“This is the account of the Creation of Existence, as discovered in an scroll of unknown age and origin, found near the ruined caverns which held the first Altar of Polysesmos near the Southern Seas. The original text, having been translated from a language considered to be not of human origin by the Scholar Lyseni, has been confirmed by The Temple of Scholars to be the most complete and true to original as any that have been created afterwards. 

It is important to note that when the scroll was originally found, Lyseni and her handmaidens took it upon themselves to keep the information hidden, even from the Patron that sponsored their work. The scroll and location of the first altar was hidden for a number of generations, and upon discovery was thought by scholars to be an oracle gone mad. 

However, as confirmed by letters from Lyseni’s handmaidens to their Patron and their families, the Goddess Ianthe was said to have blessed Lyseni with knowledge no human held, nor has had since; the language of the Aletheians. Additional works translated by Lyseni contain the best knowledge of what we now understand are the Realms of our Existence, and the little we understand about the Deities that rule over us, as well as what little we know about the strange powers of Nymphidae, Aletheians, and the Tycheaphim, and just how they influence our daily world.

The author of the scroll is not named, but is considered to be a woman, judging by the light hand and green color of the ink, most commonly used in dying of fabrics for clothing, and painting in previous centuries, and strength of prose that is more consistent with an educated philosopher, educator, or priestess.

This specific text here has been updated from the original translation, and while some words have been changed or expanded upon for clarity, the edits are mostly concerning a modernization of grammar and vocabulary, for ease of comprehension. The original copies of the first scroll, and the first translation by Lyseni is housed at the sanctioned Altar of Polysesmos, in the Capital city Mellatos on the island of Aglaea.

Some additional notes on the text below:

The age in which this was written had a unique understanding of the Moon and the Sun, believing both of these to be creatures that lived in another world, as pets of the Deities, who did not interact with humanity the same way as they do in our current society. Then, the Deities were mere myths, and did not walk among us, nor bless us as they do now. The two creatures were considered opposites, known as the Phoenix and the Serpent.

While our ancient ancestors seemed to believe that the Phoenix was flying through the sky alive each day, the Serpent would rise and poison it, explaining the colors of the sunset as the blood of the Phoenix. The moon then, was the Egg that would crack open at dawn, birthing the Phoenix once more. An interesting note is that the first myths of the end of the world was in that the serpent would devour the egg before it could hatch, leaving us in eternal darkness.

The concept here then, of the Phoenix, and the Egg play heavily into the author attempting to convey a topic that is impossible to truly understand, due to our own humanity. Notes in the margin of the scroll indicate this in certain terms. The most important of these additional notes seems to be to not read into the concept itself but rather the more important aspect of this writing is to understand why we exist and why Polysesmos created us.

Additional scrolls said to be found near the altar in the same hand are indicative of these words somehow being spoken to by Polysesmos directly to the woman, though many of these are noted by the scholar Lyseni to be the private journals of the unknown author, only describing that after she gained this knowledge, she quite probably took her own life in order to rejoin Polysesmos.

Final Note: While specifics regarding the translation can be found on an additional scroll in this scroll book, one word is of particular note in this text which I believe should be regarded with scrutiny;

When the original author describes Polysesmos feeling “Love” for the first time, they use a word that, like most of the dialect being translated, have multiple meanings in the human tongue, or have meanings that we cannot understand. Studies indicate that, to our best understanding, the word used can be described more as a feeling returning home from a long time away, combined with “unconditional love” such as a mother has for a child, and all of the combinations of our words for Love in one single phrase.

The common description of Love as we know it seems within this text to have a more integral meaning than that which we describe as platonic love, romantic love, familial love, passionate love, or love of things or concepts. The same word is used in various other sentences, which has been translated as ‘Joy’, ‘Pleasure’, ‘content/contentment’, ‘beauty’ or ‘ecstasy’ throughout, which seems to have the same meaning regardless of context. The author appears to have struggles in describing these concepts differently, due to the nature of a phrase which has no direct translation.

Many studies are dedicated to the differences of this word alone in the ancient writing of the Deities; though the first translation was aided by the Goddess Ianthe herself as dictated to the Scholar Lyseni, so we can be assured that there are indeed differences, no matter how subtle they appear to the human mind. We can only one day hope to understand the intricacies contained within.

