Creation myth

[GreatCthulhu]

Heya....for the campaign world I am developing, I decided to start with a creation myth that would perhaps give a new spin to some things.

I'll post the first part here, hoping you'll read and comment on it. Suggestions are always welcome (I still need to place the Tanar'ri somewhere, for example)...

The heavens take form

In the beginning, there was darkness. The darkness begat Ereth, the first god.
For eons, Ereth floated, content with his loneliness and the warm embrace of the trackless void.
But, after eons, loneliness took its toll on Ereth's mind and he longed for a companion.
Having explored the sea of night in which he swam, he had long since found out the secret of molding it how he saw fit.
Thus, he created a companion for himself, a woman born of darkness and desire.
That woman's name was Lanashta. It is said that such was her beauty, the first word she spoke made Ereth fall in love for her forevermore.
She, too, took a liking to her creator and together they explored the pathless void for another eon.
Then, something changed.
Where Ereth had been born of darkness, everlasting and unchanging, Lanashta was differed, having been formed at the hands of a being with a mind, through his hands infused with desire and dream.
Ultimately, she began to desire, too.
Ereth had been her companion and lover ever since he created her, but his company in the dark was not enough for her.
Just as he had been driven to create, so was Lanashta. So it came that from one of their dalliances, she willed life to come forth, birthing the Shias, the Star-Gods.
Born from love, filled with the longing for creation, they were filled with a spark unlike their parents, a divine essence that glowed within their bodies, bringing light to the void for the first time.
Ereth was shocked, finding that the light of his children hurt him. Quickly, his shock grew into anger and he lashed out at their mother, thinking that she betrayed him by bringing forth these harmful creations.
He dealt her a mighty blow, making her bleed, but could not bring himself to kill her, his love for her still burning too strongly within his heart.
A river of tears, he wept as she lay there, unmoving, and his tears mingled with the blood of Lanashta, slowly taking form as Latha, the World.
Seeing their mother close to death, the Shias took pity on her and gathered her within their midst, infusing her body with their light to make up for the blood she lost.
So much light did they pour into her that she soon was vital once again, her own divine spark now ignited to such an extent that her radiance eclipsed her children by far.
Thus did Lanashta become the Sun.
The only one who did not rejoice was Ereth, who no longer could be close to the one he loved.
Wrathful, he turned to the Shias, ready to wipe them out, feeling betrayed by them once again.
It was Lanashta who stayed his hand, promising him that she would not shine all the time, extinguishing her light from time to time so they could still be together.
Ereth was mollified and the Shias settled all over the void except for one region where Ereth could dwell in his beloved darkness. Today, this spot, empty of all stars, is known as the Refuge.
By now, the Shias, Lanashta and Ereth had taken notice of the World, the Shias and Lanashta welcoming her in their midst.
Knowing how lonely the World would be with the stars and the sun being so far away, Lanashta whispered to her the secret of life so the World could create beings to keep her company.
It was then that Ereth snuck close, eager to understand how the Shias had come to be and jealous that his beloved had never shared the secret with him.
In order to hear the sun's whisper, he had to sneak too close and the light of Lanashta burned him.
He lost one eye to the burns, the remains of which formed into Eloeth, the Eye of Night, forever reflecting the light of the sun that destroyed it. Today, Eloeth is most often referred to as the moon.
But, in the end, he got a hold of the secret and began to secretly create a child of his own while the World populated itself with all kinds of creatures great and small.
Ereth started small, creating only one being, Sanachmit. To her, he gave the secret of life, too, so that through her, he could have a part in the newborn lives on the World. But Sanachmit had been created with jealousy and anger in her heart, her father having imparted it upon her.
So, she did begin to create, but all her creations were malformed, beings of anger and chaos, their souls as black as the night.
These were called the Leshekk - a word that would come to mean "unbridled evil" in the epochs to come - and for thousands of years, they rampaged across the World until Lanashta cried bitter tears at the plight of her daughter. Turning to Ereth, she begged him to put a stop to this and Ereth was moved by her tears, sharply reprimanding Sanachmit, forbidding her to ever create such poweful and destructive beings again. The Leshekk were sealed away, their divine spark too powerful still to allow for their easy destruction.
Sanachmit continued to create, though her other children were far less powerful. However, she was unable to fully overcome the emotions her father had unwillingly instilled upon her and so all she birthed were in one way or the other monsters....

