Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 romulus_lonewolf May 26, 2009 22:24:21	Okay, I like the sample of deities for D&D 4e, and while I don't mind the "gods sprung from the Astral Sea to fight the Primordials born of the Elemental Chaos" motif, I prefer the Mythology presented in my favorite sourcebook from the 3.5 era, Green Ronin's The Book of the Righteous. So naturally, I got to thinking about how to combine the two. Here's what I figured out so far... The Universe was created by the Nameless One, an omnipotent Creator god, who emerged from the Elemental Chaos, then formed a massive sphere containing the Astral Sea. He then formed the World at the center of the sphere, along with the stars and planets around it. The tools he used to create the sphere and the world, after being touched by his power, gained a life of their own, becoming the Primordials. The Nameless One then gathered some Fire from the Chaos, and created Kador in his image. He then gave will to the Earth, the Sky and the Waters. He entrused Kador with the responsibility to grant the fire of souls to all living things, gave him a prophecy, and withdrew from Creation. Kador tricked the Earth, Sky and Waters into gathering fully into gods, and granted fire to the newly born deities Rontra, Urian and Shalimyr. Rontra and Shalimyr united to create Eliwyn, the Tree of Life. The Tree became the source of all plant-life in the world, and then bore five fruits. Four of them gave birth to the Gods of the Tree: Terak, god of War; Tinel, god of Magic; Morwynn, Goddess of Mercy; and Zhenkeef, goddess of Inspiration. Kador, thinking himself superior to the others, desired the fifth fruit for himself, but was denied it. He cursed the fruit, and instead of forming a deity, it produced a multitude of smaller creatures, the Divs. Angered at the defiance of the other gods, Kador turned to the Primordials, who dispised the sphere of Creation, seeing it as an abomination in their realm, and desiring to return it to primal Chaos. Kador joined with them, rejecting his old name to become Tharizdun, taught them how to create the Titans and Archons to form their armies, and unleashed them upon the young world. The Old Gods, the Gods of the Tree, and the Divs quickly banded together, and after a long, brutal war, pushed the invading Primordials beyond the Sphere of Creation. Tharizdun was trapped in unbreakable chains, and tossed into the depths of the Elemental Chaos. There, his foul presence corrupted all he touched, and spreading outwards, formed the Abyss, a dark chasm of taint that eternally spirals out from around him. One of the Divs, Asmodeus, was ambitious and ruthless, and sought to overthrow the gods to replace them. He tricked Terak and Tinel into waging war on one another, starting the War of the Gods. While the gods warred, Asmodeus retrieved Tharizdun's Regalia of Power, and used it to gain power equal to the gods themselves. Still, he bided his time, waiting in secret and gathering allies amongst the Divs, while Terak and Tinel mustered their armies. Finally, the two warring brothers slew one another in a final strike, and Zhenkeef lept upon their funeral pyre in a fit of madness. From this was born Mormekar, god of Death. Morwynn convinced Mormekar to allow the other gods to be reborn, and she agreed to become his wife. From their union was born Morgaine, whom mortals call the Raven Queen. As the newborn (and reborn) gods grew, Morwynn took the most loyal and noble of the Divs and made them into the Celestial Host of Angels, proud servants of the gods. She then discovered the cause of the madness of the gods, and upon their reaching adulthood, convinced them to reject the taint within their own souls, casting it out into a prison they would call Hell. She then gave the gods three laws: One, that the gods would never wage war against one another again; Two, that the gods would use their strength to guide the div and the new races ripening in Eliwyn's fruit; and Third, that no one god would rule the others; as the eldest, she would lead, but could not order the others to obey. Meanwhile, Asmodeus had gathered a host of Div of his own, choosing his lieutenants amongst their greatest champions. This army, he called "Divils" which would later become the word "Devils". He then unleashed his army upon the gods, forcing them to violate their first law to fend him off. After a brutal, destructive war, the gods defeated Asmodeus and trapped he and his armies within Hell, hopefully for eternity. Afterwards, there was peace for some time. Morwynn took Terak as her second husband, and together they had the gods Bahamut, Bane, and Erathis. Tinel took Zhenkeef as his wife, and together they had Avandra, Corellon, Ioun, Lolth and Zehir. Zhenkeef was not faithful to her husband, however, and