No one knows exactly how it happened. There was a period of time, just over a century by best guess, where Elbareth slowly faded. The Manitou of the Library had disappeared. Its calming influence was lost and the diverse peoples separated. The peninsula upon which Elbareth stood had been shaken to the core by the great efforts there. Slowly to mortal reckoning but much faster than nature could ever hope to, the peninsula sank beneath the waves.
With that great kingdom gone, the rest of Geis settled into their own separate ways. For the next few centuries there was no great war for the people had grown weary of it. A tired peace settled upon the land. People started dreaming of world peace.
On the continent of Mologan, a new kingdom rose. The origins of it are lost to the civilized world. They were not considered a threat of any significance. Indeed, compared to the Dragon Kings they seemed benign! It wasn't until four neighboring kingdoms fell that the name Kol Draahl came to the ears of the various sovereigns around the face of Geis.
Like a tide growing in might, the Kol Draahl conquered the entire continent within two decades. From there, they spread to Lothgar, which they conquered in ten years. The Moralay Archipelago fell in two and Anterre in five. The Beast Masters, the strongest opposition to the rising threat, maintained strongholds on each continent throughout the conquest. The Kol Draahl pursued their goal with single-minded intensity. They didn't bother with the few isolated castles until they had completed their conquest. With only the small island of Jiorta remaining, the Kol Draahl turned their sights on the Beast Masters and finished them. It took nearly three decades for Jiorta to fall. Two and a half centuries after defeating the threat of the Dragon Kings, the Kol Draahl succeeded where they failed. They had taken over the whole of Geis.
Their rule was oppressive. The Kol Draahl treated all others as slaves. Each person's abilities were discerned then put to use for the greater glory of the Kol Draahl. Rebel groups rose and fell quickly throughout the first century but none of any note. 125 years after their conquest, the First Rebellion rose. From the grips of slavery they came and freed the eastern portion of Anterre before they were put down a decade later. The Kol Draahl sent a message to the rest of the people: they killed the rebels to the last man.
The spirit of freedom cannot be long denied and another rebellion rose two hundred years later. This Second Rebellion lasted longer than the first but gained less ground, only a small portion of Lothgar was freed. Almost three decades it took for the Kol Draahl to eradicate them, and eradicate them they did. Again they showed no mercy, killing all who rebelled as well as their children and family members.
The resolve of the people hardened. They prepared longer. In great secrecy they trained. Led by a union of Jiorti and Gloanoq and fortified by the Mixtali, the Final Rebellion started. They had no interest in gaining land. The pursued the Troika, the ruling council of the Kol Draahl. They knew only be severing the head could the beast die. The effort cost many lives, but like a phoenix rising from the ashes the rebellion succeeded finally in cornering and destroying the leadership of the Kol Draahl. As more people gained their freedom, they took out over a thousand years of oppression and mistreatment upon their captors. They were eliminated entirely. Over twelve hundred years did the Kol Draahl exert their harsh rule over the people of Geis and none have ever forgotten.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Geis Basics: Timeline - The Dragon Kings
The Dragon Kings struck out from their base on the continent of Puentas. On the southern part of the continent of Lothgar, Vipak, Humanity, Centaur and Sroloc sages besought the Manitou of knowledge and established a stronghold. They named the citadel Elbareth and established a great Library there that became the repository of all knowledge, dedicated as it was to the Manitou of knowledge. The great mages of the time united and utilized a naturally occurring mana geyser to create a fighting force capable of standing against the might of the Dragon Kings. A crystal was forged, combining magical and psychic might. An artifact of such power to alter the living bodies and souls of those who followed the ceremony.
The Soul Riders were formed. They successfully repelled the Dragon Kings in several mighty battles the likes of which have not been seen on Geis since. Several centuries passed in this manner of constant warfare. During this time, possibly as a result of the Soul Rider Crystal's energies, the dog-like race of the Grenis and the cat-like race of the Malacore arose from the peninsula of Elbareth. As the battle raged, the Soul Riders established strongholds in the Moralay Archipelago as well as on Anterre and Mologan.
