Kemujin: the Dying World [Discussion]

[Soup Nazi]

Main thread here http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?16612.0

As ideas thrown out here in the dicussion thread take shape, they will gradually be refined and moved to the main thread. What follows on this thread are some of the rough works-in-progress, so feel free to comment on either the basic stuff here, or the finished work in the main thread.



Meteor Showers (Ioun Showers)

It is estimated that thousands of meteor showers rain down upon the world of Kemujin every day, though they are most clearly seen after dark. Most meteor showers are nothing more than burning brimstone that disintegrates in a glowing white flash as it falls to the earth, however astronomers known as scanners constantly watch the skies for ioun showers, which are far more rare, and distinguished by their brilliant crimson glow. Ioun stones do not burn up when they fall, and it is the scannersâ,¬,,¢ responsibility to identify the ioun showers, and estimate their trajectory so salvagers can recover it.

Becoming a scanner involves years of study, complicated astrological charts, orreries, and telescopes. Those who become scanners have privileged positions in society. They are paid handsomely, highly respected, and well educated. Most major cities, have several observatories, with powerful telescopes, and dozens of scanners manning them twenty four hours a day. The best of the best are able to predict ioun showers by watching the silvery belt of Kemujinâ,¬,,¢s rings, though in many cases it is simply an exercise in educated guess work.

Salvagers on the other hand, are usually adventurers seeking to get rich quick. It is the salvagers that brave the deserts and lead caravans to the sight where the ioun stones have fallen to earth. Salvagers often cross hundreds of miles of hostile terrain, searching for impact craters, braving the monstrous denizens of the night, and the swords of rival salvage teams seeking the same precious prize. The job of the salvager is viewed by most as extremely dangerous, foolhardy, and often fruitless. Countless souls have lost their lives in pursuit of crimson-star ioun stones and most return empty handed. Those who succeed however, fetch a substantial profit, and successful salvagers often retire from their adventures as very wealthy men.

Most meteor showers fall near the equator of Kemujin, and as a direct result most major Ioun Powered civilizations are likewise clustered around the equator, but despite the thousands of showers, there has never been a reported case of a meteor shower raining down upon civilization. Should it ever happen the devastation would be catastrophic, or at least it seems as though it would be, if the accounts of the craters left behind by the falling meteors are accurate; only the salvagers have seen the impact craters of the quintessence showers first hand however, and adventurers are known for exaggerating their exploits.

The Prophets of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin

While the ruins of the lost empire clearly indicate that a complex and diverse polytheistic and world spanning religion once existed, all that remains today are the prophets of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin, the first, last, and greatest of the ancient gods. The prophets claim that Elâ,¬,,¢Emin is the father of the ancients, and that Malach, the red sun is his burning wrathful eye. Unlike the religions of the past, the church (if it can even be given such a distinction) of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin does not have a large following. The apocalyptic vision of the prophets is not well received by a people searching for hope in a dying world, however small doomsayer cults devoted to Elâ,¬,,¢Amin can be found on almost every corner of the world.

The prophets claim that they are awaiting a sign from Elâ,¬,,¢Amin, and this sign will foretell the end of time, life, and the inevitable destruction of Kemujin. Though the prophets have not yet determined in what form the message of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin will be delivered, they believe it is only a matter of time before he will warn them of the end. Most devoted followers of the prophets subject themselves to grueling forms of self inflicted castigation in hope that Elâ,¬,,¢Amin will show them mercy, or a path to salvation when the end draws near. Among the many forms of self punishment the faithful subject themselves to include baking nude in the sun until they are horribly burned, depriving themselves of water until they see visions, and ritual brands marking them as the obedient servants of their burning deity.

Most of the prophets are skilled in the psionic arts, and become ardents devoted to any number of philosophical ideals. There is little consensus among the prophets about Elâ,¬,,¢Aminâ,¬,,¢s true intentions, or his designs for the faithful, though most hope that the wrathful god of the sun will deliver them from the brink of annihilation for their faith and devotion. Clerics devoted to Elâ,¬,,¢Amin are exceedingly rare, but those who have chosen the unwavering path of divinity in his name, may draw their power from the following domains: Death, Destruction, Fire, and Sun. Elâ,¬,,¢Aminâ,¬,,¢s actual alignment is unknown, even to the faithful, and his clerics may have any alignment that suits their personal interpretation of his ideals.

