- I don't think I'd win, but if I did please give the prize to the next person. I already own a package. I'm just participating for fun.
- I really enjoy the Elder Scrolls lore system of the unreliable narrator and different beliefs and interpretations so I tried to bring that to life here.
*Dearest Prior,
The heretical creation myths of the tribes and peoples of Arboreus are as numerous as are their myriad of druids and elders. In almost every village you may hear a different tale, sometimes of a wholly different character than the previous village. Though many contain the same blasphemous tenets; unanimity of spirit, inspidous passivity and a celebration of the maldevelopment of society.
Provided for your study is one of the Prima Fractum myths of the Erwydra peoples from the Village of Hywynn. I have consolidated it from interviews with several prominent druids and changed its basic structure for coherence, as many such tales are told in a uniquely confusing non-linear fashion by these headmen.*
Before the One became as the Many, there was only the One. This One had no name, as all was like the One. Today the Many call it Elysium. Though the One was not the Elysium the Many talk about today.
Elysium was at once One and many. It was the only celestial, though populated by itself. It could feel and breathe all that moved upon it and all was in harmony. There was no shelter built, for all was sheltered by the One within itself. There was no hunting needed, for all was nourished by the soothing of the One.
But the One, though unitary, was not of one thought. It had many thoughts like the creatures of the Many. These thoughts would at times coagulate within the One. Some would dissolve on their own but others might refuse to break down and become like a clot within the One.
First of these thoughts was the beautiful wild known as Nelena. The One did not fight this thought, for the One saw what goodness it had become. The great trees and wildlife stretched out endlessly before them both.
Within this wild did the One see the newness of failure and success, as the lives of some nourished the other. This second thought was known as Iridia, the lady of fortune.
Nelena and Iridia, now speaking among themselves away from the One, had many of their own thoughts. And from this did rise and beastmen and humans who lived upon Elysium together.
The One did now look and see the helplessness of these new members of the Many. From this came the One’s third thought; Galvanos, master of knowledge. From this the new Many learned how to survive and prosper. But from this knowledge came the dilemma. For from knowledge comes both goodness and evil.
The fourth and fifth thoughts came together at once, like conjoined twins. They came not from the One but from the thoughts of the Many. Tyros, Lord of the Light, and Babilis, Lady of the Dark; siblings yet born in hatred of each other.
It was Babilis who first fell in love with the lessers of mankind. She found she need do little prodding to convince them of their vanity or violence. Some she would corrupt so thoroughly their very essence changed to match her own, good men and beasts would only whisper their names in private, demons upon the land.
Tyros found he must work much harder to keep men within his host. Though his army did grow with beasts and men in anticipation for whatever his wretched sister might wrought upon creation.
For a million generations of beastkind did this feud rage, each side at one point or another having the upper hand. The destruction and turmoil truly indescribable. Tyros, finally beseeching Nelena, who in turn convinced Iridia, brought fortune to his side.
As the armies of light seemed poised to finally purify Elysium of the darkness, Babilis revealed her final hand. Through some great and unknown magic did the dark witch attack Elysium, sundering the One into thousands and bringing unity to an end.
With her demonic followers Babilis scurried onto what would one day become the den of disease and darkness known as Tartaros. Iridia, feeling confusion regarding her role within this sundering, fled with mankind and her lover Galvanos. Tyros and Nelena with great terror clutched strongly to their love of Elysium, whose spirit they could still feel but not see. The beastmen, following their mother onto what would one day become Arboreus.
*As you can see from the following narrative, the beastmen of Arboreus have many wayward and blasphemous beliefs regarding the creation and the Prima Fractum. It is my feeling that my mission here does little good, as even my attempts to argue or enlighten them are met with uninterested passivity. Galvanos guide me.
-Martinius Salliou of the 17th Mission*