- A description of the ‘Scroll on Creation: of Polysesmos’, by eminent scholar Apostalos, Master of Learned Affairs at the Temple of All Scholars in Mellatos, Aglaea.

The Universe is the Phoenix, in a cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth.

       The Egg was brought into existence by the Creator of All, a being outside of time, dimensions, realities, and space. Know then, that before reality was created and the Creator of All brought forth what we know is existence, the very first thing that was born was Curiosity.

       Curiosity drove the decision for the Creator of All to release a small aspect of itself, in order to create something apart, that it could breathe into life and learn from. The goal of this experiment has been very simple: Experience life in a granular sense, separate from how it knew itself to be then, into a billion different personalities, with their own desires and goals. While existence for the Creator of All could only be described for us in a way that we understand as joy, pleasure, and contentment, the spark of curiosity led it to believe that there could possibly be even more to be felt than joy, pleasure, and contentment. That the balance between joy and lack of joy could possibly aid it’s understanding to be even more appreciative of the joy of existence.

       As the Creator began to grow the seedling of curiosity within itself, it understood the best way to feel and comprehend the path it would take to accomplish it’s goals. 

       For the first time, it marveled at the image of itself, now broke off in front of it. The best understanding that a human can have is that it saw itself for the first time, with childlike wonder as like very first time one sees themselves in the reflection of a placid lake on a cloudless day. The image can be described, to the best capability that I have as poor as it may be, as I myself am only human and have been blessed with this knowledge by the Creator itself, to aid in our understanding of our own curiosity, is that the creator and now the Egg were two, flawless diamonds, expertly shaped to catch the infinity of possibilities contained within themselves, two parts of a single whole being. Each facet reflected the infinite wisdom of itself, the shining curiosity of creation, the only light within the void of existence staring back at itself in awe. 

       The Egg was a simple shape, solid and unchanging, while the Creator is a mass of shifting facets, swirling around within itself. The first step of life had finally begun. The Creator of All now named itself Polysesmos, for it knew that this separation would require titles and names, and a great many other things to fulfill the curiosity that Polysesmos felt, in order to be understood by all beings that were to become.

       Polysesmos reached out, delighted in the unfamiliar sensation of being outside of itself. It now imbued to concepts within the Egg that would ensure the knowledge it desired was possible to be experienced by the new form it had constructed.

       The second creation, then, after curiosity, was the idea of time, birth, life, death, choice, and rebirth. The small globe shifted ever so slowly, and then cracked, opening to the new form inside. The shimmering faces of shell were absorbed and Polysesmos saw themselves being born for the first time. It breathed the first breath of life, and shone from a light within so bright, before dimming into the nothingness of death. Within the creation, a shimmering hum reached out, and Polysesmos gave the life of creation the first choice: To rejoin them wholeness of Polysesmos itself, in the ecstasy of being one with Polysesmos once more, or if the creation desired to feel the fleeting sensation of the universe once again.

       Without pause, creation and existence answered with a resounding affirmation that it desired the feeling of birth, life, and death, the seed of curiosity that had taken root within Polysesmos having grown too within the Egg of creation. And so, with a gleeful shimmer, Polysesmos watched as the Egg formed anew, watching as it cracked open into itself once more.

       Knowing that the creation was experiencing itself now in ways unexplored before, Polysesmos was flooded with the possibilities. The light Polysesmos had seen within the creation had given inspiration, and Polysesmos flung the tiny facets of itself to reflect back to them, thus creating the stars and sky we see each day and night, and the Moon and Sun. When alive, the Egg reveled in the beauty of it’s existence, the reflection of the mind of Polysesmos being seen as sheer beauty.

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       With this, Polysesmos felt Love for the first time, and Love was the final creation that Polysesmos introduced into our world. Because it had never had a reason to question the idea of another things experience, there had been no need for Love. Now, Polysesmos formed the shape of our realms in order to show the Egg of creation and existence what love was, to give it structure and meaning, and to explore the aspect of Truth found within Love. Polysesmos knew that the facets within the egg could be developed further, and that the Egg itself did not need to be born, live, die, choose, and be reborn as a whole, but perhaps could be broken down, so that only parts felt this constant shifting within. Not much could be learned from a cycle so simple.