Most of the temples and churches devoted to Elâ,¬,,¢Amin have long since been destroyed by witch hunters and mobs seeking to purge the church and the doomsayers from among their midst. Thus the prophets tend to meet in small covens, and hidden chapter houses where they can hide from their superstitious enemies and the ignorant masses. The prophets point to the actions of their faithless kin, as one of many portents that the end of times will soon be upon them. Each prophet usually has a devoted cult of followers, willing to lay down their lives in service of their divine messenger, and they have large networks of safe houses, and channels through which they move about the cities of Kemujin.

Though almost all city-states in the world of Kemujin permit religious freedom, the general public frowns upon the prophets at best, and hunts them down mercilessly in some extreme circumstances. Despite this prejudice, the cults have been slowly growing over the years as the red sun Malach grows ever more powerful, and the small chapters, though only loosely connected to one another, may soon be the single largest faith in all of Kemujin.

The Pilgrims of Sar

The most widely accepted religion of the Last Age is the Holy Order of Pilgrims of Sar. The pilgrims are devoted to the preservation of the Ioun Drives, the translation of the technology of the lost empire, and restoration of Kemujin to its former glory. They believe the secrets of Kemujinâ,¬,,¢s restoration lie within the ruins of the lost empire which lie scattered across Kemujin, and it was they who first translated the Tablet of Sar in Zethradir. The Pilgrims of Sar view the tablet and the ruins as sacred monuments, that need to be preserved, studied, and revered, for it is within these holiest of places that the secrets of salvation lie buried, awaiting discovery.

The pilgrims often lead the archeological expeditions to ruins, to recover Ioun Drives, Illumination Drives, and numerous other as of yet untranslated tablets. Thousands of pilgrims work shoulder to shoulder to drag the massive obelisks to the city-states, and restore them to working order. They operate closely with both the scanners and salvagers to ensure they remain fully operational, and have the full support of the ruling authorities of the city-states. Few have the zeal required to become true pilgrims, but almost all people living within the pale green light of the Ioun Drives recognize and appreciate the work of the pilgrims.

Most of the pilgrims are simple commoners, and normal folks seeking to do their part to make the world a better place. Only the most exceptional take on leadership roles within the church, usually becoming skilled archivists. The archivists of Sar, have deciphered and translated countless lesser religious tablets, recovered from the ruins of the lost empire, bearing the divine message and magic of the ancient gods, and they recognize numerous deities of the ancient pantheon. The archivists generally favor the gods which most closely mirror their own personal philosophies, but they view all divine magic as sacred, and are perfectly willing to translate and use the tablets they recover, regardless of which deityâ,¬,,¢s name they have been inscribed in.

The pilgrims see the Prophets of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin as dangerous men. It was Elâ,¬,,¢Amin who devoured the ancient gods, and the pilgrims believe it was Elâ,¬,,¢Amin who destroyed the lost empire, and ravaged the world with his burning eye. The Pilgrims of Sar fear that the prophets seek to destroy all that they seek to preserve, and they frequently clash with one another politically, spiritually, and sometimes physically. Many of the witch hunts that have destroyed the temples of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin were inspired, if not led, by the Pilgrims of Sar.

The Encroaching Shadows

While it is common knowledge among those to have studied the planes, that the plane of shadows is both coexistent and coterminous with the terrestrial world of Kemujin, few have been able to determine how it is possible for the denizens of the shadow world to cross over from their sinister home plane to the world of man. What is known with absolute certainty is that as the great red sun Malach sets, shadowy monsters from the alien plane creep silently from the darkness into the deserts of Kemujin to feast upon the life-force of the dying world.

The synads also claim to have bridged the gap between worlds through the plane of shadows, and many turn to them for answers to the nightshades, shadows, and wraiths, but there is little that can be gleaned from their insight. The synads simply claim that the shadowsâ,¬,,¢ hunger is insatiable, and that it will continue to feed upon the strength of the living until there is nothing left for them to consume. Grim as this hypothesis may be, the synods claim their own home world, was destroyed in precisely the same manner, and that they would not be in Kemujin at all were it not for the fact they have no answer, solution, or effective technique, with which to fend of the powers of darkness. As far as the synads are concerned, the Ioun Drives are the only known weapon effective against the shadows, and the precise reason they fled to Kemujin three centuries ago when their home world fell to the nightshades.