cuckold him with Shalimyr, giving birth to Melora and Tiamat. She also took on Morwynn's appearance and slept with Terak, and from this illicit union came forth Kord and Gruumsh. Urian sought no mate, but instead tore out his own eyes and gave them life, forming Pelor, the Sun, and Sehanine, the Moon. And from Rontra's womb came Torog and Moradin. Many of the remaining Div grew restless, having been used and abused in every war of the gods. They rose up against the gods, but were put down by the celestial host. The gods then took the rebellious Div tribes, the Djinn and Ifrit, and banished them into the Elemental Chaos. The third tribe, the Shee, had never participated in any war, and were spared this judgement. The gods created a mirror of the world for them to inhabit, and thus the Feywild was created, and inhabited by those who would become the Fey. Now, originally in The Book of the Righteous, there are no Primordials, and Kador eventually becomes Asmodeus. But this works out nicely, and makes Tharizdun even more epic as a deity of evil, while maintaining the 4e concept of Asmodeus being a former angel (or Div, as the case is here) who aspired to become a god himself. Also, the "Gods of the Womb" in BotR are different deities entirely, in smaller numbers. But most of them match Core deities closely enough that there's no real problem in replacing them, save some gender switches here and there. Now, there's more to the mythology to adapt, but my first hurdle involves the second batch of fruits from Eliwyn ripening to form the mortal races. In the original book, the fruits form the Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings and Humans (Elves being descendants of the Shee who chose mortality). But I was thinking of a different approach for 4e, making the fruits spawn Precursor races which would later produce the races we know today. My ideas involved: -The Adama: forerunners of humans, halflings, illumians, shadar-kai, the gith and other such humanoid races -The Grendel: forerunners of orcs, goblins, ogres, trolls and other such brutal races, having been corrupted by evil early on. -The Dweomer: forrunners of dwarves, gnomes and, somehow, goliaths. -the fourth fruit would not have produced a race of it's own, having been torn up and eaten by numerous animals. These would form the beastmen races: gnolls, minotaurs, shifters, lizardfolk and the like. -The Shee would produce the eladrin, elves and drow. The fifth fruit would not have ripened and fallen, and such is yet to produce any progeny. The tieflings would've come about the usual way, while the dragonborn would be creations of the dragons, themselves descended from the Div. ...I'd like some feedback before continuing this work, though.
#2 drrockso20 May 26, 2009 23:35:17	your idea about the origins of sentients reminds me of the theory of the Glangus from Alternate History.com Root of the tree By Dr. Phineas Neerog III Looking about the world one must instantly ask the question why? Why does the human, elf, Orc, Ogre, Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling, and the various other off shoots, and cross breeds exist? The simplest answer is the gods did it, yet a more in depth and scientific answer is that the races grew into such a state over time. With the recent discovery of the Glangus Nambula Anthropalus one must look to the various races not as the creations of invisible creatures in the sky, soil, or water but as unique to their particular environment. It is my theory that beyond the Glangus, which has the sloping skull of the Ogre, the small legs yet massive arms of the dwarf, the small ear bones of the Elves, and the cranial capacity of the human there must be three more separate species that lead to the current races of the world. The most likely sight for such a thing is the Great Nalgunta Plains. The reason I select this region is because to the North are massive mountain ranges, beyond that dense forests, and the plains themselves holding some of the most ruthless beasts of the world. In each of these regions a Glangus was discovered, meaning that a one point the creature moved through out the area. Most likely with in the last 6 million years when the Nalgunta mountain range formed the various Glangus packs were forced to separate. One in the forest, another in the mountain, and the final on the plains themselves. Now these regions caused the various aspects of the Glangus to each grow into the dominate feature. As Ogres and Orcs tend to be found with in the vast plains of the world their bodies are designed not for speed, but stamina and strength. The Glangus must have then grew larger, its legs designed not for close communities but lone packs wandering for miles for food. The Orc, and the Ogre both have jaws which can bite down almost seven hundred pounds