       Now that existence was real and experiencing itself for the first time, Polysesmos, gently created layers within the Egg of creation, which we know to be the realms of our existence, all at once. It is important to understand that each layer within the Egg was not created alone, but rather with the purpose of supporting each other realm of existence. Each being that was formed was a pure aspect of Polysesmos, just as the Egg itself had been.

       The first realm was built just beneath the shell, and was named the Realm of Light. The forms within the Realm of Light by Polysesmos were formed into shapes that we recognize as the same as our own. With soul, head, heart, legs, arms, hands, and feet, these humanoid beings are no different in physical form of humans in the slightest. Polysesmos felt pride at these beings, which radiated inner light and contentment, the seed of curiosity and love intertwined within them. Polysesmos named these beings the Aletheians, and gave them different power which could be drawn from the Realm of Light itself. Their duties were to be beings of wisdom, guidance, and grace, and to help the beings that were formed at the core of the Egg, in the Realm of Time, which we refer to more quickly as the Realm of Mortals.

       Polysesmos gave each Aletheian an individual facet of itself, like a park of light, and decided that it would be easiest if the Aletheians could move through the realms that had been created with ease, because these first facets were to be the guides to all other beings in existence. The gift of flight had been bestowed on them alone, to aid them as they fulfilled their duties, as well as the other powers bestowed that are known.

       Between the Realm of Time and the Realm of Light was created the Realm of the Beyond. In this realm, all those whose existence was first felt in the realm of Time would eventually experience death. Polysesmos, in infinite wisdom, knew even at the beginning of creation, that being so far from itself would be a very confusing experience for each soul to understand, and that there would need to be guidance so that they could make the individual choice to either Rejoin or experience Rebirth. Once the facet gained understanding of the life it had lived, or learned the lesson it needed to learn the most, then it would be given the Truth and the choice.

       Next, Polysesmos decided that it would be very interesting indeed to split off 12 aspects of them self, and make these 12 facets the rulers of the realm of Time and the Beyond. Each individual would be given dominion over some attributes, both of the physical world and the world that was within the minds of those they would eventually favor and create.

The twelve Deities Polythemus named and titled: 

Promysae - Deity of Passion, Perception, Beauty & Comfort

Lykaios - Deity of Love, Family Bonds, Kinship, & Honor

Evraeolis - Deity of Health, Medicine, Food, & Protection

Calai - Goddess of the Ocean, Secrets, Weather, & Natural Disasters

Haestria - Goddess of War, Hunting, Strength, & Victory

Melanctha - Goddess of the Roads, Travel, Trade, & Prosperity

Ianthe - Goddess of Writing, Learning, Decorum, & Justice 

Aethemae - Goddess of Hearth, Harvest, Mending, & Childbirth

Themyx - God of the Sun & Moon, Dawn & Dusk, Dreaming & Stories

Ozymaelius - God of Cunning, Revelry, Madness, & Celebration

Junaus - God of Prophecy, Duality, Hope, and Song

Nytheon - God of Art, Poetry, Writing, & Sculpture

       They were tasked with creation of their dominion, within the realm of Time. Each deity must part with a fragment of their spark within, to be placed in the clay and salt water of the earth. The beings would be called Humanity, and would live in the heart of the Egg, making up the Realm of Time. The Deities were to rule over them, by giving guidance, love, and assistance, but to interfere as little as possible so that the lessons learned were truly theirs alone. By giving this power the shape of the Realms would be their sole creation, both a burden and a gift.

       These beings known as humans would have no power, like the Aletheians of Grace and Wisdom, or of the Deities themselves. The humans would have already forgotten the joy and contentment of being a part of Polysesmos from the very moment of their creation, and would need to gain their own understanding of what it means to exist on their own, in each life. Polysesmos impressed upon the Deities and the Aletheians that while they had power unknown to humans, they were equals in every measure. Humanity was what Polysesmos loved more than all else, because we are the nature of the curiosity that is experiencing itself.

       As they worked, the 12 Deities that had been created began to speak with each other and slowly discover their own joy, love, and contentment. In the beginning, no one among them had any more strength or will than another, and they worked in harmony together, embracing their differences eagerly.

       Polysesmos saw this and was pleased.

       Polysesmos know that more more could be done on their part, and that the creation was ready to begin discovering itself. The egg was no longer cracking and experiencing the phases of birth, life, death, choice, and rebirth as it had in the beginning, but had transformed into the simplicity of existing in life. Contained within was the vastness of all realities, as dreamt from the mind of Polysesmos.