Fending off the Darkness

these are just random thoughts about the Ioun Drives, the shadows, the red sun, and their interaction in the setting. There is little here that could be considered "complete."

The Prophits of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin believe that it is only because of the brilliance and power of the red sun, that the shadows are kept at bay, and many among the prophets of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin believe that the Ioun Drives themselves tap into the power of Elâ,¬,,¢Amin through the crimson-star ioun stones, and that the crimson light shed by the Ioun Drives is a manifestation of the power of their fiery lord. While Elâ,¬,,¢Amin is not viewed by his faithful as a protector or guardian from the evil of the shadows, they do believe that even the nightshades respect his burning wrath, and dare not defy his might.

The Pilgrims of Sar, have their own theories however, most of which revolve around Kemujinâ,¬,,¢s Silvery Belt, which they firmly believe was once the lunar counterpart of Malach, the great red sun. The pilgrims claim, if their translations of the ancient tablets are correct, that this silvery moon was once the symbolic eye of Elâ,¬,,¢Aminâ,¬,,¢s own wife, and that when the vengeful lord of the gods destroyed his brood, so too was the moon destroyed, that fragments of which orbit the planet to this day, and which fall to the earth in ioun showers. Even in death, tiny fragments of the queen of gods hold significant power.

The scanners too have their own ideas pertaining to the power of the crimson-star ioun stones, and they theorize that solar flares emanating from the red sun, irradiate the particles of the rings of Kemujin, and cast them out of orbit. The ioun showers (from their scholarly point of view), are a natural phenomenon, and the crimson-star ioun stones are nothing more than rocks with curious properties. While this heretical perspective on the phenomenon is not widely accepted, there are plenty of people who feel there is a certain element of simple logic in the scannersâ,¬,,¢ theory.

I have no idea what direction I want to take this, or even if it is worth pursuing.What do you all think? I would definatley like some sexy, flavorful name for the meteor showers, and better name for the secondary drives mentioned in the Ioun Drive section. I am adamant about using psionics in place of arcane magic, and I would like to use psionic races (particularly maenads, elan, synads, githyanki, githzerai, and possibly xeph if I can squeeze them in comfortably) instead of the PHB races.

Any suggestions or random ideas that might inspire me out there? If so, I am all ears.

Peace Out Yalz

-Nasty-

[Wrexham3]

Cool Nastynate, this setting really appeals to me as it reminds me of the Mad Max movies.  As for the meteor shower, how about the Ruins of Heaven?

[Numinous]

Wow dude.  I just had an idea for a post-apocalyptic desert setting, and you pop in for 5 seconds and do another "Damn, I wish I could've thought of that".

The setting looks awesome so far, and as for things to do with it, well...  Describing the city-states, any other power groups besides the Cult and the Pilgrims, other religions...

Well, good luck, and I'll keep reading!

[SA]

Nate is back from the freakin' dead!  Holy sweetcakes and saffron!

And there was much rejoicing in Gomorrha, for the dark saviour once more hath come.

Oh yeah, btw, loving the setting.

[Xathan]

Who do you think you are? Who the hell do you think you are? You just vanishe for all this time, then you just come back all "Hey, how's it going, oh, btw, while I was gone I made this totally awesome setting in my spare time, now I'm going to post it, SO WORSHIP ME PUNY MORTALS, kthxbye!"

(BTW, for those of you who can't tell, I'm joking)

In all seriousness, it's good to see you back, and I love what I see so far on this setting. More constructive reviews later today when I have time, but I like what I see so far, as usual.

[HyveMynd]

absolutely LOVE the setting, and not just because i'm a fan of post-apocalyptic stuff either. how about calling the meteror showers "the glimmerling" or, maybe even better "the godtears"? i would so totally play in this campaign setting. can't wait to see what else you do with it.

[Epic Meepo]

I like it. It's like Dark Sun meets Dune, but with its own unique charm.

But since I'm sure you wanted a more in-depth review than that, I also have some constructive criticism:

Based on what has already been written, I'd say that Kemujin would make for a good campaign, but is too narrowly focused to make a full-blown campaign world. The religious conflict could make for some interesting roleplaying opportunities and the constant effort to fuel the ioun drives would lead to cookie-cutter wilderness adventures. Until more is added, though, there isn't enough information to take a campaign set on Kemujin in any other direction.