The Dragon Kings had ever been proud, too proud to work together. Their lack of central command eroded their war efforts. While the rest of the world perceived them as a unified force, the Dragon Kings were in reality separate forces working to their own ends. They were warring as much among themselves as they were the rest of Geis. One arose among them, a massive dragon with a warlock Drakus ally, that realized the dangers posed. Seeking aid from the Manitou of dragons, they formed a link more powerful than a mage and its familiar and unified their minds and wills in a unique way not found elsewhere in Geis.
Together, they unified the diverse Dragon Kings into a single force and set about systematically pursuing their greatest enemies, the Soul Riders. First to fall was the closest stronghold in the Moralay Archipelago. Then the citadels on Anterre and Mologan. As each stronghold of the Soul Riders fell, the area soon fell to the Dragon King forces. The greatest mages and psychics feared the worst and gathered together at Elbareth, the final stronghold of the Soul Riders, to seek an answer. They created another fighting force, bound this time not by a crystal but rather by a simple stone column. The Beast Masters were formed and sought to aid the Soul Riders while the answer was sought.
They found it. It was an answer calling upon staggering power. A solution that would forever change the face of the world. As they began the ceremony, the Dragon Kings attacked the final citadel of the Soul Riders. The battle lasted months, bolstered by the fledgling Beast Riders the Soul Riders were able to push the Dragon Kings to the seas. Each side suffered staggering losses. Eventually, the Dragon Kings realized what was happening. They gathered their strength in a final assault upon the Soul Riders, seeking to eliminate them once and for all before they set their sites on Elbareth proper.
The Soul Riders, long thought to be the invulnerable enemies of the Dragon Kings, fell to the last man. The Beast Masters had been routed. The Dragon Kings gathered around the Soul Rider Crystal, the great artifact that could recreate a new army able to oppose them, and prepared to destroy it.
At that moment, the Great Ceremony completed at the mana geyser within the Steel Circle underneath the Great Library at Elbareth. Seven hundred seventy seven archmages, warlocks and high sorcerers working in concert cast the most powerful spell in existence. Energies pulled from the very center of Geis itself reached out into the heavens, drawing even more power from the very mages involved in the casting and struck the lone moon surrounding Geis.
The resulting cataclysm shattered the moon, creating a cloud of dust and rock particles that appeared to those on Geis as an arch reaching across the sky. The Dragon Kings, simultaneously casting their own spell, were instantly teleported from where they were. The Soul Rider Crystal joined in the casting and disappeared, possibly destroyed, no one knows for sure. For a period of three weeks, the skies of Geis were dark. The sun appeared as only a dim light in the heavens. The very air was coarse and difficult to breathe for a full day. When the air finally cleared, the Dragon Kings had disappeared. No one could say for sure where they went. Eventually, Elbareth sent out expeditions to Puentas and they encountered a mighty Myst that was impenetrable by magic or psychic or physical means.
The time of the Dragon Kings was over. The Arc Dawn had eliminated the threat. Elbareth, once the shining jewel of the free realms, was dark. The Great Library lie dark and dead. Every last mage involved in the Arc Dawn had died from the effort. After nearly two and a half millennia of oppression, freedom had been won for Geis at great cost.
The Soul Riders were formed. They successfully repelled the Dragon Kings in several mighty battles the likes of which have not been seen on Geis since. Several centuries passed in this manner of constant warfare. During this time, possibly as a result of the Soul Rider Crystal's energies, the dog-like race of the Grenis and the cat-like race of the Malacore arose from the peninsula of Elbareth. As the battle raged, the Soul Riders established strongholds in the Moralay Archipelago as well as on Anterre and Mologan.
The Dragon Kings had ever been proud, too proud to work together. Their lack of central command eroded their war efforts. While the rest of the world perceived them as a unified force, the Dragon Kings were in reality separate forces working to their own ends. They were warring as much among themselves as they were the rest of Geis. One arose among them, a massive dragon with a warlock Drakus ally, that realized the dangers posed. Seeking aid from the Manitou of dragons, they formed a link more powerful than a mage and its familiar and unified their minds and wills in a unique way not found elsewhere in Geis.
Together, they unified the diverse Dragon Kings into a single force and set about systematically pursuing their greatest enemies, the Soul Riders. First to fall was the closest stronghold in the Moralay Archipelago. Then the citadels on Anterre and Mologan. As each stronghold of the Soul Riders fell, the area soon fell to the Dragon King forces. The greatest mages and psychics feared the worst and gathered together at Elbareth, the final stronghold of the Soul Riders, to seek an answer. They created another fighting force, bound this time not by a crystal but rather by a simple stone column. The Beast Masters were formed and sought to aid the Soul Riders while the answer was sought.
