Femerus the Gnecro
First Post
Prologue
"A Father and His Children"
From His throne in the Great Hall of the Gods, the Father of Man was chief and ruler of all the gods, but as any father, He did not hold such title from a throne. He was father from his window far above the gilded forums and marble halls of the Great Hall. There He stood each night, long spear in hand, stirring from the ether great gems of unimaginable beauty, brightness, and heat. He called them stars, and like an artist upon a canvas immeasurable, He drew constellations above a planet of blue and green. It was a gift eternal, from a father immortal.
He was the Father of Man, and for Him these gems of fire, life, and light paled in comparison to his most cherished creation: man. Humanity and all its spirit was to him a milieu of shining lights and sublime colors and textures more grandiose than an eternity of myriad stars. He saw them as a reflection of Himself that stood not as a testament of some divine vanity, but rather as a creation made for no other purpose than to feel life in all its happiness and sadness. With hearts He shaped with His own heart, man lived to the brief yet infinitely mutable cadence of passion, compassion, and hope.
Night after night, the Father of Man would spend countless hours swirling stars into form and arranging them into patterns of hunters, farmers, kings, peasants, animals, and gods. As time passed, the gods themselves came to watch his creation, and while some marveled at his works and thanked him for their images in his sky, many grew envious of His children. He was to be a chief and father to them, not mortals of no great power or consequence, and the love that He gave to his mortals was love not given to them. Even when He finished his tapestry of stars and ether, they watched Him as He stood at His window for hours looking down upon His children with great affection.
In distant places beyond his sphere of stars and his planet of green and blue, the gods plotted against the Father of Man. Led by the Deceiver, Prince of the Gods, they stood in silent corridors of the Great Hall and allowed their hearts to fester with anger and deceit. The throne was empty, and the Deceiver whispered that if the Father of Man would not lead the gods, then only He could. In the names of duty, honor, and station He hissed in secret words and muted oaths that He would rule with a love devoted solely to the gods that obeyed Him- and these words were like ambrosia to the gods that had longed for love and leadership.
After nights of plotting deep and dark promises, the Deceiver strode into the chambers of the Father of Man. Fierce sword of shadow in hand, the Deceiver pointed to his chief, and bade him turn away from His children. Seeing the Prince armed for battle, the Father of Man called his spear, Starshaper, to His side. As it raced to his side, His anger grew. The Prince derided Him, and called Him a poor father and incompetent ruler. It took little more than these words to enrage the Father of Man, and He quickly leapt towards the Deceiver, his golden spear racing towards the dark heart that challenged Him.
A great battle ensued. For days and nights the Deceiver and the Father of Man clashed with steel and magic both great and terrible. The Deceiver’s sword was black and poisonous, but the Father's spear was true, and pierced the side of the lesser god. Dropping to his knees, the Deceiver watched with a shocked expression upon his dark brow as his even darker blood ran in flowing rivulets across the chamber tiles and into the shadows and cracks of the walls. His blood was the stuff of shadows, and it found its way beyond the window. It trickled outward and downward across the ether and into the creation made by the Father of Man.
The Deceiver, kneeling with his sword in hand, smiled and pointed to the earth of blue and green. "Look, look at your children Father." He said, "Look once more, and remember it well. Know that soon it shall be gone, for as you fought me, the gods have been gathering their powers to destroy all that you have made! Soon all that will remain of your creation will be ashes and darkness- and you will have nothing to love but us!"
The Father of Man quickly turned from his foe, and ran to the window in time to see the gods completing their final chants. Words of light and dark, brought together by corruption and envy, swirled in the void beyond the stars. Ancient hymns long forgotten stalked from the lips of the gods, and the Father of God knew fear for the first time.
Gathering His strength, the Father of Man poured His energy towards his earth of blue and green. With great sadness He locked from sight His children and stars. A great veil covered the ether just as the killing blow of the petty, lesser gods raced forth. The Father of Man wept bittersweet tears as the destructive hymn scattered across the void, for while He saved His children, He knew that for eternity they would be lost to Him.
He had one final hope. "Starshaper, my companion and protector, I am afraid that I must give you up as well this bitter night. You are the only thing in all of existence sharp enough to pierce my shield without destroying it. If I cannot be with my children- if I cannot see them- then I must find some solace in the hope that they can in some way see me as they look to the heavens and the stars I made for them.
"Go to them. Be their guide in the times to come, and give them strength and direction. Stand as a testament of faith for them, and be my final gift to them." With that said, He let Starshaper fly, and as it struck the veil, it pierced it and struck deep into the heart of the earth of blue and green.
From behind Him, the Father of Man heard laughter. Turning, he saw the Deceiver, clutching his wound in one hand and his sword of darkness and pain in the other. "And it seems you have given your life to your children as well, Father. Know this- my blood has fallen upon your earth of blue and green, and it will destroy it- veil or no. As you took from my heart darkness, so shall I give your children darkened hearts. And as the darkness enters the heart of Man, both they and your precious stars shall know death. And when the last star dies- so too will your children."
The Father of Man threw himself at the Deceiver in rage, and the dark god pierced the Father's heart as He ran. Stopped cold, His hands clutching the arms of the Prince of Lies, the Father of Man fell to His knees. Coughing, he looked to the Deceiver and spoke.
"You may take away the stars from my children, but know this. You will never take from them the ability to look upward... and forward. You will never take from them their hope, or mine," and with that, the Father of Man, Chief of the Gods, died.
Far below, under a veil of shadows and light, the spear rested in a valley of green. Humanity looked to it in reverence and humility. Along its golden hilt shone the runes crafted by loving hands, and as the first star of the Great Maker faded, they wept- as orphans of a loving Father.