of pressure which points to the need for such a trait. It is my belief that before the Kingdoms of Man spread across the world Ogres and Orcs had to survive as scavengers, feasting upon the leftovers of the great dragons, massive Elephants of the plains. Of course defense was needed, and that defense was raw brute strength. Another division occurred, most likely from the Ogre line itself, was the creation of the more intelligent Orc. These are the creatures that first discovered tools, but perhaps thousands if not millions of years after the Dwarves or Elves. With in the mountain region the short stature, and strong upper body of the Glangus found itself in a very friendly place. Food was somewhat plentiful with the various onions, potatoes, and turnips which grew under the soil around the Nalgunta mountains. This perhaps is why the Dwarves are so centered around digging, and mountain life. As with the Ogre it is most likely that the Dwarf is the center of the smaller races. Halfling society tends to favor large communities based around hilly areas, which could be from a selection of the Mountain Glangus forced to live around the base of it. As predators are more likely in the hilly region living in large packs, and hiding in underground tunnel systems is a natural way to live. In fact many animals live in such a manner. The Halfling body reflects such a life, strong feet, with fat centered around the stomach allowing free movement of the arms and legs, but also as somewhat of a hump to allow storage of fat for winter months when food is limited. One could point to the massive Harvest Festivals the Halflings have before Winter as a modern reflection of an instinctual practice. The Gnome is yet another off shoot from the Dwarf, even smaller then the Halfling, yet highly intelligent it is difficult to exactly pin point where these creatures lived, as early Gnome skeletons have been discovered all over the world. As the earliest are found near rivers perhaps they are built for such an environment. While not fast, nor strong, Gnomes can hide in just about anything. Small rock cropping, or the random tree must have been the difference between life and death to these small creatures at one time. The Forest Glangus most likely grew into the Elves, and the Human from them. As the ear bone is a distinctive similarity between the two it is proof that in fact the Elf came before the Human. Most likely tree dwellers, but not in a primal sense, more likely it was a secure source of food, as well as protection from the ground dwelling predators of the area. The hundred foot trees with thick vines made climbing easy, and once at the top a large base was perfect of settling down. The Glangus must have had a long life span given the 600+ years of the elf, 450+ of the Dwarf, and 399+ of the Ogre. The elf did not mate often, and as such the population is as low as it today. In fact it seems that once a female is ready to have children they are utterly uninterested until their child has reached adulthood at the age of 200, so a instinctual response to sexuality is a given for the Elven population. The human must then be the utter opposite of the elf, short life span, many children, and many more violent tendencies. These must have been the Forest Glangus who left the security of their trees and went about on the ground looking for food. As they do not have the pleasure of long life, nor the virtue of enhanced senses early humans must have simply populated a region as to ensure the survival of the next generation. While humans are in fact the most numerous of the races, they are by fair the most interesting. However a common ancestor must exist for the simple fact that cross breeding can occur between Humans , Elves, Orcs, and Ogres. While no records have been shown of a Orc-Elf, or a Halfling-Human may lend more towards preferences then actual scientific proof. After all an Ogre rarely raids a Dwarf mountain dwelling looking for “company” when a human settlement is so close by.
#3 romulus_lonewolf May 28, 2009 21:53:22	Now, to continue my little Mythos... After imprisonning Asmodeus into Hell, banishing the Djinn and Ifrit into the Elemental Chaos, and sending the Shee (later called Sidhe) into the Feywild, the gods took the last of the Div, who had remained loyal to the gods, and to reward them, gave them new, powerful forms, with skins of hards scales, wide and powerful wings, and hearts filled with elemental power. The gods renamed them Dragons, and gave them dominion over the world, to keep the surviving giants in check, and to watch over those beings who would be born next from the tree of life. Bahamut and his cousin Tiamat (who were lovers at the time) took upon themselves to watch over the dragons and guide them. The Tree of Life now bore five fruits, which had