The Tale of the Forgotten Goddess

[Damxge]

While her name is lost to the ages, her followers long deceased and any remnants of their dedication erased from the face of this world. She is the most powerful being to take physical form, despite most believing in other gods that either do not exist or are far weaker than they are credited. She is, while not responsible directly for humans or the Earth, the mother of time, light, dark, and life. She initially created Wake, a being that named itself after the first feeling it felt upon it's conception. It is at this time we begin our story.

The darkness spread into the infinite beyond, a canvas waiting to be filled, a simple brushstroke all it would take to add life to the abyss. In this abyss existed two shapes, one of a woman, more beautiful than any human to exist, more beautiful than any human that will ever exist. Her body shifting in the mind of those who's eyes fell upon her to their personal perception of perfection. The second, a feminine body barren of marks. Without genitals, nipples, a naval, she appeared unfinished. A pure white mask covering her face, obscuring whatever existed beneath. Her hair, a translucent white, floated gently about her, longer than her body was tall, as if tossed about on a soft breeze coming up from the empty expanse below her.

"Wake," Her voice echoed through the silence, the abyss reacting around them, flickering and changing, the words forming in the air around them in the shape of primal runes, not physically visible, but interpreted in the mind's eye. Soft and smooth, the words, caressing any who would hear before fading into the expanse.

"My lady," Responded Wake, bowing her head respectfully to her mother.

"You exist, as I," The goddess said, a smile in her words, the abyss changing from darkness to a soft orange light, filling the space around them in warmth, "You are my daughter, the first of many, and my dearest," Slowly, she reached out and let her fingers brush against Wake's cheek, drawing a smile from the young woman.

"For what have I come to be, mother?" Wake asked, her words different from her mother's, her words were of pure light, unchanging and solid but full of life and energy.

"You are to accompany me, assist me in my goals, I wish to fill this space," She said, her voice raising, the abyss changing from golden orange to bright blue, "Fill it with life, like you, but of less ability, fill it with joy, hatred, love, and despair," She thrust her arms out around her, the air crackling with her words, the intense blue shifting, changing colors rapidly, reds, yellows, purples, greens, an awe inspiring display of what this abyss could become.

"Then we shall create!" Wake said, life springing from her words, animals, bugs, fish, all springing into existence around them, flickering for an instant before disappearing. Turning, Wake waved a hand, whole worlds appearing at her whim, residue from her power leaving colorful streaks and swirls in the air around them. And so she continued, for days, years, millennia, crafting worlds and things to inhabit them. They developed their own ecosystems, began to thrive on their own without her touch. Her mother, watching over her in approval, tweaking worlds and animals to her whim, the dream of creation that had birthed Wake slowly coming to fruition.
It was only when Wake created one beast in particular that she took pause, focusing in on a tiny blue and green world on which she'd placed this creature. Almost without intention, she'd created something similar to herself and her mother. Something with arms, legs, a body and a face. She was intrigued by this creature, apparently defenseless against it's surroundings, stumbling about, trying desperately to survive. But it was powerless and was soon the victim of a more powerful creature, an orange and black beast with claws and fangs.
For some reason, Wake was fascinated by this beast and created another, further from the dangers of the jungle, and watched it shuffle about, apparently without instinct. And she gifted it something she'd not given to any other beast she'd created. She bestowed thought to the creature, and it immediately stopped, stood, and looked around, it's eyes filled with a new intelligence, a cunning that Wake had seen in master predators on different worlds, but with a reason to it, more than just surviving and mating. It wanted something more, she could tell. It wanted to create.
It wasn't without the goddess's knowledge that this came to be, and with intense curiosity, she watched her daughter nurture this species more than she'd done with any other. Instead of allowing it to be enveloped by the world around it, she gave it new gifts to overcome new challenges until, after many centuries, the creatures took it upon themselves and advanced on their own. Despite the tiny progression, the creation of fire through beating rocks together, it was a shocking revelation to the goddess. Never had any of Wake's creations done something of this magnitude, something that immediately changed the shape of the future. It could be felt in the abyss as it reacted to these beings, the same as it had reacted to Wake's creation. Had these tiny creatures developed, by themselves, to the same level as Wake? While still limited in their physical power, they began to dominate the world around them. The discovery of how to create fire tilting the ecosystems so dramatically that the rest of the world began to fall into chaos. Species began to die out for no other reason than these creatures, Humans as Wake had taken to calling them, were taking over. It wasn't because of their physical abilities but the gifts of thought that Wake had given them.
Something needed to be done or the world would die, so the goddess reached out and touched a single human while Wake was occupied elsewhere. This human, selected randomly, she gave a new gift, the gift of uniqueness. After several generations of humans, this gift had spread through the population and eventually it manifested itself when one human killed another because of their differences. Wake and the doddess were both shocked and appalled at the occurrence. Not only did the death affect the humans around them, it affected the abyss directly, shifting it and causing it to scream inaudibly. In this moment the goddess regretted her actions but saw no way to reverse them.
And so she created a new being, similar to Wake, but without the power of creation. This being had a definite form, unlike Wake who changed in the beholder's eye. This one was tall, formed after the male human. He had long dark hair and blue eyes. His nose was curved and short, his lips thin, and his chin pointed. His heavy brow evidence of the seriousness that inhabited him.