 

[Loonook]

Heya....for the campaign world I am developing, I decided to start with a creation myth that would perhaps give a new spin to some things.

I'll post the first part here, hoping you'll read and comment on it. Suggestions are always welcome (I still need to place the Tanar'ri somewhere, for example)...

The heavens take form

In the beginning, there was darkness. The darkness begat Ereth, the first god. For eons, Ereth floated, content with his loneliness and the warm embrace of the trackless void.
But, after eons, loneliness took its toll on Ereth's mind and he longed for a companion.
Having explored the sea of night in which he swam, he had long since found out the secret of molding it how he saw fit. Thus, he created a companion for himself, a woman born of darkness and desire. That woman's name was Lanashta. It is said that such was her beauty, the first word she spoke made Ereth fall in love for her forevermore.
She, too, took a liking to her creator and together they explored the pathless void for another eon.
Then, something changed. Where Ereth had been born of darkness, everlasting and unchanging, Lanashta was differed, having been formed at the hands of a being with a mind, through his hands infused with desire and dream.
Ultimately, she began to desire, too. Ereth had been her companion and lover ever since he created her, but his company in the dark was not enough for her. Just as he had been driven to create, so was Lanashta. So it came that from one of their dalliances, she willed life to come forth, birthing the Shias, the Star-Gods. Born from love, filled with the longing for creation, they were filled with a spark unlike their parents, a divine essence that glowed within their bodies, bringing light to the void for the first time.
Ereth was shocked, finding that the light of his children hurt him. Quickly, his shock grew into anger and he lashed out at their mother, thinking that she betrayed him by bringing forth these harmful creations.
He dealt her a mighty blow, making her bleed, but could not bring himself to kill her, his love for her still burning too strongly within his heart.
A river of tears, he wept as she lay there, unmoving, and his tears mingled with the blood of Lanashta, slowly taking form as Latha, the World. Seeing their mother close to death, the Shias took pity on her and gathered her within their midst, infusing her body with their light to make up for the blood she lost. So much light did they pour into her that she soon was vital once again, her own divine spark now ignited to such an extent that her radiance eclipsed her children by far.
Thus did Lanashta become the Sun.
The only one who did not rejoice was Ereth, who no longer could be close to the one he loved. Wrathful, he turned to the Shias, ready to wipe them out, feeling betrayed by them once again.
It was Lanashta who stayed his hand, promising him that she would not shine all the time, extinguishing her light from time to time so they could still be together. Ereth was mollified and the Shias settled all over the void except for one region where Ereth could dwell in his beloved darkness. Today, this spot, empty of all stars, is known as the Refuge.
By now, the Shias, Lanashta and Ereth had taken notice of the World, the Shias and Lanashta welcoming her in their midst. Knowing how lonely the World would be with the stars and the sun being so far away, Lanashta whispered to her the secret of life so the World could create beings to keep her company.
It was then that Ereth snuck close, eager to understand how the Shias had come to be and jealous that his beloved had never shared the secret with him.
In order to hear the sun's whisper, he had to sneak too close and the light of Lanashta burned him. He lost one eye to the burns, the remains of which formed into Eloeth, the Eye of Night, forever reflecting the light of the sun that destroyed it. Today, Eloeth is most often referred to as the moon.
But, in the end, he got a hold of the secret and began to secretly create a child of his own while the World populated itself with all kinds of creatures great and small. Ereth started small, creating only one being, Sanachmit. To her, he gave the secret of life, too, so that through her, he could have a part in the newborn lives on the World. But Sanachmit had been created with jealousy and anger in her heart, her father having imparted it upon her.
So, she did begin to create, but all her creations were malformed, beings of anger and chaos, their souls as black as the night.
These were called the Obyriths and for thousands of years, they rampaged across the World until Lanashta cried bitter tears at the plight of her daughter. Turning to Ereth, she begged him to put a stop to this and Ereth was moved by her tears, sharply reprimanding Sanachmit, forbidding her to ever create such poweful and destructive beings again. The Obyriths were sealed away, their divine spark too powerful still to allow for their easy destruction.
Sanachmit continued to create, though her other children were far less powerful. However, she was unable to fully overcome the emotions her father had unwillingly instilled upon her and so all she birthed were in one way or the other monsters....

