same location twice but still merchants and fishermen flock to it along with students as their ships are absorbed into one of the offshoots as a expansion of the city.     

[adwarf]

The Birth of the Earth God

The wonders of the earth are many, and its strength massive, but within it is held a kindness, a will to protect its user, this kindness has grown since the first grain of dirt was created, and the first stone crushed into existence. It was kindness, yes, but it held a cruelty about it caring only for the things it creates, and the things it wishes to protect yet that power grew, and gave birth to a God. His name is Kain, The Shield, the god of Earth, and he was birthed from obsidian, and diamond, the mightiest of the earth's creations.

His birth goes unnoticed by all, but the mighty earth, and the strongest of beings as his creation was hidden deep within Ungla'ser Hin'res, or the Mountain of Kings. His cavern held all the wonders of the earth, from rubies to diamonds, and from clay to obsidian it all found its home in this cavern covering the ceiling, and walls. It contained all the beauty the earth could muster, but to Kain it felt empty for he had nothing to show it to, and nothing to protect for he had no creations, no children, of his own. It was an empty place, hollow, and void of any thing despite the cruel, cold stone, and the sparkling gems.

The Creation of the Seven Stone Kings

Kain realizing his sadness walked for many hours through the myriad of tunnels, and caverns until he came to a small chamber with walls of solid diamond, floors of pure obsidian, and a pool of lava, the life blood of the world. He reached out his hand towards the diamond wall, and from it fell seven tear drop shaped diamonds, he grasped them in his hand, and walked to the pool. There he bit his hand, and let several drops of light green blood fall into the pool, then before his eyes it changed from its glowing red surface to a pure green making the surface look like that of moss. Into the pool he dropped the diamonds, and watched as the surface bubbled, and forms rose from the murky green surface.

The shapes were odd, they were vaguely humanoid with two legs, and two arms, but there head was square with one eye, of what appeared to be ruby, taking up the center of the head. These beings were the Stone Kings, they had power of the earth, and could make it bend to their will as they see fit, but they were born in the likeness of Kain made to protect, and guard, but not to destroy when unfit. The Stone Kings, the first of Kain's creations, would walk the lands forever protecting the creations of their Father, and the earth where those tried to harm it, but always ready for orders from Kain to go to action against some foe.[/i]

The Stone's Spine
The land around Ungla'ser Hin'res was that of hills, and plains, a place where stone was rare, and sacred, but Kain's vision for this place was that of the safety of rock, and the beauty of gems covering it. Thus, he worked his powers changing the lands into massive mountains, rich in all the wonders of the earth, and dangerous cliffs giving way to rivers far below. This was his land, and would be the future home of all his children, and future creations, so he named it The Stone's Spine. A chain of mountains stretching as far as the eye could see, and a ten days travel across for any human skilled enough to cross, it showed the beauty of the earth, but it also contained its harshness making the land uninhabitable for the human race.

Free Act: Create The Stone's Spine
First Act: Create the Seven Earth Kings

[forsaken1111]

We Hunger

Those simple words, spoken without voice, traverse the infinite void between the celestial spheres. They impact the boundary of reality with the full force of a Godmind behind them, causing minute fractures and cracks. On a dark and silent night, a night on which even the moon would not show its face, a new constellation appears in the heavens. Seven stars burn in the black sky, arranged in a shape which, when traced, form a tri-lobed eye of terrifying dimensions.

Through this new constellation, known to the races of the world as The Baleful Eye, a malign intelligence watches. Over an unimaginable distance through the soundless void, the gaze of Astra'ath falls upon another world. With its appearance, the Eye brings madness to the world.

Until now, though many things in the world were hurtful or wrong, none needed worry about a man of unsound mind taking bizarre or deranged actions. Seemingly overnight cults appeared across the land as their deranged but charismatic leaders gather the weak-willed of their flock and teach them forbidden things.

These first cults were brazen and foolish, proclaiming themselves the true believers of a being known as the Devourer. Most of these cults were slain outright, hunted by the sane and the ordinary for their blasphemous beliefs and eldritch rites. Some of them were ‘cured’ by imprisonment and behavior modification and the application of civilization’s current barbarous understanding of the mind. The few surviving members were driven underground, forced to hide among the lowest ranks in society and conduct their rituals in secret.

As all things, over time these initial crude cults evolved. The cultists, downtrodden and forced to the bottom of civilization’s ladder, began to move in secret to reestablish themselves as a more organized entity. Bound together by a single belief, and a burning madness instilled by long meditation under the Eye’s gaze, they began to spread out and contact one another. They kept their numbers few; for concealment, yes, but also because recruitment was so hard. It takes a special type of mind to accept the truth of the Devourer: That all things will end, in fire and pain, and that living beings are naught but fodder to be delivered to His maw and pacified in His name.

Thus was born the Cult of the Devourer, offering worship to Astra’ath from afar. They are few in number, and they conceal themselves well, but their influence is felt throughout the civilized world in abductions, mysterious deaths or strange and bizarre writings left in hidden places. The cult conceals itself as a secretive guild of assassins and information brokers known as the Umbra, offering services and secrets to the highest bidder to pay for their deranged objectives.