       Polysesmos knew that when each tiny facet, broken from the Deities, had learned and evolved enough, they would rejoin their creator willingly. Each time, Polysesmos would learn about their experiences as well, experiencing the joy of curiosity as they thrived and grew. The Deities were above the ravages of time, but Polysesmos knew that they would also understand their role within itself, just as the Aletheians would, once the last fragment of humanity wished to rejoin.

       Then, a few of them had a lovely idea that Polysesmos had not instructed, and Polysesmos was in awe at the very first act of Free Will. Because Deities did in fact have the power and knowledge now on the creation of beings and the shaping of the world below them, they decided to make another race of bipedal creatures. They had, after all, not specifically been instructed not to do so.

       This had come from the first argument that they had, which dealt with the idea of power. Polysesmos had made clear that they were not above or below other beings in creation, but as time went on, the connection that the Gods, Goddesses, and Deities had felt faint, and an idea began to grow that imbalanced this notion of equality.

       While some agreed and some did not, they did all work together to give life to their idea and new creation, beings which were not made from the clay and salt of the Earth but rather the spirit of the things that they had created with their own powers: the trees and flowers, rivers and lakes, the rain and the wind. 

       These beings, called Nymphidae, had limited power of creation of whichever their source had been. The Nymphidae of waters, such as lakes or oceans, or streams, had the power to call upon the beasts that lived within at their command. Those from the trees or earth or plants had the power to grow such things at a mere touch. Those that sprang from the wind or night sky could sing colors into the very air around them, entrancing all who heard. Nine species of Nymphidae sprung forth from the hearts of the Deities, and the love they had for their own creation, their forms lovingly crafted by the Gods and Goddesses to be most attractive and playful to the other mortals in the realm.

       Only nine new Nyphidae were created, for the three Deities beyond our notion of sex and gender, Promysae, Lykaios, and Evraeolis, declined to work with the others, as they insisted the Nymphidae have promiscuity with which to seduce those mortals below, for the entertainment of the Gods and Goddesses. Lykaios rejected the thoughts of romantic love and affection in all forms and thereby spurned the thought of creating a being who was driven by those desires, while Promysae was simply content to let the others do the work, saying that they would focus more on their powers to drive those below to the passion that was desired. Evraeolis, forever hesitant to commit to one side or another in any matter, and having no reason to quarrel with those Gods and Goddesses insisting on the physical forms each Nymphidae could take, was shouted down at the suggestion that they have a spirit of nature that didn’t focus on desire as a form of entertainment.

       Inspired and pleased by this new act of defiance, Polysesmos took a portion of Aletheians, and adjusted their facet to reflect Luck and Destiny, rather than Wisdom and Grace. They then instructed these beings, now called the Tychaephim, to interact directly in the realm of Time, rather than only the Realm of the Beyond. They would not be guides for humanity, or now the Nymphidae, but would influence the days of mortals in simple unseen ways, which would brighten their lives and bring them together in harsh times that Polysesmos saw brewing in the new realities below. They would have a silent influence over the Deities themselves as well, which would ensure that Polysesmos could maintain their sates as it desired.

       Polysesmos looked on, seeing all of themselves now learning about the wonders of existence. Soon, the realm of time would begin and mortals would pass into the Realm of the beyond, to learn and understand their lives, and then be given the choice to rejoin Polysesmos in the Realm of the Phoenix, where they could understand the nature of their existence, find the answers to all of their questions, and observe the progress that had been made. Only in the Realm of the Phoenix would the Truth be fully revealed.

       The Gods, Goddesses, and Deities spread throughout the earth in order to help where they could and discover themselves along the way - just as Polysesmos intended. They took to heart the first words of their creator, and did not dwell with humanity at all in the realm of time, but rather worked magic and creation from above, hinting at their existence.

       The creation of the universe where Polysesmos could experience each moment and learn all of the wonderful and unique things about this little creation they had made was, as far as they were concerned for this time, a masterpiece needing no further guidance. They celebrated each choice made, felt the joy and contentment within, and grew in wonder as it knew how much it would learn as the facets of itself, when they began to rejoin with the facets that were now apart from itself.

And so, Polysesmos observed.