I would also recommend replacing quintessence with some other mystical substance. So long as the ioun drives are fuelled by quintessence, there is actually a pretty big hole in the salvager concept. Once a community recruits a 7th-level shaper, they have all the quintessence they ever need, since their shaper can just manifest a power that creates it. For that matter, a psionic item that creates 1 ounce of quintessence per day only costs 11,200 gp. Compared to arduous astronomical observation and regular hundred-mile treks through the desert, a one-time fee of 11,200 gp is a bargain.

This would likely undercut the entire market for meteorite quintessence, putting salvagers out of work. It would also largely end any interest in the meteor showers. Few would study them and communities would no longer need to cluster near the equatorial meteror strikes. Instead, every community with the appropriate psionic item would relocate to cooler climes away from the equator, and would have no reason to leave the safety of their walled city-states.

I would recommend replacing quintessence with starmetal (Complete Arcane, page 141). That would also give you a name to associate with your meteor showers since the description of starmetal states that starmetal comes from meteor showers that accompany the arrival of the comet Alhazarde. If you incorporate that description as is, you could call your meteor showers the Tears of Alhazarde or some such.

[Soup Nazi]

Wow! thanks for all the replies guys!

absolutely LOVE the setting, and not just because i'm a fan of post-apocalyptic stuff either. how about calling the meteror showers "the glimmerling" or, maybe even better "the godtears"? i would so totally play in this campaign setting. can't wait to see what else you do with it.

I do really like the "god tears" name for the meteor showers. Consider it the new name, and I'll plug it in later tonight.

When I get a free moment (later this evening, not in like another 2-3 months as has been the recent trend), I'll try to compose some of my random thoughts about other possibilities for the setting into something tangible that can be posted.

Who do you think you are? Who the hell do you think you are?

...I am Lothar, of the hill people.

You just vanishe for all this time, then you just come back all "Hey, how's it going, oh, btw, while I was gone I made this totally awesome setting in my spare time, now I'm going to post it, SO WORSHIP ME PUNY MORTALS, kthxbye!"

(BTW, for those of you who can't tell, I'm joking)

In all seriousness, it's good to see you back, and I love what I see so far on this setting. More constructive reviews later today when I have time, but I like what I see so far, as usual.

Take your time on the reviews Xathan. What you see so far is all there really is (other than the madness that swirls about in the back of my brain...and only I see that). But on the plus side, there is so little about this concept set in stone, that I am totally open to input. Feel free to fire away with whatever comes to mind.

Nate is back from the freakin' dead! Holy sweetcakes and saffron!

And there was much rejoicing in Gomorrha, for the dark saviour once more hath come.

Oh yeah, btw, loving the setting.

Thank you sir, may I have another! This setting will undoubtedly progress much slower than any of my previous ones. I simply do not have the time to put more than a half hour per day into it, and even that is sometimes stretching it. BTW...where can I get some of those sweetcakes and saffron?

Wow dude. I just had an idea for a post-apocalyptic desert setting, and you pop in for 5 seconds and do another "Damn, I wish I could've thought of that".

The setting looks awesome so far, and as for things to do with it, well... Describing the city-states, any other power groups besides the Cult and the Pilgrims, other religions...

Well, good luck, and I'll keep reading!

The city-states will take some time unfortunately, so I may not have them up for quite a while, but I do have some rough concepts for interesting power groups. I also probably won't delve too deeply into religion, until I refine the two concepts I have so far.

I think I need to work out some of the basics first though, before jumping into political factions and so forth. I think I should delve more into monsters, the environment, the classes, races, and so forth (or at least it seems so to me), before I start messing with the underlying campaign drives. I do not want to cram every concept under the red sun into this setting, and I still haven't really worked out the basic framework...yet.

Cool Nastynate, this setting really appeals to me as it reminds me of the Mad Max movies. As for the meteor shower, how about the Ruins of Heaven?

Mad Max was one of the movies I was watching when I started visualizing this setting...big surprise there. Don't think on post apocalyptic terms however...this setting takes place during the apocalypse.

The Ruins of Heaven is great, but it sounds more like a place than a regular event, that happens constantly. I might use that elsewhere though (if you don't mind).

I like it. It's like Dark Sun meets Dune, but with its own unique charm.