They found it. It was an answer calling upon staggering power. A solution that would forever change the face of the world. As they began the ceremony, the Dragon Kings attacked the final citadel of the Soul Riders. The battle lasted months, bolstered by the fledgling Beast Riders the Soul Riders were able to push the Dragon Kings to the seas. Each side suffered staggering losses. Eventually, the Dragon Kings realized what was happening. They gathered their strength in a final assault upon the Soul Riders, seeking to eliminate them once and for all before they set their sites on Elbareth proper.
The Soul Riders, long thought to be the invulnerable enemies of the Dragon Kings, fell to the last man. The Beast Masters had been routed. The Dragon Kings gathered around the Soul Rider Crystal, the great artifact that could recreate a new army able to oppose them, and prepared to destroy it.
At that moment, the Great Ceremony completed at the mana geyser within the Steel Circle underneath the Great Library at Elbareth. Seven hundred seventy seven archmages, warlocks and high sorcerers working in concert cast the most powerful spell in existence. Energies pulled from the very center of Geis itself reached out into the heavens, drawing even more power from the very mages involved in the casting and struck the lone moon surrounding Geis.
The resulting cataclysm shattered the moon, creating a cloud of dust and rock particles that appeared to those on Geis as an arch reaching across the sky. The Dragon Kings, simultaneously casting their own spell, were instantly teleported from where they were. The Soul Rider Crystal joined in the casting and disappeared, possibly destroyed, no one knows for sure. For a period of three weeks, the skies of Geis were dark. The sun appeared as only a dim light in the heavens. The very air was coarse and difficult to breathe for a full day. When the air finally cleared, the Dragon Kings had disappeared. No one could say for sure where they went. Eventually, Elbareth sent out expeditions to Puentas and they encountered a mighty Myst that was impenetrable by magic or psychic or physical means.
The time of the Dragon Kings was over. The Arc Dawn had eliminated the threat. Elbareth, once the shining jewel of the free realms, was dark. The Great Library lie dark and dead. Every last mage involved in the Arc Dawn had died from the effort. After nearly two and a half millennia of oppression, freedom had been won for Geis at great cost.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Geis Basics: Timeline - The Sroloc Empire
Geis is a relatively young setting. There are 6 epochs defined by the sages of Geis, although not all agree on them for various reasons; the Sroloc Empire, the Dragon Kings, the Kol Draahl, the Age of War, the Age of Dreams and the Rune Age. The 'current' epoch of the majority of the books is the Rune Age.
The Sroloc Empire
Even the Sroloc do not have much information about their own glorious history. Theirs is the oldest and longest established civilization in Geis. Time reckoning starts after the First War. Only a few sages and leaders of churches are even aware of the First War but they have only vague details. For this reason, they do not commonly start to account for time until after the end of the First War. The Sroloc refer to this time as the "dark days" when the dragons had left them to wage their war against the Owaha. It comprises a thousand years of constant warfare until the creation of the Helguar race.
That started a time of peace which had the unfortunate effect of separating the Sroloc and Helguar races. The Owaha, their presence on land virtually eliminated by the presence of the Merfolk, plunge into the depths and isolation from the world of daylight. Surface sages are largely ignorant of what the Owaha have done in the ensuing years. All that is known has come from the Merfolk who also reside in the depths. In recent times, the advances of rune enchanting have opened the undersea world to the eyes of those who dwell on the surface. Merfolk cities are clustered on the edges of the deepest trenches and the Merfolk yet maintain their purpose and forever separate the Owaha from the surface folk.
The Sroloc have diverged into three sub races over time. The first split was between those who sought to continue to war and those who sought to embrace the peace that was given to them. Those who sought to continue the fruitless war on the Owaha developed permanent changes, becoming consumed with thoughts of revenge they devolved into a brutish, savage and strong amphibian people. Long, heavily muscled tails extend from their backsides and propel them easily and quickly through the water. Their frames, heavy with sinew, have hunched over. So absorbed were they with their pursuit of war that their society degenerated into one based on brute strength and brutal logic. They have lost much of their higher thinking and are now among the most brutish of races, called the Crocus.