The formatting made it a little hard to read through, and the use of the Obyrith... give them a different name to keep with the flow of things. Of course, now I wonder where did other non-'monster' creatures come from.

Slainte,

-Loonook.

 

[Dragonwriter]

Very cool. Though I don't know if I want to help someone build a world when their name is Cthulhu .

Very nice creation myth, though. For the mortals (or at least humans), perhaps they are born of Lashta, the World. It would be interesting if they were created of the world, rather than the gods. And it would set your pantheon as somewhat different from just about every other one.

The Tanar'ri could come in considerably later. Remember the Obyrith/Leshekk (at least in the regular stories) reigned over the Abyss for ages before the rise of the Tanar'ri.

My suggestion would be to create something that can oppose the Leshekk. If they were created by Ereth's minion, perhaps Lanashta creates her own servant, or just makes something outright. She (or the servant) could create Angels, beings powerful and holy enough to do battle with, and survive against the Leshekk.

Just a couple of my thoughts. But it looks very cool. I would be interested in seeing any more, if you have some.

 

[Drakmar]

While creating it, the important question to ask is why do you need one, and why is it important?

I have created one for my "greek" style world, because that way it allows me to plot the interactions and feuds of the gods. This also determined what races were created an how.

But most importantly, the creation myth had to mimic a lot of the greek style of creation..

God B sprung fully formed from the head of God A and then ran of into the forest.

God A got with God C and made God D but this may God A's wife jealous who torments the children of God C and D.

Also long as you know why you are doing it, rather than just having one for the sake of having one then you'll be fine, and it will be internally consistent with your campaign.

Looks good btw.

Regards
D.

 

[arcanaman]

I really enjoyed this piece it was quite beautiful
but where is the host of heaven to combat the Obryith
and are these the current dieties or are they lost to time?

 

[GreatCthulhu]

@arcanaman: No, these gods are still worshipped and venerated, although there have also been mortals who have ascended to godhood.

Alright, here's the next part...