"Who are you?" The goddess asked this new being.

"You should know, it was you who created me," He said, his personality far more refined than Wake's. Far more human than his sister.

"Then you shall be named Artheus, and I ask that you guard the souls of the dead humans," The goddess said, pleased with her first son.

"It would be my honor, mother," He said, bowing deeply to her.

"Where would you ask to guard them?" She asked, motioning to Earth, floating far below them in the dark expanse.

"Inside of the lands, where their physical body goes," He replied, falling to, and through the earth, to it's heart. Here he carved out his home, the home of all who would die. It took him many years to complete the Halls of the Dead, but eventually he did finish. And upon finishing he opened the gates, letting the souls of the dead flood the streets. It was here he stayed, standing vigil over the souls, disciplining them for their transgressions in life and protecting them in death.

It was thousands of years later that another problem became apparent to Wake. This time instead of destroying the world with their progression, the humans were destroying themselves, and soon, they would become extinct. Neither Wake nor her mother could bring themselves to kill the humans themselves but knew that if they did nothing they would be wiped out. This was when Wake suggested something to her mother.

"What if we gift a human with the power to restore balance?" She asked her mother, watching as the humans slaughtered one another in droves.

"And if it becomes corrupt itself?" The goddess asked, tilting her head.

"It will not, I will choose it," Wake said, becoming excited at the prospect.

"Do as you will, I will bestow the gifts on your chosen human," The goddess agreed with a nod. It was almost instantly that Wake brought a human before her. He was tall and young, light colored hair trimmed close to his head, dark armor covering his body.

"His name is Gabe, he is pure of heart and soul, he has spent his life protecting his family and his kingdom, but they have been taken from him due to the imbalance. He wishes nothing more than to preserve the lands and his brethren, at all cost," Wake explained shortly, the man looking between them curiously.

"How do you know me, woman?" He asked, his gruff voice saturated with confusion and disbelief.

"I created you," Wake said with a smile, "You personally were my doing, your gifts of honor and pride bestowed to you by me,"

"And you will become her brother, should you so choose," The goddess said, reaching forward slowly to touch his chest, "Should you choose to act as we cannot, and bring balance by any means to the humans,"

"But, how can you give me such power, you are not the god the holy men speak of," Gabe argued, trying to back away, but unable to. He seemed to be stuck in place, unable to move.

"The holy men know nothing of the true nature of the world, and know nothing of it's creation," The goddess explained, her hand still resting on Gabe's chest, "If you need convincing, I shall convince you,"

With those words, she lifted her other hand, transporting them high into the sky, the earthly ground falling away beneath their feet, drawing a startled cry from Gabe. As their ascent slowed, she motioned to the barren plains below them, "Watch the earth move at my command," she said, waving her hand yet again, the ground lurching into motion, rising up in jagged spikes. Slowly, the earth stopped moving beneath them, just as their feet touched earth once again, the area around the new mountain completely transformed.