The others embraced peace and eventually their intelligence rose as they sought out the higher paths of thought. They created an empire that spanned the entirety of Geis. But for the scattered settlements of Helguar that grew on and within the land, the Sroloc were by far the greatest civilization during the time. For hundreds of years they lived in peace, settling themselves to higher pursuits of magic, philosophy and religion. Their culture grew and as it did, so did the differences within them.
The first Sroloc civil war created a great schism within the elder race. The reasons behind it are still lost to antiquity, but the result was the creation of a regulatory force that educated and policed magic and mages. It was as a result of this war that some dragons chose to return from their self-imposed exile. They partnered with the Sroloc and developed a strong and lasting bond. As always, power corrupts and soon enough the regulators soon became the rulers. Those without magical ability were shunned at first then ultimately oppressed.
Enraged, the Manitou of magic beseeched the Creator for aid. The Creator responded and created the races of Humanity and the magically resistant Minotaur as well as the Ancilene, whose magical might rivaled that of the Sroloc themselves.
This was the rise of the Dragon Kings. Their allies worked closely with them. Magic and alchemy was worked to strengthen them. The Dragon Kings sought to overcome the Vipak and Centaur under their rule. The Helguar fought back alongside an army of Sroloc who had no magical ability, seeking to throw off the chains of the oppressive rule. Humanity, Minotaur and Anciliene also joined in the fray, their fledgling civilizations learning the arts of war from the elder Helguar and Sroloc. Freedom was won but the Dragon Kings were not destroyed, only defeated. The ensuing war waged for over a millennium and during the conflict, more changes were wrought within the Sroloc race. Some sages have been able to learn that it was through sacrificing the young of both dragons and Sroloc that the Dragon Kings sought to create a greater race. This was the final schism of the Sroloc. From this were created the Drakus and Chameus sub races. The time of the Dragon Kings began in earnest, some five thousand years after the rise of the Sroloc race.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Geis Basics: Religion
Geis has a limited pantheon. There are four worshiped gods, whose names are known by their followers but never used out of respect for the sacred nature of the names. Instead, they are commonly referred to as the Creator, the Destroyer, Death and the Master of Undead. All except the Master of the Undead have or had spouses but they are not worshiped. The Creator, the Destroyer and Death are collectively known as the divine siblings.
The most popular of all is the Creator. The Creator is regarded as just that; the Creator of Geis and all the attending Realms. He is commonly thought of as the driving force behind all things Good and Pure. His biggest ally is his wife who is known by many names; Mother Nature, the Goddess and Geis are but a few. Both the Creator and his bride act through many spiritual agents, those of the Creator usually take on forms of animals like the a bear or mouse or bird, while those of the Goddess are usually forces of nature such as the North Wind or Summer or the sea. Popular belief has them having five children, known collectively as the Great Manitou and they represent the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. These Great Manitou have, in turn, created severeal other Manitou, each of them representing everything in Geis from the physical to mere concepts. The Manitou aren’t worshiped like the Creator is, but many pay their respects to them, asking for blessings. The Midewin order concerns itself with the Manitou; caring for them and working with them.
On the opposite end is the Creator’s brother, the Destroyer. The Destroyer opposes everything the Creator stands for. The Destroyer seeks to bring the Abyss back and eliminate all of existence. He seeks to end all that the Creator makes. For him, a death is a step closer to his ultimate victory. This is viewed as why those who serve the Creator excessively beyond what he asks rarely die, but often are removed from the Realm of Geis and can return when needed next. The Destroyer gains power with the souls of those who worship him by deed, especially by those who die before fulfilling the Creator’s purpose for them. If a person succeeds in the purpose the Creator gave them, their Soul does not power the Destroyer. The Destroyer also has many agents who have reached diety status as well. The most powerful of these fall under the general name of the Seven Pits of the Destroyer. They are Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Rage, Greed and Sloth and are directly opposed by the Seven Pillars of the Creator; Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance and Prudence. Popular myth also has the Destroyer exerting influence and power over the elemental children of the Creator as well. These may be different factions within each element, or a conflict over the elements themselves, it is unknown.