The advent of the builders

With the Leshekk imprisoned, the World flourished, numerous species populating it, from the tiny fly to the mighty whale. But, for all their diversity and exultation of life, the World felt as if they lacked something.
She was proud to be mother of all, but deep within her, she yearned for something that could recognise her, something that would love her just as she loved all her creation.
So, she asked Ereth why Sanachmit was different than all the things she had made.
Ereth was reluctant to grant her the secret of awareness, but it was Sanachmit who spoke to him and pleaded him to grant Latha the favour, for the Mother of Monsters felt just as lonely as the World.
So, Ereth came down to Latha and within one night spoke to her of the creation of awareness.
But he also warned her against granting these creations a divine spark, not wishing to hurt his beloved Lanashta with the sight of monsters again.
Latha eagerly agreed with him and immediately set upon a creation that would surpass them all.
However, in her eagerness, she forgot to replace the missing divine spark, leaving a dreadful hole in her creations' hearts.
In gratitude, she made them in the image of Ereth, the image she perceived when he was forced to depart, avoiding the rays of Lanashta.
Tall, with skin the colour of granite and a powerful mind, she set these beings free upon itself, gazing lovingly at her new creation.
The Shias, Lanashta and even Ereth rejoiced, lauding Latha for her works, promising to shower her new children with all the gifts they had.
The stars and the sun shone brighter for them, the night enveloped them like a warm blanket and nothing would ever be witheld from them in the care of Latha.
The beings, who were given the name Lathame - meaning "Children of Latha" in the tongue of the gods - praised and thanked the gods for their gifts, hiding behind their smiles a dreadful truth.
They hated them all. Most of all, they hated the world that had created them with a hole in their hearts, a hole that nothing could ever fill.
Slowly, they set upon destroying the gods, only wanting revenge for their flawed forging.
To this end, they built a city called Athamas, the epitome of wisdom and learning.
And of warfare. Deep within the recesses of the city, they built a weapon.
They had long since managed to harness the power of creation that flowed freely from Latha, having been taught its use by the World itself. Now, they used this power, the breath of the world that had created them, in an attempt to destroy everything.
Still, they hid their devious plans behind smiles and praises.
The gods suspected nothing, until it was too late.
When the weapon was unleashed, it was supposed to target Lanashta first, hoping to extinguish her and murder the other gods in the darkness that would follow.
But the first victim would come to be Eloeth, the Eye of Night.
The moon, having come to enjoy the sun bathing it in her eternal light, could not stand to see Lanashta hurt and raced to protect her. He was instantly annihilated, his dying shriek shattering the star-filled void.
It was instantly echoed by all the other gods and as they cradled the fallen moon, their anger grew.
Feeling that the Lathame were already working powerful spells to unleash the weapon again, the gods wasted no time.
Within one night that was illuminated by the sun and all the stars at once, they summoned their wrath upon Athamas.
Fire was hurled forth from the sun, spears of light were thrown by every star on the firmament, the darkness smothered the towers like a shroud and the earth itself swallowed the great places and houses.
But the Lathame had expected the revenge of the gods and so, not all of them died.
One third was immediately slain, one third managed to escape. The remaining third vanished without a trace and were nowhere to be found again for eons to come.
Those who escaped were hunted down, slain and devoured by the beasts of the wild, burned by the sun or strangled by hands of darkness.
But not all of them died, for even before their attack upon the gods, they had heard voices from deep beneath the earth, voices that now told them where to go to find shelter.
Down into the earth they went and soon, deep into the very heart of Latha where indescribable shadows stirred in uneasy slumber.
They promised shelter from the wrath of the gods and the Lathame readily accepted.
The Leshekk, for those were their saviours, saw nothing but tools in these beings that had begged to be spared. With them, they could once again sow destruction upon the world that had forsaken them.
Being unable to create life on their own, they now were able to alter it, the canvas of their horrid art having come to them.
Those who prostrated themselves before Orcus, a being of smoldering hate, a horned, bloated thing that had been born dead from the womb of Sanachmit yet had been unable to truly die, were transformed into horrid parodies of their new master, images of savagery that would later become known as Orcs.
Mighty Dagon, who had soiled the sea for decades before being imprisoned, drowned his subjects in his cruel watery embrace. But the Lathame did not die, rising from the unclean pools as mockeries of their former form, beings akin to frogs and sharks, yet too much like their old selves to mistake them for natural creatures. They would later be called Kuo-Toas and Sahuagin.
Those who had followed the whispers of Athosh found nothing but a pool of murky, stagnant water deep underground and, thirsty as they were, immediately sat down to drink, not knowing that the pool was Athosh, formless as he had been born. They died screaming as the flesh ran from their bones like water, to be reborn as mindless oozes, the same putrid slimes that plague underground caverns today.
Athosh had a sibling, Chalyx, as formless as he was, but gifted with the ability to create and an intellect that was as removed from mortals as it was from the gods.
The flesh of his supplicants ran, too, but it was quickly remade into appaling shapes, shapes that suited the eye of the inhuman master better. Those became all kinds of aberrant beings, most feared among them the Mind Flayers.
Vaughar the immense, towering as tall as the highest mountains, was also found by a group ot Lathames, but they were too small for him, so he forced them to grow enough for him to see them.
Not only did their size increase, but they also started to become brutish and barbaric, much like their new master, who send them forth with a grunt so that they disturb his sleep no longer. Those were the first Ogres and Giants.
Finally, there was Glamacha. She had been born last, after Sanachmit had lapped up a portion of the wounded World's blood as her other children had already started their rampage.
Having been born of the World as much as of Sanachmit, she had a great measure of control over the forces of creation, using it to spoil and foul every work of nature out of endless spite. Seeing her subjects, she decided that only those with the power to create were even worthy of her notice.
So, she took the women of the Lathame into her care, twisting their bodies until they became hideous crones, their veins filled with unholy strenght and knowledge of the World's breath.
The strong men were destined to be their bodyguards, so Glamacha disturbed their bodies as well, shearing away at their minds even as she granted them strength. Those would become the first trolls.
The others who were not deemed strong enough, she made into little, cowardly things, their hearts filling with spite even as they were driven out of the caves. Thus were the goblins born.
Some Lathame never found a Leshekk, forever wandering the lightless caves of the World, safe from the gods. Eventually, they settled and slowly grew again, but it would take thousands of years before they would venture to the surface once more.