"Why can you not balance the world with such power?" Gabe asked in shocked bewilderment.

"We are creators. It hurts us to destroy and kill, it is why we need you, a human, to take on the role of balance keeper," Wake answered with a sigh.

"Which is why we ask you to balance the world for us," The goddess said softly, "Wake will return you to your bed, think it over, and speak her name when you have made a decision,"

With that, Gabe disappeared, leaving Wake and her mother along atop the mountain, one that would later be called Everest by the humans.

"Do you think he'll do it?" Wake asked, her fear that she'd chosen poorly evident on her face.

"He'll do what's right," The goddess said, patting her daughter on the back. It was a moment later that the man reappeared, obviously older, wrinkles set into his face, his hair grayed, new scars marring his skin.

"I have decided, after years of contemplation, to accept your offer, should it still stand," Gabe said, slowly lowering himself to one knee.

"You don't need to kneel to me, Gabe," the goddess laughed, helping him back to his feet, "Welcome to the family, son," She stepped forward and embraced him. His age slowly slipping away, his wrinkles filling, his scars fading, his hair lightening back to blonde, and a new fire filling his soul.

"Bring balance to the world, brother," Wake said with a smile. With a curt bow, Gabe disappeared, returning to earth to begin his charge of balancing the world.

"We'll call him Sleep, since he is your counter," The goddess said, smiling at Wake, who returned the smile and nodded enthusiastically.


For generations the world continued, the efforts of Sleep carving new lines into the earth, destroying whole civilizations, creating others, parting earth from earth and joining lands where sea had once separated. The three siblings and their mother watching over the humans and their souls. Soon, though, another issue arose. The humans had discovered how souls left the body and moved to the Halls of the Dead, and while they couldn't get to the Halls themselves, and even if they could, Artheus would strike them down. And until they upset balance, Sleep would not oppose them. They began to trap souls in the overworld, using them to power the magics they developed. It became necessary for someone to guard these souls as they made their way to the Halls of Stone, someone to protect them from these necromancers.

So the goddess called upon her children to choose a new human to whom she would bestow the gifts of a god and charge with guarding the dead on their way to the Halls of the Dead. They brought to her Amylia, a woman and caregiver, a doctor of war, and a protector of the weak. After much discussion, she agreed to the charge and was given the gifts of her siblings and renamed Sentinel.

With Sentinel watching over the souls on their way to the Halls, far fewer fell victim to the Necromancers. It became necessary for them to take the life themselves rather than just harvest souls of the fallen. This curbing the power level many humans had begun to achieve. The souls that did make it to the Halls, however, were judged by Artheus, and while his punishments doled to the wicked were harsh, they were temporary, and then a soul, wicked or not, would be allowed to walk the Halls of the Dead with purer souls.
This seemed an issue to the other siblings and they called to their mother to create a judge, a judge who could damn those wickedest souls to a place only they would occupy after their punishment was complete. This against the wishes of Artheus, who felt his methods were enough. The goddess, however, felt that the others were right, that some souls didn't deserve to be allowed to live on, that they carried the weight of sins too grave to be exposed to the pure. And with this decision, she created Arbiter. A human charged with the duty of deciding which souls were forever tainted and needed to be placed in another place, separate from the pure souls. She was given a place deeper than the Halls of the Dead, a place of fire and brimstone. It was there she kept her damned, not punished, but separated.

Soon after, Wake sought council with her mother, complaining of the abuse the humans inflicted on souls in the effort to use them to power magics. Her solution was to give them a more easily accessed power with which to use these magics in an attempt to get them to use souls less. Her mother granted her this wish and they installed yet another sibling to watch over this new energy and check it's limits. This new demigod's name was Rein. She created an energy to use as fuel for magics and instilled basic knowledge of it in several humans. From them on she watched them progress, becoming more and more powerful in their magics. Watching as Sleep wiped out thousands of them to keep the world in balance. She became more obsessed with seeing how far the humans could push the limits that she hid several from Sleep's gaze, allowing them to progress unhindered by his need to balance the world.