Then there is the mysterious entity known as Death. She revels in the removal of life by any means. She does not gain souls when they die, but rather seems to be in charge of the transfer of souls as happens at birth and death. She is the sister of the Creator and the Destroyer, though not necessarily believed to be as powerful as either one. Her followers are the fish-men of the deep sea and usually assassins and mercenaries or warmongers. She is known mostly as the being that is feared most, and the only prayers sent her way by non worshipers beg that she not visit them. Her Priests and Priestesses know her husband as the Great Judge who determines a Soul's path after death. Death is completely neutral in her dealings with all the other entities, she is as much a part of the Creator as she is the Destroyer.
The least understood of all is the entity that is known only as the Master of the Undead. This being created the first Vampire and directed the Maelstrom to create the Death Knight. An enemy to both the Creator and the Destroyer, he cheats Death as well. All undead beings fall under the Master’s power and he can make them stronger or remove their undeath from them, sending them into oblivion. If the Creator and the Destroyer are opposing forces, then it can be said that Death opposes the Master of the Undead.
For all beings of Geis, the Soul is immortal and oblivion is the worst punishment. The Destroyer will empower the souls of his most powerful to join him after they die in his eternal struggle, as does the Creator. Death's provenance is the transfer of those souls to where they should be, and the Master binds his followers’ souls to the Geis Realm. It is the fear of oblivion that drove Obsidia to the Death Knight and the Master. Most sages and theologians agree that the deities can be thought of as a pyramid, with the Creator, the Destroyer and the Master forming the three points on the base and Death sitting removed from them all at the top.
The Creation
In the beginning, the Creator, his wife, the Destroyer and his wife and their sister Death and her husband were all of one accord. Working together, the made the world of Geis. The Creator created the animals and birds, the plants and weather, the Destroyer created the insects in their infinite variety. Death assisted all of them in their work and breathed life into their creations. It was then that the Siblings created the first intelligent beings. Working together again, they created the Owaha (Fishmen) who worshiped Death, the Sroloc who worshiped the Creator and the Kr’tchk (Insectmen) who worshiped the Destroyer.
A discussion of their creations led the siblings to pursue matters further. The intelligent beings were widely recognized as their greatest creations but they needed trials in their lives whereby they might learn and grow. Forces needed to be created and control over those forces would be made available to all of them. The three primary forces were magic, mental and physical prowess. It was decided that creatures embodying the best of these primal forces and design for these creatures were given over to the siblings' spouses. The Creator's wife made the Griffons who were the embodiment of the great mental abilities available to all their intelligent creations. The Destroyer's wife made the Dragons that embody magic. Death created the Jortons who could utilize their spirit to enhance their physical abilities to the extent where they could stand on even ground with the psychic Griffons and magical Dragons. All three were given intelligence whereby they could instruct and advise the Owaha, Sroloc and Kr'tchk.
It was after that when the Destroyer and his wife started the First War for reasons that are unclear but it is suspected that it was to prove whose creation was the stronger. The Kr’tchk set about killing the Owaha and the Sroloc. Those beings fought back fiercely. The Sroloc and the Dragons forged an alliance based on their commonality and together they exterminated the Kr’tchk. In a pique of rage, the Destroyer killed his wife. He hid her body, and when the Creator found it, the Destroyer blamed him for her death.
Thus started the great enmity that now exerts such influence over the fate of Geis.
Death, distraught at seeing her brothers war, removed herself from them and set herself up afar from them. Left to their own devices, the Owaha waged a bloody war against the Sroloc. The Dragons, sensing that their Goddess was no more, withdrew themselves in mourning. The Creator, hearing the prayers of his faithful, split them into three sub-races; the amphibian Crocus, the dragon-like Dracus in remembrance of his brother's dead wife and the Chameus who worked so closely with the forces of Mother Nature. The Jortons and Griffons, realizing that they would disrupt the delicate balance of the world, also withdrew from humanity.
Over time, Death and the Creator worked together to end the war between their creations. They created the Helguar to ensure the two would not wage war again and as a peace offering to their brother, whose creations had been destroyed. He refuted them and rebuked them, swearing vengeance on them both. By some unknown means, he brought the Master of Undead to the Geis realm from where it is not known. He had hoped that the Kr'tchk would be raised from their state but the Master ever has his own agenda. Betraying the Destroyer, he rose their bodies and tied their souls to them to serve him. The Master desired the realm of Geis to add to his collection. With the Owaha and the Sroloc unwilling to work together and the Helguar outmatched, Death and the Creator realized that they needed another race, one that would be adaptable and fast breeding enough to thwart the designs of the Master. Thus was the human race born.