Astra'ath brings madness to the world.
Astra'ath creates the Cult of the Devourer which operates in His name. The cult operates as an assassin's guild and broker of information.

[Shootandrun]

((Viking nation: go!))

Six hundred years before the flood, twelve lords fled from the south with their peoples, defeated by their rivals. They created the twelve cities in the north, and there they lived. Soon, however, the lords started to plot against each others, and fight for power. For hundreds of years, the north was ravaged by war and chaos.

Two hundred years before the flood, Deram Hammerhand united the twelve cities of the northern lands and created the Kingdom in the North. For the first time, the twelve peoples stood united. But they were a savage people, and it was not long until they started the War for the North, during which the Northmen started to conquer their neighbours until they held a great and powerful kingdom. Eventually, the Flood came, and it stopped their invasions. They were separated from the southern lands by a new sea, and most of their fertile lands were flooded. The Northmen started to starve, until Kairne Bloodshield, the twelfth King in the North, built a fleet to cross the sea, and started the first great raid. The Northmen were not strong enough to invade the lands south of the sea, so they raided all the cities and villages they found, and brought back food and treasures to the North. Kairne was the first 'King of the Raiders', and not the last.

The Northmen were a fierce people, and what they could not make, they were going to take. Every summer, all the warships of the north would sail south with as much men as possible, and raid the lands in the south. Every autumn, the fleets from the north would return with their bounty and stay quiet for the winter and the spring. They would never strike at the same place, to make sure their enemies were not well prepared to fight them, and they were always attacking in great numbers. The Northmen had few allies, but they had some - mostly lands too far from the coast to be an interesting target for them.

The Kingdom in the North had one of the strongest armies in the world, but they avoided open battles. A Great Raid was generally made of three or four fleets, all going to different places. The Northmen would land, raid as much villages as possible, and go back to their homeland. In a good part of the raids, they did not lose a single man. They did not kill villagers unless they resisted, and left them with enough food to survive during the winters. That was to make sure the men they raided were not going to flee to the south.

And in this Kingdom lived Bael, the Black Giant of the north, one of the most feared raiders. He was a mercenary - like most of the best fighters in the North. The commanders of a fleet would meet with him, ask him to come with them, and he would accept. Only the best warriors were paid when they were going to raid, and Bael was The best warrior.

Define: The Kingdom in the North, a kingdom ruling a small continent and separated from all the others by a large sea. There are twelve cities and some villages in the Kingdom, but the population remains low.

[micelus]

Carathun watched through the waves, through the ocean and waters. He saw his brethren create, and destroy. He saw the birth of magic, and its opposite. He saw the coming the coming of the dragons, and he saw the establishing of nations. Now, he would act once more.

From his deep abyss, among the ruins of old cities and the bodies of kraken and squid, Carathun looked upward and saw a sight. Ships, fleets. Filled with raiders from the North. People of combat and savagery, not of thought and debate. Barely man, closer to animals. They did not build, they destroyed. They did not till, they pillaged. They did not write, they stole. And yet, Carathun would use them and better them, for every creature has a chance. Even the fools.

He looked upon them with his sight, saw the rowers, the warriors, the slaves and the leaders. One in particular caught his mind and eyes. A young lord, six feet tall. Strong, imposing...and yet his mind was not mush or like that of an animal, but as great as those who had drowned and died. He would do.

Carathun called to him, demanded the man's attention, and he got it. The man felt the mental tendrils of a god, and yet, he did not flinch. He stood defiantly and asked, "Who are you?"

Carathun was pleased. He told the man of great knowledge, of power and wealth and a better way for his people. Learning, administration, empire, and knowledge. A way of civilization, the way of those who came before. The man was wanting, yearning and accepting. And so, Carathun blessed him with knowledge beyond the man's comprehension, and those no man should now. He was no Northman anymore, but a Deep One, a direct servant of the Lurker. And so, he was given the command of the ocean, of the storms and krackens.

With his new found gifts and knowledge, he took control. Instead of savage raids, annexation. Rather than pillage and burning, domination and control. Rather than brute force, tactics and stratagem. Carathun was pleased. The man would forever be known as Verkos Krakenlord.

Soon enough, his fellow Northmen converted to his beliefs...Thus began the Way of Light.

Act: Give one Northmen noble the knowledge of civilization, war, and what should not be known. Give him the ability to command the storms, the krakens, and to live underneath the waters. Some Northmen found the Way of Light.

[Sinpwn]

Othrelos materialized a pair of disembodied hands and began twiddling the fingers absentmindedly. The creation of magic had been amusing yes, but it was growing bored. As other gods created servants and abodes, it too decided to create some minions.

