Before it all
The Story of Creation
In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, through a tremendous amount of apathy toward that nothingness, the universe as we know it exploded in great rage, chaos, and anger. The universe was born from hate, while the gods emerged from the cooling cosmic flames. The process of accretion involves space dust coalescing to form planets. As this insanely magical cosmic fire cooled, sentient entities that would become The Pantheon of the Nine formed through a process similar to accretion. These original deities worked tirelessly to temper the cosmic hate further, bringing love into existence. In doing so, they created a disparity that sparked a chain reaction across the universe. The gods crafted the realms and began to fill them with their creations. Initially, they formed basic life, consisting of bacteria and single-celled organisms. As their confidence grew, they advanced life to include plants and animals. Soon, the realms became small, thriving ecosystems that the gods watched over in playful enjoyment. However, something was amiss. The gods had been careless in quelling the galactic fire, leaving a hot spot in the center of a seventh, discarded realm. This fire seethed with rage until it erupted from the seventh realm, forming the Chasm. The galactic fire took a cue from the gods and created its own beings, known as the Foul, who were sent to destroy the gods’ creations. In retaliation, the gods devised their own monsters and waged war against the discarded remnants of creation. This conflict raged for millions of years until the galactic fire cooled again, but the Foul remained impervious to death. To this day, the Foul fight among themselves for control of the Chasm and occasionally raid the realms for enjoyment, power, loot, and the sheer chaos of it all. The gods have settled back, allowing their new creations to run rampant in their realms. They now rest easily, observing and occasionally intervening in the realms. However, deep within the Chasm, a cosmic hatred stirs that will never cool; the dark, primordial truth is that The Foul and The Divine are more similar than different.
The Pantheon of the Nine:
The nine gods were born of fire, but not of hate and anguish. Despite this, some tread the path of darkness instead of love or honor.
Villitrix, Queen of Beasts (CG)
Omar, God of Duty (LG)
Trinder, Sword Singer (NG)
Ergos, The Wealthy (CN)
The Messenger (LN)
Strain, The Lord of Death (TN)
Arax, The Hound (CE)
Villia, Goddess of Deceit (LE)
Noxe, The Serpent (NE)
The Six Original Realms:
The creations of the gods have enriched the realms, leading to an abundance of sentient life. Now, people, monsters, and beasts inhabit the realms. Individuals of every race can be found throughout the modern world, though each race has an ancestral homeland in one of the realms. There are several ways to travel between these realms, with powerful magic gateways and mighty vessels capable of crossing the Deep Astral Sea being the most commonly used methods. These are often considered the only reliable means of travel.
Bail (Good):
A land of plenty, with many environments and creatures. It is home to Humans. Tribes have fought for centuries, evolving into advanced kingdoms and empires. Bail is a fine land to start a family in, but danger is afoot here.
Phoenix (Good):
A land of vast deserts, hot jungles, and oases. This land is said to be exotic and is home to Gnomes and Halflings. The vast deserts are dotted with rich capitals adorned with gold and sandstone. While there are many kingdoms, they all respect the authority of the mystical Phoenix Speaker.
Felder (Neutral):
Rolling flat planes lead to barren wastelands; Felder is a land where only the tough survive. It’s no wonder the Orcs, Dwarves, and Goliath call this place home. Massive beasts walk the planes, and many tribes follow them in a nomadic style. Many Orcish and Dwarvish city-states have also established themselves.
Sindare (Neutral):
A vibrant land of crystal fields, gigantic waterfalls, mushroom forests, and floating islands. The Elves and the Fairies live here, but don’t be fooled; it’s not all crumpets and cake. Dark wealds and deep forests hide foul creatures that lurk in the shadows.
The Shattered Peaks (Evil):
Huge mountains larger than any other in the known universe, are at home here. A land where the dead walk and the dragons fly; the Dragonborn call this place home. The tops of the mountains are enormous enough to hold massive cities, forests, towns, rivers, and lakes. For the most part, the Dragonborn clans work together, forming a confederacy of clans that each has a representative speaker.
The Ash Cleft (Evil):
The gods never finished this realm; during its creation, it became a battleground between the foul and divine. The war between the Foul and the Divine scarred the unfinished realm, leaving it in a devastated state. The Tieflings were born here from the Dregs, the first race made by the Pantheon of the Nine, and the blood of the foul. The lands are more barren than the deserts of Phoenix and more dangerous than the top of the Shattered Peaks. The Tieflings are extremely religious, as they are the frontline against the Chasm, so the gods often bless the scorched land as best they can.