been ripening long enough for the new generation of gods to grow to adulthood. Then one day, Zhenkeef, on a whim, began plucking the fruits. The first, she plucked and tossed it into the mountains, where her nephew Moradin found it after it split open, releasing a race of stout people. These, the Dwarven, took to the mountains and the caverns, and Moradin taught them the ways of mining and smithing, and they, in turn, declared him their father in spirit, naming him the "Soulforger". Even when they were later enslaved by the Giants, they did not recant him, and he in turn aided them until they finally won their freedom. The second fruit, Zhenkeef juggled and squeezed until it was difformed, and threw it near the gates of Hell, where Asmodeus was still imprisonned. From it emerged the difformed Grendel, ancestors of those now known as orcs, goblins, ogres and trolls. Asmodeus saw these misshapen creatures, and though his body was imprisonned, his voice was not. And he whispered to them that it was the gods who was responsible for their twisted bodies, and that they should hate them, and those beings who's forms were not flawed as theirs was. The grendel listened, but did not forswear the gods as he intended, though he knew he had planted seeds of darkness in their hearts. The third fruit, she tore to pieces and tossed here and there across the world. The smallest pieces became the beasts of the earth, sky and seas, and so they spread across the earth in multitudes. Those pieces of the fruit that had been closer to the core were different, however, bearing limbs like the other races, yet with the appearances of their animal kindred. These became the Beastmen races: Minotaur, gnolls, kenku, lizardfolk and similar folk. Zhenkeef tried to eat the fourth fruit, but became ill from it. Morwynn, who had discovered what she had done, made her vomit it, but the fruit was now ruined. And so the gods tried to gather the pieces back together as best they could, but soon discovered they each had made the new race differently from one another. Skin color, hair color, shape of face, and even size; while all were still of one race, they were as different from one another as the other races was from them. Still, the gods saw them fit enough to inhabit the world, and spread them across the world, naming them Humans if they were tall, or Halflings if they were short. (Okay, I kinda fumbled on that one; I wanted to make Halflings related to Humans, since they're so similar anyway. Does anyone have a better suggestion as to how to explain it?) The fifth fruit remained on the tree, and Morwynn kept Zhenkeef from plucking it. And to this day it yet remains on Eliwyn, and so we know not what lies within. As the new races spread across the world, the gods tasked the dragons with guiding them, protecting them and teaching them, as they had taught and guided the dragons. In time, they would build Arkhosia, the First Empire, as a bastion against Jotunheim, the Kingdom of the Giants. As the mortal races began dying, their spirits began filling the earth, as Mormekar had nowhere to place them. And so the gods created another mirror to the world. This one they named the Shadowfell, and it was a place of darkness and gloom, not fit for the living, but perfect for the dead. Mormekar entrusted the Shadowfell to his daughter Morgaine, whom mortals now call the Raven Queen, ruler of the dead. Meanwhile, the gods began taking turns to guard the gateway to Hell, to keep Asmodeus from whispering to mortal-kind again. And so Asmodeus began whispering to the gods instead. While most rejected his words, his lies and half-truths found root in many of them: he fanned the flames of Bane's pride; he made Lolth grow jealous of the sidhe's love for Corellon; he taught Tiamat the virtues of Greed and Dominance; he convinced Gruumsh he was mightier then Kord, and that he should prove it. Soon enough, Asmodeus had corrupted nearly half of the gods, and just stood back as sibling turned against sibling, son against father, daughter against mother. The gods began dividing themselves into camps; the gods of Light, whom civilized races worship, and the gods of Darkness, now worshipped by barbaric or fel races. To stem the conflict, lest the first rule of the gods be violated, Morwynn convinced both sides to agree to a system, which they would call the Compact; the gods would grant mortals powers to serve the will of a god, but only if the mortal, of his own free will, chose to worship that god. To make this choice meaningful, the gods agreed to let Asmodeus tempt mortals towards Hell. In time, Arkhosia became decadent and corrupt, and fell, the dragons abandonning their sacred duties to pursue more selfish pursuits, and leaving the mortal races to forge their own destinies. And that's it for this update...