"A Father and His Children"
From His throne in the Great Hall of the Gods, the Father of Man was chief and ruler of all the gods, but as any father, He did not hold such title from a throne. He was father from his window far above the gilded forums and marble halls of the Great Hall. There He stood each night, long spear in hand, stirring from the ether great gems of unimaginable beauty, brightness, and heat. He called them stars, and like an artist upon a canvas immeasurable, He drew constellations above a planet of blue and green. It was a gift eternal, from a father immortal.
He was the Father of Man, and for Him these gems of fire, life, and light paled in comparison to his most cherished creation: man. Humanity and all its spirit was to him a milieu of shining lights and sublime colors and textures more grandiose than an eternity of myriad stars. He saw them as a reflection of Himself that stood not as a testament of some divine vanity, but rather as a creation made for no other purpose than to feel life in all its happiness and sadness. With hearts He shaped with His own heart, man lived to the brief yet infinitely mutable cadence of passion, compassion, and hope.
Night after night, the Father of Man would spend countless hours swirling stars into form and arranging them into patterns of hunters, farmers, kings, peasants, animals, and gods. As time passed, the gods themselves came to watch his creation, and while some marveled at his works and thanked him for their images in his sky, many grew envious of His children. He was to be a chief and father to them, not mortals of no great power or consequence, and the love that He gave to his mortals was love not given to them. Even when He finished his tapestry of stars and ether, they watched Him as He stood at His window for hours looking down upon His children with great affection.
In distant places beyond his sphere of stars and his planet of green and blue, the gods plotted against the Father of Man. Led by the Deceiver, Prince of the Gods, they stood in silent corridors of the Great Hall and allowed their hearts to fester with anger and deceit. The throne was empty, and the Deceiver whispered that if the Father of Man would not lead the gods, then only He could. In the names of duty, honor, and station He hissed in secret words and muted oaths that He would rule with a love devoted solely to the gods that obeyed Him- and these words were like ambrosia to the gods that had longed for love and leadership.
After nights of plotting deep and dark promises, the Deceiver strode into the chambers of the Father of Man. Fierce sword of shadow in hand, the Deceiver pointed to his chief, and bade him turn away from His children. Seeing the Prince armed for battle, the Father of Man called his spear, Starshaper, to His side. As it raced to his side, His anger grew. The Prince derided Him, and called Him a poor father and incompetent ruler. It took little more than these words to enrage the Father of Man, and He quickly leapt towards the Deceiver, his golden spear racing towards the dark heart that challenged Him.
A great battle ensued. For days and nights the Deceiver and the Father of Man clashed with steel and magic both great and terrible. The Deceiver’s sword was black and poisonous, but the Father's spear was true, and pierced the side of the lesser god. Dropping to his knees, the Deceiver watched with a shocked expression upon his dark brow as his even darker blood ran in flowing rivulets across the chamber tiles and into the shadows and cracks of the walls. His blood was the stuff of shadows, and it found its way beyond the window. It trickled outward and downward across the ether and into the creation made by the Father of Man.
The Deceiver, kneeling with his sword in hand, smiled and pointed to the earth of blue and green. "Look, look at your children Father." He said, "Look once more, and remember it well. Know that soon it shall be gone, for as you fought me, the gods have been gathering their powers to destroy all that you have made! Soon all that will remain of your creation will be ashes and darkness- and you will have nothing to love but us!"
The Father of Man quickly turned from his foe, and ran to the window in time to see the gods completing their final chants. Words of light and dark, brought together by corruption and envy, swirled in the void beyond the stars. Ancient hymns long forgotten stalked from the lips of the gods, and the Father of God knew fear for the first time.
Gathering His strength, the Father of Man poured His energy towards his earth of blue and green. With great sadness He locked from sight His children and stars. A great veil covered the ether just as the killing blow of the petty, lesser gods raced forth. The Father of Man wept bittersweet tears as the destructive hymn scattered across the void, for while He saved His children, He knew that for eternity they would be lost to Him.
He had one final hope. "Starshaper, my companion and protector, I am afraid that I must give you up as well this bitter night. You are the only thing in all of existence sharp enough to pierce my shield without destroying it. If I cannot be with my children- if I cannot see them- then I must find some solace in the hope that they can in some way see me as they look to the heavens and the stars I made for them.
"Go to them. Be their guide in the times to come, and give them strength and direction. Stand as a testament of faith for them, and be my final gift to them." With that said, He let Starshaper fly, and as it struck the veil, it pierced it and struck deep into the heart of the earth of blue and green.
From behind Him, the Father of Man heard laughter. Turning, he saw the Deceiver, clutching his wound in one hand and his sword of darkness and pain in the other. "And it seems you have given your life to your children as well, Father. Know this- my blood has fallen upon your earth of blue and green, and it will destroy it- veil or no. As you took from my heart darkness, so shall I give your children darkened hearts. And as the darkness enters the heart of Man, both they and your precious stars shall know death. And when the last star dies- so too will your children."
The Father of Man threw himself at the Deceiver in rage, and the dark god pierced the Father's heart as He ran. Stopped cold, His hands clutching the arms of the Prince of Lies, the Father of Man fell to His knees. Coughing, he looked to the Deceiver and spoke.
"You may take away the stars from my children, but know this. You will never take from them the ability to look upward... and forward. You will never take from them their hope, or mine," and with that, the Father of Man, Chief of the Gods, died.
Far below, under a veil of shadows and light, the spear rested in a valley of green. Humanity looked to it in reverence and humility. Along its golden hilt shone the runes crafted by loving hands, and as the first star of the Great Maker faded, they wept- as orphans of a loving Father.
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