But since I'm sure you wanted a more in-depth review than that, I also have some constructive criticism:

Based on what has already been written, I'd say that Kemujin would make for a good campaign, but is too narrowly focused to make a full-blown campaign world. The religious conflict could make for some interesting roleplaying opportunities and the constant effort to fuel the ioun drives would lead to cookie-cutter wilderness adventures. Until more is added, though, there isn't enough information to take a campaign set on Kemujin in any other direction.

I haven't fully fleshed out very much thus far, but your insight is noted. I'll make a concerted effort to add some other interesting dynamics to the world as it develops. Keep in mind however, that I intend this to be a primarily political, urban based campaign setting (like Dune), rather than a long boring series of salvage expeditions. I thought that between the ruins, salvaging, and trade caravans, I would have some basis for wilderness adventures and dungeon crawls which seem to have a wide appeal (and give me as the DM a nice break from complicated pulp espionage based stories, which can be mentally exhausting to run over the long haul of a full fledged campaign).

In essence, I want enough environmental options to run wilderness encounters, and dungeon crawls, without them becoming the central focus of the setting.

I would also recommend replacing quintessence with some other mystical substance. So long as the ioun drives are fuelled by quintessence, there is actually a pretty big hole in the salvager concept. Once a community recruits a 7th-level shaper, they have all the quintessence they ever need, since their shaper can just manifest a power that creates it. For that matter, a psionic item that creates 1 ounce of quintessence per day only costs 11,200 gp. Compared to arduous astronomical observation and regular hundred-mile treks through the desert, a one-time fee of 11,200 gp is a bargain.

This would likely undercut the entire market for meteorite quintessence, putting salvagers out of work. It would also largely end any interest in the meteor showers. Few would study them and communities would no longer need to cluster near the equatorial meteror strikes. Instead, every community with the appropriate psionic item would relocate to cooler climes away from the equator, and would have no reason to leave the safety of their walled city-states.

I would recommend replacing quintessence with starmetal (Complete Arcane, page 141). That would also give you a name to associate with your meteor showers since the description of starmetal states that starmetal comes from meteor showers that accompany the arrival of the comet Alhazarde. If you incorporate that description as is, you could call your meteor showers the Tears of Alhazarde or some such.

Heh! good point...when I used the name quintessence, I was actually thinking on old alchemic concepts (with quintessence or ether being the fifth element), rather than in direct association with the quintessence related to the astral plane; sometimes I forget just how fully integrated certain terminology is in D&D. Starmetal sounds like it will fit just fine, though I'll most likely drop the comet concept, and stick with Kemujin's Rings (I want the meteor showers to be a daily phenomenon, and comets don't pass by on so frequent a basis).

I'll check back later, and thanks again for all the input.

-Nasty-

[Epic Meepo]

Eh. Comet, ring. What's the difference?

Oh, and welcome back, by the way!

[Numinous]

One thing I'd like to hear more on would be the role of undead in this setting.  Seing as the damaging properties of the Ioun Drives are so valuable, undead must be a regular and malicious presence in the world...

Just trying to give you a place to work from here...  

[Soup Nazi]

Actually the undead (particularly those connected to the plane of shadows) were the next thing I wanted to tackle. Good call.

[Endless_Helix]

I totally dig the setting; it's like Dark Sun meets Akira with a healthy dose of Lovecraftian horror thrown in for fun.

Here's a couple of questions to help figure out what the undead are doing besides preying on helpless adventurers.

-Why are there so many undead? Is something (or someone) creating them?

-What organizations fight the undead?

-What Organizations help the undead?

-Where are most of the undead centered?

-What are civillian countermeasures against the undead threat? (IE: wearing a silver holy symbol or hanging garlic on the windows)

-Are there any new kinds of undead?

[Soup Nazi]

I totally dig the setting; it's like Dark Sun meets Akira with a healthy dose of Lovecraftian horror thrown in for fun.

Here's a couple of questions to help figure out what the undead are doing besides preying on helpless adventurers.

cool beans.

-Why are there so many undead? Is something (or someone) creating them?

They are spilling over from the plane of shadows.

-What organizations fight the undead?

not sure yet, but I'll think about it.

-What Organizations help the undead?

also unsure, but I'll add it to my list

-Where are most of the undead centered?

In the deserts after nightfall, when the red sun sets.

-What are civillian countermeasures against the undead threat? (IE: wearing a silver holy symbol or hanging garlic on the windows)

The Ioun Drives repell the undead, and civilization is centered around them.