Traversing the entire world as one would walk a pace, it selected a particularly large floating landmass and caressed it with an ethereal appendage. The hunk of dirt and rock shattered like ice, each large shard taking on a different hue as the shards too small to use dissolved into purple clouds. The shards further diversified, each taking on a specific aspect, as more shards seemingly appeared from thin air. This continued for some time, shards shrinking, growing and changing as clouds of purple energy drifted between them. After an instant or an eternity, what was once a chunk of earth had become a field of colorful mirrors. Each of these mirrors reflected not what was in front of them, but instead reflected their chosen aspect. In the middle of this all was a palace of jagged glass and mirrors, emitting waves of offensively bright colors like some sort of demented rainbow. This would be the domain of chaos. This would be the Glass Lands.

Almost immediately, beings began to emerge from the drifting shards, living personifications of each aspect of everything. Some looked normal, some looked ludicrous and some looked terrifying. These would be the revenants, and they would spread chaos and respect of their master to the world.

Act: Create the Glass Lands, a floating field of mirror shards, with each shard representing something that did, does, or could exist.
Act: Create the Revenants, abominable servants spawned from the mirror fields that were as varied and random as their jagged creators.

[Ghazkull]

he had heard the call

the outcry

the...

demand?

It had awoken him from his deep slumber...and pictures of things that happened or would happen tumbled through his rebirthed mind.

What the Entity was, it filled his old body, with new fresh energies, it worked like a Spring of Youth on teh remmains of his essence. This raw hunger, in all the eternities he had never felt it stronger, this was nothing mortal or immortal anymore. It was a godlike hunger that brought his failing essence back to it's full strength.

And as if he was some indigestible substance the Aether spat him out. Somewhere else. In another time...another reality perhaps? The Hunger of the being, the beings, drew him back to consciousness, was all encompassing, and loaded him with energy, it filled him up, overloaded him even. The parchment-like skin, eternities old, began to ripple from the sheer energy that refilled him once again and made him feel like a newborn god.

For a mere moment, a time-span incomprehensible to mere mortals, he lost everything that defined him, his mad-glowing eyes, became calm and content and even his strained expression of face, kept for uncountable eternities, relaxed. For this incredibly short moment, he felt content, filled with joy and yes, although it seemed impossible, sated. Then the feeling vanished. Cruelly ripped from him like a newborn being denied the breast of  it's mother. The joy, the freshness, the childlike content of being existant...vanished.

His very essence protested as he realized that that what had fueled him had fed, or otherwise satiated it's urges. He had to stop it from feeding, that was all what was on his mind. He had to find the being and imprison it, and then let it hunger. He would finally feel no greed anymore, no hunger, nothing, just content. But for now, he needed something else to atleast quell his urges. Pictures of beings tumbled through his mind, of beings he had ocne known, no. Beings he had once created. They had almost given him the feeling these beings had given him. He needed them once again.

And so the Maw had been born again. And Lord Hunger descended upon the world and felt that already wars were fought, people were fighting for control, for power, out of hunger, out of desperation, out of greed. But it was not even nearly enough. And he felt beings touched by Life, with no urges at all...this had to be rectified

although, some seeemd to be on the right way. Their minds were clouded with Revenge and accompanying it were the urges for power to exact that revenge.

Then there were the beings of the Glass Lands and those of the Earth. And he despised were very nature for they were free of all urges,of tastes, of any personality at all and they only increased his own hunger...even to a painful degree. He quickly went away from them, lest he did something unconsidered. And yet again he felt the presences of humans. And then he saw Murr'beg.

Murr.
Murr?

and then the dam broke. Pictures of small beings, shaped from the Mole Rat appeared in his mind. Ah yes, his children, his hungry children. Ans something líke nostalgia raised in him,extinguishing the flames of his eternal hunger for a short time.

And suddenly chirping sounds could be heard again, below the earth.

Merely half a meter tall, and without hair they looked helpless. But there were many of them. And once again they drilled below the city and created a strange mirror image of it below the earth.

But he was not done yet. He looked at the men of the North, their cold homeland and the plunder they brought back with them. He had a plan for those...but this had to wait. He first needed rest


Define: The Murr.

Description: The average Murr stands about half a metre tall and is hairless. They move on all four legs but use their forepaws as hands. They have excellent night sight and hear and smell far better than the normal human. Due to their anatomy their language consists to one half of gestures, facial expressions and the using of their tail, to the other half of high chirping sounds which are quite similiar to those of birds. They are omnivorous and a Murr can get about 200 years old before he dies, being grown up with merely one year and being pregnant for only 3 months with a litter of about 5, the population of the Murr is growing incredibly fast and often ends in great migration waves to new settlements, which to their hosts looks like large invasions.

Society: The Murr society consists of small clans living together in subterranean hives and tunnel-systems which are usually situated below a city of any other sentient race. These are their hosts. While Murr a capable of hunting and gathering themselves, they prefer to live from the refusals of their hosts. This also includes graves and tombs, which makes them quite unloved although they also bring with them many good aspects. Cities infected by a Murr hive can be sure to be free of any pests and insects due to the enormous hunger of the parasites. Being quite protective of their host villages they guard them closely and emit a high screeching sound if soemone or something is approaching the village.
But the Murr are also known for their great ingenuity of turning what other races would throw away as rubbish into clothes, tools, armors and weaponry.
Usually Murr are shy and avoid their hosts at all costs and trade relations or open contact with humans are unheard of.