Phew....by the way, the Lathame are basically Vasharans from the Book of Vile Darkness. The next and last part of the creation myth will deal with how the other races come into being and also where the dragons come from.

 

[GreatCthulhu]

With the Lathame gone, silence and peace once again settled upon the World. But Latha was deeply saddened.
Not only had she given birth to a great evil, she was now alone once more.
The World cried for her loss, her tears filling lakes, rivers and seas and it is said that even today some lakes are filled with Latha's tears, the water having mystical properties.
Latha cried until she was too exhausted to go on. When her tears had dried, the World drifted into fitful slumber. The other gods, unable to help the World, went to gather up the remains of their fallen comrade and child, Eloeth.
The attack had torn him asunder, breaking his essence and his body into thousand pieces, scattering them all over the void, beyond where light could reach them. So, Lanashta begged Ereth to find the fragments so that they could at least give Eloeth a measure of peace.
Moved by Lanashta's words, Ereth went out to find the lost moon.
For hundreds of years he went away until finally he came back bearing the body of the moon in his hands.
Lanashta and the Shias rejoiced, but as they pieced the moon together, they found it lacking one piece.
Ereth had not seen the piece lacking until now, but he knew he had searched the entire cosmos.
Stricken with grief, Lanashta proclaimed that she would abandon her place in the heavens to search for Eloeth, hoping that her light could illuminate the dark places, but Ereth and the Shias were set against it, for they knew that without the sun, the World would wither and die.
But Lanashta was not to be deterred from her plan and so the other gods had to hold her back by force.
The struggle lasted for another eon and it was so fierce that even today, pieces of the gods can be seen falling from the sky every now and then.
However, their quarrel came to a sudden end when they heard a voice cry out for peace.
Stunned, they turned and saw Eloeth, wreathed in a pale, ghostly light, his divine body fully restored.
The gods were overjoyed but at the same time confusion took ahold of them, for even gods do expect miracles not given by their own hands.
Ereth wished to know where the missing piece had been, but Eloeth merely said he had travelled to a wondrous place, a place not for the living, a place that even the gods were forbidden to know until their time would come.
Being a of godly ancestry, he had been allowed to return, but only to guide those who would lose their lives after him. Thus, Eloeth would come to be known as the Waylight, guardian of the departed.
He would not say more, but before the gods could insit on a better answer, their attentions were drawn to the World once more, for something wondrous had taken place.
As the World had slept, it had known dreams for the first time.
And from those dreams, beings had sprung. Beings that looked so much alike the Lathame that the gods were frightened. Seeing these beings, the gods woke the World up, demanding that these new beings were destroyed, for they had no desire to see another of their own fall.
But the World had a closer look at them and she saw that they were different. From her desire to make everything better, they had been gifted with a part of her own spirit.
Not a divine spark, but a part of the essence of the World, a part that filled with void that had plagued the Lathame so. These beings were not free of dark thoughts, for even the gods can know anger and hate, but they were capable of everything the World had wished them to.
They could feel love, desire, adoration...and most of all, they themselves were able to dream of things that were not. These beings are what we call humans, but the language of the gods calls them Amalathan, the Favoured of Latha.
The World begged the gods to spare these beings, declaring that they were different and that they deserved a chance.
But the gods were not so easily persuaded. So, the World took other parts of herself and gifted them to spirits of the land to create more beings.
The forests became the home of the Elves, beings that were in complete harmony with the ways of the World.
The mountains would give birth to the Dwarves, gruff and rocky but with an unyielding devotion.
From pastures and fields would spring forth the Halflings, always wandering, peace-loving and playful.
From beneath the waves the Eshanti came forth, beings as gentle as the waves but as terrifying as a deluge.
And from the clouds formed the Ghallam, winged masters of storm and breeze, fickle as the wind.
Once her creation had been complete, the World announced that if the gods wished to destroy all these beings, they would have to scour her completely, for these beings were now everywhere.
As the gods saw her determination, they refrained, unable to hurt her even more after what had already transpired.

Thus, the races of Latha were born.

Phew...that's the creation myth so far. Do you want me to go on with this and detail the history of the world and the setting itself?