-Are there any new kinds of undead?

Not yet. I'm no where near the point that I would start making new monsters yet.

Thank you very much. The gears are grinding...

-Nasty-

[Soup Nazi]

Here's a little mythology. I'm certain it will get tweaked as I work out the kinks, and the direction of the setting begins to take a clear shape, but it's a good starting point.

The Age of Shadows

In the beginning there was little more than darkness, shadows, and lifeless drifting rock. The bleak void of space and time stretched eternally across the vast unending depths of the of the universe. During this time asteroids, clouds of particles, and frozen barren chunks of dark matter were all that existed, and the nightshades, unspeakable creatures composed of little more than pure evil and shadows, ruled over this inconceivable realm. The nightshades lorded over their infinite domain from great citadels, fortresses, and castles built from the blackest of earth, metal, and stone, floating through the universe on massive islands of  darkness and death. Where life blossomed, the nightshades found it, and sucked it dry, sapping its strength and its very will to live. The nightshades were creatures of voracious appetites, never satisfied no matter how much they consumed.

So it persisted for countless eons, but never could the nightshades slake their thirst. In time they began to draw material from the other planes, sucking it into the plane of eternal shadows, only to scour it for the smallest vestiges of life, upon which they gluttonously engorged themselves. The nightshades were indiscriminate in their prey, drawing in matter from the inner planes, outer planes, and even the transient planes, but even they, mighty as they were, could not foresee what it was they drew froth from the astral plane, and how it would forever change their world.

The Awakening of Malach

As the nightshades slowly consumed matter from across the planar multiverse, they stumbled upon something they had never before encountered: a slumbering life force of near infinite power. Try as they might, not even the greatest of the nightshades could extinguish the flicker of life in this strange and alien force they had drawn into their domain from the farthest reaches of the astral plane. For years they feasted upon the remains of this creature, at first like vultures upon a rotten carcass, and in time like frenzied beasts frustrated in their own inability to extinguish the entity. Then suddenly it awakenedâ,¬Â¦

Immediately the shadowy world was flooded with burning light, fire, and energy, the likes of which the nightshades had never conceived. Those who were close were utterly and instantaneously incinerated, while others fled to their fortresses seeking shelter from the searing light. Malach had been awakened from his slumber, and his burning eye cut through the darkness light a beacon of fiery wrath. The enraged god, knew not where he was, or how he had been revived, but he lashed out in anger destroying anything in his path. When his fiery rampage subsided, and Malach regained his composure, most of the nightshades had been reduced to little more than ash, and those few to have survived has fled panic-stricken to the farthest corners of the world of shadow, where they licked their wounds.

Malach gazed upon the lifeless realm he had been thrust into with disgust. This was not a world befitting of a sun god. So he set about creating a world from the materials he had: the discarded remnants of matter from across the multiverse, left for dead by the ravenous nightshades. Though it most likely took millennia, Malach gradually gathered bits of matter, and wove them into planets, stars, and various other heavenly bodies. Still his creations were lifeless and barren, so he breathed life onto Kemujin, and bathed it in light, watching as plants, animals, and eventually sentient life slowly evolved upon his creation.

The Birth of the Gods

Though  Malach was satisfied with what he had created, he was alone in his new world. Eventually he decided that he should create a companion for himself, so he selected his most beautiful creation, the silvery moon Auria, and shared a portion of his divine power with the object of his affection. Auria, goddess of the moon was born.

Curiously, as all free willed creatures are inclined to do, Auria was not immediately receptive to Malachâ,¬,,¢s advances. She viewed him more as a father than husband, and sought wisdom, knowledge, and enlightenment, rather than Malachâ,¬,,¢s passionate embrace. For a while he humored his queen, but in time Malach grew impatient, curt, and vindictive. Auria was growing ever more distant, rather than closer to him, and she seemed far more fascinated with the mortal creatures of Kemujin than with her creator. She began to court followers among the mortals, delve into the magical arts, and generally devote her attention to anything but Malach. She knew not, who she was defying, nor the scope of his anger.

In a fit of rage Malach forced himself upon his queen, and subjugated her. He repeatedly had his way with his unwilling bride until she bore him children, and so the gods were born. When he was satisfied with his dozens of children, many of whom were more than willing to serve their father, and be sculpted in the images he saw fit for them, Malach turned his back on his queen. He cast her into the shadows of the dark side of Kemujin, where she would be left in the cold absence of his radiant light, warmth, and power.