It was one of these humans, one who's name none of the siblings or their mother knew, accidentally progressed to a point to compete with their weakest, Arbiter. And arguably, he could have held his own should they have fought. He become so powerful, in fact, that by the time Sleep discovered his existence, that he would not be able to kill him because he would be resurrected in a new form, still as powerful as he'd already been. The only way to remove him would be for the goddess to obliterate both him and his soul, something she refused to do. So she instead created a place for him, high above the world in another dimension, a place she made easy for him to find. And so he did, and with him he brought his followers, Angles he called them. And from his perch, unknowing that it had been created specifically for him, he began to police the world, attempting to rid it of evil. Despite his attempts and the sizeable following he'd amassed on earth, violence and sin were still a plague upon the earth. The siblings tiptoed around this person who called himself God for the longest time. That is, until he witnessed Sleep open a volcano to obliterate a village that had been disturbing the balance of the world, in big part thanks to God.
Furious, God descended to meet Sleep, cursing him for his evil deeds. It was when he attempted to strike Sleep that the incarnation of balance lost his temper and obliterated God and many of his followers who tried to assist. As they had known, he reappeared a short time later, his ego severely wounded, and retreated to what he thought was his fortress in heaven. It was there that Sleep waited for him, propped up on the throne God had built for himself. The other siblings also waited there with him, convincing God of the greater powers around him and opening up to him about the working of the world.
Despite their pleas, God insisted that Sleep was evil and was the only thing destroying the earth. And so, he resumed his righteous tirade, countering sleep at every turn. Despite being severely underpowered, he felt he was making a difference. Since he'd developed to a point where he could not reach any higher, the siblings left him alone, allowing Sleep to do the job he was assigned and balance the imbalance that God created.

Unfortunately, that's not where the rivalry ended. Instead of accepting that he could never defeat Sleep and that he'd reached the peak of his power, he educated several of his followers in the ways of magic and helped them progress to his level of power. These followers were named Michael and Gabriel. They, along with God, spread across the land their misguided vision of good, complicating Sleep's job even further. Then Sleep did something far beyond the scope of his station, and created four of his own "Gods". While not evil, Sleep showed these people the flaws in God, Michael, and Gabriels' ways and asked them to counter God, Michael, and Gabriel's efforts on earth. He named them War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death, after the same beings the humans created to describe the apocalypse in God's own bible. Not just tools to balance the world further, but a jab at God personally. These agents of the apocalypse used magic, the same as God and his disciples, meaning that they checked one another.

And so with their creation came balance. A balance that tipped gently in favor of darkness or light, over time. An unending battle against the evil nature of many humans.




A summarized version, the thirteen beings of power mentioned in this story are the Goddess, the creator of existence, time, and life. Then there was Wake, the creator of worlds, animals, and humans. Next came Artheus, the guard of human souls in the afterlife and the punisher of the wicked. Sleep came after Artheus. The keeper of balance on earth. And then there was Sentinel, charged with keeping souls safe on their way to the Halls of the Dead. Arbiter was created to judge the souls brought by Sentinel, to decide if they need to be imprisoned or allowed to roam free in the afterlife with the pure souls. Next in line was Rein, who was tasked with creating an energy for humans to use as an alternative to souls to power their magics, and to keep in check the power of humans. The creation of Rein led to her allowing God to become powerful enough to be considered a being of power, although far weaker than many of the siblings. God created both Michael and Gabriel to assist him in purging the earth of their perceived evil. To counter this blind crusade, Sleep created War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death to battle against God and his disciples in an attempt to keep balance.

[Damxge]

In case it's not clear, this is basically a more in depth look at the lore behind my Warrior, Sleep. https://extremerpg.rpg-board.net/t433-sleep-balance-incarnate

[cyclonecasey]

Nice idea.

[cyclonecasey]

Nice idea.

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