Eventually, the Ancilene, Minotaur, Grenis and Malacore races were made as offshoots from the Human race. The Elder races saw their societies decline. The Midling race, Humanity, spread widely across the Geis realm. The Younger races rose and fell, unable to match the Humans' progression and adaptability. Death withdrew from the constant conflict upon the Geis realm by the machinations of the Destroyer. The Creator's wife beseeched her husband to give all the races purpose. So it was that each race came to represent both a Pillar of the Creator and a Pit of the Destroyer for he always seeks to oppose his brother in all things. The Helguar represent both Prudence and Gluttony, the Ancilene Charity and Lust, the Sroloc Hope and Envy, the Grenis Justice and Greed, the Minotaur Temperance and Rage, the Malacore Fortitude and Sloth and Humanity, Faith and Pride. Once this was done, no more did the siblings create for their efforts had been enough.
The most popular of all is the Creator. The Creator is regarded as just that; the Creator of Geis and all the attending Realms. He is commonly thought of as the driving force behind all things Good and Pure. His biggest ally is his wife who is known by many names; Mother Nature, the Goddess and Geis are but a few. Both the Creator and his bride act through many spiritual agents, those of the Creator usually take on forms of animals like the a bear or mouse or bird, while those of the Goddess are usually forces of nature such as the North Wind or Summer or the sea. Popular belief has them having five children, known collectively as the Great Manitou and they represent the five elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. These Great Manitou have, in turn, created severeal other Manitou, each of them representing everything in Geis from the physical to mere concepts. The Manitou aren’t worshiped like the Creator is, but many pay their respects to them, asking for blessings. The Midewin order concerns itself with the Manitou; caring for them and working with them.
On the opposite end is the Creator’s brother, the Destroyer. The Destroyer opposes everything the Creator stands for. The Destroyer seeks to bring the Abyss back and eliminate all of existence. He seeks to end all that the Creator makes. For him, a death is a step closer to his ultimate victory. This is viewed as why those who serve the Creator excessively beyond what he asks rarely die, but often are removed from the Realm of Geis and can return when needed next. The Destroyer gains power with the souls of those who worship him by deed, especially by those who die before fulfilling the Creator’s purpose for them. If a person succeeds in the purpose the Creator gave them, their Soul does not power the Destroyer. The Destroyer also has many agents who have reached diety status as well. The most powerful of these fall under the general name of the Seven Pits of the Destroyer. They are Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Rage, Greed and Sloth and are directly opposed by the Seven Pillars of the Creator; Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Justice, Temperance and Prudence. Popular myth also has the Destroyer exerting influence and power over the elemental children of the Creator as well. These may be different factions within each element, or a conflict over the elements themselves, it is unknown.
Then there is the mysterious entity known as Death. She revels in the removal of life by any means. She does not gain souls when they die, but rather seems to be in charge of the transfer of souls as happens at birth and death. She is the sister of the Creator and the Destroyer, though not necessarily believed to be as powerful as either one. Her followers are the fish-men of the deep sea and usually assassins and mercenaries or warmongers. She is known mostly as the being that is feared most, and the only prayers sent her way by non worshipers beg that she not visit them. Her Priests and Priestesses know her husband as the Great Judge who determines a Soul's path after death. Death is completely neutral in her dealings with all the other entities, she is as much a part of the Creator as she is the Destroyer.
The least understood of all is the entity that is known only as the Master of the Undead. This being created the first Vampire and directed the Maelstrom to create the Death Knight. An enemy to both the Creator and the Destroyer, he cheats Death as well. All undead beings fall under the Master’s power and he can make them stronger or remove their undeath from them, sending them into oblivion. If the Creator and the Destroyer are opposing forces, then it can be said that Death opposes the Master of the Undead.
