Legends of Terranis

The solution that Gaia proposed was drastic, and viewed as completely unacceptable to the others.

She desired to spread her life essence across the entire cosmos, all in one single action. But to do so would split her into so many pieces, she would not survive. Ilventus made certain they all understood what that meant. But Gaia would not listen. She was entirely consumed by the prospect of creating new life that she stopped giving her own life any concern. The concerns of her fellows hardly mattered to her anymore either. The spread of life was happening too slowly, and she would not sit by and watch as only one in every ten planets she seeded were successful. She needed more.

With grim determination, she set out on her own. She returned to the very location which she had first awakened, deciding it a fitting location for what she was about to do.

Gathering all her strength, she spread her consciousness out as far as she could. She could see and feel everything. How empty this universe was! Besides the small corner that she and her friends had carved out, there was still so much empty space. So much potential for life. This revelation fueled her power, and as it built up, she concentrated hard on what she intended to do. More and more the energy built up, generating intense waves of energy that wavered and pulsed in a hypnotic rhythm across the universe.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

The pulsing grew stronger, more intense.

Boom. Boom. BOOM.

The others took notice, but it was too late. The energy she had been gathering had built up to astronomical levels, and Gaia could no longer contain it. With a sickening shriek, she burst apart, scattering her own essence far and wide throughout all that existed.

The others stopped. They understood what had just happened.

Over time, life began to populate the universe on its own, and as it did, the creators noticed the telltale signs of their friend in everything they saw. Particularly Ilventus, who sensed a new energy within them. “They are pieces of her” he announced, “small portions of her essence exists in everything that lives, which in turn, keeps her alive within them.” Satisfied with that declaration, they all agreed to continue observing the universe, their curiosity having returned fully.

One day, another entity appeared before them without warning. Seeming distant and unconcerned with the others, he briefly introduced himself as “Dweomorran,” and continued his odd little search. Intrigued, Vallahaatu inquired about Dweomorran’s purpose, to which the preoccupied entity replied desperately “don’t you see it?! Mana! It’s everywhere! I must know what it does!”

Vallahaatu realized that he had never truly noticed this element, mana. It seemed so unimportant at first, but he was now seeing that it was, in fact, everywhere. But most of it appeared dormant, inactive, as if waiting for a trigger. Dweomorran did not stay with them for long, moving fast as he sought out an answer to his questions. But eventually, the others noticed strange occurrences in the space around them, occurrences that had not happened before. They concluded that Dweomorran had likely found the answers he was seeking. Their conclusion proved true, as the enigmatic being returned to them with a new energy and purpose.

Dweomorran brought with him this mana element, establishing it upon the surface of various planets, eager to test how the small creatures reacted. The results proved mixed. It seemed that some creatures handled mana better than others, and some completely destabilized without much exposure at all. Determined, Dweomorran continued his odd experiments, with the others carefully scrutinizing his every move.

It was found, after a time, that there were several planets whose denizens were able to not only coexist with mana, but utilize it much in the same way that Dweomorran could, albeit on a much smaller scale. These creatures developed wondrous societies, some of which were free of suffering and pain, and all seemed perfect to the creators at last. Mana proved to be the necessary next step in the evolutionary pathway of many apex species, and soon great empires arose on many worlds.

Mana also caused an occurrence that none of the creators could explain. It seemed that, in their efforts to explain their own small worlds, some planets had developed powerful beings based on the needs and desires of their intelligent populations. The citizens called these beings “gods,” and attributed to them everything from the creation of their world, to the food that grows in the ground. The idea fascinated and amused the creators, who had chosen to remain unknown to these creatures.

Dweomorran continued his exploration of the universe, planting mana wells on any planet that could take it, and even began to experiment on the native species of some planets, creating marvelous creatures unlike anything that natural life could birth.

But not everything could remain so perfect forever. One planet in particular, which had been the first planet to sustain civilization, had developed an empire so vast that its territory encompassed half of the planets landmass. Many gods were worshiped by these beings, which called themselves the Guindarran Empire, and their mastery of magic proved unmatched among the small races of the universe. But a dark truth was forming, and it became evermore apparent that they were seeking power that they should not have access to. Great multitudes of people died in monstrous sacrificial ceremonies dedicated to their cruel gods, who resided in beautiful and profane temples bathed in the blood of innocents.

For each life that was taken, the Great Creators wept, torn between their desire to intervene, and their duty to remain observers only. When the Guindarran’s appeared close to unlocking secrets of life itself, Ilventus finally snapped. Reaching down, he dug his great fingers deep into the foundations of the planet, and grasping hard, ripped the Guindarran Empire’s home continent up by its roots. With a mighty heave, Ilventus hurled the chunk of planet through space, unsure of where it would land.

The planet itself, of course, died. And Ilventus felt a deep and lasting sense of remorse for what he had done. His anger had not only destroyed a people, but an entire world full of life. The others called him Death, and he chose to leave in exile, forever shamed by his own actions.

Time went by, and the Great Creators became less and less involved in the regular events of the cosmos. They came to recognize that much of their strength had been drained as they were creating everything, and they were no longer the vastly all-powerful beings that they once had been. Vallahaatu in particular noticed that his ability to create and shape planets was nearly gone, and he could only manipulate the land in his immediate vicinity during the times when he chose to stand on a planet. The realization came as a paralyzing shock to him, as he was the creator of Order in the universe, he had ordered and shaped all the planets in the cosmos, and yet could now hardly shape a mountain, nevermind a planet.

His misery and distress at last became too much, and he chose to rethink his own existence. He abandoned his long-time friends, and struck out into the universe on his own, seeking new purpose in whatever he might find.