as told by Zaphkiel the Watcher
Before creation, there was nothing and everything, and the cosmos was a dark and dormant void of unchanging potential. Things that did not exist reveled throughout the vacuous chaos in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space that was yet to be.
The being that would become known as
Ptah spoke the Words of Creation, and bound three of the most powerful things that did not exist into forces with which to pattern the cosmos;
- Azathoth; the cosmos made manifest, chaos and entropy incarnate, the dark void at the heart of reality. (Entropy/Matter)
- Shubziggurat ; life, creation, unchecked growth, the spawning chaos in limbo. (Energy/Matter)
- Yog-Sothoth ; time and space (dimension), the quantum flux of elsewhere. (Time/Space)
The cosmos at this point was divided into three realms,
Limbo (unstable chaotic realm of matter and energy), the
Inner Planes , and the nothingness of the
The Void (the space between all things and the area outside existence). The first creatures and beings came to exist among these realms, among them the Primordials, enormous leviathans of raw elemental power.
Tiamat, the Mother of Monsters, was the first primordial dragon, and gave birth to the race of dragons, other primordials, and various monsters. Ptah began the great work of creating worlds and realms in the cosmos, assisted by the creation of the race of Empyreans (Titans), each an embodiment of power and natural forces.
The ancient elemental powers called the Elemental Lords (Misha, Kakatal, Straasha, and Grome) became aware, and grew in influence over their domains.
Ptah and the Empyreans built Anduruna (hollow world/dyson sphere) as a stable place for the creation of various species and realms, and to provide protection from the void. Elemental creatures, Dragons, Empyreans, and Giants soon began to populate the world along with their creations.
The
Vaati (Wind Dukes) were beings of law and elemental air, a race of powerful primordials from the times before the Dawn War. Dedicated to the forces of Law, the Vaati eventually ruled over a large portion of Anduruna, rivaled only by the domains of the Dragons.
Over time, more and more powerful individuals of a species called the obyrith/slaadi began to emerge from Limbo. The beings grew in power to rival both the Primordials and the Empyreans, and eventually began to threaten the stability of the cosmos.
This led to the
Dawn War and the eventual destruction of
Anduruna
-continue with aftermath of Dawn War-
After the destruction of Anduruna and the disruption of the Inner Planes, Ptah and the Empyreans moved the Positive and Negative energy planes out of the inner planes and created the
Astral Plane, forming a barrier around newly constructed worlds and realms that expanded out past the inner planes. This new "pattern" of worlds and planes became the form of the cosmos as we know it today. The Pattern and the Astral were formed to allow the power of will and thought to spread to mortals, enabling them to grow and defend the cosmos on their own.
-continue with 1st gods and Tharizdun rampage-
As a result of the pattern and the creation of the Astral Sea, the power of will and of the divine spread across the material worlds of the Million Spheres. Celestials and other divine creatures began to appear and assist Ptah and the Empyreans in both the creation of worlds and life. With the task passed on, and the Pattern set in motion, Ptah and many of the Empyreans faded away to become not much more than vestiges and legends.
Tiamat and Bahamut were some of the first and only primordial beings to become gods. Although their philosophies differed, they were united in their protection of dragonkind and the cosmos.
Ages passed, civilizations and gods rose and fell. Three gods traversed the Astral and discovered a gateway hidden in its depths, a Living Gate that slept through the ages. One god found the gate, one god awoke the gate, and one god distracted the gate's guardian so that all three gods could catch a glimpse through it. The three gods left, changed by the knowledge they had gained and linked by a terrible secret, and swore never to seek the gate again or share what they had seen.
Ages later driven by pride and endless whispers of power a nameless god returned to the gate and overcame its guardian. The god opened the gate and gazed through it into an inconceivable vista of incomprehensible sights and discordant beautiful melodies. The god stood there, stunned and enthralled until it noticed a dark tendril beginning to flow through the gate. The god shut the gate and the tip of the tendril was severed, remaining on this side having transformed into a large chunk of blackened ruby crystal.
Tharizdun, as the god was known from this point forward, grasped the large crystal, noticing as it did that there were five dark figures (
Baernoloth) bowing before them. The figures followed Tharizdun back to its domain, where the enthralling nature of the gem and its massive power corrupted Tharizdun and many of his followers. Soon Tharizdun became a ravenous force of madness and entropy, intent on the destruction of the cosmos.
Eventually the demons lurking in the
Abyss became aware of the Tharizdun and the
Heart of Darkness and they plotted to acquire its power for themselves. The demons waged war with Tharizdun and the domains it had conquered and soon discovered that they were no match for the nascent cosmic entity. This war attracted the attention of the gods and other powers in the universe, who became greatly afraid of Tharizdun and its power. Still arrogant, Tharizdun grew even more powerful and began cutting a swath of utter destruction towards Limbo and the foundations of the cosmos. This event became known as the
Ruination of Tharizdun.
No longer needing the power of the Heart of Darkness, Tharizdun threw the crystal into the intersection of Limbo, the Material Worlds, and the Astral, releasing its energy and creating a dark swirling vortex of evil on the edge of the cosmos. This captured the demons and the remaining Obyrith and created what is now known as the
Abyss.
Tharizdun then turned its attention towards the gods, intending to destroy their realms, tear the
Lattice of Heaven apart, and bring about the utter destruction of the cosmos. It nearly succeeded. With the assistance of its Baernoloth Generals, its own corrupted legions of fiends, elementals, and other subjugated forces, it drove the gods nearly to the center of the universe. Many worlds were ruined, species eliminated, and gods destroyed. It wasn't until a final last stand, and the ultimate sacrifice of a god of light and life, one completely opposite of Tharizdun, was the destroyer of the cosmos defeated. But even then, it could not be killed only bound and constrained.
And over time the universe and the cosmos healed.
