Upon a Foul Wind

Excerpt from the Tome of Eternal Secrets: The Book of Lineage

In the beginning there was only darkness: a formless Void in which no time passed. It was emptiness, the essence of nothingness.

Yet deep in the very center of this Void was a small point of multicoloured light. The light began to grow and shrink at the same time. Faster and faster it contracted and expanded until, out of that light, TAL willed Himself into being. TAL, whose name meant “thought” in the now extinct First Tongue, was the creator of all things.

TAL looked upon the Void he inhabited and in that instant came to know and understand all things. Seeing that the Void had no beauty, TAL reached into the light from which He sprang and brought forth the stars and the planets and Time as we know it. He looked upon all He had made and knew it was good, but in it He found no beauty. Searching the cosmos, TAL saw only the great fires of stars and the lonely planets that encircled them: barren rocks and swirling gas spheres.

Then, after eons of searching, TAL found a planet that was made neither of barren rock nor of choking hot gas, a place that was warm, pleasant, and covered with green life and vast blue oceans.

TAL quickly came to love this planet. He saw mountains that clawed at the sky, majestic waterfalls, rolling cloud embankments, and fertile plains. He saw vast deserts, frozen tundra, and great forests. There were rivers that fed life to the land, allowing plants and animals alike to flourish and grow. TAL saw lumbering beasts that grazed the plains and forests, graceful winged creatures that soared through the skies, and quick, scaly, water-dwelling animals that called the lakes and oceans their home.

All that He saw on this world TAL came to love more and more, and for ages He tended this quiet planet with care and benevolence.

Yet in time TAL grew lonely, and in time that loneliness assumed a form.

High upon a mountain clearing sat a tree, the largest tree in the world. TAL came to spend much time around this tree, for He felt that it embodied all the beauty this world had to offer. TAL tended the tree, sheltered it from storms, gave it warmth during the winter such that its leaves were always in bloom. He even talked to it, telling it all He knew and had come to know.

Then a woman appeared before TAL, as if She had simply sprouted from the ground. Her hair was auburn, tinged with green, and it cascaded around Her shoulders in elegant curls. Her eyes, green also, were quick and intelligent, and when TAL looked into them He saw hidden in Her all the knowledge He had come to know. He looked upon this first woman and saw the culmination of the beauty He had longed for, and He knew that He loved Her.

Filled with overwhelming affection, TAL placed a single kiss on Her forehead, and in that moment He knew that She was NETRA, meaning “nature” in the First Tongue. She was mother to us all, as TAL is our father.

Together they brought forth the Gods to be their children and to enhance the world they had come to call home.

First born were the twins Dalbor and Corian. While in Nature’s womb they came to know each other’s minds, and so they were forever viewing all things from two perspectives.

Next was Nac, strong, proud, and brave, yet not without caution. After him was Galla, swift, agile, in possession of all the grace Thought and Nature could pass on.

Born after her was Sark, who had cold, piercing eyes and a heart that burned with honesty and warmth for all living things. Born lastly was Mallik, who wanted nothing to be given to him freely, who sought to earn his place in the world.

Thus were the six Gods of our world brought into existence, but it was their responsibility to live their lives. In their youth, the six siblings were inseparable. They spent each day exploring their world with unbridled enthusiasm. From sweeping plains to sprawling mountain ranges they chased, raced, and inspired one another to learn new things, to hone new abilities.

After all, such are the lives of Gods.

Dalbor and Corian lived their lives inseparably, for the connection of love that bonded them was also Godlike in its strength. They acted almost as if they were one singular being, rather than two. Finishing each other’s thoughts made them fast conversationalists, experts of argument and rhetoric. Deciding upon action within the material world, however, took some time.

Though they acted as one, they were two separate entities that depended on their differing points of view. While it seemed cumbersome to the other Gods that Dalbor and Corian could take years to come to a decision, every choice they made was balanced, thoughtful, and beneficial to everyone, without fail.

Nac carried within him immense strength, and he adored testing his limits. He was often found by his brothers and sisters wrestling with large beasts, grappling them into submission before releasing them unharmed. Although Nac was incredibly strong, he always exercised extreme caution and reserve.

Wherever life could be spared, Nac would spare it, for he believed life was precious, and every surrender must be honoured. Every mercy must be shown.

Galla possessed great beauty and an unparalleled sense of devotion to the virtue of kindness. To her there was nothing so ugly as hatred, for she deemed it wholly unnecessary in a world where peace was possible.

She was indeed a lover of form, and believed that while true beauty dwelled within, anything could be sculpted to present a pleasing appearance, and attempts to do so must always be made.

Sark felt most at home in the cold, for it is said that NETRA birthed him upon the peaks of the Blue Mountains. Within him burned a fiery warmth, and this warmth compelled his affection for camaraderie. He loved nothing more than the company of his siblings, a trait that made him naturally likeable.

While his love compelled him to great acts of kindness, Nac became incensed when his brethren were threatened with harm, no matter the source of the threat.

Malik spent his days as a wanderer, never seeking the company of his siblings, though never spurning their presence either. He was only interested in knowledge he could glean on his own. He was fiercely intelligent, practical, and remarkably perceptive, even for a God.

Individually each God held unique strengths that no other could match. But together, they were divine, and the love they had for each other even more so. Though they too, like their parents, loved the world, they felt that such a beautiful place required something more: human beings who could live with the Gods and call it home.

When asked why there were no such beings, NETRA responded.

“Such dreams are yours to make, My children. Your Father and I can create no more, for you are all that We have given unto the world. Go now and commune amongst yourselves to decide what should be done. The knowledge of how to accomplish it will come unbidden.”