The Revenge of the Queen

Though relieved to finally be free of her terrible husband and father, Auria was bitter, angry, and forever scarred by the rape of her body, mind, and spirit. She wept in the darkness, and even her own children, fearful of their fatherâ,¬,,¢s wrath would not look at her. The world she once loved turned its back on her, and her followers basked in the radiant light of Malach and his children. Though during time mankind, civilization, science, magic, and culture flourished on Kemujin, under the watchful eye of Malach, and with the spiritual guidance of his sons and daughters, Auria was left alone in the darkness.

Gradually her sorrow subsided, and her heart grew cold and wicked. The subjected, raped, and discarded queen languished in the darkness. As despair began to take hold, she was approached by the messengers of the shadows. Auria found kindred spirits in the nightshades, who told her tales of Malachâ,¬,,¢s awakening, anger, and unbridled wrath. The cunning nightshades exploited her in her time of weakness, and sowed the seeds of dissention in her heart. Together they began to plot the downfall of the sun god, and inevitable destruction of the world she once held so dear.

The shadowy infiltration caught Malach and his children completely by surprise. Malachâ,¬,,¢s pride and confidence was so great, he could not even conceive of the possibility that his scorned queen, and her shadowy allies would dare to confront him, even indirectly. The nightshades infiltrated the cities of man under the cover of nightfall, and spread the seeds of dissention, they converted holy men to the cuase of the forgotten queen, and spread vile rumors of evil and despicable acts among the nobles. In time the cities of man began to turn upon one another, wars erupted without warning, and the children of Malach turned upon one another.

When the gleaming silver moon of Auria revealed itself, emerging from the shadows after countless millenia, panic ensued. The people of Kemujin thought that the world itself must be coming to an end, and indeed it was. Malach unable to contain his fiery temper flared with anger. He lashed out indiscriminately, burning Kemujin, his former queen, and even his own children. The war of the gods had begun, and none were safe from Malachâ,¬,,¢s fury. Malach grew red, and swelled with divine power, forced to exert ever more power to smite his enemies. Auria fought with all her strength, but as the tides of battle turned against her, the nightshades fled, leaving the queen to fend for herself against the full might of Malachâ,¬Â¦it was not a fair fight. Auria was slain with ease, and the moon exploded sending burning fragments cascading down upon the cities of Kemujin.

The Aftermath of Malachâ,¬,,¢s Rage

Victorious, Malach swelled with renewed pride. Though Kemujin had been reduced to little more than blasted wasteland, and his children had been destroyed, he had single-handedly defeated both the nightshades and his traitorous queen. He turned his eye upon what remained of Kemujin and gleefully watched as mankind cowered before is fiery might. Though he had nearly destroyed all he had created, Malach was pleased with himself, but he vowed to never again avert his full attention from Kemujin, and his menacing eyes looms as large and powerful as ever over the lands of man, so intently focused, that he has nearly scorched the life from the world.

What remained of the world-spanning empire of man gradually crumbled under the oppressive searing power of Malachâ,¬,,¢s eye. No longer did they have the gods to protect them, and the nightshades still loomed in the darkness. Though the Ioun Drives held the great cities of man together for a time, even they were not enough to withstand, the encroaching deserts, windstorms, earthquakes, meteor showers, and the incessant wars over food, water, and resources left in the wake of the war of the gods. The empire crumbled away, and the world was left as it is today: parched, withered, and dying under the burning red sun which grows larger and hotter with each passing year.

Enjoy

[HyveMynd]

that's a fantastic mythology/creation story. there is just one thing tha bugs me about it though. maybe i'm being a bit too PC, but Auria really gets shafted in the story. i mean she gets raped by her dad/husband, blamed for his eye almost scorching the world to cinders, and then blown up to top it all off. i'm not saying change it. please don't it's a great story. just maybe change some of the wording so that Malach doesn't seem so righteous and holy and Auria so vile and evil. it DOES rather fit with the whole middle eastern flavor i felt before though. women pretty much 2nd class citizens or property. the thought that a woman who gets raped somehow brought it on herself and therefore deserves to die and all that. i know you said that you liked "the godtears" for the meteor showers, but how about linking them to Auria? you could call them "tears of Auria" instead. just a thought.