Here are recounted the various creation myths and divine legends of Arcana. Of course they are all wrong, as sure as they are all right.
Creation of the World – as proclaimed by
Dragonborn
Before time
began, there were two Dragons. One was called the Chromatic Dragon, the other
was called the Platinum Dragon. The Chromatic Dragon was a being of frightening
arcane power. The Platinum Dragon was a serene and divine celestial being.
They were
siblings, mates and enemies, exemplifying all life that ever would be. In her
greed, the Chromatic Dragon sought to steal all knowledge from the Platinum
Dragon. In his arrogance, the Platinum Dragon sought to dominate the Chromatic
Dragon.
Their fight
lasted for eons and sparks that flew and burned the Platinum Dragon became the
stars. The claw marks in the hide of the Chromatic Dragon became the clefts and
gorges and rivers.
In time,
the two Primordial Dragons fought to a stalemate. The Platinum Dragon bound the
Chromatic Dragon underneath him. The Platinum color became the light of the
daytime sky, the fiery sparks from their battle became the stars. The Chromatic
Dragon was bound to the earth. That is why arcane energy courses through the
planet and the nature of mortal existence is Evil. All good and guidance comes
from above, from the daylit sky and from the ten thousand stars.
The Dragons
are the true children of these Primordial beings and the rightful masters of
the World.
Creation of the World – as told by the Giants
The World
was a dark and chaotic rock until the Star Titans, who each blazed with the light
of a sun, came out of the Dark Beyond and created Order. The Titans tamed the wild monsters and
established civilization. The Titans eventually left their children, the First
Giants, in charge of the Ordered World. Over time however, the First Giants,
without the guidance from the Star Titans, fell into decline and internecine
strife. In the end, the mighty magical civilization of the Giants broke down
into barbarism and different clans and their Order was broken.
Creation of the World – as told by the Elves
According to
the Elves, the Gods or Dragons or Titans had nothing to do with the shaping of the
World. Natural, rational laws govern the universe and the forming of the world
from cosmic dust over a process of billions of years can be rationally
explained. The World was not created, it was discovered. The forebears of the Elves
came from the stars to Arcana in silver vessels. There, they established an
enormous magical empire in the region that now holds the Western Kingdoms. In
time, they uplifted the Nine Human Tribes to civilization. As the human realms
grew, the civilization of the Elves declined, their magical empire collapsed.
Some of the Elven High Mages that taught humans magic are still remembered as
Gods by them – Osiris, Zeus, Mannus.
Creation of the World – as recounted by the
Dwarves
The World
was created as an Anvil by the great Lord of Fire and Forging. His first few
attempts at forging life were flawed – misshapen Goblins, foul Orcs and hideous
Trolls - but the Dwarves are the Lord of Fire’s greatest creation. His celestial servants
however, were jealous of his skill and favored the other, lesser races – Elves,
Humans. These celestials imprisoned the Lord of Fire in a vault constructed from
the cold of the Void. Fiery Dwarven kings took up their fireforged swords and
armor and spears but were stymied by the arrogant Elves and stunted Humans. The
great Dwarven kings of old were conquered and enslaved. But the Dwarven people,
blazing with the fire of the forge and the light of their Lord, were not so
easily cowed. They learned to use the tools given to them by their oppressors –
hammers, axes – and wrested their freedom from the chains.
Creation of the World – the Halflings
“The
shaping of the World? Who cares!? There’s a shiny object there, let’s go study
it and … Oooh! What’s this?”
Creation of the World as written in the Doctrine of the Ecclesiarchical
Church of the Radiant Spirit
IN THE
BEGINNING – the world was dark and formless, until the Radiant Spirit brought
light to the realm and tamed the seas and shaped the land. The Spirit placed
the sun in the daylit sky and the stars in the nightsky. The darkness was bound
beneath the earth and order was brought to the land.
The Radiant
Spirit created life on Arcana, plant life, beasts. Finally, the Spirit created
the pinnacle of Creation: Humans.
But one of
his angels grew jealous of his master. His most skilled servant, Phaeton,
strove to create life in his own image. The rebellious angel forged humanoid
life but could not match the perfection of the Radiant Spirit. For his sin, the
Spirit cast Phaeton out of the Heavens.
The evil
Phaeton, cast out of his home, gathered fiendish allies and created other forms
of life. Dragons, monstrosities and evil races such as Orcs and Goblins. A
terrible war raged in Heaven and on Arcana – as above so below.
In the end,
the forces of Good triumphed over Evil. The victorious Humans established the
Empire as the temporal authority of Arcana and the Church as its spiritual guide.