For all beings of Geis, the Soul is immortal and oblivion is the worst punishment. The Destroyer will empower the souls of his most powerful to join him after they die in his eternal struggle, as does the Creator. Death's provenance is the transfer of those souls to where they should be, and the Master binds his followers’ souls to the Geis Realm. It is the fear of oblivion that drove Obsidia to the Death Knight and the Master. Most sages and theologians agree that the deities can be thought of as a pyramid, with the Creator, the Destroyer and the Master forming the three points on the base and Death sitting removed from them all at the top.
The Creation
In the beginning, the Creator, his wife, the Destroyer and his wife and their sister Death and her husband were all of one accord. Working together, the made the world of Geis. The Creator created the animals and birds, the plants and weather, the Destroyer created the insects in their infinite variety. Death assisted all of them in their work and breathed life into their creations. It was then that the Siblings created the first intelligent beings. Working together again, they created the Owaha (Fishmen) who worshiped Death, the Sroloc who worshiped the Creator and the Kr’tchk (Insectmen) who worshiped the Destroyer.
A discussion of their creations led the siblings to pursue matters further. The intelligent beings were widely recognized as their greatest creations but they needed trials in their lives whereby they might learn and grow. Forces needed to be created and control over those forces would be made available to all of them. The three primary forces were magic, mental and physical prowess. It was decided that creatures embodying the best of these primal forces and design for these creatures were given over to the siblings' spouses. The Creator's wife made the Griffons who were the embodiment of the great mental abilities available to all their intelligent creations. The Destroyer's wife made the Dragons that embody magic. Death created the Jortons who could utilize their spirit to enhance their physical abilities to the extent where they could stand on even ground with the psychic Griffons and magical Dragons. All three were given intelligence whereby they could instruct and advise the Owaha, Sroloc and Kr'tchk.
It was after that when the Destroyer and his wife started the First War for reasons that are unclear but it is suspected that it was to prove whose creation was the stronger. The Kr’tchk set about killing the Owaha and the Sroloc. Those beings fought back fiercely. The Sroloc and the Dragons forged an alliance based on their commonality and together they exterminated the Kr’tchk. In a pique of rage, the Destroyer killed his wife. He hid her body, and when the Creator found it, the Destroyer blamed him for her death.
Thus started the great enmity that now exerts such influence over the fate of Geis.
Death, distraught at seeing her brothers war, removed herself from them and set herself up afar from them. Left to their own devices, the Owaha waged a bloody war against the Sroloc. The Dragons, sensing that their Goddess was no more, withdrew themselves in mourning. The Creator, hearing the prayers of his faithful, split them into three sub-races; the amphibian Crocus, the dragon-like Dracus in remembrance of his brother's dead wife and the Chameus who worked so closely with the forces of Mother Nature. The Jortons and Griffons, realizing that they would disrupt the delicate balance of the world, also withdrew from humanity.
Over time, Death and the Creator worked together to end the war between their creations. They created the Helguar to ensure the two would not wage war again and as a peace offering to their brother, whose creations had been destroyed. He refuted them and rebuked them, swearing vengeance on them both. By some unknown means, he brought the Master of Undead to the Geis realm from where it is not known. He had hoped that the Kr'tchk would be raised from their state but the Master ever has his own agenda. Betraying the Destroyer, he rose their bodies and tied their souls to them to serve him. The Master desired the realm of Geis to add to his collection. With the Owaha and the Sroloc unwilling to work together and the Helguar outmatched, Death and the Creator realized that they needed another race, one that would be adaptable and fast breeding enough to thwart the designs of the Master. Thus was the human race born.
Eventually, the Ancilene, Minotaur, Grenis and Malacore races were made as offshoots from the Human race. The Elder races saw their societies decline. The Midling race, Humanity, spread widely across the Geis realm. The Younger races rose and fell, unable to match the Humans' progression and adaptability. Death withdrew from the constant conflict upon the Geis realm by the machinations of the Destroyer. The Creator's wife beseeched her husband to give all the races purpose. So it was that each race came to represent both a Pillar of the Creator and a Pit of the Destroyer for he always seeks to oppose his brother in all things. The Helguar represent both Prudence and Gluttony, the Ancilene Charity and Lust, the Sroloc Hope and Envy, the Grenis Justice and Greed, the Minotaur Temperance and Rage, the Malacore Fortitude and Sloth and Humanity, Faith and Pride. Once this was done, no more did the siblings create for their efforts had been enough.
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